Tag: Scotland

SHELTER – Review

As a huge Jason Statham fan, I was somewhat disappointed by the balance between drama and action in his latest vehicle, SHELTER. It’s slower and darker than most of his body(-slamming) of work. Here he’s a recluse living solo with his dog on a small island off the dreary Scottish coast, with only a small shack and decommissioned lighthouse. His only dealing with other humans is a boat that brings supplies once a week. Jessie (Bodie Rae Breathnach), the girl who delivers them, is supposed to just drop the box and leave without even seeing him. Her one attempt at conversation is curtly rebuffed.

That solitude falls apart when a sudden storm swamps Jessie’s boat, forcing him to rescue the girl and treat her injuries. He really doesn’t want to leave the island, but eventually must to get medical supplies. That’s when he’s picked up by ever-vigilant government agents who monitor the ubiquitous security cameras throughout what’s left of the Empire. He’s on Her/His Majesty’s terrorist watch list, so the heavy-duty pursuit begins. A retired spy network mucky-muck (Bill Nighy) has his own surveillance system (which even monitors the government’s), and his own agenda. We soon learn that Jason isn’t really a terrorist, but has been framed, which is why he’s been in hiding for a decade, or so. Not much of a surprise there. It’s Jason-freakin’-Statham! We already knew there ain’t no way he’s gonna be the bad guy!

So one faction deploys all their assets to arrest him, and one sends meaner minions to kill him. And Jessie, while they’re at it, since she’s seen too much of this top-secret stuff. The rest is a chase with almost enough action to satisfy Jason’s fans. His backstory is that he’s got super-lethal skills akin to his eponymous character in THE BEEKEEPER, allowing him to contend with vastly superior forces, while having to protect Jessie along the way.

Two problems. One is that most of the fights occur in dark settings, obscuring the action. The main reason for any butts plopping down on those theater seats is to watch Jason go all Statham-y on hordes of baddies in vivid detail. Shame on director Roman Waugh for undercutting his most valuable asset. The dude’s helmed enough action flicks to know better. The second is that Jessie’s character is written (also by Waugh) as annoyingly whiny, imposing too much dialog and too many moody silences on what couldda shouldda been a faster-paced adventure, as THE BEEKEEPER and A WORKING MAN were within the last two years. This plays out as if it were written for someone like Liam Neeson, who typically has more quiet, thoughtful stretches between his action scenes.

So, if Stathamians (Stathamites?) lower their adrenaline expectations, they can still find this worth the time. If not, then hope for BEEKEEPER 2: THE RETURN OF THE HIVE, or some other project that better serves The Master.

SHELTER opens in theaters on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

LAST BREATH (2025) – Review

So, did you have that one friend, or perhaps a family member, that drones endlessly about their ‘soul-sucking” occupation? Well, here’s the film that just might quiet them down. The team profiled really deals with life and death as they plunge into the deep, dark murky depths. Yes, it’s another tale set at sea, but it’s not merely a “rehash” of basic cable TV reality shows like “The Deadliest Catch”. And yes, it is indeed inspired by a true story of survival. The filmmakers really put you alongside these working class “daredevils”. And it all makes you wonder what you would do and how you would feel knowing that you might soon be taking your LAST BREATH.


That “profiled team” is a trio of men who work in “saturation diving”. They’ve got to do repair work on oil pipelines at the bottom of the ocean, for about four weeks at a time. Actually only two members of the trio get into the cold dark water. The first one we meet (after a spooky opening “fast-forward” scene) is twenty-something Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), who is spending his “off hours” refurbishing a home for his soon-to-be-bride Morag (Bobby Rainsbury) on farmland in rural Scotland. The other diver is the tough, focused, “all business” Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu). The third teammate is the “bellmaan”, affable nearly retired vet Duncan Allock (Woody Harrelson), who is somewhat of a mentor to Chris. They all report to the floating support vessel, the Bippy Topaz, which operates in the North Sea over a hundred miles from the coast of Scotland. Their “28-day shift” begins on board as they occupy one of several saturation pods (there are several teams) prior to the dive. A mixture of helium and oxygen (heliox) is pumped in to condition their bodies to deal with the pressure at depths of over three hundred feet. They all report to the ship’s Captain, Jensen (Cliff Curtis), though the divers’ main supervisor, who is in constant communication, is Craig (Mark Bonnar). The night of the first dive is a rough one, with huge rolling waves and wind gusts over thirty knots, difficult but not unworkable. The diving bell sinks below the ship, and Duncan sends Chris and Dave out to the cage above the oil pipeline (AKA the manifold) as he pushes them out via their “umbilical tether”, the thick series of hoses that pump in heliox and hot water while also housing the communications system (mikes, lights, and video). Then the unthinkable happens as the storms pull the Topaz away from them as the “dynamic positioning system” fails, basically a complete computer “crash”. As the divers rush back to the bell, Chris’ tether catches on part of the manifold and eventually snaps. Dave barely makes it back to Duncan as they formulate a plan to retrieve Chris. all while the Captain and Craig try to manually steer the ship as the crew attempts a “reboot”. But time is running out for Chris since he’s only got around five minutes of backup air. Gulp indeed!

I suppose the leader of the cast, at least for the marketing, is TV and film vet Harrelson, who brings his easy-going, gregarious charm to the role of the “old timer” that still thinks he’s got a few more missions in him. Actually he’s more of a “deep sea daddy’ to both the divers as he furls his brow and paces back at the “bell” when he’s not doling out the “lifeline”. Harrelson shows us that he’s fighting to contain his emotions when it looks like this’ll be a fatal ‘gig”. He’s also a buffer for the more abrasive, though polished. Dave who is given a somber swagger by the always engaging Liu. He’s concerned also, though his internal panic is not as pronounced. Although he’s somewhat “out-of-action” for most of the second act, newcomer Cole as Chris has a boyish, often contagious enthusiasm as he strives to prove himself to Dave while trying to break out of the “student/teacher” relationship with Duncan. Bonnar is excellent as the “man-at-the-desk” Craig, who is glued to his com and his screens until those “red lights” force him out of his chair and into “rescuer mode” alongside the somber Captain, given the proper gravitas and concern for the entire crew by the reliable Curtis. Kudos also for Rainsbury, who shines in some cellphone videos that fuel Chris’s zeal to survive.

This is such a compelling “true tale” that the director is returning to it after six years. That’s when filmmaker Alex Parkinson (then teamed with Richard da Costa) made a superb documentary about this captivating subject. In fleshing it out into a narrative “docudrama”, he actually builds on the tension and drama, thanks to the screenplay he co-wrote with Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks. They’ve felt no great need to ” expand the scope” with lots of flashy CG effects or bombastic, dramatic declarations. Though they’re out in that rolling sea, it’s still an intimate study of average men and women rising to the herculean challenge of helping a fallen friend. Sure, this might harken back to the old “B movies” of yesterday. like the “late show” crime noirs or Westerns, but it’s just as gripping as any fictional tale of daring and spectacle. And it’s best enjoyed on the big screen, to really be immersed in that eerie pitch black sea floor and engulfed by the eerie stillness, making you feel as though Chris is floating untethered through the cosmos (those deep-pressure dive suits seem more like space suits). Parkinson paces the film perfectly with little slack (a big part of Duncan’s duties), guiding his excellent ensemble in a film that’s riveting and engrossing right from the first to the LAST BREATH.

3 Out of 4

LAST BREATH is now playing in theatres everywhere

THE OUTRUN – Review

Saoirse Ronan as Rona in THE OUTRUN. Image: Natalie Seery. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Saoirse Ronan stars as a woman from Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands is forced to return home when her alcoholism implodes both her career as a marine biologist and her personal life, in the moving, true story-inspired THE OUTRUN. Based on Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir, THE OUTRUN tells the story of 29-year-old Rona’s (Ronan) as her life at college in London transforms from a promising one full of new freedoms, to a spiraling struggle with alcoholism. Forced back home to the Orkney Islands, Rona struggles with new found sobriety and regrets, as she also copes with her separated parents, a bipolar farmer father and a cold, religious mother, plus the social isolation and loneliness of life on a sparsely inhabited, remote island.

Saoirse Ronan gives one of her best performances here, and is on screen, usually alone, most of the time, adding an extra challenge. Ronan takes us through the moving inner journey of her character, both as she battles alcoholism and copes with lost love, but as she discovers a new way of being in the world, a journey of self-discovery that brings connection to both human community and the natural world.

The film is divided into three parts, one being Rona’s life of fun and freedom at college in London, as she studies marine biology at college and embraces the party life with her friends after hours and finds new love with Daynin (Paapa Essiedu). But alcoholism takes over her life and destroys it, sending her to rehab and eventually home to Orkney. In Orkney, Rona struggles with sobriety, with her parents’ problems, and her loneliness, until in a third phase, she finally finds a way back, through connection with the natural world and human community, on a tiny, weather-lashed and very remote island in the Orkneys.

But the film opens at the middle part of this story, with Rona just back home in Orkney, and tells her story in London with flashback scenes, plus a few flashbacks to childhood. The film unspools in a non-linear manner but we are aided by the central character’s vividly dyed hair, which helps us keep track of where we are in time in her story, as the blue color she sports in London grows out and an orange one later takes its place eventually in Orkney. Without that marker, it might be a bit hard to keep track.

Since this is based on a memoir and the author, Amy Liptrot collaborated on the film, director Nora Fingscheidt made the wise decision to change the central character’s name and to fictionalize the story a bit, to make things easier for actor Saoirse Ronan and the writer. The story still remains much the same, as powerful and moving, and unconventional as before, with the power of the natural world to transform her life a central key.

Rona feels out of place back on Orkney and living with her stern mother, while checking on her unstable if loving father. But a pivotal moment come when she takes a job as part of a group of conservationists surveying the island population of a rare endangered but once common bird, a corn crake. At first she carries out her work with indifference but as she scans the horizon and listens for the bird’s unique call, she begins to connect with the natural world around her which she has hardly thought about before.

Shooting on location was essential. The film’s photography is stunning, and the screening is frequently filled with breathtaking, wild seaside scenery or windswept views of the scenic, remote Orkney Islands. The islands’ wild beauty and unforgiving weather are almost a character in the film, and connecting with that natural world is key to Rona’s recovery. The sea surrounding everything is both breathtakingly beautiful and harshly unforgiving. Having grown up there, Rona has become so accustomed to the natural world around her that it is nearly invisible, and real change only comes when she becomes deeply aware of both sides of that terrible beauty, its invigorating energy and the danger to the unprepared.

THE OUTRUN opens Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 in theaters.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

OUT OF DARKNESS (2022) – Review

As we’re now deep into the middle of the first quarter of the “cinema year” of 2024, here comes yet another horror thriller creeping into the multiplexes. And just what sets this one apart from the other “spook-taculars”? Well, it does concern a disparate group of chiller flick tropes (a skittish kid, a superstitious elder, etc.) all fighting for survival as their companions are picked off “one by one”. Not unique, but this one’s setting is very different. This story takes place on the desolate landscape of this planet over 45,000 years ago. And no, in case you’re wondering, CGI-created kajiu aren’t the culprits. But something strange and weird is roaming about, an entity or creature (perhaps plural) that’s stalking this group, then striking from OUT OF DARKNESS.

We first meet this motley “tribe” huddled around a flickering fire surrounded by pitch black. A preteen lad named Heron (Luna Mwezi) pleads with his father’s new pregnant mate Ave (Iola Evans) to tell him a story to distract him from his fears…and hunger. She dismisses him, so Heron goes to the “elder” Odal (Arno Luening), who spins a tale of their recent past. Under the guidance of their leader, Heron’s papa Adem (Chuko Modu), they split off from a larger tribe and took to the sea on a makeshift raft in search of a more prosperous land, better for farming and hunting. Once ashore the group, which includes Adem’s timid younger brother Geir (Kit Young) and a “castoff” orphan teenage woman Beyah (Safia Oakley-Green), discovered a barren land surrounded by a daunting mountain range and a dark, dense forest. As Heron drifts into slumber, Beyah is stunned to discover that she has had her first period and tries to hide it from the others. The next night Heron ventures away from the fire to relieve himself and is snatched away. Adem and Grier dash into the darkness, but return without the lad. The next day they decide that Heron must be somewhere in those dangerous woods. While searching for him, the tribe finds several bloody bits of bone, making them wonder about what could be lurking there. They rush to find Heron before nightfall and another group member vanishes.

With a setting and tone that reminds me of 2018’s ALPHA and a bit of 1981’s QUEST FOR FIRE (minus the extreme “brow” makeup), this film is an interesting mix of genres that works for most of its zippy 87 minutes. All of the actors commit to their roles, even with the “language” of “Tola”, though the cast’s breakout is the feisty determined Beyah played by a somber, energetic Oakley-Green. The Scottish locales convey the desolation of an emerging new world while offering little hope for these “transplants”, with the steep peaks and maze-like forests. Director Andrew Cumming establishes a mood of impending disaster with the dense night photography and a soundtrack full of a weird disorienting cacophony of guttural wails and screeches. But then the atmospheric flow is brought to a sudden thud by a third-act reveal that’s not much of a payoff. All that build-up bears little fruit. Those horror fans searching for a new angle may get enough jolts to justify the trip, but for the most part OUT OF DARKNESS, runs out of ideas, before it (sorry) caves in.

2.5 Out of 4

OUT OF DARKNESS is now playing in select theatres

LIMBO – Review

Vikash Bhai (left) stars as “Farhad” and Amir El-Masry (right) stars as “Omar” in director Ben Sharrock’s LIMBO, a Focus Features release. Cr. Courtesy of Colin Tennant / Focus Features

A young Syrian musician and a motley collection of other refugees wait on a remote Scottish island while the British government decides their asylum claims, in writer/director Ben Sharrock’s wry funny, poignant LIMBO. LIMBO paints a dryly comic, often absurdist tale of life in limbo, but it also takes us to unexpected places, just as their journey took to them to this unlikely spot.

LIMBO features excellent direction, a tightly-crafted script, fine performances and stunning photography of the harsh, windswept island landscape. This smart, well-crafted film, both funny and touching, was a BAFTA nominee and a winner at the British Independent Film Awards and the Cairo International Film Festival.

The British government has sent this group of refugees to a distant, sparsely-populated, fictional Scottish island to await their fate. The story focuses mainly on the young Syrian musician, Omar (Amir El-Masry), who is both a comic and pitiable figure with his hand in a cast but clutching the case with his musical instrument as he wanders this windswept island. He joins a group that includes Farhad (Vikash Bhai), an Afghan refugee who is a member of a religious minority as well as a Freddie Mercury fan, and a pair of young men from Africa, Abedi (Kwabena Ansah) and Wasef (Ola Orebiyi), one of whom aspires to be a soccer star. One of the group opines that they were sent to this remote location because they are all the least desirable applicants – single men without families or special skills. Actually, the musician has a special skill – he is a talented musician from a family of famous musicians – but he plays the oud, a stringed instrument much beloved in Syria, although here, no one has even heard of it.

While they wait, the men spend their days attending comically-bizarre classes that are supposed to acclimate them to a new culture. The classes are run by a pair of former immigrants, Helga (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and Boris (Kenneth Collard), who act out scenarios that are supposed to represent potential cultural misunderstandings, skits whose oddness leave the refugees staring in open-jawed disbelief. The instructors’ accents, a weird mix of their original ones and Scottish burrs, adds another bit of comic weirdness.

You can hear the humor potential in all that, and writer/director Ben Sharrock takes full advantage of that, but also uses the characters’ uniqueness to deepen them. Theater of the absurd is very present here, while the storytelling makes uses that to help make its points. In one telling scene, Omar stands on a desolate roadside, stoically listening as a group of Scottish teens berate and mock him for being an immigrant – but then offer him a ride. With little choice, the musician accepts, a perfect metaphor for his whole situation.

Filled with dry humor, LIMBO does not preach about immigrants but merely puts a human face on them by putting us in their shoes, particularly the young musician, as they wait in limbo for a distant government’s decision that will determine their fate. The comic elements are combined with pointed observations about the human condition, not just the plight of these wanderers, and some emotionally searing personal moments.

Omar is in limbo in more than one way. Separated from his family, he broods about his life. Omar’s oud belonged to his grandfather, a famous musician in Syria, and Omar was a rising talent himself before war tore his country apart. His family fled to Turkey but faced hostile treatment there, and Omar decided to take a chance in Britain, thinking his musical ability might give him a chance. His decision to seek asylum was paired with his brother’s decision to return to Syria to fight, a choice that caused a rift between them as well as separating the family, something Omar struggles with.

The photography is stunning, and adds enormously to the appeal of the film. Time and again, cinematographer Nick Cooke frames the action against a back drop of pale, waving grasses and gray skies, and repeatedly transforms a stark landscape into painterly scenes that sink into our consciousness as we follow the characters struggles amid the waiting.

This excellent film uses humor and insightful storytelling to deliver a thought-provoking, unexpected, and deeply human tale that rises above just the issue of immigration to a more universally human place. LIMBO opens Friday, April 30, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema, and Marcus’ Ronnies and St. Charles Cinemas.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars

WILD ROSE – Review

How about some music in your movie this weekend? Yes, it’s a comedy/drama all about an unknown talent ready for their turn in the spotlight (and the recording studio). Sure, we just had a musical fantasy a couple of weeks ago with YESTERDAY (though it has a solid footing in the real world). And earlier this Summer we were treated to the musical biography of Sir Elton John in ROCKETMAN, just a few months after the story of the band Queen, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, nabbed a quartet of Oscars. Yes, those flicks are really set in the rock and roll/pop world. So how about some other music genres like country/western (whoops, more about that term later)? Here’s a sweet fiction film about a young woman chasing her Nashville dream. Now, here’s the unique twist: it’s set across the pond, too! The film’s lead is an aspiring singer from the poor side of Glasgow, Scotland. But here’s another curve, her tale is closer to WALK THE LINE than COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER (two terrific country music “biopics”). Alright folks, let’s give a listen to the song stylings of WILD ROSE….make her feel welcome…

Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley) is feeling especially wild when we meet her on the day of her release from a woman’s correctional facility (a nicer name for the big house, the joint, etc.). Before she gets her envelope of personal effects, she is fitted with an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet (tough to wear her white leather cowgirl boots over that). From 7 PM to 7 AM she has to be home, near the router that signals the police. Ah, but she’s thrilled to be out. First, it’s a quick “talk” with the ole’ boyfriend. Then it’s back to her “flat” (a public housing complex) where her dutiful mum Marion (Julie Walters) is tending to Rose’s kids, five-year-old Lyle (Adam Mitchell) and eight-year-old Wynonna (Daisy Littlefield) during their mom’s year-long absence. Lyle’s a hyper lil’ chatterbox that’s attached to his gran, while Wynonna barely says a word as she stares at Rose. After Marion goes over the kids’ schedules and organizes the bills, Rose has to get a job. She can’t go back to singing at the Glasgow “Grand Ole’ Opry'”, so she scores a house cleaning gig. But it’s at a plush mansion run by Susannah (Sophie Okonedo). While she’s out shopping, Rose vacuums while wearing headphones and belting out country (not country/western, she will insist vehemently) tunes near the top of her lungs. As she finishes her “set” Rose looks up to see the delighted faces of her employer and her two young kids. Susannah’s praise prompts Rose to “flat-out” ask her for money to travel to Nashville USA (um, that’s a “hard” no). But she has some connections to the BBC and records a video file of Rose-Lynn singing a tune, then sends it to their resident country DJ Bob Harris. Soon Rose-Lynn becomes a “project” for Susannah, who wants to organize a fund-raising concert. But as Rose-Lynn begins to see her dreams come true she relies too much on Marion and takes too much time away from her own kids. Can Rose-Lynn find a balance or must she compromise, and forget those hopes before she falls into her old bad habits?

This engaging tale hits all the right notes mainly due to the star-making turn by the titanic talents of Ms. Buckley. It’s quite a showcase, one that presents her wide range of musical and dramatic skills. Buckley gives us a heroine to roots for but doesn’t sugarcoat her. Though we get no flashbacks, it’s understood that Rose-Lynn led a very wild, irresponsible young life, with little regard for her family nor future. She’s got a tough outer shell, but Buckley shows us that her desire to be worthy of her beautiful children (and her mum) inspires her to really embrace the realities and responsibilities of adulthood. Still, she can frustrate us as she knowingly begins down the wrong path. With subtlety Buckley shows us that turmoil, as Rose-Lynn can’t ignore Lyle’s heart-wrenching pleas and Winonna’s disgusted blank glare. And then there’s that powerhouse singing voice, squeezing every bit of emotion from the lyrics that originated almost in another world. The sequence of her singing to the computer camera is as compelling as any CGI blockbuster battle. I’ll be very interested to see where this takes her career, one with many more great performances, no doubt. And she’s got two wonderful screen partners, first with Walters who is a true force of nature as mother Marion. We can see that Rose-Lynn has put her through the emotional wringer, so Marion has formed her own protective barrier against her daughter’s pleading and excuses. She’s quick to push Rose back to reality, tiring of being the “safety net” that accommodates her whims. But as the film winds down, Walters shows us her softer side as Marion might hope for a more fulfilling life for her offspring. On the “flip” side (ah, music recordings), there’s the lovely Ms. Okonedo as Rose-Lynn’s boss turned promoter/producer. She’s charmed by the crude crooner but doesn’t want to become the “fairy godmother” by granting every monetary wish. Okonedo shows us that Susannah was in a pampered unchallenging routine, one that needed a swift kick from those worn but shiny boots. This impressive trio gives the story wings, enabling it to soar.


At the controls of this high-flying fable is director Tom Harper, guided by the screenplay from Nicole Taylor. They create great bits of whimsy, as when members of her back-up band start to suddenly appear around the house as Rose-Lynn croons during her daily chores. But then they pull us back to reality as Rose-Lynn awakens during the pre-dawn hours to clean her own dingy apartment, and then keeping up to date on the kids’ schoolwork (even suppressing a “belly laugh” as she reads an essay, no doubt from the precocious Lyle). This sharpens the impact of those scenes of her letting those lovely kids down (Lyle’s cries of “I hate you!” cut deeper than any blade). The same is true of a brutal exchange between Rose-Lynn and Susanne’s hubby (he’s not a fan). Kudos to them for not giving us another standard rags to riches, “you can have it all” parable. They show us the harsh realities of chasing a dream, that sacrifices are made, and the past can’t be swept away. Even more important is the realization that your goals are not unique, that many others with even more talent are even closer to “grabbing that big brass ring”. Luckily these themes are balanced with the joyous musical sequences, even ending with a powerful “story summation” anthem that’s written by Oscar-winner Mary Steenbergen. Simply put WILD ROSE is wonderful. Tis’ a shame it’s not been on the air since 1997. I’d love to see Jessie Buckley pop up out of the cornfield on TV’s “Hee Haw”. Glasgow…saaluuute!

3.5 Out of 4 Stars

WILD ROSE opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas and Tivoli Theatre

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS – Review

 

Saoirse Ronan stars as Mary Stuart in MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, a Focus Features release. Photo credit: Liam Daniel / Focus Features

Of the two historical films opening this week, this is the one with grand, epic drama. Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie play dueling queens in director Josie Rourke’s searing MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, a grim, mud-and-blood retelling of the great power struggle between cousins Queen Elizabeth I of England and Queen Mary of Scotland. It is a tale of two strong women set against a backdrop of the disdainful male attitudes of the era towards women, even queens. As alliances shift, powerful, ambitious men hatch plots that favor their side but not always their queen. The film’s dramatic exploration of the differing fates of these two queens in this treacherous milieu makes for an intriguing, fresh look at the history.

The film is custom-made as a powerhouse showcase for the considerable acting talents of Ronan and Robbie, both of whom fill the screen with fire. But audiences expecting a pretty costume drama may be surprised at the gritty, mud-and-blood realism of MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. The drama, particularly in Scotland, often takes place in dark, smokey halls, where one can almost feel the damp, or in rough fields where mud flecks opulent cloaks. Even in more-polished England, things can look raw, and the film does not shy away from the ugly side of life in the era.

That jolt of realism may be unexpected but this historical drama bucks expectations in other ways. Historians sometimes portray Mary as little more than a pawn, no match for Elizabeth, but director Josie Rourke takes a different tack. Instead, this film focuses on the difference in the courts surrounding the two queens. In this version, Saoirse Ronan’s Mary is fierce, arriving in Scotland glowing with promise and ambition. She is a young queen seeming to have everything in her favor, both to rule Scotland and to succeed her childless cousin to the throne of England. Rourke offers a fascinating, even feminist take on the differing fate of two queens in an era when men resented and resisted having women in power.

When young Mary Stuart (Ronan), newly widowed, arrives in Scotland to assert her claim to the throne of Scotland over her brother James (Andrew Rothney), she is a force of nature, an iron-willed woman set on power. While Queen Elizabeth (Robbie) is already on the throne of England, her younger cousin Mary has a claim to the English throne equally as strong or maybe stronger, which worries both Elizabeth and her advisers. Further, unlike the unmarried Elizabeth, Mary announces her plans to marry and produce an heir to the throne. Mary presses Elizabeth to name her heir but Elizabeth’s advisers are wary of rebellious Scots in the royal court too eager to hurry along that succession.

With a script written by Beau Willimon, the creative force behind “House of Cards,” big personalities, ambition, religion, power and nationalism all play a role in this struggle. The rest of the cast is as strong as the two leads, including Jack Lowden as Lord Darnley, Joe Alwyn as Robert Dudley, David Tennant as John Knox, Guy Pearce as Sir William Cecil and Brendan Coyle as the Earl of Lennox. The use of color-blind casting, more common on stage than in film, ensures the strongest possible actor in each role and a diverse cast that connects the past depicted on screen with our present.

The whole political intrigue of the era is ripe for drama, with its Shakespearean plotting and shifting alliances, but the fact that the story has two queens at the center makes it especially rich material for historic drama now. Some histories have Mary as a weak figure but Ronan plays her with boldness and verve. At the story’s start, Mary is a powerhouse bursting with both youth and intelligence as she sets out to secure her position. By contrast, Margot Robbie’s Elizabeth is seized with fear, intimidated by her potential rival’s beauty and youth. Although Mary repeated reassures Elizabeth of her loyalty, her insistence on being named heir sparks worries in the English court.

While the two queens jockey for the upper hand in this deadly game, competing interests divide the two courts, while the men in those two camps not always acting in the best interests of their own sovereign. Director Rourke explores the ways prejudice against a woman ruler influenced the flow of history and the fates to the two queens. The history is well known but this film offers a fresh look at events, and the two monarchs, through a different, thought-provoking lens.

With the standout performances of Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS is a must-see for fans of good dramatic acting as well as history. It opens Friday, December 14, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

TOMMY’S HONOUR – Review

Jack Lowden stars as Tommy Morris in TOMMY'S HONOUR. Photo by Neil Davidson (c). Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Jack Lowden stars as Tommy Morris in TOMMY’S HONOUR. Photo by Neil Davidson (c). Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

TOMMY’S HONOUR focuses on the mid-19th century founding of modern golf by a Scottish father and son, but it is as much about the British class system and a family as it is about golf.

This well-acted, authentically-detailed historical film spotlights Old Tom and Young Tom Morris, the working-class father and son who both founded the modern game and popularized it in the mid-19th century. Greens keeper and course pro at St. Andrews, Tom Morris Sr. did not invent the sport but he did much to mold it into its present form, making clubs and balls in the golf shop he owned and later designing golf courses. “Old Tom” was a talented player who established the first championship and won many bets for his aristocratic backers, but his skill was exceeded by his gifted son “Young Tom” or Tommy, who as the first pro player helped popularize golf outside Scotland.

This drama is about pro rather than amateur, and respect for talent regardless of class. In the 1860s, the British class system is in full force, and both aristocrats and even some ordinary people are determined to keep it that way. That reality sets up the first conflict between father and son.

(l-r) Jack Lowden as Tom Morris Jr. and Peter Mullen as Tom Morris Sr., in TOMMY's HONOUR. Photo by Neil Davidson (c). Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
(l-r) Jack Lowden as Tom Morris Jr. and Peter Mullen as Tom Morris Sr., in TOMMY’s HONOUR. Photo by Neil Davidson (c). Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

There is something delightfully ironic that golf, a game that still embraces its aristocratic aura, had its modern roots with a working-class father and son. Golf fans should revel in this film, with its faithful re-creation of golf historic details, but this well-made drama has something to offer the non-sports fan as well. Broadly based on true events, the film focuses on the human drama, particularly the relationship between father and son, as well as the history, and adds an element of romance in when Tommy falls in love.

Fittingly, TOMMY’S HONOUR was filmed in Scotland with a largely Scottish cast. The director is another Scot, Jason Connery, who grew up playing golf with his father, actor Sean Connery. While that adds to the film’s authenticity, the downside for American audiences is navigating sometimes thick Scottish accents.

Old Tom Morris (Peter Mullen) is distraught with fear and angry when his teen-aged son Tommy (Jack Lowden) defies the class divide, and his father’s wishes, to pursue his dream of playing pro. Tommy’s decision puts him in opposition to the ruling class, largely represented by Sam Neill as Captain Alexander Boothby, who are not at all happy at the idea of this working-class upstart upsetting the established order in their world, demanding to be paid upfront and organizing his own golf tours without depending on an aristocratic employer. Tommy and his parents clash over, as they clash over the son’s defiance of the class system rules. adds an element of romance when Tommy falls in love with Meg (Ophelia Lovibond), a woman his parents fund unsuitable.

Both father and son contributed innovations to the game. As we learn in the film, Old Tom was a pioneer in golf, the master greens keeper of the iconic St. Andrews golf course who hit the first ball at the inaugural Open Championship in 1860, as well as the winner of that tournament multiple times. But as good a golfer as Old Tom was, his teen-aged son was better. Tommy’s gifts as a golfer brought him fame and fortune, but also spread interest in the game beyond Scotland and transformed him into a star. Despite Tommy’s success, resentment remains among the ruling class over this upstart, and personal tragedy haunts the family.

The film is packed with beautifully photography, taking full advantage of the glorious Scottish landscape and filling it with lush period costumes and sets. This handsome film sports a handsome cast as well, particularly Lowden and Lovibond as the young couple. The acting is excellent on all counts, as much a source of enjoyment as the careful period elements and the gorgeous locales.

Tommy’s clash with the aristocrats over his pay and independence echos contemporary sports, in the conflicts between modern team owners and players. Fans of golf history will relish the period details, with old golf clubs, golf ball production and even style of swing re-created. Naturally, producer Jim Kreutzer wanted to shoot at the legendary St. Andrews, but the modern course is too changed from past appearance. There were no lawnmowers in the 1860s and the carpet-like green of modern course little resemble the rougher grass of early courses. Faced with that dilemma and wanting to make the film as authentic as possible, the filmmakers instead re-created the original club house and course. Interesting historical details on caddying, the invention of the golf bag and more are included, but never overshadow the dramatic focus.

While the film does still follow the usual sports film arc of struggle and triumph, the human story behind the invention of modern golf and strong acting performances compensate.

Both golf fans and non-fans will find much to like in TOMMY’S HONOUR. The film will play St. Louis at both Plaza Frontenac and the Chase Park Plaza Cinemas starting Friday, April 14, 2017.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

A LONELY PLACE TO DIE – Fantastic Fest Review

UPDATE: Sean Harris was awarded Best Actor in a Horror Feature at the Fantastic Fest 2011 Awards for his performance in A LONELY PLACE TO DIE.

A LONELY PLACE TO DIE is an exciting example of how a more direct approach to filmmaking can still be effective, despite the increasing number of stylistic and experimental films (not necessarily a bad thing) flooding the market. Melissa George (30 DAYS OF NIGHT, and TV’s Grey’s Anatomy) plays Alison, on a trek into the Scottish Highlands with four fellow mountain climbers. The story begins as a peaceful nature outing far from civilization and technology, but shifts into a deadly thriller once they discover a little girl named Anna locked away inside a 3×6 buried box at the top of the mountain.

Co-written with Will Gilbey and directed by Julien Gilbey (RISE OF THE FOOT SOLDIER), A LONELY PLACE TO DIE does a fantastic job of introducing the audience to the Scottish Highlands, an geographical locale I don’t believe I’ve ever seen on film in such glory. Beautiful cinematography from Ali Asad and breathtaking aerial photography combined with a great traditionally-influenced score from Michael Richard Plowman give the best of National Geographic a run for its money. Gilbey spares nothing while convincing us that these climbers are for real, as is the danger of climbing.

The relative serenity of the high altitude wilderness is abruptly broken by the mystery of the girl in the box. With our focus entirely shifted, the rugged pristine landscape now serves as an obstacle as Alison and the most seasoned climber Rob (Alec Newman) set out on a treacherous shortcut to reach help as the other three climbers escort Anna along a safer, but lengthier route into the nearest town. Now begins the chase.

In a similar approach to films like HARD TARGET, the antagonist’s of A LONELY PLACE TO DIE are patient, experienced hunters who track the two groups, picking them off, one by one. Discovering the connection of the antagonists to Anna is not a complicated mystery, but who the little girl is becomes a relatively important element latter in the film. At this point, A LONELY PLACE TO DIE has fully transformed into a survival story, but just beneath the genre skin is actually a story about selfless, personal sacrifice in the face of mortal consequences.

The pace of A LONELY PLACE TO DIE increases ten fold once the chase begins, making the better part of the film a slight contradiction to the title, but I interpret the title as a direct reference to the box buried at the top of the mountain. The rather lengthy chase and hunt portion of the film is extremely entertaining, but is not terrible unique on it’s own. This second act of three, however, continues to spiral deeper and darker into the source of all the carnage. By this point, we’ve already bought into the unnamed hunters’ cold, calculated methodology. The Hunters are portrayed with spine-tingling ease by Douglas Russell and Alan Steele, each pursuing their brutality from an equally disturbing but opposite angle.

Opposite our villains, we’re introduced to supplementary heroes led by Darko (Karel Roden). These black ops for hire characters serve a questionably significant role, as they enter into the story at roughly the moment the film begins to lose some of it’s steam. A LONELY PLACE TO DIE is a powerfully demanding thriller steeped in realism, but suffers primarily from one flaw… an uncertainty on when to end the story. Personally, I would have liked to see the film end at what I consider the first stopping point, but I’ll leave this decision for you to discover and decide on your own.

If you’re a fan of thrilling mountaineering dramas like NORTH FACE or documentaries like TOUCHING THE VOID, be sure you take the time to check out A LONELY PLACE TO DIE once it hits US theaters on November 11th, 2011.

In Case You Missed It Monday… ‘Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself’

wilburwantstokillhimself

The number of well-distributed films coming out of Scotland seems disproportionately low, so I felt like taking one of my more recent favorites that’s slipped under the radar and talking it up a bit. ‘Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself’ is a dark comedy with a brooding and slightly depressing undertone which is as . In fact, the comedic element to the film is slow subtle and understated, I find it difficult to even classify it technically as a comedy in the most traditional definition of the genre.

‘Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself’ tells the story of Wilbur [obviously] who is sort of depressed, but it doesn’t really show that clearly in his character. A more appropriately descriptive way to explain Wilbur (played by Jamie Sives) would be to say he is terminally apathetic and is obsessed with ending his life as a way to escape what he sees as a mundane and purposeless life. Wilbur makes repeated efforts to bring his life to a halt, a few of which bring him extremely close to success and one even is a success, at least for a brief moment, having technically been dead for a short spurt before being resuscitated.

Wilbur’s brother Harbour (played by Adrian Rawlins) is a kind and caring man who now runs their recently deceased father’s book shop. Aside from tending to the endless number of books, Harbour spends a majority of his remaining time caring for and keeping an eye on his brother Wilbur, who has a tendency to concoct a new method for attempting suicide whenever he is left alone. Wilbur’s tried popping pills, drowning, hanging and even considered leaping off a tall building, but his methods usually fall within the confines of less painful, more peaceful techniques.

The story shifts and Wilbur’s life begins to change course once he meets Alice, a petite Scottish waif with a cute and mousy little voice and her daughter. Alice (played by Shirley Henderson) discovers Wilbur hanging in a make-shift noose in the backroom of the book shop she visited to sell some old books. After assisting Wilbur down, Alice meets Harbour and in time leads to their getting married. What evolves is an intimate love triangle between Alice, Harbour and Wilbur, one which benefits all three parties but is an odd and often uncomfortable arrangement.

Alice dearly loves Harbour, but her love for him is mostly one of friendship and deep emotional connection, whereas she finds herself more physically attracted and lustful for his brother Wilbur. This becomes clearly apparent as Harbour learns he is dying from pancreatic cancer, but cannot find the will and strength to tell his family the distressing news. Harbour realizes that his death would bring undue hardship upon Alice and her daughter and would leave the burden and keeping watch on Wilbur to Alice as well.

Wilbur makes a few attempts at having a “girlfriend” which all result in awkwardness and ultimate failure. These attempts are a way of Wilbur making an effort to be “normal” and keep himself occupied outside of his obsession with suicide. These attempts end being being little more than anti-romantic and humorous bits of appropriately placed comic relief. One of the best examples of this dynamic of the film appears in a scene where Wilbur opens himself up to the advances of a nurse at the hospital and she proceeds to lick his ear during their brief moment of awkward intimacy, resulting in Wilbur’s blunt response…

WILBUR: “You licked my ear. I’d have bought a dog if I wanted my ear licked.”

The supporting cast is highlighted by Horst, a psychologist that runs the suicide support group that Wilbur reluctantly attends at the hospital and who ends up becoming a supportive figure for Harbour once he realizes the severity of his cancer. Horst, played by Mads Mikkelsen (Le Chiffre in ‘Quantum of Solace’), serves to help move the dramatic development of the story along, providing an impartial reality check for the characters as they stumble through this turbulent chapter of their lives.

In the end, things sort of work out favorably for Wilbur and Alice, despite the unfortunate path by which their lives together becomes possible. Death plays a major role in the story. Wilbur and Harbour’s mother died when they were still very young and the way in which their mother died plays a significant role in understanding why Wilbur is the way he is, which is eluded to in the film but not directly explained as the the cause of his suicidal personality. Their father passes away at the beginning of the film, causing Wilbur to slip further into his troublesome habits while Harbour is less able to keep Wilbur under his wing due to the needs of the book shop. Even Alice is familiar with death, working as a nurse, but finds herself less comfortable with the concept, finding herself stressed by a job surrounding her with death.

‘Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself’ is co-written and directed by Lone Scherfig, a female Danish filmmaker best known in the states for her 2000 film ‘Italian for Beginners’. The movie has been nominated for twenty different awards and has won eleven of them. Released theatrically in the US by THINKFilm, ‘Wilbur’ received US DVD distribution through Sundance. As such, it’s not the most widely distributed film but can be found with relative ease online or at Blockbuster. The US version of ‘Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself’ is rated “R” and has a running time of 109 minutes.