Eleanor Reviews

Director: Roger Donaldson Cast:  Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier Where can I watch?: The Bounty is streaming on Netflix Rating: 2/5 Review: The true story of HMS Bounty , the mutiny and the continued bloodline of the mutineers on Pitcairn Island is, undoubtedly, a fascinating one. It's unfortunate, then, that Roger Donaldson's attempt to bring the high sea drama to the screen is so, well, dull. Opening with paradisaical images of tropical islands under nectarine skies (punctuated with an eerie score by Vangelis of Blade Runner fame), the film starts of promisingly... And quickly loses its way. After the initial 'culture-gasm' of seeing Anthony Hopkins (the doomed captain, William Bligh) and Laurence Olivier face off in a naval court, we find ourselves aboard The Bounty , with fresh-faced Mel Gibson wrestling with the underwritten role of rebellious Fletcher Christian. There are the usual naval tropes abound: lashings for the impudent sai...

Director : Anurag Kashyap Cast : Saiyami Kher, Roshan Mathew, Amruta Subhash Where can I watch? : Choked is streaming on Netflix Rating : 4/5 Review : Netflix's attempts to diversify its entertainment collection seems to have accelerated rapidly during lockdown, with a number of new international offerings becoming readily available in amongst all the nostalgic 90s releases. One such film is Choked , a Hindi-language film that centres around put-upon bank worker Sarita (the engaging Saiyami Kher) and her disintegrating marriage. Setting the scene in a tumbledown set of flats - paint-flaking ceilings and a drain that constantly leaks and gurgles are as much characters as their human counterparts - we're hurled into Sarita's tiring existence, but could salvation be at hand? Marrying Bollywood-esque musical sequences with grainy news footage capturing the fallout of Modi's monetary reforms, director Anurag Kashyap effortlessly moves from fantasy to reality,...

Director:  Michael Showalter Cast:  Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani Where can I watch?: The Lovebirds  is streaming on Netflix Rating: 3/5 Review: It's fair to say that the news is pretty grim right now, so when a film comes along that requires essentially zero brain power, it comes as something of a relief. Cue The Lovebirds , another of Netflix's lockdown viewing collection in which an arguing couple become inadvertently embroiled in some form of crime syndicate on their way to a friend's dinner party. Sound familiar? That's because The Lovebirds is far from original territory - how many times have we seen the fraught couple unite the battle the odds and save their relationship? - and yet, it's not without its charms. Firstly, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are both very watchable screen presences, and there is certainly a fizzing level of chemistry between them that makes their relationship quite believable. Similarly, some of the smaller jokes work quit...

Director:  Will Becher, Richard Phelan Cast: (voices) Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Chris Morrell, Amalia Vitale Where can I watch?: Farmageddon  is streaming on  Amazon Rating:  5/5 Review: Has there ever been an Aardman film that isn't a delight? Each and every one of this studio's wholesome creations has bought raucous, lighthearted entertainment to viewers both young and old, and this latest outing, Farmageddon , is no different. The plot, the story of a wayward alien longing to go home, is undoubtedly a simple one, but it's the way this understated premise is made into a real gem of a film that makes it so special. As with all Aardman creations, Farmageddon may have a U certificate, but there's plenty here for adults to enjoy too, with references to War of the Worlds, Doctor Who and Close Encounters peppered throughout. The attention to detail is also second to none, with inconspicuous asides being as humorous as the central jokes - you could ...

Director:  Bill Forsyth Cast:  Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay, Denis Lawson, Norman Chancer, Peter Capaldi  Where can I watch?: Local Hero is streaming on Amazon . Rating: 5/5 Review: Members of the Church of Wittertainment  will have undoubtedly heard Mark wax lyrical about Local Hero time and time again, so when it popped up during a session of mindless scrolling through Amazon's more dubious film suggestions, I had to give it a go. And what a delight it is! Wholly odd and yet undeniably charming in both its simplicity and message, this quaint tale of an oil-hungry Texas businessman falling in love with a remote Scottish coastline will get under your skin in the best way possible. If you're looking for an action-packed drama with a clear beginning, middle and end, then you'll definitely be disappointed - there isn't as story, as such, rather a series of innocent, interconnected scenes and gently humorous interactions that build into a...

Director: Steven Spielberg Cast:  Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bruce Greenwood  Where can I watch?:  You can watch The Post on Netflix . Rating:  4/5 Review:  Spielberg. Hanks. Streep. They may be part of cinema's 'old guard' now, but there's still something reassuring about seeing these 'titans of the movies' getting together to make a film - you immediately know you're in safe hands. Taking on the momentous occasion when the female-owned Washington Post took on the US government over the publication of a damning Vietnam report, this meaty topic certainly gives our auteurs something to sink their teeth into: there are secret phone calls; tense standoffs; scenes of the printing press whirring and clanking; and Tom Hanks posturing like only Tom Hanks can. Despite the outcome being well-known, such is Spielberg's deft direction, it's still nail-biting in some sections, as characters grapple with the enormity of t...

Director:  Autumn de Wilde Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor Where can I watch?: You can rent Emma from Amazon Prime Rating:  4/5 Review: Another decade, another adaptation of Jane Austen's arguably most scathing novel, Emma. One could argue that if you've seen one, you've seen them all, and yet I would suggest that Autumn de Wilde's latest foray does indeed add something new to the canon. For starters, Anya Taylor-Joy's Emma isn't always likeable. In fact, she's comes across as far more sly and malevolent in this adaptation than in any of the others, making her salvation (not a spoiler!) all the more rewarding. De Wilde, familiar with photography and music videos, directs stylishly - each scene is dressed to the nines, the costumes are nothing short of sumptuous, and each shot could indeed be a standalone photo, such is the expert composition. The cast is ubiquitously excellent, with Johnny Flynn br...