"St. Vincent"

Vincent is far from being a Saint, in fact anything but.
A little down on his luck, he drinks, gambles, is usually in a permanant sombre mood. His disposition does not improve when new neighbours arrive, a Mom and her young boy Oliver.

He drinks to forget his problems, most of which are a combination of his mounting gambling debts, and that his beloved Wife is in a care home that he cannot maintain the payments on.
In order to try and get some more stake money for the dog track, he finds himself the most unlikely babysitter. So Oliver finds himself being taken to all of Vincent's regular haunts, the Bar, the Race track, and frequenting with his Stripper friend too.
Oliver finds himself getting bullied at school, so as an unlikely father figure Vincent steps in with guidance on how Oliver can defend himself. But alas time is running out for Vincent what with his money worries, and a loan shark breathing down his back. Also unbeknownst to Oliver, his Father has filed for full custody, something which terrifies his loving mother.

Oliver and Vincent do strike up the most unlikely of friendships, but it does work, for two reasons, the great writing from Theodore Melfi, who also directed the movie, and from the great performances courtesy fo Bill Murray and newcomer Jaeden Lieberher.
It also especially nice to see a dramatic turn from comedy queen Melissa McCarthy, who proves she is not just for laughs, and I for one would like to see her doing more drama.

If Vincent is not bitter enough, things are not helped when he suffers a stroke. And whilst recovering from this condition, he receives the most devastating news. And it is in these scenes that Bill Murray reminds us all what a great actor he is.

All in all it is a highly enjoyable film, whilst not in the same league as my all time favourite Murray film - "Lost In Translation" - it is still a great movie and a delight to watch, and this despite a slightly over sentimental ending..................7 out of 10

"Black Sea"

After 11 years of service to his Company, Submarine Pilot Captain Robinson finds his services dispensed with. Needless to say he is more than a little annoyed by this news. He seeks solace with his former colleagues in the the local Pub.
Whilst conversing, one of the sea-goers mentions of a potential gold mine sitting at the bottom of the ocean. It consists of a sunken U-Boat full of Nazi gold, just ready for the taking.

Having secured finance for the venture from a shady businessman, for upto 40% of what they get, and having assembled a crew of both British and Russian crewman, their well travelled Submarine hits the water. 

Everything seems to be going swimmingly, forgive the pun. They are on course for their golden rondezvous. But a little tension has started to build, mainly to do with the fact that all the men on board get a even split of what they get. Some of the British object to the Russians getting the same, and soon enough tempers start to flare. Eventually the inevitable happens, knifes are involved are the number of men on board starts to lessen. Now distrust starts to really set in, as some of the crew have realised that their share becomes bigger with less men on board, howver the flip side is that it takes a certain number of men, minimum to operate the Sub.

But soon a fight for a share of the gold, becomes a fight to survive, and the very U-Boat that they have come to plunder, is set to be their very source of salvation. Their Sub is without power and need the Drive shaft from the U-Boat to make their getaway.
Unfortunately for the Crew, things start to reach breaking point, with a revelation from one of the Crew regarding the distribution of the gold. Soon the urge to survive becomes the primary goal, no matter what the cost.

The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide. These are great Submarine movies, and though "Black Sea" does not hit the same high standards, it is still worth the watch. The great thing about these movies is the way the tension is built, especially as the men are all confined in such a small space, with no way of getting out.
Robinson is estranged from his wife and child, and clearly bonds with the youngest member of the Crew, Tobin. Soon to be a Father himself, maybe Tobin reminds Robinson of the bonds he had with his own child, and goes someway to explaining why he is so keen to protect Tobin.
To create great tension can need a skillful Director, and given his previous track record, the film is in good hands with Kevin Macdonald.

A decent effort, well worth the watch............7 out of 10

"The Drop"

Whenever we lose an actor far too soon, especially someone with the screen presence of James Gandolfini, it is hoped that their final film will be one to remember. And I think that it is fair to say, that "The Drop" is a film that he could be proud of.

A New York Bar, 'Cousin Marv', formerly owned by Marv (Gandolfini), but muscled out by Chechen mobsters, who leave him as manager, but take all the profits. By Marv's side is Bob (Hardy). The Bar is part of a network, where money is constantly hands, for any variety of deeds. Best not to ask too many questions. But one Bar will be assigned 'the drop', amd this is where all the money will be left behind the  car to be collected and handed over to the powers that be. And sometimes it can be a tidy sum.
One night two small hoods decide to rob the takings from the Bar, despite knowing who owns the bar, and risking deadly retribution, they go ahead, and profit by a few thousand dollars. But soon the Police are investigating, and also the Chechens are keen to reclaim their money.

In a seemingly seperate strand, when walking from the Bar one night, Bob hears a cry, and finds an abandoned dog in someones trash can. Nadia is the owner of the trashcan, and both she and Bob take a shine to the dog, and possibly to each other.
The downside is that the owner of the Dog turns up, a rather nasty piece of work - Eric, who is wanted in connection with a recent murder, and it seems he has a past connection with Nadia, and is keen to get both his Dog and Nadia back, and extort both money and information from Bob.
As you can see all the strands start to merge together, as not only is Eric keen to line his pockets with Chechen money but someone else is looking to do the same.

It is very much a dialogue and characeter driven piece, there are no larger than life characters, no big over the top gestures, just everyday people, surviving, and it makes for great viewing. There is the odd surprise along the way.
The three main leads are all excellent, as one would expect. Hardy is especially good as the quiet and soft spoken Bob.

A great film, which reminds us all what a great actor James Gandolfini was, and why he will continue to be missed........8 out of 10