Film Shapes

Sorry We Missed You is Ken Loach's follow up to 2016's I, Daniel Blake and it mines a similar vein of problems with modern British society. In this case, it's the 'Zero-hours economy', whereby companies can keep workers on call or franchise (virtually 'non-employed' employees), leaving the way clear for mass exploitation. Not a new thing, sure, but the loosening of regulations to allow this kind of economic fascism shows just what kind of politics rule the roost these days. Loach is a master at this genre, he's been doing this kind of film for years, and he's getting even more angry if these last two films are anything to go by. The focus of this film is the Turner family, specifically husband and father, Ricky, shaggily played by Kris Hitchens. He naively (or desperately) agrees to the terrible conditions set out by the foreman of a parcel delivery company, Maloney, played by Ross Brewster. This guy is a prime prick but Brewster imbues him w...

So by my workings, this is Rian Johnson's fifth feature and his career would look explicable were it not for the lumping great behemoth of his fourth film. Brick in 2005 - low budget, clever reworking of hard-boiled detective fiction. The Brothers Bloom in 2008 - appreciably higher budget, more well-known actors but still quirky and indy. Looper in 2012 - interesting time travel sci-fi with Bruce Willis. So far, nice little trajectory. But wait, what's this? A FLECKING STAR WARS FILM!?! Fast forward a couple of years while the online invective wears off and here we are at Knives Out , which is, for me, his best film yet. On the face of it, this is a murder mystery 'whodunit', set mostly in a lovely old country home. The quaintness goes a little further with Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, a southern US detective with an eloquent turn of phrase. But underneath, Knives Out is a scathing attack on the 'haves' of society and what they'll do to k...

I feel a bit guilty about this now but I decide to skip the option of seeing Martin Scorsese's latest film at the cinema and wait a week or so for its Netflix release. As with any film, it would have been better on the big screen but it's what it is. The Irishman tells the story of Frank Sheeran, an Irish-American mafia hitman, and his links to the disappearance of union boss, Jimmy Hoffa. The film is based on a book by Charles Brandt called 'I Heard You Paint Houses', which refers to the blood from the exit wound of a hit. Martin Scorsese returns to the themes of criminal loyalty, machismo and the side effects of this kind of lifestyle, which pervade films like Goodfellas , Casino and even back to Mean Streets . The running time of 3 and a half hours may seem off-putting but there was nary a point where I felt my attention flagging and credit must go to writer, Steven Zaillian and Scorsese's (anything but) regular editor, Thelma Schoonmaker. And, of course, ...

So, here's an odd thing. A week or so ago, I got an email from a film distribution/production company in California asking if I was keen to review a film they are rolling out. I figured I'd give it a go. The film is a Danish animation called Den Magiske Juleaeske , or anglicised to  Finding Santa. Now, right off the bat, I admit to not being a fan of Christmas, and therefore Christmas films in general. Clearly, this film wasn't made with my demographic in mind. The director, Jacob Ley, has form with this kind of children's animation in Denmark and I assume there's a market for it, especially at this time of year. But it's not for me. The story follows an irritating orphan named Julius who loves Christmas but has to confront the possibility that Santa isn't real. He's bullied by other kids in the orphanage and is drawn into a magic realm where he's lumped with the task of rescuing Santa and Christmas. The antagonist in all this is a camp Kra...