28 Days (2000)

Comedy-drama directed by Betty Thomas.

Sandra Bullock plays an alcoholic who is forced to enter rehab after her drinking sprawls out of control. After initially resisting it, she eventually ends up coming to terms with a new way of life.

It’s a somewhat sanitised account of addiction. Even at her ‘worst’ moments, she looks fantastic. But – this being Sandra Bullock – there are moments of humour, and it’s always engaging.

Viggo Mortensen is underused as a fellow addict and possible love interest.

Dominic West is (deliberately?) annoying as Gwen’s bad-influence boyfriend, while Steve Buscemi is passable as one of the clinic’s counselors.

It’s nice to see (and hear) Loudon Wainwright, who strums his guitar and sings on a few occasions.

The Awakening (2011)

Rebecca Hall stars as Florence Cathcart, a professional debunker of supernatural phenomena, who is sent to a school where spooky goings on have been reported. As she begins to investigate ghostly sightings, it becomes clear that she is involved in these events in deeper ways than she realises. 

Directed by Nick Murphy, this is a genuinely creepy thriller that follows the first rule of horror: what you don’t see is scarier than what you do see. 

Imelda Staunton is excellent as a member of staff at the school, while Dominic West is pretty good as one of the teachers who becomes romantically involved with Cathcart.

On the down side, too much happens in the last 10 minutes, so the ending does seem a little rushed. And the deliberately ambiguous ending may frustrate.

Colette (2018)

Keira Knightley stars in this biopic about the novelist Colette, directed by Wash Westmoreland. 

After growing up in rural 19th-century, France, Colette meets and marries Willie (Dominic West), a Paris-based literary entrepreneur who uses ghostwriters to come up with articles in his name. When Colette reveals a talent for writing, she embarks on a series of novels that Willy takes the credit for. 

It’s an intriguing drama that evokes the time and place well. Knightley gives one of the strongest and most multifaceted performances of her career. West is also good as her thoroughly unlikeable husband. The focus on the balance of power in their relationship is expertly handled.

I wanted to find out more about what happened to Collette’s life and writing, but it’s left to the brief snippets of on-screen text at the end to fill you in.

Money Monster (2016)

Tense and original thriller starring George Clooney as Lee Gates, the presenter of a finance-themed TV show. 

Gates is taken hostage, live on air, by a viewer who lost his money by following investment advice given on the programme. Julia Roberts, meanwhile, is the show’s producer, speaking into Lee’s ear and trying her best to keep him alive. 

Directed by Jodie Foster, this is a hugely entertaining film. Clooney and Roberts are at their best. The film does a good job of sustaining the tension, and the show-within-a-film device works extremely well.