Movie Round Up...
F1/The Ballad Of Wallis Island/Parasite
As the anniversary of the original summer blockbuster Jaws looms ever closer, studio bosses are wheeling out the big guns and hoping for more of the same with the likes of Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth, the Fantastic Four and even a Naked Gun reboot, improbably starring Liam Neeson.
FI is another of this megamoney ilk. It stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, an ageing racing driver who blew his chance of fame and fortune, but is now being given one last swing at glory, courtesy of his old rival Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) who owns a stumbling grand prix franchise. If Hayes fails, the whole venture goes down. Can he bury his ego and teach cocky rookie Jason Pearce (Damson Idris) how to be a winner, on and off the track?
Suffice to say, the plot creaks more even than Hayes old bones, and while the in-car action sequences are brilliantly executed by director Joseph Kosinksi, overall this is more Lada than Ferrari.
Whether it’s the heavy handed exposition, the all too predictable plotlines or scenes dripping in enough product placement to put Pearl and Dean out of work , F1 never really gets off the starting grid.
And now, by way of contrast…
The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a lovely, empathetic not quite romcom written by and starring Tom Basden, who you might recognise from the hideously under-rated BBC sitcom Here We Go.
Basden plays Herb, one half of Mortimer McGuire, a once popular folk music duo, long since torn asunder. The prospect of a large cheque which he can use to fund his new album draws him to play a gig on a remote island courtesy of superfan Charles (Tom Key) who is secretly plotting to get the band back together. There’s some beautiful, vulnerable acting by Key, Basden and Carey Mulligan, who plays Herb’s old singing sidekick Nell.
Low budget and low key, this certainly isn’t one of those summer blockbusters, but my money says it’s better than all of them.
Also on limited re-release in Parasite, Bong Joon Ho’s Palme D’Or winning dark comedy/thriller/satire, which sees members of a family living in squalor slowly inveigle their way into high society. It’s funny. Its scary. It has a deeper meaning. Go see it - just make sure you don’t gobble too much popcorn before the stomach churning, blood-soaked finale.