Hank (Austin Butler) is a bartender in New York whose life gets turned upside down when his British neighbour Gus (Matt Smith) asks him to look after his cat as he heads home to see his ailing father. Because it seems Gus has something that a number of undesirable groups of people are after, which … Continue reading Caught Stealing
After years of marriage, resentment has slowly built between Ivy Rose (Olivia Colman) and Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch) culminating in a divorce battle over the stunning home that Theo designed and built using Ivy’s money. After a chance meeting and whirlwind romance the Roses start a life in America where Theo is a lauded architect … Continue reading The Roses
The British Isles, in the 1790’s. A young Japanese woman named Tornado (Koki) is being stalked by a ruthless gang led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden). Can she outwit them and survive? Tornado is a western set in Britain just prior to the Industrial Revolution. Tornado and her father … Continue reading Tornado
It is May 2020, the height of the Covid Pandemic and in the small town of Eddington, New Mexico a feud between the town’s Mayor and Sheriff threatens to destabilise the entire town and its citizens' way of life. I will start my review by simply stating that Eddington is a superb movie. One that … Continue reading Eddington
In 1938, Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, Landowner Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) hires self-taught archeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to excavate large burial mounds on her rural estate. The Dig is a rather superb film with two genuinely interesting plot lines. The first is a race against time that is placed straight in front of us. Edith … Continue reading The Dig
The Thursday Murder Club is a group of four pensioners who live at Cooper’s Chase Retirement home that get together in their spare time to solve cold cases. But when the owner of Cooper’s Chase is struck down at his home they have a real life case to solve. The Thursday Murder Club is based … Continue reading The Thursday Murder Club
Three acts in the life of Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) told in reverse order. Beginning with the apocalypse and ending with a childhood beset by setbacks. All framed in a reassuringly life affirming manner. The three acts in the Life of Chuck initially feel somewhat disconnected, but it is in the explanation of how they come … Continue reading The Life of Chuck
After thirty years performing in the same show on the Las Vegas Strip, fifty-seven year old showgirl Shelly (Pamela Anderson) has to come to terms with it being cancelled. The Last Showgirl is a small intimate film about the sacrifices women make for their careers and focuses closely on what dancing means to Shelly and … Continue reading The Last Showgirl
CIA spy Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) has one day until retirement when he finds out that his protégé Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) has been arrested in China for espionage. Aware that the American government might sacrifice Bishop as collateral damage in favour of a trade negotiation Muir sets out to use all of his learned … Continue reading Spy Game
It is 1984 and aspiring filmmaker Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) lives in a Knightsbridge flat with another student as she navigates film school. When she meets Anthony (Tom Burke) at a party, an older man who works for the foreign office, she is taken by his mysterious nature and begins a relationship with him. The … Continue reading The Souvenir & The Souvenir: Part II
Phil the Bear's Film Reviews 