David R. Walker

Back to Black

Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson

Cast: Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville, Bronson Webb, Sam Buchanan

Running time: 2 hours and 2 minutes

Film Rating: 8 out of 10

UIP Universal release – Film Preview – Suncoast – Thank to UIP Pictures for the invite to the Preview.

Contemporary biopics are difficult to pull off successfully. Often the artist or pop star is still fresh in the collective cultural memory and the British jazz and soul singer Amy Winehouse is no exception.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) does a sterling job of creating a contemporary cinematic biopic of Amy Winehouse, the legendary and hugely talented singer who become a music sensation with such songs as Rehab, Back to Black and Love is a losing Game in her latest film Back to Black starring British actress Marisa Abela in the title role opposite a superb Jack O’Connell (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Ferrari, Unbroken) as Amy’s low life drug addict boyfriend Blake who proves to be the pop singer’s downfall.

Set almost entirely in North London, Back to Black has a great supporting cast including Oscar nominee Lesley Manville (The Phantom Thread) as her grandmother Cynthia and Eddie Marsan (Wrath of Man, The Gentleman) as her devoting father Mitch Winehouse.

As Amy’s career takes off thanks to her music manager Nick Shymansky played by Sam Buchanan, the singer’s talent is offset by her unbridled alcoholism and her refusal to play by the rules of traditional music marketing, which could have made her into a superstar.

At the heart of Back to Black, in which director Sam Taylor-Johnson emphasizes is the immense talent that Amy Winehouse had, whose voice was unbelievable and her soulful husky songs would lead her to win a Grammy Award in 2008 for Best Female Pop Vocal performance.

Both Marisa Abela and Jack O’Connell are brilliant as the tortured toxic couple Amy and Blake whose crazy drug fuelled romance and brief marriage echoed such similar tragic partnerships as Nirvana’s lead singer Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love and Sex Pistols anarchist frontman Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

Back to Black could have been edited in parts, yet the film is saved by Amy Winehouse’s unforgettable music which makes Back to Black worth seeing especially if you are a big fan. Amy’s famous response when she won the Grammy is “This is for Camden Town!”

Unfortunately Amy Winehouse joined the 27 club like Kurt Cobain but her music is what endures and lives on like a flash of brilliance amid the murky years of the early 2000’s in which the director paints London as a dreary city filled with smoky pubs and hardworking North Londoners amidst a British music scene which was recovering from the stupendous Spice Girls hype of the late 1990’s.

As musical biopics go this film is worth watching as a tale about a musical genius whose talent was decimated by her unbridled addiction. The best line in Back to Black is when the police arrest a stark naked Blake, Amy’s husband and asks if there are any drugs in the house? Blake replies “No, we have taken them all.”

Back to Black gets a solid rating of 8 out of 10 and is a commendable musical film from Focus Features who generally never deliver poor quality. Highly recommended viewing.

Monkey Man

Director: Dev Patel

Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikander Kher, Adithi Kalkunte, Sobhita Dhulipala, Makarand Deshpande

Running time: 2 hours and 1 minute

Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Incorporating Hindu mythology and folklore particularly around the legend of Hanuman, Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel pulls off the difficult task of writer, director and actor in his latest film Monkey Man in which he stars as the John Wick inspired hero Kid, who returns to the fictional Indian city of Yatana to avenge the death of his mother by Rana, a brutal local policeman who destroys local tribal land at the request of sociopathic guru Baba Shakti played by Makarand Deshpande.

Shot on location in Indonesia, which doubles for India, Monkey Man is a gritty action film featuring an extremely muscular Dev Patel who certainly with flamboyant dexterity manages to direct, write and act in a very fascinating film entwined with Hindu mythology, violence, fleeting beauty but significantly telling a story of bloodlust and revenge.

Monkey Man is nothing you will expect as a viewer, with lightning fast editing by the editing trio Joe Galdo, David Jansco and Tim Murrell, who expertly craft Monkey Man into a highly energising action film in the tradition of the early Bruce Lee films (think Enter the Dragon) with influences from Eastern action films from Japan to Korea to Indonesia.

To add some light relief to an otherwise grim and gritty narrative about Kid taking revenge for his mother on the perpetrators who frequent the lavish men’s club The King’s Club, there is South African actor Sharlto Copley (District 9, Chappie, Maleficent) who is cast complete with a hefty South African accent as the shady emcee Tiger in the underground fight club scenes in which Kid fights fellow wrestlers wearing symbolic animal masks for cash. Hence, Kid’s nickname Monkey Man.

Kid after nearly being killed seeks refuge with an outcast tribe of third gender hijra, where the relentless mother of this mystical sari wearing tribe, Alpha played by Vipin Sharma who urges Kid to gain his strength back and boldly navigate the bloody path of struggle and vengeance against the wealthy rulers of Yatana.

What holds Monkey Man together is the muscular performance of Dev Patel who sheds his type cast polite boy image as seen in such films as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Slumdog Millionaire and The Man who Knew Infinity. Patel recreates his own image as a tough action hero and an actor to be reckoned with as he successfully moulds a fascinating Hindu action film complete with mythology, malevolence and malicious intent.

Monkey Man, despite it’s extreme violence, stands as an energising action film which will keep audiences entertained by some exotic action sequences especially the final show down at the Kings Club in downtown Yitana.

Thanks to Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Get Out) who acts as producer on Monkey Man, he fought for Monkey Man to have a theatrical release, ensuring that Dev Patel’s talent will be seen worldwide in cinemas globally and not lost on some obscure streaming site. A brilliant decision indeed.

Monkey Man contains some niche appeal, but as a gritty, bloodletting action film it does not disappoint and Dev Patel proves his worth in Hollywood, who upon his arrival as the star of the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire in 2008, he was initially treated as an unknown British newcomer, whose talent had to be proven.

Monkey Man through its sheer tenacity and energy, gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10 and is recommended viewing for those that love fast paced action films complete with wrestling, gun fighting and martial arts.

Godzilla x Kong The New Empire

Director: Adam Wingard

Cast: Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen, Rachel House

Running Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Film Rating: 7 out of 10

In the ambitious sequel to the 2021 monster film Godzilla vs Kong, director Adam Wingard returns as director for the 2024 film titled Godzilla x Kong The New Empire and deftly expands the storyline of Kaylee Hottle’s character Jia whose foster mother Irene Andrews is once again played by British star Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Frost Nixon, The Prestige).

Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens (I am Your Man, Blithe Spirit, Beauty and the Beast) is added to the cast as the goofy Titan veterinarian Trapper, all bravado and hippie vibes as he expertly extracts a broken tooth from an anesthetized King Kong after Kong snapped a front tooth after eating a primordial creature in the Hollow Earth, his natural reclusive playground which appears to contain more subterranean secrets which are revealed later in the film’s sprawling narrative.

Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway) stars as fanatical Titan podcaster Bernie Hayes who relishes the opportunity to team up with Andrews and Trapper as they have to figure out the strange symbols that Jia has been receiving, which reveals a distress signal from a lost ancient civilization.

While the human interest angle of the narrative fades very quickly in favour of the gigantic monsters, it really is Kong and Godzilla who take centre stage in this CGI effects laden sequel which is truly spectacular as the two beasts lure each other to exotic geographical landmarks like the pyramids outside Cairo and to the Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro. Godzilla after nestling comfortably in the ancient ruins of the Colosseum in Rome is awakened as he senses Kong’s presence but this time it is not for combat but to unite against a far greater threat.

The new threat appears as the Skar King of Hollow Earth, a malicious ape that has a massive following who is planning on using Shimo, an ancient ice powered Titan, Godzilla’s nemesis to threaten the delicately balanced status quo between Monarch’s worlds.

With Jia discovering her natural tribe and the humans trying to survive amidst the gigantic battle between Kong and the Skar King, Godzilla x Kong The New Empire is a stunning, visually exciting special effects feast of monster battles, fantastic creatures and an epic battle of Titans.

While Godzilla is embedded in Japanese cultural mythology cemented recently by the 2024 Oscar win for Best Visual Effects for the Japanese language film Godzilla Minus One, Kong gets amble opportunity to explore his territory and origins as he navigates a Planet of the Apes inspired Hollow Earth environment. In this film, Kong steals the show.

In Godzilla x Kong The New Empire both beasts get ample screen time even with the radioactive Godzilla emerging out of the ocean in Rio with a pink glow. This monster fantasy film definitely has a specific fan base and if you belong to the tribe that loves Godzilla films and Japanese Anime then you will thoroughly enjoy this 2024 sequel which remains tantalizing, exciting and filled with colossal action.

Godzilla x Kong The New Empire gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and definitely see it on the big screen, preferably in Imax 3D.

Recommended viewing as the first big action film, eagerly starting off the 2024 summer blockbuster season.

Road House

Director: Doug Liman

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Magnussen, Conor MacGregor, Daniela Melchior, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Lukas Gage, Hannah Love Lanier

Running Time: 2 hours and 1 minute

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime

Film Rating:  6.5 out of 10

PLEASE NOTE THIS FILM IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME

21^st century remakes of 1980’s action movies can be hit and miss but in the 2024 version of the 1989 film Road House, this time starring Jake Gyllenhaal as ex-UFC fighter Dalton who gets a job at a dive bar in the Florida Keys as a bouncer starts off really cheesy but ends with a bang.

That’s thanks to the casting of Mixed Martial Arts fighter Conor MacGregor as Dalton’s nemesis, the psychotic Knox and the fight sequence at the end is riveting. While the script in Road House needed some work, the Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman does maintain the pace of this action remake.

Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain) bulks up for the role of Dalton, the muscular tough ex fighter now bouncer who assists Road House owner Frankie played by Jessica Williams as she tries to fend off a vicious biker gang from destroying her property on the instructions of spoilt brat faced rich kid Ben Brandt, wonderfully played by Billy Magnussen who seems to stealing all the villain roles since his turn in the last Bond film No Time To Die.

There are a lot of cheesy bar fight scenes in Road House and the dialogue is naturally not top notch, but Road House is a perfectly entertaining action film to watch especially if viewers are a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal.

The love interest in the film is the local nurse Ellie played by Portuguese actress Daniela Melchior and her corrupt Sheriff father is played by a fellow Portuguese actor Joaquim de Almeida (Fast Five, Desperado, The Hitman’s Bodyguard).

Gyllenhaal plays against type and seeks some of his inner demons which he displayed so brilliantly in the excellent Dan Gilroy 2014 film Nightcrawler, except that he is too good an actor to really be appearing in flashy 1980’s remakes but fortunately his talent and leading man appeal saves Road House from becoming completely disastrous.

Road House is a thrilling action film with a standard storyline of hero comes to town to save the town folk from evil villains except this time the town is in the gorgeous and sultry Florida Keys. Thankfully film makers can do so much with such a tropical location and it’s perfect for complex action sequences involving ski boats and high ways just like in the Bad Boys franchise.

Road House gets a film rating of 6.5 out of 10, it’s not going to win any awards but it is a great way to spend two hours on a rainy afternoon if viewers are looking for a decent film on the streaming sites.

The 96th Academy Awards took place on Sunday 10th March 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Here are all the winners:

Best Picture: Oppenheimer

Best Director: Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer

Best Actress: Emma Stone – Poor Things

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jnr – Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress: Davine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Best Original Screenplay: Justine Triet & Arthur Harari – Anatomy of a Fall

Best Adapted Screenplay: Cord Jefferson – American Fiction

Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema – Oppenheimer

Best Costume Design: Holly Waddington – Poor Things

Best Make up & Hairstyling: Poor Things

Best Visual Effects: Godzilla minus One

Best Film Editing: Jennifer Lame – Oppenheimer

Best Sound: The Zone of Interest

Best Production Design: Poor Things

Best Documentary Feature:  20 days in Mariupol directed by Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine)

Best Documentary Short Subject: The Repair Shop directed by Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot

Best Original Score: Ludwig Goransson – Oppenheimer

Best Original Song: “What was I made for?” by Billie Eilish & Fineas – Barbie

Best Animated Feature Film: The Boy and the Heron directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Japan)

Best Live Action Short Film: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar directed by Wes Anderson

Best International Feature Film: The Zone of Interest directed by Jonathan Glazer (United Kingdom) – Film in German with English subtitles.

The Bricklayer

Director: Renny Harlin

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Nina Dobrev, Clifton Collins Jr, Tim Blake Nelson, Ifenesh Hadera, Ori Pfeffer

Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Film Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Millennium Media the film production company behind the Expendables franchise, delivers another paint by numbers action film this time with strong man Aaron Eckhart as the spy hero Steve Vail as the Philadelphia based “Bricklayer” in the new Renny Harlin directed film The Bricklayer also starring Nina Dobrev as Kate Bannon and the superb character actor Tim Blake Nelson (Nightmare Alley) as their CIA director O’Malley.

The Bricklayer is set in Thelassoniki in Greece and features Bannon and Vail as two completely different CIA operative who arrive in Greek port city to hunt the elusive villain Victor Radek, flamboyantly played by Clifton Collins Jr sporting a black bowler hat. Radek is seeking revenge against the American spy agency based in Langley, Virginia as he blames them for the death of his wife and child so he is executing certain key journalists as part of a larger strategy to assassinate the Greek deputy foreign minister.

Before the tough Vail and the rookie Bannon can make inroads in locating Radek they first have to deal with a Greek gangster Denis Stefanopoulos played complete with flashy suits and gold chains by Israeli actor Ori Pfeffer (Hacksaw Ridge, The Hitman’s Bodyguard).

Aaron Eckhart is having an interesting career having starred in both high profile films like Christopher Nolan’s the Batman Trilogy and in some quirky American films like Thank You for Smoking to Oscar winning films like Erin Brokovich, but he appears to be going the same route as Scottish star and action hero Gerard Butler which will always pay the bills and keep audiences satisfied.

The Bricklayer does not have a clear storyline but the action is solid, a sort of medium budget spy film and is saved by a salvageable onscreen chemistry between the two lead stars. Bulgarian actress Nina Dobrev (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, XXX: The Return of Xander Cage) holds her own as the female heroine and possible love interest although in The Bricklayer the script focuses more on the action and fighting sequences than any romance.

Capote star Clifton Collins Jr is perfect as the duplicitous villain Radek and Tim Blake Nelson has the best lines in the film as the stroppy non-nonsense CIA director O’Malley.

If audiences enjoy a great action film set in Greece, then The Bricklayer is recommended viewing and proves that the 56 year old actor Aaron Eckhart can hold his own as muscular action star.

The Bricklayer gets a film rating of 6.5 out of 10 and won’t win any awards except some for corny images of American patriotism. It’s an entertaining action film which what the Los Angeles based Production Company Millennium Media always delivers.

The 77th British Academy Film Awards, also known as the BAFAs, were held on 18th February 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2023.

Best Film: Oppenheimer

Best Director: Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer

Best Actress: Emma Stone – Poor Things

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey, Jnr – Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Outstanding British Film: Zone of Interest directed by Jonathan Glazer

Best Film not in the English Language: Zone of Interest directed by Jonathan Glazer

Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy of a Fall

Best Adapted Screenplay: American Fiction

Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer

Best Costume Design: Poor Things

Best Hair and Make up: Poor Things

Best Production Design: Poor Things

Best Sound: The Zone of Interest

Rising Star Award: Mia McKenna-Bruce

Dune Part Two

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling, Christopher Walken, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgard, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Lea Seydoux, Souhella Yacoub

Running time: 2 hours 46 minutes

Film Rating: 9 out of 10

Gathering an ensemble cast of exceptionally talented actors and then throwing in the hottest stars of the 2020’s, Dune Part Two is almost symbolic of the old guard of actors handing the mantel to the new hugely talented tribe of hot young stars from Zendaya to Timothee Chalamet, from Florence Pugh to Austin Butler.

Paul Atreides after suffering the defeat of his royal house in Dune Part 1, hides with the fremen people in Arrakis with his mother Lady Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson, as they battle a Harkonnen ambush who are desperate to annihilate the Fremen and take over the lucrative spice mining of the desert planet.

As Lady Jessica goes through the process of transforming into the Reverend Mother, she drinks from the Water of Life which is a process fatal to men. While Lady Jessica is secretly manipulating her son to grasp complete power, Paul is distracted by his love affair with Chani played by Zendaya.

Meanwhile in the House of Harkonnen, the Baron wonderfully played with a gloating evil by Stellan Skarsgard gives full power to his younger psychotic nephew Feyd-Rautha a viciously appropriate performance by Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis), who shines in the spectacularly shot gladiator scenes in the bizarre celebrations of his birthday.

Dune Part Two is slow moving in the first part of the film especially with Atreides acclimatizing to the ways of the desert bound Fremen tribes, but once Austin Butler appears in the film as the hero’s demonic nemesis then the pace of the film increases exponentially.

The Emperor Shaddam IV regally played by Oscar winner Christopher Walken and his daughter the princess Irulan Corrino played by Florence Pugh are lured into a trap to come to Arrakis then Paul Atreides decides to meet his destiny as he takes on the Harkonnen and their boss The Emperor while discovering a genealogical secret that bounds his mother to the malignant portentous Baron Harkonnen.

The second half of Dune Part Two is where Denis Villeneuve excels as a director as he creates these epic battle sequences involving the spice worms, the clash of the royal galactic houses and a fight to the death by the carries of two of the most vital bloodlines in Dune, Paul Atreides and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, both virile young men in their prime ready to defend their houses and seek a match that will fortify their power.

The supporting cast of Dune Part Two is superb ranging from Charlotte Rampling to Javier Bardem, from Bond girl Lea Seydoux (No Time to Die) to Josh Brolin, but as a cinematic epic, this film is a mesmerizing tale of retribution, power and the abandonment of the indigenous population for a greater self-enrichment by those more powerful and affluent.

Adding a pulsating score by Hans Zimmer and gorgeously lit cinematography by Greig Fraser as he clearly delineates the differences between the Fremen and the people of the South, between the Harkonnen, vicious and abundant and the wealthy Emperor and his beautiful daughter Princess Irulan Corrino, Dune Part Two is the first major cinematic event of 2024 and is highly recommended viewing.

If you love science fiction, then this film must be seen on the biggest screen possible. It truly is magnificent and visually alluring, complete with superior production design especially in the brutal Harkonnen gladiator scenes.

Dune Part Two gets a film rating of 9 out of 10 and does perfect justice to the novels by Frank Herbert. Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve achieves the majestic and creates an allegorical tale set in the shadows of Arrakis about neo-colonization, revenge and rivalry, while showcasing how vulnerable men can be when absolute power is their wily seducer.

The Holdovers

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Paul Giametti, Davine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Tate Donovan

Running Time: 2 hours and 13 minutes

Film Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Nebraska, The Descendants and Sideways director Alexander Payne delivers another Oscar gem in the thoroughly retro comedy drama The Holdovers set in a posh boy’s boarding school Barton in rural Massachusetts in December 1970.

Capturing the cinema aesthetic of the 1970’s, Alexander Payne skilfully crafts a decade appropriate feel for The Holdovers, paying tribute to such classic films as Milos Forman’s Oscar winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.

With bespoke production design, The Holdovers really scores on the acting front with a suitably witty performance by Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti (The Cinderella Man) as washed out ancient history teacher Paul Hunham who is tasked with the responsibility of looking after The Holdover kids, boys whose parents have not collected them for the December break.

Whilst initially there are 5 boys of various ages, soon there is only the awkward and clever Angus Tully superbly played by Dominic Sessa in his first breakout onscreen role. Dominic Sessa is brilliant and should have been nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar.

To round off the trio and offset the mock father son dynamic between Tully and Hunham is the no-nonsense chain smoking kitchen cook Mary Lamb in a career turning performance by Davine Joy Randolph who was perfectly cast opposite Giamatti and Sessa.

Randolph’s performance rightly earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations at the 2024 Academy Awards and she creates a fascinating character range of a tough woman who has to emotionally conceal the utter tragedy of her only son being killed in the Vietnam War. Mary Lamb has to contend with issues of class, privilege and racism at this prestigious boy’s school while forming an unlikely relationship with both the antiquated school teacher and the restless, irascible teenage boy during the Christmas of 1970 when momentous change was about to occur in America.

What keeps The Holdovers thoroughly entertaining is the erudite and suitably sarcastic original screenplay by David Hemingson and it’s this tightly woven dynamic between the three characters who grapple with being thrown together by circumstance but become stronger by assisting each other as they all experience an emotional revelation which releases them from their own individual trauma.

It is really Paul Giamatti who is a revelation as the grumpy ancient history teacher who has to constantly deal with these lazy, back chatting teenage boys who he collectively refers to as lazy and vulgar philistines. Giamatti’s performance is complimented by a wonderfully astute performance by Davine Joy Randolph who deserves some award recognition.

If you enjoy a retro American comedy drama set in the 1970’s, then The Holdovers is highly recommended viewing which gets a film rating of 8.5 out of 10. Phenomenal acting and a perfect script.

Nyad

Directors: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Cast: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Luke Cosgrove, Ethan James Romero

Running Time: 2 hours and 1 minute

Film Rating: 7 out of 10

Please Note this film is only available on Netflix

Documentary film makers and married couple Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi bring to life the unbelievable true story of long distance swimmer Diana Nyad who attempted to swim from Cuba to Key West in this fascinating docu-drama simply entitled Nyad starring two brilliant actresses. Following its premiere at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, USA, Nyad had a short cinematic run making it eligible for Oscar nominations and then went straight onto the Netflix streaming site.

Five time Oscar nominee Annette Bening (The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia, The Kids are Alright, Nyad) takes on the role of the determined swimmer Diana Nyad and Two time Oscar winner Jodie Foster (The Accused, The Silence of the Lambs) is her friend and trainer Bonnie Stoll. Diana and Bonnie were once lovers but are now close friends, both understanding each other’s determination and desire.

Diana Nyad is a force to be reckoned with as a motivational speaker, sports journalist and a long distance swimmer, a large than life personality driven by her father’s desire to see her succeed as a sea nymph and haunted by memories of sexual abuse when she was training to be a swimmer in her teenage years.

Annette Bening is astounding in the role of Diana Nyad, a physically demanding performance involving lots of endurance swims and she plays the role perfectly, a screen role completely atypical of her other more glamourous roles in Bugsy opposite her now husband Oscar winner Warren Beatty or Jeremy Irons in Istvan Szabo’s wonderful film Being Julia.

What really sets Nyad apart are the crackling scenes between Bening and Foster, with the latter showing off her unquestionable acting talent. Jodie Foster as the more accommodating Bonnie who grapples to deal with such an engulfing personality as Diana Nyad is absolutely terrific in this film and has rightly been nominated again for Best Supporting Actress for the 2024 Oscars almost 50 years later after her last Best Supporting actress nomination for the electrifying 1976 film Taxi Driver opposite Robert De Niro.

Unlike other sports dramas which are extremely male dominated, this is a fascinating female centred life-affirming biopic which is both uplifting, motivational and serves as an encouraging film about Diana Nyad whose commitment, determination and drive put her swimming efforts to cross from Cuba to Key West in the global sports arena.  Watch out for a great supporting role by Rhy Ifans as the grumpy but knowledgeable sea-weathered captain.

Nyad is worth watching for the superb performances by Annette Bening and Jodie Foster and serves as a reminder that we all only get one wild and precious life, which is valuable and should be cherished.

Shot like a psychedelic documentary but acted with style and grit, Nyad gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and is an interesting sports drama about achievement, courage and dedication. Highly recommended viewing.

Read more about Diana Nyad here –

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Nyad