Movie of the week – Christine
We’ve got no less than three movies based on true stories this week. The best of the trio is Christine, which tells the tragic story of Christine Chubbock, a news reporter whose 1974 on-air suicide inspired the 1976 movie Network. Rebecca Hall is excellent in the lead role and her descent into depression is morbidly captivating. You may need a stiff drink after this one.
Hacksaw Ridge
Mel Gibson makes a belated return as director with Hacksaw Ridge, the story of Desmond Doss, a Quaker whose refusal to bear arms as a medic in WWII initially saw him labelled as a coward. On the titular battleground however he proved himself a hero, saving the lives of close to 100 men. In Gibson’s hands the film offers one of the most realistic and visceral portrayals of combat ever put to film.
Denial
Denial dramatises the ’90s court case in which notorious Holocaust denier David Irving sued Jewish historian Deborah Lipstadt, forcing her and her legal team to produce evidence that the Holocaust did indeed occur. It’s become all too timely, and the performances from Rachel Weisz as Lipstadt, Timothy Spall as Irving, and especially Tom Wilkinson as lawyer Richard Rampton are outstanding.
T2 Trainspotting
21 years after Trainspotting became a cultural phenomenon, a sequel pulls into cinemas. T2 Trainspotting reunites the cast for a followup that never really finds its own footing and relies too heavily on nostalgia, but there’s enough to keep fans of the original mildly entertained.
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
