It’s that time of year again when Netflix starts to release their awards contenders and it sets off with more of a whimper than a bang with Hillbilly Elegy. In this piece of Southern American hokum, J.D. (Gabriel Basso) is an aspiring law student hoping to go to Yale. His background of growing up in a poor Ohio family is very different to his prospective fellow students and teachers.

It gets off to a bad start as J.D.’s drawling voice over kicks in, giving me flashbacks to the frightful TV series, The Waltons. That particular conceit is rapidly dropped but the film rarely gets any better. The subjects of drug addiction, domestic abuse and shattered dreams are rolled out in an overly familiar way and the usually reliable Ron Howard fails to bring the film to life

Basso is pretty good, especially in the fish-out-of-water scenes at potential colleges. Amy Adams has a few affecting moments as his struggling mother but Glenn Close, as her Mum, lets her wig do most of the acting and Haley Bennett is given little to do.
Rating: 5 out of 10

Amazon, in conjunction with Blumhouse, have released a bunch of horror flicks for free to Prime members. I picked Nocturne at random and it turned out to be a decent choice. An ambitious music student (Sydney Sweeney) is desperate to get into Julliard. So desperate, she seemingly makes a pact with the devil. Avoiding gore and dodgy CGI, director Zu Quirke delivers an intriguing psychological thriller.

Admittedly, the back story could have been filled in more effectively but it is a promising feature length debut.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10

From a first time director to a seasoned one in the form of Francois Ozon with his latest, Summer of 85. In Normandy, 16 year old Alexis meets and falls in love with the manipulative David, who is a couple of years his senior. An intense relationship ends in tragedy. It is beautifully shot by Hichame Alaoiue, who perfectly evokes those long hot summers of our youth. The performances of Felix Lefebvre (Alexis) and Benjamin Voisin (David) are both excellent. Phillipine Velge who plays Kate, the girl who unwittingly causes the tragic event, gives a remarkable performance for such an inexperienced actress in a challenging part.

What lets the movie down a bit though, is the plot. With the way it is structured we know what is going to happen to David from the beginning, so his death lacks any dramatic impact. After it happens, things fall a bit flat with the story losing impetus. Not quite the sum of its parts. Available on Curzon Home Cinema.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Also seen this week…

I tried a second film in the Blumhouse-Amazon tie in. Whilst the restraint shown in Nocturne worked, a similar approach definitely doesn’t in Evil Eye. A bonkers story about an abusive guy who is reincarnated and seduces his ex-girlfriend’s daughter needed to be made with more brio.
Rating: 4 out of 10

The disappointing Lucky Grandma starts so well. A cranky old lady loses at a casino. On the bus ride home, the stranger next to her dies, leaving a bag full of cash. Trouble is, he was working for the mob… After that great set up, the story fizzles out with just a few amusing moments.
Rating: 6 out of 10