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Forgive me for this next liberty; but I have to start off with saying that I spent the duration of ‘The Last Jedi’ concerned for my cholesterol levels as this film is as cheesy as a comprehensive 10-cheese, cheese board. I was entertained but not convinced. So. My main issue with the latest war of the stars was that many moments where poorly founded and I felt I was being asked to extend my disbelief further then it was willing to go. I’m not even referring to the moment when Luke Skywalker took a drink from a lactating alien walrus (I like a bold touch). There where many dramatic twists and turns of the plots which didn’t convince me and these moments where worsened still by a melodramatic set of verbal cliches. I’d usually, at this point, try and interweave a breakdown of the premise but I can't say anything more sophisticated then - the characters had to go collect a thing to enable a thing whilst Daisy Ridley does an undergraduate force-course at the school of Skellig Island and ends up having a series of Jedi-Skype sessions with the dark side. ‘Return of the Jedi’ has many technological strengths and the choreography during fight sequences was extremely skilful but this was all negated by the fact I found myself laughing during moments that weren’t supposed to be funny. Although there are some quotable lines; the script felt on the whole rather unconvincing - apart from when the words were being salvaged by the hearty acting skills of Adam driver and Domhnall Gleeson. Whilst on the topic of acting skills; It has to be mentioned that there was an unmissable bite and vigour in Hamils' performance as Luke which did impress. Despite the character undergoing a sharp arc from his last proper appearance in ‘Return of The Jedi’ I did ultimately believe I was watching the real Luke back on my screen which does in this case owe credit to the writing. This may seem like a bizarre point to cite as an issue, but to me; many scenes in the ‘The Last Jedi’ felt all too shiny and glossy and It would appear that the entire film has been put through a laminator! With the space-based action there was something about the sharp shiny quality and the enormity of the scale which removed me emotionally from the story. I felt like I was watching a showcase of what modern CGI is able to achieve, and whilst it was an objectively impressive spectacle I just wasn't taken by it from a narrative point of view. This has to be because it failed to conjure up a sense of familiarity from the original three Starwars films. The thing I appreciated about the originals was that everything felt tangible. Obviously the special effects where more rudimentary and I’ll happily join in if you wanna chuckle at the 70s film technology but for me these films still tower over the sequels. The way that the characters interact with their surroundings made everything in the original Starwars universe feel naturalistic and almost touchable. The last Jedi on the other hand played to me as crisp quality fakery. A lot of people have divided opinions when it comes to the structure of the film. No sticker for anyone who can guess my stance! I felt dissatisfied by the shape of the plot which started early on. The problem with the film opening during huge battle is that I wasn't in fear of the outcomes for either fighting side. It is always a risk to start off with a battle when the audience hasn't had time to root for the new characters or become reconnected with the returning ones. I ask those who enjoyed the sequencing of the various plots; could it be you have a penchant for clutter? For me the way the stories intermingled felt inelegant and underdeveloped and when we arrived at key moments we were asked to connect with characters deaths whom we barely became acquainted with. Visually the films strongest moments where when the action took place on location. The scenes on ‘Skellig Island’, where Luke and Rey train have some cinematic majesty to them, even with the addition of what looks like island folk from Beatrix potter. Whilst I was generally underwhelmed, I did appreciate the effective use of the final setting as it was an artistic idea to create vast white planes that showered plumes of red dust into the air during the ending battle sequence. Although I thought the film was pants, I did for many of the same reasons find it wildly entertaining and I was never once bored. (If I could pass a message onto production it would be - where did you get the jazzy red latex articles worn by Supreme Leader Snokes' bodyguards and where might I purchase a set?) Reviewed by Esther Cross

(Release Info U.K. schedule; January 26th, 2018) "Last Flag Flying" Three 'Vietnam War' vets reunite after 30 years and embark on a bittersweet road trip to bury a young Marine killed in 'The Iraq War'. In 2003, 30 years after they served together in 'The Vietnam War', former Navy Corps medic Larry Shepherd (Steve Carell) re-unites with Former Marines Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) on a different type of mission: to bury Larry’s son, a young Marine killed in 'The Iraq War'. Larry decides to forgo burial at 'Arlington Cemetery' and, with the help of his old buddies, takes the casket on a bittersweet trip up 'The East Coast' to his home in suburban New Hampshire. Along the way, Larry, Sal and Mueller reminisce and come to terms with shared memories of the war that continues to shape their lives. The film follows the trio as they wrestle with the pangs of war both past and present. In 2003, three decades after a tour of duty in Vietnam, soft-spoken New Hampshire family man Larry Shepherd surprises alcoholic former Marine Sal Nealon when he shows up at his bar in Norfolk, Virginia. Together they visit their formerly wild comrade-in-arms Richard Mueller at the church where he now serves as pastor. Soon after, Larry reveals that his son, a Marine, has been killed in Iraq. He asks his two friends to accompany him on a road trip to attend the young man’s burial at 'Arlington Cemetery'. When the vets arrive at 'Dover Air Force Base' in Delaware, where the remains have been sent, they meet the young Marine’s best friend, Corporal Charlie Washington (Quinton Johnson), who casts doubt on the official story of how Larry Jr. died. Stunned by the news, Larry decides to bury his son near the family home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Accompanied by Washington, the three vets escort the casket on a north-bound train, debating the existence of God, reminiscing about their tour of duty in Vietnam and revealing a dark secret that still haunt each of them. After a stopover in New York City, the men visit the mother of a fallen comrade in Boston, then proceed to Larry’s hometown, where Sal and Mueller don their dress blues as Larry says goodbye to his son for the last time. "Last Flag Flying" brims with humor, melancholy and regret as it examines the lasting effect of choices made in the crucible of war. From that very first scene Larry’s literally being rained on and we've the camera move down on him like the world’s slowly crushing the poor guy. As revealed over the course of "Last Flag Flying", Larry took the fall for his friends and spent two years in a naval prison for a crime whose consequences still haunt all three of them. That was then. Now Lary’s pretty mild-mannered, quiet, contemplative. He enjoys a simple life, he values his family and that’s really become the core of his existence. “For Last Flag Flying, it’s a relatively simple palette. It’s not so much manipulating the audience into some emotion that’s not there. It’s more about supporting the emotion that’s already in the scene and heightening it just a little bit. There’s a road trip theme, because the film includes that element of a fun buddy movie. But there’s also this weight and heaviness, so we've music dealing with the dead son, whose coffin keeps appearing. And there’s also this intimate friendship theme. Here and there, the film layers these themes on top of each other. In another nod to rootsy Americana, "Last Flag Flying" features a performance by 'The Band’s Levon Helm' as Larry oversees the burial of his son. In the climactic sequence, Helm can be heard singing 'Wide River To Cross'. Haunted by the violence he witnessed during his extended tour of duty in Vietnam, Mueller sought refuge in alcohol after the war before turning his life around and becoming the pastor of a small, predominantly African-American church. The transition from civilian life to military life changes you. “And if you survive the war and try to transition back into civilian life, that also requires you to change. It’s a really complex journey. The film gradually unmasks surprising facets of Mueller’s personality as his measured pastor persona slips away after a few hours in the company of his former comrades. When these old buddies get back together, they fall back into the roles they had during the war. It takes a while, but Sal brings out the devil in the Reverend Mueller a little bit. When Sal almost gets them killed by taking on an 18-wheeler, Mueller cuts loose and unloads on him. At that point, it’s like the genie’s out of the bottle. And for the rest of the movie, it’s as though the Marine’s on one shoulder and the reverend is on the other. Sal Nealon is an ex-Marine who has become a womanizing tavern owner in the years following the war. Sal’s an interesting dude because he covers up a lot of his emotional baggage with all this energy, some of which is natural and some of which comes from various substances. He has an oral fixation. He needs to either be talking or smoking or eating or drinking or chewing, he’s constantly doing something. He’s an irritant to Mueller, who might call him the piece of sand in the oyster. But out of that, Sal would say, comes a pearl. Sal self-medicates because he’s covering a lot of pain and guilt from his 'Vietnam War' experience. He’s not comfortable revealing his feelings so he tamps it down primarily with alcohol. He considers himself the life of the party kind of guy, but on this journey he opens up and discovers that what’s really important is friendship. This movie is a sequel to the book 'The Last Detail'. At that point, the war in Iraq was already a disaster and the book said a lot about these echoes of Vietnam in relation to Iraq. But mostly it's these three characters, Larry, Sal and Mueller. Their characters were like brothers 30 years ago, so the film explores what it feels like in middle age when you’re kind of thrust back in time. The culture back then wasn’t ready to deal with 'The Iraq War', which was happening right in front of us with no end in sight. When you think about the history of war movies, the best ones usually arrive years later, when people are finally ready to start examining what happened. The film is going to come back around. We can set it in December 2003 at the time they catch Saddam Hussein. People might remember that moment, so it grounds the story in some kind of shared reality, which is going back to the original intent of the book. When you hear the setup for "Last Flag Flying", it sounds pretty dark, but there’s a lot of funny stuff as well. The film takes great pains to not beat people over the head with the moral of the story. That juxtaposition of humor and tragedy is something Linklater has touched on in previous films. In a way, it's a college reunion movie, because it’s about these guys who haven’t seen each other in 30 years, and they get back together because of this tragic event. They've to re-examine their relationships, re-examine who they're now, how they connect or don’t connect as adults 30 years later. The war is really a backdrop for the interdependencies between three guys, which is fascinating. "Last Flag Flying" is also really interesting in the way that it deals with veterans from two different conflicts. You've these three Vietnam veterans but then you also have Washington, a veteran of 'The Iraq War'. They've so many things in common. This movie is a really interesting opportunity to show what people who return from these conflicts have to deal with. "Last Flag Flying’s" second act takes place largely on trains as the three Vietnam vets, along with Corporal Washington, escort Larry Jr.’s casket north from Delaware to New Hampshire. The film’s emotional atmosphere is also reflected in it's look, including the nearly constant bleakness of the weather. This movie has a certain texture, not just photographically, but the overall feel including the design has this wintry vibe, with the rain, and the December-ness of this story. You realize the huge debt we owe to all the men and women who serve in the armed forces, fight in all these different conflicts and then, if all goes well, come home. Maybe they’re intact or maybe they come home a bit broken. We really owe them a great deal of gratitude, respect and honor. That’s the big takeaway, and we've to honor their sacrifice in the way the film tell this story. Life is a dark comedy where it’s kind of sad, but with humor on top of it. An exploration of friendship forged in wartime and tempered by the passage of time, "Last Flag Flying" challenges audiences to draw their own conclusions.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri **** A desperate grieving Mother (Francis McDormond) takes a drastic step in order to put pressure on the local Police Department investigating her Daughter's murder by renting three billboards and erecting messages that taunt the Chief of Police (Woody Harrelson) lack of progress. What unfolds is a gripping black comedy Drama that mixes moments of humour with instant moments of such humanity and sadness it becomes a impossible not to be absorbed undeniable into it's story. This is a film that portrays itself as a "who done it" but makes that a brave choice to become a rich character study of people just trying to people in amongst the wake of tragedy and circumstance. Doesn't sound a laugh a minute but honestly most of the time it is, establishing dark laugh out statements of pure angry and grief. Whether McDormand is berating a Vicar, reporter of the chief of Police the foul mouthed rants are wonderfully written and delivered with fire. That's another beautifully crafted aspect of the film are the tiny moments of the film's balance between rage and humanity. Whether amongst McDormond's hate filled mission she takes time out to put a upside down bug back on it's feet to screaming at the Chief Of Police than instantly finding common humanity amongst tradgedy. A story of good people all reacting to circumstances that life has handed them and acting accordingly the only way they know how from their grass roots. It's truly a stand out out performance by Francis McDormand that has to earn her a Oscar Nomination she's frankly that good. Her face never stops working, when ever she's spoken to her face is still processing, expressing and captivating a woman in constant torment from the first shot to the end she's working 100%. Woody Harrelson is on top form delivering a performance which like the film is comedic and sad with also one of the best character arks of the narrative along side Sam Rockwell as the racist child like deputy who does some growing up on the way. This is storytelling unlike anything were normally used to from Hollywood. It's Bold, Engaging, Risk Taking Power House Drama that will suprise and leave you pondering long after it ends. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but that is defiantly the point.

It’s a fun time of year for cinema. All of the best films are slowly ebbing out of the woodworks in time for the awards ceremonies, so there’s a lot more of a guarantee of value for your buck when you take a seat in front of a big screen. The unfortunate thing is, there’s something other than extortionately priced popcorn putting a sour taste in our mouths this season. Of the recently announced BAFTA nominations, the multi-gendered categories in which no women were nominated were: directing, adapted screenplay, original music, cinematography, editing and visual effects. Funnily enough, there was not one category that qualified male nominees in which none were included, although a huge round of applause goes to ‘Best Hair and Make-up’, in which 7 women received a nod alongside 6 men. Revolutionary. Well done BAFTA. At this year’s Golden Globes, whilst presenting the directorial award, Natalie Portman bravely announced ‘and here are the all-male nominees’ while her co-presenter Ron Howard guffawed in surprise. This was extremely gutsy, and enticed a snicker from most of the crowd, but really it’s not much of a laughing matter. In a year where female empowerment and the rise of the #metoo and TimesUp movements have dominated the media, you’d think the academies would be a little bit more careful, considering the backlash it felt 2 years ago with the Oscars-so-white controversy. In lieu of this, here’s a shout out to some of the ladies that didn’t get their rightful share of the shout outs this year. U go girls. GRETA GERWIG Arguably the biggest snub at both the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs was the lack of directorial nomination for Greta Gerwig, who’s amorous coming-of-age tale ‘Lady Bird’ won both Best Comedy or Musical Picture and Best Actress for Saoirse Ronan in the titular role. Gerwig’s film, a semi-biographical account of growing up in Sacramento and her first behind the camera, was at one point last year the highest rated film of all time, with an outstanding 163 glowing reviews. Its' crown was removed by Cole Smithey, who hails himself as ‘the smartest film critic in the world’ (who?), having a big old moan about the film being ‘dramatically flat’ and part of the ‘Mumblecore’ indie-domination problem. Smithey was also the first man to give Toy Story 3 a bad review, and we all remember what an awful, treacherous bore of a film that was. Disenfranchised, whingey critics aside, Gerwig deserved a lot of more recognition for this achievement than has been granted, and her inauguration behind the camera will pave an exciting continuation of her directorial career. DEE REES Dee Rees might not be a name that rings any bells, but it should. Her Netflix-acquired Mudbound was one of the most relevant and perturbing films of the year, with some standout performances from Carey Mulligan and an unrecognisable Mary J. Blige. Her film chronicles two families in post-WW2 farmland America, and tackles major racial issues in a refreshing and applicable manner. Another hugely disappointing snub is the lack of nomination for the film’s cinematographer, Rachel Morrison. The grainy, sepia laden tones that she has added to Mudbound’s dirt-trodden landscapes triples the intensity of the direction and the film would have not achieved the same level without it. An Oscar nomination is also looking unlikely considering not one single woman has ever received one. We can hope for a miracle. PATTY JENKINS Remember how praised and successful all of the male-directed DC films have been over the past two years? Nope? Me neither. Gal Gadot’s turn as Wonder Woman happily saved the studio from utter critical explosion in 2017, and this was down to its’ fabulous director Patty Jenkins. Wonder Woman is now the highest grossing film by a female director, surpassing $821m, and Jenkins was this year’s runner up for Time person of the year. It would, therefore, have been nice to see her recognised in the cinematic circles, where Wonder Woman, like Mudbound, is yet to receive a single nomination in any category. Zach Snyder, the first director attached to the project and subsequent director of the shit-storm that was Justice League, was offered $3m. Jenkins was paid $1m. Agreeably, the deal she has drawn with her attachment to direct the sequel has landed her a larger 7-figure salary, rumoured to be around the $7-9m mark and will make her the highest earning female director of all time, but this absolutely pales in comparison to her male counterparts. J.J. Abrams, Ridley Scott, David Yates, Gore Verbinski, Chris Columbus, Robert Zemekis. All males, all decent directors. All averaging over $100m dollars per film. And we thought the 21% pay-gap was bad. By recognising and rewarding the achievements of these women, we raise them and improve on the relinquishment of inequality, and things are looking up. You don’t need me to tell you how heavily addressed some gender related issues are currently, and it’s all going in a fairly positive direction. But judging by this years’ awards season there is still a long way to go, and this blatant overlooking of female talent only serves to continue the stagnation of bias.

From the moment I saw the official trailer I knew it was going to be a gooden. I wasn’t let down-(until the ending.) It was a film that was super hot until the end acted like a fire extinguisher and knocked out the all the movies heat, leaving memories of a good thing of what could have been in its tracks. But more about that later. So the plot in a nutshell – A grieving Mother from a small town puts up billboards near her home to spike public and police interest again in her raped and murdered daughters dormant case. The billboards ruffle many peoples feathers and causes a dominio effect of pain and repercussions around the town due to the simple, yet controversial messages on them aimed at the town Sheriff Bill Willoughby played by Woody Harrelson. Played very well by him I might add. Frances McDormand gives a powerful and beautiful performance as angered mother Mildred Hayes. Acting isn’t always about what is said, it’s the silent moments between characters where no words are required. Think of Tom Hanks in Captin Phillips on the bed at the end of the film and Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happiness in the restroom with his son, these clips come straight to the forefront of my mind, I love acting of the eyes. McDormand is PERFECTION in this in this movie, every second she is on screen, talking or not. If you love a drama that takes your breath away literally, like the kind of gasps where your mouth remains open for 10 seconds after the moment has passed, I can count 6 moments in this film. I literally had to remind myself to close my mouth and refocus. The moments came out of nowhere and left me stunned. They left me twisting and turning on this rollercoaster of a ride not knowing what was next. FANTASTIC! The story itself reminds us of humanity, forgiveness, love and hate. In a ‘delicate‘ way, where you can’t help but feel like you know these people and their stuggles. You feel like you know exactly what each character is going through but everyone in the town is a picnic short of a sandwich (intentionally backwards) you know they are all mentally messed up but it’s never mentioned just excepted. One can relate. Director Martin McDonaghs’ ‘delicate‘ way of dealing with the films issues could been seen as lazy or as genius. Do not see this film and expect the themes to carry the movie. Rape, abuse, suicide, police brutality, racism, depression to name a few, the Director skims over a lot of deep issues, just passed them by like Billboards on a road. This is something you may hate about the film if you like the directors to do the thinking for you. I generally do, but I feel McDonagh did right by planting the seeds and letting you come to your own conclusions as to what bad behavior is, the media does such a powerful job of telling us what to think about issues that it almost creates an adverse effect and a rebellion against the protesters of the problems themselves. This movie in a time when these issues are so rife in todays world, it just leaves them unresolved letting you decide how it could have been delt with and what you would do in that situation yourself. This could leave some movie goers mighty frustrated. I personally feel this was a wise move for the 115 minutes the movie has, it did enough and even had plenty of time to dish out some laugh out loud moments and whitty one liners too, a testament to the writing and superb acting. Reminding us again, it’s just a movie based on a fictional story. Don’t relate it to real life, just enjoy it for the story alone. If you care too much you will leave so mad at the fact there was little to no justice for and of the characters in the movie. My pet peave during the film was with Anne the wife of Chief Willoughby and her questionable accent played by Abbie Cornish. Cornish is an Australian actress. I did not know this at the time but knew something was off when she spoke. As I am viewing a film I don’t want to be distracted and break away from the story just because the accent doesn’t match the character speaking. I didn’t think Cornish came across believable as Harrelsons wife either, but if she was so perfect for the role and had to be cast just have her be Australian. Why not? Now at least every time she speaks instead of me placing bets with myself to see if she is South African, Australian or British, I will remain engulfed in her acting abilites. Like I said it’s a pet peeve of mine – bad accents. Sam Rockwell plays Jason Dixon the racist, nasty cop dealing with some kind of mental disability that was never touched on either, could be why he gets a free pass with his awful ways. Really? I just couldn’t help but think of Doofy Gilmore from the comedy Scary Movie. I’m sure this is not what Rockwell would have wanted. The plot should have been based on him and his story or the Mothers alone, by not focusing on one it did injustice to what could have been a deeper character. A great character, but sadly he was never really explored, I feel that was a shame as Rockwell could have had a truly powerful performance and may have scored some awards for it. As it stands now it would depend on the other competition out there to see if he will get a nod for the big O or not. As it just missed a beat for me. So back to his character. Officer Jason had some kind of redemption, changed man moment but this is never towards his crazy mother, the women he punched in the face or the black people he mistreated, we could have witnessed some remorse at a point in the movie where it’s just him and a black couple in the bar. No words were exchanged so I feel it was a missed moment between them for some great acting. All in all, the movie was moving, well written and acted. I did enjoy it, I would nominate Frances McDormand for a best actress in leading role, and it’s a good contender for best Original Screenplay but I would have to see it again to see if it deserves a best picture. Only because on first watch the story was a good one but lost me at the end. Without giving too much away. Well I wouldn’t read on if you have not seen it, I will wrap up the review here and say Go and see it! Ok for rest of us and the nosey ones - here is my peave about the ending. There is a man who comes into Mildred’s store causing some commotion, he implies he may have known her daughter and leaves. Now that alone would have been a pointless interaction if he never came back to town, but he does, and Jason overhears him bragging in a bar and some commotion happens again. As a viewer I’m thinking this is going somewhere – it doesn’t go anywhere, but the movie still ends with Mildred and Jason going on a search together – for him! This just left me with too many questions, as did the Directors choice to show us the burnt grass where the daughter died, that happens to be right where the billboards are, that also happens to be in view from Mildred’s house. Why? I don’t think it needed to be written in that the girl was burnt by the billboards. It just makes it weird and im left asking too many questions about it. Like I am with the ending. It for me was a cringe worthy ending to what I would say is otherwise a very, very good movie. The ending just doesn’t tie anything up and leaves you knowing nothing more than what did to begin with. As soon as she picked up the phone to Jason and the music started playing I started repeating ”No don’t end now, please don’t have this be the ending” It was, and I walked away from the film thinking they ‘may’ kill someone who ‘may’ have killed someone. Huh! whomp whomp! My rating is 7/10, worth a watch for the acting and screenplay, just leave your heart at the door.

(Release Info London schedule; January 30th, 2018, Institue of Contemporary Arts, 18:00) "Loveless" Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) and Boris (Aleksey Rosin) are going through a vicious divorce marked by resentment, frustration and recriminations. Already embarking on new lives, each with a new partner, they're impatient to start again, to turn the page, even if it means threatening to abandon their 12-year-old son Alyosha (Matvei Novikov). Until, after witnessing one of their fights, Alyosha disappears. Born in Novosibirsk. In 1990, Andrey Zvyagintsev graduated from the acting program at 'The Russian University Oof Theater Arts' (GITIS), under the tutelage of Evgeny Lazarev. He went on to take part in independent theater productions and had a few bit parts in TV shows and movies. In 2000, he made his debut as a director. In 2003, Zvyagintsev shot his first feature film, "The Return", which became one of the the cinema sensations of the year. A debut not only for the director but for the majority of the crew as well, it was accepted for the main competition at 'The Venice Film Festival', and won the top prize, the Lion. It also garnered the award for 'Best Debut', with the commendation; a sublime film about love, loss and coming of age. His second film, was presented at 'The 60th Cannes Film Festival', where the lead, Konstantin Lavronenko, became the first Russian actor ever to receive the festival’s award for 'Best Actor'. The international premiere of third film, place in 2011 at 'The 64th Cannes Film Festival', where it was awarded 'The Special Jury Prize' in 'The Un Certain Regard' competition program. His most recent film and, "Leviathan", screened in 'Ofcial Competition' at 'The 67th Cannes Film Festival' and won the award for 'Best Screenplay'. "Leviathan" also became the first Russian film since 1969 to win a 'Golden Globe Award' and was nominated for 'The Best Foreign Film Academy Award' Zvyagintsev draws parallels between "Loveless" and Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from " A Marriage", transplanted to a diferent era and acted out by diferent characters; urbanites devoid of any real self-awareness or doubt, an average middle- class couple today. Sick of each other after many years of marriage, a man and a woman are going through a divorce. It’s an unremarkable situation. Only, both have new projects. They want to turn the page, begin a new chapter of their lives, with new partners and new emotions that will help them to feel complete and full of promise. Past experience has disheartened them a bit, but they remain confdent in the future. All that remains for them to do is to ofoad the burden that stands between them and happiness; their son, Alyosha, a stranger to both of them, who becomes a ragdoll that each throws vindictively into the other’s face. These are the thoughts of people who blame others for their fascos. In the end, the only thing you can really change is yourself. Only then will the world around you glow once more; perhaps only a terrible loss can allow this to happen. Our post-modern era is a post-industrial society inundated by a constant fow of information received by individuals with very little interest in other people as anything else than a means to an end. These days, it’s every man for himself. The only way out of this indiference is to devote oneself to others, even perfect strangers, like the volunteer search coordinator who combs the town looking for this vanished child, with no promise of reward, as if it's his life’s true purpose. This basic task imbues his every action with meaning. It's the only means of fghting dehumanization and the world’s disarray. Among the snowy high-rises of modern Moscow lives stocky salesman Bori and Zhenya, a youthful salon owner. Having migrated to shiny new partners, the couple's relationship is coming to a bitter end and the fate of their 12 year-old son Alyosha is the last thing on their minds. When Alyosha goes missing without a trace, his parents can barely grieve in unison. "Loveless" is a story about a heartless marriage on the verge of collapse faced with tragedy. It also illuminates multilayered dichotomies embedded in Russian society. Battles between old and new beliefs, public and private institutions, post-Soviet infrastructures and nouveau riche establishments linger throughout. is the master of crafting a drama with the cinematic tropes of a thriller. Moreover, he's an expert at exposing his world for what it has become. We watch as the director's countrymen ruthlessly step all over each other in order to claw to the top. As Vladimir Putin flexes his muscles and expands westward, "Loveless" may at first appear to be about a specifically Russian phenomenon, but it's not. "Loveless" is universal.

Taken 4, sorry, The Commuter, is Liam Neeson’s 2018 off the rails thriller. Former policeman Michael MacCauley (Neeson) is a family man with money troubles, and when a mystery woman offers him $1 million cash on his daily commuter train to find someone “who doesn’t belong”, he accepts. The film’s opening sequence sees MacCauley and his family in their day to day life. The various scenes fit together nicely and it is a clever approach to display the location of the movie, New York, by Jaume Collet-Serra. Various seasons pass by and the audience becomes familiar with the family: their son’s college dream, their interests, their troubles. As the narrative sets off in the city, viewers slowly lose their interest in Michael’s life and the dialogue lead scenes bore the action-seeking audience. It is no different to your everyday commute. Predictably, Michael is very recently unemployed, a patriarch with the view that he has been de-masculinised by losing his job. Stranger, Joanne (Vera Farmiga), plays on this fear, offering Michael money she knows he can’t refuse. Finally, the real story begins. Neeson’s performance in The Commuter is to the same low standard as in both the Taken sequels. Unfortunately, as per his previous performances, he isn’t ground breaking. This is partly because Neeson always plays the same role; as expected, he throws people about a lot and answers the phone a lot. Nothing new for Neeson. The character of Michael doesn’t do the actor any favours either as the audience grow tired of him. Michael goes out of his way to do the least logical things and to draw attention to himself, concerning other passengers on the train and then acting confused as to why they’re all looking at him. His excuse for his odd behaviour is that he is an ex-cop; he knows protocol. It’s Neeson, he always does. The majority of the action in the film takes place on the train as Michael searches for “Prynne”. In his search (WARNING: SPOLIERS) he benevolently saves the train’s passengers and, of course, survives being thrown from an exploding carriage. Granted, this is the type of action many audience members expect, however what they do not expect is a slow and confusing conclusion to the movie. Somehow Michael’s friend from one of the slow scenes at the start of the movie is in cahoots with whoever Joanne is working for, of course Neeson is no stranger to this sort of twist and understands the confusion perfectly. On the other hand, the audience are left one step behind the movie until concludes. Overall, The Commuter is a film you’ve seen before. There is nothing new or ground-breaking in the narrative, and the performances feel manufactured. Whilst mildly entertaining in the action scenes, the ending provides nothing but confusion for audience. The Commuter is a train wreck.

Cast: #francesmcdormand #samrockwell #woodyharrelson Director: #martinmcdonagh Entering into a local advertising firm and negotiating the rental of a few billboards which have controversial messages on them directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), who's the town's chief of police. They accuse him of failing to properly investigate the rape and murder of her daughter. Directed by Martin McDonagh (#sevenpsychopaths, #inbruges), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has received critical acclaim across the board and won the People’s Choice Award at #torontointernationalfilmfestival. Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand (Fargo) gives a stunning performance as the grieving mother with a fiery agenda, and Woody Harrelson (War for the Planet of the Apes) plays the conflicted police chief. MY FINAL THOUGHTS It's that time of year again when all of the most likely #Oscar contenders get released at the same time at your local cinemas. It's hilarious it reminds me of delayed public transport buses when one is behind schedule they end up arriving in a dozen. Talk about buses they have some fantastic advertising #Billboards at some bus shelters, with some eye-popping digital screens nowadays. Only thing missing now is for them to become touchscreen and us to be able to book your tickets on them. Overall I gave this emotionally roller-coaster movie a big thumbs up 5/5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This unromantic comedy deserves the hype surrounding it's success with the recent award ceremonies at the #GoldenGlobes and the recent #sagawards, I had to see it to believe it. I found this movie intriguing from start to finish this mouthwatering film has everything you could wish for. It has laughter, sadness and action and violence. #cinema #entertainmentnews #filmcritic #greatmusic #musicnews #music #soundtrack #composer #carterburwell #song 🎶Billboards On Fire 🔥#kamaras_reviews

The most charming aspect about Lady Bird is the idea that there is no great twist or typical structure to the movie, but instead is a catalogue of engaging moments. Greta Gerwig's directorial debut is a refreshing blend of her quirky, indie roots and commercial, mainstream familiarities which is roughly based on her own story. Yet Lady Bird is also a film that everyone can relate to and enjoy whether they are male or female and regardless of age. The brilliant Saoirse Ronan plays Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, a teenager growing up in Sacramento in 2002. Throughout the movie we follow her journey through the late stages of a Catholic school, her first exploits with the opposite sex, and her general coming of age growing up in a family struggling financially. Most importantly though, we are introduced to the incredibly strained relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf), summed up in the opening scene of the movie. It is this relationship that is the backbone of the movie, and Metcalf is the perfect counter to Ronan's punchy character. It seems like it will be a shootout between Metcalf and Kristin Scott Thomas (Darkest Hour) for Best Supporting Actress. Special mention must also go to Tracy Metts who plays Lady Bird's gentle, depressed father. Gerwig tells this story so genuinely and honestly that it is so relatable for so many people who would have had similar struggles at that stage of their lives. Yet there is a quirky teenage charm to it all that is very much down to her and the movie's cast who are all on top form. Lady Bird guarantees laughs and tears, but will leave you with an overwhelming feeling of melancholic warmth. @SceneItMovie

(Release Info London schedule; February 23rd, 2018, Curzon Soho, 18:20) "A Fantastic Woman" Marina Vidal (Daniela Vega) and Orlando (Francisco Reyes) are in love and planning for the future. Marina is a young waitress and aspiring singer. Orlando is 20 years older than her, and owns a printing company. After celebrating Marina’s birthday one evening, Orlando falls seriously ill. Marina rushes him to the emergency room, but he passes away just after arriving at the hospital. Instead of being able to mourn her lover, suddenly Marina is treated with suspicion. The doctors and Orlando’s family don’t trust her. A woman detective investigates Marina to see if she was involved in his death. Orlando’s ex-wife forbids her from attending the funeral. And to make matters worse, Orlando’s son threatens to throw Marina out of the flat she shared with Orlando. Marina is a trans woman and for most of Orlando’s family, her sexual identity is an aberration, a perversion. So Marina struggles for the right to be herself. She battles the very same forces that she has spent a lifetime fighting just to become the woman she's now, a complex, strong, forthright and fantastic woman. Marina is a 27-year-old waitress and singer. She's Orlando’s partner, with whom she has an adult, loving, and committed relationship, in spite of their differences in age and social class. Marina, though far from being perfect, is a resilient woman who has quite an impressive level of compromise with her own life. She loves deeply, and this gives her the opportunity of loving herself and overcoming any adversity. She’s a brave fighter who doesn’t falter when the world puts her to the test. She has a vital force that's capable of carrying her through against all odds. Today, while all of us are somehow standing on the edge of a precipice, she doesn’t even look at it, and searches for beauty instead. She understands that even Orlando’s death, or what her being transgender means to everyone else, will not keep her from pushing forward. Orlando has broken away from his family. With the exception of his brother, who admires him greatly. He has neither his ex-wife’s nor his son’s comprehension, nor that of the rest of the family, whom after his death, unleash all of the violence provoked by ignorance and vulnerability before the unknown onto Marina. But this is not an issue for him, and he surrenders to his relationship without considering anybody’s opinion or stance. He doesn’t question himself over whether the person he loves is a man, a woman, or a transgender person, and this honest and authentic attitude surrounds him with a natural aura that prevents other people from interfering with him. There’s no intellectual or ideological defense of his relationship with Marina. His great defense is the authentic love that he feels for her. To Orlando, Marina is an inspiring being that gives him new wings with which to enjoy life, that connects him to his love for what's honest, and allows him to find peace, affection, and company in her. Although he appears to be a regular man, he possesses a great internal strength, freedom, and courage that allows him to see Marina and recognize her as an extraordinary and kind being. For her part, Marina, whose life is a constant struggle to live harmoniously within her social setting, recognizes in Orlando the simplicity and authenticity of this mature man, and discovers a refuge in him: a true and calm love. The two meet in their courage and in the conscious or unconscious search for what specific beautiful and authentic. It’s a story of true love; Marina and Orlando simply love each other, and after meeting, they've discovered a refuge in one another. To them, the differences in their ages and sexual cultures are not barriers. It’s inspiring to see how two beings whose intimacies are unknown to us, and whose lives we could prejudge maliciously, surrender themselves without hesitation, without fear, and without fuss, to a relationship in which judgments on good and evil, on what’s correct and what’s incorrect, what’s normal and abnormal, simply aren’t issues. Where a space for love is simply made evident and recognized. This film is about the way in which we understand relationships and affection, as well as the way in which we conceive love. The film, like Marina, it's central character, is not afraid of pleasure and, like her, has a striking and shiny surface. It tries to combine the narrative and the visual pleasure in games of appearances that want to captivate, a sort of 'Trojan Horse' loaded with humanity. So, regardless of his or her beliefs, values, or vision of the world, from watching her so much, the viewer ends up feeling like her, and from empathizing with her so much, the viewer wants to see her survive and prevail. The film invites us to feel like others, to experiment emotions that are often new to us, and these discoveries occur not within the film, but within the viewers themselves. The film prepares us for life and allows us to explore our spiritual elasticity. The film asks the viewer to surrender him or herself to a challenging journey, and to do so with wide-open arms. To feel that he or she has seen something beautiful, to feel that he or she was in contact with beauty. The film is a more complex construction than "Gloria", because it's several films at the same time. But in spite of the fact that "A Fantastic Woman" exists in a different cinematographic territory that operates far beyond realism, it has, just as with "Gloria", a higher inclination towards questions than towards answers. At the same time, it examines and exalts a powerful female character, yet for several reasons, "A Fantastic Woman" is much more than a film about a woman. "A Fantastic Woman" is a film of aesthetic splendor, narrative vigor, tension and emotion. Polytonal, multi- experiential, multi-emotional. It’s a film that's both a celebration and examination of it's main character, Marina Vidal. What will the viewers see when they see Marina? A woman, a man, or the sum of both? They will see a human being who constantly changes before their eyes, who flows, vibrates, and modifies herself. What they're seeing isn’t precisely what they're seeing, and this condition turns Marina into a vortex that attracts the viewer’s fantasy and desire, inviting them to explore the limits of their own empathy.