The Cinema Corner – January 12th

Movie of the week – Darkest Hour

Gary Oldman picked up a Best Actor award at the Golden Globes for his performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. It really is the definitive screen portrayal of the wartime Prime Minister. Joe Wright’s film focusses on the early days of Churchill’s reign, as he is faced with pressure from his party to enter into peace talks with Nazi Germany, while debating how to deal with the increasingly drastic situation at Dunkirk.

A Woman’s Life

Based on a novel by Guy de Maupassant, A Woman’s Life is one of the most gruelling yet ultimately rewarding experiences you’ll have in a cinema all year. Judith Chemla gives a quietly heartbreaking performance as an 18th century French noblewoman who enters into a loveless marriage and lives a life akin to that of a prisoner despite her wealth and status. A damning indictment of history’s treatment of even the most powerful of women.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Also collecting awards recently is Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Frances McDormand is excellent as the small town mother who attempts to shame her local Sheriff into investigating her daughter’s murder, but the film is a tonal mess, one that features a cast of talented actors struggling to portray a roster of cardboard characters.

King of New York

Abel Ferrara’s 1990 thriller King of New York boasts arguably Christopher Walken’s finest performance as a Robin Hood-esque gangster newly released from prison. Featuring a breakout performance by future NYPD Blue star David Caruso as the cop determined to send him back behind bars, it’s a rare mainstream genre piece from a filmmaker known for his divisive arthouse work. Catch it late Saturday night at the Lighthouse.

By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com