Darkest Hour (2017)
Genre: Biopic
Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Nicholas Jones, Samuel West
Duration: 125 minutes
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd

Gary Oldman goes through some testing times in the Darkest Hour.

The multiple-award nominated  film, directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Anna Karenina), follows the early days of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister, as Hitler closes in on Britain during World War II.

The film sees how within days of becoming Prime Minister of the UK, Churchill – portrayed by Gary Oldman – must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty and freedom of a nation.

As the unstoppable Nazi forces roll across Western Europe and the threat of invasion is imminent, and with an unprepared public, a sceptical king and his own party plotting against him, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation and attempt to change the course of world history.

The film received positive reviews and, on Sunday, Oldman received a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the cigar-smoking statesman. Critics said that he is the driving force of the movie.

“Churchill’s darkest hour is Gary Oldman’s finest. Gripping, touching, amusing and enlightening, his performance is the prime reason this film must be seen – but not the only one,” wrote Dan Jolin of Empire magazine.

The critics’ consensus of Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Darkest Hour is held together by Gary Oldman's electrifying performance, which brings Winston Churchill to life even when the movie’s narrative falters.”

And Peter Debruge of Variety wrote that the film “balances the great orator’s public triumphs with more vulnerable private moments of self-doubt, elevating the inner workings of British government into a compelling piece of populist entertainment”.

The film, released in the US on November 22, has so far grossed $35 million in box office sales worldwide.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Empire: 4 stars

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
Genre: Horror
Director: Adam Robitel
Starring: Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson
Duration: 103 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Lin Shaye faces her greatest fear in Insidious: The Last Key.

The fourth instalment in the Insidious franchise sees parapsychologist Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) travelling to the home where she grew up to confront the demon she accidentally set free years earlier.

The film received negative reviews, with Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media writing: “This fourth entry in this successful horror series is an example of diminishing returns; though the characters are still interesting, it’s clear that less care and attention were given to this movie.”

Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times agreed. He said: “Insidious: The Last Gasp might have been a more appropriate title for the fourth and potentially final entry in this lucrative, once-diverting property.”

Ratings
IMDB: 6.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
Empire: N/A