Shameless Self Expression

Based on true events, a bunch of hardened but old-aged ex-criminals (Sir Michael Caine, nasty Jim Broadbent, deaf and gullible Tom Courtenay, unscrupulous Ray Winstone, and none-too-bright Paul Whitehouse) band together to pull off an unlikely major jewellery heist. Charlie Cox is the young fellow aiding them with his background in security/alarms, Francesca Annis is Caine’s ill-fated wife, and Michael Gambon plays the ‘fence’ who is doddering and incontinent. Meanwhile, there’s a decided lack of honour amongst these thieves, as is played out over the film’s second half in particular. Yet another old codgers crime caper, this one with a real-life inspiration. Unfortunately, as directed by James Marsh ( “Man on Wire” , “The Theory of Everything” ) and scripted by Joe Penhall ( “The Last King of Scotland” , “The Road” ), it’s a pretty shoddy mess that wastes one heck of a great cast. Jim Broadbent’s delightfully nasty turn and the always solid Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, and ...

On vacation with her husband (Winston Duke) and kids at the beach, Lupita Nyong’o encounters some creepy intruders and troubling issues from her childhood. Elisabeth Moss plays the mother of another vacationing family. Jordan Peele’s feature-length directorial debut “Get Out” won over both audiences and critics. A somewhat rare African-American horror/sci-fi flick, I was ever-so slightly less impressed by it than its biggest admirers, but nonetheless thought it was an enjoyable, absolutely insane film and I couldn’t wait to see what Peele came up with next. Well, he’s given us this 2019 doppelganger horror/thriller. It’s an exceptionally silly, exceptionally disappointing experience that I probably liked even less than a lot of critics and moviegoers seemed to (It’s been championed by some, but far more divisive than “Get Out” ). The opening scene is an effective build of atmosphere, through lighting, camera placement, the use of sound and silence etc, but it’s all downhill ...