Bohemian Rhapsody will Rock You. Movie Rating 10 friends out of 10 Family Rating Mild coarse language, sexual references, drug use Bohemian Rhapsody captures everything that seduces me to attend the movies. It made me laugh, had me supporting the underdog and booing the villains. It made me stamp my feet and sing along to great music. I shed a tear out of sadness and also out of pride and on a number of occasions it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as only great music or sport can do. At the end of the movie the entire audience broke out in applause and no one was in a hurry to leave the theatre as the music continued through the credits. The story is basically the telling of how the band Queen came to be, how it wrote its music and grew to be one of the greatest music acts of all time. While the story focuses on lead singer Freddie Mercury the plot does not diminish the other three band members and shows how they worked (didn't work) together to create some of the most iconic music of the 70/80s. Rami Malek was amazing in capturing Mercury's character as he struts his stuff on stage. Gwilym Lee (Brian May), Ben Hardy (Roger Taylor) and Joseph Mazzello (John Deacon) provide great support as does Lucy Boynton as Mercury's early girlfriend, Mary Austin. I don't know enough about Freddie Mercury's life to know whether the relationship with his fellow band members and Mary, as portrayed in the film, is accurate but the portrayal of friendship is so good that I am happy to accept that it is true. The same applies to the timeline of events shown in the film. They are not always chronologically correct but they work together to tell the message behind the story. While you could watch Bohemian Rhapsody for only the music and come away satisfied, it provided you with so much more. There were positive messages about the value of family, the importance of friendship, to believe in your own ability and not be limited by others belief in you. It shows that you need to associate with people who want the best for you and that not being yourself to prove popular to others can leave you lonely while in a crowd. But most importantly it was just joyful to watch and be overtaken by the story and musical performances. I really enjoyed the sequences related to how many of their iconic songs were created and then brought to life and I had goosebumps when they portrayed the first live performances of Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You, however, the real magic occurs when they show Queen appearing at Live Aid in 1985. The director of Bohemian Rhapsody plays with the storyline…

A Star is Born shows you can teach an old dog, new tricks Movie Rating 8.5 friends out of 10 Family Rating Adult Drama, frequent coarse language, mild sex scenes. I have never been a fan of watching remakes and especially when the previous version was so well done. So having watched all three previous adaptations of 'A Star is Born' I wondered whether this newest version could compare favourably to the others. To its credit, it took the same story and brought it into a new era that made it relevant to today's audience. As the story has been told so many times, following the same premise each time, I am not going to try and not give away the storyline. So if you can honestly say you do not know the story then look away now. Bradley Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a successful country-rock star who is struggling with addictions and tinnitus that is affecting his ongoing career. By accident, he meets Ally, played by Lady Gaga, who is an aspiring singer/songwriter who has never had the chance to showcase her skills. They immediately hit it off and Maine is blown away by Ally's talent but there is little likely hood that their relationship will develop further. However, one thing leads to another and Ally joins Maine on the stage at one of his concerts and the rest is history. They make beautiful music together until a promoter convinces Ally that she should develop her own musical career as a pop artist. This decision leads to Ally becoming more successful, which Jackson has trouble dealing with and he gets back on to the alcohol and drugs. His downfall is complete when he upstages Ally during her Grammy acceptance speech. Jackson undergoes rehabilitation and that is where I finish the plot line so as to not spoil the end of the movie. The movie pretty much revolves around Jackson and Ally's careers and relationships and so they have to carry the movie. Both Cooper and Lady Gaga play their roles very convincingly and their interaction makes the relationship feel real. Cooper surprises with his singing skills and has a great husky voice that had me believing that he was the real deal. His character has flaws but he shows off a vulnerability that allows you to feel for him even with his weaknesses. If you are of an older generation and not familiar with the music of Lady Gaga I can tell you she has an amazing voice but was able to add another dimension when taking on the country ballad. More importantly, her acting was exceptional and I found her portrayal as a loving caring partner who was strong enough to demand better from her husband as very genuine. Unmasked from her pop image I found that she has a very earthy beauty…

Bad Times at the El Royale makes for good times at the movies. Movie Rating 8 friends out of 10 Family Rating Adult themes, coarse language and violence The movie, Bad Times at the El Royale, has snuck into theatres very quietly with all the fuss for A Star is Born eclipsing other releases. I had heard this movie referred to as a cheap tribute to Quentin Tarantino but I believe that it captured the Tarantino storytelling without creating a copycat story. The El Royale is a regal old hotel that is way past its heyday but used to be the place that rich and powerful would visit. It has the distinction of being built on the border between Nevada and California that allowed it to be a casino on the Nevada side but not on the California side. When we visit the El Royale Hotel it is run down and without much business but sees the arrival of four unrelated characters with their own secrets. One by one the backstory for each character is told and as it does so there are unexpected reveals that throw your initial perceptions off guard. The setting at the hotel is the late 60's and there are hints as to the racism, male chauvinism and hippie culture that was America of the day. The story does not rush the development of the characters but you know that you can't look away or else you may miss something that will help to make sense later. The five main characters are Jeff Bridges as Father Flynn, Cynthia Erivo (I have not seen her before) as backup singer Darlene Sweet, John Hamm as salesman Laramie Sullivan, Dakota Johnson as Emily Summerspring and Lewis Pullman as the hotel's only employee Miles Miller. Each actor provides a facade at the beginning and it is not until the movie develops do you find who they really are and what brings them to El Royale. With only a small number of characters, they play well as an ensemble and the intertwining stories and relationships allows you to see the truth emerge. You may have also heard that Chris Hemsworth is in the film and he has a vital role in the second half of the movie but it is not a character you will have seen him play before. His presence fits the character to a tee and it is not hard to believe that he could have the influence he has on those around him. Too much more would give away key elements of the plot. So why has the movie been compared to Tarantino? Firstly as mentioned there is a depth in each character beyond your average story. Secondly, the character roles start out as individuals but then become entangled and each impacts on the other without intending to. Thirdly there are incidents…