addick-2 Reviews

Men Boxing (1891)

Where's the action?

[5/10 · 6 November 2003]

Perhaps the censors got to this one. For a title that offers the promise of nothing but blood splattering action this is a lame affair. Two men standing feet apart waving comical 'Mickey Mouse' white gloves at each other. I don't know if the guy on the right knew that he was becoming part of cinema history but I'm sure that he is disappointed that his five seconds of fame find him in a submissive 'come and get me big boy' stance.

Still better than Rocky V though.

Over the Hedge (1905)

Disappointing.

[4/10 · 1 March 2002]

Made around the same time as the excellent 'Rescued by Rover' this is a lame example of the one joke fodor that was being mass produced at the time. Little time or thought went into either the setting up, or the execution of the punchline and the film as a whole has little of interest to the student of film.

The Delights of Automobiling (1900)

Shocking!

[8/10 · 1 March 2002]

Gruesome early example of what can only be described as black humor. A car explodes causing a grizzly precipitation of body parts onto a passing policeman. Only one scene and one camera angle but an interesting early experimentation with camera effects and an attempt to set the scene with the use of extras crossing the road in front of the car before it explodes. The ending, as the policeman sorts through the body parts, has a surreal, pythonesque feel about it.

Dewars Scotch Whiskey (1897)

Some things never change.

[2/10 · 1 March 2002]

Touted by many as the very first advertising film this is really nothing more than a shot of bemused actors dressed in kilts performing a very poor impression of a highland fling. How anybody thought that this would encourage people to drink Dewars whiskey is beyond me. Funny that the mental processes of advertising executives was as unfathomable then as it is now.

Rescued by Rover (1905)

Early English Lassie

[9/10 · 1 March 2002]

Probably influenced more by Edwin Porter than D W Griffith this early chase movie shows how far film had come since the one shot actualities of the first few years of the century. Interesting studio sets, especially the arclit attic, and remarkable smooth editing. Also makes use of planting, in this case a seemingly innocuous boat, that will play an important role in the latter part of the film. Notable also for an outstanding performance by Blair, the dog, who hits every mark on cue and whose understated performance puts the hammy humans to shame.

How It Feels to Be Run Over (1900)

Duck!

[6/10 · 1 March 2002]

Interesting early short in which an out of control motor-car drives straight towards the camera, obviously in an attempt to create the sort of panic that accompanied showings of the Lumiere brothers film of a train arriving at a station. The film itself is a pretty basic one shot clip, as was standard at the time, but of interest is the fact that before the main action a horse drawn carriage trots harmlessly past the camera. An early example of an establishing shot and an attempt to lure the audience into a false sense of security perhaps.

Battle of Britain (1969)

Beware of Hun from the sun.

[4 June 2001]

Ironic that ‘the few' should be commemorated in a film starring so many. Stars appear and disappear with the frequency of bombs dropped from a Heinkel but nobody hangs around long enough to make much of an impression. Everybody is engaged in a competition to see whose upper lip is the stiffest. The real stars of course are the Spitfires and Hurricanes which swoop and dive like swallows chasing gnats but the aerial sequences, although spectacular, are far too numerous; After all there are only so many ways a Messerscmitt can crash and burn to the ground. The version that I saw had no subtitles for the German sequences but they still managed to make as much sense as the garbled attempts at a story in the English scenes. The brave allied pilots battle are handicapped by inferior numbers, inexperience and having the distraction of Susannah York walking around in a very fetching wartime stocking and suspender set; it's a wonder they ever left the ground at all. Of course the Hun are no match for our brave lads who even find time to patronise the Johnny foreigners fighting on their side. Eventually, like the battle itself, the film sort of fizzles out with nobody really sure that it is over. Fantastic wartime nonsense.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Not one to sway the Woody Allen knockers out there but to his fans it is truly one to savor.

[8/10 · 10 November 1999]

This is Woody at his most philosophical. One of his great talents has always been the ability to take characters who on the face of it we may have nothing in common with, and use them to illustrate universal truths. As the title suggests this a film that focuses on Hannah, her two sisters and the web of relationships that radiate from them. Woody Allen introduces character after character, each of them deeply confused about something, and invites us to sit back and watch them attempt to make some sense out of their lives. The results, as you might expect, are sometimes hilarious, sometimes moving but always enlightening and believable.

The only problem that I have with this film is Michael Caine. I am a huge Caine fan but I found him to be oddly out of place in this film. I found him unbelievable as a financial advisor moving in the upper echelons of Manhattan life and felt that his role could have been better filled by one of Woody Allen's many actor friends.

But that is a small criticism, as I said before, if you are a Woody Allen fan, this is one to savor.

Atomic Train (1999)

And I thought that they didn't make them like this anymore!

[2/10 · 6 November 1999]

It starts out as a typical seventies disaster movie; the introduction to the cast (where we get to play ‘guess the deadmeat'), an improbable set of coincidences to set the disaster in sequence, an unlikely hero and cheesy music. From there the improbabilities start to gather pace like a...., well a runaway train I suppose and by the time the F-16's take to the air the plot is really in free fall. All this however is still fun, in the same way that looking at wedding photo's from the seventies is fun. However once the second movie, I mean half, starts the fun starts to wear off and you start to long for the end and believe me, long is the right word. I think it was about six hours into it that I stopped caring who was going to survive and just wished that everybody would die, quickly so that the whole thing could end. In short this film has no redeeming features, at all. I wish that I had seen it when it was broadcast on TV rather than on video because at least I might have got to see a few amusing adverts. If you like this film I would also recommend The Teletubbies, WWF wrestling and anything with Chuck Norris in it. The worst thing about this film is the wasted opportunity. I mean come on. We have Rob Lowe.... on a runaway train.... with a nuclear bomb on it. There is only ever going to be one outcome that the public would want to see.

Pushing Tin (1999)

Wasted opportunity

[4/10 · 24 April 1999]

The scenario is great. The high pressure world of the busiest air traffic control centre in the world where controllers make hundreds of descisions a day, holding the lives of thousands of people their hands. This creates a macho environment where even the women seem pumped with testosterone and the problems of coming down after work create endless possibilities for conflict and tension. Presented with this set up it would seem impossible to make a bad movie but somehow this is just what the writers of this film have done.

Given such a wonderful situation on which to base a film there are a number of directions in which you could take it. Romantic comedy however is not the direction that immediatly springs to mind but unfortunately this is the way that the writers have chosen to go. King of the Hill John Cusack finds his perfect world rocked when the new kid on the block Billy Bob Thornton turns up and upstages everything that he does. Wondering where you have heard this storyline before? Take your pick from about twenty films made in the last decade.( I mean come on, this was the dramatic premise of Toy Story). This leads to rivalry, silly contests and wife swapping but not much more. The dramatic possibilites of the job that they do and the internal tensions created by it are largely ignored or glossed over in favour of an unoriginal story of love and marriage. The script is littered with snappy dialogue and good one-liners, as you would expect from the writers of TV sit-coms such as Cheers, Taxi and MASH but what keeps TV viewers happy between ad breaks is not sufficient to carry a movie that is over two hours long. At times the film seems to be on the edge of complete farce but the director seems to realise this and steps back in time to save it from complete ridicule. However at the end the momentum is too much and it dives head first over the precipice into the most embarrassingly awful cringe inducing ending that has been seen in Hollywood for many years. What makes this film a double tragedy is the waste of acting talent on display here. John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton are at the peak of their careers at the moment and have done some fantastic work recently. Ditto for Cate Blanchett whose acting talent is crimanally wasted here. The actors do a good job with the material and Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco) keeps the action moving along at a good pace. The fault with this film lies with the writers who have failed to realise that stock story lines and witty one-liners, the mainstay of TV sitcom writing, do not cut the mustard in the world of movies. One further aside.I am not usually one who believes in blaming movies for stupid action in real life but is it really sensible to portray it as great fun to stand at the end of a runway and let Jet wash blow you away. Surely it can't be long before the first headlines saying that some idiot has died trying to perform this stunt.

Pleasantville (1998)

misunderstood!

[23 April 1999]

A lot of the criticism of this film seems to come from people who have not thought through the messages that it conveys. It is easy to say what this film is not. It is not an attack on fifties morality, it is not a critique of television, it is not a nihilistic call to arms. Instead it is a film about nostalgia. How often do you hear people harp back to the good old days, the way society was before it got corrupted. What this film does is take a snapshot view of the present world; full of social hardship, environmental problems, AIDS and broken homes and then presents an imagined view of what the world used to be like;solid nuclear families, permanently sunny weather, innocent teens. This is what many people do when they become nostalgic. They only see the bad aspects of the world as it is and only remember the good parts of the world as it was. What the director then proceeds to do is show us why the world is not like that anymore, if it ever was. The most important thing that the two main characters bring with them to their new world is knowledge. Knowledge of their own sexuality, knowledge of the outside world, knowledge of the arts, knowledge of gender issues. It is this knowledge that changes Pleasantville's world and is presented as a parallel of the changes brought about in America from the fifties to the present day. What the director is careful to avoid, even though he has been accused of doing just this, is to suggest that all the things that knowledge brings about are good. We have already seen the problems inherent in the real world that they have left and they bring many new problems into the world, broken families, polarized communities and violence. It is no coincidence that Bud is the first person to use violence in pleasantville and show it's power to the rest of the world. The acquisition of forbidden knowledge is obviously going to bring comparisons with the story of genesis and Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden. A fact that the director acknowledges with some subtle references but does not make his primary concern. All in all this is a film that works on many levels. The main message of the film seems to be that changes to society are inevitable given mans quest for new knowledge but that such changes are preferable to living in a state of ignorant bliss. You may disagree with this idea but you must admire the subtle and thoughtful way that he has put this idea across and for his courage in making a big budget special effects movie that can be both thought provoking and entertaining.

The Quiet Man (1952)

Saddle My Horse !

[9/10 · 24 March 1999]

It is doubtful that the Idyllic Ireland represented in John Fords tribute to the homeland ever did exist but that in no way detracts from a glorious film. Great character performances from the likes of Barry Fitzgerald and Victor McLaglen complement the two leads and it is possible to watch this film and actually believe that John Wayne can act.There are themes here if you want to find them; sexual frustration, Old world versus the new but this is best viewed as simply a good story wonderfully shot and performed. If nothing else you should view this film for the best fist fight in cinema history lasting nearly 15 minutes of screen time and covering about two miles of beautifully photographed Irish countryside. One word of warning though. This film is probably best avoided by sensitive feminists.

The Public Enemy (1931)

Best scene involving a grapefruit in cinema history

[9/10 · 24 March 1999]

This film crops up in nearly all film studies text books under a number of headings. It is a classic example of Warner Bros social realism films that helped them get through the depression era without having to sell out to New York financers. It can be used to illustrate the innovative use of sound by Warner Bros just three years after the Jazz singer (Check out the sound on the opening montage sequence. Anybody studying Genre in films and in particular the Gangster genre should view this film as a classic example. Watch the first twenty minutes of this film and compare with the first twenty minutes of Goodfellas. It is also of course an opportunity to watch one of the best actors of the classic Hollywood era create his screen persona. Besides all this it is a cracking Gangster movie that is very enjoyable. Makes you want to go out and buy a double breasted suit.

Let It Ride (1989)

Where did this one go?

[7/10 · 25 February 1999]

Funny, well written, well performed and no preachy moralising. No wonder this one bombed at the box office. Obviously written by somebody who loves gambling for people who love gambling this is a very pleasent way to spend 90 minutes. Good to see a film brave enough to treat a subject like gambling without becoming a sermon. Check it out if you get the chance.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Am I alone?

[22 February 1999]

Am I alone in thinking that Tom Hanks is not a great actor? He is just not convincing in this role and is made to look very ordinary when compared to the performances of the supporting players whose role in this film has been unfairly ignored. It is a sad day when Ted Danson makes a more convincing Army Captain than Mr Hanks.

This is a good movie but it is not a classic. The battle scenes probably are the most realistic ever filmed but once they are over you are left with a fairly standard war movie with nothing new to say. Sure war is hell but if you have watched any war movie made since Apocalypse Now then surely you know that already. The view of war from the perspective of the common soldier has been done many times before, and in my mind much better in films such as Das Boot, Stalingrad and restoration. I hope that those who are so impressed with Saving Private Ryan take time to check out these films. I would also like to say that as a Brit I did not find the so called nationalistic tone of the film offensive. I don't think that it is an accident that the American Flags are shown to be pale and washed out. I think that this simple image is an effective way of showing a pride in the American achievements in WWII whilst appreciating the tragic loss of life and perhaps an acknowledgement that atrocities were not just the preserve of the Germans. What I did find offensive was the insulting bookend sections which sledge-hammered the message home. Perhaps if Mr Spielberg reads the negative comments about these sections in the IMDB he might realise that we film goers have more intelligence than he gives us credit for and will stop using such unnecessary sentimental devices in his films. In general this film felt like a roller coaster where the biggest drop is the first one. It's exhilerating as hell at the beginning but then you never quite reach the same hights again and end up coasting to a disappointing end.

Hard Men (1996)

An inspiration for screenwriters

[1/10 · 22 February 1999]

No, I am not joking, this truly is an inspiration to all aspiring screenwriters and film-makers. Frankly if someone can be pursuaded to stump up money for this sorry mess of a film then surely you can do better. The most amazing thing about this film is that somebody, presumably having read the script, actually gave it the green light. To list its weaknesses would need more than the 1000 words allowed by the IMDB. Still it did give me the opportunity to stand next to Mad Frankie Fraser at the London Film Festival and notice how small he was. Mind you I would never say that to his face.

Minbo (1992)

Lame comedy

[4/10 · 9 February 1999]

Just because you can find this title in the foreign movie section of your local video shop, don't be fooled into thinking that this is an arty, clever or even witty movie. What you will get is a lame comedy that were it in English would be derided for its bad acting, poor jokes and crass storyline. The central premise that the Yakuza are just big bullies who only need someone to stand up to them is at best simplistic if not downright dangerous, as the director himself found out when he was stabbed by the Yakuza shortly after the film's release. Top marks for a strong female lead but that, I am afraid, is the film's only redeeming feature.

The Man in the Iron Mask (I) (1998)

fun!

[6/10 · 5 February 1999]

My advice to anybody watching this film is to just sit back and allow yourself to be carried away. Don't allow yourself to get hooked up worrying about the historical accuracy, the faithfulness to the book, the acting of Mr DiCaprio or the triteness of the dialogue. Life is too short to worry about such matters. This is a good story, well paced, well photographed and well performed. Sure the history is all over the place, the acting is laughable at times and the ending is corny but the same can be said about the Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn and that remains one of the greatest movies ever made. I am sure that there is a place for an historically perfect faithful adaptation of the Dumas original but I bet that it will not be half as much fun as this is.