Starting this week with films available to rent on most of the usual services, and the feel good Kat and the Band. Kat (Ella Hunt) is a 17 year old sixth form student who is more interested in music than her A Levels. Her ambition is to become a band manager, and when she meets members of the upcoming group, Dollar Days, she convinces them she is an experienced manager in her twenties.
This is pretty straightforward stuff, and the plot pans out much as you would expect. However, it is carried by the charm of Hunt and its sheer good nature means you can relax into the story. Also, whilst the premise is hard to believe, Kat is a much more relatable character than the other kids her age featuring in my reviews this week. In a lean week, it is my pick.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Much more ambitious is the latest from director Trey Edward Shults, Waves. Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr) is a college student who is a star wrestler and living with his loving parents and younger sister. Their lives seem ideal until a tragic accident changes everything. Wavesis a technical marvel. It is beautifully shot by Drew Daniels and Shults’ nimble direction is really impressive, with the camera often rotating 360 degrees during a scene.
However, whilst I don’t have to like the main character to fully enjoy a film, I can’t help feeling that Tyler was being presented as an ordinary likeable kid, whereas he was really a very unpleasant misogynist, and made idiotic decisions. In the second half of the film, his sister Emily (Taylor Russell) is focused on more and that gives the movie the heart it needs.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
A critical hit on its release earlier this year, True History of the Kelly Gang left me cold. It is ironically titled as it is a heavily fictionalised telling of the life story of Ned Kelly. The first half, focusing on his childhood works the best. Despite George McKay playing the grown up Ned, as the film progresses it gets very tiresome with its sheer pretentiousness overwhelming the narrative.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Marie Curie is the subject of a much more traditional biopic in Radioactive. Played by Rosamund Pike in a spirited fashion, the story starts at the end of her life before flashing back to her start of her career in Paris, taking in her marriage and Nobel Prize wins.
Solidly directed by Marjane Satrapi, there is nothing groundbreaking on display but Pike’s presence and an inherently interesting subject make this pretty watchable. My main criticism is that in trying to ensure it is shown how her discoveries had a serious downside, Marie’s achievements are downplayed until the climax of the film.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
My final rental of the week was the horror, Colour out of Space. A family living in the country are affected in strange ways when a meteorite crashes outside their home. After a decent start, it soon becomes apparent that it is purely a vehicle for Nicolas Cage to turn his rage up to 11. Joely Richardson tries to rise above the material and fails.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Horror fans can also catch Becoming (not to be confused with the Michelle Obama documentary of the same name) on Sky Movies. It may be more subdued and straightforward than Colour out of Space but it is more successful. Toby Kebbell plays Alex, a man who becomes possessed by a strange entity. His girlfriend, Lisa (Penelope Mitchell) tries to find a way to save him. Writer/director Omar Naim provides enough effective moments to make him one to watch.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Also on Sky Movies, is the woeful Bad Therapy. An alleged comedy about a couple visiting a dubious therapist. Nancy Doyne’s adaptation of her own book manages to be insulting to both sexes and does not provide any laughs. A pretty talented cast including Alicia Silverstone, Rob Corddry and David Paymer have nothing to work with.
Rating: 2.5 out of 10
Over on Netflix, The F**k It List is a similarly misfiring comedy. A star student, Brett (Eli Brown) seems to ruin his chances of going to college when a prank goes wrong. Brett is massively annoying. A pampered, privileged, rich brat who we are meant to feel sorry for because, despite a host of colleges offering him a place, Harvard puts him only on a stand by list. But, not to worry, as the movie shows you that you don’t need to study. Just put your life on the Internet and untold wealth and the girl of your dreams will come your way.
Rating: 2 out of 10
Netflix also continues to churn out thrillers that would be more at home on a Tuesday afternoon on Channel 5. The latest being, Fatal Affair. Ellie (Nia Long) feels like her marriage has become a little stale and has a one off sexual encounter with an old friend, David (Omar Epps). She realises she made a mistake but the seriously unhinged David will not leave her alone. The plot pans out in a completely predictable way, with all the characters making bad decisions and behaving irrationally. Stephen Bishop adds a little class as Ellie’s husband, though.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Finally on Netflix this week is the documentary Father, Soldier, Son. Brian Eisch is a decorated soldier in the US Army who has been badly wounded in Afghanistan. The film follows his story as he returns home to his three sons and girlfriend. Whilst there are some emotional moments, the uncritical adulation of the American military does leave a bad taste. Brian is a 3rd generation soldier but the toll of combat is glossed over. Also, as his son also enlists, the lack of other career opportunities for kids of his class are not examined in any depth.
Rating: 6 out of 10