star grabs camera

Two recent movies I've seen - both of which had their star grabbing most of the camera time. First up was Top Gun: Maverick, with Tom Cruise. It shows Captain Cruise mainly competing for screen space with big pieces of metal.  It's a reprise of the Top Gun, complete with piano bar scenes and beach volleyball, and I'd say it managed to enthrall in the way of the original all those years ago. The 60-year-old Cruise shows the young guns how it's done and there are miles of aerial combat footage, flown mainly on F-18 planes, plus an original F-14 thrown in for good measure. 

The film doesn't disappoint with multi-Mach moments, flames from the engines, crash landings, mean black Soviet helicopter gunships, Sukhoi-57 '5th Generation' fighters and a few 'just when you think its all over' moments when something ratchets the suspense. No wonder it grossed over a US$ billion in the first few days.

The other one is a refreshed BFI offering - Daphne, which tells a story of a female 30-something singleton working as a chef in a London cafe. She's somewhere between Bridget Jones and Fleabag, also with a similar hint of privilege. Although billed as rom-com, it feels more existential. A stand-out performance from Emily Beecham, who completely owns the scenes. 

I'd say both films, for different reasons, are re-watchable.