Star Wars, Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

It’s been a long time coming - 42 years in fact - but after nine films, the Skywalker saga is finally coming to an end, an epic conclusion to the incredibly detailed, intertwined story that began back in 1977 with A New Hope.

Of course, with a closely guarded plot filled with potential spoilers, I won’t be discussing the plot of this film in great detail, for the benefit of those of you who are still hoping to see it.

In fact, I will restrict my plot description to events that are for the most part covered in the opening crawl - devotees of the Star Wars films will be all too familiar with this standard opening sequence - so as to not give too much away.

There are rumours that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has been broadcasting a message throughout the galaxy, summoning all those loyal to the Sith to himself, laying the groundwork for an epic battle between the forces of good and evil or, as they are known in the Star Wars universe, the Jedi and the Sith.

Rey (Daisy Ridley).

General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) has sent a message of her own, summoning all those loyal to the Jedi to a rebel settlement. She has been completing Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) training, following the death of her brother Luke (Mark Hamill) in the previous instalment.

Along with allies Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), as well as droids C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2, Rey must draw on all she has learnt to track down not only Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) - who is still trying to bring her across to the Dark Side - but possibly the Emperor himself.

The screenplay, by Chris Terrio & director J. J. Abrams, is beautifully reminiscent of all that has gone before. The characters are all extremely well-defined with plenty of conflicts - even down to the seemingly minor characters. The film sits well in the context of the wider universe, and previous instalments, with plenty of what fans have grown accustomed to over the years.

The writers have also worked well to make the most of a difficult predicament: Carrie Fisher had unfortunately passed away following the release of Episode 8. However, there had been several scenes/shots filmed for that episode that had not been used. Using these moments, they have been able to work the character of Leia into the film incredibly well, while also paying the utmost respect to her memory.

General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher).

John Williams once again returns as composer of the score. Utilising leitmotifs from the previous eight films, he draws themes and motifs and melodies together in an amazing tapestry, creating an absolutely breathtaking score for this final instalment. In fact, familiarity with his previous leitmotifs does occasionally reveal spoilers of later plot developments if you pay close attention.

George Lucas has often referred to the saga as a sort of space opera, at least in terms of giving the film a genre description. Williams has taken this term wholly on board in his compositional decisions, giving the score - and indeed the film - an almost Wagnerian feel to it.

I don’t know if it’s worth discussing the cinematography, as I’m sure that most of the film was shot in front of a green screen, but cinematographer Dan Mindel certainly does have a good eye for framing and angles. Once again, the film feels like it belongs within the existing canon, as it still has that distinctive look.

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley).

The performances of the cast are once again fantastic. The clear standouts are most definitely Ridley and Driver in what I would probably call the lead roles. Once again, they have brought their all to their performances, and the film has clearly benefited from this. There are plenty of welcome surprises in the casting - returning characters from many of the other episodes - to delight fans of the series.

Director J. J. Abrams has made what is quite possibly - in my opinion - the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back. The film draws on - and expands to their logical conclusion - many existing themes already explored throughout the series, thereby making this one of the most authentic additions to the saga.

If you are planning to see this film, I recommend seeing it on the big screen, as it is visually spectacular, and the perfect example of a blockbuster worthy of the true cinema experience.

I give this a resounding 10 out of 10.

The BFG (2016)

Based on the book by Roald Dahl, this film is a treat for audiences young and old.

Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is a young orphan, living under quite oppressive rules in the orphanage. She struggles with insomnia, and while reading late one night, she hears a noise just outside her upstairs window.

Looking out the window, she sees a large figure in the darkness. When the figure spies her looking at it, it comes towards her and snatches her right out of her bed, carrying her away.

She finds herself whisked away to a faraway land filled with giants, including the giant who has snatched her. She begs the giant not to eat her, but he laughs at her, saying he has no intention of eating her - he isn't a "canny-bull" he tells her, and doesn't eat "human beans".

Sophie (Ruby Barnhill).

He is the BFG (Mark Rylance), or Big Friendly Giant. It is only the other giants, he tells her, who eat people. Giants with names like Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) and Bloodbottler (Bill Hader), who even terrorise him, as he is much smaller than they are. They call him the Runt, and pick on him on a daily basis.

His job - as he sees it - is to catch dreams, which look like coloured fireflies (that's the best description I can come up with for their appearance), and blow them into children's windows using his large trumpet. But now that Sophie has seen him, he can't let her go back home, for fear she will spill his secret.

Seeing that the BFG isn't truly happy where he is, being picked on by the bigger giants, Sophie comes up with a plan that has them appealing to the Queen of England (Penelope Wilton) to rid Giant Country of the giant bullies once and for all.

The BFG (Mark Rylance) and Sophie (Ruby Barnhill).

Melissa Mathison's screenplay - the last one she would write before tragically passing away - is based very closely on Dahl's book, a book I remember fondly from my childhood. Roald Dahl was certainly one of the greatest writers of childrens' books of his time, as he really had great insights into the way children think: their dreams, their fears, and he never talked down to them. Mathison has done a tremendous job of capturing the feel of the book, and bringing it to the screen.

As with the vast majority of Steven Spielberg's films, the score has been composed by John Williams. And as with the vast majority of Williams's scores, this one is absolutely brilliant. The use of leitmotifs and additionally developed themes is extremely clever, and ties the entire film together musically in a way that sets this score apart from one by a less experienced composer.

The production design by Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg is truly inspired. The set design - particularly that of the BFG's cave, where large sequences of the film take place - is beautiful. The other major sets used in the film are of course the interior rooms of Buckingham Palace and, while few people can be certain of exactly what these rooms look like, these rooms are as realistic as the film requires. There are also some stunning locations used for the scenes set in Giant Country, and these are just as 'realistic' as any of the constructed interior sets.

Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) and the other giants picking on the BFG
(Mark Rylance).

Without exception, the performances of the entire cast are near-perfect, with all the characters behaving and appearing as any fan of the original book might expect. Young Ruby Barnhill is fantastic as Sophie, and Mark Rylance - who previously worked with Spielberg on Bridge of Spies - though performing using motion-capture technology, brings a humanity and a tenderness to the BFG that brings real emotion through the screen and into audiences' hearts. Minor roles for seasoned actors Rebecca Hall and Rafe Spall as attendants to the Queen are well done, too.

Director Steven Spielberg has done it again, and given audiences for generations to come a truly beautiful film. This is definitely a film I will be watching again and again and, if you enjoyed Roald Dahl's book, I suggest you do the same.

8 out of 10.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

It's time for the next instalment in the Harry Potter franchise, based on the novels of J. K. Rowling following the adventures of the young wizard as he continues to make his way through Hogwarts, the wizarding school.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is back at school for his third year of studies, with his two best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

But of course, nothing for Harry is ever easy, and this year, he is a boy in great danger. Notorious criminal Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban, and is believed to be coming after Harry, whom he blames for the death of his old master, Voldemort. (At least that is how the story appears for most of the film).

Of course, as with every other year, there is a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This year, it is Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) who, as it turns out, went to school with Harry's parents. He takes a real shining to Harry, and the two become quite close, especially as Harry seems to be showing great aptitude in this class.

There is another new teacher, or rather, a new class that the students are taking. It is Divination, taught by the incredibly eccentric Professor Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson).

Even Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) is a teacher this year, teaching the Care of Magical Creatures class, a class it seems he was born to teach.

In order to protect the students at the school from any attacks by Sirius Black, the guards of Azkaban prison, strange spectral beings called Dementors, have been posted around the grounds to keep watch. But one wonders who they really answer to when they enter the grounds - against the wishes of headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon).

The screenplay, again written by Steve Kloves, who also adapted the first two films in the series, is a relatively decent adaptation of the book on which it is based. A large number of cuts were made, from what some readers feel were significant moments of plot and/or character, but which still seem to work nonetheless. Of course, one must remember that a book and a film are quite separate entities, and any adaptation from one medium to the other is bound to be fraught with difficulty in some parts.

Under the direction of Alfonso Cuarón, this film feels very different from the previous two films. In fact, it feels very different from every other film in the series, and not necessarily in a good way. Cuarón has the students in normal 'Muggle' clothing rather than their traditional wizarding robes, and there are a lot of personal touches he brings to the film that make it feel very 'un-Potter-like', at least as far as all the other films in the series go.

Adding to this different feel is a new actor playing the role of headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Of course, this was a necessity, as Richard Harris, who played the role in the first two films, had tragically passed away before the second film was released (though obviously after it had been filmed). Gambon does his best to bring the role to life, but sadly, I don't think he does it as well as Harris did. For me, Richard Harris will always be Dumbledore, whereas Gambon will only ever be someone who tried to fill those shoes and sadly fell short.

There are some interesting turns of events in the final third of the film, as a time-travel subplot comes into play. As with any film that deals with the very concept of time travel, there are many interesting points that appear earlier in the film and reappear in a different timeline from a different viewpoint and make sense in a different way. This may seem like a very convoluted sentence that doesn't make a lot of sense, but if you've seen the film, you will know what I mean. And if you haven't seen the film, then hopefully it won't spoil it for you.

Aside from the change of director, the majority of the crew are the same as they have been for the previous two films. So, we get a very similar feel from Stuart Craig's production design, that at least tries to tie this into the series, and place it right between parts two and four seamlessly.

John Williams's score has echoes of his previous work on the two earlier films, yet has enough new themes and motifs to be considered a new project. Naturally, as with anything he writes, his score here is perfect.

But I don't think these things alone are enough to redeem this film. Cuarón may be an incredibly gifted director, but in my opinion, his involvement has actually ruined what could have been a much better film in the hands of another director.

6 out of 10.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Inspired by a true story, and based on the tell-all book by Frank W. Abagnale and Stan Redding, this film tells the remarkable story of the youngest person to ever make it onto the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.

Frank W. Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives in a small suburb of New York, with his father Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken) and French-immigrant-mother Paula (Nathalie Baye). His life is relatively happy, until he returns from school one day to an ultimatum: his parents are getting a divorce and he must choose which parent he wants to live with from now on.

Rather than making a decision, he runs away, and begins to support himself with the assistance of a slew of bad cheques, until he decides to pose as an Pan-Am airline pilot.

Using the practice of 'deadheading' (a term in air travel for a pilot who flies on an aircraft in a 'spare' seat (not actually piloting the aircraft, but 'hitchhiking' in a sense), he flies all over the country, and even internationally, though never with Pan-Am itself, for fear they will clock his fraudulent ID badge.

After he has enough of flying, and all while contiuning to cash fraudulent cheques, he settles for a time in Georgia, where he poses as a paediatrician, and winds up supervising the night shift in the emergency ward of a hospital, where he meets young candy-striper Brenda Strong (Amy Adams).

The two become engaged, and Frank then begins working for Brenda's father Roger (Martin Sheen) in his law firm as an assistant prosecutor (having successfully passed the bar exam in the state of Louisiana).

All through his exploits, he is relentlessly pursued by FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who works in the bank fraud department. There are a few near misses for Hanratty, moments where he comes so close to capturing Abagnale, but only to have him slip away yet again.

The screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, from Abagnale's book, is reasonably well written, with plenty of action, and plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. Of course, most of these twists are taken from the book, rather than being of Nathanson's invention; Abagnale's life was filled with twists. There are a few minor alterations from the book to the script, but these are nowhere near significant enough to affect the plot of the film greatly (these are just things I happen to know, having followed Abagnale's story since hearing him speak a little over twenty years ago).

John Williams's music is fantastic (but when has John Williams ever written a bad score?), with a repeated leitmotif throughout the film that, while appearing simple in its construction, is anything but, particularly as it recurs throughout the film in different arrangements and with modified instrumentation at each occurrence.

One of the strongest elements of this film, however, is the cinematography. Janusz Kaminski has an incredible touch when it comes to his use of light and dark, and particularly the use of shadow. There are many sequences which take place in almost total darkness, which give these moments a film-noir feel, and highlight particular elements exceptionally well. I refer primarily to the scenes set in the French prison (nothing more about that here; I don't want to spoil the film for you).

Jeannine Oppewall's production design and Mary Zophres's gorgeous costumes both set the scene perfectly, and particularly ground us in the world of the 1960s when most of the film takes place.

The performances of the cast are also fantastic, particularly those of DiCaprio and Hanks, as the two opposing forces who continue to be forced together by fate. An honourable mention must also go to Christopher Walken who, as always, is brilliant in his performance, bringing so much life to his character, but doing so in the most subtly beautiful way.

Director Steven Spielberg has made a wonderful thrill-ride of a film here that, though I may be biased due to my fascination with Abagnale's exploits, is a film I always enjoy watching. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you check it out at your earliest opportunity.

8 1/2 out of 10.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

The tale of the boy wizard continues in the second film based on J. K. Rowling's best-selling series of books.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is back at Hogwarts School with best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

But this year, a new threat lies in wait for the trio. It appears someone has opened the fabled Chamber of Secrets, and released a monster on the school, and several students and staff have become petrified (as in frozen, not as in scared).

The worst thing is, as far as most people are concerned, Harry is the prime suspect. He and his friends must not only clear his name, but also find the real culprit and even - if they can - help those who have been petrified return to their normal state.

It really is wonderful to follow Harry and his friends for their second year of wizarding school. The main trio have grown significantly in their abilities, not just their characters’ abilities, but in their own acting abilities.

Screenwriter Steve Kloves again returns, and has done an incredible job of adapting this, the second book in the series, to the screen. The book does lend itself quite well to a film adaptation, nonetheless Kloves has done an amazing job yet again.

The cast as I mentioned are all fantastic, in particular newcomer to the series Kenneth Branagh as new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and egotistical celebrity author Gilderoy Lockhart.

Sadly, this film marked Richard Harris's final performance as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, as he passed away shortly after filming, but before the film's release.

Production designer Stuart Craig returns as well, and again has done a great job bringing Rowling's wizarding world to the screen. Coupled with magnificent visual effects, everything on screen is just perfect, and so reminiscent of the beauty of the books.

Composer John Williams has outdone even himself with the score, expanding on his existing themes from the first film here, and creating something that remains connected to the first film but also stands on its own as a unique entry into the world of cinema.

Chris Columbus, who had also directed the first installment, returns for this one, again bringing a real unity to these first two films, something which wouldn't really happen again in this series until much later. He has a real gift in directing the younger members of the cast, and his love for the source material shines through in every scene.

I really enjoyed watching this again in order to write this review, and will no doubt be watching it again soon.

7 out of 10.

The Sugarland Express (1974)

One of Steven Spielberg’s earliest films, this comedy is an absolute riot from start to finish.

Young mother Lou Jean Poplin (Goldie Hawn) hatches an elaborate escape plot to break her husband Clovis (William Atherton) out of the pre-release facility he is in, having served nearly all of his twelve-month prison sentence for larceny.

The two of them go on the run, trying to get to Sugarland, the town where their infant son lives with his foster parents. Having been deemed by the court to be an unfit mother, Lou Jean plans to kidnap their son back to prove them wrong.

Following a severe case of mistaken intentions, they take a police officer named Maxwell Slide (Michael Sacks) captive, and force him to drive them to Sugarland.

This brings about a massive manhunt/car-chase sequence that lasts for most of the rest of the film, led by Captain Tanner (Ben Johnson).

As with practically every single one of Spielberg’s movies, this film is scored by John Williams. However, it’s not your typical Williams score, if there is such a thing. The music of this film is very different, very uniquely Texas (the state where the film is set), and very sparse as well. It works very well in my opinion, allowing the comedy to come through loud and clear, leaving the music to the background.

The comedy is the main feature of this film, with a very clever script written by Hal Barwood & Matthew Robbins. The characters are all very well developed, with plenty of backstory and existing connections. The majority of the comedy comes not from witty dialogue and numerous jokes, however, but from the actions the characters (in particular Clovis and Lou Jean) take as things continue to escalate as the film goes on. It feels very similar to a film like, say, The Gods Must Be Crazy, where things just keep getting worse and worse, and the laughs coming more and more frequently, until the final resolution (don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for you).

The other thing I want to mention is the tight editing of this film, by editors Edward M. Abroms & Verna Fields. The pacing of the film is very quick, particularly in the higher-energy chase sections, and the editing of the film throughout is perfectly matched to the level of tension. We have a lot of longer shots as the film opens, and each shot becomes shorter and shorter in duration as things pick up. I realise this is a very simple description of exactly the effect that film editing consists of, but the editing is particularly impressive in this film. I wouldn’t say this of every film that is fast-paced, though, but here it is a key element of the action, and particularly of the comedy.

Spielberg demonstrates clearly with this film that he is not only a master of serious dramatic movies, but also has a keen sense of comic timing. I suppose he is just an all around cinematic genius. I am yet to see a Spielberg film I haven’t enjoyed.

8 out of 10.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

Based on the worldwide bestseller that started a phenomenon, this film is a true delight, and a joy to review.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) lives with his aunt and uncle and cousin. They keep him in the cupboard under the stairs, and mistreat him constantly.

On the evening of his 11th birthday, a strange visitor - a incredibly large man named Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) - tells Harry that he is a wizard, and he has been accepted to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Upon arriving at school, Harry learns there is so much more to his life than he ever knew. Not only does he come from a well-known wizarding family, he himself is famous as “the boy who lived”, the boy who defeated one of the most powerful dark wizards ever - Voldemort, or He Who Must Not Be Named - as a baby.

There is much for Harry to learn in his first year: the rules and gameplay of wizarding sport Quidditch, at which he is a natural of course, dealing with difficult teachers such as Potions master Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), and most importantly, the value of his two closest friends, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

One of the first things I must say about this film is that the casting is absolutely fabulous. This (and indeed the future films in the series) is a veritable ‘who’s who’ of British acting greats. Be it Richard Harris as Dumbledore (later replaced when he sadly passed away after the second film), Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, Zoë Wanamaker as Madam Hooch (the flying instructor), or any of the rest of the cast, there are some amazing performances here. (Obviously, I will be reviewing the remaining films in the franchise, keep reading in coming months for those).

Another point I want to make is the quality of the adaptation. Screenwriter Steve Kloves has done an incredible job of translating J. K. Rowling’s novel to the screen. Almost everything that happens in the book happens in the film. It does help that the first book in the series is rather short, and apparently simple (though fans will know by now there was a lot more going on in that book than we knew at the time!), and doesn’t have a lot of complex subplots as later books did.

The score by John Williams is absolutely magical, no pun intended. Of course, any score by John Williams is bound to be good. One only has to look to the later films (and even the later Fantastic Beasts franchise) and hear Williams’s themes and leitmotifs used and re-used to know just how iconic and brilliant they are.

Director Chris Columbus has made a truly magnificent film here. Columbus works especially well with young and/or inexperienced actors, and has been able to bring out the best in his young cast particularly. He would go on to direct the second film in the series as well, before pulling out to make room for other directors, in order to spend more time with his own growing children.

I realise that in the United States, this film was released with the title ‘Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone’, but as any sensible person would realise (particularly by now, with all the books and films finished), the Philosopher’s Stone is an actual verifiable part of alchemical history and a vital element of this book/film and indeed later parts of the series, while the Sorceror’s Stone is nothing, and refers to nothing.

This may not have been the best film in the series, but by being the first, it was our first introduction to Harry Potter and his adventures, and as such, is a very special and important part of the series.

8 1/2 out of 10.