This week, I have taken a look at some films available for free to subscribers of various services, starting with Amazon.
Liam Neeson takes a break from his action roles to star with his son, Micheal Richardson, in the drama Made in Italy. Artist Robert (Neeson) has drifted apart from his son, Jack (Richardson) after his wife died. They take a trip to Italy to sell Robert’s run down house but it turns out to be a chance for them to both move on in their lives. This is a gentle film and it is cloyingly sentimental at times. However, Neeson is good value and a few chuckles along the way mean it is never boring.
More laughs are provided by Palm Springs. You might think you don’t need yet another take on the Groundhog Day plot, and there is a horribly crude misjudged first scene. But, after that there is quite a lot of invention as wedding guests Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) are forced to live the same day over and over again. Milioti is excellent as the wayward Sarah and JK Simmons is fun as a cop hunting Nyles.
Coming to America was a middling effort from Eddie Murphy is his 80’s heyday. Not as good as 48 Hours or Trading Places but better than the awful Golden Child and Harlem Nights. 33 years later, we have a sequel Coming 2 America. Whilst there are a few call backs and returning characters for die hard fans of the original, there is little here for casual viewers. The laughs are scarce and it all feels tired.
Another actor past his prime, Robert de Niro, stars as Ed in The War With Grandpa. Widowed, he reluctantly agrees to move in with his daughter’s family. His grandson, Peter (Oakes Fegley) declares war on him when Ed takes his room, forcing Peter to sleep in the converted loft. There are some tonal issues with this film. A lot of it feels family friendly, but there is also an odd obsession with Ed exposing his penis! Having said that, it is way better than De Niro’s last Grandpa film (Dirty…), a film so bad it still makes me come out in a cold sweat when I think of it! Uma Thurman has little to do as Ed’s daughter but Christopher Walken, Cheech Marin and T.J McGibbon are all good in small roles and De Niro at least seems engaged with the material. Obvious fluff but amiable enough.
The best option on this site, and of the week is The Mauritanian. It is based on the memoirs of Mohamedou Ould Slahi who was held for 14 years at Guantanamo Bay detention camp without ever being charged. This is a powerful indictment of the American government’s human rights abuses with a clutch of excellent performances. Tahar Rahim is completely believable as Slahi and Jodie Foster gives an excellently restrained performance as Nancy Hollander as his defence attorney Shailene Woodley is superb as her assistant who has doubts about the validity of their cause and Benedict Cumberbatch gives a nuanced performance as the principled prosecuting attorney. There are a few faults. The interrogation scenes feel a bit toned down, and I could have done with more of the political background and machinations. But this is essential viewing.
Finally on Amazon, is Red Carpet. An ultra low budget drama about a naïve young woman who goes to Los Angeles to become an actress but falls in with a dangerous gang who hold her against her will, forcing her into prostitution. Writer/director Scott Altman may well have wanted to expose human sex trafficking, but a lot of scenes seem voyeuristic. Also, the acting is almost universally awful, giving the impression that I was watching an edited porno!
Made in Italy: 6.5 out of 10
Palm Springs: 7.5 out of 10
Coming 2 America: 4 out of 10
The War with Grandpa: 6 out of 10
The Mauritanian: 8 out of 10
Red Carpet: 2.5 out of 10
Moving on Netflix, and Fatale. A successful but discontented married man has a one night stand with a woman he meets in a bar. When his house in broken into, the detective investigating is the same woman. A weird coincidence, or is it? Slickly made, though pretty trashy, this is very watchable stuff. Having performers of the calibre of Hilary Swank and Michael Ealy in the lead roles is a bonus.
Love and Monsters is set seven years after a ‘Monsterapocalypse’ when mutant giant creatures took over the planet. Joel (Dylan O’Brien) is living in an underground colony with a group of other survivors. He makes radio contact with his girlfriend from seven years earlier and decides to trek the 85 miles to her colony, on what seems like a suicide mission. Plunged straight into this strange new world after some brief exposition, this felt a bit disconcerting and disjointed to start with. But, it soon settles down to become a highly enjoyable comedy adventure with interesting characters and inventive monsters.
Finally on Netflix, a brief mention of two films with nothing to recommend about them. Sky High is a bleak, dull and totally derivative Spanish crime flick that feels really bloated with its two hour running time. Turkish drama Have You Ever Seen Fireflies? is much more ambitious. However, its commentary on society in Turkey is hindered by a plodding story and some awful ageing make up.
Fatale: 7 out of 10
Love and Monsters: 7.5 out of 10
Sky High: 3 out of 10
Have You Ever Seen Fireflies?: 3.5 out of 10
Over to Sky for the final film this week, Antebellum. The story starts on a plantation run by confederate soldiers who abuse and even kill their slaves. Part way through this depiction of the harsh realities of the lives of black people in that historical context, there is a twist. It is well introduced and I will not give it away, but the problem is that it is really all the film has. The scenes prior to that are over familiar and quite dull. After that, it feels like the movie has nowhere interesting to go.
Rating: 4 out of 10