Eleanor Reviews

Director: Jane Campion Cast:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee Where can I watch?:   The Power of the Dog  is in cinemas and available to stream on  Netflix Rating:  4/5 Review:  There was a point while watching The Power of the Dog when I realised I had been completely enticed by the story. Initially, I had been somewhat fidgety, wondering if a crash-bang blockbuster would have perhaps been more appropriate viewing for the lull between Christmas and New Year - but then I fell under Jane Campion's spell. Slowly, but surely, the tension and intrigue started to build between the four central protagonists, to the point where you know someone will fire the proverbial gun, but who? And when?  At the heart of the film is Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank, an educated ranch man, a bully and a misogynist. Cold and menacing, his slow, deliberate movements inspire both fear and awe in those around him - for a viewer, he is as engaging as he is despicab

Director: Ridley Scott Cast:  Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer Where can I watch?:   The Last Duel  is in cinemas and available to stream on Disney+ Rating:  3/5 Review: Young people, put down your "fucking cell phones"  and observe how men have been shit to women for literal centuries! That's right, not depressed enough by the state of the world, I decided to watch Ridley Scott's latest 'flop' during the festive period and, boy, did it feel like a battle. Based on a true story from the 14th Century, The Last Duel is a tale of rape and revenge. Focusing on three central characters, Scott's depiction is divided into a trio of interlocking chapters during which Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) and Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer) give their accounts of the events preceding and following Marguerite's assault. Despite the horrendous wig, Damon gives a strong performance as a highly unlikeable knight, but it's Come

Director:  Lana Wachowski Cast:  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff  Where can I watch?:   The Matrix Resurrections  is in cinemas now Rating:  2/5 Review:  The Matrix (1999) is an undisputed classic. It's slick, it's sexy, it's original. There are cool fight scenes, cool black leather coats and black sunglasses and memorable one-liners. My partner and I watched it again recently and loved every second. The subsequent Reloaded and Revolutions  films were poor in comparison, but they weren't without merit. The same, however, cannot be said for The Matrix Resurrections .  I would love to have been in the pitch meeting for The Matrix Resurrections . I imagine it went something a long the lines of: "We need a bit of cash. Bring The Matrix back, but this time amp up the nostalgia - and make it meta". Indeed, the first hour or so of the latest Matrix is intercut with snapshots from the first film. This was clearly meant to remi

Director:  Denis Villeneuve Cast:  Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya Where can I watch?:   Dune  is in cinemas now Rating:  3.5/5 Review: Denis Villeneuve is hot property right now. In the last 10 years alone, he's directed some of the most celebrated films in Hollywood, from the gritty, psychological dramas of Prisoners and Sicario  to the visually stunning, considered-nigh-impossible Blade Runner 2049 . Sticking with cult sci-fi, Villeneuve now tackles Frank Herbert's Dune , bringing with him an A-list cast and one of the greater composers working today, Hans Zimmer.  The first in a trilogy, Dune was always going to be weighed down by the sheer size, scale, politics and history of Herbert's Imperium. It's no surprise, therefore, that the film takes a little while to get going while we're introduced to all the moving pieces, including Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet, looking his most brooding and most ethereal). Luckily, what the film lac

Director:  James Gunn Cast:  Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Joel Kinnaman, John Cena Where can I watch?:   The Suicide Squad  is in cinemas now Rating:  1/5 Review:  There are some directors who, upon deciding they will direct an 'adult' superhero film, choose to prioritise excessive swearing, grotesque violence and a lot of shouting over an engaging, meaningful plot. James Gunn is one such director. Taking on this sort-of-remake, sort-of-sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad, Gunn's foray into the DC-verse is nothing short of rubbish - or, if we were speaking like one of Gunn's characters, 'f*cking rubbish'. Firstly, there are exchanges that are clearly meant to be humorous - they are not. Secondly, there are too many characters fighting for screen time for any sort of meaningful (if that could even be possible!) relationship to be built, either between themselves or the audience. Thirdly, what even is the plot here (slight spoilers ahead!)? That a gang of supervillai

Director:  Jaume Collet-Serra Cast:  Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Edgar Ramirez  Where can I watch?:   Jungle Cruise  is in cinemas and streaming on  Disney+ Rating:  3/5 Review: Maybe it's my old age or my enduring girl crush on Emily Blunt getting the better of me, but I actually found Disney's latest, Jungle Cruise , reasonably enjoyable. Undoubtedly daft and peppered with toe-curling dialogue it may be, but when was the last time you watched a proper adventure film? With influences from the Indiana Jones series and Pirates of the Caribbean films evident throughout, Jungle Cruise takes the viewer on a fast-paced, action-packed ride down the Amazon in the company of roguish skipper, Frank (Dwayne Johnson), all-round babe, Dr Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt, sigh) on their quest to find a mythical tree. Jesse Plemons, chewing the scenery as German baddie Prince Joachim, is hot on their tails, however, in his mini submarine... Yeah, I said it was daft. Despite an o