Detroit, The Limehouse Golem and mother!

When you follow a director as I do, it would be impossible to ignore a new Kathryn Bigelow movie. Much as I wanted to. This is not a  happy film. The riots in Detroit in 1967 are condensed into one horrible incident. The firing of a toy? gun sparks a heavy handed response from police and national guard. What follows next is gruelling to watch. No wonder Dunkirk ( a movie without a single American actor) has done better at the box office in the USA. Bigelow does not spare us. The cinematography by Barry Ackroyd is up close and way too personal in that documentary type of action this director had made a trademark. I had previously been critical of John Boyega's acting in Star Wars. Let me now say that must have been the script as here he is excellent.

I'm afraid to say that The Limehouse Golem was way too hammy for my taste. I know it was supposed to be a Victorian melodrama, but everything just seemed cheap. Even Bill Nighy in the lead role of the Inspector felt as if he was just turning up for the money. The story was OK, but Jane Goldman's script could have been better. It was quite good fun, but let down by some second rate acting.

I was prepared for the worst and hopeful for the best, given that the critics were split down the middle for the latest movie from Darren Aronofsky.  From early on, you know that jennifer lawrence's unnamed character (note the absence of capital letters on the poster) is in for a hard time. Unfortunately, if she thought the first chapter was bad enough, she really had no idea of the mayem to follow. Her husband javier bardem as been likened to some sort of God like character. I actually thought he was more like a devil, Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate came to mind.

The camera hardly ever leaves Lawrence, either in close up or following her around the fabulous old isolated mansion she is trying so hard to make perfect. This single set is marvellous, and the sound design is unbelievable. This is black comedy mixed with horror and physiological warfare. There are elements of the director's Black Swan as our tortured heroin is not quite sane. This is a surreal movie, one to be experienced rather than enjoyed. I think I liked it.