I, Daniel Blake (2016)
Genre: Drama
Certification: 12A
Duration: 100 minutes
Directed by: Ken Loach
Starring: Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Sharon Percy, Dylan McKiernan, Briana Shann
KRS Releasing Ltd

British director Ken Loach once again works on a script written by Paul Laverty. Their past collaborations include Carla’s Song (1996), My Name is Joe (1998), Bread and Roses (2000), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Looking for Eric (2009) and The Angels’ Share (2012) to name a few. The film-maker has come out of retirement to direct this film and, according to reviews, it was well worth the effort.

The British-French film is set in Newcastle, northeast England, and focuses on woodworker Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) who has had a major heart attack and who is advised by his cardiologist to take a break from manual labour or else he could develop a heart condition.

Subsequently, Daniel finds himself trapped in the city’s benefits bureaucracy and cannot claim for sickness benefit. As he struggles to maintain his dignity, his befriends single mother Kate (Hayley Squires), who has two children. The four of them together try to deal with poverty  and hunger.

Dave Johns and Hayley Squires find themselves in dire straits in I, Daniel Blake.

The film has been described as another  “well-told chapter in director Ken Loach’s powerfully populist filmography” and as a “quietly fearsome piece of drama”.

The overall tone is one of sadness, especially as the film demonstates the despair hunger brings with it.

A particular scene which shows the visceral shame of a food court has already become renowned.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote:  “With the right handling, the movie has a chance to connect with audiences as few Loach films ever have. It's a work of scalding and moving relevance.”

And Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian compared the film to a “powerful parable about the failings of the benefits system” and added that it “avoids irony and cynism and treats its troubled characters with humour and humanity.

The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, making it Loach’s second award at the festival.

I, Daniel Blake was so far released released in the UK and a handful of other countries – Spain, Italy, France, New Zealand and Russia.

Ratings
IMDB: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Empire Magazine: 4 stars

A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
Genre: Biopic
Certification: 12A
Duration: 103 minutes
Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
Starring: Bob the Cat, Luke Treadaway, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head, Beth Goddard, Ruta Gedmintas, Darren Evans
KRS Releasing Ltd

The British comedy drama is based on a bestselling memoir by street musician James Bowen.

It tells the story of a homeless and recovering drug addict, played by Luke Treadaway, who gets one last chance to build a new life by busking in Covent Garden; however, he struggles to be noticed. One day, on returning to his government-supported accomodation, he finds a ginger cat outside his door (played by the original cat Bowen found). He spends the last of his money on medical treatment for it and the their lives become intertwined.

Luke Treadaway finds an unlikely companion in Bob in a Steet Cat Named Bob.

They become a much photographed item of curiosity and eventually enjoy YouTube attention, local newspaper fame and, ultimately, a book deal.

The heart-warming tale has received mixed reviews, with critics saying that the film does not live up to the book’s success.

Ian Freer of Empire Magazine wrote that the screenplay “doesn’t manage to find ways to electrify the drama in Bowen’s life”.

Mike McCahill of The Guardian  is on a similar wavelength: “James Bowen attributes his survival to an alley cat but as viewers we need more of his story than endless close-ups of a nethers-licking feline.”

A fondness for animals is, however, evident throughout the movie, thanks also in part to veteran director Roger Spottiswoode, who before such blockbusters as Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and The 6th Day (2000), had directed another animal buddy story Turner & Hooch (1989).

The protagonist of the film, Treadway, has been also lauded. The actor, 32, went to great lengths to prepare for his role. He slept rough, busked and spent hours with Bowen, who is now 37.

The film has also been praised for highlighting the plight of the homeless.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Empire Magazine: 2 stars

The Accountant (2016)
Genre: Action
Certification: 15
Duration: 108 minutes
Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow
KRS Releasing Ltd

In his latest action role, Ben Affleck plays Christian Woff, an autistic mathematics genius who makes his living as a freelance accountant for dangerous criminal organisations.

Ben Affleck has more affinity for numbers than for people in The Accountant.

With a Treasury agent (J.K. Simmons) hot on his heels, Christian takes on a state-of-the-art robotics company as a legitimate client. As he gets closer to the truth about a discrepancy that involves millions of dollars, the body count starts to rise.

The film, directed by Gavin O’Connor (Tumbleweeds, Pride and Glory) has received mixed and negative reviews.

David Edelstein of Vulture magazine wrote: “The action-thriller The Accountant is laughable, but when you’re not laughing at it, you’re laughing with it. It’s enjoyable enough.”

While Stephen Holden of  The NY Times said: “Entire backstories were presumably left on the cutting-room floor of this overlong movie that never arrives at a destination.”

Released on October 21 in the US, the $44 million budget film has made $109 million in box office receipts worldwide so far.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Empire Magazine: 2 stars