THE UPRISING
Paul Greengrass, the celebrated director of UNITED 93, JASON BOURNE and CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, uses once again his past documentary experience in re-creating a persuasive 1381 England during the Plague and the tyrannical reign of King Richard II.
There is misery across the land and to make matters even worse, tax collectors arrive in Southeast England demanding huge payments from the starving population. The Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) is still grieving for the loss of wife and children when these brutal oligarchs arrive in his village and unsurprisingly, he stands up against them which leads to a spontaneous uprising from the people against the status quo…
It is a tense and well executed film shot with handheld cameras that follow the continuous action throughout. However, its style reminded me of Hugh Hudson’s disastrous REVOLUTION with Al Pacino and hope Greengrass’ passionate project doesn’t end up with the same fate.
The casting is spot on with many exceptional performances particularly from Stephen Dillane as the Archbishop Sudbury and Katherine Waterston as the Countess. Woody Norman is suitably annoying as the young and spoilt King Richard II while Garfield makes a credible hero who along with Jamie Bell’s John Ball lead the rebellion.
It is all very powerful and urgent until the final sequence which unfortunately it belongs to a different film altogether.
THE SOCIAL RECKONING
Aaron Sorkin won an Academy Award for his THE SOCIAL NETWORK adapted screenplay. Now he not only writes the sequel, but also directs this biting critique on social media and the 2021 Facebook leak.
Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) is a Facebook data engineer but is deeply concerned about the impact it has on the lives of young children. Bullying has risen and is totally out of control while algorithms play a major part in recruiting Facebook followers into extreme and dangerous right-wing groups. Frances believes she has no alternative but to join forces with Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) and expose this phenomenon…
Sorkin’s intelligent screenplay opens with a brilliant prologue which sets up the tone most brilliantly before Frances as a modern-day Cassandra enters the scene. Madison is terrific in her first major role since her Oscar glory in ANORA and shares a strong chemistry with Allen White as the decent journalist determined to bring to light this modern catastrophe.
Intelligent entertainment of the highest order that doesn’t take its audience for granted!
TENZING
Jennifer Peedom, the award-winning Australian filmmaker of SHERPA, returns to the beautiful Himalayan mountains for her latest feature which focuses entirely on the true story of Tenzing Nogay (Genden Phuntsok), the daring Nepalese climber.
From a young age Tenzing is dreaming of climbing Everest and it is not until 1953 that he manages to fulfil his lifelong ambition along with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hilary (Tom Hiddleston). They are the first to summit Mount Everest and their story is the stuff that dreams are made on.
Luke Davies’ brilliant screenplay shows three stages of Tenzing’s life and all three actors are terrific bearing a strong resemblance to the character. Willem Dafoe makes a strong contribution as Colonel John Hunt, the brains behind the expedition but most credit should go to Stefan Duscio, the exceptional cinematographer who captures the magnificent landscape most effectively.
QUEEN BUDAPEST
The groundbreaking Queen concert of 1986 is given a new lease of life with this remarkable 4K restoration which begs to be experienced on the big screen.
Queen was the first group to perform live behind the iron curtain and during this historic event a thrilled audience of 80,000 filled the Nepstadion in Budapest, while an estimated 45,000 people were outside listening to the music. Freddie Mercury was at the peak of his career delivering popular songs like “Bohemian Rapsody”, “We are the Champions” and the Hungarian traditional folk song “Tavaszi Szel Vizet Araszt”.
It is hugely enjoyable and a monumental piece of history.
THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM
This is based on the true story of Catherine Corless (Monica Dolan), an enthusiastic amateur historian whose research on an institution for unmarried mothers and their children in Tuam, County Galway accidentally unearths a deep secret that has been kept hidden for decades…
The story is eloquently scripted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz and plays like the flip side of THE MAGDALENE SISTERS, the powerful film about the abuse of inmates by the church. Dolan works well as the reluctant local hero in this urgent drama which is probably better suited for television.
It is an important story that needs to be told even though the over orchestrated score threatens to sink the ship.
THE LAST FIRST: WINTER K2
There has been a plethora of documentaries about mountain expeditions and in the most dangerous situations. Amir Bar-Lev’s new documentary offers a new perspective on the 2021 expedition of the expert Icelander John Snorri Sigurjonsson and the daring Pakistani father-son team Ali and Sajid Sadpara determined to be the first to summit K2 in the winter. Climbing this treacherous mountain in the summer is dangerous enough but, in the winter…
This compelling story of bravery, determination and class and caste discrimination is beautifully photographed and superbly edited. (Apple TV+)
OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace’s well-constructed documentary – thanks to writer/creator Steven Knight – follows Liam and Noel Gallagher’s 2025 reunion tour. This highly anticipated tour travelled across the world and the film crew captured the band and fans in ecstatic moments both onstage and backstage. The Manchester brothers talk honestly about their antagonistic years that led to their separation until they finally find time for forgiveness and a new beginning.
It is an exciting concert movie that will give a lot of pleasure to music lovers.
THE DOG STARS
Ridley Scott’s intriguing post-apocalyptic drama is based on Peter Heller’s novel which follows the story of Hig (Jacob Elordi), a pilot struggling to survive along with his dog in a remote Colorado outpost. It is a lonely but satisfying existence until he receives an unexpected radio signal urging him to start a journey in search of human connection…
It is a fascinating film even though the earlier part takes ages to get going. The middle section is exciting but unfortunately the action loses its impact towards the end – so overall a mixed bag.