‘The Last King of Scotland’

Towering central performance by Forest Whitaker captures the unhinged charm and tyrannical threat of Idi Amin, corrupt president of Uganda throughout the 1970s.

A recent medical graduate, the last thing Nic Garrigan (James McAvoy) wants to do is follow in his father’s footsteps with a safe practice in rural Scotland. Volunteering to work in a missionary clinic in Uganda, an unexpected encounter with Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) on the presidential campaign results in a very different direction for the idealist. On Amin’s election victory, Garrigan is summoned to be the president’s personal physician. Bestowed with gifts and favours, he refuses to accept the accusations of violence and corruption levelled at Amin, until his links with the president’s youngest wife Kay (Kerry Washington) puts him in personal danger.

Volatile and at times unquestionably thrilling, The Last King of Scotland is an episodic sweep of recent Ugandan history as Garrigan learns to tread on egg shells around his benefactor. Capturing the exuberance of a country renewed by Amin’s election through by fear at the film’s end, it never quite reaches the same plateau as the fearless Whitaker.

Winner of Oscar for best actor in 2007

Rating: 62%

Director: Kevin Macdonald (The Mauritanian, One Day in September)

Writer: Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), Jeremy Brock (Here I Live Now, Mrs Brown)

Main cast: Forest Whitaker (The Butler, Respect), James McAvoy (Split, Atonement), Kerry Washington (Django Unchained, TV’s Little Fires Everywhere)

‘Hitchcock’

Enjoyable if, considering the cast, underwhelming as the marriage between Alfred Hitchcock and screenwriter/editor Alma Reville is explored whilst struggling to get the financial backing for the making of Psycho.

Loved by critics but not always the box-office, Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) struggles to secure funding for his next film, the adaptation of a lurid, best selling horror novel. Not only the studio but also the censors have considerable concern. Self-financing and casting the unknown Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) as lead adds extra strain – especially when Alma (Helen Mirren) tires of her husband’s manipulation of his actresses and decides to collaborate with Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston) on a project of her own.

It’s a good old-fashioned storytelling but, in spite of the strong presence of an empathic Helen Mirren, Sacha Gervasi’s film never quite achieves its full potential. Hitchcock took a huge gamble with Psycho, the full tension of which never fully comes across in this safe, under-developed story.

Nominated for 2013 Oscar for best make-up and hair

Rating: 60%

Director: Sacha Gervasi (Anvil, November Criminals)

Writer: John J. McLaughlin (Black Swan, Parker) – based on the book by Stephen Rebello

Main cast: Anthony Hopkins (The Father, The Two Popes), Helen Mirren (The Queen, Gosford Park), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Marriage Story)

‘Black Swan’

A powerful central performance by Natalie Portman as the stress of being selected to dance the lead in Swan Lake sees an already unstable young ballerina pushed to breaking point.

Living at home with an ambitious mother (Barbara Hershey), Nina (Portman) is pushing for a break in the highly competitive New York Ballet. Technically perfect and an easy choice for the White Swan, artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) demands more grit and passion from Nina for the dual role of the Black Swan. Pushed to the edge, terrified of being replaced by newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis), Nina loses her grip on the world around her.

A riveting, full-on melodrama, lurid in its ambition, intense in its presentation as Nina ultimately battles with herself in director Darren Aronofsky’s powerful and obsessive psychosexual thriller.

Nominated for 5 Oscars in 2011 including best film, director, cinematography – won 1 (best actress)

Rating: 80%

Director: Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, The Whale)

Writer: Mark Heyman (The Wrestler, The Skeleton Twins), Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin (Hitchcock, Parker)

Main cast: Natalie Portman (Thor, Jackie), Mila Kunis (Bad Moms, Luckiest Girl Alive), Vincent Cassel (La haine, Gauguin)

‘Barbie’

Pastel-coloured Barbie World sees women in control and men decorative irrelevance. But when Stereotypical Barbie develops flat feet and cellulite, she must travel to the Human World to find out who’s responsible – and is shocked by what she sees.

An idyllic world of Barbies of different body shapes and colour in charge of their destiny. Popular Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) and a love of pink drives along the seafront, tallks to her friends, puts up with the Kens and organises all singing, all dancing choreographed parties. But flat feet and cellulite sends her via Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) to Mattel in the real world of LA – and Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling) has stowed away to accompany her. It’s not what she expects as she hightails it back to Barbie World.

Director Greta Gerwig takes on patriarchy in a quirky, Come on Barbie, Let’s go party comic fantasy world of plastic imagination. It’s difficult not to argue with the socio-political premise (the speech from America Ferrara as the owner of the doll causing the problem for Stereotypical Barbie nails it) and the film is fun. But for the most part it’s fragmented and borders on lollypop superficial. The snubbing of director Greta Gerwig and production design come awards time, however, is unexplainable.

Nominated for 8 Oscars in 2024 including best film, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, production design – won 1 for best song (What Was I Made For? – Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell)

Rating: 59%

Director: Greta Gerwig (Little Women, Lady Bird)

Writer: Greta Gerwig (Little Women, Lady Bird), Noah Baumbach (The Squid & the Whale, Marriage Story)

Main cast: Margot Robbie (Babylon, I Tonya), Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Drive), America Ferrara (End of Watch, TV’s Ugly Betty)

’Million Dollar Baby’

Oscar winner for best film in 2005, the Clint Eastwood directed drama is a powerfully visceral narrative built around the determined performance by Hilary Swank as a wannabe successful boxer.

Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) comes from nothing but has personal ambition to succeed in the one thing she wants to do – box. Convincing experienced coach Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) to take her on takes wile – and support from gym manager Eddie (Morgan Freeman), the closest Dunn has to a friend. But relent he eventually does and so the two go on a personal journey that results in success and tragedy.

Million Dollar Baby oozes quality in all its raw, profound sincerity and unassuming naturalism. Its central triage provide stripped down naturalism and poignancy that perfectly evokes the rough and ready world in which it’s set.

Rating: 80%

Nominated for 7 Oscars in 2005 including best actor, adapted screenplay, editing, won 4 – best film, director, actress, supporting actor

Director: Clint Eastwood (Mystic River, Gran Torino)

Writer: Paul Haggis (Crash, Quantum of Solace)

Main cast: Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Amelia), Clint Eastwood (Play Misty For Me, The Mule), Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Now You See Me)

’Poor Things’

A contemporary, flamboyant feminist Frankenstein as the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr Godwin ‘God’ Baxter brings back to life the young Bella who through direct experience evolves into a brilliant mind.

Protected in the household of Baxter (Willem Dafoe), the physically and mentally awkward Bella (Emma Stone) slowly convalesces. But exposure to student scientist Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) and lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) exacerbates her coming-of-age. Bella, hungry for knowledge, flees her protected world with the seductive Wedderburn. A whirlwind of adventure unfolds as she turns the tables on her seducer, leaving him broken and following in her wake.

A typically daring, off-kilter, visually stunning feature from director Yorgos Lanthimos and writer Tony McNamara, Poor Things starts off 19th century black and white London restrained. But heading off to Lisbon and Paris, the imagination runs wild in glorious colour as Bella evolves mentally and sexually. Yet, surprisingly, in spite of a superb Emma Stone, the feature, for all its perpetual cleverness and imagination, lacks soul. Smacking of self-satisfaction, whilst occasionally very funny, Poor Things is ultimately sombre and outstays its welcome.

Nominated for 11 Oscars in 2024 including best film, director, supporting actor (Ruffalo), adapted screenplay – won 4 – best actress, costume (Holly Waddington), production design, make up

Rating: 65%

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, Alps)

Writer: Tony McNamara (The Favourite, Cruella) – based on the novel by Alistair Gray

Main cast: Emma Stone (Zombieland, Birdman), Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, The Florida Project), Mark Ruffalo (Dark Waters, The Kids Are Alright)

‘Boogie Nights’

Business in the 1970s sex industry is booming as a young no-hoper but with personal assets determines to become successful as a porn star.

Kicked out of home, school drop-out Eddie Homes (Mark Wahlberg) finds his way into the porn film industry when successful producer Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) discovers the well-endowed teenager. Re-named Dirk Diggler, he rises to fame as he and Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly) form a successful on screen partnership. But a strutting ego and drug addiction see his fame to be short-lived.

Intertwined narratives of Horner’s ‘family’ including actress Amber (Julianne Moore) fighting to win custody of her child and camera operator Little Bill’s (William H. Macy) troublesome marriage create a compendium of frank and compelling vignettes around Homes’ rise and fall. In only his second film, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson explores themes recurrent in future films of flawed, self-destructive yet likeable characters who are on the margins of their time and place.

Nominated for 3 Oscars in 1998 – supporting actor (Reynolds), supporting actress (Moore), original script

Rating: 69%

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Licorice Pizza)

Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Licorice Pizza)

Main cast: Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, The Fighter), Julianne Moore (Still Alice, Maps to the Stars), Burt Reynolds (Deliverance, Smokey & the Bandit)

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood’

A warm, emotive crowd pleaser as a hard-nosed cynical investigative journalist is given an assignment to write a short piece on Fred Rogers, the host and creator of the popular children’s television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

The bigger issues are the norm for a jaded Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rees) so he’s none too pleased to be given a 400 word cover piece on Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks). But the expected short interview in the Pittsbugh studios of his children’s program evolves into something much more. From sceptic to admiration and friendship of the extraordinarily decent and kind Rogers leads Vogel to a finding empathy and, encouraged by wife Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson), to make peace with his dying father (Chris Cooper).

A compassionate telling of a compassionate man which, through Hanks’ nuanced performance, avoids overt sentimentality or caricature. Director Marielle Heller’s restrained delicacy to her subject creates a surprisingly resonant eloquence.

Rating: 74%

Tom Hanks – nominated for best supporting actor Oscar in 2020

Director: Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Diary of a Teenage Girl)

Writer: Micah Fitzerman-Blue (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, TV’s Painkiller), Noah Harpster (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, TV’s Painkiller)

Main cast: Matthew Rees (The Post, Burnt), Tom Hanks (Castaway, Sully), Susan Kelechi Watson (Merry Wives, TV’s This Is Us)

’Jackie Brown’

A quieter, less violent narrative from Tarantino than his usual offerings, Jackie Brown is a sassy caper as a flight attendant finds herself an informer against a local arms dealer.

An older woman with a criminal past, Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) smuggles cash from Mexico into the US for Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). But the ATF and a team led by Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) have him in their sights – and pick up Brown with $50,000 in her bag. With Robbie paying bail, Brown faces jail time – unless she turns state evidence. The arms dealer looks to cover his bases – with bail bonder Max Cherry (Robert Forster) and Brown suspecting she may be in danger. To protect herself, she plots a sting with Cherry that’ll put her out of harms way.

Tarantino draws out the unfolding of the story, throwing in a soulful ’70s soundtrack along with extra characters to add action and humour (including a convincingly vulnerable Robert De Niro as Robbie’s not-so-bright, recently released henchman) but there’s a level of poignancy and vulnerability not normally associated with the director.

Robert Forster – nominated for best supporting actor Oscar in 1998

Rating: 74%

Director: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill I & II)

Writer: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill I & II) – based on a novel by Elmore Leonard

Main cast: Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Larry Crowne), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, The Banker), Robert Forster (The Descendants, Mulholland Drive)

‘American Fiction’

A wry, satirical take on White expectation and exploitation of Black experience stereotypes in literature as an academic writer produces an ‘airport’ novel that becomes a prize-winning best seller.

Desperately short of cash due to long term care of his ailing mother, literature professor and writer Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) needs his latest book to be a success. But there’s little demand for his Greek-tragedy-inspired novels. Not when Sinatra Golden’s (Issa Rae) vernacular We’s Lives in Da Ghetto with all its stereotypes is a bestseller. So angry, on travelling to the Boston family home he takes time out to write a parody, Fuck, in all its sterotype under the penname Stagg R. Leigh. And the publishing establishment laps it up, much to Monk’s disgust.

Whilst it could have been sharper and more complex, American Fiction is as much a story of a personal journey as it is a satrical commentary on institutional racism and exploitation. Having distanced himself from (admittedly dysfunctional) family including recently out gay brother Clifford (Sterling K. Brown), time spent with them and new love interest Coraline (Erika Alexander) emphasises the disconnect. It’s the response to Fuck by his familiar world, its willingness to glorify the parody as the ‘voice’ of the Black experience and, ultimately, Monk’s self-realisation that is the core of director Cord Jefferson’s impressive debut.

Nominated for 5 Oscars in 2024 including best actor, supporting actor and adapted screenplay

Rating: 77%

Director: Cord Jefferson

Writer: Cord Jefferson (TV’s Watchmen, The Good Place) – adapted from the novel by Percival Everett

Main cast: Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale, Rustin), Sterling K. Brown (Hotel Artemis, TV’s This Is Us), Erika Alexander (Get Out, I See You)