Bobby Carroll's Movie Diary

John Michael McDonagh directs Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle and Liam Cunningham in this buddy cop comedy about a misanthropic small town Irish cop who gets involved in an FBI drug smuggling stakeout.

A riot. Endlessly quotable and gruffly whimsical. Never has cynicism been so cosy. McDonagh and Gleeson’s follow up Calvary is probably the better flick and best performance but this is a sheer blast. Both films work in tandem with each other as explicit investigations of humanism and corruption through dark and stark humour.

10

Perfect Double Bill: Calvary (2014)

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Lee Sang-il directs Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama and Ken Watanabe in this Japanese epic following the careers of two kabuki actors and their on-off friendship / rivalry.

Utterly beautiful but also distant and patience testing.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Kokuho is enough!

David Frankel directs Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci in this legacy sequel where Andy Sachs reunites with Miranda Priestly as they navigate their careers amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing.

Is it needed? Is it essential? Is it even fashionable? D Wears P 2 at least has something to say. About? The end of print journalism. The gobbling up of culture by philistine billionaires. Career perspective at the midway point of the tunnel. The couture is excellent and Tucci gets the best moments. Would I have liked more Emily Blunt? Yes. Should Emily be framed as an antagonist? No… Emily should get to go to Paris. At least a cheeky obvious reshoot coda redresses her and Andy’s relationship. Utterly charming when it is frothy and not too shabby when it toughens up.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Verity (2026)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin

Donna Deitch directs Joan Severance, Anthony Denison and John Allen Nelson in this erotic thriller where a tough cop begins an affair with a murder suspect.

Gender reversed Basic Instinct from the director of lesbian romance classic Desert Hearts. This isn’t exactly a feminist exploration of the sub genre but the extreme varieties of 90s masculinity in the squad room is near satirical. If you can tune out Deitch’s authorial intent there’s a handsome time waster here. Statuesque Severance goes all in – striding around crime scenes in billowy Armani rip off power suits and cruising the streets to dole out vigilante justice to roving misogynists. The sex scene are better than average. The downside? Our male leads are a bit too stock and wooden for you to care who the killer actually is. AKA Criminal Passion.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Lake Consequence (1993)

Peter Jackson directs Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody in this epic, cutting edge yet nostalgic remake of the classic where a greedy film producer sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they capture an unusually large ape.

The pinnacle of digital cinematic world building. The terrifying “Bad Taste” natives. Kong’s arrival. Dinosaur chases and fights. The valley of killer insects. The middle hour of this unabashed love letter is some of the finest and edgiest big budget spectacle monster mash extravaganza ever committed to celluloid. Sexy, dangerous, gripping. None of the cast would be my first or second casting choice but Jack Black probably gives his best (read: least annoying) performance here. The issue is indulgence. The first act is decent but could be tighter. The expansion of that famous New York finale though is gruelling. By elongating the runtime we really are watching the drawn out death throes of a magnificent beast we care about. It goes from tragedy to torture. And that ain’t popcorn, Jackson. Goes from being indisputably sublime to leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Sad face. Something so brilliant, fumbled by hubris.

8

Perfect Double Bill: Kong Is Enough!

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Anthony Russo and Joe Russo direct Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas in this spy movie cliche megamix with CGI settings and CGI set pieces.

Anonymous content. Evans makes a decent manosphere dork villain. Doesn’t know when to end.

5

Perfect Double Bill: 6 Underground (2019)

Roland Joffé directs Patricia Arquette, Dermot Mulroney, and Mary-Louise Parker in this neo noir sex comedy.

A better movie poster than viewing experience. The plot is tangled up to the point of obsolescence. The wacky tone way off. Patricia Arquette looks stunning at least.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Trouble Bound (1993)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin

Frank Coraci directs Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan and Cécile de France in this brash kids film adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic adventure.

Soft play steampunk with creaky stunt work. Watched for Jackie. And Coogan. And Arnie’s cameo. But I stayed for Cécile de France’s saucy tooth gap. Filler movie, unguardedly made for lowest common denominator international audiences. But to everyone’s credit they never give up… even after the point of no refund.

5

Perfect Double Bill: Wild Wild West (1999)

John Sayles directs John Cusack, Charlie Sheen and David Strathairn in this dramatisation of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.

Baseball. An all-star cast. America’s loss of innocence. The unbeatable grind of capitalism. The accidental Field Of Dream’s prequel flick. Sayles is an unshowy yet marvellous filmmaker. Beloved by critics but too often overlooked by audiences and awards bodies. He has his house players but the love for ensemble storytelling means the big names have to work overtime to hit their marks. Without constant close-ups and grandstanding. Cusack clearly chimes with this style as he gives his first outstanding acting performance and carried on exploring the ensemble format throughout the Nineties with his leftie A-List pal Tim Robbins. The bosses always win.

8

Perfect Double Bill: The Natural (1984)

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Allan Ungar directs Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert and Mel Gibson in this true crime caper about a real life Elmore Leonard-esque prolific bank robber.

A pleasant, breezy watch that hides its indie budget deftly. Duhamel has a cute energy in this. Probably his career apex. And yet still he always will be the Aldi own brand Timothy Olyphant. Someone should put them and Johnny Knoxville in a caper like this playing three brothers. Mel eats during his short screentime. Has fun, doesn’t go anywhere near as dark as others might. Eventually provides an almost paternal malevolence like which we used to get from Dennis Farina. I suspect there is part of Mel that wishes he was only making sequels to Payback every couple of years for $20 million dollar paychecks. That movie again is another touchstone to this. Ultimately Bandit is a fine ‘strange but true’ tale but not quite as wacky as it often tries to persuade you it is.

6

Perfect Double Bill: The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981)