Drop, The Accountant 2 and September 5

 

We were warned this might be scary, but it's just the threat that is disturbing. Drop has just one set, a very, very fancy restaurant. The title comes from "digi drops" on your phone. News to me. Violet Gates played by Meghann Fahey is on a date, meeting Brandon Sklenar for the very first time. The plot moves at a fast pace when Violet's home has been invaded. It's directed by Christopher Landon who either wrote or directed Happy Death Day (and it's sequel) and Disturbia. All fine entertainment, as is this. Wendy Ide in The Guardian gave it four stars. a mix of "plausible and preposterous". 

Now I thought the first film was OK, so I avoided the reviews for The Accountant 2, but little did I know that this was a bit of a disaster. When the best thing about it is the cinematography, that says it all. For an action movie, there are some longish scenes that veer into drama territory. These are awful. Is it that Ben Affleck needs some funds for his next movie? I thought he had given up acting to concentrate his directing on better class films. He was as bad as I can remember. It's as if they wanted to make a buddy movie but had a rubbish screenplay. However, most of the reviews are far more positive, so maybe it's me. The best part involved Affleck's young hackers, stationed at their screens, watching everything and more. 

Knowing little about the film September 5, but everything about the true story, I was amazed to find it was completely set inside the studio of ABC TV. The crew are there to report on the Munich Olympic Games of 1972 so they are all sports people. Their news counterparts are all in America when the hostage taking takes place. So they move to tell the story as it happens for the audience back home. Some of that is successful, some a disaster. I thought it was well constructed and directed by Tim Fehlbaum and the cinematography was even better from Markus Forderer. He used hand held cameras and old lenses to give that authentic 70's feel. It certainly did. 

In Peter Bradshaw's review ("a taught and tense thriller") he says "journalists take centre stage". OK if you count sports people. For me, it was all about the heads of the team wanting the scoop of their lives, forgetting that the terrorists could also see everything they were putting on TV. However, the star of the show for me was their (fictional) German translator Marianne Gebhart superbly played by Leonie Benesch.  At the Odeon in Aylesbury, this was a once only screening for Senior Screen.