See How They Run

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 26 September 2022 Cinema

I recall enjoying the revival of the classic whodunnit with the other year’s Knives Out. This follows a similar blueprint but sticks even closer to the Agatha Christie style by setting the story at a theatre production of one of the author’s plays, where an arrogant movie director (Adrian Brody) is murdered. A world weary inspector (Sam Rockwell) and his prodigy constable (Saoirse Ronan) are called in to investigate and unmask the killer.

The trailer for this has strong Wes Anderson vibes, which is no bad thing and the inclusion of Ronan in the cast made this an instant must see for me. Thankfully this didn’t disappoint. It’s a gently, quirky comedy with bags of style and that sort of caricature approach to the performances that I often find really enjoyable. At the heart of the movie is Rockwell & Roman’s double act that’s fun and charming throughout. Support from Adrian Brody, Reece Sheersmith amongst others is also decent, making for a personality-rich experience.

The final reveal is a bit weak, and few more star names amongst the ensemble cast would have been welcome. Yet I had a great time with this and it kept a smile on my face throughout.

Verdict: Recommended

Lady Bird

Posted on July 29, 2018 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 28 July 2018 online rental

Saoirse Ronan has become one of those go-to names for me. This chameleon-like actress sometimes delivers roles that aren’t simply a recognisable name in a movie, but far more method for someone of her years. She has one of those faces that isn’t Hollywood starlet and can absorb a character fully. So we come to this coming of age drama about semi-rebellious Christine, who has given herself the name ‘Lady Bird’ as a way of standing out from the crowd and rebelling against a controlling but loving mother. Yeah she’s a typical teenager trying to find her place in the world and as we follow this story, ‘boys’ come in and out of her life, friendships are formed and lost and she grows to learn a lot about herself along the way.

I really love these kind of small town America dramas, and although the premise is fairly typical, it’s all done with a whimsical charm, realism and quirky sense of humour that proved utterly absorbing. Ronan is excellent as a young girl who is immediately likeable even if some of her actions made me want to shake her. Surrounding characters like a nerdy friend, an out of work dad and her mother (a brilliant Laurie Metcalf) also added to the movie’s personality. Lady Bird’s story and her journey tugged at the heart strings in places and felt very relatable … with those typical high school teenage yearnings and mistakes we’ve likely all made. I have to say that the movie gave me a sense that a big dramatic event was going to happen, such is par of the course for these kind of movies, but it never did … and somehow the movie is all the better for avoiding such a cliché.

As the directorial debut from Greta Gerwig this is nothing short of amazing … capturing a convincing portrayal of adolescence whilst at the same time being a love letter to her home town of Sacramento. Despite it’s general familiarity there’s a real effortless joy to behold in spending time in this setting and with these characters. Highly recommended.

Verdict: 4 /5

Hanna

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 03 September 2011 Blu-ray

At a passing glance, this movie seemed like nothing particularly new. A young girl, trained from a young age by her father to be a lethal killing machine. It’s been done before. Then you sit down to watch it, and it turns out to be something more, something different. Usually when preconceptions take you into a movie with one mind, but you leave with another – it can be jarring, it can be a disappointment. This was anything but.

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The Lovely Bones

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 03 July 2010 Blu-ray

Generally I will watch anything by Peter Jackson, certainly one of the most imaginative and visionary directors around, and this latest offering certainly intrigued me with its dark but fantastical premise. Suzy Salmon is a young girl who is murdered and finds herself in a dream-like afterlife between our world and heaven, but can’t fully pass on until her murderer is caught, or her family learn to move on from her death. Her father (Mark Wahlberg) becomes obsessed with finding out who killed his daughter as time passes with few leads, and all along we know who did it and await the killer’s comeuppance with bated breath, feeling for Suzy and her family as the tragedy gradually tares everone apart.