wellthatswhatithinkanyway

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Agent Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) is assigned to transport petty criminal Winston (Topher Grace) on a chartered flight across the Alaskan wilderness, so he can act as the prosecution witness against a major mob boss. She is joined by chatty pilot, Daryl (Mark Wahlberg), who seems determined to make the flight more lively, but soon reveals a darker purpose for his being there, plunging the plane and everyone onboard into a deadly battle for survival.

Mel Gibson caused a stir in the early 90's, at the height of his fame and deciding to attempt his acting/directing debut, in the shape of 1993's The Man Without a Face, which led to his seminal epic, 1995's iconic Braveheart. In present times, he is unceremoniously helming this lightweight Mark Wahlberg outing, featuring the established star primarily on the poster, despite occupying more of a supporting role.

From the opening, it looks all set to be a fairly standard and perfunctory offering, promising little in the way of surprise or originality. But then there is a surprising twist (albeit one that should have been pretty obvious in hindsight) involving 'Donnie' that sets the tone for something more worthy. But you can't help but be distracted by the naff bald wig he is sporting, before he disappears for a large segment. In his absence is co-star Grace, who may have a comedic background, which would be an explanation for the uneven tone, twitching between a comedic and more serious feel.

It ultimately emerges as a throwback to the nonsensical 90's action flicks we all know and love, with the full on, theatrical ending that wraps it all up. It never dips to unwatchable, but is sadly too ridiculous and corny to emerge as anything more than very average. ** and a half.

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Graham (Ben Kingsley) and Joyce (Celia Imrie) are a group of retired friends, living in a grand retirement home, who spend their time trying to solve cold case murders, and currently have their hands tied with the mystery of a young woman who met her end in the early seventies. But they suddenly find themselves thrust into a modern day murder, when a property deal that would see them all turfed out starts to deal a body count.

Renowned director Chris Columbus showcases an overlooked demographic in this glossy adaptation of a popular novel (which I haven't read), in the shape of an older cast, a truly all star assembling of established talent, which includes, aside from the lead stars, the likes of Geoff Bell, Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, Tom Ellis and Daniel Mays, but it's a sad reflection of the faith the distributors had in the hope of a decent box office draw with a theatrical release, that the film has premiered on Netflix, in spite of said all star cast. Nevertheless, here it is, and can only be judged on its merits in the format it's arrived in.

In spite of the dark murder theme, the film maintains a light hearted tone throughout, without becoming overly frivolous and silly. The problem is, despite the talent of the cast, none of them are really natural comedy performers, and so their performances sometimes emerge as awkward and uncomfortable. That said, they do get to use it to their advantage, making some cracks dispelling some older person stereotypes (like falling for false I. D. at the door), which feels a bit more palatable.

Ultimately, it all ends up feeling a little overlong, with the opening subplot feeling forgotten until the closing segment, but the central mystery throughout still holds your attention, leading to a forgettable but worthwhile romp. ***