UK Movie Reviews Special: Dom Hemingway, The Butler, Don Jon, The Counsellor
It’s a big weekend for the UK box office, kicking off tomorrow (Fri Nov 15), when Jude Law’s Don Hemingway, Forest Whitaker’s The Butler, Joseph Gordon Levitt’s Don Jon and Michael Fassbender’s The Counsellor all coming out.
Everything was set up for Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy to become a formidable directing/writing team. Scott had a point to prove, and McCarthy wrote his first screenplay after the film version of his book, The Road, impressed. Add to that an incredible cast and a slick trailer; well everyone thought it was nailed on.
Watch the trailer for The Counsellor
“This film proves that all the right ingredients don't necessarily make a movie work. Even with top-drawer filmmakers and actors, this dramatic thriller simply never grabs our interest. It looks great, and everyone is giving it their all, but the story and characters remain so badly undefined that we can't identify with either.”
Read the full review of The Counsellor
Don Jon
Remember how The Counsellor was supposed to be the best film ever? Well, Don Jon was the opposite. No one really paid any attention to Joseph Gordon Levitt’s directorial debut, not until Scarlett Johansson came aboard anyway. The film see’s the Dark Knight actor play a charming, handsome man, famed for his ability to attract women, but addicted to porn. Until Johansson comes along…
“With this writing-directing debut, Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers a remarkably assured comedy-drama while also giving himself a role that's far against his usual type. It's raucously hilarious but also surprisingly involving as it reveals the vulnerabilities of a strutting hard-man. And we're having so much fun that we barely notice that the script's approach to addiction is somewhat simplistic.”
The Butler
Telling the story of a White House butler that served under 8 different presidents, The Butler chronicles the whirlwind of change in civil rights in America, from the beginning of the movement itself, to the Vietnam war. With such a large scope, has Lee Daniels (who originally put his own name in the title) managed to pull it off?
Watch the trailer for The Butler
“This is an strangely slushy movie from Lee Daniels, whose last two films (Precious and The Paperboy) bristled with unexpected life. By contrast, this star-packed drama uses a true story to trace the Civil Rights struggle from the 1950s to the present day. But it's been so fictionalised that it feels kind of like a variation on Forrest Gump.”
Check out our review of The Butler
What's the verdict?
So what should you go and see? Our bet would be Don Jon - Gordon-Levitt has really asserted himself as a talent both on and behind the camera, and with plenty of studios trying to secure his signature for future projects, it's worth catching him where it all began.
We are, however, assuming that you've seen some of the best films out already. So if you haven't, check out our gallery of new and old films in cinemas this weekend, including Gravity, Captain Phillips and Philomena, as well as all the films previously mentioned. Enjoy!