It’s been five years since the release of director Steve McQueen’s slave trade epic 12 Years a Slave, and now he is back to explore racial divide again in heist thriller Widows. Co-written with Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, the story is based on Lynda La Plante’s 1980s crime series but has been shipped from London to modern day America for this adaptation. When an armed robbery goes terribly wrong, Veronica (Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) are left with no spouses and a lot of problems. They’re indebted to corrupt politician Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), who is embroiled in a dirty campaign against mayor Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) to be alderman of a Chicago district. However, as Veronica lays her hands on her late husband’s notes for an upcoming job, she hatches an ambitious plan to settle the arrears.
DVD review: Kler
Polish writer and director Wojciech Smarzowski has been known to cause a stir with his controversial movies in the past, and his latest feature might be his most contentious to date. Kler, which translates as Clergy in English, is a black comedy drama that follows three Catholic priests. On the anniversary of a night that changed their lives, Andrzej (Arkadiusz Jakubik), Tadeusz (Robert Wieckiewicz), and Leszek (Jacek Braciak) get together for an alcohol fuelled reunion, and we bear witness to the very different paths they’ve taken.
DVD review: First Man
After successfully saving jazz a couple of years ago, director Damien Chazelle teams up with leading actor Ryan Gosling once again for space drama First Man. Based on James R. Hansen’s biography of the same name, the plot follows the lives of NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong (Gosling) and his wife Janet (Claire Foy) during the 1960s Space Race. When Neil is selected to command the now legendary Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, he seizes the opportunity to make history.
DVD review: Venom
Tom Hardy jumps ship from DC to Marvel to take the eponymous role in Ruben Fleischer’s sci-fi drama Venom, which is set to kickstart Sony’s superhero universe. The plot follows investigative reporter Eddie Brock (Hardy) who attempts to expose the corruption within corporations. He sets his journalistic sights upon scientist Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) who is CEO of the Life Foundation research facility. Unfortunately, his daring methods cause a rift in his relationship with fiancée Anne (Michelle Williams) who works as an attorney for the bioengineering conglomerate. Whilst digging deeper into Drake’s controversial experiments, Brock becomes infected by an alien parasite that becomes his deadly alter-ego.
DVD review: A Star is Born
Bradley Cooper makes the transition from actor to filmmaker with his directorial debut A Star is Born, the latest incarnation of a musical romance fable that has spanned generations of cinema. As well as directing and producing, Cooper also stars as Jackson Maine, a heavy-drinking rock musician. After stumbling into a drag bar after one of his many sell-out shows, he meets aspiring singer Ally (Lady Gaga) and the pair bond over song writing and their desire to have their voices heard. The chance encounter marks the beginning of Ally’s rise to fame and Jackson’s downward spiral.
DVD review: The Festival
The Inbetweeners co-creator Iain Morris brings a summer staple to the big screen with mud-caked comedy The Festival, his first directorial work without collaborator Damon Beesley by his side. At his university graduation, hapless Nick (Joe Thomas) is dumped by girlfriend Caitlin (Hannah Tointon) before embarrassing himself in front of his peers. To drag him out of a self-loathing slump, his best friend Shane (Hammed Animashaun) takes him to a music festival, in the hope that it will be the ideal antidote to his brutal break-up.
DVD review: Mission: Impossible – Fallout
In recent years, the cinematic landscape has become increasingly packed with remakes and reboots, but Tom Cruise’s signature franchise has really stood the test of time. Along with writer-director Christopher McQuarrie with whom he frequently collaborates, the pair present the sixth instalment of the showstopping spy thriller series. Mission: Impossible – Fallout sees IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team attempting to track down stolen plutonium cores. Matters are made more complicated when they are joined by moustachioed CIA assassin August Walker (Henry Cavill) who is assigned with keeping tabs on their controversial methods.
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DVD review: First Reformed
Paul Schrader made a name for himself as a film writer in the 70s when he penned the screenplay for Martin Scorsese’s critically acclaimed masterpiece Taxi Driver. Since then, his work has divided audiences and he is very much regarded as a hit-or-miss director. His latest piece is psychological thriller First Reformed, which stars Ethan Hawke as troubled pastor Ernst Toller who serves at a historical church in upstate New York. When expectant mum Mary (Amanda Seyfried) asks him to counsel her environmentalist boyfriend, he begins to question his faith and subsequently suffers an existential crisis.
Film review: Dumped (Larguées)
French writer-director Eloïse Lang explores the relationship between a mother and her daughters in comedy-drama Dumped (Larguées). Rose (Camille Cottin) is a wacky party animal who enjoys a care-free life of drinking and dancing until the small hours. Her sister Alice (Camille Chamoux) is quite the opposite; happily married with two young children. When their mother Françoise (Miou-Miou) is dumped by their father for a younger woman, they hatch a plan to cheer her up, whisking her off to Réunion island for what is intended to be a weekend of sun, sea, sand and serenity.
DVD review: Eaten by Lions
For his second feature film, director Jason Wingard has adapted his award-winning 2013 short film Going to Mecca into feel-good comedy Eaten by Lions. Following the death of their beloved grandmother, half brothers Pete (Jack Carroll) and Omar (Antonio Aakeel) head to Blackpool in search of the latter’s estranged father. They come-of-age on their life-affirming journey, finding laughs and a chance of love along the way.
Wingard co-wrote the script with David Isaac who is known for his work on British sitcoms and soap operas. This style certainly come across in the way that the gags are set up, and the narrative is consistently amusing without achieving big laugh-out-loud moments. There are some excellent cameos from comedic veterans Johnny Vegas and Kevin Eldon as the plucky brothers navigate their way through a sub-standard story, and enough charm and warmth throughout to make the road-movie an enjoyable ride.
