Tag: George MacKay

REVIEW: I Came By (2022)

Hugh Bonneville in Babak Anvari’s crime-thriller I CAME BY — PHOTO: Netflix.

Directed by Babak Anvari — Screenplay by Babak Anvari & Namsi Khan.

The British-Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari burst onto the scene with his wildly impressive feature-length directorial debut, Under The Shadow, a terrific but underseen psychological horror film that was selected as the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Widely praised, it was a good springboard for Anvari, but his follow-up film, Wounds starring Armie Hammer, represented “a disappointingly severe sophomore slump” for Anvari. When his third effort, I Came By, which, like his previous two efforts, was released on Netflix in my region, it was without much fanfare. To me, it almost felt like it was being hidden, which concerned me. In my review of Wounds, I noted how I really wanted “to see [Babak Anvari] make a triumphant return with a film that is as brilliant and promising as I thought [Under The Shadow] was.” So, did I get what I want? Eh, not really. It’s not a recommendation, but, admittedly, it is better than Wounds.

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REVIEW: Munich – The Edge of War (2022)

Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain in ‘Munich – The Edge of War,’ — PHOTO: Netflix.

Directed by Christian Schwochow — Screenplay by Ben Power.

Netflix releases an overwhelming amount of films on their service every year, and while not all of them are as great as their awards players, there are several hidden gems in their content library. Sometimes, though, their library can also feel like a dumping ground. In January of 2022, I’ve been a little bit worried about their recent English-language releases. I thought Monika Mitchell’s Brazen (a Lifetime-esque thriller starring Alyssa Milano) was bland and lifeless, and Rick Jacobson’s The Royal Treatment was a very cheesy, very generic, and very predictable romantic comedy. Though it isn’t without faults, Christian Schwochow’s terribly titled Munich – The Edge of War (the main title makes me think of the Spielberg film and the subtitle makes me think of it as an extremely generic picture) was much more up my alley. Based on what I’ve seen, this is the best 2022 Netflix film released thus far this January.

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REVIEW: 1917 (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a review of 1917 — Directed by Sam Mendes.

Sam Mendes’ 1917 is a World War One-film that is inspired by the director’s grandfather, Alfred Mendes, and his stories from the battlefield. The film follows two young British soldiers — Lance Corporals Tom Blake (played by Dean-Charles Chapman) and William Schofield (played by George MacKay) — as they try to complete a mission. Blake and Schofield have been tasked with crossing ‘no man’s land’ and warning a battalion that they are walking into a German trap that may lay waste to up to 1,600 British soldiers. Continue reading “REVIEW: 1917 (2019)” →

REVIEW: Captain Fantastic (2016)

Captain Fantastic Poster - Blue
Release Poster – Bleecker Street

The following is a review of Matt Ross’s Captain Fantastic.

“Power to the people. Stick it to the man.” – In Matt Ross’s Captain Fantastic, Ben Cash (played by Viggo Mortensen), who lives in a forest with his wife and their six children, gets the news that his wife has taken her own life while she was at a hospital. Ben’s father-in-law (played by Frank Langella) is upset with Ben, and he feels that Ben is to blame for the loss of his daughter.

Despite warnings that his father-in-law will have him arrested, and seek custody of the children, if Ben attends his wife’s funeral, the Cash-family go on a road trip to New Mexico for the funeral. On their way, Ben’s children learn what it’s like to live in the real world, while the actions of their father are brought into question.
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