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Gods and Monsters offers a potentially interesting look into the life of Hollywood director James Whale but instead sacrifices it for a melodrama, that relies too much on fiction than its real-life counterpart. The big problem the movie suffers from is that it puts too much emphasis on a fictional friendship between Whale (Ian McKellen) and his gardener Clayton (Brendan Fraser). Despite director Bill Condon trying to make this the warm centre of the film, I felt somewhat cold as a result. Whilst Fraser is fine in the part, Condon mistakenly mixes fact and fiction, meaning that we don't care much for his character at all. It's hard to get invested in his character, especially compared to the far more interesting Whale. I get that Fraser is meant to be the audience, discovering the more complicated life that Whale lived rather than just being a flamboyant individual, but it didn't emotionally engage me like it should've. The movie's saving grace is Ian McKellen who is constantly engaging throughout the film. He makes Whale more sympathetic and complex than the ever tries to. The film could've worked better if it had perhaps a more traditional structure, focusing on Whale's childhood, his experience in war and Hollywood before his final days. This isn't a bad film but perhaps needed another rewrite to make it more emotionally interesting. McKellen is fantastic but sadly, the film he's in doesn't offer the same engaging depth that he provides.

Filmworker is a wonderful tribute and reminder of the tireless effort that goes into the process of filmmaking. Focusing on Stanley Kubrick's assistant Leon Vitali who worked with him from Barry Lyndon onwards, it reminds you how dedicated to the craft you must be in order to make it in the industry.

Looking at Vitali, you get the sense of who he is. Tired and worn out but also undeniably enthusiastic and holding great affection to the maestro of Kubrick. He is filled with wonderful stories and it's both heart-breaking and reaffirming that he dedicated so much of his life to an extraordinary but also difficult individual. I would argue that Kubrick was not only the greatest director to who have ever lived but one of the greatest artists ever, equivalent to film what Shakespeare was to theatre. However, as with all great artists, Kubrick asked for an unbelievable amount from the people surrounding him and there is no clearer example that Vitali.

Interviewing Vitali as well as many of Kubrick's collaborators, the documentary really gives a peek into the strange world of Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures gives a more definitive biography of the man but Filmworker gives a great sense of what it was like to work for him or on any film set for that matter.

Whilst I would've liked to have seen more about Vitali's and Kubrick's personal lives, it's a great account for anyone interested in the making of Kubrick's last few films as well as the undeniably important legacy that he had.