Eleanor Reviews

DVD Release *** After a member of the public inadvertently films the murder of a politician, the tape of the incident is hunted by a rogue section of the intelligence agency. When the tape is deposited in the bag of a lawyer, Robert Dean, his life spins out of control. Unclear as to why he is being chased by the agency, he meets with Brill, ex-NSA, and the pair plot to end the intelligence agency's reign of terror. For something that is meant to be a thriller, I found it spectacularly un-thrilling; maybe it's because I've seen a fair few films of this genre to know the tropes? Maybe it's because the characters are badly drawn and wholly uninspiring? I don't know the answer, but either way, this was a bit of a let down. It isn't badly made, and the acting is fairly solid, and there are some clever surveillance shots, but a film needs substance as well as style, especially if it is to label itself 'thriller'. Also, the film seems to think that

***** In 1984, a group of gay and lesbian activists decided to raise funds in support of the striking miners. Picking a mining town at random, they began to campaign on behalf of the workers in a small Welsh community, eventually travelling from London to meet the recipients of their charitable work. I went into this film having already decided that I quite liked it – having read some interviews, watched the trailer a couple of times and then poured over the discussion board on IMDb, I eagerly awaited the day when I would find the time to see it. And I was not disappointed. Pride is a real life tale (with some embellishments, such as the character of newcomer Joe) about unlikely alliances and standing up to your oppressors, about discovering yourself and other people. There are moments of humour and happiness alongside heartfelt scenes of anguish and desperation, all supported with an excellent soundtrack. I laughed and cried in equal measure and was thoroughly entertained

*** When a man arrives at their front door, claiming to be a close friend of their recently dead son, the Peterson family welcome him into their home, and their lives. David is charming, quick to help and ever respectful, but after the town is hit with a spate of deaths, Anna Peterson begins to doubt the credibility of David’s story. We all know the story: a new person arrives in town appearing to be one thing, and actually turns out to be something quite different, so in terms of originality, The Guest is somewhat lacking. Want of narrative ambition, however, does not make this a dull and uninteresting film – it is fun, somewhat creepy, and has the second most ludicrous final act so far this year, second only to Luc Besson’s Lucy . Dan Stevens (yes, Matthew from Downton Abbey ) is David, a soldier with Special Ops training, who the audience immediately distrust, but who the Peterson family take an almost instant liking to… all except Anna (Maika Monroe) who finds him as p

  ***/**** Ten years after ‘The Collapse’, a band of thieves steal a car from the roadside and disappear over the horizon. Little do they realise that their new car belongs to a ruthless loner, Eric, a man who thinks nothing of violence and death. Pursuing the thieves across the bleak Australian landscape, Eric meets Rey, a brother of one of the thieves, and the pair form an uneasy partnership. To say that The Rover is pretty bleak would be something of an understatement – this is a merciless, depressing study into Man’s tendency towards violence when He has no rules or structure to govern Him: crucified bodies line the empty highways; everyone carries a weapon and is unafraid to murder anyone who gets in the way; and all humanity seems lost. It’s also about the dangers of not wearing sun cream and going long periods of time without brushing your teeth. Guy Pearce is Eric, a hardened and violent man travelling across the barren wasteland of Australia. It has been well doc

*** DVD Release Afraid to turn up at her sister's wedding alone after being perpetually single since her long term boyfriend left her two years previously, Kat Ellis hires a sophisticated male escort to pose as her partner. During the course of the wedding proceedings, Kat's relationship with her new companion, Nick, becomes more than just business.   You know the outcome of the story before you've even started the film: a pretty woman meets an equally attractive man, attraction ensues, there's a complication, and then everything resolves itself wonderfully. 'The Wedding Date' doesn't attempt to be anything more than a stereotypical rom-com, but it does the basics rather well and it is a happy, feel-good film. Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney play Kat and Nick respectively, and whilst there's nothing new or exciting about their relationship as compared with the countless other films from the genre, there does appear to be some onscreen chem

* DVD Release Warning: this review contains some minor spoilers Bill Parrish, a fabulously wealthy media mogul, is fast approaching his 65 th birthday when he is visited by Death, who has taken the body of a recently deceased young man in order to live amongst humanity. Death requires Bill to be his guide throughout his time in human form, but complications arise as Bill’s board members question the constant presence of this strange individual and Bill’s daughter becomes increasingly attracted to her father’s new companion. The premise of the film is quite interesting: Death walking amongst mankind is a promising plotline, suggestive of something quite spooky, philosophical and haunting… things that this film definitely isn’t. The writers abandon any notion of creepiness and suspense (actually, anything of interest) in place of the most contrived and horrible love story that is so utterly cringe-worthy and annoying that I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Death, named Jo

*** After becoming advertently caught up in an international drugs ring, Lucy has her stomach packed with CPH4, a synthetic chemical with the ability to increase a human’s brain capacity. After being beaten, the chemical starts to leak into her body, quickly increasing her cognitive abilities and gifting her with superpowers. Well, it starts off being pretty ridiculous, and builds and builds to become something quite preposterous. The similarities with Transcendence , and indeed other films of the genre, are unavoidable, but whereas Transcendence took itself seriously with the notion of Johnny Depp essentially becoming God, Lucy seems to realise that it is pretty ridiculous and doesn’t ‘bottle it’ in the final scene; it goes the whole hog. I think this is the major strength of the film – it doesn’t take itself to be a great, philosophical piece about the limits of the human brain, instead teasing the audience with the possibility of an intelligent debate, before the majority