What I've Just Watched: Part 3 - The Search for Spock

Not seen The Great Gatsby yet??

30 Days of Night (2007), based upon the short-running comic book series created by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, directed here by David Slade (Hard Candy (2005) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)) and produced by Sam Raimi. This is a taut, cold (literally) and claustrophobic horror film which is a good idea, but it does become derivative before long. Which is a shame, as it does have some good moments, outweighed by run-of-the-mill horror cliches. The town of Barrow is in the most Northernly part of Alaska, which for 30 days every year, goes into darkness for around a month due to the positioning of the earth, meaning it's night 24/7. In the run up to this natural phenomenon, Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) has been investigating how a stranger (Ben Foster) came to Barrow. He didn't arrive by plane, and walking would have killed him. The Stranger tells the townsfolk that they will be killed, the Stranger is locked up, and no sooner after, the power goes off as does the phone lines to the rest of the world. It's a group of feral vampires wanting the blood of the town, but Sheriff Oleson won't give in without a fight. It's a daft horror film, but it manages to do quite a bit with a low budget, it's much more of an effective vampire film than I Am Legend (2007) turned out to be, but this manages to be cheesy fun and any snowy, dark town will never look the same again. 3/5



The Informers (2008), adapted from the 1994 series of short stories by Bret Easton Ellis, who also did the screenplay here, and directed by Gregor Jordan (Buffalo Soldiers (2001) and Ned Kelly (2003)), this is a dark drama that looks at fame in different forms in 1980's Los Angeles. Despite the best efforts of all the cast on board, it's a rather cold and soulless affair, despite all best intentions, there's no real fireworks to speak off, just one lurid scene after another. 1983 in LA, Graham Sloan (Jon Foster) is a drugs dealer working the party scene in the rich parts of LA, and lives in expensive hotels and drives flash cars. His estranged parents are film producer father William (Billy Bob Thornton) and drug addict mother Laura (Kim Basinger). William is having an affair with TV news anchor Cheryl Moore (Winona Ryder), while Laura is seeing Martin (Austin Nichols), who is close friends with Graham. But, Graham has problems of his own, his girlfriend Christie (Amber Heard) is cheating on him behind his back with a number of Graham's friends, including Martin. But Graham is in a homosexual relationship with Martin as well. It's a daring multi-layered film, but little of it works. Ellis' works can split people down the middle, and so do the film adaptations like American Psycho (2000) and The Rules of Attraction (2002), this however sinks without trace, and that's it. 2/5

A Bronx Tale (1993), the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, for his first film, he chose to direct this adaptation of Chazz Palminteri's autobiographical one-man show which premiered on stage in Los Angeles in 1990. Palminteri accepted De Niro's offer, on the condition Palminteri wrote the screenplay and played one of the lead parts. It's a great mob film, and a coming of age film as well, showing a down and dirty side to life in New York, with a colourful cast along the way. Set between 1960 and 1968, it tells the story of Calogero Anello (Francis Capra/Lillo Brancato, Jr.), whose father Lorenzo (De Niro), drives a bus in the neighbourhood. Young Calogero is obsessed with the mobsters that frequent the bar next door to their apartment block, led by Sonny (Palminteri). After Calogero witnesses Sonny murder a rival gangster, he keeps quiet rather than rat Sonny out. As a result, Sonny takes a liking to Calogero, and has him doing odd jobs for him, which angers Lorenzo, who tells Sonny to stay away from his son, but Calogero still continues to see Sonny, and Sonny becomes something of a second father to Calogero, much to Lorenzo's ire. It has some very good performances throughout, with De Niro and Palminteri both playing off each other well, while the former shows confidence as a director, it's a shame he only has this and The Good Shepherd (2006) to his name, he should do more. 4.5/5



The Man Who Fell To Earth (1975), after Don't Look Now (1973), Nicolas Roeg went off to America for his next film, even though it was made by British Lion with an English crew, based on Walter Tevis' 1963 novel. It makes for a sparse, experimental sci-fi film, but it's beautiful to look at and has a good game cast with a brilliant singer/musician in his screen debut showing confidence and charisma. It has a mysterious stranger, Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie), who is a humanoid alien sent from the planet Anthea, to find water as Anthea is dying due to a terrible drought. In order to do this, he brings from his home planet, designs for many inventions on Earth, with help from patent attorney Oliver V. Farnsworth (Buck Henry), and eventually Newton becomes head of his own company World Enterprises Corporation. Newton meets and becomes romantically involved with hotel worker Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), and they begin a sexual relationship. Meanwhile, Newton's closest confidante Dr. Nathan Bryce (Rip Torn) learns that Newton is an alien, and Newton's origins becomes the focus of much press and political scrutiny. It's an engaging and moving film, with locations out in Albuquerque and Artesia in New Mexico, which look as remote and alien as any planet out there. Roeg gets the best of of Bowie, who is a perfect fit for Newton, giving it an other-worldly quality, with brilliant music by John Phillips and Stomu Yamashta, this is a sci-fi film for grown-ups, and proud of it. 5/5

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), The Adventures of Robin Hood ran on ITV for 143 episodes between 1955 and 1959, it was a success at home and abroad. Hammer bought the rights to make a film, and called upon Hammer veteran Terrence Fisher to direct this film. Filmed in a green and luscious Ireland, it's a lavish and beautiful looking adventure with a good cast as well. It's also one of the better Robin Hood adaptations on film too, and it looks like some serious money was spent on this film too. When the Sheriff of Nottingham (Peter Cushing) is looking to confiscate the estate of a soldier who fought in the Crusades, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Hubert Walter (Jack Gwillim) speaks out against the Sheriff's plans, and the Sheriff plans to kill him. The Sheriff sends Earl of Newark (Richard Pasco) and Lord Melton (Oliver Reed) out to do it, but they try and trick Robin Hood (Richard Greene) to do it, but when Robin Hood learns of who his target is, he goes about trying to protect the Archbishop, and defeat the Sheriff. It's a good adventure film with a good cast, Greene reprises his role of Robin Hood from the TV production, while Cushing hams it up as the Sheriff. But, there is much to admire with this adaptation, and there is a lot of fun to be had too. 4/5



Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), in 1970, The Six Wives of Henry VIII was a huge ratings winner on the BBC, to the point where EMI bought the option to do a film version. They employed Waris Hussein (Melody (1971) to direct the film. Also brought over was the original producer from the series Mark Shivas as well as Ian Thorne, who had written one episode that won an award. It's a powerful and compelling drama with some lovely sets and some very good performances too. It begins with Henry VIII (Keith Michell) on his death bed, looking back on his life, and the Six Wives he wed. Beginning with Catherine of Aragon (Frances Cuka), who gave him a daughter, so he divorced her and married Anne Boleyn (Charlotte Rampling) who gave him another daughter, so Henry had her executed, he marries Jane Seymour (Jane Asher) who gives him a son, but she dies afterwards. Henry then marries Anne of Cleves (Jenny Bos), who Henry hates and divorces her, he has less luck with Catherine Howard (Lynne Frederick), who is unfaithful, but his final wife Catherine Parr (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) becomes his widow. It's a powerful adaptation, with Michell reprising his role from the TV series, it has lovely cinematography by Peter Suschitzky, and a good supporting cast including Donald Pleasence, Michael Gough and Brian Blessed. You don't get historical films like this now. 4/5

Donald McKinney wrote:

Not seen The Great Gatsby yet??

No, and I'm not sure I'll get to see it at the cinema



Tooth Fairy (1st view) - An ice hockey player nicknamed the The Tooth Fairy becomes an Actual Tooth Fairy in this supposed comedy - 2/5*

Aww, it's being shunted out of cinemas up here.

Epic (2013), from Blue Sky Studios, behind such hits as Ice Age (2002), Robots (2005) and Rio (2011), comes this adaptation of William Joyce's 1996 children's book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs, (Joyce also contributed to the screenplay here), it's a very inventive animated film which has more than a touch of Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992) about it, but it is very imaginative and it has a good heart as well, and it's visually stunning. M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) visits her estranged father Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), who has been spending most of his life searching for tiny human soldiers that inhabit the forest, but he's never been able to find them. But M.K. discovers them when she's shrunk down to their size by a leaf pod chosen by Queen Tara (Beyoncé Knowles). M.K. then finds herself with Leafman leader Ronin (Colin Farrell), hot-headed soldier Nod (Josh Hutcherson), slug Mub (Aziz Ansari) and snail Grub (Chris O'Dowd). M.K, has to protect the leaf pod from the evil forces of Mandrake (Christoph Waltz), leader of the Boggans, who want to destroy the forest, but M.K. really just wants to get back home as soon as possible. It's all been seen before hundreds of times in books and on screen, but it's visually stunning to look at. Plus, the plot is untidy, and they've crammed a bit too much in, when it could have been a simple story, it races along way too fast when it needs time to take it all in. 3/5



Murder by Decree (1979), directed by Bob Clark (Black Christmas (1974), Porky's (1981) and A Christmas Story (1983)) and based on the book The Ripper File by Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd. This British-Canadian film is a good reimagining of the Jack the Ripper murders and also the best case Sherlock Holmes never handled. It has a good cast all giving lovely performances, and it's one of the best Holmes films, even if it's not based on any of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. In Victorian London, an unknown serial killer is picking off prostitutes in Whitechapel, Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and his loyal assistant Doctor Watson (James Mason) are assigned to this gruesome case by the Prime Minister (John Gielgud) and Inspector Lestrade (Frank Finlay). Holmes believes it's an open and shut case, but it's not that simple. Especially when he discovers links to the Freemasons. Holmes calls upon spiritualist Robert Lees (Donald Sutherland), and he leads them to Mary Kelly (Susan Clark), who claims to have slept with someone high up in the aristocracy, and if revealed, could bring down the monarchy and parliament. Plummer makes a brilliant Holmes, while Mason plays against type as Watson, it has some very good cinematography by Reginald H. Morris too. It's a shame Clark didn't make more films like this, considering the kinds of films he ended up making. 4/5

Carlito's Way (1993), directed by Brian De Palma and adapted from the books Carlito's Way (1975) and After Hours (1979) by Edwin Torres. This is a powerful and tense crime thriller set in the New York underbelly. It had originally been offered to directors such as Abel Ferrara and John Mackenzie, before De Palma took it on, eager to work with Al Pacino again after Scarface (1983). It's a very good gangster film, with De Palma deploying his usual box of tricks on the proceedings. It begins in 1975, when Carlito Brigante (Pacino) is freed from jail after 5 years of a 30 year sentence on a technicality, thanks to his close friend and lawyer Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn). Carlito claims to be done with the criminal underworld, but he ends up following his cousin Guajiro (John Ortiz) on a drugs deal. The deal goes wrong, but Carlito ends up with enough money to buy a nightclub from gambling addict Saso (Jorge Porcel). Now making money, he rekindles his relationship with former girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), and it looks like Carlito has his life sorted, but Dave ends up on the wrong side of the law, and his recklessness puts everyone's lives in danger. There were loads of gangster films like this out around this time, but De Palma makes a very compelling film, and gets some brilliant performances from Pacino and Penn. Critics might have been sniffy at the time about this film, but it's aged brilliantly. 4.5/5



A Time To Kill (1996), directed by Joel Schumacher and adapted from John Grisham's 1989 legal thriller. Schumacher had just come off the success of another Grisham adaptation The Client (1994), not to mention the blockbuster Batman Forever (1995), and this seemed like a perfect follow-up. It's a film where racial tensions reach melting point, and spill over into the streets of small town America, and it has a brilliant cast as well to it's name. In rural Mississippi, 10-year-old black girl named Tonya Hailey (Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly) is brutally raped and beaten by Billy Ray Cobb (Nicky Katt) and Pete Willard (Doug Hutchison). Tonya's father Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) gets vengeance by shooting them both dead and injuring Deputy Looney (Chris Cooper). Lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) agrees to defend him, with help from liberal student Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock), they're up against tough prosecuting lawyer Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey) but Billy Ray's brother Freddie Lee (Kiefer Sutherland) reforms the Ku Klux Klan, and decide to get even with Brigance for standing up for Hailey. It's a tough and sprawling legal epic, one that's gripping and powerful to watch, it has good support from Brenda Fricker, Donald Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Ashley Judd and Patrick McGoohan. It's a shame Schumacher followed this with Batman and Robin (1997). 4/5

The Greatest Show On Earth (1952), directed by Cecil B. DeMille, who was best known for historical epics like The Sign of the Cross (1932), Cleopatra (1934) and Samson and Delilah (1948). Here, he wanted to do something a little bit more contemporary, and chose to do this film about the thrill and spectacles of the circus. DeMille wanted to combine real life circus sets with behind the scenes footage of how they move about and work to make a big screen spectacular. Set in the bustling world of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus, it follows the lives of the circus performers and those who make the show work behind the scenes. Including Brad Braden (Charlton Heston), who is told that in the post-war economy, the circus has to do a short 10 week season, or risk losing $25,000 a day, but Brad assures the board of directors it will be a success. There's romance between trapeze artists Holly (Betty Hutton) and The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), whose rivalry soon blossoms into a romance, but Brad has eyes for Holly too. Then there's Buttons the Clown (James Stewart), who has a shady private background he's trying to keep secret. It is spectacular to look at, and the circus sequences are brilliantly staged, but it probably didn't deserved the 1952 Best Picture Oscar over Singin' In The Rain or High Noon, but it manages to be an entertaining film, worth it for the train crash though. 4/5



Major Dundee (1965), directed by Sam Peckinpah, who had come into film from TV, getting his feature film career off to a promising start with old fashioned westerns like The Deadly Companions (1961) and Ride the High Country (1962). Then, he was offered this big-budget western by Columbia Pictures, from a story by Harry Julian Fink, which Peckinpah subsequently rewrote, making it a complex character study. It should have made him a megastar, but it's troubled production marred it's reputation. In 1864, during the American Civil War, Union Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston) is relieved of his post after a tactical error during the Battle of Gettysburg, and sent to run a POW camp in the New Mexico territory. It's here where Dundee is given a chance to redeem himself, after a cavalry is massacred by a band of Apache's led by Sierra Charriba (Michael Pate), Dundee gets together a group of mercenaries, chosen by Dundee and Irish Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris) to go into Mexico to track down Charriba and his men and get them dead or alive, but it's to be a long journey, and a physically exhausting one too. It's a grand old adventure, and Peckinpah gets the best out of his cast, and there's some great vistas and shots in this film. Peckinpah's original cut was butchered after it's original release, but attempts have been made to restore it to how it should have been. 4/5

Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997), directed by Michael Cohn (When the Bough Breaks (1994)), this is a dark, bloody, lurid re-imagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy story. Unlike the two Snow White adaptations in 2012, Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror, this one has a dark horror angle. It's a good combination, although it falls into somewhere between Euro-pudding and B-Movie horror cheese, but it manages to be fun nontheless. Lilli Hoffman (Monica Keena) was born after her mother Lilliana (Joanna Roth) suffered an accident in a coach, her father Lord Frederick (Sam Neill) has always put Lilli first, but he chooses to marry Lady Claudia (Sigourney Weaver), who takes an instant disliking to Lilli, and after a stillborn birth. Claudia decides to kill Lilli, and sends her mute brother Gustav (Miroslav Taborsky) to kill her, but he cannot. Lilli escapes and ends up with a group of seven miners, led by Lars (Brian Glover), who are rough and rugged, but they agree to help Lilli get home and stop Claudia, who has started to poison Lord Frederick, but when she discovers Lilli is still alive, decides to finish the job. It's a little seen horror film, it was never released theatrically in America due to bad test screenings, so it premiered there on Showtime. But, it manages to be better than it looks, and it makes the most of a lot of European locations in and around Prague too. 4/5



Festen (1998), the first film to be made under the controversial Dogme 95 manifesto, whereby filmmaking is stripped by to the bare basics, no luxuries or special effects. Just filmed as it is on camera, rather like a home movie. Festen was directed by Thomas Vinterberg (The Biggest Heroes (1996), It's All About Love (2003), The Hunt (2012)), is a simplistic but explosive film about family affairs and the secrets and lies every family has. Helge (Henning Moritzen) is a respected businessman and family patriarch, who is about to celebrate his 60th birthday. He's invited most of his family to celebrate the big day at a family run hotel in the Danish countryside. They include his wife Else (Birthe Neumann), his depressive eldest son Christian (Ulrich Thomsen), daughter Helene (Paprika Steen) and his volatile younger son Michael (Thomas Bo Larsen) But, Helge faces a major tragedy, his other daughter and Christian's twin Linda (Lene Laub Oksen) drowned herself in a bath at the hotel before the celebrations start, but Helge decides to keep this a secret from everyone at the party, knowing it would ruin everything. It's an unusual drama, dark if that, but it's amateurish nature seems to suit it. At times, making the viewer feel like a fly on the wall, looking in on these uncomfortable situations, but for a Dogme film, it's better than Lar Von Trier's The Idiots (1998). 4/5

Higher Learning (1995), directed by John Singleton, who had got his career off to a very strong start with Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Poetic Justice (1993). Here, Singleton took on University life after developing the idea with Jonathan Demme, but it would be a tough production, with cast members being considered and replaced during the production and a lot of scenes ending up on the cutting room floor. But the final result is a powerful and dark look at higher education. At Columbus University, new students have enrolled including Malik Williams (Omar Epps), Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson) and Remy (Michael Rapaport). Malik is black, and people treat him coldly, Kristen becomes friends with Monet (Regina King), who goes to parties hosted by Fudge (Ice Cube), whose loud music upsets Remy. But after an incident where lesbian student Taryn (Jennifer Connelly) is raped by frat boy Billy (Jay R. Ferguson), tensions rise. Remy then gets involved with Scott Moss (Cole Hauser), who is in with a group of Neo-Nazi's, who plan to have their moment against the black students studying at Columbus. It's a film which shows the growing pains of university life, Singleton gets the best out of the cast he ended up with, and it manages to be gripping and emotionally shattering, not shying away from the pains and tragedies that goes on at the University. It spoke to a generation, it still does. 4/5



Leaving Las Vegas (1995), written and directed by Mike Figgis (Stormy Monday (1988), Internal Affairs (1990) and Mr. Jones (1993)), this was adapted from John O'Brien's 1990 novel. It's a self-destructive and powerful drama about a slow suicide, and the distractions along the way. O'Brien committed suicide when he learnt this was to be a film, but Figgis carried on regardless, and the result is a sad yet compelling character piece, drenched in alcohol though. Screenwriter Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) once had it all, but he's succumbed to alcoholism, and it's cost him his job, and his family and friends. With nothing to lose, Ben decides to go to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. Checking into a run-down sleazy motel called The Whole Year Inn, and begins his final days of drinking. He then meets prostitute Sera (Elisabeth Shue), who has an abusive pimp called Yuri Butso (Julian Sands), a Latvian immigrant. Sera finds solace in Ben, and Ben does as well. But, Ben has made his mind up, and nothing will stop him from his drinking exploits, not even one sweet final love affair with Sera will stop him. Figgis saw this as a companion piece to Mr. Jones (1993), which explored love in dark places, but this is a better film. With Cage giving one of his best performances here, for which he rightfully won an Oscar, what a shame it's been all downhill for Cage every since this film. 4/5

Rollerball (2002), this is a remake of Norman Jewison's 1975 sports/sci-fi dystopia, here directed by John McTiernan (Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988) and Last Action Hero (1993)). It seemed like a good idea on paper, but on film, it's an absolute mess. God knows how, but this manages to look even more dated than the 1975 original. Everyone went in with so much good faith, but it was delayed by a year and it sank without trace, not surprising really. It is the year 2005, and rising hockey player Jonathan Cross (Chris Klein) is approached by Marcus Ridley (LL Cool J) to compete in the highly competitive sport of Rollerball, which is popular in Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe and parts of the Middle East. Cross is playing for the Zhambel Horsemen in Kazakhstan, and Jonathan is groomed by promoter Alexi Petrovich (Jean Reno), who gives him riches and fame. But, Jonathan, Marcus and fellow team member Aurora (Rebecca Romijn) discover skulduggery regarding Alexi's business strategies, with staged "accidents" occuring during the game, just to get the viewing figures up, Jonathan wants to put a stop to all this. It could have been a good film, but McTiernan failed with a cast who are stilted and a script that's as cliched and cheesy as they come. It's all over the place, with fast action that's impossible to keep up with and this is ADD cinema, and it shouldn't have come to all this. 1.5/5



Blood Diamond (2006), directed by Edward Zwick (Glory (1989), Legends of the Fall (1994) and The Last Samurai (2003)), this is a highly politically charged film set during a conflict that was little seen or reported in the news, but one that had a far reaching effect that still goes on to this day. Zwick weaves an intriguing tale of murder, secrets, greed and politics. It's a disturbing film, but it's got a very good cast as well, all giving powerful performances. In 1999 in Sierra Leone, fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is captured by rebels and forced to dig for diamonds under the rule of rebel leader Captain Poison (David Harewood). Solomon finds a large pink diamond, and hides it. But, Solomon is spotted by Poison, but the site is attacked by government forces, and everyone there is detained. In the prison, Solomon meets gunrunner Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), who does diamond smuggling on the side. He convinces South African Colonel Coetzee (Arnold Vosloo) to go after the diamond, with American photojournalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in tow, but it'll be dangerous journey. This is a high stakes thriller, with a lot of drama, and some brilliant performances by DiCaprio and Hounsou. It's not a perfect film, but it manages to be an intelligent thriller that mixes brians and action well, but it is a tough and dirty film to watch. 4/5

I saw Rollerball at the cinema. That was a bad decision

It never came up here.

Harry Brown (1st view) - OAP vigilante takes on the gangs on his estate - 4/5*




Horsemen Of The Apocalypse (1st view) - Dennis Quaid is a detective on the trail of a group of serial killers committing crimes based on the four horsemen - 3/5*




Dangerous Minds (1st view) - Cliched drama that follows the path of countless other school films, but Michelle Pfeiffer gives a good performance - 3/5*

Wyatt Earp (1994), directed by Lawrence Kasdan (Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983) and Grand Canyon (1991)), this film came about after star/producer Kevin Costner was attached to Tombstone (1993). Unhappy with the way the script of Tombstone had turned out, Costner left and planned his own Wyatt Earp film, one that would be more respectful to the title character. It started out as a 6 hour TV mini-series, then it became this well-meaning but hard-going western. It follows the life of the Wyatt Earp (Costner), who as a teenager had wanted to run away to join the Union Army, but his father Nicholas Earp (Gene Hackman) convinces him not to. Years later, and Earp marries his childhood sweetheart Urilla Sutherland (Annabeth Gish), but she dies from typhoid fever. Bereaved, Earp becomes a drifter, getting into trouble with the law, but he reforms and works for the law and becomes Marshal of Wichita, Kansas. Earp later meets Doc Holliday (Dennis Quaid), and the two go off to bring law and order to the west. One of their battles includes the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Kasdan makes the old west look brilliant, with rich cinematography by Owen Roizman and a sweeping score by James Newton Howard, but it's 3 hour running time does drag at times. But Costner does great as Earp, it's just a shame his status as a superstar came crashing down around him with Waterworld (1995). 3/5



The Hangover: Part 3 (2013), it had to happen, and here it is. The Hangover (2009) was a huge hit, making over half a billion dollars at the box-office, The Hangover Part II (2011) followed, that was a huge hit too, but criticised heavily for being a carbon copy of the first film. Unfazed by criticisms, director Todd Phillips decided to something completely different for the third and final film in the franchise. It is funny, but it's black humour is a bit too black for it's own good. After Sid Garner (Jeffrey Tambor) drops dead, his son Alan (Zach Galifianakis) goes out of control, refusing to take his medication. Alan's brother in law Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) invites friends Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper) and Stu Price (Ed Helms) to hold an intervention, so they can send Alan to rehab in Arizona to get better. Phil, Stu and Doug agree to drive Alan there, but they end up being driven off the road by mobster Marshall (John Goodman), who tells them they have 3 days to find Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) and $21 million in gold bullion or Doug will die. Alan has been in contact with Chow, and tries to arrange a meeting, but nothing goes to plan as usual. It's brave that they're trying something new, and it works to a point, but most of the humour ends up being more spiteful than funny in places, but it has some good laughs along the way, and it gives this outrageous saga some closure. 3/5

The English Patient (1996), written and directed by Anthony Minghella, adapted from Michael Ondaatje's 1992 novel. This is a sweeping and visually stunning romantic drama set during World War 2. It owes a lot to David Lean's epics, but it is overlong and it is a cold affair, despite looking good. It has a very godo cast, and they all do great in the film, but the film doesn't have a heart, and it's very hard to care about the characters. It tries hard to be a great epic, but it tries too hard. In an abandoned Italian monastery, French-Canadian nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) tends to a critically burned man only known as 'The English Patient' (Ralph Fiennes). Through a series of letters and flashbacks, the patient reveals himself to be Count László de Almásy, a Hungarian cartographer who was in Africa working on a map of the Sahara Desert. While exploring Egypt and Libya, he meets Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth) and his wife Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas). The Count begins an affair with Katherine, and Geoffrey soon finds out, and plans a tragic revenge against the Count, a decision that has far reaching consequences for everyone. There's no denying that Minghella has put his heart and soul into making this film, and it was a huge gamble for everyone on board. It might have been a world success and won Oscars, but there were better films released in 1996, this has no fireworks to speak of. Shame really. 3/5



The Quiet American (2002), directed by Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm (1989), Patriot Games (1992), Sliver (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994)), this is an adaptation of Graham Greene's 1955 novel, and it drew on Greene's experiences of a war correspondent in French Indochina in the early 1950's. Noyce gets the best from his cast in the suspenseful yet thoughtful drama, which has a hint of mystery about it, but it has some brilliant performances though. Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine) works in Saigon for the London Times, covering the war between colonial French and the Communists. Fowler seldom goes into the field anymore, and works from his office, he has a mistress in Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen). However, things are complicated when Phuong is stolen away by American Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser), who works for the CIA, and is trying to get America into Vietnam, to help in the fight against the Communists, creating a group led by corrupt militia leader General Thé (Quang Hai), which leads to terrorist bombings in Saigon. But, this leads to Pyle making more enemies than allies, while Fowler watches on. It's a good piece showing the run up to the Vietnam War, indeed it's release was delayed amid fears the film is anti-American, which it is, showing they were getting involved in a war they had no business in whatsoever, this film should be a warning for them not to do it again. 3.5/5

The Big Chill (1983), directed by Lawrence Kasdan, who had just found big success with his directorial debut Body Heat (1981), a dark noirish thriller. Here, Kasdan wanted to make a small, personal film, nearly autobiographical. Partially based on Kasdan's friends from the University of Michigan, the film is a thirtysomething answer to the Brat Pack films that were being made at the time. It has some lovely performances, a very good script and one hell of a brilliant soundtrack. It follows a group of friends who studied at the University of Michigan, getting back together for the first time in 15 years after they hear about the tragic death of their friend Alex, who committed suicide. Alex's college friends include Harold Cooper (Kevin Kline) and his wife Sarah (Glenn Close), television actor Sam (Tom Berenger), real estate agent Meg (Mary Kay Place), journalist Michael (Jeff Goldblum), Vietnam Veteran Nick (William Hurt) and housewife Karen (JoBeth Williams). After the funeral, they decide to spend the weekend together, just to reconnect and catch up on old times. They're also joined by Alex's much younger girlfriend Chloe (Meg Tilly). It's a warm, moving, gently funny and engaging character piece, it's compelling to watch and see all these great actors bounce dialogue off one another. Plus, you never saw who Alex was, but Kevin Costner originally played him in flashback, but they were cut. That adds a sense of mystery. 4/5



The Rock (1996), directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who had just come off a big success with Bad Boys (1995). This is a taut and fun action thriller, which showed Bay at his best, if that's possible. Plus, he scored major bonus points by getting a very good cast in for the film. It is very silly in places, but it manages to be great fun, and it was one of the great action films of the 1990's, and it has stood the test of time as well. General Francis Xavier Hummel (Ed Harris) has always protested that families of dead war veterans should get benefits, after the government refuses again, Hummel snaps and with a band of mercenaries, goes to Alcatraz Island, and takes it hostage, along with 81 visiting tourists. He also has gas warheads which Hummel threatens to launch across San Francisco if his demands are not met. FBI director James Womack (John Spencer) calls upon biochemist Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and prisoner John Mason (Sean Connery) to get into Alcatraz to stop Hummel. Mason is chosen because he was the only man to escape from Alcatraz, but that was kept a secret. It has some brilliant action sequences throughout, and it has fun playing around with conspiracy theories and government cover-ups too, plus Bay has fun on the streets of San Francisco and in the near-derelict old prison, this is a very exciting action film. 4/5

No Escape (1994). directed by Martin Campbell (GoldenEye (1995), The Mask of Zorro (1998) and Casino Royale (2006)), this is a very entertaining sci-fi action film, based on The Penal Colony by Richard Herley, it's a product of it's time and proud of it. Plus, Campbell got together a very good cast for the film, and it uses old school special effects and although it drags a little bit, this is a film which still manages to be compelling for most of the time. It's 2022, and prison colonies are owned by huge corporations. Former Marine John Robbins (Ray Liotta) murdered his commanding officer a decade prior after killing innocent civilians, and after escaping from 2 high security prisons, is confined to an extreme prison, whose warden (Michael Lerner) has Robbins sent to the island of Absolom, where prisoners have become feral tribes. As soon as Robbins lands, he's captured by The Outsiders, led by Marek (Stuart Wilson), but Robbins escapes and meets another group, The Insiders, led by The Father (Lance Henriksen), who has been planning to overthrow Marek, (they're fierce rivals) and find a way off Absolom, which is exactly what Robbins wants as well. It manages to do quite a lot with so little, with cameos from UK TV actors such as Don Henderson and Ian McNeice, it's not all perfect, but it makes the most of it's locations in Queensland, Australia. Plus, this film got Campbell the job of doing GoldenEye (1995), good on him. 3.5/5



The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), directed by Betty Thomas (Private Parts (1997) and Doctor Dolittle (1998)), this is an adaptation of Sherwood Schwartz's sitcom that ran on ABC from 1969 to 1974. But it takes a twist from other tv show to film adaptations, quite a post-modern one. It mixes old fashioned humour with the cynical greedy values of the 1990's. It manages to be respectful to the original show, while also managing to make it work as a feature film as well. Real estate agent Larry Dittmeyer (Michael McKean) has been buying properties in one part of LA to make way for a new shopping mall, but one family refuse to sell. The Brady's, who seem to be stuck in a 1970's time warp. They include parents Mike (Gary Cole) and Carol (Shelley Long), and their children Jan (Jennifer Elise Cox), Marcia (Christine Taylor); Cindy (Olivia Hack) and Greg (Christopher Daniel Barnes), Peter (Paul Sutera) and Bobby (Jesse Lee). When the Brady's hear that they owe the IRS $20,000 in back taxes, they have to come up with a way to raise the money fast, or they'll lose the house to Dittmeyer, and they don't want to lose their home, as it's a part of them. It has a sweet and innocent feel to it, but not all of the humour works, but maybe that's the point. Inside the Brady household, it feels so much like a sitcom, the only thing missing is canned laughter, but it does contrast the 1970's with the 1990's well, and it does question the ethics of the latter era. 3/5

The Glimmer Man (1996), directed by John Grey (When He's Not a Stranger (1989), A Place for Annie (1994) and Born to Be Wild (1995)), this is a very silly action film which gives Seagal, who also produced the film, another chance to take on baddies in his own unique way. This does have some well staged action sequences, but it's all been done before elsewhere. But, it's the sort of action film you'd expect from the 1990's, brainless and cheesy. Jack Cole (Steven Seagal) used to work as an intelligence agent, known as The Glimmer Man, because he moves so fast, the bad guys only catch a glimpse of him before they're dead. Cole now works for the LAPD, and he's partnered with Jim Campbell (Keenen Ivory Wayans), who is no-nonsense and does his work by the book. They team up to find a serial killer known as The Family Man, who has just murdered Cole's ex-wife  While Cole's fingerprints are found at the scene, he's cleared of it as he can prove he wasn't there, Cole suspects that someone from his intelligence days has set him up, which leads him to his old friend Smith (Brian Cox) and crime boss Frank Deverell (Bob Gunton). It's a very silly action film, Seagal gets to show off his martial arts abilities again, even if his acting abilities are questionable at best. But that's not his fault, he has a certain likeable quality that make his films watchable. This might not be one of his best, but it has good brainless action. 3/5



Buffalo '66 (1998), actor Vincent Gallo made his writing and directing debut with this low-budget little independent film. Which looks like it was made in the 1970's, and is an enjoyable and quirky little dramedy. It's very offbeat, but it passes by quickly. It starts with Billy Brown (Gallo) being released from prison after 5 years inside, and unsure what to do next with his life. On an act of pure impulse, he kidnaps teenage tap-dancing student Layla (Christina Ricci), and asks her to pose as his wife to his parents. Reluctantly, she says yes. They visit his parents (Anjelica Huston and Ben Gazzara), But, his parent's couldn't care less about their son, they're more interested in the Super Bowl, and the local team, the Buffalo Bills. They hate Billy even more as he was born on the day they lost in 1966. So, Billy decides to kill the man who caused the team to lose, but Layla is becoming more attracted to Billy, even though he kidnapped her. It's very offbeat, and the snow-swept industrial setting of Buffalo, New York gives it an odd grimness. Gallo multitasks well in the role, even if there's alot of ego on show, and Ricci makes for a different kind of squeeze. Look out for appearances from Rosanna Arquette and Mickey Rourke. 4/5

The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), written and directed by Randall Wallace, and loosely adapted from  Alexandre Dumas' The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later, which was serialised between 1847 and 1850. This is a very dumbed down version of history, despite the good intentions of Wallace, who is no stranger to dumbing down history with Braveheart and Pearl Harbor. It's set during the reign of Louis XIV of France (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is nothing more than a tyrant, bankrupting the country with unwinnable wars. The Three Musketeers are now old and have retired, Aramis (Jeremy Irons) has turned to religion, Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) visits brothels a lot and Athos (John Malkovich) has a son called Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard), only D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) works in the King's court. Unhappy with the way the country is turning out, they all agree to try and overthrow the King Louis, with his twin brother Philippe (DiCaprio again), who has spent much of his life imprisoned in an iron mask. This is to save the country from self-destructing, and that the Musketeers can advise Philippe as Louis, but nothing goes according to plan. It was a good idea for a film, yet there's not enough Musketeer action either, it's mostly costumes and old dialogue. But it looks good, and it follows the structure of James Whale's 1939 film version of this story, DiCaprio struggles in the dual role, and it would be a few years before he matured as an actor. 3/5



Invincible (2001), written and directed by Werner Herzog, this was his first feature film in a decade, he'd turned to doing documentaries after the troubled production of Scream of Stone (1991). However, he found himself doing this biopic, loosely based on the life of Jewish strongman Zishe Breitbart, although Herzog took liberties with his life, setting it a full 7 years after Breitbart had died, but that was all part of what Herzog had in mind, and it works amazingly. It begins in rural Poland in 1932, it begins with Zishe Breitbart (Jouko Ahola), who works as a blacksmith in town, but he is also fantastically strong, and his talents are spotted at a local circus, and Zishe is invited to work in Berlin by Hanussen (Tim Roth), a supposed mystic (he isn't) as part of a big cabaret show. However, the audience every night is made up of soldiers of the rising Nazi party, so Zishe is under pressure to keep his identity a secret, but his younger brother Benjamin (Jacob Benjamin Wein) convinces Zishe that he has nothing to hide. Meanwhile, Zishe tries to win the affections of pianist Marta Farra (Anna Gourari), who just so happens to be in a relationshop with Hanussen. It's a very rare and little seen Herzog film, which was little seen upon release, but it managed to be a very compelling film, and very engaging. It has shots and moments we've come to expect from Herzog, but Herzog manages to get some brilliant performances from his actors too. 4/5

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), and here's where it started to descend into comedy. After the world success of Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), there was enough passion to do another film. But Warner Bros. decided to inject more comedy into the proceedings, which director Richard Donner and producer Joel Silver were against, but went ahead regardless. Big mistake, as it goes against what was set up. Sergeants Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are demoted to uniform duties after trying to deactivate a bomb rather than waiting for the bomb squad. However, they manage to stop a robbery taking place, and they discover thieves using a new form of armor-piercing bullets. Riggs and Murtaugh are reinstated as Detectives, working for Internal Affairs Sergeant Lorna Cole (Rene Russo). Their investigations lead them to former LAPD detective Jack Travis (Stuart Wilson), who Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) knows and is able to help Riggs and Murtaugh find him. If this was a bit more serious it might have worked, but the comedics, which crept in ever so slightly in the previous film are magnified here times 100. While there is some good action set pieces, it manages to still be a good film, but they should have put more thought into it, and Wilson was wasted. 3/5



Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), and here's where it all ended, even if Warner Bros. would have liked to have made more, there's a distinct smugness about this one, as if Lethal Weapon 3 wasn't smug enough. This was filmed as breakneck speed, starting production in January 1998 for a July release that year, which left it's cast and crew shattered and drained, and they look tired here. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are promoted from Sergeants to Captains, mainly because of all the destruction left in their wake, and that this could get them off the street for a while. But, that doesn't last long, after they and Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) discover a ship full of Chinese slaves. Their investigations lead them to crime boss Benny Chan (Kim Chan) and hardass Triad negotiator Wah King Su (Jet Li). Meanwhile Riggs has married Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) as is about to become a father, while Murtaugh has growing pains all of his own. It's a very silly film, and it's just an excuse to see them blow stuff up and shout comedic insults at one another. They should have spent more time on this film, as it does look rushed in places and Donner didn't direct again for 5 years, while it caused Pesci to retire from acting for a while. 2/5

Internal Affairs (1990), after Mike Figgis had a big success with the noirish Stormy Monday (1988), he was whisked off to Hollywood by producer Frank Mancuso Jr. whose father was head of Paramount Pictures at the time. This would put Figgis briefly on the road to a successful directing career, but it would be short lived, yet his Hollywood debut showcased his confidence. In the LAPD, Dennis Peck (Richard Gere) is a well respected cop, who has made many successful arrests and won the respect of the city. However, that's all a facade, as it turns out that Peck is actually a corrupt cop, he's a nasty piece of work and a sleazy womaniser. Raymond Avilla (Andy Garcia) has just been promoted to Internal Affairs, where he was investigating officer Van Stretch (William Baldwin) for using excessive force during an arrest, and Avilla's investigations lead him to Peck, who finds out and decides to terrorise Avilla's wife Kathleen (Nancy Travis) and partner Amy Wallace (Laurie Metcalf). Figgis made a good choice as this for his follow up to Stormy Monday, as it's a tough, down-and-dirty cop film. Gere gives a good villainous performance, and it helped to revive his career after a slump in the late 1980's. It shows that Figgis was, and still is, an underrated director, but it's a shame he went all arty with his films. 4/5 



Jersey Girl (2004), after being stuck in the View Askewniverse since 1994, Kevin Smith decided it was time for something completely different for his next film. By that, he wanted to do a more commercial film, featuring non of the characters that had frequented his previous films from Clerks (1994) to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), it's not as bad as critics say actually. Ollie Trinké (Ben Affleck) works for Public Relations in New York, but when his wife Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez) dies during childbirth, his life collapses around him. He loses his job, and has to move back in with his father Bart (George Carlin). 7 years later, his daughter Gertie (Raquel Castro) is in Elementary School, and Ollie works is working on the streets, but still trying to get back into public relations, his old friend Arthur (Jason Biggs) tries to set up interviews. However, when Ollie meets video store clerk Maya (Liv Tyler), his life seems to take a change for the better, or will it?? Critics hated this film at the time, audiences stayed away too. It had a troubled production too, delayed due to the negative publicity surrounding "Bennifer". But, it's not as bad as they say, true it is sentimental. But Smith clearly made the film he had envisioned, it was very personal to him. 3/5

Dracula (1958), after Hammer had a massive success with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), it was decided for their next film they would take on another horror classic. A new adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula as their next film, made for a meagre £81,000, little did Hammer know that this would be their most popular franchise, spawning 8 sequels. It begins in 1895, when Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) travels to the castle of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) posing as a librarian. But Harker has really gone there to kill Dracula, but he is unsuccessful, but his associate Doctor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) arrives and discovers his colleague is a vampire. He has to hide this news from Arthur Holmwood (Michael Gough) and wife Mina (Melissa Stribling), whose sister Lucy (Carol Marsh) is engaged to Jonathan. Lucy hasn't been feeling well, but she sleeps with the window open, where a tall, dark stranger comes to her bed... It's a brilliant horror film, more gory than the Universal version in 1931, but Lee relishes the part, and it was his best portrayal of the character before it descended into self parody. It still holds up to this day, and for a film made on a shoestring, they are able to do so much and it's very effective and impossible to forget. 5/5



Scream and Scream Again (1970), directed by Gordon Hessler (The Oblong Box (1969) and Cry of the Banshee (1970)), produced by Amicus Productions for American International Pictures. This sci-fi/thriller/horror is a bit of a confusing hotch-potch of genres, which has far too much going on, it has some good moments but it gets itself tied up in knots. Detective Superintendent Bellaver (Alfred Marks) is investigating the deaths of several girls in the London area, these women picked up at nightclubs are killed by the unstoppable Keith (Michael Gothard). Their investigations lead them to the country house and clinic of Dr. Browning (Vincent Price), who specialises in hand and limb transplants. But he's hiding a dark secret, one which government official Fremont (Christopher Lee) knows about, and so does Major Heinrich Benedek (Peter Cushing). The poster and promotion is very misleading. as it's Marks who's the real star of the film here. Price, Lee and Cushing only have extended cameos. It has a brilliant chase sequence in the middle, but they've crammed too much into this film, including a pointless Eastern European bit. 3/5