Steven Soderbergh announced his retirement from filmmaking back in 2003 to focus on oil painting but after already going back on his word to direct for television, now he makes his fully fledged feature comeback with comedy crime caper Logan Lucky. The madcap plot follows downtrodden construction worker Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) who, with the help of his one-handed brother Clyde (Adam Driver), hatches a plan to rob his former employers when he gets laid off. To assist with their cunning scheme to steal cash from a NASCAR speedway track on the day it’s biggest rally, they recruit incarcerated safecracker Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) and his idiotic brothers. What could possibly go wrong?
Author: Garry Arnot
Top 5 Movie Bartenders…
In Steven Soderbergh’s crime comedy caper Logan Lucky, Adam Driver delivers what could be his career-best performance to date as hapless one-armed barman Clyde Logan. His brilliant role has inspired a reflection on cinema bartenders who know their craft from their crap.
Arthur (Passengers)
Passengers wasn’t a great film, but it did have a great bartender in Arthur, played by Michael Sheen. The android smooth operator serves up drinks to star-crossed lovers Jim and Aurora on luxury spaceship Avalon and injects welcomed humour into the script, albeit not always intentionally.
My review in full.
Razor Charlie (From Dusk Till Dawn)
When the Gecko brothers played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino turn up at the Titty Twister rock bar, they are greeted by an intimidating leather-clad barman called Razor Charlie. Portrayed by Danny Trejo in a brief but memorable sequence, it soon transpires that all is not what it seems with the drinking-den clientele.
Sick Boy (T2)
Twenty years after the iconic original, Jonny Lee Miller reprised his excellent role as the entrepreneurial chancer Simon ‘Sick Boy’ Williamson. Now running the soulless Port Sunshine establishment, he sarcastically remarks that ‘the great wave of gentrification hasn’t hit us yet’.
My review in full.
Eddie (Barfly)
When heavy drinking Henry Chinaski is a regular at the other side of your bar, it’s fair to say that you will have your work cut out. In steps Eddie played by Frank Stallone (Sly’s younger brother). When he’s not battling and bickering with Henry indoors as shown in the image above, they are out in the lot having a street fight.
Bob (The Drop)
Tom Hardy certainly isn’t known for having a subtle approach to acting, but goes against the grain with a nuanced performance is Boston-set crime drama The Drop. Running a bar used by local criminals as a drop-off point for ill-gotten goods, he gives a powerhouse turn that should go down as one of his best.
My review in full.
DVD review: A Ghost Story
It’s not uncommon for filmmakers to reunite with actors they have worked with previously, which is exactly what writer and director David Lowery has done in reconnecting Rooney Mara with Casey Affleck on-screen. Their past collaboration was a Western romance, and the latest piece is something not only very different from that, but unlike anything you’ll see all year. Indie drama A Ghost Story follows lovers credited only as C (Affleck) and M (Mara) and their suburban married life. After tragedy strikes and C is killed in a car accident, he returns home as a white-sheeted ghostly presence to watch over his wife as she struggles to cope with the enormity of her loss.
DVD review: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Veteran filmmaker Luc Besson certainly has a vivid imagination, and is associated with French 1980s movement ‘Cinéma du look’ which is said to favour style over substance. His latest feature is sci-fi space opera Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and it’s arguably his most visually daring project to date. Based on a comic-strip series devised by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières, the story follows operatives Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) who are tasked with protecting the universe around 700 years in the future. When their peaceful city of Alpha comes under attack from a mysterious life form, they team up with commander Arün Filitt (Clive Owen) to neutralise the dangerous threat.
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DVD review: Dunkirk
Visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan has carved a career out of writing and directing imaginative movies, telling mind-bending tales in a way that only he can. His latest feature marks a departure of sorts as he turns his attention to World War II for action-drama Dunkirk, telling the story of the Operation Dynamo evacuation in 1940. As Allied soldiers including Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), Gibson (Aneurin Barnard) and Alex (Harry Styles) are trapped on the beach to await their fate from surrounding Nazi forces, fighter pilots Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden) provide cover from the skies. Meanwhile, mariner Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance) along with son Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his friend George (Barry Keoghan) embark on a brave civilian rescue mission.
DVD review: War for the Planet of the Apes
The modern Apes trilogy has spanned six years and following the Rise and Dawn comes War for the Planet of the Apes, the third and final instalment directed and co-written by Matt Reeves. The story is picked up as leader of the apes Caesar (Andy Serkis) is hiding out in the woods with his wife Cornelia (Judy Greer), his wise orangutan adviser Maurice (Karin Konoval) and the rest of his tribe. After coming under an unprovoked attack, he offers a truce to the merciless Colonel (Woody Harrelson), a soldier that vows to wipe out the apes once and for all. However, when the call for peace is not reciprocated, a brutal battle for survival ensues.
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DVD review: All Eyez on Me
Hip hop can often be thought of as an autobiographical artform, with rappers telling snippets of their life stories through their songs. In recent years, many of them have had their accounts immortalised on-screen and with crime biopic All Eyez on Me, director Benny Boom is giving the cinematic treatment to Tupac Shakur, perhaps the most controversial rap artist of them all. The plot retells his do-rags to riches tale from his turbulent childhood through to his infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry with friend turned foe Notorious B.I.G.
DVD review: Baby Driver
British writer and director Edgar Wright burst onto the cinema scene after the success of a celebrated sitcom at the turn of the millennium, and he hasn’t looked back since, now making movies across the Atlantic stamped with his signature style. His latest feature is crime caper Baby Driver and it’s probably his biggest production to date. The plot centres around title character Baby (Ansel Elgort) who works as a getaway driver for Doc (Kevin Spacey), a cunning heist mastermind with a penchant for violence. At a local diner, he kindles a romance with waitress Debora (Lily James), and the pair plan to set off on a road trip together; that is of course, after he carries out one last job for his kingpin boss.
DVD review: England is Mine
Stephen Patrick Morrissey broke into the Manchester music scene in the 1980s and through his time as the frontman of seminal band The Smiths as well as a lengthy solo career, he has grown to become an icon of British indie culture. Director Mark Gill brings a portion of his story to the big screen with coming-of-age drama England is Mine, which sees rising star Jack Lowden play a young Morrissey as he struggles to find his creative voice. After succumbing to the 9-to-5 rat race to work at the Inland Revenue, he meets local artist Linder Sterling (Jessica Brown Findlay) at a gig and becomes inspired to follow his passion.
DVD review: Double Date
Comedy is arguably the most subjective of all the film genres and can be tricky to get right at the best of times. Mix that with horror and it is even more of a challenge, which is exactly what filmmaker Benjamin Barfoot has embarked upon with his directorial debut Double Date. The plot follows hapless sap Jim (Danny Morgan) who, with the assistance of cocky pal Alex (Michael Socha) as his loyal wingman, hopes to lose his virginity before his 30th birthday. Their path crosses with sisters Kitty (Kelly Wenham) and Lulu (Georgia Groome), who have a dark ulterior motive.
Cinema Perspective 