Eleanor Reviews

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

Director:  Anders Thomas Jensen Cast:  Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz  Where can I watch?:   Black Widow  is in cinemas and streaming on Disney+ Rating:  2.5/5 Review: Pipped to the post by DC, Marvel's first female superhero-fronted movie introduced us to a completely new character in Captain Marvel. Years later, and only after (spoiler alert!) her character was killed off in Avengers: Endgame , we get the much-awaited, highly anticipated Black Widow  movie. One of the most complex characters of the MCU, surely this female-led, female-directed film would break the usual Marvel formula and bring us something a little more interesting? Unfortunately not. Despite being helmed by Cate Shortland, this is hardly a feminist film. Aside from the numerous establishing shots of Scarlett Johansson's ass, a misjudged joke about menstruation (seriously, are periods still funny?) and multiple glimpses of svelte young women in skin-tight suits, the film never

  Director:  Anders Thomas Jensen Cast:  Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Andrea Heick Gadeberg, Lars Brygmann, Nicholas Bro Where can I watch?:   Riders of Justice  is in cinemas now  Rating:  4/5 Review:  There are some films that defy categorisation. For example, from watching the trailer for Riders of Justice, you might assume it to be some form of action comedy with a healthy dose of violence thrown in for good measure. However, Riders of Justice is actually far more complex than that, tackling themes of masculinity, mental health and even the existential alongside the occasional shoot out and grisly murder. At first, it appears to be about revenge - Mads Mikkelsen (looking particularly brutish) returns from a tour following the death of his wife in rail accident that could well be connected with a violent gang. Or was it all merely coincidence? Uncommunicative and unrelenting in his refusal to undertake therapy, Mikkelsen's Markus represents the archetypal army man - silent,

Director:  Thomas Vinterberg Cast:  Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millgang, Lars Ranthe Where can I watch?:   Another Round is in cinemas now  Rating:  2/5 Review: Applauded on the awards and festival circuit since 2020, it's fair to say that Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round was universally 'hyped up' long before its eventual release in UK cinemas. Billed as a 'comedy', critics couldn't praise Vinterberg's (who also co-wrote the film) tale of four middle-aged school teachers engaging in an experiment with alcohol enough. It appears that I must have been watching the wrong film, then, as I can't recall laughing at this so-called 'comedy' a single time, nor can I say that I particularly enjoyed it. For me, the real issue comes from the lack of clarity around the film's central message: what is Vinterberg trying to say about alcohol? Veering from tragic scenes of home lives falling apart, suicide and even a grown man wetting his

Director:  John Krasinski Cast:  Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy Where can I watch?:   A Quiet Place Part II is in cinemas now Rating:  4/5 Review: A Quiet Place Part II ( AQPII , as no one's calling it) is one of those sequels that you didn't know you wanted or needed until you actually see it. Set both before and after the events of A Quiet Place , John Krasinski's much-delayed follow-up reunites us with the beleaguered Abbott family - only this time, we see the world through the eyes of Regan (Millicent Simmonds) instead of Evelyn (Emily Blunt). It's a clever decision and one that brings another dynamic to the story; through the use of her cochlear implant, Regan has the chance to continue her father's work and potentially save humanity, but at what cost?   The opening sequence is dedicated to 'Day 1', the moment the monsters arrive. Through an excellent use of sound scaping and suspense, Krasinksi expertly pulls us back into the world he

Director:  Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini Cast:  Amanda Seyfried, James Norton, Natalia Dyer, F. Murray Abraham Where can I watch?:   Things Seen & Heard  is streaming on  Netflix Rating:  3/5 Review:  You know the story: middle class white family swap their happy city lifestyle for a dilapidated, slightly creepy house in the depths of the countryside. Of course, the house has a gory history, but the overly-enthusiastic husband convinces his sceptical wife that all will be well... Until it isn't. Admittedly, Things Seen & Heard , adapted from Elizabeth Brundage's novel All Things Cease to Appear , isn't even remotely original and, when it does attempt to throw some additional ingredients into the mix, the narrative becomes something of an uneven, overstuffed mess. Indeed, there is so much going on here that many of the more interesting topics barely get a look in, while some reveals tip the scale from highly unbelievable to downright absurd - you'll know

Director:  Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe Cast:  (voices) Abbie Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Mike Rianda Where can I watch?:   The Mitchells vs the Machines is streaming on Netflix Rating:  5/5 Review: Sometimes, you come across a film that leaves you with aching cheeks from smiling so much at the screen. It's a rare occasion, and one that should be sought out, which is why I wholly recommend that you seek out The Mitchells vs the Machines . 'But, it's a kid's film,' I hear you cry, but I care not - sometimes the movies rated 'U' and 'PG' are more sensitive, more creative, more intelligent than anything daubed with a bright red '18' certificate.   The story of a dysfunctional family, their unidentifiable dog and a worldwide machine takeover, The Mitchells vs the Machines marries painfully accurate family interactions with clever animation and... wait, is that a Furby? It's brilliantly bonkers stuff, but the heart of the film is all abo

Director:  Simon McQuoid Cast:  Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson  Where can I watch?:   Mortal Kombat is streaming on Prime Video Rating:  2/5 Review: Dear reader, you won't be shocked to know that my knowledge of the Mortal Kombat universe is based heavily upon watching gamers punch buttons at house parties. However, I do appreciate (and respect!) that, for some, Mortal Kombat (both the games and previous movie outings...) is a significant part of their leisure time. And why shouldn't it be? A variety of flamboyant avatars fighting for their lives in a series of arenas is indeed a fun and engaging way of passing the time... It's just a shame that this latest version of the gaming franchise is neither of those things. It starts off with a fairly promising opening montage: two foes grapple with each other in a fast-paced, well-executed fight sequence that also includes an emotive murder - it all seems rather good. However, to say that the film goes downhill afterward

Director:  Ilya Naishuller Cast:  Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen Where can I watch?:   Nobody  is streaming on Prime Video Rating:  4/5 Review: There was a moment, in the first 15 minutes or so, when I thought Nobody might be a genre-defining film, one that took the age-old notion that 'the man of the house should defend the house' and subvert it, so that the movie was a study of what it means to be a man in the 21st century. Dear reader, Nobody is far from an essay on society's obsession with 'the strong man' - it's a gun-toting, ass-kicking, Russian-beating action movie that's entirely enjoyable. Bob Odenkirk is Hutch Mansell - his everyday life is mundane, his marriage is on the rocks and his teenage son is, well, being a teenager. Then everything changes, and the bodies start piling up higher than even Boris Johnson would be comfortable with.  There are obvious comparisons to be drawn with the John Wick series - a suburban man, a li

Director:  Joe Penna Cast:  Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson, Toni Collette  Where can I watch?:   Stowaway  is streaming on  Netflix Rating:  3/5 Review: Your Philosophy and Ethics classes get a spacey update in Joe Penna's tale of three Mars-bound astronauts who discover a fourth person concealed on their vessel, sapping their precious oxygen supply. It's hardly an original premise, but Stowaway offers plenty of initial promise, something of a searching character study into three individuals who felt compelled to leave their families behind and spend two years on a mission through the stars. Unfortunately, few of these expectations are ever realised, and Penna's film begins to struggle under its lack of conviction very quickly. There are plenty of themes that are touched on briefly and then dismissed; the faint crackle of remote voices from Earth appears to symbolise both the astronauts' isolation and their disconnect from society, and yet little comes

Director:  Lee Isaac Chung Cast:  Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim, Noel Cho, Yuh-Jung Youn Where can I watch?:   Minari  is streaming on  Prime Video   Rating:  4/5 Review: If 2020 taught us anything, it's that life is far from predictable: best-laid plans come to nothing; hopes and dreams can seem unattainable; and decisions that once seem certain are thrown into question. Luckily, even in the toughest of times, there is still joy to be had. A film that very much encapsulates the 'every day' feeling of life, Lee Isaac Chung's beautifully understated  Minari follows a South Korean family as they settle into their new home in Arkansas; Jacob (Steven Yeun) has a dream of starting his own farm and immediately sets out cultivating the land, while his wife (Yeri Han) and two young children navigate their new surroundings. Into this uneasy mix lands Grandma Soonja (Oscar winner Yuh-Jung Youn) and her quirky home medicines. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why Minari engag

Director:  Adam Wingard Cast:  Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry Where can I watch?:   Godzilla vs. Kong is streaming on Apple TV .  Rating:  2/5 Review:  Do you like your apes oversized and your lizards fire-breathing (I know it's not fire, die hard fans!)? Have you always wanted to see big things punch each other repeatedly thanks to the latest in CGI technology? Are you looking for a film that will make you think, 'this is dross' but renders you unable to look away? My friend, Godzilla vs. Kong is the movie for you. There's no point in trying to explain the plot, because there isn't one to describe beyond ape hits lizard, lizard hits ape, people scream and run. However, for all the repetitiveness of these giant creatures hitting each other and roaring, it's far better than enduring the shocking dialogue between the wholly one-dimensional human characters who appear to be there for no reason other than to stand around wit

Director:  Kevin Macdonald Cast:  Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch Where can I watch?:   The Mauritanian  is streaming on Prime Video   Rating:  4/5 Review: Director Kevin Macdonald has never been one to shy away from difficult subjects, and The Mauritanian further cements his reputation. The story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi's imprisonment without charge within notorious prison, Guantanamo Bay, is a particularly black mark in the US Government's stain-ridden back catalogue but, by bringing it to the screen, Macdonald has made the injustice even more horrific. Tahar Rahim takes on the role of Mohamedou in a truly excellent piece of casting. Rahim is a very likeable, engaging screen presence, and he utilises this affability with heart-breaking effect, drawing us in so that we feel each low acutely. Opposite Rahin are Jodie Foster, who recently picked up the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her depiction of real-life defence attorney Nancy

Director:  Shaka King Cast:  Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback   Where can I watch?:   Judas and the Black Messiah  is streaming on  HBO Max Rating:  4/5 Review: I recently read an article that suggested that films, books, polemics and other artforms portraying or discussing racism are only deemed 'vital', 'important' and 'necessary' (add other adjectives as required) when a white critic deems to label them so. Once I read that, I realised how true it was, and how, on this very blog, I have assigned similar adjectives to movies dealing with a subject matter so beyond my experience, and yet so depressingly relevant to others. Before watching Judas and the Black Messiah , I saw the latest episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver , in which the host turns his attention to police raids, the vast majority of which are carried out against Black and Latino citizens. It felt chillingly horrific, therefore, to then watch the lethal

Director:  Simon Stone Cast:  Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn Where can I watch?:   The Dig  is streaming on Netflix Rating:  4/5 Review:  Standing before the Sutton Hoo helmet in the British Museum is a strangely spiritual experience. Believed to have been buried around 625 AD, the helmet represents a level of craftsmanship and sophistication that many believed the Anglo-Saxons to be incapable of; it's also thought to have once sat upon the head of a king. Although Simon Stone's film The Dig doesn't chart the discovery of the helmet, it does dramatise the moment a complete Anglo-Saxon ship was discovered beneath a burial mound on the eve of the Second World War. When Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) hires unorthodox excavator Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to uncover the secrets buried within her late husband's land, neither could have anticipated what they would unearth. Through each trip to the dig site, Edith and Basil's platonic relationship b

Director:  Ric Roman Waugh Cast:  Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd Where can I watch?:   Greenland  is streaming on  Prime Video Rating:  3.5/5 Review: Watching the news at the moment, it can often feel that we're living through our very own disaster movie, so sitting down to watch an 'end of the world' film may feel a little... Unnecessary? Fear not, readers, for I can assure you that watching doom unfurl via the medium of film is far more entertaining than living through it... Cue Greenland, a cataclysmic, comet-related outing that successfully thrills and engages without adding anything to the genre. You know the story already - an estranged husband (Gerard Butler, Scottish in some scenes, not in others) and wife (Morena Baccarin) must put their martial issues aside to ensure they, and their diabetic son (Roger Dale Floyd), survive the apocalypse, rekindling their relationship along the way. Despite this wholly unoriginal premise and a healthy collection

Director:  Carlos López Estrada Cast:  Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar Where can I watch?:   Blindspotting is streaming on Prime Video Rating:  5/5 Review:  It's the duty of art to tackle difficult, uncomfortable subjects. In the case of director Carlos López Estrada's excellent Blindspotting , numerous timely subjects - from racism, to gentrification, police brutality and beyond - are dissected in a strikingly lyrical, often humorous, way. With just three days left until his probation is over, Collin (an outstanding Daveed Diggs) is desperate to stay out of trouble, but it seems life has other plans - his friendship with the volatile Miles (Rafael Casal) and the witnessing of a fleeing black man being shot by a white officer put him in a precarious position, as does the lingering presence of the crime that placed him in prison in the first place. From the premise I've described, you might expect a truly bleak, tragic watching experience, but you'd be mistak

Director:  Ramin Bahrani Cast:  Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra Jones Where can I watch?:   The White Tiger is streaming on Netflix .  Rating:  4/5 Review: Aravind Adiga's novel The White Tiger rocketed into the international bestseller lists when it was published in 2008. A darkly satirical study of Indian's caste system, the Man Booker Prize winner tackled everything from class to corruption, religion to rooster coops. It's perhaps strange, considering the novel's success, that it took so long for The White Tiger to be adapted into a film, but as director Ramin Bahrain shows, it was probably worth the wait. Taking on the central role of servant Balram is Adarsh Gourav: a mercurial screen presence, Gourav guides us through Balram's development from wide-eyed, eager driver to disillusioned servant and beyond with a deft, dependable hand. Balram's evolution from start to finish is entirely believable and, more importantly, wholly watchable - it'

Director:  Paul Greengrass Cast:  Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel Where can I watch?:   News of the World  will be released on Netflix later in 2021 Rating:  3/5 Review: The last time Tom Hanks and director Paul Greengrass worked together was in 2013's nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat Captain Phillips . A difficult watch that packed a huge emotional punch, it remains a must-watch. In the years to come, the same probably won't be said of the duo's latest outing, News of the World . Taking it upon himself to return a twice-orphaned girl (Helena Zengel) to her last remaining relatives in the south, Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks) must travel across America in the aftermath of the Civil War, facing hostility, danger and division as he goes. To say that News of the World is 'predictable' is something of an understatement - at every point in the story, it was outstandingly obvious what was going to happen, from the hide and seek montage upon a rocky outcrop, to a run-in with less than sav

Director:  Rohena Gera Cast:  Tillotama Shome, Vivek Gomber Where can I watch?:   Sir  is streaming on Netflix Rating:  4/5 Review: If you're anything like me, you will have spent a fair few hours (read: lifetimes) on the 'endless scroll' through Netflix's highly 'unusual' film selection. Imagine the excitement, then, when on a cold Friday evening, we found a new addition to the list that the Netflix-bot promised was a '98% match'. It's safe to say that neither of us had particularly high expectations of Sir , the tale of a domestic worker who falls in love with her affluent boss in modern day Mumbai, but we found ourselves swept along in this delicate and deeply touching film. For a movie with such a brief run time (it clocks in at just over one and a half hours), a lot is packed in, from a fearless and frank exploration of India's caste hierarchy, to the place of women in society and a nuanced depiction of the vast chasm between rural and urban

Director:  Todd Haynes Cast:  Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins Where can I watch?:   Dark Waters is streaming on Prime Video Rating:  4/5 Review:  It's common knowledge that these huge, multi-national, multi-billion dollar companies are essentially holding us to ransom, but it's nonetheless incredibly shocking to discover the extent of their power, and the lengths they're willing to go to conceal any wrongdoing. Exposing a decades-long health scandal caused by chemical firm DuPont, Todd Haynes' film Dark Waters tackles the true story of a corporate defence lawyer, Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo), efforts to bring a celebrated company to justice. Shot in the dark hues of blue and icy grey, it's clear from the beginning that this film isn't going to be a cheery one, and it's only right that it be so solemn, with Haynes paying homage to the innocent civilians who lost lives and livelihoods due to the systemic corruption of the firm on their very doorstep. Ruf