I’m not as fond of animals as most but I love this film. It starts with the story of young Albert, the son of a hard on his luck Devon farmer who buys a young thoroughbred horse at an auction instead of plough horse that he desperately needed, mostly to spite his wealthy landlord that is also bidding.
The film traces where the horse, Joey, goes so it’s a long film. Firstly, Albert is determined to train the horse to plough the fields to prevent the family losing their farm/livelihood. In the next instance to war as a Captain’s ride, mainly as a rainstorm ruins the field and the horse has to be sold to pay off debts to the landlord.
Joey goes through many escapades that have me gripping my seat and occasionally reaching for a tissue especially the hard ship endured when he gets taken over by German command after a brutal battle but there are also touching scenes of a young French girl befriending him and his new pal, another horse he trained with for military manoeuvres.
Finally the story moves forward to an age when Albert can enlist and so I’m at the edge of my seat again to see when (surely it’s only a matter of time) the two are re-united.
It may have standard film clichés to tug at every heart string you possess but it’s a great watch, indeed, for all the family.
There has been nothing on for weeks, not even a decent Christmas film so I’ve decided I’m going to see at least one film this bank holiday weekend.
Obviously there is the smattering of expected kiddie movies – none especially Christmassy, the unwatchable Rom-Com and two prison break out movies. None of these in my faves box but I go for ‘The Way Back’.
If it’s about the journey after the break out and it’s a 12a so how gruesome can it be? I imagined it to be more about the friendships forming over weeks and months of trekking across the world so I was not disappointed. In fact it is thankfully even less gory than I feared.
Based on a true story, it’s about a group of convicts, mostly those who have been set up and wrongly accused in the break out of world war 2. What I always find amazing in these films as they all have native names, Polish, American, Russian etc and speak with accents but they all speak in perfect English and communicate well together. However I say that having just come back from a week in Italy and being able to communicate just fine, them in Italian and me in English.
That should not detract from what is very good film, all the more so because it’s based on real happenings (the book, ‘The Long Walk’). The Pole, (Jim Sturgess) is new at the prison in Siberia. ‘It’s not the guns and guards that keep you imprisoned here, its nature’ says the guard referring to the extreme cold not to mention wild animals outside the prison confines.
It’s not long before the new boy is leading the escape, amidst repeated hallucinations of seeing his front door back home in Poland. He is forced to take bad boy real Russian criminal (Colin Farrell) although handy as he is the only on with a knife but partners up with the token American (Ed Harris – brilliant). Seven of them set out to escape harsh Siberia but how many make it through to Nepal and then onto India?
Mark Strong was apparently in it? Didn’t see him and I’m pretty sure they still rolled him out to do promotional interviews. An ace actor.
‘The Way Back’ is a really well made film that may be a tad too long (133 minutes) but has you at the edge of your seat most of the time.
I’m only marking it down half point as it’s not my kind of film but it is good.
I had no idea what this movie was about before I saw it but…..
I know, I start so many reviews like that but it’s most often the case when I see a preview, especially when it’s a last minute decision. To top it all we were a few minutes late but thankfully, they let us in.
So all I know is that Denzel Washington is in it. The opening scenes (that I saw) had him driving a train begrudging the young upstart who has just started; he now has to work with.
My first instinct, that this is going to be like ‘Speed’, which I’ve never seen is not entirely correct. Apparently this is based on real life events about a runaway, un-manned train that is clearly heading into danger unless someone stops it. For ‘someone’ read ‘Denzel Washington’.
There isn’t anyone on the train (that’s the point) so there are no passengers in danger, more the dangerous goods on board and the populated towns that the train is heading furiously through.
The twists (oh I love those twists) include the conflict between the widowed veteran train engineer with teenage daughters working at Hooters to get through college and the newbie (Chris Pine) with a recently estranged wife and child. Then there’s the corporate suits who don’t want the publicity from a forced derailment and the [operations manager] (Rosario Dawson) who thinks that’s a bad decision.
Of course they were wrong and by now the media are following the train along with Denzel and co.
A surprisingly good movie but I never understood why someone couldn’t just jump out of helicopter onto the train and climb to the front. 7½/10 Smile factor 8/10
So Steven Seagal has taken a break from real-life law enforcing to make another film.
He has second billing but it’s pretty clear from his first appearance that this time he’s not here to save the world; he’s here to take it for himself.
This has to be the most gratuitous violent film I have seen for some time but in a good way, if that makes sense.
I didn’t reach this conclusion at the time but since seeing it, it reminds me of all that’s great about KickAss. The opening credits are straight out of a superhero movie and yes it’s ludicrously violent but tongue in cheek; heads roll, limbs break, no-one, I mean no-one can be trusted as co-workers turn on their own in a nanosecond and everyone gets killed – whether in the way or just, well just there.
Because it’s made by boys (I’m assuming here rather than reporting on any research) the ladies take comfort in not having to get fully dressed in the mornings but can run about in their underwear toting guns and knives, safe in the knowledge that their hair and makeup is perfect as they go about killing anyone who crosses their path.
The plot? Oh there is one; the bad guys are led by a Texan senator (Robert De Niro) who is in bed with a host of baddies determined to keep out immigrants from Mexico into America. That’s America, a nation made completely of immigrants.
Some of the baddies (Steven Seagal) are immigrants themselves so for them the motive is business; control who comes in and out, with what and claim a larger profit from illegal trading.
The good guys include the ridiculously rough looking former agent (Danny Trejo) left for dead who teams up with the ridiculously stunning immigrations agent (Jessica Alba) (much better with dark hair and a Mexican tan but what do I know).
Machete is hilarious but not because it’s full one liners but just because its, well, ridiculous 7½/10 Smile factor 8½/10
After the disappointment of ‘The Kids are All Right’, I’m looking forward to a nice, sweet film with some quirky British humour.
I got it with this Mike Leigh trademark production.
On a side note, this is the sort of film that many Americans just don’t get; it’s not full of people who are young or particularly beautiful so there goes Hollywood. However, every character is interesting and the film has lots of good humour, despite an often grim story line.
The story centres on a happy middle aged, middle class couple (Tom & Gerri – yes really) heading towards retirement. He an engineer (‘he digs holes’) and she a counsellor. The film opens with her counselling a depressed mother and I was fearful that the whole story will centre on this but it speedily moves to jollier moments.
For one, they have been waiting for, their son, an only child to find a girlfriend and settle down. He looks like being a sad sap but soon becomes cool, with a new perfect girlfriend in tow.
They find joy in their allotment every spare minute they get and in entertaining, particularly a single friend from the doctor’s office where the Gerri works.
Then there are the downbeat moments such as when said single friend appears to lose the limited marbles she has and when they suffer an unexpected family bereavement.
Jim Broadbent heads a fine cast as one half of the happy couple seemingly surrounded by singletons rather than other smug marrieds and dealing with life’s every day ups and downs in as jovial spirit as possible.
I love it.
Go see if you want to be shown how to be happy with your fantastic lot or to strive for more.
8/10
Smile factor 8½/10
Forgot to put this on my Birthday list this year. Not that I desperately need it, I don’t cook and I don’t watch films on DVD, but it’s one of my favourite movies of recent years.
Perhaps the American folk are right in saying this is the worse year for films; the theory is that the films out this year were put into production around 2008 when the banking world collapsed and nearly took us all with it.
I’m extra thankful then for The Town released this year.
I understand it to be the first time Ben Affleck has both directed and starred in a film, although he directed the haunting Gone Baby Gone, in the same close-up style. One job must be hard enough so I can’t envisage being both in front of and behind the camera.
The Town is ‘Charlestown’, a suburb of Boston where generations of bank robbers apparently reside. Affleck’s character Doug MacRay, is the leader of one such criminal gang and whereas he stops at the point of any violence, his right hand man, best buddy Jem (Jeremy Renner) is not so timid.
On what’s proposed as their last ‘hit’, Jem decides to kidnap the bank manager Claire for no apparent reason other than he seemingly can.
Thereby begins the twist early in the tale; they think she may be able to recognise them and Doug is duly dispatched to ‘make sure she doesn’t’. His idea is to start up a relationship of sorts so we have the bank robber that kidnapped the bank manager dating her.
As you can imagine there is more to this story with a mix of the larger criminal fraternity including Fergie the Florist (Pete Postlethwaite), the police, the FBI and family members all throwing their weight into what Doug should do next.
There are a few frustrating moments in the film but on reflection, these just serve to keep me on the end of my seat, waiting for the next move.
Let me preface this review by saying I love, love, love this film.
Now I’ll begin.
Occasionally I hear about a film I know I want to see; no trailer necessary, no cast list required, no story need be told. Made in Dagenham is such a film.
As it happens, the cast is full of memorable faces from British TV and film, each one putting in a delectable performance.
The story style is similar to one of those gritty northern English kitchen sink dramas I’ve enjoyed since childhood. It’s because I went to the coolest school on the planet, well in Bedfordshire, well in Bedford. Our English teacher asked us to study books such as Saturday Night, Sunday Morning and Taste of Honey and then we watched the films. In these formative years, I developed a taste of these working class stories and more importantly perhaps, a longing to write. [Mr Thomas and Ms French, what have you done to me?]
Made in Dagenham would have been just as fantastic in black and white, as I recall seeing these other British classics. The only difference, as the name suggests, this modern version is based in Dagenham, Essex just to the east of London town.
All I knew of the film is that it‘s set at the Ford factory. What we learn is the place then employed something like 40,000 employees of which 187 were women and that’s who this story is about. After restructuring, the all-women machinist department are down-graded as ‘unskilled’ in order to pay them a lot less then the ‘skilled’ men.
The supervisor, Connie (Geraldine James) would ordinarily have been the leader on this campaign but she was trying her best to cope with her depressed, ex-army husband at home. The feat fell to her friend, Rita (Sally Hawkins) who surprised everyone by standing up to her own union leaders who appear just to be enjoying the trappings off union leadership rather than looking after their members’ interests.
A genius moment is when Rita turns up at her first meeting just to make up the numbers with samples in her bag. These are the pieces of material the ladies sew together in sweat shop conditions in order for the car seats to be covered. Of course the male leaders were clueless on how to do the machinists jobs, the point being; it must involve a skill and they should be paid accordingly.
Look out for the middle class mother at the school gates who much later turns out to be supporter. Watch for Miranda Richardson’s appearance as the Sectary of State; either modelled on Margaret Thatcher or Mrs Thatcher modelled herself on Barbara Castle.
Each one of the ladies brings something to the film and each has a part to play as the campaign for fair pay builds momentum all the way to Parliament via the national papers. Many times I expect characters to fold or to be less amiable but this simply is not the case. It’s true feel-good all the way.
Oddly enough, the old British films were mentioned at the Ikon Gallery talk at the weekend by Stuart Maconie. They are absolute classics that have affected a generation, daring as they do to discuss what were then taboo subjects such as abortion and alcoholism.
I have just completed an article entitled ‘Is Feminism Dead?’ about how hard women fought for equal rights in previous decades and this period in Ford’s history epitomises this. I may have to do a little re-write though.
It’s thrilling that this film is British, has some great acting talent and tells a fascinating story brilliantly. I enjoyed it even more that I could have dared to imagine.
Not a film that appeals to me if something better is on. For a start I’m not the world’s biggest Adam Sandler fan and this smacks of boys toilet humour but Chris Rock should make a difference.
There is some of that but rare for a comedy of this kind, you know, the type that’s meant to make you feel good, there are laughs all the way. No sad bits allowed.
Five guys who were in a championship winning basketball team as kids are all in same room together as they reach middle age. The room being a church as this is the funeral of their much loved and respected coach.
They are now a hot shot Hollywood agent married to model-esque fashion designer wife, a house husband, a recently unemployed family man, the four times married spiritual being and the token single guy. Between them they have a brood of kids ranging from spoilt Hollywood brats, the four year old who still breast feeds to the estranged but re-surfaced for this story, long lost fully grown (ahem) daughters of the multiple married short guy.
What’s planned as a one night stay over at the old lodge house ends up being several days where, obviously, the grown-ups bond, the kids become less spoilt and the four year old still breast feeds.
Maya Rudolph plays a pregnant lady again in this. The last time I saw her she was pregnant in my favourite film of 2009, Away We Go so I will watch her in anything now, if only I can remember her name.
Grown Ups is so much better that I had hoped and well worth a watch.
7½/10 Smile factor 9/10
Stop Press: I read Maya Rudolph is Minnie Riperton’s daughter! Known for the track ‘Loving You’.
The story line did not have a bearing in my decision to watch this film.
This is what did;
Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis.
Rourke is a bonus.
When I unintentionally see the trailer, I realise what I thought would be a throwaway film full of one liners and in-jokes is in fact a fairly serious action film
The basic story is that Sly Stallone leads a group of what appear to be mainly ex-army men who hire themselves out for various jobs. This time, they are hired by – let’s call him, Mr Church, to depose an army general of faraway land.
Stallone goes with his right man, played by Jason Statham in his usual role to check out the job and inevitably go back to do the job. Many many many people die, there are tons of explosions, a few car crashes and all the expected action scenes but spectacularly shot.
What I love is that none of the usual bad cliques are in the film, but all the good ones are. Of course the best moment is the 60 seconds that the mighty Schwarzenegger, Willis & Stallone are in the same scene. It’s completely thrilling and all I want from the film.
Of course it would be great if there were more scenes like this and I’m surprised there isn’t a bigger role for Willis seeing as he’s still an action actor.
Mickey Rourke does have a larger part although not in action mode, more in Mickey Rourke mode. Now in retirement, he’s a tattooist and a central point for the guys to meet and add to their body collection. I’m really pleased he’s in the film and Terry Crews is a fantastic addition to the action gang.
I’ve never been a fan and I’m stunned that Stallone is a talented film maker. This is how all action movies should be made.
Sequel? I hope so perhaps next time with larger roles for the action movie trio.
I should have known better as these are two of my least favourite actors although Tom Cruse redeemed himself by being in one of all time favourites, The Last Samurai, Cameron Diaz never has.
I remember last summer been full of movies to watch, blockbuster or otherwise. This year, they are mightily thin on the ground. Perhaps all the reports I keep hearing from America are true and this is the worst year ever for movies.
This movie would have been on the ‘maybe’ list if the other choices were not Toy Story, Shrek or A Team or the dreaded chick-flick. Plus it’s the second French film in a matter of weeks but see it I did.
It’s the story of Serge Gainsborg (real name Lucien) of ‘Je T’aime’ fame. Not being up on popular film culture, celebrity culture or indeed the 1960s I did not know the writer of this controversial track was also ‘France’s most notorious star – musician, womaniser and all-round maverick’ but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of the film.
I discover that he had an illicit affair with Bridget Bardot and that’s who the famous Je T’aime was written for but was then ultimately recorded with his next girlfriend, actress, Jane Birkin.
In fact for the first hour or so, the movie moves along nicely is quirky and original, not at all the whimsical or worse, gratuitous romantic tale it could have been. For the best part, the humour comes from an imaginary character which I thought could have been an invisible friend that stayed with Gainsbourg through adulthood but it turned out to be his grotesque alter ego.
It’s about 30 minutes too long at 135 minutes but other than that, pretty fine.
Leonardo’s latest is no different to his other blockbusters. Except, actually it is. They are all unusual and mysterious tackling a subject in a new way although ‘they‘ have likened this to the Matrix; films I never got into and wondered for a long time why there were references each time someone saw me in my almost floor length leather coat.
20 minutes into the film, despite my determined stance, I give up trying to follow it but resign myself to enjoy the special effects.
The story – if you can find one – is that we now have the technology to not only extract dreams from people but implant them. Whilst they’re dreaming, DiCaprio’s team are able to manipulate people to do what they want. The twist is that his wife has died and he has committed a crime preventing him from going back to America to be with his young children. Instead he implants dreams about his family which cannot create a healthy existence.
He is offered a chance to redeem his American status by a criminal, who I recognised is played by the excellent Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai). He just needs to do this one complicated job for which he enlists the help of a student (Ellen Page) as recommended by his professor father (Michael Caine).
I agree that teeny Ellen Page (Juno) does look 12 years old at most so an enthusiastic geeky nerd (is that the same thing?) is the best we can see her as. She helps set up the plan where they are going to be in a dream, within a dream, within yet another dream. I think.
None of this is futuristic; the roads bending, buildings curving and gravity changing at will is all in the here and now and yet there is scant mention that what they are doing is illegal.
I suggest you just enjoy the long 2½ hour ride. 7½/10 Smile factor 8½/10
We all know there a dozens of these types of epic adventure films so let’s cut straight to the story.
Orphan boy get’s noticed by the King, in the days where the king just roamed the streets with little more than a couple of staff and didn’t feel the need for millions of pounds worth of security to follow. Boy gets adopted and therefore becomes a prince, in all but royal blood.
As an adult, he goes into battle to secure another land only to realise something is amiss and there is no reason to invade. Alas there are no weapons of mass destruction, so to speak.
Instead, the Prince of Persia, Daston (Jake Gyllenhaal), discovers a mystical dagger which contains magical sand and therefore can turn back time. Obviously.
But all in all it’s a good old fashioned epic, although actually only 116 minutes long. The twist is the King is murdered and Daston is the prime suspect, having been set-up, but by who? In the meantime he and the beautiful princess, as is de rigueur in these flicks, set up about keeping the dagger from the wrong evil hands whilst proving his innocence.
Ben Kingsley, of the category ‘Doesn’t Put His Name To A Bad Film’ category also stars, alas as a baddie.
An inoffensive movie to escape to and under 2 hours.
It appears I’m one of the few people that haven’t seen the original but it does mean I have nothing to compare this Karate Kid with.
I’m seeing it now purely for the cute-as-a-`button Jaden Smith, of the brilliant In Pursuit of Happiness fame (oh and son of Will).
The boy did good and the cuteness hits the viewer immediately and refuses to go away. I try really hard to get out of my mind that this youngster went back to school after shooting this and his ‘what I did in the summer’ report would have said I shot a martial arts movie with Jackie Chan.
Having said that, this is as far away as you can get from a Jackie Chan flick as he takes a definite back seat to young Jaden and indeed to quite a few of the young cast.
You may already know that this is the story of a mother taking her son away from America, topically from the broken car industry in Detroit into a new life and job in China. The boy is not best pleased but less so when he immediately starts getting bullied at school. Not by any old bullies, but by the local bad boy ‘karate kids’. Of course the only way to get even and hold his own is to learn the craft which is where building maintenance man Mr Han (Jackie Chan) steps in.
There are some made for 12 year old movie moments like the overwhelming dramatic music when they reach the top of the mountain, martial arts practising Mecca. There was the over dramaticism when the karate kid, Dre (Oh yes, bring it up to date) finds out why his teacher lives in virtual solitude and what happened to his family.
I couldn’t help but wonder why the skinny little Dre didn’t just topple over when pushed, never mind how he survived a severe beating in the heavy hands of the bullies.
Whilst a lovely, sweet and emotional scene, I’m uncertain why the father of the teenage love interest felt he had to let her honour her promise to be at the Karate Kid tournament and yet made her dissect their friendship a few scenes earlier.
Young Mr Smith did terrifically well as he’s in just about every scene and has the charm, comic timing and promise of helping to build another American acting dynasty.
Clearly it’s farfetched that the skinny boy goes to a new school in a foreign country (where incidentally every one conveniently speaks English) and has to learn a martial art in record quick time in order to stand up to the school bully. Surely he could have just moved school?
Go see it if you know any 12 year olds and if you want your heart strings tugged with a smile upon your face. 7½/10 Smile factor 9/10
I believe this is a first; I watched this movie until almost the end before realising I hadn’t cracked open the obligatory cinema candy.
It is a short film (107 minutes) with Ben Stiller playing a NY carpenter just out from an institution and house sitting for his brother’s family in LA.
A man of few words, rarely of the complimentary kind, he immediately hooks up with his brothers somewhat insecure personal assistant. When I say hook up they have a feeble attempt to have sex before he disappears out of the door without explanation. This episode is repeated during the film and despite the 15 year age gap, she starts developing more than a passing interest.
Add to the mix the reunion with his old college buddies, with some of whom he was in a band that was offered a record deal. However, a few tensions still exist as he was the one that made them turn it down.
The movie moves along at a steady pace with good humour and enough characters to keep you interested.
Quite frankly, if I forgot about eating something for 107 minutes, it must be worth a watch
All I knew about this film was that it was set in Verona, hence the Romeo and Juliet connection.
I’ve been to Verona once and of all the Italian cities I have visited, this is the one I long to go back to and only partly because of the whimsical idea that the fictional Juliet stood on that balcony. What I liked is Italian designer stores littered the street that spawns the alleyway to the balcony. And that I discovered the comeback store of the 1970s label, Fiorucci (As depicted in ‘He’s the Greatest Dancer by Chic. Obviously).
The film is set there as an engaged New York couple, Chef Victor and Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), New Yorker fact checker/wannabe writer visit for a pre-wedding honeymoon, this being the only time they have before the chef’s restaurant opening. So there are enough of my favourite things here to make me enjoy the film. (That’s food, Italy, writing, New York – in case you’re new here).
Victor spends all his time happily sourcing food suppliers for the upcoming eaterie which leaves our modern day Juliet free to go on a little adventure.
At the aforementioned balcony, Sophie finds hoards of international ladies writing letters to Juliet and affixing them to the wall. It turns out; these are all answered by the ‘Secretaries of Juliet’ a small group of ladies dedicated to keeping the romance alive. With time on her hands, Sophie joins in and replies to a letter she finds hidden behind a brick written fifty years ago.
The now widowed Grandmother, Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) turns up in Verona inspired by her 50 year late reply; along with her extremely stereotypical obnoxious, arrogant, British grandson (although I think they may have something there). Claire is looking for the young lover she left behind as a teenager and the three of them set about looking for the long lost love, Lorenzos. At this point I wonder why the fact checker didn’t at least just telephone to see if a Lorenzo lived there rather than going on a road trip, although I understand that five decades later, Claire would have wanted to see him face to face.
So it turns out to be a quite a quaint, British story with the added twist of the grandson developing a little thing for our young heroine, who of course writes about the whole escapade.
Entirely for the girls but worth a watch. It’s got to be better than that Sex and the City 2.
After last week’s dire The Bad Lieutenant, a comedy, no matter how un-promising the title is definitely in order.
I didn’t know much about this film other than it’s about the hilarity that ensues at a funeral.
I was pleasantly surprised at the all star comedy cast with Luke Wilson an unexpected bonus. However you’d expect good things when you see these names on the rolling credits list; Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Martin Lawrence and Danny Glover added to other comforting, familiar faces.
The film opens funny and stays funny. With such a huge cast of characters the story weaves in and out of their lives adding a joke or one-liner to every scene.
This isn’t a teen, male or romantic comedy. It’s a straight forward comedy with something for everyone.
The niece of the deceased arrives with her boyfriend, fiancé actually, but she is yet to tell her overpowering father whilst the situation is made a whole lot worse by her giving her already nervous beau a strong ecstasy tablet rather than the valium she thought it was.
The same thing happens later when a dark stranger appears at the funeral who admits to some deep secrets about his ‘special relationship’ with his father to the son, Aaron (Chris Rock – who actually plays a straight role here). More Valium/E is required to handle this situation as Aaron tries hard to keep the family together at his father’s funeral and is in no mood to be blackmailed. He’s also too keen on the constant references to his successful, writer, younger brother (Martin Lawrence) particularly from his mother.
Danny Glover is brilliant as the old, dithering but sharp, wheel chair, bound uncle transported by friend of the family (Tracy Morgan) and his friend (Luke Wilson) who happens to have a thing for the soon to be married niece.
You get the picture but there’s a lot more where that came from and the writers must have had enjoyed putting all this into one film.
It was hard to research the cast list for this as apparently a version of this film came out just a couple of years ago but I cannot imagine it being as funny.
I looked back to see how I rated the first Iron Man and I don’t have a review. I know that I really enjoyed it so I guess I must have just been super busy at the time.
I remember it was a surprise hit for me; it’s a super-hero movie without world saving superheroes. Instead, Iron Man is all about the technology, i.e. the power of his suit whereas last time the story was about how Iron Man AKA Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr, saves the earth by building better defence for the western world that its enemies could only dream off, this time, it’s the enemies catch up.
Whilst I agree with the majority in that Robert Downy Jr is brilliant and always worth a watch, I do get the feeling that he is really playing himself in this. He has perfected a style of acting with both Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes that is not dissimilar.
I was a little apprehensive this time round that it may all be hype but two facts made me still look forward to IM2; the AC/DC soundtrack and Mickey ‘The Wrestler’ Rourke. All in all, I’d hype this package.
I was a little late and I missed the opening seconds so AC/DC’s head nodding, foot stompingly brilliant ‘Highway to Hell’ was greeting me as I opened the door and my heart was already racing by the time I was seated.
I immediately decided I was going to have to come again, if only to see those opening moments but unless I missed something – another reason to see again – I didn’t hear anymore AC/DC until I heard what I thought was the same track again at the end, despite me lingering long after most had departed the cinema.
So other than RDJ and AC/DC, that leaves Mickey Rourke who made me watch The Wrestler twice at the cinema, making it the second best film of 2008, just after the immensely powerful ‘Milk’ with the ever talented Sean Penn. So now that I’ve mentioned three must see actors in one paragraph, back to Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2.
It’s a good job that I had heard he played a Russian baddy otherwise the accent, when he got round to speaking would have been a shock. Maybe because we don’t expect him to do accents but I think it was fine. However, it was his acting rather than speaking capability that made his presence so over powering in a particular scene in the first half.
I cannot recall the last time I saw such a breath taking moment in a film. So mesmerising was his badness’ real entrance into this film. It quite literally took my breath away to the point of making a note to take my inhaler with me next time. Not normally necessary in a cinema or any other regular event.
His character would have been made for Arnold Schwarzenegger if a) he was not the California Governator and b) if he could make a film without having top billing. Mickey Rourkes’ baddie didn’t need to have many words – in fact they gave him a few too many – but he looked awesomely menacing and absolutely fearless. Now that’s acting.
The film is worth seeing just for that as a lot of the rest of it seems to be a Iron Man ego trip for the powerful Mr Stark although with another great performance from Gwyneth Paltrow as the long suffering Assistant.
7½/10 Would easily have been an 8½ if Mickey Rourke’s badass Russian was allowed to have more onscreen presence. Smile Factor 8½/10
Bend it Like Beckham is a classic that put all associated with it on the global frame map and I loved Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, one of the first films I reviewed.
It’s a Wonderful Afterlife took a few moments to come to life but turned out to be funny and original. Surprisingly it gives more than a nod to Bollywood in that it’s a true, modern, Indian film albeit minus the need to put every film genre in one film. Luckily for us this has comedy, a little romance, a few crimes and a lot of warmth.
It reminds me more of East is East rather than a Gurinder Chadha comedic masterpiece in that there are some poignant sad moments. The story begins with one of the few non-Indian characters investigating the 3 murder cases in Little India so brings in a dashing detective from Kent to immerse himself into the community and find the hidden secrets.
The stars of the show are Mrs Sethi (Shabana Azmi) a recently widowed mother of two desperate to see her daughter, Roopi (Goldy Notay, apparently in SATC 2) happily married before she too joins her husband. Roopi is still getting over a broken heart and is no mood for a new relationship but clearly hasn’t counted on the 4 spirits of the murder victims floating around that only Mrs Sethi can see.
Add Roopi’s best friend Linda, recently back from a long trip to India with a new found spiritual awareness to the mix and hilarity is assured.
One of the sprits is played by Sanjeev Bhaskar, as of course no British India film can be made without his talent for comical expressions but the whole cast, including Jimi Mistry, is pretty fantastic and clearly had a good time making this imaginative film, as is testified by the must see out-takes in the closing credits.
A film about a writer and politics? Of course I’m going to see it. Not that I’m into politics, just in the movies and initially the film is as I expect; a new ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) is selected after the previous one is found washed up on shore. His job is to compete the writing of the memoirs for a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang, played brilliantly by Pearce Brosnan who battles against the writers wishes to portray what life as Prime Minister was really like.
The ghost had no sooner started when the PM’s former Foreign Secretary, fired after many years of service makes public allegations about the PM’s war crimes.
During the media whirl that follows, the PM and his entourage, confidently lead by his faithful aide played wonderfully by Kim Cattrall, another reason for me to see this film, are whisked of on a disaster minimising PR tour, minus his wife with whom he generally consults on every decision.
I would have preferred the writing rather than the scandal to be the bigger feature of the film, that way we’d have been fortunate to have seen Pierce Brosnan for more than 15 minutes, but the rest is about the non-investigative writer uncovering why his predecessor had died. Once he finds out its not plausible for him to have been found so far away from where he was last seen, the film becomes a pure thriller till the end and twists and turns are ensured and UK political links with the CIA are exposed. But whose?
I heard that Nicholas Cage was the first choice for the ghost writer role which I’m pretty sure would have added at least half a point to my mark. Cast-wise, apart from over acting by Olivia Williams who plays Mrs PM, all is good.
The film has some witty lines and is brilliantly made by Roman Polanski but as I now know whodunit, I don’t feel the need to really see this film again and normally, a score needs to be above 8 for me to want to repeat the process. 7½/10 Smile 8/10
A nothing-else-to-see movie day moment results in me seeing this throwaway escapist film. In fact I would have forgotten all about it if I was wasn’t writing this. That doesn’t make it rubbish, simply a throwaway escapist film which takes you to another, sillier place for an hour or so.
Yes Jackie Chan works for the government as is often the case but this time he plays a spy seconded to the CIA. With just one mission to go before retirement, he fails to tell his new girlfriend, a single mother next door, of his real job so the family think he is a much more dreary pen maker. Although I’m pretty sure it defeats the purpose if you tell all and sundry you are in fact an undercover spy but this is family film so anything is possible.
To prove his paternal capability to his potential bride, he offers to look after her three hapless, impish children whilst she goes on a trip and all sort of mayhem is guaranteed after one of them downloads something that belongs to the bad guys. Cue many martial arts moves.
Remember to wait for the trademark outtakes with the credits to continue the hilarity. 7/10
Smile factor 8½/10
This movie has everything going for it already; a good story and a renowned, likeable British actor and then to make the movie happen, along comes a fashion designer.
OK, not the normal way films come to be but this is not just a fashion designer, this is Tom Ford ever dashing and beautifully stylish to (soft leather) boot. The man who not only rejuvenated Gucci but pretty much bought the whole fashion industry to a younger, accessible audience.
So yes, I did feel I had to dress nicely to sit and watch this in a dark cinema where no-one knew me.
Colin Firth, Oscar nominated for this role, plays an older, British professor based in LA and how he copes with
life after the death of his long-term boyfriend. Does he commit suicide or is he able to move on?
It is incredibly elegant, well made and not as sad as I had imagined due to Firth’s well timed quips and the general good humour throughout. It may be a little slow moving for some but that’s how the cinema goer gets drawn into the characters’ pain. Colin Firth is ably supported by Julianne Moore, also playing a Brit in London in 1962 and Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy) who is trying to work out his sexuality and befriends his admired professor in quite an innocent way.
The constant and lingering close-ups only got a teeny bit tedious but again, I know why Ford made it this way, not unlike a French film style accompanied with appropriately soft music.
A superbly, chic film as Tom Ford could not have made it any other way and unquestionably worth a watch. 7½/10 Smile factor 8/10
