Yesterday (2019)

A brand new film from the brilliant minds of screenwriter Richard Curtis and director Danny Boyle, this film takes a relatively simple premise and turns it into an amazing film.

Young singer/songwriter Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), who also works part-time in a warehouse-style supermarket, is struggling to make a name for himself as an artist. Supported since the beginning of his 'career' by his manager Ellie Appleton (Lily James), the two of them go from one low-paying, low-attended gig to another, before Jack decides that it just isn't working for him.

No sooner has he given up on his music career altogether than he gets just the break he has been waiting years for.

At the same moment that the power goes off simultaneously all over the world, Jack is knocked off his bike by a bus, and comes to the next day in hospital, missing his two front teeth.

Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) and Ellie Appleton (Lily James).

After he recovers enough to leave the hospital, he meets with his closest friends, including Ellie, who presents him with a brand-new guitar, since his previous instrument was destroyed in the accident. When his friends ask him to play something, he comments that a beautiful guitar needs a beautiful song, and plays the Beatles' classic song, Yesterday.

His friends are blown away by this song, and ask him when he wrote it. He tells them it was written by Paul McCartney, and they stare back at him blankly. He mentions The Beatles, and they have no idea what he's talking about.

He rushes home, and after a prolonged Google search, he discovers that - after the worldwide power cut - he is now in a world in which The Beatles have never existed, despite the fact he can remember all of their songs.

Jack finds himself in a serious ethical dilemma, but decides that since The Beatles never existed in this world, he isn't hurting anybody by taking the credit for their entire back-catalogue of music. Of course, it isn't long before 'his' music has drawn the interest of the music world; after all, The Beatles were amazing, and their songs not only spoke to a generation of fans, but completely changed the world of popular music forever - for the better.

Ed Sheeran quickly becomes one of Jack's biggest fans.

When fellow singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran asks Jack to be his support act on his European tour, Jack not only gains a whole new world of fans, he attracts the attention of Ed's manager, Debra Hammer (Kate McKinnon), who wants to turn him into the next big thing.

I'll leave the plot description there, I don't want to spoil the many surprises this film has any more than I already have.

Richard Curtis's screenplay is absolutely brilliant on every level. His appreciation and respect for the work and influence of The Beatles is clear, and he has constructed a magnificent plot filled with fascinating, three-dimensional characters. There are many clever moments throughout the film, all of them developing organically from the relatively simple premise of "What if The Beatles never existed?"

If you have seen any other film written by Richard Curtis before, you will know that he has an uncanny ability to balance hilarious comedy with heartbreaking drama, and this film is no exception. His skill for writing realistic, authentic dialogue is once again on display here, and it is such a joy to behold.

Most of the film's music is of course Beatles songs, all of them performed by Patel on either the guitar or the piano (and it really is him playing them, not someone else's hands!), but there are also a few moments throughout the film where there is original music underscoring the action. All of the original music is composed by Daniel Pemberton, and it fits with the rest of the film so perfectly that it feels like a natural part of the film itself. At no point does it draw unnecessary attention to itself, but it serves the on-screen action as any good film score does.

Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) appearing on The Late Late Show with James
Corden.

The performances of the cast - especially Patel and James - are fantastic, and everything is played for absolute realism and truth; the entire cast maintain the film's premise unwaveringly throughout. Ed Sheeran - who appears as himself, though perhaps a slightly fictionalised version of himself - does very well with his performance, too; it would be an absolute misnomer to refer to his appearance as a cameo, as he is a significant member of the cast.

I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal, who play Jack's parents, supportive at every moment. These two - having worked together many times before - have such a great on-screen chemistry together, and impeccable comic timing.

Director Danny Boyle has made an absolutely wonderful film here, one that I am certain audiences all over the world will enjoy. If you have ever been a fan of The Beatles, you absolutely must see this film. If you - for some unknown reason - are not familiar with The Beatles, you absolutely must see this film, and then listen to as many Beatles songs as you can.

If money were no object, I would pay to see this on the big screen again and again; this film is a definite contender for my favourite film of the year.

10 out of 10.

127 Hours (2010)

Based on the book 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' by Aron Ralston, this film tells the true story of a man who spent - you guessed it - 127 hours with his arm trapped under a rock.

Aron (James Franco) is an intrepid adventurer, and one Saturday, he ventures into the canyons of Utah, planning to rappel down a cliff face. After meeting strangers Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn), and showing them to the climb they are looking for, he heads off on his own.

While climbing down between two rock faces, the rock he is standing on slips beneath him, and as he falls, the rock falls too, and traps his arm against the cliff.

Aron Ralston (James Franco).

Try as he might, he cannot pull it free and, given that no one else knows where he is, faces the prospect that he will inevitably die here.

Nevertheless, over the coming days, he tries as many things as he can think of to free himself, while also recording a video message for his parents (Treat Williams and Kate Burton) in case anything goes wrong.

I won't go any further with plot description, you really need to see it for yourself.

It goes without saying that the majority of the film consists of only James Franco on screen, and he carries this incredibly well. It takes a real talent to hold the attention of the audience with only one person, but Franco is truly in his element here. There are occasional flashbacks to earlier memories, including the turbulent relationship with ex-girlfriend Rana (Clémence Poésy), and his close relationship with his sister Sonja (Lizzy Caplan).

Aron Ralston (James Franco) and Rana (Clémence Poésy).

The screenplay is written by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy, based on Ralston's own memoir. I have not read the book, so cannot comment on the quality of the adaptation, but the script is very well constructed. Again, with only one person on screen for the majority of the film, it cannot have been an easy undertaking, but the writers have managed to inject the script with plenty of action, and plenty of conflict, so that you will be on the edge of your seat from the moment Aron falls until the film's conclusion.

A. R. Rahman's music is barely present, but in a good way. At no point does any underscoring detract from what is going on on screen, but the few times where music is used, it is always supporting the on-screen action or, more to the point, the increasing level of tension and suspense.

Where this film truly shines is in its cinematography. Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle have captured not only the beautiful landscape of the natural environment, but also bring us right into the action when Aron finds himself trapped. The camera shots are well balanced between the vision from his camcorder and traditional shots that take in all the action. But at all times, we are right there in the middle of everything, experiencing Aron's growing terror along with him.

Aron Ralston (James Franco).

Director Danny Boyle has truly captured the emotion and fear of Aron's experience here. Despite having seen this film several times before, I still found myself drawn in yet again watching it for the purposes of writing this review; every twist and turn in the plot shocked me all over again.

If you haven't seen this film yet, I suggest you watch it at your earliest convenience.

7 out of 10.