The real-life rivalry between Formula One drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt provides the spine of this thoughtful and diverting drama set in the world of fast cars and explosive egos. Howard wisely shows off Peter Morgan's smart script and characters as much as he does his own prowess with slick editing and cinematography, the bittersweet conclusion not masked in self-important nostalgia and surprisingly touching after all the male ego-indulgence that it threatens to lionize throughout.
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Rock the Casbah 2013
The recently deceased head of a wealthy manor in Tangiers sticks around as a spirit to watch as the women in his life, including his feisty mother, grieving widow, and vastly different daughters, gather for his astoundingly large funeral service and deal with their variously complicated life situations. While her screenplay bites off a little more than it can chew, Marrakchi never actually lets the film sag under the weight of its many elements, the irresistible cast carrying you quite easily through the moments of shameless melodrama.
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A Promise 2013
A young man begins working in the factory whose ailing owner promotes him after he tutors his son, developing a tension with the boss's wife that is complicated by the outbreak of the first World War. Richard Madden and Rebecca Hall enjoy not the least bit of chemistry between them, not helped by flat direction that plays it cerebral with no corporeal heat.
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Like Father, Like Son 2013
A white-collar couple return to the hospital where their son was born and learn that their baby was accidentally switched with another couple's, the other two parents a warm, comparatively vulgar clan who own a hardware store, both families faced with the issue of whether or not biology trumps familial devotion. In the midst of angst that is richly and subtly rendered by a director's familiar ability to achieve so much emotional poignancy with so little effort, is the painful reflection on the adults' relationships with each other and how the children perceive their parents under such incredible stress.