Film Review Round-Up: Coco, The Commuter, Downsizing & Maze Runner: The Death Cure

It's been a busy week at the movies for me, with a lot of big new releases to watch. I've been to the cinema no less than four times this week, and so dear reader here at The Welsh Geek Reviews I'm bringing you another of my patented review round-ups: first up is Pixar's wonderful new animation Coco; secondly we go for a train ride with Liam Neeson in The Commuter; we follow that with Matt Damon's shrinking escapade Downsizing and finish this week with the conclusion to the really rather good teen action series Maze Runner: The Death Cure. Let's get to it!

Remember me . . .

Coco (PG)

Starring (voices): Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt

Directors: Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina

The Plot: Mexican youngster Miguel (Gonzalez) dreams of being a musician, but music has been banned in his family for generations, ever since his great-great-grandfather abandoned them to pursue a musical career. As his town begins to celebrate the Day of the Dead, Miguel has a falling out with his family and runs away. Learning that his great-great-grandfather was none other than his deceased musical idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Bratt), Miguel finds himself magically transported into the Land of the Dead. He teams up with downtrodden skeleton Hector (Bernal) to try and find de la Cruz, while his ancestors residing there desperately pursue him - if Miguel doesn't return to the land of the living after 24 hours, he'll be stuck there forever . . .

Pixar rarely falter, and they've weaved their magic once again with Coco and produced a truly wonderful film that's visually stunning and utterly absorbing. The bright, colourful visuals are wrapped around a story that's both beautiful and utterly heartbreaking - this is a very emotional tale about the importance of family and remembering the loved ones that you've lost, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a few manly tears while watching. You may be wondering about the title of the film - Coco is Miguel's ancient great-grandmother, and to explain why the film is named after her and the part she plays in the story would be too much of a spoiler. Pixar have gone to great lengths to produce a fantastical story that's respectful to Mexican culture, and the result is one of their very best films.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
A beautiful, moving and emotional story that celebrates both music and the bonds of family. Another triumph from Pixar.

Next stop . . .

The Commuter (15)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

The Plot: Michael MacCauley (Neeson) is an ex-cop who now works as an insurance salesman, commuting into New York City everyday on the same train. MacCauley is struggling financially, and is intrigued when, on the journey home, a mysterious woman (Farmiga) sits down with him and makes an unusual offer: he will be paid $100,000 in cash if he locates a person on the train who should not be there, who's due to get off at a specific stop. Initially sceptical, MacCauley is shocked to discover that the offer is not only real but deadly - the person he has to find is a murder witness, who the mysterious woman intends to kill, and she threatens his family. It's a race against time for MacCauley to find the witness, prevent their murder and protect his family . . .

If you come into this film expecting another in what has become a genre in itself, the "Liam Neeson Action Movie", you'll be pleasantly surprised. While there are some moments of action, this is actually a clever, suspenseful thriller that plays out as a long game of cat-and-mouse. Neeson's character isn't a complete badass and he spends the vast majority of the film in a situation that he has little control over, and the film does very well to keep you guessing what's going to happen next. It certainly isn't Oscar material, and it's a shame that the fantastic Farmiga doesn't get a great deal of screen time, but this is a far better film than I expected it to be. Well worth your time.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars

This twisting and turning thriller is a pleasant surprise and not at all what you'd expect it to be. Neeson is as watchable as always in a role that's not your typical ageing action hero. Good stuff.

Honey, I shrunk myself . . .

Downsizing (15)

Starring: Matt Damon, Christophe Waltz, Kristen Wiig

Director: Alexander Payne

The Plot: Norwegian scientists have created an irreversible procedure called "Downsizing", that shrinks any organic material (humans, animals, plants) to a few inches in size, and the procedure is marketed as a solution to the world's growing problem of overpopulation. Occupational therapist Paul Safranek (Damon) and his wife Audrey (Wiig), struggling financially, decide to undergo the procedure after being won over with the promise of their money translating into a fortune in the "small" world of Leisureland, however when Paul undergoes the procedure Audrey balks and remains "big", leaving Paul alone in his new tiny world, where he struggles to adapt to his new environment and find a new purpose in life . . .

Downsizing is a very original story idea that offers some clever social satire. The visual effects are excellent, particularly in the scenes where Paul (at his normal size) interacts with "small" people and then later the other way around, and while the story is largely a drama there are some funny moments. While the first half of the film is interesting and engaging, it unfortunately falters in the second half when Paul leaves his new "small" world and travels to Norway, and the film shifts away from social satire and into the contemplation of humanity's fate. The story loses all steam here and the change in Paul's character doesn't come across well. Damon is fine in the first half, and Christophe Waltz is entertaining as his neighbour (and smuggler) Dusan who befriends him, but it was a disappointing finish.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A very original story idea with great visual effects and touches of humour, that's unfortunately spoiled by a flat second half that moves away from the clever social satire of the first. Worth a watch, but don't make it a priority.

All good things . . .

Maze Runner: The Death Cure (12A)

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Director: Wes Ball

The Plot: Following the events of The Scorch Trials, Thomas (O'Brien), Newt (Brodie-Sangster) and the other remaining runners are in pursuit of their captured comrade Minho. They learn that the sinister group WCKD have moved him to the legendary Last City, a walled stronghold, and are experimenting on him in a last-ditch attempt to find a cure for the disease ravaging the world. Thomas devises a plan to break into the city and free Minho, but it will involve them capturing Teresa (Scodelario) - their former friend who betrayed them to work with WCKD, and who Thomas still has feelings for . . .

The Maze Runner series has been, for me, an underrated entry in the realm of teen-focused dystopian future films. The previous two films have been exciting, action-packed and with a likeable cast, and I'm happy to report that The Death Cure is a pleasing conclusion to the series that ramps up both the action and the runtime, clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes. Yes, it is very predictable, and you have to accept the fact this is aimed at a teenage audience and so isn't going to win any awards for acting or plot (which revolves around Thomas's blood being the key to creating a cure), but what you get is a solidly exciting film with lots of spectacle and features the return of Will "Motherfucker" Poulter. It's pretty much everything you could want from this type of film, and is well worth a watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An exciting conclusion to the Maze Runner series that's high on action and spectacle and wraps up the story well. It's a tad predictable and the acting isn't the greatest, but it doesn't spoil a great final chapter of a very underrated series. I dig it.

Film Review: The Post (2018)

Read all about it . . .

The Post (12A)

Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk

Director: Steven Spielberg

The Plot: Washington D.C., 1971. As the Vietnam War still rages, an insider leaks a classified government report on the war to the New York Times newspaper. The paper begins to publish it, exposing a great deal of lies, and the Nixon administration shuts them down, threatening legal action. When the smaller Washington Post paper also obtains the report, its editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) wants to publish it immediately, but its owner Kay Graham (Streep) is conflicted: doing so would not only open the paper to the same legal action as the Times, but also potentially ruin their float on the stock market, which the paper badly needs financially to continue. Weighing up the moral obligations to print against the risk to the paper, Graham faces the most difficult decision of her life . . .

Review: Steven Spielberg has been on a productive run of late. Following 2015's excellent thriller Bridge of Spies (which also featured Tom Hanks) and then 2016's family-oriented The BFG, he's now turned to a biographical drama with The Post and, in a few months, will return with geek-fest Ready Player One that I'm ridiculously excited for. The celebrated director isn't afraid to take on projects that tackle divisive subjects, and with The Post he deals with a subject that, while historical, still has relevance today.

The film is based on true events and deals with the rather important topic of the freedom of the press. Regardless of what your personal opinion may be about newspapers, whether you read broadsheets or tabloids or don't read them at all, I think it's fair to say that most people would agree that the right for the press to report on the news and deliver information that they believe to be true is very important for the public at large. Despite the film dealing with an incident that took place in 1971, it has great relevance for us today, particular in its target market of America where Trump is waging a war against the press. The story told here, of a small newspaper taking a stand against the US Government, is both interesting and compelling, especially when the obvious parallels are drawn to today. As you'd come to expect from Spielberg the direction is superb, and it's very well shot, with a lot of attention to detail paid to the sets and costumes to make this believably feel like 1971. The film is very much a dialogue-driven story: it's not propelled along at rapid-fire pace by sheer volume of dialogue, like Aaron Sorkin's Molly's Game from a few weeks ago, but rather it comes across almost like a play. As there's very little physical action that takes place, it's the job of the dialogue and the performances to drive the story forward. Fortunately, Spielberg has a stellar cast that's up to the task.

You don't need me to give you an explanation of who Meryl Streep is, or why she's one of the best actresses to grace the screen. She's a remarkably talented woman and it will come as no surprise to you to hear me say that she puts in an excellent performance here. What was most surprising was the character she's been given to play here: as the woman in charge of a newspaper that's been owned by her family for generations, you'd expect her to be a powerful, no-nonsense figure that's sure of herself and her decisions. In fact, Kay Graham is the opposite: she's a woman who's been thrust into power by personal tragedy (the suicide of her husband, the paper's previous owner), and who, while shown respect, struggles to make herself heard at points and is uncertain if she's making the right choices. It's a role perfect for Streep, who plays Graham with a quiet dignity but, come the story's conclusion, has found the steel needed to make the important decision.

Tom Hanks, likewise, needs no introduction. He's one of my personal favourite actors and here, as the Post's editor Ben Bradlee, he gets to play a character that's slightly abrasive but morally centred. Bradlee is shown to be a hard-driving man who believes in his reporters, and while his doesn't always agree with Kay, he respects her. It's when the Post obtains the report and Bradlee frantically organises everyone into getting a story ready for the paper's deadline that Hanks' performance really shines, as he delivers a number of passionate arguments to Kay and the other players at the paper about the importance to publish and hold the government accountable for their lies. It's another great performance from Hanks that makes the character completely believable.

Streep and Hanks are ably supported by some other very talented actors. Most notable is Bob Odenkirk, most well known for his turn as slimy lawyer Saul Goodman in TV's Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Here he plays reporter Ben Bagdikian, who has a very important role in the story as he's the one who's able to obtain a copy of the report for the Post. I'm a fan of Odenkirk and he does very well here - it's great to see an actor of his quality in a big film like this. There are many other well-known faces in the supporting cast, but also look out for Alison Brie as Kay's daughter Lally and the great David Cross (under lots of prosthetics) as another reporter for the Post.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and I recommend it, but this certainly won't be for everyone. A story about a newspaper fighting government censorship isn't the most exciting of topics, after all, and the dialogue-driven nature of the story will probably be off-putting for some as well. However, if this is a story that does interest you, you'll find an entertaining and compelling film with strong performances from two of Hollywood's biggest stars. The film has arrived slap-bang in the middle of award season and, while it hasn't garnered any significant nominations so far, is certainly one that's worth your time.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An interesting true story that has great relevance to current events in America. Driven by strong performances from two of Hollywood's biggest stars, this is a well-shot and directed film that's another feather in the cap for Steven Spielberg. 

Film Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018)

Just a smalltown girl . . .

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (15)

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

Director: Martin McDonagh

The Plot: In the small town of Ebbing, Missouri it's been nine months since teenager Angela Hayes was raped and murdered. Her mother Mildred (McDormand), furious that the case hasn't been solved, rents three billboards outside the town and puts up messages condemning the police and its Chief, William Willoughby (Harrelson). This divides the town and fires up the police, but when dim-witted Deputy Dixon (Rockwell) gets involved he and Mildred start down a path of increasing violence . . .

Review: Writer/director Martin McDonagh is not known for shying away from laughs, violence or vulgarity. His previous films In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths have given us extremely funny displays of swearing and violence wrapped around dark cores; Three Billboards might be his funniest work to date but also his darkest, dealing with some very bleak story lines and themes. It's also one that I can see being very divisive, even amongst fans of this style of film. I firmly enjoyed it, as despite some flaws, the razor-sharp dialogue, dark humour and strong performances make this a real winner in my book.

At the time of writing, Three Billboards is riding quite a wave: it's just won four Golden Globes, including Best Picture (Drama) and Best Actress (Drama) for Frances McDormand, is nominated for multiple BAFTAs, and is almost certainly going to feature heavily at the Oscars as well. There's also some criticism present though, particularly in how the the racial aspect of the story is presented, or specifically the lack of it. I'll get into that later, but I thought it was worth pointing out how even at the highest critical level of the industry the reaction to the film is divided.

The story, as I mentioned, is a grim one. You could describe it as a crime drama, although "reaction-to-crime" drama might be more suitable as the story begins long after the tragic rape and murder of Mildred's daughter. The film also deals with such bright and sunny things like terminal illness, suicide and various kinds of prejudice, all wrapped up in a slice of life look at smalltown America. It needs humour, really, to make this level of bleakness palatable, and fortunately it has it by the bucketful. It's black humour, as black as it could possibly be, and Three Billboards is a hilarious film for it, but it's measured, in my view. The profanity of the characters and the comical nature of some of their actions is extremely funny, but it's not constant, allowing the serious moments the, well, seriousness they need. Just how funny the film is will be a matter of personal taste, of course, but I thought the balance was struck just right.

Frances McDormand needs no introduction, nor do I need to remind you of what a fantastic actress she is, but she dominates the film from start to finish. Mildred is a coverall-and-bandanna clad whirlwind of anger, grief and resentment, giver of zero fucks and one of the funniest but also most sympathetic characters brought to the screen recently. One moment she's barging her way into the police station, angrily addressing Dixon with "Hey fuckhead!", the next she's quietly breaking down as she tends to the flowers she's placed next to her billboards, which grimly are also the scene of her daughter's murder. She's a woman who's lost her daughter, whose husband has left her for a younger woman, who's constantly at odds with her son, and is clearly unwilling to take any more shit from the world. McDormand is wonderful throughout, whether she's fire-bombing a police station, kicking a teenage girl in the crotch or verbally abusing a reporter on live TV, and her performance is worth the price of admission alone.

Supporting her, both with impressive performances, are Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. The characters they play couldn't be more different: Chief Willoughby is not a perfect person by any means, shown as he is to have some of the same small-town prejudices affecting the other characters, but he's clearly sympathetic to Mildred's plight as a father himself. Deputy Dixon, on the other hand, is clearly not: an alcoholic mother's boy and stereotypically simple-minded, he objects strongly to the billboards and the bad impression they create for the police, and it's his clashes with Mildred that lead to the escalating violent acts as the story progresses. Both Willoughby and Dixon go on very different journeys: in one of the most bleak and effective moments of the film, Willoughby commits suicide during the second act, rather than face his final months of terminal cancer. Dixon manages to get himself fired from the force and badly burnt, but also is given a moment to show that there may be something of a decent man underneath his prejudices. Harrelson and Rockwell both do well, Rockwell especially.

A brief mention to the other supporting players - Peter Dinklage is fantastic in a cameo role as James, an admirer of Mildred ("I think a midget wants to get in my pants!" she says after returning home from a bar) who gives her an alibi when needed and just wants to take her out. He only appears in a few scenes but he's terrific, particularly when he emotionally breaks down during their ruined dinner. Lucas Hedges (who was excellent in last year's Manchester by the Sea) plays Mildred's teenage son Robbie, and while he also only has a few scenes, he does get what's possibly the best line of the film: in a flashback sequence, which incidentally is the only time we get to see Angela alive, Robbie's arguing with them both and calls Angela a cunt. "There'll be no more cunts in this house" Mildred says, chastising him, to which he retorts "Why, you moving out?"

For me personally, the biggest criticism I have of the film is that I'm not sure exactly what it's trying to say - if it is trying to say anything at all. While there are strong themes present, such as the effects of loss, the consequences of acting in anger, and the concept of there being more to people than what meets the eye, there isn't a distinct, overall message to be found and the film suffers for it a bit. We don't get a conclusion to Angela's case (despite a curve-ball towards the end when Dixon appears to catch the culprit), and we don't get a clear indicator of what the long-term effects are going to have on these characters. I mentioned earlier that there's criticism of how the racial aspect of the story is handled: there are several references to the police force of the town being racist to blacks, and specific references to Dixon having previously been caught beating a black suspect ("How's the nigger-torturing business?" Mildred asks him at one point). It was notable how little this impacted how the story plays out for Dixon, and again how you interpret this may vary, but given that the character is shown to be be beginning to grow by the end, I did find this a bit jarring.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Despite lacking a clear message, this is a darkly funny, bleak, violent tale of a woman pushed to her limits by anger and grief that I really enjoyed. Worth watching just for Frances McDormand's performance alone, this is a film that I'm sure will prove to be divisive but, if you're a fan of this kind of dark humour, is essential to watch.

Film Review Round-Up: Molly's Game & Hostiles

Well it's certainly been a strong start for cinema in 2018. I've watched two excellent films this week (and I've yet to see All the Money in the World), so I've decided to kick 2018 off here at The Welsh Geek Reviews with a review round-up - two short but hopefully sweet reviews for you. In the first, Jessica Chastain takes centre stage as poker entrepreneur Molly Bloom in Molly's Game for Aaron Sorkin, and in the second Christian Bale leads an impressive cast in Western Hostiles for director Scott Cooper, who he previously worked with on 2013's Out of the Furnace. So let's go!

Poker Face

Molly's Game (15)

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba

Director: Aaron Sorkin

The Plot: A drama based on the true story of Molly Bloom. After injury forces her retirement from a pro skiing career, Bloom (Chastain) moves to LA to attend law school. She takes two jobs: one as a cocktail waitress, the other as an assistant to a Hollywood mogul, who recruits her to run a private poker game for his high-profile friends and clients. Quickly learning the rules and seeing its potential, Molly breaks away and begins running her own poker games for rich and famous players, leading to great financial success - but ultimately also to her arrest by the FBI, accusing her of having ties to the Russian mafia. Molly hires top lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Elba) to defend her . . .

Review: Although they're both given top billing, this is really Jessica Chastain's film as she dominates the screen from start to finish in a powerhouse performance. She's one of my favourite actresses and I think she's perfectly suited for this kind of role. Director Aaron Sorkin (who also wrote the screenplay here) is known for his dialogue-heavy films and Molly's Game is no exception: there's enough dialogue here for two films, and there's a rarely a moment when Molly isn't on screen, speaking, or giving some kind of voice-over, rattling through dialogue and explanations of poker at a rapid pace. Chastain handles this superbly, assisted by the razor-sharp quality of the dialogue that audiences have come to expect from Sorkin, and it's a really meaty role for her to get in to, exploring the psyche of Molly and why she makes the decisions she does, including the impact that her domineering father/former coach (played by Kevin Costner) had on her. Elba is perfectly fine in his role, which includes a standout moment where he gives a passionate speech in Molly's defence, but he's not really being tested here in the same way that Chastain is. The direction and cinematography is excellent, but some viewers may be put off by the heavy inclusion of poker and the rapid-fire nature of the dialogue and exposition. It's also left up to you to figure out how you feel about Molly - she's a character in a very grey area, as she clearly does some illegal things, and Sorkin's script neither glorifies or criticises her in any significant way.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An excellent, dramatic story that's dominated by a phenomenal performance from Jessica Chastain. Deftly handling the sheer amount of dialogue, exposition and screen time that director Aaron Sorkin's script throws at her, she's ably supported by Idris Elba and Kevin Costner. The poker aspect and Sorkin's writing style might be off-putting to some, but this is worth seeing for Chastain's performance alone. 

Once upon a time in the West . . .

Hostiles (15)

Starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi

Director: Scott Cooper

The Plot: New Mexico, 1892. Joseph Blocker (Bale) is a captain in the United States Cavalry, and infamous for both his hatred of the Native American people and for his violent ways. Against his will, Blocker is ordered to escort the dying Chief Yellow Hawk (Studi), a Cheyenne with whom Blocker has a violent past, and his family to his homeland in Montana. The journey is a long and dangerous one, and they are joined on it by Rosalie Quaid (Pike), a woman whose family has just been brutally murdered by a group of Comanche . . .

Review: I like Westerns. There's something enduring about the genre and Hostiles can count itself as one of the best: this is a bleak and brutal tale that explores the themes of revenge, hatred, and most of all change, as the main characters undergo considerable transformations on the journey they share. As you'd expect given the setting and time period, it's beautifully shot with some wonderful cinematography on display throughout. It's also unflinching in it's brutality: it opens with Rosalie's family being gunned down, and the violent tone continues throughout. The film is slowly paced, but it's carried by three fantastic performances from the leads: Bale is terrific as Blocker; his character's hatred stems from the violence acts that he's seen the natives carry out and his initial opposition and reaction to his orders is superb. While predictable, his gradual change to the acceptance of Yellow Hawk as a friend and the need for the violence to end is extremely effective. Rosamund Pike's performance is a study in grief; her character is traumatised by the death of her family, and initially terrified by the presence of Yellow Hawk and his family, but she too undergoes a transformation and comes to not only accept them but form a connection with them and Blocker. Studi plays Yellow Hawk with a quiet dignity, having accepted his coming death and keen to put an end to the vendetta between them. How effective you find the overall message about the violence between the two peoples will vary, and some viewers may be put off by the slow pacing, but the both the story and the performances make this worth your time, even if you're not a fan of Westerns.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars
An excellent Western that tells a bleak story about revenge, grief and change. Brutally violent and beautifully shot, some viewers may be put off by its slow pacing and question it's overall commentary on the conflict, but three powerful performances from the leads drive a compelling story. Highly recommended.