Movie of the week – Harmonium
Japanese cinema has recently fallen into two camps – tender human dramas and shocking thrillers. Koji Fukada’s outstanding Harmonium combines the two in a story of a family rocked by the reappearance of a mysterious old acquaintance. A deeply disturbing but remarkably observant look at grief and revenge, this is one of the must see films of 2017.
Without Name
Ireland has produced a lot of horror movies lately, and Without Name is one of the more interesting. Making great use of its creepy Wicklow woods, the film follows a land surveyor who finds himself menaced by an unseen presence. While it functions as both a spooky ghost story and an interesting character drama for its first hour or so, it sadly falls apart in its final stretch.
Mindhorn
Mindhorn is a derivative British comedy that owes more than a little to Ricky Gervais and Alan Partridge. Following a narcissistic, washed up actor who returns to his most famous role to thwart a killer, this one offers nothing we haven’t seen countless times from recent UK comedies.
Sleepless
A remake of a French thriller, Sleepless stars Jamie Foxx as a crooked cop who gets in over his head when he steals 25 kilos of cocaine from a mobster who then kidnaps his son as collateral. Set almost entirely in a Vegas casino, this version fails to use its location to the same effect as its Gallic original and thrills are all too lacking.
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
