21 November 2025
JAY KELLY ***
This is a film that one cannot quite pin down. When I first saw it, it seemed to glow with the charm of a real life movie star (played by Mr. Charmer himself, George Clooney); it had the depth of a man realising, despite all the fame and glory of his career, that his life was an empty shell; and it evoked the fabulous luxuries inherent in the life of a star. It felt both exhilarating and a serious morality play. But it was a momentary treat, like an extravagant dessert.
Looking back on it a week later, the plot and characters seem to have dissolved. It didn’t have the staying power of a great film like those that remain in your heart and mind, always with a tinge of pleasure when the title and the memories come up.
The story is of a huge star trying to come back into the lives of the two daughters he has been neglecting, along with a somewhat estranged father with whom he has little in common. And the few friends and colleagues he has either used or taken for granted. So he goes off with his usual Hollywood entourage on an extravagant trip to Europe hoping to bump into his younger daughter who has left him for a summer vacation.
Paris, train rides, adoring crowds and an Italian film festival that is giving him a career award – all a bit clichéd but nevertheless pleasurable. Like that dessert.
Clooney is excellent as a suave sort-of-himself, and Adam Sandler is very real and touching as his loyal manager, while Billy Crudup as an old friend brings back tough memories. It’s a good, flamboyant film by Noah Baumbach, just not an unforgettable one.
THE RUNNING MAN ***
This latest version of the 1980s Stephen King book is an exciting one – not only action-wise, but on the current theme of the haves and the have-nots, with excessive violence as entertainment unleashed on a brainwashed public by corrupt media moguls. Remember “The Hunger Games”?
This dystopian thriller set in the near future is about an out-of-work, desperate father with a sick child who agrees to volunteer for a deadly TV game show, The Running Man. It promises huge rewards if he can elude professional killers for a month, while the whole country is watching. In his flight he meets all sorts of people who either help or hinder him. Glen Powell plays the driven hero, Josh Brolin is the manipulative boss of the show, while Colman Domingo plays the slick host who eggs on the cheering mobs. It’s a vicious but well done social analysis by director Edgar Wright (of the cool, kinetic “Baby Driver”) of what could be our dire future.
WICKED – FOR GOOD **1/2
Here we go for the second installment of the glorified Wicked version of the old classic, “The Wizard of Oz”, which was a whimsical heartbreaker, while this one is a grandiose money-maker. The kids will love it for all its candy-coloured decor and magical events. And the critics are already sending it to the award shows – so much hype!
Some of the songs are splendid, the twisted love stories will intrigue some, while the lessons on friendship are corny but at least have solid morals.
Can you tell I am not overwhelmed? Sorry, I’m just not into fairytale fantasy. But that’s my problem, not yours. You’ll certainly run to it if you’re a fan.
I do have one favourite though – Jeff Goldblum as the bumbling Wizard – a hoot!
And then there are two fine French releases this week, very different from each other. Both quite austere, one reinvents Victor Hugo’s grand classic, Les Misérables, while the other is of France today, in an investigation on police brutality during the Gilets Jaunes riots.
JEAN VALJEAN *** (vo French)
This latest version of the great classic covers only the beginning of Victor Hugo’s book when a deeply bitter Valjean is seeking some shelter after his release from years of prison for stealing only a loaf of bread. The whole film covers the famous theft of some silver spoons, but it is the decency and generosity of the priest that changes Valjean’s perception of his miserable world.
Grandly acted by Grégory Gadebois as Valjean and Bernard Campan as the priest, this minimalist film by Eric Besnard is a moving lesson in humanity.
DOSSIER 137 *** (vo French)
This sober view of a police investigation of one of its own demonstrates once again the brilliant, versatile talent of French actress Léa Drucker. Directed by Dominik Moll, it digs deep into the various people involved in a terrible injury inflicted upon a young man during the Gilets Jaunes riots.
Superb social commentary.
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
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