A movie about the oil business in a statistically notorious winter of 1981 did not seem entirely promising. But with writer and director J C Chandor at the helm (his Margin Call was my favourite film of the year it was released) I could not resist A Most Violent Year. I'm all for original stories, so many these days are adaptations, but I thought this time it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. A relationship drama with thrills and violence added in. Jessica Chastain was excellent as the wife of Oscar Isaac's business man, her unscrupulous, simmering, explosive nature only just being held in check. Completely opposite to her moral husband. The film was well written, as you would expect, with competent direction. It was just slightly disappointingly boring.
Now Ex Machina was never boring. In fact this was one of the best movies I have seen for a long time. This was pure theatre with added special effects. And they were special. Written and directed by Alex Garland, this was a smart essentially three-hander that turned into a spectacular sci-fi thriller. Domnhall Gleeson wins the prize to visit mega tech boss Oscar Isaac in his secluded ultra modern hideaway. There he finds he is enlisted to communicate with Alicia Vikander's beautiful robot. Her voice reminded me of Scarlett Johansson's in Her. But she is a startling creation even though there is menace in her eyes. A brilliant movie. Thanks Alex.
Kingsman is a spoof of all the spy movies you can think of. Not very intelligent and not at all funny. But it had plenty of action, it looked good and was sort of playful. I would have loved it fifty years ago.
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