What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again

The Fury (1978), directed by Brian De Palma, who was riding a wave of critical and commercial acclaim after the release of Carrie (1976). For his next film, De Palma decided to follow it up with another horror film, although this one had elements of espionage thriller about it. Adapted by John Farris from his own 1976 novel, it showcased De Palma's talents as a director, and while he has spent much of his career making suspense and crime thrillers, he is very good at making them. Ex CIA agent Peter Sandza (Kirk Douglas) was on holiday in Israel with his son Robin (Andrew Stevens) when Robin was abducted and Peter is nearly killed. He finds out that his old boss Ben Childress (John Cassavetes) is behind it, as he plans to use Robin because he has telekinesis, and Childress believes he can use this to fight against enemies of America. A year later, and Peter is still looking for Robin, until he meets schoolgirl Gillian Bellaver (Amy Irving), who also has telekinesis and she can use her powers to find Robin. She goes to the Paragon Institute, which is ran by Dr. James McKeever (Charles Durning), who had held Robin there a while before, but Childress finds out and tries to put a stop to it. It's actually a good film, and it does have some good set pieces, and it has a brilliant score by John Williams, which manages to go completely insane for the final act, and it has an exploding head that gives Scanners (1981) a run for it's money. The film's success enabled De Palma to go on and make more films of his choosing, which he briefly did in the 1980's. 4/5



Dressed to Kill (1980), after the release and success of The Fury (1978), Brian De Palma found himself in an enviable position of being able to make what he wanted. He was approached by Samuel Z. Arkoff, former president of American International Pictures, now running Filmways, who gave De Palma the carte blanche he was looking for. De Palma constructed this dark and mysterious thriller about sexual identity and it shows how much De Palma likes making thrillers. In New York, sexually frustrated housewife Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) wants something more out of life, and she attempts to seduce her psychiatrist Dr. Robert Elliott (Michael Caine), but he says no. After a one night stand with complete stranger Warren Lockman (Ken Baker), Angie leaves, but then she's brutally attacked by a mysterious female figure in an elevator. The only witness to the attack and to the identity of the attacker is call girl Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), who goes to the police about it, but police detective Marino (Dennis Franz) has a hard time trying to believe Liz's story, but Kate's inventor son Peter (Keith Gordon) has a plan to try and find out who this mysterious woman is. It's obviously influenced by the films of Alfred Hitchcock, De Palma has made his career based on Hitchcock's style of filmmaking, but it does have good twists throughout, and an ending that references the ending of Carrie (1976). You can accuse the film of being mostly style over substance, but De Palma does it well, and it has a brilliant score by Pino Donaggio. 4/5

A Hard Days Night (1964), The Beatles, the worlds greatest Rock and Roll band, made a brilliant transition to the world of cinema with this almost new-wave style semi-mockumentary. It captures the era it was made in brilliantly, as well as the whole craze of Beatlemania. It would help put it's director, Richard Lester on the map as a truly unique director with an inimitable style, and it reaffirmed the groups success. It follows the lads, John, Paul, George and Ringo, at the height of their fame, in one day. It begins on a train from Liverpool to London, where we meet Paul's mischievious Grandfather (Wilfred Brambell), and their roadies, Shake (John Junkin) and Norm (Norman Rossington), and it ends in a TV studio where they'll be performing live in front of a large audience on live TV. But, the boys are able to find other little pursuits to follow in the run up to the show. Ringo goes AWOL and gets into trouble with the police, and they clash with the show's successful director (Victor Spinetti). It's a brilliant little film, done almost like a French New Wave film, the Beatles give brilliant performances, and they have natural charisma, but Brambell nearly steals the film as the troublemaking grandfather. The songs, as expected, are perfect, and it's different in style and structure from other pop films that were being made by flash-in-the-pan stars of the time. But, The Beatles weren't done with film yet... 5/5



The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), based upon the stories of Herge's boy reporter, which have captivated readers for nearly 80 years, Steven Spielberg creates this motion capture adventure, produced by Peter Jackson, which brings Herge's creation to vivid, colourful life. It's a very good film, but a little mixed up by combining 3 Tintin stories into one. Our adventure begins in the 1930's in Brussels, where Tintin (Jamie Bell) buys a model ship in the market, but as soon as he's bought it, he finds the shady Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig), who wants the ship, but Tintin refuses to sell it. This begins a big adventure for Tintin, the ship is stolen, as it contains a clue, a riddle that leads to a treasure. But, after detectives Thomson and Thompson (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) prove inept at protecting Tintin, our hero and his dog Snowy end up on the cargo ship Karaboudjan, where Sakharine is controling, but Tintin meets Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) who with Tintin heads across the Sahara to stop Sakharine with his evil plot in finding the clues to the location of a lost treasure. It's a very good adventure, and the motion capture does Tintin justice. It has good adventure and a surreal wit about it's bones. Spielberg does well with his first animated film, and he ensures there's much emphasis on the performance side. Hopefully, the sequel will be just as good. 4/5

Tintin should be 5 stars!

The Hand (1st view) - Three British Soldiers are captured by the Japanese in Burma and then tortured. 15 years later, a man in London dies after being paid £500 to have his hand removed, which then starst a string of murders and suicides. A rather naff and dismal thiller - 2/5*

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (1st view) - Wow, that was bad. It had exactly one moment that made me laugh, Skipper's "That was worth the price of admission". The rest sucked - 2/5*

Hercules (1st view) - Sure, it's a Brett Ratner film but it's still a hell of a lot of fun - 4/5*

Locke (1st view) - I never knew that someone nattering on about concrete could be so interesting. Looking forward to this thanks to Steven Knight being the creator of Peaky Blinders and it didn't disappoint - 4/5*





Puss In Boots (1st view) - Thankfully better than the last two Shrek films (not that it's hard to be better than those two) - 3/5*





The Day Time Ended (1st view) - A late 70s sci-fi that seems to be confused by its own internal logic it's an endearing piece of naff sci-fi, with some woeful effects, terrible acting and laughable writing - 3/5*

The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death (1st view) - Note to self. Don't misread film showtimes on a cinema website, else you'll turn up expecting to see Birdman and find that the only film playing in the next two hours is a horror sequel. Still, not as bad as I expected and probably a bit better than the one starring Harry Potter - 3/5*

The Grand Budapest Hotel (1st view) - A tremendous amount of fun to be had watching this. Fiennes has rarely been better (stupid Ocars), nor has Anderson's sense of visual style, it's a beautifully structured, composed and edited film. And the music's a winner too, possibly a career best from Desplat. I also haven't laughed so much at a new film since Wolf Of Wall Street - 4/5*

Ice Twisters (1st view) - A 2009 Canadian TV Movie with a great tagline - "Hell has frozen over" and an unbelievably silly premise, it's not good but nor is it so bad it's great. However, there are plenty of terrible moments to enjoy, not least the twisters themselves, which look like something I could have knocked up on an Etch-A Sketch - 3/5*

Maleficent (1st view) - It's fairly easy to tell that this was directed by an art director and I'm genuinely surprised it doesn't have a few more oscars nods in the technical categories. It's an interesting take on Sleeping Beauty but one that needed more time to set up the story - 4/5*

The Car (1977), directed by Elliot Silverstein, (Cat Ballou (1965) and A Man Called Horse (1970)), this is a silly demonic car film which took it's inspiration from Spielberg's Duel (1972) and Death Race 2000 (1975). There's even a touch of what was to come in Christine (1983). It's obvious that all this film is an automobile version of Jaws (1975), not all of it works, but there are some good car stunts on display, and despite ropey acting and dialogue, it's quite watchable. Set in Santa Ynez, Utah. Two cyclists are knocked down in a hit and run incident by a mysterious black car, and more deaths occur at the hands of this car. Local Sheriff Everett Peck (John Marley) and chief deputy Wade Parent (James Brolin) go on a mission to put a stop to the deaths, but whatever they do, the car always manages to outrun the police and any roadblocks they put up, and the police bullets don't seem to damage the car, and they can't enter the car as it has no door handles. The car starts turning on the people of Santa Ynez, including Parent's girlfriend Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd) and his children. Wade and his deputy Luke Johnson (Ronny Cox) come up with a plan to lure the car into a trap. It's your usual piece of action hokum, and it's definitely a product of it's time, a time when there were loads of cheap cash-ins and spin offs from other popular and better films. In fact, more time and money was spent on the performance on the titular car used in the film rather than the rest of the film. And therein lies the problem, but it's not all bad. 3/5



tom thumb (1958), directed by George Pal (The Time Machine (1960) and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)), and based on the English fairy tale that originated in the early 17th century. This Anglo-American musical fantasy has some brilliant technical wizardry for it's day and it's still an enchanting film to watch, and there's a brilliant cast to it's name. tom thumb is the true definition of the saying, "they don't make them like they used to". An old woodcutter Jonathan (Bernard Miles) and his wife Anne (Jessie Matthews) wish for a son, which is heard by the mysterious, magical Forest Queen (June Thorburn), who grants their wish, and they get a son in the form of Tom Thumb (Russ Tamblyn), who is only a couple of inches high. He has a brilliantly curiousity at the world around him and soldier Woody (Alan Young) takes him into the local town. Tom's appearance grabs the attention of local villains Ivan (Terry-Thomas) and Antony (Peter Sellers), who see Tom as a way for them to get their fortune. Tom ends up unwittingly stealing money from the local treasury, which his parents end up getting blamed for. So Tom tries to clear their name. It's a sweet and innocent family musical, and it's a wonder there hasn't been a remake. Director Pal did a lot of technically marvelous films for their day, (he came from producing sci-fi films like When Worlds Collide (1951) and The War of the Worlds (1953)), but it's Tamblyn's spirited and very physical performance that's the highlight of the film. 4/5

Frenzy (1972), after Torn Curtain (1966) and Topaz (1969) flopped both critically and commercially, Hitchcock decided to take a dark turn for his next film. With a screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, adapting Arthur La Bern's 1966 novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square. Hitchcock rediscovered his mojo, and he returned to his old stomping ground of London. It showed that Hitchcock still had it as a director, and it was a return to form after a few dud films. In London, a serial killer known as the Necktie Murderer has been raping and murdering women around the city, the murderer is Covent Garden fruit merchant Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), but circumstantial evidence and guilt has built up around his friend Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) who has had a run of bad luck lately. After Rusk murders Blaney's ex-wife Brenda (Barbara Leigh-Hunt), Blaney is prime suspect number one, but his current girlfriend Babs Milligan (Anna Massey), believes him and goes on the run with him. But, it's not long before the police, led by Chief Inspector Oxford (Alec McCowen), go out looking for him. Despite Babs claiming Blaney is innocent, she unfortunately happens to take refuge in Rusk's apartment... It's a brilliant thriller, and Hitchcock pushes the envelope, with nudity and graphic murders. It's his darkest and most unsettling film, but along with this and Family Plot (1976), these were two last hurrahs for Hitchcock, and it's good that he ended his career on a high, and he should have returned to England more, as this rejuvenated his career. 4/5



Forbidden Planet (1956), directed by Fred M. Wilcox (Lassie Come Home (1943) and The Secret Garden (1949)), this sci-fi film was very loosely based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest. It was a groundbreaking film as well, both in terms of story and in terms of special effects, which were groundbreaking and jawdropping for their day. It was a massive influence on space films to follow and it's also an intelligent sci-fi film, it's not just action, it's a lot deeper than that. In the 23rd Century, the starship C-57D, led by Commander John Adams (Leslie Nielsen) is on a mission to look for signs of a lost expedition that took place 20 years before. they come across the planet Altair IV, and they get in touch with one of the scientists from the original expedition, Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon). Morbius warns the ship to stay away as he can't guarantee their safety, Adams lands the ship regardless. Adams and his crew are taken to Morbius' house by Robby the Robot, where they meet Morbius and his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis). But they soon discover why Morbius told the crew to stay away, and the crew are threatened by an invisible monster they can't stop. It's very well made for it's day, and some parts of it are very effective, even looking at it today, the special effects still look brilliant. It mixes brains with brawn well, and most sci-fi films could learn something from this. It's also beautifully shot and it looks very vivid. While the designs might look dated, the basic concept certainly hasn't dated. 4/5

Calvary (2014), written and directed by John Michael McDonagh (The Guard (2011)), this drama reunited him with The Guard's star Brendan Gleeson. McDonagh wanted to touch upon the themes of sexual abuse and the church, but not as you'd expect it, as the main character is a good priest, and he happens to be a victim of circumstance. While it does have a dark sense of humour like The Guard did, it's a much more serious film, but it has some brilliant performances in it. Set in a small community on the west coast of Ireland, Father James (Gleeson) hears a parishioner during confession telling Father James that he will kill him by next Sunday. The parishioner was sexually abused by a priest, and he figured it would be more disconcerting for the Catholic Church to kill a good priest over a bad priest. Father James goes around the community, getting on with his duties. However, Father James finds this increasingly difficult, as most of the parishioners are a bad lot. From local butcher Jack Brennan (Chris O'Dowd) to local millionaire Michael Fitzgerald (Dylan Moran) and atheist Dr. Frank Harte (Aidan Gillen). When the local church burns down, Father James begins preparing himself for the inevitable. It's a breathtakingly black film, about the question of faith, and outside forces that make us doubt our faith. But it has a good little ensemble cast at it's heart. While films touching on religion and sexual abuse in the church might be a tough sell, it's Gleeson's world weary performance that's the dark heart of the film, and it's a powerhouse performance. 4/5



Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), Ridley Scott takes on the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. Perfect material for him, adapted by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (Accepted (2006)), along with Jeffrey Caine (Goldeneye (1995) and Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List (1993)), it does feel a bit ropey in parts, and it could have done being a bit longer to be allowed room to breathe as it's a very epic story. But Scott does his best with the material, and it's visually stunning. Set in Egypt in 1300 BC, Prince Ramesses (Joel Edgerton) has just become Pharaoh, and he has a close relationship with General Moses (Christian Bale). While at the city of Pithom, Moses meets Nun (Ben Kingsley), who tells Moses that he's really the child of Hebrew parents, and he was taken in by the Pharaoh's family. Rammesses learns about this, and has Moses bandished to Midian. 9 years later, he has a vision from a burning bush, which tells him to help free the slaves of Egypt and take the Hebrews to the promised land. Moses warns Ramesses of what's to come, but Ramesses doesn't believe him. Until natural disasters and plagues hit Egypt, which test Ramesses' leadership. It's visually stunning, but storywise, this is a Ten Commandments for Dummies telling, despite some fine visual flourishes, and for such an epic story, it feels rushed, or edited hastily. Knowing that some director's cuts of Scott's films are usually better than the theatrical cut, you wonder if the eventual directors cut will be an improvement on this. 3/5

The Sting (2nd view) - Very enjoyable caper film, but I'm always surprised when I remember it won seven oscars - 4/5

Big Eyes (2014), after nearly a decade of making big budget fantasy films, Tim Burton makes his most down-to-earth, realistically grounded film since Big Fish (2003), reuniting with screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who worked with Burton on Ed Wood (1994), this is a refreshing change of direction for Burton. His usual visual flairs have been dialed back, and it's much more contained, with more emphasis on the performers and the story, and it works well. In the late 1950's, Margaret Ulbrich (Amy Adams) leaves her husband with daughter Jane (Delaney Raye) in tow, and relocates in the bohemian suburbs of San Francisco. Margaret does paintings of poor children with unnaturally large eyes, which catches the attention of fellow painter Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), who falls for Margaret. The two soon marry, and after Walter tries and fails at selling his own paintings, he sells Margaret's paintings of the large eyed waifs. However, Walter claims that HE'S the artist. Margaret is appalled at this, but Walter claims that no-one will buy paintings by a female artist. Margaret reluctantly agrees, but the whole charade puts a strain on their marriage and Margaret eventually wants out. It's an unusual biopic with a surprisingly amusing climax, and Burton manages to have fun in a restrained mode, and there's plenty of little cameos throughout the film from Jon Polito, Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman and Terence Stamp. Burton should try making more quirky true stories like this, he shows good talent in telling them. 4.5/5



Birdman (2014), co-written and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, who made his name with Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006) and Biutiful (2010). All dark character pieces, but Birdman is something altogether different and also fitting with Iñárritu's character studies. Different in that it's a black comedy, but it's a lot more complex than that. The film is also a clever, technical marvel, and it's blessed with unbelievably brilliant performances. Washed up Hollywood actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who was once famous for playing superhero Birdman, is risking everything he has on a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver's short story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love", which Riggan has written and is directing and staring in it. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. He has to deal with unpredictable method actor Mike (Edward Norton), the early preview reviews are hardly glowing, and Riggan is being tormented by the voice of Birdman, who seems to be criticising Riggan for being a failure. But Riggan also seems to believe that he has the powers of levitation and telekinesis at his whim. It's a very offbeat film, but what makes it so memorable is that nearly all of the film is made to look like it was filmed in one take, like Rope (1948) was, but cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does almost impossible camera shots, in front of mirrors and such. But at the centre of the film is Keaton's powerhouse performance, a truly astonishing comeback. 4.5/5

Little Shop of Horrors (1986), directed by Frank Oz, this was his first film away from the Muppets, but he hadn't quite finished with puppetry yet. This was adapted from the 1982 off-Broadway musical written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, which in turn was based on the 1960 Roger Corman black comedy of the same name. Oz instantly saw potential with the material, and he made it into a bright, catchy and darkly funny musical, with a massive all star cast. Set on Skid Row in New York sometime in September 1962 Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) works in a run down plant shop owned by Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia), and the beautiful but ditzy Audrey (Ellen Greene), but she's going out with the abusive and sadistic Orin Scrivello (Steve Martin). Both Seymour and Audrey have aspirations of leaving the slums of Skid Row, but they know that will possibly never happen. Meanwhile, Seymour has a plant, that he's named Audrey II, which starts to grow and it's weird look bring business to the flower shop, but Audrey II has developed a taste for human blood, which Seymour ends up having to provide, until Audrey II grows more, and demands more, putting Seymour in a jam. It's a brilliantly made musical, entirely filmed on the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios, Oz brings the musical to vivid life, with everyone, including the guest stars, put in spirited performances. However, Oz's original director's cut wasn't seen for years after test audiences reacted negatively to the original ending, which was truer to the stage musical, and he was forced to refilm the ending. Now his version can be seen, and the result is a much better film. 4/5



Starred Up (2013), directed by David Mackenzie, (Young Adam (2003) and Hallam Foe (2007)), this prison drama is the debut screenplay by Jonathan Asser, who previously worked as a voluntary therapist at Wandsworth Prison, where Asser came face to face with some of the most notorious and dangerous criminals in the UK. That experience provided the basis for this film, and it's definitely not "another British crime film", there's more to it than that, it's deeper. Eric Love (Jack O'Connell) is a deeply troubled 19 year old teenager with an explosively violent temper. Because of his violent outbursts, he's been moved from a young offenders institute to an adult prison, which means he's been "starred up". But Eric is about to meet his match in the adult prison, his own father Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), who Eric hasn't seen since he was 5 years old. Seeing how violent Eric truly is towards other prisoners, Neville tries to get Eric under control. One hope at getting to the root of Eric's temper is prison therapist Oliver Baumer (Rupert Friend), who wants to help Eric. But, Governor Cardew (Sian Breckin) and Deputy Governor Haynes (Sam Spruell) believe Eric is beyond help. It's a dark and spartan film, showing a warts and all depiction of how violent and brutal prison can really be, and how there's nearly no bright side to being banged up. But what makes this original from other prison films is the father-son relationship at the centre of the film, and it has some brilliant performances in it and it's engaging too. 4/5

Thunderball (1965), the 4th Bond film, and the one that's been the subject of long and convulated legal complexities. But, after the success of Goldfinger (1964), that gave the producers enough clout to make the next one their biggest Bond film yet. It still stands the test of time, and it did break ground with it's underwater photography and sequences, plus to this day, it's still the most financially successful Bond of them all. This one has SPECTRE stealing two atomic bombs from a NATO flight, in an operation led by SPECTRE agent Emile Largo (Aldolfo Ceri). Meanwhile, Bond (Sean Connery) is recuperating at a health spa, and he discovers strange goings on there, which are linked to the eventually theft of the bombs which were stored on a NATO jet at a nearby airfield. This takes him to the Bahamas, where the NATO flight was last tracked near. He investigates where the jet went, who is responsible and follows up leads. He starts with Domino Derval (Claudine Auger), whose brother was on board the NATO flight, although Bond had originally found his body at the health spa, plus Bond is spied on by the mysterious Fiona (Luciana Paluzzi). While this Bond is not very big on plot, (about a third of the film takes place underwater), and when it does get to the action, it's very good and makes up for many of the films shortcomings. Connery is as charming as ever as 007, and it has some good humour, but it would have been better without all the underwater action. 4/5



Apollo 13 (1995), Ron Howard had made his name as a director with comedies like Splash (1984) and Parenthood (1989), but he was starting to branch into more serious films like Backdraft (1991) and Far and Away (1992), after The Paper (1994), Howard turned his attention to an adaption of Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, Howard wanted to make it as technically accurate as possible, and it looks brilliant on screen. After Apollo 11 lands on the moon in 1969, NASA astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) is told he will fly the Apollo 13 mission, which is scheduled for April 1970. After months of training, Lovell with fellow astronauts Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) take off for the moon. All seems to be going well, but then 3 days into the mission, an oxygen tank explodes. Now it's up to the astronauts and NASA control in Houston, led by Flight Director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) to ensure the crew get safely back to Earth, but with oxygen running out fast, the NASA team have to come up a solution to the oxygen problem, and what will happen to the ship when they begin the re-entry process. It's a very suspenseful film, and it has some brilliant weightless scenes, which were achieved by the cast and crew filming in a reduced gravity aircraft. It's well made too, and it has a good ensemble cast, and the result is one of Howard's best films as a director, and it shows just how dangerous it is being an astronaut. Never mind Gravity (2013), this is the real thing. 4.5/5

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), a film adaptation of C.S. Lewis's Narnia had been planned for years, but it had only been done on TV and radio, but a film adaptation was always going to be difficult. Director Andrew Adamson (Shrek (2001) and Shrek 2 (2004)), made his live action debut with this film, and came up with a faithful yet visually stunning approach, which does the book justice and got the franchise off to a good start. In London, World War 2 has started, and the Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are evacuated to live in the country house of Professor Digory Kirke (Jim Broadbent). While at the house, Lucy finds a wardrobe which seemingly leads to a snowy fantasy world called Narnia, where she meets faun Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy). When she tries to tell Peter, Susan and Edmund, they don't believe her, but they soon find themselves going through the wardrobe and end up helping to save Narnia, which has been under the rule of the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), with the help of Aslan (Liam Neeson) a noble lion who offers to make the ultimate sacrifice. It's a well made film, and there is a lot going on in the film, so it would help to pay attention and keep up, but it pays off. The adaptation could have been an incoherent mess like The Golden Compass (2007) would be, but it manages to be entertain and thought provoking without descending into heavy philosophical and religious overtones. 4/5



The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), after the success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), a sequel was inevitable, meaning the franchise had passed the first hurdle. Thankfully, director Andrew Adamson and the main cast also returned. Adamson had actually completed the screenplay before the first film had been written. The film does suffer from second film syndrome, but there's a lot to admire about the film. It has been a year since the Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) went through the wardrobe to Narnia. While waiting for a train on the London Underground, they find themselves transported to Narnia again. While they've only been away a year, 1,300 years have passed in Narnia, and that most of the grand castles that once stood are now in ruins. Telmarine's, led by King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) has been plotting to seize the throne from his nephew and rightful heir Telmarine Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). Caspian learns about this and he goes on the run, and before long, he ends up with the Pevensie children. It's a visually stunning film, but the film is overlong, and it could have done with at least half an hour cut out, and it does suffer from a bit of battle fatigue as well, even the producers admit some parts could have been done better. But overall, it works as a film, and now you begin to get to know the characters ad the world of Narnia more. 3/5

Apollo 13 and Little Shop Of Horrors are both amazing.



Killdozer (1st view) - A TV movie from 1974 in which a bulldozer becomes sentient after coming into contact with a meteroite and tries to kill a group of construction wokers. It's brilliantly, brillantly bad and I loved it - 4/5*

Life Of Pi (1st view) - I liked this more than I thought I would. At it's best during the scenes on the water and there are plenty of lovely visuals - 4/5




Pixote (1st view) - Traumatic film about youths in a Brazlian reformatory. It's documentary feel helps make it harrowing but it's a hard film to like or feel involved with - 2/5*

Memories Of Murder (1st view) - Very good South Korean crime drama - 4/5*




The Overlanders (1st view) - Australian-set wartime/western film. Fears of Japenese invasion prompt Chips Rafferty to drive a herd of cattle 1500 miles from the Northern Territory towards Brisbane. Not particularly groundbreaking in any way but an interestingly different wartime film - 4/5*

The Sweeney (1st view) - Director Nick Love must be a fan of The Wire. You remember that scene when McNulty and Bunk investigate a crime scene and say only the word "fuck". Well Nick Love obviously took inspiration from that and decided to make an entire film based around Ray Winstone going "you fucking slag". That is literally the only thing I can recall being said in the film, but that may be less due to its repetition, more to to do with the fact that the rest of the script is utter crap. And who the hell is Ben Drew and why is he trying to act? Still, Hayley Atwell and Damien Lewis are both decent and there are some good action scenes, especialy a shootout in Trafalgar Square - 3/5*




Kiss Them For Me (1st view) - Cary Grant and two fellow Navy pilots manage to get four days leave during WWII and spend their time in San Francisco, hoping to fill the four days with parties, drink and women but things don't go quite to plan. Grant is always worth watching, even in lesser roles, and the lovely Suzy Parker is fine as his love interest. But for a comedy it's short on laughs, and Jayne Mansfield, who I don't think I've ever seen in anything before, is truly, truly terrible - 3/5*

Bowfinger (1st view) - Bowfinger's a rare beast, a live action 90s comedy that's actually good. Even more surprising is that it's both funny and enjoyable while starring Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, who between them gave probably only ever made about 5 decent films. This is a career-best for both of them - 4/5*

Birdman (1st view) - As a big fan of Amores Perros and Babel (Perhaps the only fan of Babel, it sometimes seems) I was quite looking forward to this and happily it didn't disappoint, managing at times to be both as dreary as Iñárritu's pevious efforts and funnier than anything I thought he was capable of. It's a technical marvel. I'm a sucker for long takes anyway so having a film this complicated appearing as one seemless take was always going to make me happy. And the cast is superb, not one putting a foot wrong but it's Keaton who steals the show 4/5*





Werckmeister Harmonies (1st view) - Another film composed of long takes, although not nearly as much fun. Amazing to watch, hard to get involved with - 3/5*





Animal Kingdom (1st view) - Slightly despressing Australian crime drama. It's good but hard to see how it got all the acclaim - 3/5*