Ex Machina (2014) Film Review

Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) works for some fabulous tech company and wins a week to stay with the founder of the company – the elusive Nathan (Oscar Isaac). After a long helicopter ride, he finds himself at an amazing property in the middle of nowhere. He discovers that Nathan is a mysterious alcoholic with a non-English speaking, Japanese servant, Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) and that he is not on a break, but has a task. He is to see if the robot woman that Nathan has developed, Ava (Alicia Vikander) can pass as human.

Exhausting, stunning, clever, wonderful, fantastic, I just loved it. It’s creepy but beautiful and raises a lot of questions about what we value in life and how we interact with the world around us. Since I watched this, Ex Machina keeps popping onto my head. I can’t recommend this enough – although I think if you cannot stand scifi, you probably won’t connect with this one.

Ex Machina won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects and was nominated for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Alicia Vikander) and for BAFTAs for Best British Film, Best Supporting Actress (Alicia Vikander), Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) Film Review

It’s the 1960s and style is kicking around everywhere here – the clothes, the hairstyles, the amazing furniture, the whole kit and kaboodle. There’s a very cool C.I.A. agent, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and a somewhat stilted but very handsome K.G.B. agent, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer – and what a hell of a name he’s got!) who end up working together on a mission – to protect and gain information using sassy and gorgeous Gaby (Alicia Vikander). Then there are the bad guys, most notably the absolutely fabulous Victoria (Elizabeth Debicki -and this is an awesome actress with a fabulous stage presence and I want more of her please, casting agents and directors, note).

It is a beautiful film. It’s is stunning and stylish, cool and fabulous. It’s wasn’t that amazing plot-wise – interesting, but I wasn’t totally engaged. I just felt kind of distant and vague. Strange. Still, I’d recommend a watch, it’s a lot of fun.