What I've Just Watched: Part 2

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (2010), Woody Allen's 4th film to be set in London after Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006) and Cassandra's Dream (2007), and this one is the best of his London based films. Despite some dodgy stereotypes, it's based on the themes of believing in faith, and no matter how bad things get in life, we all live in hope of better things. This has Alfie Shepridge (Anthony Hopkins) divorcing his wife Helena (Gemma Jones) in favour of dim-witted call girl Charmaine (Lucy Punch). Helena goes for advice from bogus fortune teller Cristal (Pauline Collins), who gives her hope that everything will be alright, even if everything in her life isn't. Helena's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) is in a difficult marriage with Roy (Josh Brolin), a writer who had one success, and then nothing else. Roy becomes romantically obsessed with Dia (Freida Pinto), a music student who lives across the way from Sally and Roy's flat. Sally however has a brief fling with her employer Greg (Antonio Banderas), but he's also having an affair with an artist that Sally is acquainted with, while Roy makes his move on Dia. It's a very slight, episodic film, although it does end too abruptly with none of the stories wound up, leaving them up in the air. But, maybe that's the point, this is about a slice of life in the grand scheme of things. It has good dialogue from Woody, and a good supporting cast including Philip Glenister, Celia Irmie, Anna Friel, Lynda Baron, Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Meera Syal. 4/5



Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Woody Allen's reputation was at stake around the time of this films making, due to a crippling court case. But, despite such controversies, he was still knocking his films out, and he made a sort of throwback to his "early, funny ones" with this film, which was based upon an aborted sub-plot from Annie Hall (1977), the result was one of Woody's funniest films of the 90's. It has long married couple Larry and Carol Lipton (Woody and Diane Keaton), who meet their long time neighbours Paul and Lillian House (Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen) one evening and become friends. The next day, they discover Lillian died of a heart attack, but Paul's explanation of how she died doesn't seem to add up. Carol decides to investigate further, with the help of Ted (Alan Alda), much to the ire of Larry, who is in a close friendship with writer Marcia (Anjelica Huston), and the suspicions of murder get weird, and nothing is quite what it seems, especially when a double of Lillian House is seen walking the streets. It's an underrated film from Woody Allen, made at a tough time in his career, but it makes for an enjoyable watch. It is blessed with good performances and some very good dialogue. Oh, and look out for a cameo from a young Zach Braff as the Lipton's son Nick. 4/5

Twister (1996), from a screenplay by Michael Crichton, (with numerous uncredited rewrites by Joss Whedon and Steve Zaillian), directed by Jan De Bont, hot off Speed (1994) and produced by Steven Spielberg, this is a silly piece of action cinema, which adds bits of disaster movie into a messy but fun stew. It's a good idea, but the story doesn't add up to much. This has a research team for the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) travelling over Oklahoma chasing tornados. The team are led by Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt), whose father was killed by a tornado in 1969. She's dedicated her life to chasing tornados all over the country, with a team including Dusty Davis (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Rabbit Nurick (Alan Ruck). However, her ex-husband Bill Harding (Bill Paxton) has come out to visit Jo to finalise the divorce proceedings. But he soon finds himself drawn in to help out with a new invention known as Dorothy, which is a tornado analysis device which could gather information about tornados, but they find competition from rival Dr. Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes) who has stolen their idea. But, they head out into the wilds of Oklahoma, chasing tornados up close. The tornados are well created, but it's a far-fetched action thriller. There's alot of noise, and the characters back stories and their problems seems a bit half-hearted. But, it has some good moments of action and disaster when they come. 3.5/5



Jack (1996), Oh dear. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this was a comedown for him which puts his other failures like One From The Heart (1982) and The Cotton Club (1984) into perspective. This was just an excuse to get it's middle-aged star to act like a man child, but it's a sentimental, cloying affair that is absolute torture to watch. Why they did it is anyone's guess. This is about Jack Powell (Robin Williams), who is a 10 year old who has a genetic disorder which means he's growing up at 4 times the normal rate, so he has the body of a 40 year old. But, he lives an almost reclusive life away from the outside world. But, this has made him extremely childish. His private tutor Mr. Woodruff (Bill Cosby), suggests to his parents Karen (Diane Lane) and Brian (Brian Kerwin) that if he went into public school, it might help his behaviour. So, he enrols into the 5th Grade. Jack has a crush for his teacher Miss Marquez (Jennifer Lopez), and makes friends with Louis (Adam Zolotin), Eddie (Todd Bosley) and John-John (Seth Smith). He manages to mix in quite well, but age is catching up with him, and wonders whether having an education is worth it if his life is going to be so short. What were Coppola and Williams thinking?? This feels like Big all over again, but without the wit or heart, this has cheap gags and cloying sentimentality. It's badly written pap, and you'd think the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now would have known better. I NEVER, EVER want to see this tripe again. 1/5

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), after Kung Fu Panda (2008) became a box-office hit, making $630 million, a sequel was inevitable. The result is a film that manages to be more emotionally charged, darker in tone and alot of good humour and action on display. Hopefully, this won't be the last time we see them. Po the Panda (Jack Black) is now a Dragon Warrior with Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). However, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) wants Po to find his inner peace, but Po isn't exactly the peaceful sort. Meanwhile, there's trouble in Gongmen City, when the exiled peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) returns to take over China with a weapon that'll mean the end of kung fu. The team fight off wolf bandits stealing metal, which is needed for Lord Shen's weapon. So, our heroes set off to Gongmen City to put a stop to Lord Shen's evil plan, but it's alot more complex than imagined, as Po is having flashbacks to when he was a baby, and the truth of how he came to be with Mr. Ping (James Hong), and what Lord Shen did to his family. It's a good animated film with some good ideas and comedy on display. Black is perfect as Po, a perfect match, and this is visually stunning. (Guillermo Del Toro was a visual consultant, and Charlie Kaufman had a hand too.) And this has good vocal support from Danny McBride, Michelle Yeoh and Jean-Claude Van Damme!! 4/5



Larry Crowne (2011), the second film to be directed by Tom Hanks, 15 years after the hugely underrated That Thing You Do! (1996), this is a social statement on the effects the recession has on people. It's a poignant film with a gentle humour and how to get your life back on track when everything has gone to shit. Larry Crowne (Hanks) was in the Navy for 20 years as a cook, then he got a job at a big department store, where he went up to team leader. However, he soon finds himself sacked from his job all because he didn't have a college degree. Unable to find another job, Crowne has to downsize, and he gets advice from his wheeler-dealer neighbour Lamar (Cedric the Entertainer) to enrol at the nearby college, as this might improve future employment. He goes into an economics course, taught by Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts), who is in an unhappy marriage to Dean (Bryan Cranston). Larry, along with fellow student Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) helps to cheer up Mercedes, and they bring life into the otherwise lifeless class. Larry even joins a motorbike club with his new scooter that he got when he sells his SUV. It's a low-key comedy-drama with some gentle moments, but it doesn't get under the surface of the problem Crowne, like so many people face these days. It merely scratches the surface, quite lightly too. But, this has a good cast including Taraji P. Henson, Wilmer Valderrama, Pam Grier, Rita Wilson and George Takei. 3/5

Season Of The Witch (1st view) - 4/5*




After.Life (1st view) - One of the few films I've seen Christina Ricci inwhere she hasn't annoyed me greatly. Neeson's on top form, but the film is average - 3/5*




The Town (1st view) - Another great directorial outing for Ben Affleck - 4/5*




Shadows and Fog (1st view) - Enjoyable black and white curio from Woody Allen that reminded me of a few films I've seen and probably reference many more I haven't. Neurotic Allen is on a par Whimsical Allen, and this kind of merged the two successfully. It might also have the best cast from any of his films - 4/5*




Torque (1st view) - Hilariously OTT. Bad but good - 4/5*

Godzilla (6th view) - A film I've always loved and never understood the hate for - 4/5*




Kung Fu Panda (2nd view) - 4/5*

Charlotte Gray (2001), based on Sebastian Faulks' 1999 novel, and brought to the screen by Australian director Gillian Armstrong (Little Women (1994) and Oscar and Lucinda (1997)). This is a low-key tale of espionage in World War 2. It's the sort of tale more suited to a Sunday Afternoon on BBC, but it does have an engaging female lead. In 1942, this has the titular Charlotte Gray (Cate Blanchett), from Scotland going down to London to work in a hospital. She makes an acquaintance with Richard Cannerley (James Fleet) who invites her to a book launch in London. Turns out Cannerley is working with the government, and they're looking for spies to be dropped into France to help with the war effort, where she'll be working as a courier under the name of Dominique for the French Resistance in the South-West of France. She gets a job as a housekeeper for secret Jew Levade (Michael Gambon), whose son Julien (Billy Crudup) is a major part of the Resistance. However, the Nazi's are closing in on the area, and Gray and Julien have to stay one step ahead to help the resistance. It's got some good moments, but there's no real fireworks so to speak of, it shows a different side to WW2, not one on the battlefield or involving soldiers or tanks. Blanchett is wonderful as always, as is Gambon. But that's it. 3/5



Death to Smoochy (2002), Danny DeVito as a director has made some great black comedies, including Throw Momma From The Train (1987) and War of the Roses (1989), as well as the dark fantasy Matilda (1996). With this, he took a blackly comic look at the cut-throat world of children's TV programming. It was a huge flop, but it didn't deserve to go that way, it's a very funny film with some great performances. When successful children's TV show host "Rainbow Randolph" Smiley (Robin Williams) is caught in an FBI sting where he accepts a bribes from parents for their kids to go on his show, he's out of a job and is replaced by Sheldon Mopes (Edward Norton) and his creation, Smoochy the Rhino. Smoochy is an instant success, but Randolph wants revenge and thinks of ways of bringing Mopes down. However, Mopes is having problems of his own, he wants total control over his show but has to battle hardened producer Nora Wells (Catherine Keener), corrupt executive Marion Stokes (Jon Stewart) and his shady agent Burke Bennett (Danny DeVito), as well as the Irish mob led by Tommy Cotter (Pam Ferris), so everyone is playing off each other. It's a very funny film, and Williams is best when doing stuff like this, and it's good to see Norton playing against type in a role like this. Comedies like this are rare, and you won't see another one like this for a long time now, shame really and DeVito should be directing more films, as he does it with panache and confidence. 4/5

Transporter 3 (1st view) - So-s-. The second was much bettrer - 3/5*




Bride Wars (1st view) - I can't recall a romantic comedy with two such unlikeable lead characters - 2/5*




23 Paces To Baker Street (1st view) - A blind playwright overhears what he believes to be a criminal plot. Unable to get the police interested he enlists the help of his butler and ex-fiancée. A very enjoyable thriller, with Cecil Parker stealing the show from leads Van Johnson and Vera Miles - 4/5*

Mission: Impossible (1996), the original TV series of Mission: Impossible, created by Bruce Geller, ran from 1966 to 1973, and became a worldwide hit. Tom Cruise loved the series so much, he bought the rights to do a film version, and he got in Brian De Palma to direct it. It was a winning combination, filled with action, suspense and a good cast too. This is about a secret branch of the CIA known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), led by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), whose team includes his wife Claire (Emmanuelle Béart), Jack Harmon (Emilio Estevez), Sarah Davies (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Ethan Hunt (Cruise). When a mission in Prague goes horribly wrong, every agent but Ethan and Claire are killed. Ethan finds out that he's been framed as being a mole, and is out to prove his innocence. He has to find a list of covert agents in Eastern Europe for Max (Vanessa Redgrave), so he assembles a team of disavowed agents including Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) to break into the CIA so they can get the list. However, things are not what they seem, and it becomes a game of triple crossing. The plot is a bit confused, but it does have some good moments in it, like the high-wire stunt in the CIA's computer room and the battle on top of the train going nto the Channel Tunnel. It's success enabled a sequel or three, and it has a good cast too. 4/5



Mission: Impossible II (2000), after the success of the first Mission: Impossible film, a sequel was inevitable, but Tom Cruise wanted it to be different in look and tone to the first film, and called in action director John Woo to do it. Another winning combination, combining action-adventure with romance added in too. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is assigned to look for a deadly virus known as Chimera and its cure, Bellerophon. Dr. Vladimir Nekhorvich (Rade Serbedzija) helped create the virus, and was killed in a plane crash going from Sydney to Atlanta with someone he thought was Ethan. Turns out it was renegade agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), who has been planning to use Chimera to his advantage. Ethan assembles a team, including Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Billy Baird (John Polson) and professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton), as she once had an affair with Ambrose. Ethan and his team have to stop this virus from getting into the wrong hands, and stop Ambrose from causing any more damage, and causing a worldwide epidemic. It's as the title suggests, but Ethan and his team can get it done. Woo's usual visual flair is on display here, doves and all, with a jaw-dropping mountain climbing, a car chase in Seville, Spain and a bike chase through the suburbs of Sydney. Cruise delivers the goods, doing all his own stunts. It's not perfect, but it does work, also starring Brendan Gleeson and Anthony Hopkins. 3.5/5

Hell Ride (2008), written and directed by character actor Larry Bishop, produced by Quentin Tarantino, who championed Bishop since his cameo in Kill Bill: Vol 2 (2004). This is a biker film, which feels like a B-movie from the 1970's. It's short, though it isn't perfect, it feels more authentic than the Grindhouse films QT did the year before. Larry Bishop plays biker Pistolero, who is president of a biker club in Southern California, known as the Victors. Pistolero's assistants are The Gent (Michael Madsen) and Comanche (Eric Balfour), who are faithful to their boss, in a weird love-hate sort of a way. For years, Pistolero has been seeking vengeance for the death of his girlfriend Cherokee Kisum (Julia Jones) since 1976. She was murdered by The Deuce (David Carradine) and Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones), leaders of arch-rival biker club, the Six-Six-Six'ers. Now, the Six-Six-Six'ers have been reformed in Los Angeles, and Pistolero is looking to get even with them once and for all, and gets help from the sultry Nada (Leonor Varela) and old friend Eddie Zero (Dennis Hopper). It's a homage to all the kinds of films that were made in the 1960's and 1970's by American International Pictures, some of them, Bishop was in, and these were films QT loves and references too. This is quite trippy and experimental, and it does have it's flaws, (Vinnie Jones with an American accent), but it doesn't outstay it's welcome, and it's welcome at a time like this. 3/5



The Shining (1980), Stanley Kubrick does a horror film. Using Stephen King's novel as the starting point, Kubrick created a dark, macabre slice of horror, it's impossible to pinpoint a particular scene that is scary, every scene of the film is completely unsettling from start to finish, like horror films should be. Kubrick always knew best. This has Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) taking a job as caretaker for the winter at the Overlook Hotel, right in the wilds of Colorado. Even though Jack is warned that a previous caretaker got cabin fever and killed his family and himself, he takes the job, moving his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) up to the hotel. Danny has an imaginary friend, and he has a form of extrasensory perception, which the hotels head chef Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers) finds out about. A month into the job, and Jack is becoming more moody, his writing project isn't really going anywhere, he's blocked. Danny witnesses strange things in and around the hotel, especially in Room 237. Then a horrendous snow storm closes in and Jack loses his mind, and succumbs to the original guardians that have been in the hotel for a long time. There never has been a horror film like this since, Kubrick gives a gothic, other-worldly feel, the sound, the camera moves and the acting all pitch perfect. Nicholson manages to be terrifying losing his mind, and it's a film which leaves more questions than answers, regarding the ghostly occupants of the hotel, but that's Kubrick for you. We draw our own conclusions from it all. Oh, and the 144 minute version is best. 5/5

God, I hate The Shining. Hell Ride sounds good though.

WHAT!?

It's a rancid, festering boil on the backside of cinema! It sucks.

No Direction Home (1st view) - It's no secret that I don't like Bob Dylan's music. Besides that, I'm not at all bothered about the man and his life. I probably only really watched this because of the draw of Scorcese, and the fact that I've never seen one of his documentaries. And like many a good documentary, it had me engrossed in a subject that holds no interest for me. Perhaps it helped that a lot of the first half hour featured great music from great singers and my earholes weren't constantly assaulted by Dylan's live warbling from the off. As a brief history of the music of the last 50s/early 60s, also a history of America at the time, it worked well, secondary to the biopic on show. And I can't deny that it was a fascinating main story being told. And by the end of it all I even didn't mind listening to the man's songs - 4/5*




D-Day, The Sixth of June (1st view) - Not really about D-Day though. Still, a decent wartime romance - 3/5*




Alien Autopsy (1st view) - I remember seeing that footage and so desperately wanting it to be true - 3/5*




Captain America: The First Avenger (1st view) - One of the most enjoyable superhero films I can recall. Good cast (Tommy Lee Jones reminded me here of his role as Sam Gerard), great fun. Didn't realise some of it had been filmed quite close to me. I even recognised some of the filming locations - 4/5*

Gimli The Pirate wrote:

It's a rancid, festering boil on the backside of cinema! It sucks.

Cuch would kill you for saying that.

Bringing Out The Dead (1999), from Martin Scorsese, reuniting with screenwriter Paul Schrader from Joe Connelly's semi-autobiographical novel, this is actually an underrated film from Martin Scorsese, well made and it's that most rarest of beasts, a good Nicolas Cage film. It's got a good cast with Scorsese's trademark flourishes of visuals. Set in Manhattan in the early 1990's, this follows 48 hours in the life of paramedic Frank (Cage), who travels in an ambulance picking up medical emergencies. He's burnt out and unable to save people. Over the 3 nights in the film, his partners in the ambulance include Larry (John Goodman) who thinks about when the next dinner is, and there's Marcus (Ving Rhames), who believes in Jesus and Tom (Tom Sizemore), who is psychotic and taunts drug-users. During the first shift, Frank befriends Mary (Patricia Arquette), after he saves the life of her father after a heart attack, and a friendship blossoms, but Frank finds himself being haunted by the ghosts of the people he couldn't save, and he turns to drugs and crime to survive the long, grueling shifts. It's a dark, savage film, and it makes a good companion piece to Taxi Driver (1976), and Cage's spirited performance is a sign of what was to come from him in Bad Lieutenant (2009). It's well made, and it's an engaging people piece. Scorsese should do more like this. 4/5



End of Days (1999), from Peter Hyams (Capricorn One (1978), Outland (1981) and The Relic (1997)), comes this apocalyptic action-horror-thriller which was a comeback of sorts for it's star after heart surgery. It's a hard hitting film, but it's also quite silly in places, but it's good for the long run, and show's a more vunerable side to it's star that has seldom been seen. In 1979, a newborn girl called Christine York is identified as Satanists as the one to give birth to Satan's child on New Years Eve 1999. 20 years later, with New Year's Eve fast approaching, Christine is now an adult (Robin Tunney), with no knowledge of what she's in for. But, when the spirit of Satan possesses a Wall Street Banker (Gabriel Bryne), he's now in human form on Earth to ensure his plans go through without a hitch. When depressed retired cop Jericho Cane (Arnold Schwarzenegger) encounters a priest who tries to kill the possessed banker, it leads Kane to Christine, who then learns of what danger she's in, with Satanists and Vatican Knights on their tail, they need to stay ahead of Satan and also stop him, all they need to do is have faith. It's got so much going on, it's hard to keep track of what's going on, but it's good to see Arnie showing a human side to the film's hero, besheveled and hurt. And this benefits from good support from Kevin Pollak, Miriam Margolyes, Udo Kier and Rod Steiger. 3/5

Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966), from Hammer Films, at the top of their game at the time, comes the true story of one of the oddest and mysterious figures in Russian history. This has a spirited and quite unhinged lead performance. It is a dark film, but it has all the hallmarks of a good Hammer film, with their usual tricks and shocks on display. This is the story of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Christopher Lee), a mystic monk who cures the sick wife of an innkeeper (Derek Francis). In celebration, Rasputin drinks all the wine in the inn and doesn't pay for it, and it ends in an orgy of sex and violence. Despite being berated by the religious council for debauchery, Rasputin claims he has magical healing powers. Rasputin goes to Moscow, and befriends Dr. Zargo (Richard Pasco), who is associated with the Russian Royal Family. Rasputin uses Zargo to get close to the Tsarina (Renée Asherson) and the Tsarina's lady-in-waiting Sonia (Barbara Shelley), the latter he manipulates. Sonia's brother Peter (Dinsdale Landen), is angered by Rasputin's behaviour, and calls in Ivan (Francis Matthews) to deal with Rasputin. Although it's a true story, it does take liberties with what happened. But, Lee seems to be having a good time in the lead role. It doesn't quite get under the skin of what really happened, and is tame by today's comparisons, but it's still good to watch. 3/5



Appaloosa (2008), directed by Ed Harris, (his second film as director after Pollock (2000)), based on a bestselling book by Robert B. Parker. This is a good old fashioned western with influences from Europe, with a good cast, it shows Harris as a good director as he is actor, and it's one of the best kept secrets of the Naughties. Set in the late 19th Century in New Mexico, it has two lawmen, Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and his deputy, Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) coming to the town of Appaloosa to regain control from corrupt rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons). Cole and Hitch have the town council give them complete control to see to it Bragg and his men won't hurt anyone in the town again. They see to some of Bragg's men in the local bar, and they soon confront Bragg, and they're at a stalemate for now. Cole befriends recently widowed Allie French (Renée Zellweger) and start a relationship. Then, Bragg is found guilty of murder, and Cole and Hitch take him to be executed, but Bragg is captured and escapes, and Allie is also being used by Bragg in his war with Cole and Hitch. It's a good western, very focused and to the point done with brilliant cinematography by Dean Semler, and a good, modern music score by Jeff Beal. Harris and Mortensen make a good pair of lawmen, and this is a good part of the recent western revival. 3.5/5

Wind Chill (1st view) - Effective horror starring Emily Blunt, but a shift in the story near the end doesn't quite work - 3/5*




Enter The Void (1st view) - Two things I like are long takes and floaty camerawork, so visually this film was great. It was also incredibly tedious. I'm guessing I was meant to find it profound. I didn't. And it has the most annoying opening credits in film history. But it did look great - 3/5*




Midnight Run (3rd view) - Great fun. Whatever happened to Charles Grodin?

Straight On Till Morning (1972), by the early 1970's, alot of people had accused Hammer Films of losing their way, and that their brand of filmmaking had become passe. They responded to those allegations by making a love story, Hammer style. Directed by Peter Collinson, then hot off The Italian Job (1969), this is maybe the darkest and most unsettling Hammer Horror of them all, because of it's realism. This has Liverpool girl Brenda Thompson (Rita Tushingham) moving to London to start a new life, primarily because she wants to become a mother, even though her mother Margo (Claire Kelly) is scornful of the idea of her moving to a strange city. She moves and works in a trendy boutique for Caroline (Katya Wyeth) and Jimmy Lindsay (Tom Bell), and lives with Caroline. After she has an affair with Joey (James Bolam), whom Brenda wanted. She runs away, and ends up finding a dog called Tinker, who belongs to the mysterious Peter Clive (Shane Briant), and they end up falling in love. It seems Brenda has found the perfect man to be with, however, it all seems a bit too good to be true, and he has a few skeletons in the closet, quite literally too. This is a very unnerving film, very hard hitting, even by today's standards. Tushingham plays the naive girl with an innocent charm, while Briant is terrifying as her new beau. This makes a brilliant companion piece to Hitchcock's Frenzy, also out around the same time as this. 4/5



Fear In The Night (1972), with Hammer trying to appeal to audiences of the 1970's, moving away from period pieces, to films set present day, Hammer veteran Jimmy Sangster directed this psychological horror that had been on Hammer's slate since 1963. It's a very unsettling piece with a good cast, and it felt like a new direction for Hammer then, but it was all too little, too late. This has Peggy Heller (Judy Geeson) being offered the position of a job in a posh boy's boarding school, she's just recovered from a nervous breakdown after a traumatic past. She moves into the grounds of the school with her husband Robert (Ralph Bates). However, nothing in this school is what it seems, and Peggy ends up getting attacked by a one-armed man at the school, but her doctor (Jimmy Cossins) doesn't believe her. And the schools headmaster's Mr. Carmichael (Peter Cushing), is quite sinister and his wife Molly (Joan Collins) is quite strict. However, it turns out the horrors are real, and Peggy has take desperate measures to survive, and Robert gets involved too, and even the school seems to be haunted. It's a complex horror, but it's very gripping. But, this is blessed with some good performances, and taut direction by Sangster. If only Hammer had continued more in this direction, instead of more Dracula and vampire films, they might just have survived. 3.5/5

They both sound pretty good.


Before my update, I have some questions. Why would you take a baby to the cinema? Why would you not leave the cinema if that baby would not stop crying? Why would you allow that baby to crawl up and down the aisle? Why would you crawl down the aisle after the baby? Why would you pick the baby up only once it has reached the cinema screen, and then stand there for ages shushing it? If a baby is seemingly to much for a mother and two grandparents to control, why would you take a toddler along as well? Why would you let the toddler run up and down the aisle? Why would you let the toddler scream and shout and rant and wail? Why would you wait until halfway through the film before you left the fucking cinema? I need answers!





Cars 2 (1st view) - It had to happen at some point. Maybe's it's because I couldn't concentrate for a good chunk of the running time, but this is the first Pixar film that doesn't get top marks from me . Still, I can't think of another studio that's made 10 such great films in a row, so I can't really complain. And anyway, this was hugely enjoyable. And the Toy Story short is brilliant - 4/5*




Hereafter (1st view) - Since Mystic River, Eastwood has made a string of solid, well-acted, well-crafted dramas. There's a story to tell and he sets about telling it. Eveything I'd read seemed to suggest that this was a letdown and not on a par with his recent efforts but for me, this is one of his best film in the last 10 years, with great performances from Matt Damon and Cecile de France - 4/5*




How Do You Know (1st view) - Decent enough. Really did make me wish for another great Nicholson performance though - 3/5*

To answer you questions Gimli, children should be put down.

Hobo With A Shotgun (2011), the full length version of a trailer for Grindhouse only shown in Canada, this is an enjoyable, authentic piece of exploitation cinema. It feels as if it was shot in the 1980's, but it doesn't feel dated at all. It's great fun, and has some moments you won't see in other 18 rated film anytime soon. Plus, it's star is given the role of a lifetime here. This has our titular hobo (Rutger Hauer) coming into Hope Town, a down and dirty, gritty, crime infested hell hole, ran with by crime kingpin The Drake (Brian Downey) and his two thugish sons Ivan (Nick Bateman) and Slick (Gregory Smith). The Hobo arrives in Hope City in time to see Drake execute his brother Logan (Robb Wells), in a gory, gruesome public killing. The Hobo wants to start his own lawnmowing business, and see's a lawnmower in a pawn shop for $49.99, after raising the money to do it, he is about to buy it, when the shop is raided by 3 robbers, trapped, the Hobo see's a shotgun on a shelf, that also costs $49.99. He shoots the robbers dead, and buys that instead, and he goes around cleaning up crime, working his way up towards Drake and his sons. It's very violent, but it also has a very dark sense of humour about it's bones. Hauer, always an underrated actor, make a good, hardass action hero as well. This is a good debut for director Jason Eisener, a debut that's up there with the debuts of Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson and George Miller. There should be greater things to come. 4.5/5



Super (2010), written and directed by James Gunn (Slither (2006)), this is a dark and dirty black comedy which is very violent and badass. It was compared to Kick-Ass on release, but this is done on a lower budget, is alot more savage and goes places Kick-Ass wouldn't have dared go, but it still makes for good viewing, although it is quite uncomfortable in places. Short-order cook Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson) is in a happy marriage with wife Sarah (Liv Tyler), even though he's had a life of trauma and disappointments. However, the happiness with Sarah doesn't last forever, as Sarah leaves him for strip club owner Jacques (Kevin Bacon), who gets Sarah addicted to drugs. Frank falls into a deep depression, but he also gets touched by God, and gets a message from the Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion), a superhero from public access TV who tells him that Frank has been chosen to become a superhero. So, Frank becomes the Crimson Bolt, a dark avenger who roams the street looking for crime and putting a stop to it, and he even gets a sidekick with comic book store worker Libby (Ellen Page) who becomes "Boltie", but Frank just wants his wife back. Alot of this is very twisted and nasty, but there are dark laughs to be found. Wilson goes from psychopathic avenger to sensitive depressive, with that sort of a performance, it's a wonder there's laughs to be had. But, it's an engaging film and it's clear writer/director Gunn has plenty of ideas, and that there's more to come. 4/5

House of 1000 Corpses (2003), written and directed by Rob Zombie, this mad, gritty horror film spent nearly 3 years shelved, when Universal Pictures decided not to release the film. No matter, Zombie raised the cash and bought the rights to his film and found another distributor. The result is a gruesome horror film, but one which harks back to the 1970's, you won't see one like this for a while. Set around Halloween 1977, and it follows two couples, Jerry Goldsmith (Chris Hardwick), Bill Hudley (Rainn Wilson), Mary Knowles (Jennifer Jostyn), and Denise Willis (Erin Daniels) on the road researching a book on weird roadside attractions. They come across one such attraction at a gas station called the 'Museum of the Strange', ran by Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig). After their visit, they pick up hitchhiker Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie), who lives a few miles away and gives them shelter at her family home after their car breaks down, and they meet her family including Mother Firefly (Karen Black), Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley) and Tiny (Matthew McGrory) and the family treat the guests to the Halloween party from hell. It's not perfect, and it more of a gory heavy-metal rock opera than an out-and-out horror film, with psychedelics put in too. But, Zombie has alot of good ideas, it's just getting them into some sort of order, but there is alot of good stuff to look at. 3/5



Touch (1997), in the mid 1990's, Elmore Leonard adaptations seemed to be all the rage, from Get Shorty (1995) to Jackie Brown (1997) and Out of Sight (1998). Now it was the turn of writer/director Paul Schrader to take on Leonard with this low-budget black comedy about false prophets. It doesn't last too long, but it gets it's message across in that time. When Charlie Lawson, also known as Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) a supposed miracle worker appears on the scene who gets Stigmata wounds, he finds an agent in the form of the slippery evangelist turned trailer park home owner Bill Hill (Christopher Walken) who snags him with the help of his associate Lynn Faulkner (Bridget Fonda). However, Hill's plans of cashing in on Juvenal's apparant powers are derailed when Juvenal falls for Lynn. Then more problems occur when the even more slippery Reverend August Murray (Tom Arnold) appears on the scene and he wants a piece of the action as well. So, it ends up with them all playing off one another, and then Juvenal's powers don't seem to be working anymore, but that doesn't please Murray, who wants Juvenal for his needs. It's a good, low-budget film with a good cast. It has a good score by Dave Grohl, and is probabily the lesser known of the Leonard adaptations of it's time, (it only made $408,097 on it's original release in America), but it's a film that's well worth a look. 3.5/5

Easy A (1st view) - Better than I expected, although it did seem smug and annoying a lot of the time - 3/5*

127 Hours (1st view) - Overall, great, but too many dreams and hallucinations. Franco's very good and the gory bits are very well done - 4/5*





Let Me In (1st view) - Better, I think, than Let The Right One In - 4/5*

Broken Arrow (1996), John Woo made his first American film with Hard Target (1993), and he found a follow-up with this silly action adventure film, with two good leads and Woo's usual blend of violent action and big stunts. It's not as bad as what some critics made out, but it could have been better, even if it was made now. It has two pilots for the US Air Force, Major Vic "Deak" Deakins (John Travolta) and Captain Riley Hale (Christian Slater), who are assigned on a training mission with a stealth jet which has two nuclear missiles on board. During the flight, Deakins uses friendly banter to attack Hale and then bail out and eject over the wilds of Utah. Hale also manages to escape, but Deakins has made a rendezvous with a team of crooks, led by Pritchett (Bob Gunton), who steal the nuclear missiles from the wreckage of the crashed jet, and make off with them. Meanwhile, Hale has been found by Park Ranger Terry Carmichael (Samantha Mathis) who agrees to help find Deakins and help put a stop to his plans with the missiles, which involves holding Salt Lake City to ransom with them. It does have some good moments of action, including a chase in a mine and a good one on a train with one of the missiles on board. Woo's American films were never as good as his one's in Hong Kong, but he made sure he had complete control for his next film, Face/Off. 3/5



Trees Lounge (1996), written and directed by Steve Buscemi, who also stars in the film. This is a low-budget independent comedy-drama set in small town America. Buscemi learned alot from working with indie directors such as the Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino, and shows good confidence with his debut, and even turns in another good performance. Tommy Basilio (Buscemi) is an unemployed mechanic who lost his job after he "borrowed" money from his place of work, and he has become an alcoholic, hanging around for most of the day at the titular Trees Lounge, and his pregnant girlfriend Theresa (Elizabeth Bracco) left Tommy for his ex-boss Rob (Anthony LaPaglia). Tommy seems to have no social life other than hanging around with other barflies at Trees Lounge. However, he soon finds a job driving an ice cream van around the local neighbourhood, something his Uncle Al (Seymour Cassel), did until he died on the job. He soon picks up a friendship with 17 year old Debbie (Chloë Sevigny) who hangs around with Tommy, and they have a relationship, but it's not to last long at all. A semi-autobiographical film, Trees Lounge is a bleakly comic look at what life is life for down and out Americans, and it's underlying message is you don't always get what you want. Buscemi manages to mix quirkiness and melacholia well, and it has a good cast including Carol Kane, Debi Mazar and Samuel L. Jackson. 3.5/5

Rabbit Hole (1st view) - When given the right projects Nicole Kidman is one of the best actresses in the business and she was excellent in this. Eckhart was very good too. - 4/5*

Cry of the Banshee (1970), produced by American International Pictures, who for a time made a few horror films made in England, this was a horror film directed by Gordon Hessler from an original script by Tim Kelly and Christopher Wicking, although the producers credited it in all the promotion to Edgar Allen Poe as a way of cashing in, but it feels like a tamer version of Witchfinder General (1968). Set in Elizabethian England, nasty magistrate Lord Edward Whitman (Vincent Price) is going around the area where he lives with his boorish, ill-mannered sons Harry (Carl Rigg) and Sean (Stephan Chase), hunting witches and punishing and torturing them accordingly. However, when Whitman and his sons come upon a coven of witches led by sorceress Oona (Elisabeth Bergner), she casts a curse upon the Whitman family, and summons an evil spirit to bring down the Whitman family. Around that time, a mysterious man arrives in the village where Lord Whitman holds the law, his name is Roderick (Patrick Mower), and he wears a strange medalion that's been with him since he can remember. It's a weird horror film, it takes it's sweet time in getting going, but it does have good moments. One of the best bits being a terrific title sequence done by Terry Gilliam, which manages to be scary and hilarious at the same time. If only he had done more like this. 3.5/5



The Monster Club (1980), the last film by Amicus Productions, now making films under the name of Sword and Sorcerery. This is a very tongue in cheek horror comedy divided into 3 segments, punctuated with music and a load of veteran actors very game to do something like this. It's a very peculiar film indeed, but it KNOWS it's a cheesy film, and it is effective in places. This has horror author R. Chetwynd-Hayes (John Carradine) being approached by the mysterious Eramus (Vincent Price), who invites him to the titular Monster Club. Which is a club for all different kinds of supernatural creatures, alot of hybrid creatures too. Eramus decides to tell Chetwynd-Hayes about what they're like. He tells him about a Shadmock, a hybrid vampire called Raven (James Laurenson) who can kill people by whistling, then there's the story of a hybrid vampire (Richard Johnson) who is hunted by a team of bureaucratic vampire hunters led by Pickering (Donald Pleasence), and then there's the tale of American film director Sam (Stuart Whitman) who is location scouting and finds himself in a village inhabited by a rare species of ghouls. It's a very odd film, and it's a shame Price doesn't appear more in it, as he is always good at this sort of thing. But, this is punctuated with musical performances by UB40, B. A. Robertson and The Pretty Things. 3/5