What classics did you see last week ? (17 Mar - 23 Mar 2019)

Hi all,on Monday my friend of over 20 years went to pick his dad up to take him for a routine check-up,and found that he had passed away in his sleep. Trying to keep myself busy after terrible news, (his dad was a great guy)decided to get Easter presents for family and friends in Birmingham, and to visit the oldest working cinema in the UK (The Electric.):



Captain Meh (2019)6

Whilst facially de-aged with seamless CGI,Samuel (yel)L. Jackson swaggers with a coolness that has not aged one bit, with Jackson hitting Fury's comedic punch-lines with a smooth as silk ease. The first woman superhero in the Disney Marvel films to have her own solo movie, Brie Larson brings out the heroic in Marvel's passion to save the Skrulls, but fails to fly to a super height in the comedic,and establishment of her own origins,as Larson delivers punch lines with a stilted awkwardness which allows Jackson (who has worked with Larson three times) to outshine her in the jokes, and Larson also keeps a cold distance from giving Marvel the enthusiasm other superheros have when using their powers.

Designed as a origin for Captain Marvel, the writers visibly show more interest in the side characters than they do in lead, with the plight of the Skrulls bringing a heart and urgency to the mission, which drifts away in the mid-section that focuses on Marvel's dry beginnings. Dipping into the Dr Strange-style fantastical with a striking sequence of Marvel fighting her inner turmoil, co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are joined by cinematographer Ben Davis in largely skipping over the enticing fantastical (save for a cute cat) to deliver slick Marvel Comics action set-pieces and Star Wars-inspired space ship races, wrapped in a catchy 90's soundtrack leaving No Doubt on Captain Marvel's powers.

French cinema:



Night at the Crossroads (1932) 8

Blamed on either a missing reel or (as the author claims) the breakdown of the directors first marriage and heavy drinking causing the film maker to skip shooting scenes,the visible gaps remarkably work to the advantage of writer/directing auteur Jean Renoir goal with the production,which Renoir said was that: "I tried to give the feeling of mud sticking to your feet,and of fog obscuring your sight." Riding in to puncture the activities of a gang of thieves, Renoir,his soon to be ex-wife/editor Marguerite Renoir and future director Jacques Becker working as a assistant director and production manager,draw up an eerie misty atmosphere from the town being covered in layers of deep fog,which in stylish panning shots following Maigret reveal an inability to gain a clear sight at the inner workings of the gang.

Sticking mud on the feet of the viewer, Renoir also displays a sharp artistic eye in using objects on the set, (such as wheels and ropes) to obscure the full faces of the suspects,and make their lies stick to Maigret. Getting the first ever adaptation rights to a Georges Simenon novel after driving to Simenon's boathouse and making him a offer on the spot,Renoir signals a continuation of his Film Noir theme,of Maigret being unable to fit into the town of foggy morals he is surrounded by. Left with rough odds and ends sticking out, the missing scenes give Maigret's investigation to arrest the thieves an intriguing missing puzzle mood,where each attempt Maigret to put a gang profile together never quite fits. Offered the role by his brother,Pierre Renoir gives an excellent performance as Maigret, thanks to Renoir giving Maigret a subtle inquisitiveness over digging into secrets of the gang during a night at the crossroads.



Stupéfiants (1932) 6


Filmed simultaneously with the German film Der Weisse Daemon and joined by co-director Roger Le Bon, director Kurt Gerron, (who turned down offers from Peter Lorre and Josef von Sternberg's agent for Hollywood projects, and was murdered with his wife Olga by the Nazis in Auschwitz in 1944) does very well in bringing out stylishly flourishes under the tight production schedule, with the excellent extended opening tracking shots on a cruise ship establishing the heroic hero status of Henri,and over saturated lights making Liliane look like she is wasting herself away.

Joined by writer Georges Neveux in adapting their German script, the screenplay by Neveux/ Philipp Lothar Mayring & Fritz Zeckendorf (who IMDb do not list as having been killed by the Nazis in 1943 in Auschwitz-Birkenau) is a fine mix of Melodrama and Thriller, as Liliane's descent into drug addition brings the drama as Henri tries to free her from it, whilst the hands of "bossu" (and his ingenious use of blanc vinyl to record faked messages) push Liliane deeper into the abyss. Caught between bossu and Henri, sweet Daniele Parola gives a very good performance as Liliane,whose singing ambitions Parola has get chipped away by the drugs. Sliding Parola deeper into her addiction, Peter Lorre gives a wonderfully slippery turn as bossu, whose calm, matter of fact manner is used by Lorre as a veil for ruthlessness that leaves Liliane dying for a hit.



Marked Eyes (1964) 7


Reuniting after the New Wave-styled The Wretches (1960),co-writer/(with Claude Desailly/Andre Tabet and Georges Tabet) director/actor Robert Hossein and Michele Morgan give eye-catching turns as Florence and Franz,with Morgan cleverly using Florence's estranged state in the town to make her a detached Femme Fatale, who even when rolling down hills with a lover keeps her guard up over suspicions of mind-games being played. Fitting into the woodland backdrop with a fresh face appearance, Robert Hossein gives a performance with real warmth as Franz,who Hossein has keep striking the ambiguity note, as Franz's sincerity comes off as just a bit off to Florence.

Along with reuniting with Morgan, Robert is joined by his composing dad Andre, who types up an excellent rumbling blues score which heighten the cracks of paranoia in Florence's mind.Appearing to have been filmed in the real Austrian woodlands, Hossien & cinematographer Jean Boffety craft a chilly mysterious atmosphere in circling wide-shots across the isolated location. Cutting open the movie with an obscured eyeful of a murder, Hossien sharply pins the Noir visuals to a carefully designed sound mix, where the tapping of a mysterious type writer stylishly matches up to the splintered sightings of the writer/killer,and the looming panning shots down corridors following Florence sinking into doubt. Building up suspense superbly in a silent set-piece of Florence attempting to locate the typing noise, the writers spill ink on the anticipation,by going for the easy option of "borrowing" from Henri-Georges Clouzot, which dents the light Film Noir unease that the title had been building up over Florence's increasing mistrust of the locals over marked eyes.

My son binged on Disney

I'm not a big animation fan but you can't go wrong with Mickey Mouse. Once Upon a Christmas is probably my favourite of the 6 Disneys we watched.

Thank you for the very kind words Spider. 

Beyond the Forest (1949) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0041172/reference 




You don't like life! 

Beyond the Forest is directed by King Vidor and written by Lenore J. Coffee and Stuart Engstrand. It stars Bette Davis, Joseph Cotton, David Brian, Ruth Roman, Minor Watson and Regis Toomey. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Robert Burks.

Resentful of her small-town life, Rosa Moline (Davis), a married woman, schemes to run off with a rich businessman - and she will do anything to achieve her goals...

Whilst not being on the same divisive page as something like Johnny Guitar, King Vidor's picture treads the same pathway to claims of camp and feverish staging. Davis is clearly miscast and too old for the role, whilst she overacts accordingly to either delight her fans - or irritate film fans after a noirish pot boiler of some substance. It's a tough call, and you really have to point the finger at Vidor for not reining Davis in, but if in the zone for a bit of Bovary histrionics tinged with noir flavours this has much to offer.

The pros and cons of small town Americana are vividly brought to life here, as is the central focus of a woman out of her dreams. Metaphors are rife to run in conjunction with the psychological imbalance of Rosa's mind, be it the mill furnace that lights up the sky at frequent intervals, or the steam locomotive that thunders through the centre of town to take folk off to the big city of Chicago, the aural smarts are superbly inserted by Vidor.

Using flashback as a starting point, Vidor firmly enters a noir realm, which continues throughout as he is aided considerably by Burks' photography. One of Hitchcock's main cinematographers of choice, it's a real pity that Burks didn't get hired for more noir ventures in the 50s. His work here is superb, low lights and side lights come to the fore in the final third as the femme fatale axis of story reaches a potent finale. Thus as Steiner rumbles away with his shock and awe, the pic is a tech credit force.

Sadly there's some fault lines to be irked by. Roman is utterly wasted in a pointless role, there's a Native American house maid character (Donna Drake) that's the focus of some unsensitive era treatments that's sole purpose seems to be just to make Rosa out as more of a git than already established. While Toomey and Watson (the latter a key character) are badly under used.

However, whilst not jumping on the "it's a masterpiece" bandwagon, this is a film of many filmic pleasures - perversely so me thinks... 7/10



The First Great Train Robbery (1978) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0079240/reference



If you've turned nose on me I'll see you in Lavender. 

The First Great Train Robbery is directed by Michael Crichton who also writes the screenplay. It stars Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Lesley-Anne Down, Wayne Sleep, Robert Lang, Alan Webb and Andre Morell. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth. The story is loosely based on the real Great Gold Robbery of 1855, where a rogue criminal named William Pierce and his cohorts executed the theft of £12,000 in gold from a speeding train on route to aid the British Army during the Crimean War.

A delightful period caper picture that's high on production value and fun characterisations. Split into two halves, Crichton's movie makes light of the actual crime to portray Connery and co as lovable rogues, thus hooking the viewer in to actually root for them to pull off the intricate crime. First half (well it's more two thirds of the film to be exact) details how the robbers obtained the four keys needed to get into the safe. Harder than it sounds since they are in different locations to one and other and guarded over by different officials. Naturally there are scrapes, skirmishes and obstacles to overcome during this complex operation, and no short amount of humour and tension either. Then it's on to the actual crime, which buzzes ferociously with derring do and ingenious cheek! It may have been loaded with chitter chatter and much bluffing of the way leading up to it, but the pay off is excellent and not without genuine excitement as Connery's (doing his own stunt work) Pierce and Sutherland's safe cracking Agar pull off the seemingly impossible. 

Benefiting the film greatly is Crichton's attention to detail, where he thrives on the Victorian England setting. From the streets, the costumes, the dialogue and mannerisms of the characters, they all fit nicely within the narrative. Helps, too, that the cast are playing it with tongue in cheek, Connery and Sutherland are revelling in playing roguish dandies, splendidly attired facially with quality face fuzz and Down raises the temperature of Connery and male audience members alike. Probably her best ever performance, Crichton writes a good role for Down that sees her not only as a sexy head turner (it's unlikely that Victorian underwear has ever looked this sexy before in film), but also as an observant member of the gang; one who isn't too shabby on the disguise front either. Dancer Wayne Sleep is nicely cast as a fleet footed housebreaker, while Lang, Webb, Morell and Michael Elphick pitch their respective performances just right. Goldsmith's score is energetic and Unsworth's (his last film as he sadly passed away shortly after shooting it) photography is a lesson in quality without trickery.

Fanciful and tame if compared to the big budgeted actioners of today, The First Great Train Robbery none the less is testament that simplicity of plot and a keenness to entertain is sometimes all you need. 8/10



Red Heat (1988) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0095963/reference


Look out Chicago, Arnie & Jimmy are loose on the streets.

Captain Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a no nonsense Soviet cop who is sent to Chicago to pick up a murdering Russian drug dealer. Upon arriving in the windy city, Danko is teamed with Art Ridzik (James Belushi), a wise-cracking street cop notorious for cutting corners to get the job done. Complete polar opposites, both men form an unlikely alliance as Danko's Soviet methods blend with Ridzik's free spirited street wise techniques.

There were quite a few buddy buddy films around in the 1980s, certainly the teaming of unlikely cop partners was nothing new at the time of Red Heat's release. Yet for all it's obvious reliance on clichés, and its out dated Russian/American guffaws, Red Heat is a romping, violent and funny picture. Pairing the big Austrian Oak Schwarzenegger with the Americana that is James Belushi pays off in bundles. Yes it's sometimes crass, but Belushi's cocky mannerisms play off Schwarzenegger's robotic frame with comedic joy. All played out in amongst carnage and murder created by director Walter Hill, who is quite frankly, and thankfully, just extending the formula that he started in 1982 with 48 Hrs.

The support cast is not to be sniffed at either. Peter Boyle, Ed O'Ross, Laurence Fishburne, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Brion James and Gina Gershon. All line up to add fuel to the Arnie and Jimmy fire. Also good to see is that Hill shot on location in Illinois and Moscow to give the film some scenic impetus, whilst James Horner's score is suitably bombastic and at one with the material. It's no rocket scientist who observes a film like this and calls it popcorn fodder, because it so obviously is. But within its buddy buddy framework lies a very quotable film that's essential for fans of Arnie & Jimmy. Sometimes that's all one needs from a film like this. 7/10


Alien³ (1992) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0103644/reference




Don't feck with The Baldies!

Special Edition.

I love it, I really do. OK! So it's basically a monster on the loose piece, but the setting at a sci-fi prison colony - complete with nutty religious shards - makes for a thrillingly atmospheric ride. Of course if this was merely a stand alone film, where there was no Alien and Aliens previously, I feel sure the special edition cut would be thought of differently. 

A roll call of Brit thesps line up for some tension filled entertainment as director David Fincher and cinematographer Alex Thomson provide a look that is both beautiful and scary. The metallic nightmare of chambers and cold concrete fused together for some hellish stalk and paranoia. Industrial Punk? Steam Punk? Cyber Punk? Fincher Punk? Hey man, we gotta give it a name! And of course there's Siggy Weaver front and centre, the reassuring presence among the murderers, rapists and child molesters. 

I could live without the attempt at a transcendent finale, but in extended form this has much to light your fires. It also showed that Fincher would be a director to watch - imagine if had he been left alone to craft his own vision? His subsequent career and standing makes a mockery of the studio execs involved in the making of Alien³. 8/10


Clear and Present Danger (1994) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0109444/reference



These drug cartels represent a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States.

The third outing for Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan - and the second with Harrison Ford in the lead - is a tightly constructed political thriller. Condensing Clancy's door stoppers is no easy task, but the makers here, headed by director Phillip Noyce, have manged to keep the pic brisk and intelligent for entertainment worth.

Plot essentially boils down to America's war on drugs and the Colombian cartel at the helm of such operations. Naturally all is a bit suspect in the American corridors of power, leading to corruption and abuse of power that puts Jack Ryan firmly at the front to sift and destroy the bad eggs staining the American Star Spangled Banner.

This very much plays out for those who like a bit of politico subterfuge, whist being ok with long passages of like minded chatter is also a requisite. That we have a fine cast playing out the screenplay (Donald E. Stewart, Steven Zaillian and John Milius) is a big plus that gives credibility to the shifty machinations.

There's a nagging annoyance throughout that this still should be a better film, especially given the overstretched run time of 2 hours 20 minutes, and the computer sections are dubious and the finale is something of a damp squib. However, we are in the company of great pros, both in front of and behind the camera - and also on the page (Clancy's brain superlative). With that in mind it's reasons to seek this out and enjoy if this splinter of political thriller is your bag. 7/10



Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - www.imdb.com/title/tt4881806/reference



Cover Version 2

It was 1993 when Jurassic Park was unleashed upon the film loving public, spawning a blockbuster franchise and pop culture thunders in the process. Sadly we now find ourselves suffering cover versions of what was once a great and thought provoking premise with high octane thrills into the bargain.

I guess once they started personalising the Velociraptors, making one of them a friend of man, it was the beginning of the end. But we accepted it - sort of - jumping into 2015's Jurassic World with carefree abandon. More dino carnage we wanted, a bright cast fronted by the ever likable Chris Pratt and Bryce Howard drew us in, but it was merely ok, a franchise entry that was just a quick fix but nothing more. But of course box office talks and the franchise lumbers on to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom...

Plot returns to Isla Nublar which along with all the dinosaur inhabitants is about to be vanished from the planet by the mother of all volcanoes. Cue mankind jostling over whether to save a species that was once extinct whilst others have nefarious motives for financial gain.

Off we go then, stock characters that are over familiar are performed by different actors but go through motions we have witnessed before, whilst the writing strains for a sort of human empathy factor that never hits the mark. There is nothing remotely fresh (well Howard has at least changed her footwear to something more credible) or exciting on offer here, it's a tired cash cow that's in dire need of extinction itself.

Naturally another instalment will come along, and naturally it will make money, with myself and the other millions of Jurassic zombies filing in to view what we hope will be a return to the heady days back in 1993. But it's most likely a forlorn hope, so maybe, just maybe, it should be enough now, enough? 5/10

Two for the Road (1967)--Wonderful romantic comedy that flashes constantly back and forth among the years of Albert Finney's and Audrey Hepburn's passionate but rocky marriage. Unlike most couples in romantic comedies, their bickering is often witty as well as realistic. The film also features one of the most horrible children in film history. One of Stanley Donen's two great comedies of 1967 (Bedazzled is terrific, too).

Eighth Grade (2018)--Remember how wonderful it was to be thirteen? If you do, then you're probably misremembering, since that year is hellish for many people, as in this movie. Elsie Fisher, in the lead role, at first comes off as an unlikeable, surly brat, obsessed with her phone, her computer, and her vlog that almost no one watches, and she treats her caring dad like garbage. But then she manages to capture your sympathy, and it's heartbreaking to watch her angst. Too bad this film is rated R; it should be required viewing for all 12-year-olds (as well as adults who have forgotten how awful that time in your life can be).

The Wife (2018)--Glenn Close was robbed. (See below). She plays the wife of a Nobel Prize winner for Literature, and has to sit stoically by as her husband accepts his award. But there's a catch. Sad, infuriating, and recommended.

The Favourite (2018)--I watched this to see if Olivia Colman deserved to win the Best Actress award over Close, and if this film deserved its Best Picture nomination. No and NO!! I guess the Academy likes anyone who plays the role of royalty, no matter how over-the-top. Elsie Fisher from Eighth Grade would have been a better choice; at least she shows some subtlety rather than the screeching, bellowing and raging displayed here. This film should have been nominated for a Razzie, as it's one of the worst movies of the year. It's pretentious and self-consciously clever, what with its grating "soundtrack," its annoying fish eye lens used in much of the indoor scenes, and its modernized style of 18th-century plot and dialogue (ooh, everybody says "f***" a lot). It's also historically inaccurate, so don't feel that you should watch it for the sake of learning some bit of history,  and it's boring and unfunny. Skip it.

LOL, Captain Meh!

Not seen it yet, but it has gone down real well so maybe you will have to have another couple of viewings just to check. Tis what I have to do.

Guy I trust on the radio saw End Game last night and said it's outstanding!

I'm getting being on the MCU, still not seen Black Panther and only watched Ant Man and the Wasp last night