Eleanor Reviews

***/**** (3.5 stars) Recently appointed Prime Minister, Winston Churchill must make a crucial decision for the future of Great Britain: fight on against the overwhelming Nazi force, or engage in peace talks with the enemy. There is no shortage of depictions of Winston Churchill on film and TV. A behemoth in our world's recent history, his presence on screen is one that we have become used to. Taking on the Prime Minister after his appointment during World War Two, Gary Oldman offers us a somewhat tender, unusual perspective on the cigar-smoking icon. Much like the depiction of Adolf Hitler in Downfall , we witness a frailty here - a sense of doubt and misgiving that has been overlooked of late. Jumping from tyrannical-esque outbursts to moments of quiet solemnity, Oldman's performance offers a very human insight into a man grappling with himself, his past choices and the weight of his new position, all the while maintaining a touch of humour too. This sense of i

DVD release/available to stream ***** Attending a job interview so that he can claim his benefit, Driss unexpectedly ends up being hired by an aristocrat quadriplegic, Philippe. After transferring from the projects to his new employer's stately home, an unlikely relationship blossoms the two men, who discover they have much to learn from one another. Life is rarely black and white: usually we navigate a world that is differing shades of grey, and nowhere is that bittersweet balance captured more than in The Intouchables. Based on a true story, it focuses on the growing friendship between a man who has everything and yet cannot move, Philippe (Francois Cluzet) and another who has spent their life in the projects and yet bubbles with an undeniable lust for life, Driss (Omar Sy). Although both their lives have been touched by tragedy, both men are able to find humour and joy in the everyday. Admittedly somewhat light on plot (there is no real beginning, middle