28 Years Later, The Ballad of Wallis Island and Jurassic World: Rebirth

 

It was not what I expected from a Danny Boyle movie. The first half of Years Later was so boring, I wondered what it was all about. But then half way through something interesting happens and the last forty minutes when young Spike (an excellent Alfie Williams) and his mother are off on a mission. And so begins an exciting adventure, especially when Ralph Fiennes turns up. He's just to good for this film, I would have hoped that there was more from Jodie Comer's character, but no. I did like the shots of Holy Island and the causeway , all very familiar. See posts of 17th July 2013 and 28th September 2017. 

I very nearly missed The Ballad of Wallis Island. I had seen the trailer a couple of times and I just find Tim Key (star and co-writer) so annoying. And yes, he was. But the film is a delight. A low budget movie set on a (Hebridean?) island but actually filmed in Pembrokeshire and Ramsey Island. Arriving to play a gig (for a load of money) is famous folk singer Herb McGwyer played by Tom Basden, the other co-writer. Him and Tim Key are mediocre compared with the arrival of the superb Carey Mulligan. She and Tom have history. Based on a 2007 short film Herb McGwyer plays Wallis Island, we wait in vain for the audience to turn up. See highonfilms.com with some great photos. Dominic Maxwell in the Sunday Times loved it and Francesca Steele in June's Sight and Sound called it "an effecting comedy" and "this is simple but not simplistic film making: an exceedingly British comedy that steers just clear of mawkish".

The first part of Jurassic World: Rebirth is amazing. It's just a preamble about why anyone would want to visit the abandoned theme park that was Jurassic World. Especially as it is inhabited by all the creatures that those experiments of years ago went wrong. So they are all so ugly and not what anyone would like to see, But for us as viewers, they are something else. The set up is unlike anything we have seen before in this never ending series. All down to director Gareth Edwards. My view is that he has never matched his early film Monsters although Godzilla was OK. I can see why Scarlett Johansson was employed as lead actress following some super hero roles, but here she just seems out of her depth. Maybe that's because of the very ordinary script. As usual we then have two alternating stories to keep us interested. And of course, lots of horrible dinosaurs.