"Twisters" - Review

Meteorologist Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar Jones) loses her friends in an experiment to map tornados, and shuts herself off from the world. When fellow survivor and scientist friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) convinces her to come out of self-imposed exile and try it again, the pair fall into the orbit of storm chaser and YouTube star Tyler Owens (Glenn Powell) and his team, embarking upon adventures in storm chasing.

"Twister" was not as good as people remember.
This one is thus a good sequel to that first film. Its characters are perfunctory, the screenplay is honestly a good exercise in dissecting screenplays: you can time each beat and moment and turning point to the very second and page, ala "Save the Cat", and you're here for some tornado silliness. It ticks along nicely, and you remember the characters because they've cast quirky actors and rising stars in these perfunctory parts: the team who die at the start are played by Kiernan Shipka (wearing glasses, and you know she's the quirky smart one); Nik Dodani (so you know he's the nervous one); and Daryl "I Don't Actually Sleep with an Older Actor This Time" McCormack (so you know he's the charming, likable one). That trend continues into the present day setting: we've got Sasha Lane as the drone pilot (fun side note: every time we see a film with her in at our local cinema, it's in the same screen. Henceforth it shall be the "Sasha Lane" screen); Brandon Perea from "Nope" is the right hand man of our lead; Katy O'Brien plays a mechanic with about 6 lines, but you know - it's the lady from "Love Lies Bleeding" so I let it pass; Future "Superman" and star of "Pearl" David Corenswet turns up as the "douchebag corporate" character you enjoy seeing get splattered in mud; and there's honestly a nice little bit with a reporter played by Harry Haddon-Paton, where he goes to take photographs of people in danger but instead places it down and goes to help.
Powell and Edgar-Jones are the stars here, and the former is lovable and engaging, and Edgar-Jones holds the ship steady with a less flashy part. It's a servicable, trundling along disaster movie. Everybody can sit down and watch it, it's fine. And thus, it is a perfect sequel to the mediocre "Twister". Hell, I was more interested in seeing this than "Ryan Reynolds and Wolverine".
I do kind of want that gadget drill gimmick truck Tyler drives though, that's stupidly fun.

"The Lesson" - Review

Liam Sommers (Daryl McCormack) is an aspiring novelist hired to be the tutor to young Bertie Sinclair (Stephen McMillan), the son of esteemed novelist J.M Sinclair (Richard E Grant at his most Richard E Grant), of whom Liam is an enormous fan. Settling into his enormous house with Sinclair's French wife Helene (the treasure Julie Delpy) and their guarded butler Ellis (Crispin Letts), Sommers is both the pupil and mentor when it comes to how to write...

A 3 or 4 hander, very much a slow burn, it feels like a stage play were it not for Alice Troughton (known primarily for her television work, particularly with Russell T Davies) and her long, sometimes experimental shots. It largely works, and feels exceedingly 90s and European in a good way. Delpy is always welcome, and Grant is always great. I was expecting the whole thing to get gory or properly nuts, but it still kind of works.
Side note: off the back of this and "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande" (which is fantastic, by the way) I am convinced that Daryl McCormack is on a mission to only do movies where he sleeps with esteemed older actresses. Based. I'm all for it.

"Good Luck To You, Leo Grande"

Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) is a widow, repressed sexually after an incredibly boring marriage. But she has a plan: she has hired a sex worker by the name of Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) to try things she never had a chance to, and to give her a wild time. Over the course of a few meetings, Nancy starts to come out of her shell, learns about Leo Grande, learns about sex, and boundries are formed, pushed and tested.

This was a genuinely touching, sweet, nuanced and human look at sex, sexual awakenings and pleasrue. The characters are well sketched, McCormack is excellent (especially coming of the back of the also good "Pixie"), Thompson is always wonderful, and it doesn't feel exploitative or sleazy in any way. It's dam good, and the dancing sequence genuinely got me emotional. The script is by Katy Brand (a welcome surprise) and rather than being a laugh a minute romp, it focuses on the humanity of the characters and feels like a stage play, in a good way; though there is an excellent "Your Mum" joke which genuinely got me.
I really recommend this.

"Pixie" Review - From the Vaults

"Pixie"

Respectable and decent Harland (Daryl McCormack) and the cocky womaniser Frank (Ben Hardy) are two friends living in Ireland. They fall for the charming and enigmatic Pixie O'Brien (Olivia Cooke) and when Frank tries to seduce her, Harland accidentally foils an attempt on her life. Seeing that the would be murderer is carrying a metric dick-load of ecstasy tablets, Pixie convinces the two horny idiots to accompany her in a quest to sell the drugs. Thus begins a road trip, as the trio are caught up in a struggle between Pixie's father Dermot (Colm Meany) and his rival in gangland disputes, Father Hector McGrath (Alec Baldwin), and are pursed by the former's hitman Seamus, who just wants the drugs back...

This movie is a fun, breezy little road trip dark comedy. Think of it like a B-List "The Guard" and you're going to have a good time, mostly because Olivia Cooke smashes it. The characters are, for the most part, fun and interesting, and Ben Hardy manages to make Frank not a total bellend by virtue of how the two lads are wrapped around Pixie's finger the entire time. There's a funny Dylan Moran cameo, and it all breezes along with energy and fun rapport, even if some of the plotlines feel a tad cramped.

Olivia Cooke is wonderful in this, and it's kind of bizarre seeing Alec Baldwin play a gangster priest (briefly, you can tell that they had him for about 3 days of shooting) so go see it for her if nothing else?

I recommend.