Hrkn to .. Share Radio's Film Review

James Cameron-Wilson was kept on the edge of his seat by the survival film #7 Whalefall. The tale of a scuba diver swallowed by a whale is skilfully realised with amazing effects and sound helping to make a claustrophobic thriller. James had a whale of a time! He was even more impressed by Apple TV's true tale of Tenzing, the incredible but overlooked mountaineer. This is a terrifying tale of man vs. nature which is also a poetic study with amazing cinematography. The only complaint in an otherwise flawless movie concerns the occasionally intrusive music. James was also taken with Ben Affleck's Animals on Netflix, which Affleck also co-wrote and stars in. It's an accomplished thriller, the actor's 6th film as director. It's a polished, multi-layered drama with many surprises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Cameron-Wilson missed #1 Other Mommy with Jessica Chastain. But he was smitten with #5 The Social Reckoning, written and directed by The West Wing's creator Aaron Sorkin. Starring Jeremy Strong this true story about a Facebook whistleblower is an intellectual workout with amazing dialogue. He was a fan, too, of #7 The Uprising, about The Peasants' Revolt. Directed by Paul Greengrass and with the likes of Andrew Garfield and Stephen Dillane, it is a medieval-set tale, based on real events, which feels very real and stirs indignation against unfairness in the audience. James also caught Unabomber, another of Netflix's true-crime thrillers, starring Russell Crowe and Shailene Woodley. The story is intriguing but the workmanlike approach means that it is not particularly gripping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Cameron-Wilson found #1 Verity ridiculously enjoyable but for all the wrong reasons. Yet another Colleen Hoover adaptation, staring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, he found himself laughing at the ridiculous plot while others simply left the cinema. A thriller without a shred of credibility, be warned that all the twists are in the trailer. James approached #4, Alejandro Inarritu's Digger, with trepidation, having disliked his multi-award-winning Birdman. But he found it a brilliant film with important things to say. Imagine Dr. Strangelove but in the age of climate change and you get some idea of what you might expect. Although it stars Tom Cruise, his makeup is so good you forget it's him. Be aware, though, that it will polarise audiences. James wanted to see #35, Her Private Hell, as it's directed by Drive's Nicolas Winding Refn. But there is nothing remotely real about this ostensible thriller, which is spectacularly violent at times and constantly shifts tone. Whatever Refn wanted to achieve was lost on James. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Cameron-Wilson is amazed by the buoyancy of the box office, boosted by a mildly-revised Avengers: Endgame at #1 which cinemagoers may be mistaken in thinking a new film. He was bored by #3 Heart of the Beast starring Brad Pitt, finding it just another wilderness movie, despite some great photography. However, #4 Sense and Sensibility is a superlative adaptation. Featuring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, it excels in every department, particularly cinematography, score and screenplay. He much admired #13, the NT Live showing of The Misanthrope. He was also surprised to enjoy The Runner on Amazon Prime, a thriller set in London with Gal Gadot and Damian Lewis, which he found pulse-quickening and relevant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With box office buoyant, James Cameron-Wilson is delighted by #3 Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, perhaps the funniest of Aardman's animated Shaun series. #7 is the documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger which is most likely to appeal to existing Oasis fans familiar with the story so far. James could not be more excited by the limited edition, restored, disc version of 2000's Sexy Beast, with Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley and Ian McShane in one of the best of British gangster films. With visual authority and extraordinary performances, it also has the best set of extras in years. The Whisper Man, on Netflix, is a conventional yet nasty crime thriller which has nothing good about it, despite the cast including Robert de Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices