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

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PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 25 EmptyThu Mar 15, 2018 9:42 pm

Sorcerer (1977), William Friedkin had a double whammy with The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), here he was going for a triple whammy by remaking Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear (1953). Clearly Friedkin needed his head checked, he lost it mentally making this film, forcing Universal and Paramount to spend $22.5 million into making it, and filming it for over a year. It flopped, but it's not the disaster everyone made it out to be. It follows 4 men. New Jersey gangster Jackie Scanlon (Roy Schieder), French investment banker Victor Manzon (Bruno Cremer), Israeli terrorist Kassem (Amidou) and mysterious assassin Nilo (Francisco Rabal), all hiding out in a remote South American village for crimes they've commited. When a nearby oil well explodes, 4 men are needed to drive very highly volatile cases of nitro glycerine over 200 miles over rough terrain to the fire, the stakes are enormous, but they have nothing to lose. It's a very suspenseful, taut film with some good moments on it. It's very violent, gritty, dirty and down to earth. It was never gonna be as good as Wages of Fear, but Friedkin had a good stab at it and makes it his own. It's well shot and the score by Tangerine Dream is perfect. Thank God the film has been re-released and given a remastering, as time has been very kind to this film. Best film of 1977. 4.5/5

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The Innocents (1961), produced and directed by Jack Clayton, (The Great Gatsby (1974) and Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)), adapted from Henry James' 1898 novel The Turn of the Screw, and adapted by Truman Capote and John Mortimer, this is a tense and very dark psychological horror film, it's amazing they got away with this for it's day. It begins when Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) applies to be a governess for rich man (Michael Redgrave), he wants her to look after his niece and nephew, but he's worried about her inexperience in a position like that, but he gives her a chance. The niece and nephew were orphaned, and the uncle took them in, and they live at his large country estate, Bly. Miss Giddens bonds with the niece Flora (Pamela Franklin) and the housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Megs Jenkins), but when the nephew Miles (Martin Stephens) is sent home, after being expelled from boarding school for being a bad influence. Miss Giddens can't think why, as he comes across as such a polite and friendly boy, but she soon discovers a very dark secret about them. It's very atmospheric and spooky, and it's well made as well, filmed in a stark black and white by the great Freddie Francis, it's close to James' original text and it hasn't aged either. In the hands of anyone else, like Hammer, it would have been a schlocky, gory affair, but this has creeps and scares that come up on you unawares, but that's the best way. 4/5

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PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 25 EmptyWed Mar 21, 2018 9:56 am

I've never seen Sorcerer but bought it recently. Looking forward to giving it a go.
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PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 25 EmptySat Apr 07, 2018 5:12 pm

Black Panther (2018), written and directed by Ryan Coogler, (Fruitvale Station (2013) and Creed (2015)), this is perhaps the riskiest film of the Marvel Universe, but thankfully the gamble paid off. We saw the origins of it's main character in Captain America: Civil War (2016), now he's been given his own film, and it's a good action film buoyed with some really good acting. The small African nation of Wakanda looks like a Third World country to everyone else, but it turns out that behind the scenes, they're actually a thriving, futuristic utopia with cutting edge technology thanks to a substance found in the land known as vibranium, which was found centuries ago when a meteor hit Earth. T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) has just ascended to the throne of Wakanda, but the nation is in danger from his cousin N'Jadaka (Michael B. Jordan), who believes he's the rightful king of Wakanda, and N'Jadaka oversees the theft of a Wakandian artefact from a London museum along with Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis). T'Challa has to fight for his family's honour as the Black Panther, the alter ego created with the vibranium technology. It's a very good film, with some good action set pieces, and just when you think can Marvel keep it up? They come back with another film, but Black Panther benefits from good direction and a good cast as well. It's certainly gone down well, and no doubt there'll be a sequel, but first, we have Avengers: Infinity War to get out the way first. 4/5

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Ferry to Hong Kong (1959), written and directed by Lewis Gilbert, (Alfie (1966), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Educating Rita (1983)), this is a grand, epic adventure filmed on location in Hong Kong and Macau. Unfortunately, the film's making was ruined by Orson Welles, whose performance is bizarre to say the least, but everyone else is actually on good film. It begins with Anglo-Austrian gambler Mark Conrad (Curt Jürgens) who has been expelled from Hong Kong and set to be sent to Macau on the next available boat, which happens to be the Fa Tsan, ran by the pompous, eccentric Captain Cecil Hart (Welles). However, when they get to Macau, Conrad is refused entry, so Hart has no choice but to keep Conrad on the boat. Conrad earns his keep working on the boat, and becomes well liked amongst the crew and passengers, including regular Liz Ferrers (Sylvia Sims), an English teacher. However, when the boat is badly damaged in a storm, it's Conrad who takes charge while Hart is a drunken mess below deck, and they also encounter Chinese pirates along the way. It should have been a good film, but it doesn't quite know what it wants to be, a melodrama, a comedy or an adventure film. It's production problems and spiralling costs almost led to the Rank Organisation going bust, but it's an entertaining film in one sense of the word, Welles hams it up badly, and it shows that he wasn't as great as everyone thought he was. 3/5

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PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 25 EmptySat Apr 07, 2018 5:33 pm

Crimson Peak (2015), Guillermo Del Toro is back, and this time, he returns to horror, in the dark, bloody vein of Cronos (1993), The Devil's Backbone (2001) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006), although this one is also a gothic romance, and a haunting ghost story, and it's a sumptuous visual feast. Unlike Del Toro's other horror films, this is his first one in English, and it's a very creepy film, slow burning, but it's absolutely beautiful to watch. It starts in Buffalo, New York in 1901, where aspiring writer Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) meets dashing English baronet Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and his darkly mysterious sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain). Sir Thomas likes Edith's writing, but Edith's rich father Carter Cushing (Jim Beaver), and her friend Dr. Alan McMichael (Charlie Hunnam) don't trust the Sharpe's. But, Edith and Thomas marry, and they go back to the Sharpe's ancestral home of Allerdale Hall in Cumberland, and Edith see's ghosts and spirits she was forewarned about, and Thomas and Lucille are hiding something... It's a very atmospheric film, and Del Toro is in his element with this story, and it builds up it's spooks and scares through it's atmosphere and tension is built up through it's visuals, which are very colourful. Mario Bava and Dario Argento would have killed for this film. 4.5/5

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I, Tonya (2017), directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl (2007) and Fright Night (2011)), this black comedy focuses on the incredible true story of Tonya Harding, and the scandal she found herself caught up in when technically it wasn't her fault. It makes for a very entertaining film, with some brilliant performances throughout and an engaging plot. Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) has been skating since she was 3 years old, forced into it by her abusive mother LaVona Golden (Allison Janney), but Tonya shows great potential and talent, helped by coach Diane Rawlinson (Julianne Nicholson), but Tonya has something of a white trash reputation, and her unconventional choice of music and costumes don't go down well with judges, even though she's popular with the public. Tonya marries Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan), who turns out be as abusive as LaVona, Tonya leaves him several times. But Jeff has dodgy company, a bodyguard called Shawn (Paul Walter Hauser) who comes up with a plan to increase Tonya's profile by assaulting Tonya's Olympic teammate Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver), but Tonya is unawares about it. It's a very good film, and Robbie and Janney give some brilliant powerhouse performances, you wouldn't think a film about ice skating, or rather it's dark side, would be so entertaining. But, it has some brilliant set pieces throughout, and that they managed to find comedy in a story with abusive behaviour is a triumph too. 4/5

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The Shape of Water (2017), written, produced and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, this is a fairy tale with a difference. It started out life as a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon that Del Toro pitched to Universal, wanting to show a more sympathetic take on the creature. Universal refused, so Del Toro reworked it to become this, and it's a beautiful, enchanting romance. Baltimore 1962, and mute cleaner Eliza Esposito (Sally Hawkins) who works as a cleaner at a secret government facility, when the sharp tempered Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) brings a mysterious amphibian creature (Doug Jones) captured in South America to the facility, and Elisa becomes enthralled and fascinated by the creature, and they form a bond, they communicate through sign language and music, but after seeing that Strickland is torturing the creature, Elisa devises a plan to set the creature free, with help of her neighbour Giles (Richard Jenkins), co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and scientist Dr. Robert Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg), the latter is also a Soviet Spy, but Strickland becomes suspicious. It's a lovely film, an unusual romance but it has more heart and feeling than most Hollywood films can muster up in years, it's benefitted by some brilliant performances, Del Toro's imaginative direction and Alexandre Desplat's lovely score. It's simply wonderful to watch and it truly deserved the Oscars it won, and it shows Del Toro at his best as director. 5/5

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Phantom Thread (2017), written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this period drama is a world way from what he previously tackled in Inherent Vice (2014), and indeed it's Anderson's first film outside America as well, making it entirely in England. It's a very good period drama, which is buoyed by 3 brilliant performances and some very focused direction. London 1954, Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is an acclaimed fashion designer who designs dresses for those in high society, the rich and powerful. But, Woodcock's life is an intricate one which he has an obsessive routine, and he is something of a control freak as well. His life is managed by his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville), who runs the fashion house and has had an influence on his life. Woodcock goes on holiday to the countryside, and meets waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps) and they start a relationship and she becomes his muse and she inspires a new range of clothing. Alma is a free spirit and while Woodcock is a man of routine, and it's not long before he starts to tire of Alma, but Alma has a plan to keep them together. It's an unusual romance, but if the reports are true, then this is Day-Lewis' final film, and he's gone out on a high note, but it's newcomer Krieps who turns in the best role in the film as the unpredictable Alma, and Manville is a force to be reckoned with as Cyril too. It's an intricately directed film, almost as obsessive as it's subject, but it's a good, old fashioned period piece. 4/5

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PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 25 EmptySat Apr 14, 2018 1:07 pm

Blue Collar (1978), written and directed by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver (1976), this is a dark drama that takes aim at corruption going on in the management and unions in 1970's America, it's the sort of film that Ken Loach might have made if he'd gone to America in the 70's, but it's a film which manages to be even more socially relevant now than it was back then. In Detriot, 3 friends work at an auto factory plant, Zeke Brown (Richard Pryor), Jerry Bartowski (Harvey Keitel) and Smokey James (Yaphet Kotto), who work long days at the plant, and the management is putting more work on them, and the unions are toothless, and they're not doing anything about it. At home, Zeke has been conning the IRS out of money, Jerry has to work a second job to make ends meet, and Smokey is in trouble with a loan shark. They come up with a plan to rob a safe at the union's headquarters, they don't find much money but they come away with a ledger which details corruption within the union and that they've been involved with organised crime. The 3 friends plan to blackmail the union with it, but it backfires on them badly. It's a very heavy going film for then, it shows the state of America on the breadline at the time with families struggling to make ends meet, which is still true now in America. The shoot was a nightmare, with Pryor under the influence of alcohol and drugs, but out of this came a brilliant film about how power corrupts everyone. 4.5/5

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The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005), written and directed by Jane Anderson (How to Make an American Quilt (1995) and HBO's Olive Kitteridge (2014)), and produced by Robert Zemeckis, this is a biopic of a mother who was very lucky, and who used her one talent to keep her family together. It's an engaging drama, with some good performances. This tells the true story of Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore), who is married to Kelly (Woody Harrelson) and has 10 children. Kelly is an alcoholic, he started his life as a singer, but after an accident, he turned to booze and can be cruel and abusive. Evelyn applies for contests, mainly jingle-writing contests for major companies, and she manages to be a natural talent at doing it, and she wins frequently. Including a large freezer, ice buckets, washer and dryer, a trip to New York City and a shopping spree in her local grocery store. Kelly however, finds himself being threatened by all this, as he see's himself as provider for the family. But, when their house is threatened to be repossessed by the bank, Evelyn applies for one big contest to save them. It's a bit predictable, and it's aided by some good performances in the film, but it hardly got seen by anyone, (it wasn't even released outside of America for some reason), but it's the sort of thing that could have been done as a TV movie and it still would have worked, but they just happened to be in the right place and right time to make a film out of it, like it's heroine. 3/5

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Red Sparrow (2018), directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend (2007), Water for Elephants (2011) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)), and based on Jason Matthews' 2013 novel of the same name, this is a spy thriller with a good cast and an old fashioned plot that feels like spy films of old without gadgets and big action set pieces, it's more psychological. Present day Russia, and ballet dancer Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) suffers a career ending injury, but she has to support her ill mother Nina (Joely Richardson). However, she is given a lifeline by her uncle Ivan (Matthias Schoenaerts) who works for Russian Intelligence. He offers her a job, Dominika is trained to become a 'sparrow' who seduces targets so they can extract sensitive information. Meanwhile, CIA operative Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton) escaped Russia after getting information from a Russian mole in Gorky Park. Shortly afterwards, Nate is in Budapest, unable to get back into Russia, but Dominika is assigned to seduce Nate, and retrieve the information from Nate, only for Nate to find out who Dominika is really working for. It's reminiscent of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011), there's not much action, and it doesn't rely on gimmicks and tricks, it relies on it's plot and acting. It's a bit overlong, and it nearly gets itself in knots, but making a film about espionage in high places at a time like this, especially involving Russia, is risky as it is, but it works, and it captures the tense mood really well too. 3.5/5

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Lady Bird (2017), the directorial debut of actress Greta Gerwig, this project was a labour of love for Gerwig, and she spent years writing the screenplay, at one point it was 350 pages long, but after much revisions, Gerwig worked it down to something more manageable and more focused. It's a very personal comedy-drama, about growing pains and moving on. Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a teenager who goes to a Catholic high school in Sacremento in 2002, and her family is struggling financially, and she has a difficult relationship with her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf), who feels Lady Bird is ungrateful for anything she has, while she has a better relationship with her father Larry (Tracy Letts). At school, Lady Bird partakes in the school theater program, where she becomes romantically involved with fellow student Danny O'Neill (Lucas Hedges), infuriating her mother further when she goes to Danny's family's house for Thanksgiving, after that, the relationship ends and Lady Bird becomes romantically involved with musician Kyle Scheible (Timothée Chalamet), but Lady Bird is restless, and wants to move away. For a film where not a lot happens, it is memorable if somewhat overrated. It's easy to see why it's done so well, and it has some brilliant performances in it, it's a female take on the likes of Boyhood, only more focused and to the point. 3/5

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Wonder Wheel (2017), Woody Allen rides again, with a big massive Amazon deal behind him, it should have ensured he could splash a bit more money on films. Two problems, this one could have benefitted from a better script, even if it is slight better than it's reputation suggests, and second, the timing sucks, with Woody's career now in doubt because of #MeToo and #TimesUp. Coney Island in the 1950's, and former actress Ginny (Kate Winslet) works at a clam shack, while her boorish, alcoholic husband Humpty (Jim Belushi) operates a carousel, also living with them is Ginny's son from a previous marriage, Richie (Jack Gore), a pyromaniac. Things take a turn when Humpty's daughter Carolina (Juno Temple), who is in trouble with the mafia, and they want her dead. Humpty is reluctant to help, but agrees to take her in. Ginny finds solace with lifeguard and apspiring playwright Mickey Rubin (Justin Timberlake), and they have an affair. Things take a turn when Carolina ends up falling for Mickey as well, and Ginny finds out about this, but then some Mafia hoods start hanging around Coney Island looking for Carolina. It's very stagey, and you get the impression it started out as a stage play before being reworked as a film, the only saving grace this has are Winslet and Temple giving good performances, and Vittorio Storaro's unbelievable, colourful cinematography, which acts like a character. The problem is Woody has done this before, and better too, it's time he changes the record, but no-one will touch him with a barge pole now. 3/5

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You Were Never Really Here (2017), written and directed by Lynne Ramsay, (Ratcatcher (1999) and Morvern Callar (2002)), this dark thriller was adapted from Jonathan Ames' 2013 novel, this is a dark, brooding and oddly moving thriller which is sparse, realistic and very violent, but it's also compelling and has a brilliant lead performance in it which is very realistic. Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a former CIA agent who suffers from PTSD and has flashbacks to times of conflict, but he now makes his living rescuing young girls who are being trafficked for sex, he uses the reward money he makes from doing these jobs to look after his elderly mother (Judith Roberts). Joe's contact is John McCleary (John Doman) who gets Joe the jobs, one job is for New York State Senator Albert Votto (Alex Manette), and to find his daughter Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov). Joe finds Nina, taking out several men in the process and places her in a motel for safety, then it all goes horribly wrong. Joe finds out Votto has committed suicide, and Joe ends up being set up and double crossed by corrupt police, so he has to find who set him up. It's a very dark film, and it's a tricky subject to tackle, but Ramsay handles it with sensitivity and care, despite the odd moment of graphic violence, but it's sparse and it's very brisk as well, choosing not to pad out the story, it's very matter of fact and to the point, but Phoenix is brilliant, choosing not to say much but he lets his emotions do all the talking. 4.5/5

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The Secret of NIMH (1982), based on Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, this animated film was directed by former Disney animator Don Bluth, who had set up his own animation studio with a few other fellow Disney animators, this was offered to Disney, who turned it down. Bluth and Co. did it themselves, and they made the right decision. Set on a farm somewhere in America, it follows a family of field mice, led by Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a timid widowed field mouse, who lives with her young children inside a cinder block in the field. However, plowing season has come early, and Mrs. Brisby realises she'll have to move her family very soon, but her youngest child Timmy (Ian Fried) has pneumonia, and is not well enough to be moved. With the help of fellow mouse Mr. Ages (Arthur Malet) and clumsy crow Jeremy (Dom DeLuise), they decide to go to a colony of rats who live beneath a rose bush for help, including the friendly Justin (Peter Strauss), the evil Jenner (Paul Shenar), and the mysterious Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi), who knew Mrs. Brisby's late husband Jonathan. The film plays like an American version of Watership Down, although not quite as graphic and upsetting, but it's still quite heavy going, but it's still very well made for it's day considering the pedigree of talent behind it, and it put director Bluth on the road to making the likes of An American Tail (1986), The Land Before Time (1988) and Anastasia (1997). 4/5

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Ready Player One (2018), directed by Steven Spielberg, and adapted from Ernest Cline's 2011 novel of the same name, this is a visually stunning and very impressive sci-fi adventure filled to the brim with pop culture references and some brilliant set pieces, it shows that Spielberg is still a master when it comes to doing high concept, crowd pleasing entertainment. Set in 2045, where Earth is over populated, polluted and full of poverty, people take solace in an online virtual reality platform called the Oasis, created by James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg), Halliday is dead but has left 3 easter eggs in the game for players to find and the top prize is control of the Oasis. Player Wade Owen Watts (Tye Sheridan) cracks the first puzzle, along with fellow players Samantha Cook (Olivia Cooke) and Helen (Lena Waithe). But, evil corporate head Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), who runs conglomerate IOI that makes some of the virtual reality equipment for the Oasis, wants control of the Oasis too, by any means necessary both in reality and the virual world. It's a brilliant piece of entertainment, with some great 80's and early 90's pop culture references throughout, including Spielberg's biggest homage to Stanley Kubrick yet, it's a great film, and there's so many blink or you'll miss them references and the like crammed in, a repeat viewing is most likely just to take in what you missed. It's Spielberg's best in ages. 5/5

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Isle of Dogs (2018), Wes Anderson is back, and this is his second animated film after Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), but this is a completely original story, a story only Anderson could dream up. It's a truly original and enchanting animated fable which says a lot about our society, and it's told from the point of view of a pack of dogs, a young boy and other quirky Anderson characters. Japan 20 years from now, in the city of Megasaki, a dog flu epidemic sweeps through the city, and the city's mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura), has all dogs quarantined to Trash Island. But, his young nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin) misses his dog Spots (Liev Schreiber), so goes on a quest to Trash Island to find Spots, and he gets help from a pack of dogs consisting of Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Boss (Bill Murray) and Duke (Jeff Goldblum), who agree to help Atari to help find Spots. Meanwhile, Professor Watanabe (Akira Ito) has found a cure, but Mayor Kobayashi has him poisoned to prevent the dogs returning, but American exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig) finds out and goes to expose it. It's a very arty film, but it has some of the most incredible imagery you'll see in years, throwing in heavy Japanese customs, fight sequences and Yoko Ono. The animation is exquisite, and it's one of the best stop motion films to be made this side of Aardman, and as entry level Anderson, it's a perfect introduction to anyone who doesn't know his films, it's an absolute sheer joy to watch. 5/5

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Escape to Athena (1979), directed by George P. Cosmatos, (Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Cobra (1986) and Tombstone (1993)), this war adventure was financed by Lew Grade and with his clout and chutzpah, was able to put together a massive all star cast for this film. It's good but it doesn't know if it wants to be an ensemble comedy or a military action film. In 1944 on an unnamed Greek island, a group of Allied prisoners including Professor Blake (David Niven), Sgt. Nat Judson (Richard Roundtree) and Italian chef Bruno Rotelli (Sonny Bono) are forced to look for ancient artefacts in the grounds of the POW camp, which is run by Major Otto Hecht (Roger Moore). When the prisoners find out that once the finds run out they'll be sent to other camps and maybe death, they form a plan with fellow captured USO artists, Charlie (Elliott Gould) and Dottie (Stefanie Powers) to overcome the Nazi's, escape from the camp and help liberate the island. They get help from local resistance head Zeno (Telly Savalas), and Hecht isn't as nasty as the prisoners thinks, and he wants in on the plan. It's a daft piece of entertainment, but the cast work well together, and a few good set pieces aside, such as a brilliant motorbike chase that wouldn't have seemed out of place in a Bond film, it should have been either one or the other, the tone is just jarring. When the action does come, it looks brilliant, but it's too little, too late and it could have helped with more action. 3/5

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Man on the Moon (1999), directed by Miloš Forman, (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Amadeus (1984)) and written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood (1994) and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)), this biopic tells the story of a true maverick who divided audiences with his avant garde approach to comedy, and it's buoyed by a brilliant lead role. Andy Kaufman (Jim Carrey) started his career as a stand up comedian, but he refused to tell conventional jokes, and rather do routines that where the joke would be on the audience, some got it, others didn't. But, Kaufman is eventually signed up by agent George Shapiro (Danny DeVito), who gets him spots on Saturday Night Live, and a role in the sitcom Taxi as Latka Gravas, which was based on a foreign character Kaufman did on stage. However, turns out Kaufman has another alter-ego, obnoxious lounge singer Tony Clifton that he created with creative partner Bob Zmuda (Paul Giamatti), and Kaufman wants Clifton in on Taxi even though Clifton is very unlikeable. Kaufman even decides to become a professional wrestler, with mixed results. It's a very difficult biopic to pull off, especially about someone as cryptic as Kaufman, but Carrey was the only man who could pull it off, to the point where you forget it's Carrey as he truly immersed himself to become Kaufman. Forman has fun with the story, and there's no way you could have done this as a straight drama, but it's a biopic as clever and mysterious as Kaufman himself. 4.5/5

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Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017), directed by Chris Smith, (American Movie (1999) and The Pool (2007)), and produced by Spike Jonze. This documentary is a clever study of two comedians, and how both personalities came together during the making of Man on the Moon (1999), using some never before seen behind the scenes camcorder footage. Jim Carrey tells the story of his career and his rise to fame in the early 1990's, but one of his great heroes was Andy Kaufman, the avant garde comedian whose performances divided audiences. When Carrey was offered the role of Kaufman in Man on the Moon, it was the chance of a lifetime, but something funny happened, Carrey was possessed by the spirit of Kaufman, to the point that Carrey stayed completely in character as Kaufman on set, sometimes to the most extreme degree, much to the amazement of director Miloš Forman and producer/co-star Danny DeVito, but it would get too much, especially when Carrey was doing Kaufman's alter ego Tony Clifton, but Carrey's mantra on set was "What would Andy do?" It's a brilliant study of acting, and Carrey took method acting to the nth degree, (Daniel Day-Lewis and Robert De Niro would never have gone this far), and while Carrey does act dickish on set, (one reason why the footage was suppressed for years), he wasn't Jim Carrey, he was Andy Kaufman and his characters on set, but it shows how talented Carrey is as an actor. 4/5

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The Fortune (1975), directed by Mike Nichols, (The Graduate (1967) and The Birdcage (1996)), and written by Adrien Joyce (Five Easy Pieces (1970) and Man Trouble (1992)), this farce brought together two of Hollywood's biggest stars at the time and one of it's most talented directors too. It should have been a hit, but it comes across like a poor mans take of The Sting (1973)), but it's still good. In the 1920's, two bumbling con men Nicky Wilson (Warren Beatty) and Oscar Sullivan (Jack Nicholson) come up with a get rich quick scheme, they come across napkin heiress Fredericka Quintessa "Freddie" Bigard (Stockard Channing). Because the Mann Act prohibits anyone getting married across state lines for immoral purposes, Freddie marries Oscar, and they move to Los Angeles, especially as Oscar is in trouble with the law in New York and has to get out of town very quickly. When they get to Los Angeles, they move into a small bungalow, and Oscar and Nicky come up with a plan to get their hands on Freddie's money, and it's not long before Freddie comes suspicious, so Nicky and Oscar decide to resort to murder. It's a bit of a complicated plot, especially if you know nothing about the Mann Act, but it shows Beatty and Nicholson are dab hands at comedy, but it laid an egg at the box office, and it kept Nichols away from directing until Silkwood (1983), it could have done with a better and more focused script, but it's a weird oddity to come from the 70's, considering the pedigree of talent involved. 2.5/5

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The Border (1982), directed by Tony Richardson, (The Entertainer (1960), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) and Tom Jones (1963)), and written by Deric Washburn (The Deer Hunter (1978) and Walon Green (Sorcerer (1977)), this tense drama is about one honest cop sorting out corruption on the U.S./Mexico border, and it has some brilliant performances in it. Immigration enforcement officer Charlie Smith (Jack Nicholson) has recently moved from California to El Paso, moving with his aspiring wife Marcy (Valerie Perrine), Charlie gets down to work with fellow border enforcement officers Cat (Harvey Keitel) and Red (Warren Oates), and Charlie finds out that Cat and Red are running an illegal human trafficking operation where they smuggle in Mexicans. Charlie is initially reluctant to take part, but as Marcy is spending money like there's no tomorrow on making a dream house, Charlie has no option but to take part. But when a young Mexican mother Maria (Elpidia Carrillo), has her young baby abducted, Charlie now has to choose which side he's on. It's a heavy going story, sort of like an 80's take on Traffic (2000), only more focused and to the point, it's got a brilliant lead performance by Nicholson. By this point, Richardson was nearly forgotten, even though he'd won an Oscar for Tom Jones, but this was a massive flop at the box office and Richardson was mostly relegated to TV movies after this, which is a shame. 3.5/5

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Never heard of The Border ot The Prize Winner of Defiance. And I still need to see Ready Player One. Shame on me!
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Blade (1998), based on the Marvel comic created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, this was in development for several years throughout the 90's, and it was even touted as a spoof at one point, until the makers decided to do it seriously, they handed it to Stephen Norrington, whose debut Death Machine (1994), impressed the makers. It's a good, dark comic book film, of it's time though. Eric Brooks (Wesley Snipes) is half-human, half-vampire, a "daywalker", he got the ability from his mother Vanessa (Sanaa Lathan) being attacked by a vampire while giving birth. But, Blade is able to use his abilities to become a vampire hunter known as Blade, protecting humans. He's been taking on an influx of vampires who have come from Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), a vampire elder who looks to get more powerful, but Frost is scorned by other elder vampires over Frost wanting to incite war between humans and vampires. When one of Frost's vampires attacks nurse Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright), Blade takes Karen to his friend and gadget master Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) for help. But, after seeing that Karen's life is in danger from vampire slaves known as Familiars, but Frost has a surprise for Blade, as he's resurrected Blade's mother, using her as bait to turn Blade into a full vampire. It's a daft bit of horror schlock, but it's likable enough, and has some good action moments in it, even if the special effects look very dated now. While it was far from the first Marvel adaptation to make it to the screens, it was amongst the first to make big money and spawn a successful franchise. Norrington was offered the sequel, but he turned it down in favour of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), so yeah... 3.5/5

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Blade II (2002), after the success of Blade (1998), New Line Cinema wanted a sequel. Stephen Norrington turned it down, so they went to Guillermo Del Toro, who had given vampire films a twist with Cronos (1993). Although Del Toro had had a bad time in Hollywood with Mimic (1997), he was given a second chance here, and he made the sequel his own. Eric Brooks AKA Blade (Wesley Snipes) is now in Eastern Europe, investigating a new breed of vampires known as Reapers, who are immune to many of the weaknesses that vampires showcase. Blade and his friend Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) are approached by Vampire Lord Eli Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann) and his emissary Asad (Danny John-Jules) and Damaskinos' daughter Nyssa (Leonor Varela), asking Blade to help them in the war against the Reapers. Blade is aided by a team known as The Bloodpack, led by Dieter Reinhardt (Ron Perlman), who have previously been trained to find and kill Blade, but now they have to work with him. When they track the Reapers to Prague, they plan on ambushing them, only to find their weapons are completely incompatible and the Bloodpack are nearly wiped out, they only survived after finding out the Reaper's weakness, which they plan to use. It's a sequel which is better than the original, and it gets a fresh new direction thanks to Del Toro's vision, and he manages to add his own personal twist to the proceedings, and it has some well choreographed action sequences and imaginative set pieces. After this, Del Toro was able to get films like Hellboy (2004) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006) made, the rest is history. 4/5

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The Final Programme (1973), written and directed by Robert Fuest, (Wuthering Heights (1970) and The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)), this was adapted from Michael Moorcock's 1968 novel of the same name. This is a surreal sci-fi fantasy which is utterly bonkers, and it plays like an episode of The Avengers. It disappeared as the second part of a double bill, which is a shame. It begins after the funeral of a scientist who had developed a human design known as The Final Programme, which enables humans to reproduce asexually. His son, playboy physicist and secret agent Jerry Cornelius (Jon Finch) is approached by a trio of doctors, Dr. Smiles (Graham Crowden), Dr. Powys (George Coulouris) and Dr. Lucas (Basil Henson) want the formula to The Final Programme, as the world is going to hell. The Vatican and Amsterdam are in ruins, and London isn't far behind. But, Jerry's family is also having their own problems, Jerry's sister Catherine (Sarah Douglas) has been kidnapped by his drug addicted brother Frank (Derrick O'Connor). Frank has gone on the run with the microfilm containing The Final Programme, and Jerry goes in search of Frank with help from Miss. Brunner (Jenny Runacre) and Jenny (Sandy Ratcliff) before Frank can sell the microfilm to the evil Dr. Baxter (Patrick Magee). It's a very bonkers film, almost like a B-Movie equivalent of Casino Royale (1967), hardly any of it makes sense, but it's very entertaining to look at. Fuest's career never really recovered after this, which is a great shame, and Moorcock made a few books featuring the character Jerry Cornelius, this is the only one to be made as a film. 3.5/5

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Charley Varrick (1973), directed by Don Siegel (Coogan's Bluff (1968) and Dirty Harry (1971)), and adapted from John H. Reese's 1968 novel The Looters, this is a tense crime caper which is sparse and gritty, and it has some great set pieces in it. It also has a brilliant lead performance in it from Walter Matthau, and it might just be his finest performance too. Charley Varrick (Matthau) is a crop duster and a former stunt pilot, but now he's fallen on hard times, so he's resorted to robbing banks with his wife Nadine (Jacqueline Scott), Al Dutcher (Fred Scheiwiller), and Harman Sullivan (Andy Robinson). The bank is robbed, and they make off with a big swag of money, but Nadine and Al get shot dead by the police while fleeing the scene. Charley and Harman later count the loot, and realise they've got away with $765,118, while the news claimed there was only $2,000 robbed from the bank. Charley realises the bank was involved in a money laundering operation, and warns Al that the Mafia will be after them soon. Sure enough, a mysterious but brutal hitman known as Molly (Joe Don Baker) is soon on their tail. After finding out that Harman has refused to lie low, and has already spent most of the money. So Charley chooses to betray Harman, and goes on the run from Molly. It's almost like a 70's equivalent of No Country for Old Men, with a large amount of money at stake, a world weary antihero and a seemingly unstoppable hitman on their tail. Siegel keeps the tense mood up and it has a very tense finale as well. Despite good reviews, it sadly flopped but it's got something of a cult status now, and it helped inspire 2 Guns (2013). 4/5

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Ghost Stories (2017), written and directed by Andy Nyman (Magicians (2007)) and Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen) and adapted from their stage play. This is a very spooky and effective horror film that feels like a modern take on the portmanteau films produced by Amicus in the 60's and 70's. It's well constructed and has plenty of twists along the way. Professor Phillip Goodman (Nyman) spends his days debunking fraudulent psychics, but while investigating the disappearance of a 70's paranormal investigator called Charles Cameron, Goodman finds himself investigating 3 separate cases of paranormal activities. The first is a haunting that night watchman Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse) encountered one night in an abandoned asylum, the second involves that of reclusive teenager Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther), who experienced a haunting while driving his parents car out in the woods one night, and the third case involves City financier Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman), who also experienced a haunting while he was at home awaiting the birth of his child. Nothing about these cases are what they seem, but are they connected? They all seem to connect to something from Goodman's past as well, and who is the mysterious Charles Cameron who was missing for years? It's a very dark film, and it's very old fashioned in it's execution, but in a good way, Nyman and Dyson have fun with the structure, and they're able to give it a clever, modern twist. It was made on a shoestring budget, but they manage to do a lot with limited resources, it's basic and to the point, and it could be the first in a few films like these. 4/5

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018), based on the 2008 novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, and directed by Mike Newell, (Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Donnie Brasco (1997)), this is a gentle British drama which is the sort of thing you'd get on Sunday evenings on BBC1, but it's got a good cast and it does the novel justice. London in January 1946, and England is starting to get back on it's feet after World War 2, and young author Juliet Ashton (Lily James) has been on a tour across the UK promoting a book she wrote, and her publisher Sidney Stark (Matthew Goode) wants more books from her, while she has an American boyfriend Mark (Glen Powell) who is constantly wooing her. One day, Juliet get a letter from Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman), a farmer from Guernsey who has a copy of one of her books, and wants to know where to get some more. When she learns of what Dawsey and others on Guernsey went through during the war under Nazi occupation. Juliet travels to Guernsey and meets Dawsey, Amelia Maugery (Penelope Wilton) and Eben Ramsey (Tom Courtenay), and they tell her about the book club they had during the Nazi occupation to get them through the dark and difficult times they all had to face. It's aimed at a particular audience (pensioners mainly), but it's a likeable enough film, if a little bit overlong a bit like it's title, but it doesn't really have fireworks, flashbacks to the war notwithstanding. But, it was a difficult book to adapt, as the book consisted entirely of letters and correspondence, but it works. It had a good cast and a gentle if unoriginal story. 3.5/5

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Akira (1988), Katsuhiro Otomo created the manga Akira in 1982, and it became an instant hit Japan and around the world. While Otomo wasn't initially planning a film version or TV series, when he got the offer to make a film, he accepted on condition he wrote and directed it, and that it was done properly. It's a very imaginative and violent piece of future dystopia. In 1988, a gravitational force destroys Toyko, which leads to World War 3. 31 years later, Tokyo has been rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo, and it's a cesspit of crime and corruption. Gangs the streets, the two main gangs are the Capsules and the Clowns. The Capsules are led by Shōtarō Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata), who brawls with the Clowns. During one such brawl, Shōtarō's best friend Tetsuo Shima (Nozomu Sasaki) crashes his motorbike into Takashi (Tatsuhiko Nakamura), a psychic who has escaped from a government facility. With Tetsuo in the hospital under armed guard, Shōtarō ends up being arrested. But, he gets out and teams up with activist Kei (Mami Koyama), who plan to free the psychics. Meanwhile, Tetsuo has gained some otherworldly powers. It's a brilliant piece of sci-fi, which has influenced countless films from The Matrix films and Inception. It's scope and imagination are still amazing to look at, and it helped get manga and anime to the masses and recognised internationally. A live action version has been planned for years, but no-one has been successful yet, although Taiki Waititi is currently having a go. 4/5

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Secrets & Lies (1996), written and directed by Mike Leigh, who had just had won a load of awards and critical plaudits for his dark drama Naked (1993), and he wanted tackle the subject of adoption, but he didn't want to go for lazy stereotypes or the like. As with most of Leigh's other works, he'd set out the outline for the film, the rest was improvised by the actors. It begins when black optometrist Hortense Cumberbatch (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) has just buried her adoptive mother, and is interested in looking for her real mother, despite being told it's a bad idea. She finds her real mother in Cynthia Purley (Brenda Blethyn), a working class cleaner who still lives in her dead mothers house, and can't face to clear out her mother's possessions, while her daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook) lives with her, and has a sharp tongue. Cynthia's brother Maurice (Timothy Spall) is a professional photographer whose wife Monica (Phyllis Logan) is infertile. When Cynthia meets Hortense, Cynthia is shocked and in denial, but the two build up a bond, but how will Cynthia tell her family about this? It's very heavy going, but it's very well made and it has some brilliant performances in the film, and like with Naked, it went down a storm with critics and audiences, it won the Palme D'Or at Cannes, and was nominated for Oscars. But, it shows that Leigh trusts his actors, and Leigh has his own repertory company who he goes back to time and again. 4.5/5

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The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), directed by Jon Amiel (Sommersby (1993) and Copycat (1995)), and based on Robert Farrar's 1989 book Watch That Man! This started out as a low budget British spoof of spy films, but once it got a big star and big studio backing, it changed entirely. It's great fun, and it has some fun set pieces and a good supporting cast as well. Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray) runs a video rental shop in Des Moines, Iowa. He travels to London for his birthday to meet his brother James (Peter Gallagher). As Wallace's arrival is unannounced and James has a business dinner, he sends Wallace off to take part in an improv theatre experience called Theatre of Life, which begins with a phone call at a phone box. Wallace starts, and gets a phone call from Sir Roger Daggenhurst (Richard Wilson) intended for spy Spencer (Terry O'Neill), so Wallace ends up on a real spy mission, but still thinking he's still doing a theatre piece. He ends up with Lori (Joanne Whalley), a call-girl for British Defense Minister Gilbert Embleton (John Standing), and getting involved with international espionage at a banquet. It's a daft spy film, basically Johnny English before Johnny English came along, and Murray has great fun in the lead role and he's clearly having fun. There's loads of British characters throughout, including Alfred Molina, Dexter Fletcher, Eddie Marsan and John Thomson. It's a shame it didn't do as well as it should have, as it's really funny. 4/5

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Avengers: Infinity War (2018), it's all been leading up to this. After impressing critics and fans with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), Anthony and Joe Russo were invited to do an Avengers film, and it's one that throws everything, everyone and the kitchen sink into the mix, and amazingly, it works brilliantly. After the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) encounters Thanos (Josh Brolin), who kills most of the Asgardians. Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is able to escape to Earth, and tell Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) of the danger that's coming. Thanos sends his lieutenants to Earth, but Iron Man, Strange and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) see them off, and find themselves flying into deep space. Thor on the other hand, is drifting in space until he's picked up by the Guardians of the Galaxy. They encounter Thanos again, and he kidnaps Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Peter Quill ends up meeting Iron Man, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man on Thanos' home planet of Titan, in an attempt to remove his Infinity Gauntlet. It's a massive epic, and these are characters we have come to care about over the past 10 years, but this is one of the most emotionally draining, exhausting superhero films you'll see in years, it's climax will leave you speechless, and it sets up the scene for what's to come in the next Avengers film next year, but how can they top this one? 5/5

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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), written and directed by John McNaughton, (Mad Dog and Glory (1993) and Wild Things (1998)), this came about as McNaughton worked for a video distribution firm and they wanted to move into film production. This started out life as a documentary about serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, but it grew into a deeper more complex film. Henry (Michael Rooker) is a drifter who travels around America murdering men, women and children, and moving on. He eventually settles in Chicago, where he meets up with old prison buddy Otis (Tom Towles), whose sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) is also living there, trying to get away from her abusive husband. Henry and Becky strike up a rapport, as they're both from homes with abusive parents, Henry had ended up in prison for murdering his mother. It's not long before Henry starts murdering people again, with Otis in tow. They end up filming their murders as a record of their spree, but they realise they have to stay one step ahead of the police, and plan to move on before long, but Henry starts having feelings for Becky, but can't commit. It's a very dark and grisly horror film, but it's benefitted by a brilliant lead performance by Rooker, (who has since gone on to greater things), it was done for $110,000 and filmed in 28 days, they couldn't afford extras or get clearances for locations and the crew had to double up on jobs. But, a very good and very gripping psychological horror film came out of it all. 4/5

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Boom Bust Boom (2015), written and directed by Terry Jones, with help from his son Bill Jones and his production partner Ben Timlett. This is a documentary about the 2008 Financial Crisis, and how this keeps on happening, it came about after a chance meeting between Jones and economics professor and entrepreneur Theo Kocken, and it's a good meeting of minds. Terry Jones shows how the banking sector and indeed their respective governments around the world keep making the same mistake every few generations, where there's an economic boom, and everyone rides the wave of this boom, until the bubble bursts, and the banking sector nearly collapses, along with businesses, homes and innocent people's lives. Part of the documentary is done to inform and educate people on how not to do this again, and how to learn from the mistakes of the past. It also shows that the Crash of 1929 wasn't the first time this happened, it happened years earlier with the tulip bubble in 17th century Holland and the South Seas bubble in 18th century Britain, and it happens again and again. It's an entertaining documentary, which combines puppets, animation and talking heads to break down the complicated subject of economics. It also uses humour to get it's point across and show that bankers don't really know best, it plays like a very British take on The Big Short (2015), the most poignant thing is that Terry Jones won't be directing again. Sad 4/5

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Deadpool (2016), a passion project for star/producer Ryan Reynolds, who put his reputation on the line to get this film made. He'd played a version of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), but the troubled production of that film put a question mark over whether this would be made, that combined with the fact that Reynolds had been in a few big flops in the previous few years. Not making him box-office poison, but near enough. After test footage leaked, the film spluttered into life, made for $58 million, (low for a comic book film), and with first time director Tim Miller at the helm, it was the most riskiest comic book film of recent years. But thank god, it pays off in spades, and it's absolutely hilarious. Mercenary Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is in a loving relationship with escort Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin), and all seems perfect, until the day that Wade is diagnosed with incurable cancer and that he will die. But, he's soon enlisted and recruited into a secret programme that will cure his cancer. Not wanting to die or have Vanessa see him suffer, Wade takes the risk. The facility, run by Francis Freeman (Ed Skrein) and Angel Dust (Gina Carano), has it's subjects injected with mutant genes, to turn them into slaves for wealthy customers. Wade ends up being heavy deformed with scars but he manages to escape and burn the facility to the ground. Planning revenge against Freeman, but also been given the power of invincibility. He becomes a masked vigilante by the name of Deadpool, and goes on a murderous personal vendetta to stop Francis. Although two X-Men, Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), want him to stop murdering so many henchmen and use his powers for good. But, nothing will stop Deadpool, and he has an attitude problem. Deadpool is a film that sticks two fingers up to it's audience, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the X-Men franchise, and it's loving being so naughty. Reynolds has great fun as Deadpool, especially when the mask is put on, and he becomes a wisecracking psychopath. You can see why it's been so successful. 4.5/5

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Deadpool 2 (2018), after the surprise success of the first Deadpool (2016), which changed the rules on what you can or can't do in a superhero film. A sequel was inevitable, and David Leitch (Atomic Blonde (2017)), was brought in to direct. It's really great fun, and it essentially deconstructs the entire superhero genre, and it deconstructs the career of it's star too. Deadpool/Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is about to start a family when tragedy strikes. After trying to kill himself by blowing himself up, he's taken to the X-Men manor by Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) to recover, and he ends up on a mission to help troubled teenager mutant Russell Collins / Firefist (Julian Dennison), but when Deadpool learns that Russell is being sexually abused at the orphanage he's at, Deadpool kills the staff, and they both end up in prison known as The Ice Box. But, things change when a time travelling soldier from the future called Cable (Josh Brolin) comes looking for Russell, wanting to kill him for something he does in the future. It's up to Deadpool to stop him. It's great fun, very violent and gory, but it's also very clever and the makes fun of the concept of superheroes and their sequels too. There's some cameos throughout too, and it deconstructs the entire X-Men franchise as well, even if that's rebooted, Deadpool will live on for a few more films, and there'll definitely be another one soon. 4/5

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Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), just 5 months after The Last Jedi divided audiences, we get the second Star Wars anthology film after Rogue One (2016), and this one had a troubled production, starting off under Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street (2012)), they got sacked and Ron Howard salvaged it. It's not as bad as what it's reputation suggests, but it adds nothing new. Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) was a street orphan who ran a smuggling operation with lover Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), but they ended up getting separated, Han joined the Imperial Navy, and ended up with criminal Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), with an emprisoned Wookie called Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) in tow. After a job to steal a mineral called coaxium for notorious gangster Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) goes wrong, Han finds a mine where they can steal coaxium from to repay the debt and keep Vos off their backs. Vos agrees, and Han finds that Qi'ra now works for Vos. To do this job, they need they help of savvy smuggler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) and his ship the Millennium Falcon, but by now there's others after the gang. From watching this film, you'd never guess about the behind the scenes drama that went on, as it's well put together and it's got some good performances. Unfortunately, it didn't connect with fans and Disney are banging their head against a brick wall and have postponed all future Star Wars anthology films. It certainly isn't a disaster, but what would George Lucas have done with it? 4/5

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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), after the success of Jurassic World (2015), dinosaurs were cool again, and a sequel was inevitable. Colin Trevorrow had gone on to do Episode IX, (which he subsequently quit), so the directors job went to J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage (2007) and A Monster Calls (2016)), and it's a good sequel with some good set pieces. It's 3 years since the genetically modified dinosaurs attacked Jurassic World, (the rebooted Jurassic Park), and Isla Nublar is facing a volcanic eruption, with the dinosaurs set to perish. Jurassic World's former manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is asked by the wealthy Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) to save some of the dinosaurs and place them in a new sanctuary. Claire agrees, and goes to former Velociraptor handler Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), for help. Owen is initially reluctant, but he agrees. When they get to Isla Nublar, they end up being betrayed by Lockwood's assistant Eli Mills (Rafe Spall), who is instead going to sell the dinosaurs to the highest bidder in an auction. Clare and Owen decided to put a stop to this. It's a very good addition to the franchise, it's probably the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) should have been, but there are certain bits shoehorned into the film out of necessity like Jeff Goldblum's cameo which doesn't amount to much, or the cloned girl subplot. But Pratt and Howard have good rapport which shows well on screen when there's not much action. 3.5/5

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The Birthday Party (1968), directed by William Friedkin, who at the time was struggling with the editing of The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), Friedkin decided he needed a break, so he disappeared to England and did this sparse, stripped back adaptation of Harold Pinter's 1957 play, (Pinter did the screenplay), it's well performed and it's performances are gripping. In a seaside boarding house in the South of England, lives a mysterious man called Stanley (Robert Shaw). The boarding house is run by Meg (Dandy Nichols) and her husband Petey (Moultrie Kelsall), who bicker amongst themselves, Stanley just wants peace and quiet and to be left alone, but all that is shattered when two men, Goldberg (Sydney Tafler) and McCann (Patrick Magee) come calling, wanting to take Stanley away, but it's never revealed who they are and why they want to take him away. But, things are interrupted when Stanley's neighbour Lulu (Helen Fraser) comes in with a birthday present for Stanley, a toy drum. So, Meg decides they'll have a birthday party for Stanley, but Stanley repeatedly insists that it's not his birthday. This is a sparse chamber piece, and it retains Pinter's characteristic touches with the menacing outsiders and observational dialogue, and Friedkin remains faithful to that. It was made for $640,000 and it was shot quickly. It was a passion project for Friedkin who saw the original play in 1962, and it shows, and after this it was onward and upwards for Friedkin as a director. 4/5

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Tower of London (1962), directed by Roger Corman, this was done while he was in the midst of making Edgar Allen Poe films, it was made on the hoof for $200,000, and it gave the opportunity for it's star to do some Shakespeare, albeit rather loose Shakespeare, mixing up Richard III and Macbeth, and it's good fun, with a vein of cheesy horror added to the mix too. England 1483, and on his deathbed, Edward IV (Justice Watson) announces that he wants his brother George, Duke of Clarence (Charles Macaulay) as Protector to his young son and Heir Prince Edward (Eugene Mazzola). Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Vincent Price) is horrified by this, as he wants the position all to himself. So he murders George, and frames the dying king's in-laws. He becomes Protector, but he is haunted by the ghosts of Prince George, King Edward and later the lady-in-waiting Mistress Shore (Sandra Knight), who Richard tortured into claiming the young princes were illegitimate, Mistress Shore died under torture. The ghosts warn Richard that he will meet his downfall at Bosworth, revenged by a dead man. It's a daft piece of B-Movie horror hokum, but it's still good fun to see Vincent Price ham it up, and he would do it again a decade later with Theatre of Blood (1973). It was shot quickly, as was Corman's way usually, and despite everyone using American accents, it still works, and you know this was never intended to be taken seriously, it's just a bit of cheesy fun after all. 3.5/5

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Ocean's Eight (2018), written and directed by Gary Ross (Pleasantville (1998) and The Hunger Games (2012)), this is a spin off from the Ocean's Eleven films that Steven Soderbergh directed between 2001 and 2007, (Soderbergh produced this one), but it's a more female orientated one, but it's still entertaining and has a few little twists and turns along the way. Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), sister of Danny Ocean, has just been released from prison, and despite promising the parole board she'll live a clean life. She immediately gets an idea for a heist, and hitches up with her former partner in crime Lou (Cate Blanchett). Debbie's plan is to steal the Toussaint, a $150 million Cartier necklace, from the Met Gala in New York. The rest of their team includes disgraced fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), jewellery maker Amita (Mindy Kaling), computer hacker Eight Ball (Rihanna), pickpocket Constance (Awkwafina), and thief Tammy (Sarah Paulson). They plan to use dim-witted actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) as the mule to get to the necklace, but there's another reason for this job. It's a very enjoyable film, and while it might not have the glam and swagger of the other Ocean's films, like 11 and 13, the cast in this one are very likable, and there's a good camaraderie between the main players. It makes a change from the superhero and cartoon blockbusters that are usually commonplace during the summer, and there might be a sequel. 3.5/5

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Monterey Pop (1968), directed by D. A. Pennebaker (Dont Look Back (1967) and Down From The Mountain (2000), this documented the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 which lasted 3 days. It was initially going to be a TV movie for ABC, but after their executives saw the early footage, ABC rejected it, so it went to the cinema, which was the best place for it. The film is a document of a handful of the acts that performed at the festival, including the Mamas and the Papas, (who helped set it up, and John Phillips was one of the organisers), other acts include artists of the day including Canned Heat, Simon and Garfunkel, The Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company and Jefferson Airplane. Also on the bill are The Who, (this was their first big concert in America, and it broke them stateside in a big way), and there's the legendary performance of Wild Thing by Jimi Hendrix, where he plays the guitar with his teeth and then sets his guitar on fire. The concert film comes to a big finale with Ravi Shankar, who keeps the audience mesmerised with his Dadra and Fast Teental. It was a very influential film, and it set the template for most concert films that would follow afterwards like Woodstock (1970) and The Last Waltz (1978), it captured the innocence of the festival which brought music fans and celebrities together to witness something beautiful, there's even more outtakes on the recently released Criterion Blu-Ray. 4.5/5

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The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), directed by Nicolas Gessner (The Thirteen Chairs (1969) and Someone Behind the Door (1971)) and adapted by Laird Koenig from his own 1974 book of the same name, this is a mysterious low-budget thriller filmed in Quebec, Canada, but it's held together with some brilliant lead performances and some shocking moments. In the seaside town of Wells Harbor, Maine, 13 year old Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) lives alone in her father's house, except the father is nowhere to be seen, even though he's leased the house for 3 years. But, it's not long before Frank Hallet (Martin Sheen), the son of landlady Cora Hallet (Alexis Smith) becomes suspicious. Frank has a reputation as a sex pest, and makes advances towards Rynn, especially as her father is not home, Rynn claims he's in New York, but neither Frank believes her, and neither does Cora when she comes visiting, wanting to talk to Rynn's father. Then Cora vanishes, the police led by Officer Miglioriti (Mort Schuman) investigate, but Rynn has a little help from friend and magician Mario (Scott Jacoby). It might sound like a seedy film on the surface, but it's actually an engaging thriller which is character driven and it has some good shocks throughout. In anyone else's hands, this could have been an exploitative, seedy horror, but there's an air of melancholy about this film, we don't know what really happened in the house, but you end up rooting for Rynn Jacobs to survive. 4/5

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Devil's Knot (2013), directed by Atom Egoyan (The Adjuster (1991), The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and Felicia's Journey (1999)), this is based on the true story of the West Memphis Three, a controversial case which had been corrupt and highlighted failings in police procedure. The film is OK, but it doesn't have any fireworks and it's pace is quite glacial too. In 1993, three eight year old boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, they seem to have been murdered as part of a Satanic cult, due to the violent natures of the crimes. Eventually, the police arrest three teenagers, Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether), and Jessie Misskelley Jr (Kristopher Higgins) are all arrested, and after 12 hours of interrogation, Misskelley admits to the murders. However, investigator Ron Lax (Colin Firth) isn't convinced, he believes there's more to this case than meets the eye, and he thinks it's more down to the West Memphis' need for quick justice, so Lax investigates further, starting with Pam Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon), the mother of one of the murdered boys, and nothing is what it seems. Court cases are a hard thing to do on film, as they're very stagey, unless you put in a lot of flashbacks, but this suffers from falling into those traps, not to mention Colin Firth with an American accent that sounds odd. Normally, Egoyan is a very good director, tackling films about tortured human beings with dark secrets, but it doesn't quite work as well as it should have here. 2/5

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Incredibles 2 (2018), 14 years after the original, Disney and Pixar return to one of the biggest hits and finally give us the sequel we've wanted for years. Writer/Director Brad Bird is back after his sojourn into live action films with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) and Tomorrowland (2015), using his experience there to create an entertaining and enthralling adventure. It picks up straight from where the first film ended, with the Parr famly, Bob/Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and their children Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huckleberry Milne) and Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) taking on the Underminer (John Ratzenberger). They end up destroying much of the city, and it causes the government to end the Superhero Relocation Program once and for all. Now without any job or financial security to fall back upon, the Parr's end up getting an offer from wealthy benefactor Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk), who runs telecommunications company DevTech with his sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener). Winston wants to make superheroes legal again with Helen as Elastigirl as the public face, there's also a new villain known as the Screenslaver. Meanwhile, Bob watches the kids. It's a very entertaining film, and it has some brilliant set pieces in it, and a good plot too, it's a shame it's taken 14 years to make a sequel to The Incredibles, but they've made it well worth the wait, but it looks incredible too with the set design mixing 50's architecture with modern technology by way of Ken Adam. 4/5

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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), after the success of Mamma Mia! (2008), a sequel was inevitable, the job of directing it went to Ol Parker (Imagine Me & You (2005) and Now Is Good (2012)), with a script by Richard Curtis, which has a structure similar to The Godfather: Part 2 (1974), flitting back and forth in time. It's a very enjoyable, happy musical. Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) is helping to reopen her mother Donna's (Meryl Streep) hotel on the Greek island of Kalokairi, Sophie is also expecting a baby with husband Sky (Dominic Cooper) who is in New York, and she feels herself at the same place in her life that her mother was when she was younger. In 1979, the younger Donna (Lily James) had just graduated from college and wanted to travel the world, and she finds herself in Kalokairi, and that's where she decided to settle down to live. In the present, Sophie is very worried she would let her mother down, but she has support from her three fathers Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgård), and also her diva Grandmother Ruby (Cher). It's a very happy musical, and it has some good musical numbers, digging deeper into the ABBA discography, going beyond ABBA Gold, and finding some lesser known songs that work well on screen. It was a risky game making a sequel to a well liked musical, and how it would work, but the makers found quite an original approach, and it's very enjoyable to watch and listen to. 4/5

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