Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson found #1 Verity ridiculously enjoyable but for all the wrong reasons. Yet another Colleen Hoover adaptation, staring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, he found himself laughing at the ridiculous plot while others simply left the cinema. A thriller without a shred of credibility, be warned that all the twists are in the trailer. James approached #4, Alejandro Inarritu's Digger, with trepidation, having disliked his multi-award-winning Birdman. But he found it a brilliant film with important things to say. Imagine Dr. Strangelove but in the age of climate change and you get some idea of what you might expect. Although it stars Tom Cruise, his makeup is so good you forget it's him. Be aware, though, that it will polarise audiences. James wanted to see #35, Her Private Hell, as it's directed by Drive's Nicolas Winding Refn. But there is nothing remotely real about this ostensible thriller, which is spectacularly violent at times and constantly shifts tone. Whatever Refn wanted to achieve was lost on James.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson is amazed by the buoyancy of the box office, boosted by a mildly-revised Avengers: Endgame at #1 which cinemagoers may be mistaken in thinking a new film. He was bored by #3 Heart of the Beast starring Brad Pitt, finding it just another wilderness movie, despite some great photography. However, #4 Sense and Sensibility is a superlative adaptation. Featuring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, it excels in every department, particularly cinematography, score and screenplay. He much admired #13, the NT Live showing of The Misanthrope. He was also surprised to enjoy The Runner on Amazon Prime, a thriller set in London with Gal Gadot and Damian Lewis, which he found pulse-quickening and relevant.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
With box office buoyant, James Cameron-Wilson is delighted by #3 Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, perhaps the funniest of Aardman's animated Shaun series. #7 is the documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger which is most likely to appeal to existing Oasis fans familiar with the story so far. James could not be more excited by the limited edition, restored, disc version of 2000's Sexy Beast, with Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley and Ian McShane in one of the best of British gangster films. With visual authority and extraordinary performances, it also has the best set of extras in years. The Whisper Man, on Netflix, is a conventional yet nasty crime thriller which has nothing good about it, despite the cast including Robert de Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson thought the belated #1 Practical Magic 2 with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock akin to a mediocre syrupy episode of the old TV show Bewitched. But he was bewitched by #3 Pressure, based on David Haig's true-life play. Andrew Scott is the Scottish weatherman advising Brendan Fraser's Eisenhower on the feasibility of landing Allied forces in France. Playing out like a courtroom thriller, James feels this brilliant film is one of the greatest portrayals of a World War 2 figure. He is full of admiration for the supernatural thriller Obsession, out on Blu-Ray. It is beautifully made and acted, with every frame used for maximum effect. The film is deeply unsettling but it works wonderfully. He is also a fan of Apple TV's buddy comedy Mayday. Set in 1987, Ryan Reynolds is an American pilot who crashes in Russia near the home of hermit Kenneth Branagh, who is the funniest he has been in ages.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
National Cinema Weekend reduced UK box office take, says James Cameron-Wilson. With Spider-Man and Odyssey still at the top, The Death of Robin Hood limped in at #7. Starring Hugh Jackman, it is a violent, extremely bloody and grim telling of the famous tale. James and host Simon Rose disagreed about Coyote vs. Acme, a mix of live action and animation that has Roadrunner's cartoon enemy suing the famous corporation for providing dangerously deficient products. James found it ludicrous and unfunny. Simon (and those around him) found it often hilarious and great fun. At #14 is Greg Araki's erotically-charged I Want Your Sex. It stars Olivia Wilde as a provocative artist and is often very funny and daring but often also uncomfortable. It intends to offend, and succeeds.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
While Spider-Man and The Odyssey battle it out for top spot, James Cameron-Wilson reviews #5 The Dog Stars. Made with Ridley Scott's usual visual aplomb, this dystopian thriller starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin has some great action sequences but James felt emotionally under-nourished and found the film a real downer. He was captivated, however, by #9, One Night Only. In this romcom set in a world where pre-marital sex can only happen on one night in the year, leads Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro are engaging and have plenty of chemistry. The film is romantic, funny, original and charming and James didn't want it to end. He and Simon strongly recommend a box set of eight British Peter Sellers films from StudioCanal with James highlighting The Smallest Show on Earth and Simon Only Two Can Play.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Spider-man and The Odyssey are still leading the box office, says James Cameron-Wilson. At #8 is Jason Statham's latest thriller, Mutiny. He plays a bodyguard on the run after his client is murdered. It's formulaic and very violent but the stuntwork is effective and inventive while the director piles on the suspense, turning a B-movie into a B-plus. #10 is an unsympathetic biopic of chef Antony Bourdain which has a great cast. However, with such a disagreeable protagonist, it is not one of James's favourite foodie films. On Amazon Prime is Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway a former pop star in an oppressive movie full of florid dialogue. Think Bergman's Persona crossed with The Dresser, says James. He ends with the top 10 movies of all time in terms of audience numbers, with the #1 of all time remaining the same as it has for decades.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson thought #3 The End of Oak Street, in which a suburban family find themselves battling dinosaurs, daft as a brush. Despite unconvincing adult performances from Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, it's good fun and genuinely nerve-shredding. In #12 Sunny Dancer, Bella Ramsey is a reluctant teenage attendee at a holiday camp for cancer survivors. Written and directed by a young George Jaques, it does not shy from the messiness of life, has wonderful dialogue and full-blooded performances from its young cast. It is simply one of the best films of the year. On Netflix, engaging comedian Mo Gilligan challenges himself to eat nothing but fried chicken for 28 days in Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy. He almost dies while, along the way, he exposes the atrocious treatment not only of the creatures themselves, but also the workers in the associated factories. It's a hard watch and has persuaded James never to eat fried chicken again.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
Spider-Man and The Odyssey continue to dominate the box office, says James Cameron-Wilson. On only in Picturehouse cinemas is the French/Luxembourgish film Love Me Tender. About a lawyer leaving her marriage, finding her sexuality while trying to keep contact with her son, it feels very real and has one of the year's best performances. It really stays with you and is highly recommended. Survival thriller The Last House is on Netflix. If it's rain you're after, it has it aplenty. James became enormously invested and found it very suspenseful, helped by great acting. On BFI Player the documentary Lesvia reminded him of old travelogues. Sweet and affectionate, it's also terribly niche. He also caught up with the BBC adaptation of Michael Frayn's play Copenhagen with Stephen Rea and Daniel Craig on iPlayer. It dovetails into Oppenheimer and so many other things.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson is delighted by a 155% surge in UK box office with #1 Spiderman: Brand New Day scooping up £36.4m in its opening weekend. With giddying aerial shots, this outing is devastatingly romantic and hugely moving, as well as often being frightening and yet very funny too. Although not often a fan of Amazon Prime's movies, James does recommend its bustling French ensemble drama Couture, set in the fashion world and starring Angelina Jolie. It's a must both for her fans and for devotees of serious French cinema. James and Simon both loved Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years (1929). These restored Blu-Ray discs (the third in the series) are packed with extra goodies, as well as nine of the comedy duo's last silent films with different musical accompaniments to choose from. A delightful treasure trove.
Guests: james cameron-wilson
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