:00:28. > :00:43.Hello and welcome to the film review on BBC News. So, we have a political
:00:44. > :00:50.thriller called Miss Sloan. We have Alien: Covenant, the latest in the
:00:51. > :00:56.ongoing alien franchise. And Jawbone, written by and starring
:00:57. > :01:00.Johnny Harris. Miss Sloan and even you looking at the poster, I wanted
:01:01. > :01:08.to like this, because you think it is Washington, it is the West Wing.
:01:09. > :01:14.You are in with the intrigue. The story is that Jessica is a lobbyist
:01:15. > :01:17.becomes embroiled in a battle between people who want controls on
:01:18. > :01:21.guns and people who want to sell more guns. She is enlisted by people
:01:22. > :01:26.who say we are trying to make guns seem more popular and we want to get
:01:27. > :01:29.guns to appeal to women and she laughs out of the ring. The next
:01:30. > :01:32.thing is she is approached by the other side fighting for restrictions
:01:33. > :01:36.and she decides that she will throw in her lot with them and they want
:01:37. > :01:41.her because of her very powerful, and that has to be said, cynical, we
:01:42. > :01:48.have lobbying. It has to be said, cynical, we have lobbying. Here's a
:01:49. > :01:52.clip. What is the best indicator of voting intention? Grassroots action
:01:53. > :01:56.aimed squarely at soliciting donations. That means any petition,
:01:57. > :02:02.not clicks in cyberspace. Nonprofits have to report on their findings.
:02:03. > :02:06.While you are out there hustling, I was work influential senators who
:02:07. > :02:12.can deliver votes. That is our second prong. Author is identifying
:02:13. > :02:15.who held sway in target states. Employers, workers groups, do not
:02:16. > :02:19.just waltz into an office and make your case. Find out who the senator
:02:20. > :02:28.trusts. Convinced that person to make your case. That is how we win.
:02:29. > :02:35.Does she take no prisoners? That is it exactly. As you have seen, a very
:02:36. > :02:38.strong supporting cast is. I wouldn't have this feeling the same
:02:39. > :02:44.you did. I like the subject matter, I liked the cast, like the director
:02:45. > :02:49.and I came out thinking it is not as good as it should be. The whole is
:02:50. > :02:53.less than the sum of the parts. There is something about it which
:02:54. > :02:57.keeps you at a distance. I never completely believed in these
:02:58. > :03:00.characters. One of the things about it is it has a plot which is full of
:03:01. > :03:06.twists and turns and there is a certain point at which the twists
:03:07. > :03:12.and turns start to defy credibility. That said, it is done with gusto and
:03:13. > :03:17.Jessica Chastain is worth watching. The subject matter is interesting
:03:18. > :03:22.and is timely and it ought to be more gripping than it is. Like you,
:03:23. > :03:28.I wanted it to be great. I came out thinking, it is OK, but I wanted it
:03:29. > :03:33.to be more than OK. However, it makes sense, which is more than can
:03:34. > :03:41.be said for Alien: Covenant, which is the next instalment in the
:03:42. > :03:48.ongoing alien franchise. A fan? No. I am a chicken. There is no way. The
:03:49. > :03:56.first alien film is a horror movie, the second one is a war film. Alien
:03:57. > :04:04.three was a mess. Then the prequels. Prometheus from having dialogue that
:04:05. > :04:07.was different from alien. In alien space truckers, they are talking
:04:08. > :04:12.about things you can relate to. In Prometheus they were talking about
:04:13. > :04:16.the nature of God. This is a Prometheus sequel, rather than an
:04:17. > :04:20.alien prequel. You have alien truckers in space, they get a
:04:21. > :04:26.signal, they arrive at a new planet which looks like a new Eden. It is
:04:27. > :04:30.actually a living hell. What they do all the time is to talk about
:04:31. > :04:35.poetry, about art, about life, about God in a manner nobody talks. We
:04:36. > :04:39.have a greatest hits reruns of the famous moments from alien, but don
:04:40. > :04:44.speeded up in a way that means they make no sense. There is no question
:04:45. > :04:49.that Ridley Scott is a visual stylist, but he is only as good as
:04:50. > :04:54.his script. With Alien: Covenant, the script is very weak. There is a
:04:55. > :04:59.famous story that when Vincent Ward was going to do alien three and he
:05:00. > :05:04.wanted it to be the name of the rows in space, this is the da Vinci code
:05:05. > :05:07.in space. As someone who loved the original movie, because it was
:05:08. > :05:12.ruthless, stripped down and I loved this sequel because it is a war
:05:13. > :05:18.movie, this is very much like a massive amount of pontificating and
:05:19. > :05:23.holding forth and it makes no sense whatsoever. I know people don't
:05:24. > :05:27.necessarily go to these movies for it to tie up the loose ends, but
:05:28. > :05:33.there were moments when a character says so little of this makes sense,
:05:34. > :05:42.I laughed out loud. You have made me laugh as well. I am a little more
:05:43. > :05:46.hopeful about your third choice. You're right. Jawbone, it is a
:05:47. > :05:51.boxing movie. I had nothing about boxing other than what I know from
:05:52. > :05:55.the movies. This is a body struggling with alcoholism. He is on
:05:56. > :05:59.the South bank in London and he is a drunk. He lives in his mother's
:06:00. > :06:06.flood, he is in danger of being evicted. His life as a mess. He goes
:06:07. > :06:09.to his old gem which is run by Ray Winston, he gives him a look that
:06:10. > :06:15.tells you everything about the history. Ray Wilson says you can
:06:16. > :06:17.train here, but no alcohol and no talk of unlicensed games. He needs
:06:18. > :06:25.money and the next thing he is having a meeting with Ian McShane. I
:06:26. > :06:36.think I can get you your money. I tell them I have an ex-champion with
:06:37. > :06:42.Minjee Lee is looking for a fight. Jimmy, you were one of the bravest
:06:43. > :06:48.kids I ever saw. The thing I don't know is what kind of Nicky are in
:06:49. > :06:53.now. So, if you take this, it's on your back, whatever happens up
:06:54. > :07:04.there, you're on your own. I know. I'm up for it. Right, I'll make the
:07:05. > :07:08.phone call. Now, I thought this was really intriguing. I went in and not
:07:09. > :07:11.knowing much about it other than it was a boxing movie. I thought what
:07:12. > :07:16.it did was it really into the story. You believe in this character, a
:07:17. > :07:21.belief in his dejection, his addiction and his struggle to redeem
:07:22. > :07:25.himself. There is a moment when he first the gym and Ray Winston looks
:07:26. > :07:28.at him in a way that tells you everything. There are wonderful
:07:29. > :07:34.scenes with Michael Smiley who is a terrific actor. It is not about what
:07:35. > :07:39.they say, it is about what they do not say. Cinematography has changed
:07:40. > :07:44.in a long time since raging Bull and this pursuit on the receiving end of
:07:45. > :07:49.punches. I have never been to a boxing match in my life. This had
:07:50. > :07:55.the smack of authenticity and it had heart. It felt it was a story being
:07:56. > :08:01.told by someone who really believed in all of this and it engages you.
:08:02. > :08:04.It makes you care. It is not fantastically original, but it is
:08:05. > :08:09.done in a way that seems very honest, very authentic, very moving.
:08:10. > :08:16.As somebody who is not a boxing fan, I found it very gripping. Some great
:08:17. > :08:21.British talent in there as well. Ray Winston walks on water for me. It is
:08:22. > :08:25.an understated role and he plays beautifully. Michael Smiley, a
:08:26. > :08:28.terrific actor, really brilliant screen presence, there are moments
:08:29. > :08:32.between him and Johnny Harris in which it is to do with the weight
:08:33. > :08:39.they look at each other. Everything is set in the eyes, in the gesture,
:08:40. > :08:43.in the way they hold their heads. It was a real pleasure to see it,
:08:44. > :08:47.because it was a textured film and it takes an idea we have seen it
:08:48. > :08:52.done. Boxing is in movies a lot because it is a spectacular sport
:08:53. > :08:56.anyway. This adds something to it. In the end it is not a boxing movie,
:08:57. > :09:02.it is about someone overcoming their demons. About overcoming addiction
:09:03. > :09:08.and dealing with alcoholism in a way that is honest and truthful very
:09:09. > :09:14.engaging. Blessed are you, you have brought me Woody Allen. I love Woody
:09:15. > :09:19.Allen. I love the Jazz, the new work, the banks, the neurosis. It is
:09:20. > :09:24.all there. The way Manhattan looks, it is one of those films you should
:09:25. > :09:29.see on a cinema screen. This is a new transfer from four K. You think
:09:30. > :09:33.of the jokes, the characters, but this looks brilliant. The
:09:34. > :09:36.combination of visuals and George Gershwin and from the beginning, he
:09:37. > :09:39.is a writer trying to describe how he feels about the city. People talk
:09:40. > :09:47.about the classic period Woody Allen. I am a huge fan of love and
:09:48. > :09:52.death, but the idea of Manhattan back on the big screen, I haven't
:09:53. > :09:56.seen it rejected since it first came out. 1979 when a Canadian. The idea
:09:57. > :10:03.of Synod projected, it is a beautiful film. I didn't know it was
:10:04. > :10:09.being rereleased. Speaking of big screens. I am interested in the DVD
:10:10. > :10:13.this week because it is La La Land, which I enjoyed hugely. Doesn't it
:10:14. > :10:18.needed to be seen on a big screen, the wonderful opening shot, the
:10:19. > :10:23.dancing, the sunshine? I have seen it on the big screen and the small
:10:24. > :10:29.screen. I have to say, it worked both times for me. In fact, oddly,
:10:30. > :10:32.when I saw on the small screen I was in her comfortable conditions
:10:33. > :10:36.because they were not people talking around me. I really like it. The
:10:37. > :10:41.opening sequence which is so beautiful. I think Emma Stone is
:10:42. > :10:45.terrific. Some people have complained and said there is not a
:10:46. > :10:50.memorable June in that film. What are they talking about? It made me
:10:51. > :11:00.happy. You leave with a song in your heart. I still love the ending. I
:11:01. > :11:05.would spoil it, but it was spot on. They do it really very well. It is a
:11:06. > :11:11.musical in the same way that Manhattan is kind of a musical as
:11:12. > :11:19.well. Sort of. A film with music in it and it is glorious. Thank you
:11:20. > :11:27.very much. A reminder that you can find much more from News and reviews
:11:28. > :11:30.from across the BBC online. You can find all our previous programmes on
:11:31. > :11:32.the BBC I play.