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 ...

*** DVD release/available to stream After a young Native American woman is found murdered in the snow, a veteran tracker and FBI agent team up to find those responsible. If you've seen the intense, atmospheric trailer for Wind River , you'll probably have experienced the same 'ooh, that looks good' feeling I did. However, be warned - the two or so minutes of the trailer are far better than watching the film itself, which actually turned out to be wholly unremarkable. After the discovery of the girl's frozen body (guess what? She's been brutally raped too!) and the introduction of new-in-town FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen, doing her best with an underwritten role), the film settles into the cliches that we're all so used to, from tracker Cory's (Jeremy Renner) traumatic past, to the estranged son battling a drug problem and the wizened police chief who's 'too old for this shit'. In a strange and somewhat ridiculous ...

**** After months without answers as to who murdered her daughter, Mildred hires three billboards outside her home town of Ebbing, Missouri, in the hope of focusing the minds of the local police department on the case. What follows is a string of events that no one could have foreseen... Martin McDonagh is an exceptional screenwriter and storyteller. In his debut film, In Bruges , he transplanted two mismatched hitmen into the aforementioned city and allowed us to watch as the bizarre events unfolded. His follow up, Seven Psychopaths , was similarly outrageous, this time focusing around the kidnapping of a beloved pooch. In Three Billboards , the decision to apply questioning slogans upon a set of run-down signs sparks a dramatic fall out. Never one to shy away from an odd initial set up, what links McDonagh's films is his ability to fuse reprehensible characters with moments of shocking violence and laugh-out-loud dark humour in one seamless flick of his pen. Add th...

**** Tasked with escorting a Cheyenne chief and his relatives across the rugged and brutal terrain to their homeland, legendary Army captain Joe Blocker sets out with a small cohort. On their perilous journey, the uneasy party meets the recently bereft Rosalie Quaid and a rogue sergeant charged with the brutal murder of a Native family. Described by some critics (and stated as such on the above poster!), Hostiles has been mis-categorised as a 'Western'. Yes, there are some elements of what you might expect to find in a classic Western herein, but Scott Cooper's latest is more existential journey than swaggering cowboys and extended shoot-outs. A meditation on the traumas of war and the brutalities of man, this deeply philosophical film ponders death, hatred, forgiveness and redemption, all set against the sweeping landscapes and dramatic skies of 1892 America. My point? If you're expecting lengthy action pieces and drawn out fight sequences, you may ...

**** DVD release Budding comedian Kumail Nanjiani meets psychology student Emily at a bar after one of his sets, and a tentative relationship begins. Differences in their cultures and expectations are brought into perspective, however, when Emily contracts a serious infection and is placed into a medically-induced coma. OK, readers - you're probably as surprised as I am to see a rom-com review being posted on my blog, but the truth is, I really, really like The Big Sick . Prompted to seek it out, I decided to sit down and watch it on one of those weird non-existent days between Christmas and New Year, and swiftly fell under its charm. Not only did I laugh consistently throughout, I actually cried more than once, and actually felt strangely optimistic about love by the end (I know - what on earth is wrong with me!?).  I guess the main reason for this emotional response is that The Big Sick is actually far more than a rom-com - it's a witty, insightful...

Hi, all Seems as everyone is creating their reviews of the year, I thought I'd get in on the action too and give a little run down of 2017, via films released in UK cinemas. 5 Top-Rated Films, in no particular order: 'A Monster Calls' 'Moonlight' 'Dunkirk' 'Blade Runner 2049' 'Mudbound' Honourable Mentions: 'Logan' 'Manchester by the Sea' Least Favourite Films: 'Baby Driver' 'Silence' Most Traumatic Experience: 'Okja' - I'm still scarred! Best Performances: Florence Pugh - 'Lady Macbeth' Will Poulter  - 'Detroit' A big 'thank you' to all my readers - wishing you all a very Happy New Year, and I shall see you in 2018.