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

Three Kings (1999), written and directed by David O. Russell (Flirting With Disaster (1996), The Fighter (2010) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012)) and based on a story by John Ridley (U Turn (1997) and 12 Years a Slave (2013)), this black war satire is loosely based on Kelly's Heroes, and it's a powerful and offbeat caper, and despite a well-documented nightmare of a production, it manages to be compelling and exciting all at once. March 1991, the First Gulf War in Iraq is over, Kuwait has been liberated. But a platoon of U.S. Soldiers have to pick up the pieces, and while Reserve Sergeant Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) are disarming Iraqi soldiers, they find a map which seemingly pinpoints the location of gold bullion stolen from Kuwait, hidden in one of Saddam Hussein's bunkers. Barlow sets off with Major Archie Gates (George Clooney). Staff Sergeant Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) and Private Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze) to search for the gold, which they plan to steal for themselves, and it seems to go along easily, but they soon get caught up with Iraqi prisoners, and then Troy ends up being captured. It manages to be grisly, but a few minutes later, laugh out loud funny, and it's not the sort of situation you would expect to find humour in either. However, Russell manages to get the best out of his cast, and it helped put him briefly on the map as a director to watch for, but his temper would nearly kill his career. 4.5/5



Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), 9 years after  Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), the buffoon of a news anchor is back, and it's been a long time coming. Creator Will Ferrell and director/co-writer Adam McKay pitched several Anchorman sequels, including a musical, all were rejected until they got lucky with this one. It is a very, very funny film, capturing the era well and with some good gags. Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) has an acrimonious split from his wife Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) after she becomes a lead news anchor, and he's fired. He falls on hard times, until he's approached to work for the 24-hour news network GNN (Global News Network) in New York. Burgundy gets his old news crew from San Diego back together including the dim Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), the over-sexed Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and the chauvinistic Champ Kind (David Koechner). Against all the odds, they manage to be a big success on GNN, Ron tries to win back Veronica, but he ends up having an affair with station manager Linda Jackson (Meagan Good). It has some brilliant gags, and it sends up the gaudy and queasy fashioned the late 1970's/early 1980's had on show. Ferrell is hilarious once again as Burgundy, despite being a tactless, idiotic imbecile, he's very likable. lus the film is worth it for the amount of celebrity cameos on display, especially at the film's grand finale!! 4/5 

Bad Santa (2003), a different kind of Christmas film. This one is NOT for the family to watch. In fact, it's one for the grown-ups. Who said Christmas films have to be for the family?? Directed by Ghost World's Terry Zwigoff and based on an idea by the Coen Brothers. This is a contender for one of the best Christmas films ever made, and it's also one of the funniest too. It follows drunken, boorish criminal Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton), who posed as a shopping mall Santa with his partner in crime elf Marcus (Tony Cox). While posing as Santa and his elf, they plan to rob the mall, which they do on Christmas Eve. Until one year, when Stokes becomes involved with (Brett Kelly), an overweight boy who believes Stokes really is Santa. Plus, there's trouble when Stokes' foul-mouth gets him into trouble with Mall manager Bob Chipeska (John Ritter) and Mall inspector Gin (Bernie Mac), but can Stokes change his ways?? It's a dirty, rude film but with a heart of gold, it has some brilliant gags, dialogue and scenes along the way. It's different from all the rest which is what makes it stand out. Thornton makes a brilliant down and dirty, but likeable crook, but it's the scenes with Cox and Kelly that stand out. Throw away all the other Christmas films, Bad Santa tops them all!! :D4.5/5



Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010), after making it big with Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). Edgar Wright heads off to Hollywood for this adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Canadian Manga series. It's a faithful comic book adaptation, and it's also a video game film, but not in the normal sense. It proves that Wright is one of the best directors working today. Set in Toronto, it has slacker Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) who is bass player in a band called Sex Bob-Omb, and he's dating high-school girl Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), but then Scott meets the girl of his dreams, quite literally. Ramona V. Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and eventually talks Ramona into dating him. However, there's one big problem, and it's not having to dump Knives for Ramona. Nope, Scott has to defeat Ramona's 7 Evil Ex Boyfriends, who include action star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), vegan rocker Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh) and the mysterious Gideon Gordon Graves (Jason Schwartzman). It's a very well made film with an original look. It's true to the source material, and it's a love letter to punch-'em-up video games of old. The cast are brilliant, and this should help Wright make it big, this is a great, exciting and very funny romance. 5/5

Good to see top marks for The Hobbit!

Whisky Galore! (1st view) - It doesn't reach the heights of other Ealing comedy films, including a few by Mackendrick himself, but this tale of the residents of an isolated Scottish island whose supply of booze is stopped during WWII is full of charming whimsy. There's much to enjoy in the performances and script and it's great to see Basil Radford in a lead role - 4/5*





Warrior (1st view) - Cranks up the melodrama to much that it almost becomes a comedy. I liked it a lot despite feeling as if I really shouldn't but there were moments of heartfelt drama had me guffawing - 4/5*

A Muppet Family Christmas (20th+ view) - "I don't care if the turkey says the dog is the turkey! The dog is not the turkey! The turkey's the turkey, you turkey!"

I haven't seen this in full since probably the late 90s. but I remembered every joy-filled second. Generally less well-regarded or even remembered than the Muppet Christmas Carol, this is every bit its equal. Fozzie plans a surpise Christmas visit to his mother's house and takes along his Muppet friends, disrupting her plans to go an a vaction. Then the Sesame Street gang turn up and it all gets even better. A tv special that first aired in 1987, it's primarily a Muppet Show but is also a rare moment (only I think) in which Muppet, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and even Muppet Babies characters all appeared in one production, the world of Jim Henson all united (it'll never happen again ). There are cameos from lesser known Muppets all over the place and all the main ones get a brief turn in the spotlight. There's so much to enjoy - you'll never hear better versions of Jingle Bell Rock, Here We Come A-Caroling or We Need A Little Christmas, the Fozzie/snowman double act, Ernie and Bert reciting The Night Before Christmas, the Swedish Chef upon seeing Big Bird (Gobbla gobbla humunga!), Oscar not wishing to take part in carol singing. It's perfect but my favourite moment is the very end, with a cameo from Henson himself. Tears aplenty when he appears. Everyone should watch this right now - 5/5




Mother India (1st view) - Poverty, evil money-lenders, flood, fire,a criminal son and a husband who loses his arms. Just a few of the hardships that face Radha, the heroine of the film as it chronicles her life from young new bride to village elder. It's impressively miserable but rather good - 4/5*

The Muppet Christmas Carol (40th + view) - It's not Chistmas until I've seen this film - 5/5*





The Blair Witch Project (3rd view) - Not the most obvious choice to be double billed with The Muppets in the early hours of Christmas day, but watching it in the dead of night at Christmas is just as effective as the last time I saw it in the dead of night around Halloween. The three lead characters aren't entirely the most likeable bunch but it's not them that make it effective. The final 15 minutes are immensely creepy - 5/5




Royal Opera House: The Nutcracker - Being a heathen, until yesterday I'd never seen never seen a ballet and I didn't know the story of the Nutcracker. I did, however, know the music, initially due to Fantasia and since then because of a general fondness for classical music. I once read that all ballets are just two hours of people spinning but there is a bit more to it than that    Very impressivly straged and I'm glad that these kind of things are now being shown in cinemas - 4/5*

Blackfish (1st view) - Documentary about Seaworld and the consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity. A lot of this seems to be hearsay with " I think" and "apparently popping up all over the place but this is still compelling stuff. I won't be visiting Seaworld anytime soon - 4/5*

Adbuction (1st view) - Taylor Lautner. He was the most useless thing about the Twilight films and he's the most thing here - 3/5*

Superbad (2007), after the success of Knocked Up, producer Judd Apatow and writer/star Seth Rogen decided to do a teen comedy, but before you write it off as another teen comedy, it's alot deeper than that, and it is genuinely very funny and some brilliant dialogue, harking back to the teen comedies of the good old days. It is two weeks before the end of high school, and long time friends Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) will be going to different colleges, and may not see each other again. But, they want to have sex with a girl before they depart, and are invited to a party. So, they get their nerdy friend Fogell, (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to use his fake ID, (which has the single name of McLovin on it) to obtain alcohol. But, nothing goes according to plan, especially when clueless cops Michaels (Seth Rogen) and Slater (Bill Hader) turn up. Rogen started writing the script with writing partner Evan Goldberg when they were 13, just to see if they could do it. Over a decade later, they succeeded. It's a very rude film indeed, but it does have good dialogue, and very hilarious performances from it's 3 young male leads, but it's Rogen and Hader who nearly steal the film as the two cops, who like a good party as much as our 3 heroes do. It's clever and it has real heart to it's name. 4/5



Virus (1999), the directorial debut of special effects designer John Bruno, who has worked on Ghostbusters (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Avatar (2009),and based on Chuck Pfarrer's 1992 comic book published by Dark Horse Comics. This should have been a good piece of sci-fi suspense, but ir's all a bit cack-handed, and lop sided. Even the inventive special effects on display can't save this piece of guff. A week after crew of the Mir space station were killed by a mysterious energy force, which also hits the crew of the Russian research ship Akademik Vladislav Volkov. A sea tug led by Captain Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland), along with ex-Navy officer Kelly Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis) and engineer Steve Baker (William Baldwin) come across the abandoned Akademik Vladislav Volkov, and go on board to salvage anything they can, as they'd lost their cargo in a typhoon, and they need the money. On board, they discover most of the ship's electronics are destroyed, and they try to find some power, but they soon discover the power was off for a reason. It's a very silly film, and even the special effects, which are good, end up being tarnished by the predictable plotting and hokey dialogue. It had a troubled production, with it's release date delayed by nearly a year after poor test screenings, and the film was recut. Bruno has never directed a feature film since. 1.5/5

The Fighter (2010), from David O. Russell, director of Spanking The Monkey (1994), Three Kings (1999) and I ♥ Huckabees (2004), comes this true life boxing biopic, about two fighters. It's a powerful drama with good performances in it, and the boxing is well done too. It seems boxing films always do well come awards time. Set in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1993, this focuses on the relationship between aspiring boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his older half-brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale). While Micky is not a very successful boxer, he has determination, backed by his family of 7 sister and his mother Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), who also manages him. Dickie is very unreliable, once a good boxer, he's now addicted to crack cocaine, and getting into trouble with the police. After one unsuccessful fight, Micky is all for giving up boxing and calling it a day, and starts a relationship with bartender Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams). But, Micky is offered one last chance at the title shot, it's against the odds, his fighting methods are unorthodox, but in order to win, Dickie has to be kept away from him, but can Micky afford to do that?? It's another underdog story, but it's a good story, about two brothers fighting to get by, and make their family proud. Bale steals the film, and you can see why he's up for big awards, and director Russell should be making more films too. 4/5



The Rum Diary (2011), Bruce Robinson's first film as writer and director since Jennifer 8 (1992), and Johnny Depp got him out of his retirement for this adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's 1998 novel, (written in the early 60's.) It's a different kettle of fish to the first time Depp played Thompson, he was younger here, and not the raging beast he grew up to be. It's got good performances in it as well. Paul Kemp (Depp) has just arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1960, he's been employed to write for The San Juan Star, ran by editor Edward J. Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), who has a bad toupee. Kemp has come to Puerto Rico as he's tired of the Eisenhower administration ruining America, and is looking for a fresh start, and he soon finds himself living with Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli), a fellow writer at the newspaper. Although Kemp is non-plussed at the squalor Sala lives in, he finds himself moving in respectable circles, and becomes acquainted with American businessman Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), and he also finds himself becoming involved with Sanderson's fiance Chenault (Amber Heard), but on top of all that, Kemp becomes addicted to rum and it clouds his judgement more than once, and it gets him into trouble, but he soon finds himself sampling the big one (drugs), no thanks to renegade journalist Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi), who Lotterman has unsuccessfully tried to sack. It's a very good film, it's a slow-burner, but it's held together by Depp, who's game performance as Thompson's alter-ego Kemp is wonderful to watch. Robinson proves he still has the power to entertain, even after a prolonged retirement. 4/5

Carry On Up The Jungle (1970), for the 19th Carry On film, producer Peter Rogers, director Gerald Thomas and writer Talbot Rothwell took on the Tarzan films and other adventure films. The result is a very funny film, using plenty of double-entendres and knob gags, which are apt for this setting, even it it was all done on soundstages and a few dodgy moments, it doesn't spoil the enjoyment. This one, set around the turn of the century, follows an expedition into darkest Africa, it has ornithologist Professor Inigo Tinkle (Frankie Howerd) looking for the legendary Oozlum bird, they're aided by explorer Bill Boosey (Sid James) and African guide Upsidaisi (a blacked up Bernard Bresslaw), also with them are Lady Evelyn Bagley (Joan Sims), who years earlier lost her husband and baby son, and has returned to the area to look for them. They find Lady Bagley's son, now a Jungle Boy (Terry Scott), and they stumble upon the Lost World of Aphrodisia, a land populated by beautiful ladies. This is another funny addition to the Carry On series, with good humour and smutty dialogue. Frankie is at his camp best, it's a pity he only did two Carry On films, he suited their humour. It's an enjoyable way to pass an hour and a half, and humour like this is needed again today!!  4/5



Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), it had to happen, after Smokey and the Bandit became the second highest grossing film in 1977, Universal ordered a sequel, although it came a year or two later than they would have liked, due to it's director and stars' commitments to other films. It's not as good as the first film, but it does have a good finale out in the middle of the desert, but it's good to see the cast back together. This time, Big Enos Burdett (Pat McCormick) is campaigning to become Governor of Texas, and he needs a crate delivered from Miami. He calls upon the services of The Bandit (Burt Reynolds), who has become an alcoholic, and split from Carrie (Sally Field), but the Bandit's partner Cledus (Jerry Reed) convinces him to take on one last job. So, down to Miami they go, and they find their cargo to be an elephant called Charlotte, and they end up with Italian gynaecologist Dr. Frederico Carlucci (Dom DeLuise) with them, but Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleeson) is back on their tail again, and he's calling in his family to help catch the Bandit. It's a very silly film, even more silly as it's an excuse for Reynolds and DeLuise to spar off each other, (see the outtakes at the end for proof), but director Hal Needham keeps the mood up, and the action is always work the watch, but don't expect anything more. 3/5

Nebraska (2013), directed by Alexander Payne, (About Schmidt (2002), Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011)), this moving road movie feels like it could have come from the early 1970's, and it has DNA of Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971) and Paper Moon (1973) about it's structure, right down to the stark black and white setting. It shows a world seldom seen on film, but it's absolutely brilliant. When elderly alcoholic Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) receives a letter claiming he's won a $1 million sweepstakes prize, (it's clearly a scam), and Woody is trying to get from Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim the prize, but his son David (Will Forte) can't talk him out of it, but with Woody's wife Kate (June Squibb) about to lose patience, David agrees to drive Woody to Lincoln, and they stop off on the way in Woody's hometown of Hawthorne, Nebraska. They stop with Woody's brother Ray (Rance Howard) and his family. But after Woody's old business partner Ed Pegram (Stacy Keach) hears of Woody's apparent windfall, he and everyone wants a part of it. This is moving, poignant and funny look at middle America, and how there's some places still lost in time, and how America is moving backwards with the Recession. Dern is brilliant, and he deserves an Oscar for this, and it's a reminder of what a good actor he still is. Payne has a knack for quirky character pieces, and this is his best. 5/5



Fierce Creatures (1997), nearly a decade after the success of A Fish Called Wanda (1988), John Cleese reunited the original cast for a follow-up, which wasn't as successful as their first successful effort. It had a troubled production when test audiences hated the original ending, unable to get director Robert Young back, Cleese settled for Fred Schepisi to reshoot half the film, but it's alot better than what most people say it is, it's alot funnier than you remember. It has the picturesque Marwood Zoo in England being bought up by conglomerate Octopus Inc. ran by Aussie Rod McCain (Kevin Kline), he sends his playboy son Vince (Kline again) and new employee Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis) to run the zoo, which is being run by Rollo Lee (Cleese) employed by Octopus, however Lee's idea that only fierce animals attract crowds don't go down with the zoo-keepers, led by chatterbox insects expert Adrian "Bugsy" Malone (Michael Palin), however McCain Jr. thinks advertising will bring the zoo's revenue up, and he goes to unbelievably, ridiculous lengths for the zoo to make a profit, while Lee is mistaken by Weston as a sex maniac. It's an underrated little comedy, and it's humour does depend alot on farce, with Cleese doing his Basil Fawlty schtick. However, it does have a good number of laughs, plus Ronnie Corbett is in it, everyone likes him. :D4/5

633 Squadron (1964), based upon the 1956 book by Frederick E. Smith, which was based upon a number of real Royal Air Force operations. This adaptation was directed by TV veteran Walter E. Grauman, (Columbo, The Untouchables and Murder, She Wrote.) This has some brilliant aviation action on display, but it does feel a tad formulaic, and most of it was all done before in The Dam Busters (1955), but it's still a good film to watch. When Norwegian resistance leader Erik Bergman (George Chakiris) learns of a German rocket fuel plant in a fjord. Bergman travels to England to report his findings to the RAF, who assign No. 633 Squadron to destroy it, with American Eagle Squadron pilot, Wing Commander Roy Grant (Cliff Robertson) is to lead this deadly mission. With training taking place in the highlands of Scotland, using de Havilland Mosquitos. Bergman retuns to Norway to gather more intelligence on the plant, but the Nazi's have sent more reinforcements after attacks by the resistance, and Bergman ends up being captured by the Gestapo, leaving the squadron with a tough decision. It's got it's moments, and the aerial action is well filmed and Ron Goodwin's score is heroic and patriotic. But it does have the odd niggle, like Robertson and Chakiris being cast to appeal to the American market, and poor Chakiris struggles as a Norwegian. But apart from that, it manages to be a good film, but it does have it's saggy parts. 3/5



The Mummy (1959), from Hammer, after the success of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), Hammer turned to another of Universal's horror staples to make into a film, and they decided to do The Mummy. With Hammer Veterans Terence Fisher directing and Jimmy Sangster writing, and although the Hammer version borrows from a few of Universal's Mummy horrors, it makes for entertaining viewing, and it is effective. In 1895, archaeologists John Banning (Peter Cushing), his father Stephen (Felix Aylmer) and his uncle Joseph Whemple (Raymond Huntley) are searching for the tomb of Princess Ananka in Egypt. They manage to enter the tomb, even though local man Mehemet Bey (George Pastell) warns them not to go in. Stephen reads from a scroll he finds in the tomb, and is left in a state of catatonia. 3 years later, back in England, Stephen snaps out of his catatonia, to tell John that when he read the scroll, he brought back to life the Mummy of High Priest Kharis (Christopher Lee), who is looking for him, and plans to avenge those who desecrated the tomb. It's the usual Hammer fare, but it's worth watching, and it's beautifully filmed, and even though it's a little tamer than Frankenstein or Dracula, it has it's moments, and Lee relishes the part of the Mummy brilliantly, bringing to life another famous movie monster in his own inimitable style. Hammer were on a roll here and unstoppable. 4/5

The Anniversary (1968), from Hammer, adapted from Bill MacIlwraith's 1966 play by Jimmy Sangster, and directed by Roy Ward Baker, (A Night to Remember (1958), Quatermass and the Pit (1967) and The Vampire Lovers (1970)), this pitch black comedy has a touch of Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? about it's bones, but with more belly laughs, dark ones at that, but it has a brilliant ensemble cast and some offbeat situations. It begins when the children of Mrs. Taggart (Bette Davis) come round to her house for the annual anniversary, even though Mrs. Taggart's husband has been dead for 10 years. Her children are transvestite Henry (James Cossins), middle son Terry (Jack Hedley) and philandering younger son Tom (Christian Roberts). Terry has some with his shrewish wife Karen (Sheila Hancock), who wants her and Terry to move to Canada, while Tom has arrived with his pregnant girlfriend Shirley Blair (Elaine Taylor). Mrs. Taggart is a wicked, cold-hearted bitch who has nothing nice to say about anyone, and throughout the day and evening, her vile words manage to tear her family apart. It's a very well acted film, with Davis stealing the show as the wicked matriarch, and she's clearly having the time of her life in the role. It was a very different kind of film for Hammer to be tackling, but the result is one of their very best, and they should have tried out more like this, it could have kept them going a bit longer. 4/5



Moon Zero Two (1969), Hammer does sci-fi!! Well, the Quatermass films were technically sci-fi, but this was Hammer's first space based sci-fi film, directed by Roy Ward Baker (A Night to Remember (1958), Quatermass and the Pit (1967) and The Vampire Lovers (1970)). This is an enjoyable and moderately insane film which is a product of it's time and proud of it, it has the emblems of the 60's hippie era all over it too. Set in 2021, the moon is in the process of being colonised, and Bill Kemp (James Olson) now spends his days salvaging old satellites, a far cry from when he was the first man to set foot on Mars. But, Kemp finds himself being put onto two missions which could get him some much needed money. One is for notorious millionaire J. J. Hubbard (Warren Mitchell), and it involves using his spacecraft to capture an asteroid made of pure sapphire, and bring it down onto the surface of the moon. The other mission involves helping Clementine Taplin (Catherine Schell) find her brother, lost in a mining colony on the far side of the moon, but the mission throws up a lot of danger. It looks like a corny old mess on the outside, but in actuality, it's a very good sci-fi film, even if it was made on a shoestring budget. Baker and his crew manage to do a lot, and there's some well staged sequences on display. It was released shortly after the Apollo 11 landing, and it captured the mood of the time it happened. 4/5

The Mummy's Shroud (1967), from Hammer, at the peak of their powers at that time, they created this horror-adventure based on a story by Hammer veteran Anthony Hinds and directed by Hammer regular John Gilling (The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and The Reptile (1966)), it should have been a good film, but it ends up being lop-sided and unsure of what it wants to be. In the 1920's, it has a group of explorers looking for the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Kah-To-Bey (Toolsie Persaud), whose backstory is explained in a prologue. The expedition is led by Sir Basil Walden (Andre Morell) and Stanley Preston (John Phillips). They find the tomb of Kah-To-Bey, and his manservant Prem (Dickie Owen) is mummified as well. Even though local Bedouin Hasmid (Roger Delgado) warns them against moving the bodies, they do so. Walden is bitten by a snake, and it drives him to a gibbering wreck while Preston ends up taking the credit for Walden's hard work, much to the anger of his son Paul Preston (David Buck) and Elizabeth (Elizabeth Sellars). But Hasmid resurrects the Mummy of Prem as an act of revenge. It promises so much, but it plods along with it's dull adventure (shot in a quarry in England somewhere) and moments of quite uninspired horror which all comes too little too late. For a Mummy film, it should be more epic, but this reeks of being cheap and nasty. 2/5



Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), in the early 1970's, Avengers creator Brian Clemens worked for Hammer, and he came up with a new twist on the tale of Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. At the time, people thought his idea was a joke, but it became a film, and the result is one of Hammer's best films of that period, inventive, gory and lavish. Dr. Henry Jekyll (Ralph Bates) is researching into making an elixir of life, which will prolong human life. His associate Professor Robertson (Gerald Sim) is skeptical of his initial tests, but Jekyll then discovers he can change the sex of a fly, he tries the potion upon himself, turning into a woman (Martine Beswick), who he names Mrs. Hyde. When he changes back into a male, Dr. Jekyll finds his experiments have captured the attention of his neighbours, Howard Spencer (Lewis Fiander) and his sister Susan (Susan Brodrick), who are intrigued by Jekyll's 'sister'. But, in order to stay as a female for longer, Jekyll needs female organs, but when his suppliers Burke (Ivor Dean) and Hare (Tony Calvin) are killed, Jekyll himself turns to murder in order to get what he wants, and not just in his usual guise. It's a suspenseful, clever horror film. The first transformation is brilliantly done for it's day, and it's well shot too. Bates is a good tortured soul while Bestwick's Hyde is a devilish minx. This Hammer film is up there with The Devil Rides Out (1968) and Vampire Circus (1972). 4.5/5

Wizards (1977), written, produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi, who had gained critical and commercial acclaim for Fritz The Cat (1972) and Heavy Traffic (1973), but had garnered controversy for Coonskin (1975), after Hey Good Lookin' was shelved by Warner Bros. in 1975, Bakshi wanted to do something different, a fantasy film, and he had worked on this one over the years, and he decided to get it made, and it's quite astonishing. Set 2 million years in the future, after a nuclear holocaust wiped out much of the earth, only a handful of humans survived, while everyone else turned into dangerous mutants, and elves, fairies and dwarves have returned to the earths surface after the atomic clouds had gone. This focuses on the power struggle between two twin wizards, Avatar (Bob Holt) is a good wizard who believes in beauty, but Blackwolf (Steve Gravers) is evil and after discovering a film of Hitler and the Nazi Party, and gathers an army to find ancient technology and salvage it. To take down Blackwolf, Avatar along with student Elinore (Jesse Welles) and elf spy Weehawk (Richard Romanus) head to Blackwolf's castle to take down the new Führer and his massive armies of evil. It's got all of Bakshi's usual visual flourishes, but this proved that there was more to Bakshi than just adult animation, and there's some stunning visuals on display, and this got Bakshi the job of making The Lord of the Rings (1978), but he underestimated how big an undertaking that would be compared to Wizards. 4/5



2 Guns (2013), directed by Baltasar Kormákur (101 Reykjavík (2000) and Contraband (2012), and based on the 2007 comic book written by Steven Grant and published by Boom! Studios. This is an action-comedy with owes a great debt to the buddy cop movies of the 1980's. It is old fashioned in it's tone and structure, and while it's leads are a winning combination, the plot is all over the place. Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) and Michael Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) are two criminals who commit a bank robbery, and make off with $43 million, when they were expecting a fraction of that. But, Stigman betrays Trench, and discovers Trench is an undercover DEA agent, while Stigman is an undercover Naval Intelligence Officer, who takes the money to Commander Quince (James Marsden), who plans to use the money for covert operations. But, the money belonged to corrupt CIA agent Earl (Bill Paxton), who wants his money back, so Trench and Stigman have to team up to retrieve the money, even though it seems impossible. It's fun entertainment while it lasts, even though it has too much going on and it makes it hard to work out what's going on and who's playing against who. But, it manages to have good performances in it and good action, and it has the feel and structure of those great action films that came out of the 1980's. 3.5/5

The Hole (1st view) - Reasonable fantasy horror, but Gremlins it ain't - 3/5*




The Bridge (1st view) - German TV movie remake of a 1959 WWII film, which is, by all accounts, a lot better - 3/5*




Troll Hunter (1st view) - One of the better films in the found footage genre with some impressive effects and creature design - 4/5*




Super 8 (2nd view) - Rreally enjoyable sci-fi adventure film/coming-of-age drama. Abrams' best film despite a rushed ending - 4/5

Pitch Black (2000), written and directed by David Twohy (screenwriter of The Fugitive (1993), Terminal Velocity (1994) and Waterworld (1995)), this sci-fi thriller was made for $23 million and shot in Queensland and South Australia. This manages to be very effective, even if it does tick the boxes of sci-fi films like this and it has a very simple plot, but it manages to be very effective, and it's got a good central idea at it's core. Set in the distant future, the spaceship Hunter-Gratzner is travelling on autopilot, when it's hit by a comet, and it crash lands on the nearest planet. Hunter-Gratzner's captain Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell) survives with other passengers, including Muslim Imam (Keith David), Jack (Rhiana Griffith), supposed cop William J. Johns (Cole Hauser) and convicted criminal Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel). The group explore the planet, and they discover it is kept in a state of perpetual daylight, by 3 suns. After finding an abandoned research facility, they use supplies from there to try and survives, but then the suns set, unleashing a terrible evil on the group, and Riddick might be their only hope. It's a good piece of sci-fi hokum, and although you'll have seen this sort of thing done before years ago, it feels fresh. It would spawn 2 sequels, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and Riddick (2013), both not as good as the low-budget original, which keeps things tight and to the point. 4/5



Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010), here's a real oddity, this started life as Rare Exports Inc. (2003), a short film produced by Finnish commercials production company Woodpecker Film and written and directed by Jalmari Helander and Juuso Helander. 7 years later, Jalmari Helander got the money to make a feature film version of the short film. It's a very original take on the Santa Claus myth, giving it an offbeat horror twist. Set around the Korvatunturi mountain region in northeast Finland, a mining company comes across a massive burial ground deep within the mountain, and it affects a group of local reindeer herders in a nearby village. Single father Rauno Kontio (Jorma Tommila) and his young son Pietari (Onni Tommila) notice weird things going on, Pietari even sets traps for whatever is going around the village. Even his friend Juuso (Ilmari Järvenpää) vanishes one night, replaced by a wooden carving of a boy. When Rauno discovers a shriveled bearded man (Peeter Jakobi) in one of the traps. He takes this stranger to an abattoir to be questioned about what's going on. It's a very weird film, but it has some dark laughs and a very original concept at it's heart. Not all Christmas films have to be nice, the likes of Black Christmas (1974/2006) and Bad Santa (2003) proved that. But it has an eerie edge from it's remote and sparse setting, but it's original in it's execution and concept and it's a true one off. 4/5

Trance (2013), Danny Boyle returns, straight from doing the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, he'd started work on this one before the Olympics and returned to it afterwards. This was based upon Trance (2001), written and directed by Joe Ahearne, but shown only on Sky. He wrote the screenplay for this new version with Boyle regular John Hodge. It's a twisty, thoughtful thriller which manages to pull the rug out more than once. Simon (James McAvoy) works as an auctioneer for a prestigious auction house which deals in fine art. He becomes involved with crime kingpin Franck (Vincent Cassel), and it involves stealing a valuable painting by Goya. Franck and his men storm the building, Simon takes the painting away to a safe place, but he gets hit on the head, and he can't remember what happened to the painting, much to Franck's anger. So, they come up with a plan, and employ hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to help Simon remember where he hid the painting. But, as she and Simon delve deeper into memories, they find out a lot more than they bargained for. It's impossible to say what happens next, as that really would be spoiling, but nothing is what it seems in this film. Boyle's visual flair is on fine form here, but one word of advice, pay attention, it'll all make sense in the end, but you'll need to be prepared for what's coming. 4/5



Despicable Me 2 (2013), after the success of Despicable Me (2010), a sequel was immediately inevitable, helping find fame for directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud and Illumination Entertainment chief Chris Meledandri. While the sequel isn't as good as the original, it still has some good laughs abound, with some very imaginative set pieces and a good story as well. Gru (Steve Carell) is adjusting to becoming a father to Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (Elsie Kate Fisher) and Edith (Dana Gaier), and he seems to have forgotten about being a supervillain, and now makes a living making selling jam. But Gru is captured by the Anti-Villain League, ran by Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan), who need his help to find a top secret chemical compound, traces of which have been tracked down to a local shopping mall. So Gru goes undercover with agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to find out who in the mall has the chemical compound. Meanwhile, Gru's Minions have been mysteriously going missing and changing into purple monsters. It's a very silly film, but there is a lot to admire about the film, the Minions steal the film completely and there's some funny gadgets on display too. It's be fun to see what the spin-off Minions film will be like, but this is an entertaining enough sequel, which is colourful, very funny and pleasant to watch. 4/5

The Straight Story (1999), David Lynch has spent most of his career making dark and extremely weird films such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Wild At Heart. Here, he went in the other direction entirely, almost like what he'd done with The Elephant Man, and made a serious, down to earth story. The result is one of the best films of David Lynch's career, and it does make you wonder why he doesn't make more films like this?? The film tells the true story of 73 year old widower Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth), who lives in the quiet town of Laurens, Iowa with his daughter Rosie (Sissy Spacek). One day, he gets word that his brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) has had a stroke. Unable to drive, and unwilling to take the bus to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin, (over 300 miles away), Alvin uses a lawnmower to take the journery on to patch up a soured relationship, he meets people along the way, inspiring them and picking up something along the way, but it's his determination that keeps him going. The Straight Story is a beautiful film, very touching and warm too. It feels real without being dark, even if alot of scenes are odd in a quirky way. It's beautifully shot by Freddie Francis, and it makes the state of Iowa look beautiful. Alvin Straight is an inspiration to us all, it's a slow road movie, and all the better for it!!  5/5



The Bank Job (2008), directed by Roger Donaldson, (The Bounty (1984), Species (1995) and Dante's Peak (1997)), and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. This documents the true story of an unbelievable bank robbery, alot of it is invention off the filmmakers, but it's suspenseful. London, 1971, and back street car dealer Terry Leather (Jason Statham), is offered one last job by ex-model Martine Love (Saffron Burrows), it involves robbing the bank vault of Lloyds on Baker Street. Leather accepts, and gets his team together, including photographer Kevin Swain (Stephen Campbell Moore), porno actor Dave Shilling (Daniel Mays), mechanic Bambos (Alki David) and old conman 'Major' Guy Singer (James Faulkner). They lease a shop a few doors up from the bank and tunnel in underneath, and raid the vault. However, a local amateur radio operator overhears the robbery on their walkie-talkies, and the police are onto them, and they also took photos of a senior MP and a member of the Royal Family having sex, and a book of pay-offs belonging to gangster Lew Vogel (David Suchet). Watching how they pulled off the robbery is great to see on screen, but it gets a little more confusing after the robbery, with the criminals, gangsters, corrupt police and MP's playing off one another. But, there's good camaraderie between the cast, and it shows. 3.5/5

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2nd view) - A delightfully different festive offering - 4/5




The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn (3rd view)  - I still love every second. Some astonishing visuals, thrilling action scenes (the flashback to the Unicorn, the geography-defying chase through the town, escape through the storm), lots of humour, great performance from Serkis as Haddock (best human character) and Snowy, best film dog in decades! Spielberg's most purely fun film since The Last Crusade, can't wait to see what Jackson does with the sequel - 5/5





Megamind (1st view) - Moderately entertaining animation. Some good vocals - 3/5*

Candyman (1992), based upon Clive Barker's 1984 short story The Forbidden from his Books of Blood collection, adapted and directed here by Bernard Rose, (Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990), Immortal Beloved (1994) and Mr. Nice (2010)), this is a good film adaptation of the story, with some effective, bloody scares. It's creepy when it wants to be, and it has a dark and mysterious tone too, with a lot of good moments. In Chicago, graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is researching a paper on urban legends, and she hears one about a local myth about The Candyman (Tony Todd), who is summoned by saying his name 5 times in the mirror, before killing the summoner. Helen with her colleague Bernadette (Kasi Lemmons) research the site of a recent murder, linked to the Candyman myth. After being attacked by a local gang, the real Candyman appears to Helen, he wants her to prove that he really does exist. So, the Candyman puts Helen in a horrific situation, where she's arrested for assault, then put in a psychiatric hospital for murder, which she can't remember. It might look a bit dated now, (it's a wonder no-one has tried to remake it), but it has some effective moments, and Rose keeps the tense mood up. It has a darkly ironic twist in the tale at the end too. Plus, the original story was set in Birmingham, which makes you wonder what a Brummie version of Candyman would have been like. 4/5



The Heat (2013), directed by Paul Feig (Unaccompanied Minors (2006) and Bridesmaids (2010)), and written by Katie Doppold (MADtv) this is a hilarious buddy cop movie, although it's females kicking ass this time instead of men. It references and sends up the likes of Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour and Bad Boys, but this is truly the funniest comedy of 2013, and it's leads make a brilliant pairing, and it manages to mix violent action with rude, laugh out loud comedy with ease. FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is brilliant at her job, but no-one likes her because of her arrogance. She's sent to Boston to investigate a drugs kingpin called Larkin, it should be an easy job, but Ashburn is dismayed to find she's been partnered up with Detective Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), who a loose-cannon and very foul-mouthed, but she gets the job done and doesn't give in. Instantly, Ashburn and Mullins are at each others throat about how they do the job, and they end up running in with DEA Agents Craig (Dan Bakkedahl) and Adam (Taran Killam), who don't want Ashburn and Mullins getting in the way. However, Ashburn finds herself warming towards Mullins, and getting to know Mullins' family, who hate Mullins as she sent her brother Jason (Michael Rapaport) down for drugs. This is the kind of cop films that should be made, and has some hilarious set pieces, McCarthy absolutely steals the film, while Bullock makes a perfect straight woman to her badass attitude. It ticks all the boxes in the buddy cop movie cliche handbook, and it's all the better for doing that, and there's already a sequel on the way. Bring it on!! 4.5/5

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (6th view) - Peter Weir's splendid nautical adventure, based on Patrick O'Brian's excellent saga of novels. Russell Crowe, as Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, has rarely been better and as his friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, Paul Bettany gives his best performance to date. The friendship between these two is obvious and makes for the heart of the film, but Weir has a fine grasp of the action sequences as well, and they do indeed set the pulse racing. It's a fascinating film to watch, filled with trivial details, and is perhaps the one film that most conveys what it must have been like to spend months at sea. I've seen very few films that seem to soak up a period and setting as well as this one. You can almost taste the seawater when watching. It's a masterpiece and one of the great shames of cinema is that there won't be any sequels - 5/5

Gambit (1966), directed by Ronald Neame (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), Scrooge (1970) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972)), and adapted from a story by Sidney Carroll. This comedy caper is very funny and has some very good performances in it. Nothing is what it seems here, and just when it seems like it's going to be a straight-forward heist film, it then pulls the rug out from under your feet, and turns everything on it's head. Cat burglar Harry Dean (Michael Caine) travels to Hong Kong with his partner in crime Emile (John Abbott) and approach showgirl Nicole Chang (Shirley MacLaine) to help them in one of their schemes, as she bears an uncanny resemblence to the late wife of Ahmad Shahbandar (Herbert Lom), the richest man in the world. Harry has the plan to steal a priceless statuette from Shahbandar's apartment in the Arab republic of Damuz. However, Harry had the perfect crime all planned out in his head, what he didn't count on was how unpredictable Nicole would be, and that Shahbandar wouldn't be suspicious from the start. Everything that can go wrong for Harry, does go wrong. It's a very silly little caper, but it has a very light and bubbly feel to it, and there are some good laughs to be had along the way. It was a good idea putting Caine and MacLaine together, as they make a good duo in this film, and it does have fun with the narrative structure, especially in the first 20-30 minutes. 4/5



Bernie (2011), directed by Richard Linklater (Slacker (1991), School of Rock (2003) and A Scanner Darkly (2006)), and based on an article for Texas Monthly written by Skip Hollandsworth, who did the screenplay here with Linklater. This is a very offbeat black comedy which shouldn't even be funny, as all of this is true, but it manages to be entertaining and blessed with some brilliant performances from a cast firing on all cylinders. In the town of Carthage, Texas, local mortician Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) is a well liked member of the community, offering support to those who have just lost loved ones, and also contributing to local events in the area. However, his life changes when he meets Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), who has recently lost her husband. Bernie offers Marjorie comfort and support, and she invites Bernie round. Marjorie is not very well liked in the community, but she and Bernie become inseparable, they go away on holidays and dinners together, but Marjorie soon begins to become a little too possessive of Bernie, sacrificing his social life, until one fateful day... It's a bit of an oddity this film, it's part documentary, part biopic. Interspersing vox-pops with the real townspeople of Carthage, it manages to be a story told by the people of Carthage. You won't see another film like this for a while, and it has a likeable charm and brilliant sense of humour. More people should see this. 4.5/5

Megamind (2010), directed by Tom McGrath (Madagascar (2005) and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)), this was originally had one simple pitch, "What if Lex Luthor defeated Superman?", from there it just grew, and while it is a very silly film that sends up the conventions and cliches of superhero films, it is quite enjoyable. It's almost like the dark version of The Incredibles (2004), where the baddie is the hero in a strange way. Megamind (Will Ferrell) is an intelligent super-villain who came to Earth as an infant after his home planet was sucked into a black hole. However, he's had a rivalry with superhero Metro Man (Brad Pitt), also an infant who came to Earth as an infant, around the same time Megamind did. They battle and Megamind constantly fails, however while Metro Man is honoured by the city of Metro City, Megamind kidnaps reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), and lures Metro Man into a trap, and he's killed. Megaman revels in the fact he's won, but he misses having a nemesis, so he creates a new superhero, Titan, using news cameraman Hal Stewart (Jonah Hill), but Hal soon has other ideas. This has all been seen before elsewhere, and it should be funnier with a vocal cast like that, but it manages to be entertaining while it lasts, and the cast have fun hamming it up. It could have been a lot better though, and there's a character called Minion in it, as there was another film out in 2010 with more than one Minion in it. 3/5



American Hustle (2013), directed by David O. Russell (Three Kings (1999), The Fighter (2010) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012)), this black comedic crime caper is a very entertaining and compelling ensemble piece. Russell brings together a very talented and likeable cast. Even if it is based on true events that happened in the late 1970's, Russell is able to put his stamp on the film and takes entertaining liberties with what happened. Small time businessman and con artist Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his partner in crime Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are caught in a loan scam by FBI agent Richie Di Maso (Bradley Cooper). Rather than send the pair of them to prison, Di Maso decides to use Rosenfeld and Prosser in an operation to entrap New Jersey mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), who has been trying to raise money to revitalize gambling in Atlantic City. Di Maso's boss Stoddard Thorsen (Louis C.K.) is against it, but Di Maso goes ahead with it with Irving and Sydney, but when Irving's estranged wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) gets involved, it could ruin everything. It's a film which you'll need to keep up with, as there's a lot going on, but it's very well written, and it captures the gaudiness and bad hairdos of the 1970's. Russell is back on top with this film, and it's a film which puts it's characters up front first, then it deals with the complex plot. It shouldn't work, but it manages to. 4.5/5

Meatballs (1979), directed by Ivan Reitman, who up until 1979 had struggled to get into directing, he'd done Foxy Lady (1971) and Cannibal Girls (1973), two low budget films made in Canada from taxpayers money. Reitman got by working for CITY-TV in Toronto, and producing David Cronenberg's early films, yet after producing National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), it gave him the opportunity to direct more, and it put him on the map. Set at Camp North Star, a summer camp for teenagers. It follows the mishaps and misadventures of the staff who work there, mostly Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray), who has an unconventional approach to working. However, when he notices new camper Rudy Gerner (Chris Makepeace) is struggling to fit in, Tripper takes Rudy under his wing, and they bond with nightly card games and morning jobs. Meanwhile, camp director Morty Melnick (Harvey Atkin) is busy trying to organise the annual Olympiad, where Camp North Star compete in a series of games against Camp Mohawk, a rival camp nearby which has more money, but Tripper is determined for everyone to win this year. Made for $1.3 million and filmed in 30 days at a real summer camp in Haliburton, Ontario. The film was based on experiences from Reitman's youth, and it makes for an amusing film, and it's held together thanks to a spirited performance from Murray, and for his first film, he shows so much confidence. 4/5



Last Vegas (2013), directed by Jon Turteltaub, (Cool Runnings (1993), While You Were Sleeping (1995) and National Treasure (2004)), and written by Dan Fogelman (Cars (2006), Bolt (2008) and Tangled (2010)), the screenplay for this ended up on Hollywood's 'Black List' of best unproduced scripts of 2011, then it got a lot of attention, and attracted a lot of top talent. It's not perfect, but it's appealing enough with it's camaraderie. It begins when Billy (Michael Douglas), announces to his 3 best friends Paddy (Robert De Niro), Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline) that he's finally getting married. These are friends who have been together since the mid 1950's, and have all attended each other's weddings. They all head out to Las Vegas for a weekend bachelor party, however it doesn't all go to plan. Paddy has a beef with Billy as he didn't attend the funeral of Paddy's wife, and they're all horrified to learn that Billy's fiance Veronica (Weronika Rosati) is only 32. They decide to have a good time, but plans change when they meet jazz singer Diana (Mary Steenburgen). It's a very silly film, and there are parts of it which come close to the antics that would occur on Last of the Summer Wine, but it's a lot more deeper than it's "Hangover with pensioners" marketing would have you believe, there are some laughs to be had along the way, but it's a poignant look at what it's like to grow older. 3.5/5