If Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t win his Best Actor Oscar for The Revenant then I doubt there’s any extremes left for him to go to. His performance in the film – a kind of Passion Play depicting one man’s suffering and hardships – is brutal and immersive, as is the movie surrounding him. (more…)
The post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max roars back to life with the ferocious Fury Road, which proves that even a 30-year hiatus from screens can’t keep a good franchise down. (more…)
The Drop (2014)
Dir: Michaël R. Roksam
The Drop is another film based on a Dennis Lehane story (like Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone) which swaps out snowy Brooklyn for the usual Boston while retaining a strong sense of place. Like those previous Lehane adaptations, the world transposed to the screen here feels appropriately gritty and real. The story of familial responsibility and the sins of the past feels small by design, but is full of telling details (the chatter of barflies, how people act while alone)and strong performances (from a mostly foreign cast) that add richness. Tom Hardy (Bronson, Locke) once again proves chameleonic in the lead role, while the movie suffers from some pacing problems and odd character choices but remains interesting in spurts.
Hardy is Bob, a mumbling Brooklyn bartender with a soft spot for his booze-addled clients. His cousin Marv (James Gandolfini in his final screen appearance) is the bar’s namesake who long ago lost ownership to (more…)
Glen On Film 