Film Review - Us (15)

Once upon a time there was a girl, and the girl had a shadow.

How do you follow up a legit horror phenomenon? Seriously - as a second-time feature director, whose first film dangled the horror genre from its ankles and shook it till its tropes rattled, where do you go? In Jordan Peele's case it's from the darkly funny and politically confrontational Get Out to something even more imaginative and conceptually bizarre. And if your new narrative eventually threatens to buckle under the sheer weight of insane ideas, that's just the price you pay for thinking big. Welcome to Us, a whole new kind of nightmare.

Lupita Nyong'o is Adelaide Wilson, a suburban mom on vacation in Santa Cruz with her husband Gabe and children Zora and Jason. Her relaxing getaway is marred, however, by memories of a traumatising childhood encounter that took place not far from her grown-up holiday home. In a fairground hall of mirrors little Adelaide confronted an alternative version of herself she is still convinced was more than a reflection. Gabe may struggle to hide his skepticism, but when night falls, the Wilson family is disturbed by a group of four strangers outside their lakehouse - strangers with an unsettlingly familiar appearance and malevolent intent. Mom's childhood doppelganger has returned, and she's not alone.

It's one of those ideas so simple and instantly disturbing - that of meeting yourself, only not yourself - that you wonder no one turned it into a film years before. Peele is clearly in love with the concept, having crafted the appearance and behaviour of the 'other' family into something deliciously chilling and instantly iconic. He allows you enough time to relax in the company of the regular Wilsons too, so that you feel the twistedness on meeting their opposite numbers.

This is a gift premise for the central four, particularly Nyong'o. The Oscar-winning support player from 12 Years a Slave, Star Wars and Black Panther finally gets the kind of lead (make that double-lead) she so richly deserves, and lord does she make the most of it. As Adelaide she's wary and quietly intense, before the external threat sends her into focused alpha-mom overdrive. And as her own malicious alter-ego 'Red' - that you simply have to witness for yourself. Put them together and it's powerhouse stuff. 

Her fellow Black Panther graduate Winston Duke is a far cry from tribal leader M'Baku this time around. As wannabe cool-dad Gabe he injects welcome humour into the increasingly sinister proceedings, even if he is singularly unequipped to deal with them. And the family is convincingly rounded off by Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex as Zora and Jason. Both have a whale of a time with the physicality of their dual roles, Wright Joseph proving particularly impressive as she's forced to confront her (kind-of) self.

The other major player is Peele, exhibiting remarkable precision and control for a second-time director, as he brings his own screenplay to life. This is shrewdly and imaginatively crafted work in every shot. Its horror jump-scare impulse is admirably reined in; Us is all about gradually brewed menace, shot through with just enough comedy to make for a great ride. Peele's use of music is startlingly good too, whether the Omen-esque choral themes of composer Michael Abels (also his collaborator on Get Out) or a spiky reworking of Luniz' 'I've Got 5 On It' (a track you'll never listen to the same way again). 

If there's a divisive aspect, that'll be the movie's sheer narrative overreach. While Get Out explicitly dealt with race, this story has a broader, less easily defined scope, lending itself to multiple interpretations. It goes to truly mind-bending places, particularly in the final act, where the reveal of the underlying truth may simply be too much to swallow - or at least require an explanation of the metaphorical variety to make it palatable. There's more going on here than Peele bothers to explain, so be prepared to mine its philosophical depths afterwards for your own answers. 

Whether or not it bites off more than it can comfortably chew, Us works just fine on every other level - as a horror, a suspense flick and a funny-scary family drama. It's also an early contender in the 2019 'most original film' contest. And believe me it'll take some beating.

Gut Reaction: Fascination, intrigue, tension, disbelief, frustration, shock. All of which resulted in quite the physical workout.

Memorable Moment: 8.5. Wilson family, meet the other Wilson family.

Ed's Verdict: 8.5/10. Jordan Peele's credentials as a horror auteur and cinematic Zen-master are confirmed. Watch him rip up the rule-book (again) and then go back for a re-watch. I know I will.

Film Review - Fisherman's Friends (12A)

Retro's back, again.

The opening moments of Fisherman's Friends tell all you need to know about the experience ahead. A soaring shot of the Cornwall coastline to the a cappella strains of Cornish folk song 'Dan Kanaka' - you know this is going to be a change of pace, a warm and comforting ride. If you're in the mood for something gentle and charming and soothing to your troubled soul, so that moment promises, then this is your film. And to be totally fair, it's a promise well-kept.

Formed in the mid-90s and going on to achieve notable music-industry success, the Fisherman's Friends from Port Isaac, Cornwall provide the real-life core of this film. Around their evolution into recording artists is spun a fictional romantic comedy as cosy as their knitted sweaters. Danny (the ever-magnificent Daniel Mays) is a talent scout and all-round London player on a Cornish stag weekend with some of his music-business mates. On hearing the Friends belt out a sea shanty, he's cajoled into pitching them a record deal. It's all a joke on the part of his boss (Noel Clarke as a mocking industry a-hole), and in truth Danny is more interested in single mum and Fisherman's Daughter Alwyn (a positively glowing Tuppence Middleton) than the singers themselves. But their earthy camaraderie stirs something within his jaded soul and despite resistance from both Alwyn and her father (James Purefoy as the group's unofficial leader), he sticks around to try and persuade the boys regarding potential stardom.

Scripted by the co-writers of later-life rejuvenation tale Finding Your Feet, this is another does-what-it-says-on-the-tin piece of storytelling. You know full well that the salty fishermen (who also do a line in local sea-rescue) will have much to teach the shallow big-city lad. You never doubt that however dubious his motivations, he'll start to fall in love - with the girl, the people and the place. And you can bet that there'll be a few bumps along the road to success and mutual understanding. There's a bursting sackful of corn here, including predictable plot beats, hoary old jokes and sailors bursting into spontaneous song among the lobster pots. If you're a cynic with an antipathy to folk music and a sense that there's little wisdom to be gleaned from hardened Brexiteers (the Friends mistrust anyone north of the River Tamar, so I assume they have no time for the European Union), then this one might not be for you. Don't be too quick to judge though...

With this type of well-worn tale - material guy connects with what really matters - it's all in the execution, and here the execution is strong. The direction and cinematography bring out the best in the Cornish landscape, while Meg Leonard and Nick Moorcroft's script has considerable pith and wit. However it's the depth of performance that bring this story home, not least Mays' fish-out-of-water (land-mammal-at-sea?) music executive. The Brit star of Line of Duty and Swimming With Men brings much-needed likability to the laddish Danny and utter authenticity to his change of heart. It's a kind of moral turnaround that's dramatically hard to sell, but Mays achieves it with ease. Middleton radiates warmth in response as Alwyn, once she's lowered her prickly defences that is. Loyal to her Cornish roots, she's more culturally attuned than the older generations, and the couple's chemistry is sweetly believable. So is that between Danny and Alwyn's daughter Tamsin, due to an endearing performance from young Meadow Nobrega.

For many, though, it'll be the fishermen themselves who steal it through rich harmonies and banter. Sheer conviction saves them from being a bunch of crusty caricatures, that and the fact they gel so convincingly both on mike and off. Purefoy suggests a profound soul beneath a taciturn exterior, while I, Daniel Blake's Dave Johns and veteran character player David Hayman contribute lovely comic turns. (The latter forms a touching double-act with Maggie Steed, who plays his beloved missus.) And fans of droll Britcom Mum will enjoy Sam Swainsbury as the youngster in the musical pack - a more sensitive, less dim-witted version of his TV role.

The sneering part of me might once have dismissed this as 'perfect for Odeon silver cinema' - truly a slap-worthy comment. For one thing there's nothing wrong with a gentle-natured film accompanied by tea and biscuits on a wet Tuesday morning. (I know, because I slipped in once to catch up on a movie I'd missed). And for another, spirit-massaging feel-good has its place, especially when it's done as attractively as this. The story may be as old as the guys' sea-drenched shanties, but it's delivered with equivalent assurance. As friends go, you could do worse than hang out with this lot for a night. They know how to deliver a good time.

Gut Reaction: A few good laughs, several heartstring tugs and (for personal reasons) one full-on sob.

Memorable Moment: How to rout a posh wedding.

Ed's Verdict: 7/10. Fisherman's Friends does nothing you can't predict, but it does the predictable well with snuggly results. Go on, suck it and see.

Feature - 10 Reasons Why I'm Stoked For Avengers: Endgame

Whatever it takes.

I love independent films and I love serious studio titles that court awards and I love the obscure arthouse stuff that never makes it to my local Odeon. Hey, my favourite films from the past three years were Nocturnal Animals, Moonlight and First Man respectively, so I'm totally a proper film critic. But sometimes what I really need is a big, bold, attention-grabbing, eye-popping, popcorn-munching entertainment-fest. And no one except no one in 2019 does those better than Marvel. Avengers: Endgame opens on April 25th here in the UK and I'm counting the days. Literally. As I write this there are 35 left to go. So as my own contribution to the Endgame hype-machine, here are ten reasons why my anticipation is greater than for any blockbuster movie since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. (For the record, it was really easy to find the ten.)

1. 11 Years Coming

The Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted with Iron Man in 2008, a post-credits sequence linking its hero Tony Stark to something called 'The Avengers Initiative'. Since then the MCU has expanded, deepened and interconnected, its characters popping up in each other's films, groups of them occasionally banding together as full-time or honorary 'Avengers' to face off against the really big foes. How clearly head honcho Kevin Feige envisaged this year's Endgame back in 2008 I'm not altogether clear, but there's a sense looking back to the early days that it was all headed somewhere flipping huge. I described Avengers: Infinity War last year as a 'culmination'. Well in truth it was only the first half of that culmination. Endgame is where a decade's worth of storylines and character arcs finally achieve their closure. We fans have been patient, and this is the payoff. 


2. Mother of All Cliffhangers

Let's not understate the hugeness of what happened at the end of Infinity War. Half the population of a very busy cinematic universe was rendered literal dust-in-the-wind by a snap of Thanos' gloved fingers. Among the crumbled were key players - Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Falcon... Audiences shared their heroes' desolation. Thor, having failed to deal Thanos a fatal blow, was lost and bewildered. Steve Rogers could only paw the ground, muttering 'Oh God'. And Tony Stark silently hugged himself, as though trying to embrace a no-longer-existent Peter Parker. Our guys had lost, while their brutal but strangely philosophical nemesis parked his ass on a mystery planet to enjoy the sunset and contemplate his misguided act of mercy. Man, it was tough to watch. So... what's next?

3. An Interweaving of Threads

The MCU is now famous for doing such interweaving (see 1, or better still read my full article on the topic here.). Infinity War combined the Avengers characters with those from Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange and Black Panther in the ultimate super-hero mash-up. And while there's been a certain amount of scaling down in personnel courtesy of Thanos and the infinity gauntlet, Endgame is still going to mix things up some more. Scott Lang will find some way to join the team (his Ant-Man and the Wasp outing left him ultra-miniaturised and inconveniently stranded in the Quantum Realm), while Carol Danvers is returning to Earth for the first time since her 1995 tangle with Nick Fury and the Skrulls in Captain Marvel. These movies have been dealing with character-clashes consummately well, so we can expect some wonderful drama and a few deft comic touches to leaven the gloom, as the old-guard incorporate the newbs. 

4. That Enigmatic Marketing Campaign

I've given vent on Filmic Forays to my frustration at spoiler-filled movie trailers (specifically here). My pet movie gripe to this day is having multiple plot points/key moments given away by the studio publicity machine, so that the viewing experience is robbed of its impact. What's refreshing about the Endgame trailer is that it reveals the absolute minimum of what we can expect in the film, while still managing to convey a sense of utmost urgency and drama. Our heroes are devastated, but they're going to fight back, that much we know. How exactly? Unclear. In what circumstances? Not a clue. To what effect? Nope, got nothing. The marketing team has striven to prevent the story's secrets from leaking, a task as strenuous as wrestling the infinity gauntlet back from Thanos (and we all know how that ended). Well if any major spoilers do make it out there (and I pray they don't), it won't be due to crass telegraphing on the part of the Marvel team. They're doing all they can to keep the big revelations under wraps, and dropping just enough hints to make us salivate like Pavlovian dogs.

5. Streamlining Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Infinity War did a commendable job of spinning multiple stories on multiple planets at the same time. Inevitably, however, there were characters who lost out. (Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff spring immediately to mind). In the aftermath of Thanos' radical cast-culling that should not be a problem. While there's still a scattering of characters who were introduced to the MCU following the first Avengers movie, Endgame seems much more focused on the original team - you know, the gang who had each other's backs when New York came under attack from the Chitauri seven years ago. Hawkeye is making a welcome (if grief-stricken) return to complete the Class-of-2012 reunion, which intensifies the prospect of an epic and potentially tragic last stand. If Infinity War was sprawling, Endgame should have a tight team-based focus.

6. Scintillating New Character Combos

There's still room post-Thanoid apocalypse for some intriguing MCU connections to take place. Along with the integration of Ant-Man and Captain Marvel with the core group, we have a couple of enticing prospects. What kind of marooned space-buddies will wise-cracking Tony Stark and vengeful humour-vacuum Nebula make? And how bad-ass a pairing will we have in Rocket Raccoon and War Machine? (Very, the above picture would suggest.) With Danai Gurira's Wakandan warrior Okoye still knocking around, plus who knows what other survivors waiting in the shadows, there's no knowing what additional encounters might be in store. That's the wonder of the MCU - the sense that all your 'What if character A met character Q?' questions will eventually be answered.

7. An Epic Runtime

Directing team the Russo Brothers recently spoke in terms of a three-hour final edit of Avengers: Endgame and there's little sign that they're trimming it significantly shorter. Movies of equivalent length were in vogue fifteen years ago, largely due to Peter Jackson's Middle Earth trilogy, but studio executives and cinema multiplex owners tend not to like them; the longer the runtime, the fewer screenings can be crammed in during the movie-going day. It's a sign of the production team's confidence (and that of the execs) in what they've created that they're keeping it close to the three-hour mark. In addition we can expect a finale that's got much more than spectacle. It's going to devote all the time required to those crucial character moments - resolving all those tantalising sub-plots and giving this classic crew the send-off they deserve.

8. Emotional Punch

Have you seen that final trailer? The one that gives virtually nothing away, save the height of the stakes involved? Everyone is grieving, everyone is lost, everyone is struggling to process the outcome of their war with Thanos. Steve and Tony can't believe they failed to stop the big purple guy. Thor holds himself personally responsible (because he failed to aim for the head). Hawkeye (above) has been bereft of all he truly loved. Natasha, it seems, is acting as everyone's grief counsellor. They should try to find a way to move on, but they can't. Not if there's some glimmer of a chance they could reverse the situation and claim victory where they failed first time around. And however tough their mission, this time they'll see it through - whatever it takes. Gives you chills, right? No? Seriously? Don't you have a soul??? 

9. Trust the Russo Boys (and their writing team)

Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely knew their MCU already, having written screenplays for Captain America: The First Avenger (good) and Thor: The Dark World (passable). They found their perfect compliment, however, in directing partnership Anthony and Joe Russo. These talented siblings came from a background in TV comedy to helm some of the best entries in the Marvel cinematic canon to date - Cap America episodes The Winter Soldier and Civil War and last year's awe-inspiring first half to the Thanos story. While not necessarily fully-fledged auteurs, the Brothers Russo have nonetheless a terrific grasp of storytelling structure, pacing and tone. Their Cap stories are arguably the most bruising MCU titles (physically and emotionally), while their Avengers movie navigated a clean and hugely satisfying path through a narrative that was dauntingly ambitious. Since Infinity War and Endgame were made Lord of the Rings-style in a single shoot, we can be pretty damn sure that this closing episode will match the quality of the opener, if not surpass it.

10. That Climactic Feeling

Speaking of The Lord of the Rings (and why wouldn't anyone?), think back to Christmas 2003. Remember when Frodo and Sam were picking their way through the sulfurous ruins of Mordor, while Aragorn and his battle-weary troops squared up to the massed hoards of Sauron? Never in my cinematic adventures had I felt such a sense of desperate heroism in the face of insurmountable odds - and I'd read the book! That's until now, I think. The Avengers' final stand against Thanos has that nothing-left-to-lose Return of the King vibe - like its heroes are choosing to stand tall as the world ends around them. Yes we know there are other MCU movies on the way, that Peter Parker can't really be expected to stay dead and that Black Panther was too big a cultural phenomenon not to be granted a sequel. But time (to say nothing of contracts) is running out for the classic A-team, and this feels for all the world like their last hurrah. They've got the tiniest sliver of a chance (one in fourteen million six hundred and five, if Doctor Strange got his mystical sums right) to defeat Thanos and reverse the snap. But they're determined to beat those odds. Whatever it takes. 

So - do our guys, girls and raccoon really have a prayer? Will Hawkeye get his family back, Wakanda its King, Queens its friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man? Will Tony have his happy ending with Pepper, or a chance to kiss and make up with Cap? Will Bruce Banner get his Hulk on, and will Black Widow finally get it on with him? Will Nebula sort out her Daddy issues? Will Rocket remain the Galaxy's sole Guardian? Is there a way back from despair, and if so, will it come at a terrible price for some of our heroes? Am I geeking out just a little bit too much?

I honestly don't care. I'm way too stoked. See you on April 25th, everyone. It's going to be awesome.

Film Review - Captain Marvel (12A)

I want you to be the best version of yourself.

Captain Marvel is film twenty-one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe established back in 2008 and the first with a solo female lead. It's also surrounded by the kind of bogus culture-war controversy that really grinds my gears. So to make clear my thoughts on the matter - yes it's a splendid thing that the girls are getting equal time with the boys in the MCU and no it's not over-earnestly PC that such a thing should happen. Rather it adds greater interest and variety. Now having carried out that bullshit-bypass, let's get to what really matters - is the film any good? Short answer: yes it is. Not free of flaws, but as much pure entertainment as you might hope.

Set in the ancient retro-world of 1995, Captain Marvel is a stand-alone origin story with a good thick scattering of prequel elements for the regular MCU audience. It begins as pure space opera, with our soon-to-be hero (Kong: Skull Island's Brie Larson) going by the name of Vers on the Kree planet of Hala (stick with me here). She's being trained up by Jude Law to help fight the Kree people's shape-shifting enemies the Skrulls and is imbued with enough power to give her people a crucial advantage in the conflict. But when a mission gone wrong, she plummets to Earth, pursued by several Skrull nemeses. Having dusted herself down, she forms an alliance with government agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson as a younger version of his Captain America/Avengers character) and sets about uncovering what business the Skrulls have with this planet. Meanwhile Earth-bound memories are surfacing regarding her obscure past, suggesting that 'Vers' might be more than just Kree...

Even typing that detail-lite synopsis reminded me of what a good story there is at the heart of this film - both in the non-conventional way it deals with the super-hero's origins and in how it sets up expectations only to flip them on their heads via plot twists you simply won't see coming. Writer-director team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, better known for character-driven independents than blockbuster behemoths, deal adequately with the initial interplanetary set-up, even if it's not really their forte. It's when the action hits Earth that they come into their own. The '90s nostalgia element is a constant source of fun, there's lots of political-thriller paranoia courtesy of the shape-shifting enemy and at the centre of it all is a smart buddy-rapport between out Captain-in-the-making and MCU favourite Nick Fury.

Larson's Vers/Carol Danvers/Cap Marvel is an enigma, trained to control and channel the power that crackles within her. She's remote but with an enjoyably wry sense of humour, subtly allowing her humanity to seep through as she reconnects with Earth. Jackson meanwhile has a ball as the young dual-eyed version of Fury, reverse-engineering his performance from the earlier movies into something lighter and more genial. True the digital anti-aging makeover on him (and on Clark Gregg's always welcome Agent Coulson) is remarkable, but no less so than his engagingly youthful performance. The scenes between the odd-couple are the film at its best, but there's room also for Ben Mendelson (Star Wars, Ready Player One) to shine as their layered Skrull antagonist Talos, while a cat called Goose pilfers every scene he's in. 

Not everything works. The first-act interplanetary conflict isn't as focused as it needs to be and the Carol Danvers backstory - while ingeniously introduced - is confusing, at least to begin with. While the action scenes on Earth are fun, some of the later physical confrontations don't engage like they should (possibly I've been spoiled by the Russo Brothers' more bruising confrontations in four other Marvel movies). And one long-time MCU mystery is solved by way of a gag that many fans are simply going to find cheap. 

That said, Captain Marvel succeeds on way more levels than it fails, chiefly though a nicely conceived story and the gleeful sense of fun with which it's told. Take its genre mash-up along with that injection of nostalgia for a bygone Nineties era, and this is largely a box of delights, one that's full of tease for the imminent Avengers: Endgame. The new Cap is too reserved for us to feel we know her fully yet, but she's an intriguing addition to this storytelling universe, one who promises interesting times in the very near future. April 26th to be precise. The Marvel A-team took a serious beating in Avengers: Infinity War, after all. Carol Danvers' super-duper-powers are going to be needed...

Gut Reaction: Not fully engaged till Carol D hit Earth, then caught up in a genuinely fun experience - one with quite a few thrills and just as much laughter. 

Memorable Moment: Goose reveals his secret. 

Ed's Verdict: 7.5/10. The more I think about this (albeit impertfect) MCU entry, the more I enjoy its smartness. A tantalizing prelude to the Endgame event craziness and a damn good story in its own right.

Film Review - Fighting With My Family (12A)

Don't worry about being the next me. Be the first you.

 

First up - you don't need to be a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to enjoy Fighting With My Family, any more than you need to be a boxing nut to enjoy Rocky. Wrestling aficionados might get an extra buzz from the film (the loudly whooping pair in front of me certainly did), but this is a great cinematic ride whatever your sporting preferences or lack thereof. If you like a funny and heartfelt family drama or a well-told underdog story, this is still for you. Very much so.

Inspired by a 2012 documentary of the same name, the movie tells the story of the Knights - a wrestling family from Norwich, UK. Rough-diamond parents Ricky and Julia (Nick Frost and Lena Headey) have both found salvation in the sport and in each other, their grown-up children Saraya and Zak (Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden) throwing themselves into the ring with equivalent fervour. It's a family business complete with a rough-and-tumble entourage from their council estate and rowdily entertaining local wrestling bouts. Then the razzle-dazzle US verion arrives in the form of London tryouts for the WWE. Saraya and Jack audition as a brother-sister act, sights set on the training centre in Florida. But while the outcome spells potential glory for one of them, it also threatens to fracture the family as a whole.

Fighting With My Family is written and directed by Stephen Merchant, a fact which explains its comedy sensibilities, while keeping the depth of its drama a welcome surprise. (Merchant did co-write poignant coming-of-act tale Cemetery Junction with Ricky Gervais, so perhaps I should have seen the latter coming.) The establishing scenes with the Knights and their extended wrestling family are full of brash humour, much of it courtesy of a rough but lovable Frost; a scene where they introduce themselves to the 'posh' parents of Zak's girlfriend is a lol-worthy delight. But it's when Saraya and Zak have their X-Factor-style moment of crisis that the story really hits its stride. She must attempt a transformation amid her body-beautiful American rivals from small-town Goth-girl into WWE star Paige. He, on the other hand, faces a totally different, existential kind of challenge, as all his dreams recede. The decision to balance the stories is a crucial one, grounding the film in tough reality and providing it with both heart and guts.

Despite moments of hilarity, Merchant takes the wrestling world seriously and so does his cast. Pugh, so mesmerising in Lady Macbeth, is terrific casting as Saraya/Paige, internalising all the character's passion and self-doubt, but letting it burn in her eyes. She gives and takes serious punishment in the fight sequences too. Lowden (who's already proven himself in films as diverse as Dunkirk and Mary Queen of Scots) is equally impressive as Zak; his emotionally bruising character-arc is a stark counterpoint to Pugh's more physical one. Frost and Headey (Cersei Lannister herself) round off the warm and rumbustious family unit perfectly, looking like you've never seen either before.

Vince Vaughn puts in entertaining work as WWE trainer Hutch, basically a lite version of his Hacksaw Ridge drill sergeant, but with some added dimension courtesy of a sobering backstory. And popping up occasionally to sprinkle both wisdom and Hollywood star power on the proceedings is Dwayne Johnson as himself. A driving force behind the film's making, The Rock is smart enough to step back and let the other cast members do the heavy lifting (including at points of each other).

All involved here bring the 'fixed-not-fake' world of professional wrestling to vivid life - a bone-crunching form of show-business that has a theatrical appeal all its own. While maintaining its Rocky/Creed structure throughout, Fighting With My Family manages to be its own beast - subverting both plot- and character-expectations and never letting the WWE training scenes drown out the 'family' element. It's a film about finding your path, whether starry or humble, while not forgetting the influences that shaped you. Even with its occasionally earthy language (thanks Nick Frost), this is a family movie in every sense.

Gut Reaction: I'd expected to laugh and I did, but the degree to which I cared about these characters is what I remember most. 

Memorable Moment: Yultide sibling smackdown. 

Ed's Verdict: 8/10. Raucously funny at some points and stone-cold serious at others, Fighting With My Family is a movie that earns its feel-good moments. Full of both emotional and literal body-slams, it'll have you properly cheering by the end. 

Film Review - On the Basis of Sex (12A)

What does it mean to be a Harvard man?

On the Basis of Sex is a distinctly Trump-era movie, one that seems a direct response to political events of the past two years. Like The Post and BlackKklansman it mines 20th century US history to reflect on a liberal-conservative culture war that's raging harder than ever today. The fact that its protagonist is still - as of my posting this review - an active member of America's Supreme Court and that its US release came just months after the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, provides this well-made but conventional biopic with an urgency it might not otherwise have had.

Felicity Jones plays Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the pioneering civil rights lawyer, who highlighted and challenged the gender inequality written into America's legal system. Charting the early years of Bader Ginsburg's career it opens with her arrival at Harvard Law School, one of a handful of women in a bastion of maleness. Chauvinism is her daily experience - never more so than at a dinner held by the college Dean (Sam Waterston) - but supported by her devoted husband Marty (Armie Hammer) she excels. Post-studies she commits to academia and the development of thinking on women's rights, but her career truly finds direction - as does the film - when she takes on the case of Charles Moritz, who faces discrimination on the basis of being an unmarried man caring for his invalid mother. If you challenge gender-based prejudice one case at a time, she muses, demonstrating that the injustice cuts both ways, the end result will be legal and cultural revolution.

Penned by first-time screenwriter (and Bader Ginsburg nephew) Daniel Stiepleman, the script dives deep into the law, letting the drama make sense of all the legal terminology; there's no dumbing down here. It proves smart to focus on a single case, one which serves to elucidate the movie's themes of equality and injustice. The screenplay also emphasizes the power of a matriarchal support-system, referencing the rapport Bader Ginsburg's had with her late mother and focusing on the tricky but ultimately positive relationship with her own daughter (Bad Times at the El Royale's Cailee Spaeny). If the writer's inexperience shows up anywhere, it's in the predictability of certain plot beats, like the climactic moment of courtroom grandstanding (although many a seasoned screen dramatist has indulged in exactly the same). 

Director Mimi Leder does a does a commendable, unshowy job, moving the plot along fluidly and letting the cast do the heavy lifting. Jones demonstrates steely determination as the campaigning lawyer, finding the tension between focused intelligence and youthful frustration. Her Brooklyn accent struck me as variable, a bit of a distraction until the quiet force of her performance took over. As husband Marty, Hammer is the definition of charm (reportedly the man was just as likeable in real life) and a poster-boy for the progressive Sixties husband. The symbiosis between the two - both characters and actors - lends a touching love-story element, while providing an object lesson in the kind of gender balance Bader Ginsburg was striving to achieve. The film is nicely acted at all points - Justin Theroux is well-rounded as Ruth's friend and legal sparring-partner Melvin Wulf, while Kathy Bates turns in a dependably spiky cameo as retired civil rights attorney Dorothy Kenyon. But this is chiefly Jones' and Hammer's show, and thankfully they nail the chemistry.

This reality-inspired tale never tries to be spectacular, going about its narrative business with the same pragmatic, no-nonsense approach I suspect Bader Ginsburg has always taken to her legal battles. It's not as directly confrontational as say BlackKklansman, when establishing the story's links with current events (although one mildly theatrical flourish right at the end connects it directly with 2019). Purely in terms of timing, however, the film couldn't be more welcome. And its celebration of RBG's graceful doggedness in pursuit of sexual equality didn't need any fireworks. It simply needed to be told well. Job done.

Gut Reaction: Quietly engrossed most of the time, and moved as well - particularly by the Ruth-Marty connection.

Memorable Moment: One tough living-room hearing.

Ed's Verdict: 7/10. Made with workmanlike (workpersonlike?) efficiency and sharply acted at all points, On the Basis of Sex overcomes a tendency to cliche, delivering its message with considerable power.