Quick question. So it was a virus that led to the role reversal between the speaking humans and their ape counterparts? Now the apes have the upper hand and humanity is back in the caves. What I don't really get is why everything is in ruins and why there's an escalator in the middle of a forest full of zebras? Speech is crucial for communication, granted, but as the apes now thrive amidst the ruins of human construction I couldn't quite figure out why it was all decimated in the first place. Was there a war? Did I miss it? Anyway, Simian society still claims derivation from "Caesar" and in typical human fashion is just as divided. The apes live a peaceful life stealing the eagle's eggs from precariously perched nests so they can rear them themselves - and the eagles don't really seem to mind. The militaristic gorillas raid their village and drag them all to the seaside resort of "Proximus" where he is trying to break into an human, subterranean, vault. The raid caused havoc amongst the peaceable apes and left only "Noa" to try to free them. En route, he encounters "Mae" (Freya Allan) - an human who can speak, and upon arrival she befriends another talking person "Trevathan" (William H. Macy) who are both expected to help reach the treasures of the vault. She knows what's in there, and with the help of her new friends hopes to salvage what she was sent to retrieve - but without allowing any weapons inside to fall into enemy hands. It takes far too long to get going, this, but once we've established who is who and the story has kicked in, it's quite an exciting tale with some great visuals effects and just a little philosophy to keep it from falling into a trap of franchise mundanity. The acting isn't really up to much, but an enthusiastic effort from Kevin Durand as the menacing leader and some authentic looking acrobatics not seen since Johnny Weissmuller make for an entertaining episode in what is clearly a soap-style plot development where this is but an episode in a what happens next scenario.
Reviews
3,611 Reviews
The Lives of Others
(2006)
The Lives of Others
11 May 2024
This isn't so much a thriller as a glaring example of the corrupting poer of the state, and of those charged with crafting and implementing it's policies. "Dreyman" (Sebastian Koch) is an East German playwright who is popular with the communist elite because his works manage to extol the virtues of their people's republic. The minister "Hempf" (Thomas Thieme) goes through all the supportive motions with him, but meantime asks the Stasi to keep an eye on him. The very ambitious "Grubitz" (Ulrich Tukur) selects his meticulous colleague "Wiesler" (Ulrich Mühe) to manage the surveillance and off we go. What dawns on them very quickly is that they are being used by the politician to discredit the writer for an altogether different reason. He has designs on actress "Christa-Maria" (Martina Gedeck) who just happens to be the girlfriend of their new quarry. She has very reluctantly agreed to his advances in the past, but on the basis that resistance would be pretty futile as he is not a man to be crossed. If they needed proof of that, they just have to look at the ostracised "Jerska" (Volkmar Kleinart) who is now reduced to living in a glorified flat share and who cannot get any work. The hitherto unshakeable loyalty of "Wiesler" starts to wobble a bit now. He dislikes being used and as his surveillance continues, he realises that maybe his targets are not the right ones! Gradually, the internecine and political elements close in on all of them and as pressure grows to deliver results, things take a tragic turn for just about everyone. It's quite a potently paced and cleverly written indictment of totalitarian regimes, this. The people live in fear and so conform; the state controls all aspects of the infrastructure of daily life and those who have climbed the greasy red pole soon display all the Orwellian credentials of his "Napoleon" from "Animal Farm". Plaudits must go to Gedeck who plays well the conflicted character who must juggle her love and her life and to Mühe who shows that as a former master of the indoctrinating arts, "Wiesler" too might be capable of change. Of humanity even. There's a fun scene where one of their colleagues is telling a joke about Erich Honecker and is accidentally overheard. We see him again later - but neither character is doing the job they signed up for!
We Need to Talk About Kevin
(2011)
We Need to Talk About Kevin
11 May 2024
"Eva" (Tilda Swinton) and "Frank" (John C. Reilly) do make for quite an unlikely couple but that they become, marrying and having a son. He's the eponymous child with whom she simply cannot bond. She only has to look at him and he bursts into tears, or fills his nappy. She must persevere, though, hoping as he ages that things might improve. Fat chance! Indeed, when the couple have a daughter, this seems to make matters between her and him (now Jasper Newell) even worse. He's not a very pleasant character, it has to be said, and as he ages further (into Ezra Miller) he knows exactly which buttons to press ensuring both her compliance to his wishes most of the time, and that has the most miserable time whilst he plays up to his father and pretends friendship with his sister. Now dad maybe didn't think it through when he gave the youngster a toy bow and arrow set, especially as that becomes a more serious hobby for a "Kevin" who has malevolent tattooed on his forehead. You just know things are going to end badly, but maybe not quite as horrifically as they do in the conclusion. I like Miller, and I think here he adds a strong degree of calculation to his portrayal of the flawed "Kevin". He also worked increasingly effectively with an on-form Swinton whose exasperation becomes more palpable as she reaches the end of her tether, time and time again. It's delivered by way of a retrospective, so we have some clue as to the fact that something heinous happened, but we have to follow the plot to discover just what led to the scenario in which we find our story related. There's not a great deal of dialogue and what there is is reminiscent of many a parental conversation with a non-communicative child whom it's tempting to just throw under a passing bus! It is a disturbing watch, but not for the sake of it. It's one of those films that gets under your fingernails a bit, and that's down to Newell, Miller and Swinton creating a psychological maelstrom that's quite chilling.
East of Shanghai
(1931)
Rich and Strange
11 May 2024
A good advertisement for a holiday cruise this definitely isn't: a combination of sea-sickness; decks packed to the gunwales and some overtly snobbish fellow passengers make me realise why I quite like planes! Henry Kendall and Joan Barry come into a windfall inheritance and decide to celebrate by going on such an holiday - and soon discover that it isn't all it is cracked up to be. Using some of Hitchcock's expertly hones silent film skills, we tell the story as our nouveau-riche couple slowly realise that wealth isn't everything as their behaviour and attitudes start to adapt to their new surroundings. Don't look for any traditional suspense or thrills in this; it is a much more pedestrian assessment of shallowness and flummery with some quite poignant observations of a rather pointless existence.
Rancho Notorious
(1952)
Rancho Notorious
11 May 2024
Now this doesn't start off very well - we have a really terrible "chuck-a-luck" song that makes you squirm a little. Stick with it though as "Vern" (Arthur Kennedy) sets off to track down the murderer of his gal who was slain in a hold up. Meantime, "Altar" (Marlene Dietrich) gets the boot from her hotel singing job but not before, with the help of "Frenchy" (Mel Ferrer), she wins quite a large sum on it's rigged wheel of chance. The two threads of the story knit together when "Vern" arrives at a remote ranch that's now owned by her and that offers a sort of sanctuary for those fleeing the law - so long as she gets 10%. Dressed for dinner, she wears a brooch that used to belong to the murdered girl so "Vern" determines to find out where she got it - and then avenge her death, upsetting the delicate equilibrium amongst his fellow crooks. Kennedy was never very engaging to watch, but Ferrer is a little more charismatic here as the deadly muscle for Dietrich's hard-as-nails songstress-turned-criminal. On that note, Ken Darby has penned a few unremarkable songs for her which did rather take from the pace of the adventure but do imbue her character with a little of the charm she so effectively uses to make a fortune off the backs of her miscreant companions. The ending is all a bit rushed, but the star manages to hold it together well enough for ninety minutes that I quite enjoyed, though most likely won't remember.
The Lady in the Van
(2015)
The Lady in the Van
10 May 2024
As the writer himself acknowledges at the end, he's augmented this a little but most of it is already the stuff you couldn't make up! He buys a new home in a well-to-do street in London's Camden only to find the area "blighted" by a curmudgeonly and smelly old woman who lives out of her rusting old van. When it comes time for her to move on, she ends up parked outside his new home and prevails upon him to use his facilities. That's just the start of a friendship that develops over fifteen years in which Bennett (Alex Jennings) discovers that this is an interesting and talented lady. It's quite easy to make judgements about her (Dame Maggie Smith) in the beginning, but as we go along we begin to realise that her supposed temporary existence has come to suit her perfectly, even if it does irritate her more respectable neighbours. The story of their relationship is told by the renowned playwright talking to himself much of the time and this series of conversations questions not just her existence but his own too. His narration is witty, perceptive and entertainingly expressive and the whole thing is enigmatically topped off by an actor who seems to be having an whale of a time portraying a woman of true character. It is a little bit long and does rather run out of steam towards the inevitable conclusion, but it does make you stop and think a little about homelessness, ageing and just how satisfying life can (or cannot) be.
Calamity James
(2023 TV Movie)
Calamity James
10 May 2024
Dylan Blore is quite good in this daft depiction of a young lad who, from an early age, is diagnosed with "acute misfortune syndrome". Basically, this means that if it can go wrong for him, or those around him, it will. He is very aptly nick-named. His parents struggle to deal with this with his dad (Mark Bonnar) ending up doing a bunk. Only later does he reappear and whilst trying to do a bit of damage limitation on his absentee relationship, accidentally might just find a lucrative use for the accident-prone "James". It's borderline slap-stick at times, does play a little to Scottish stereotype and you'll never remember watching it afterwards, but it does raise a smile.
Tarot
(I) (2024)
Tarot
10 May 2024
A group of twenty-somethings have rented a "literal" mansion (I wish writers would find out what that word means and use it properly!) and are having a few fireside beers outside it whilst subjecting us to their dull relationship issues. Needless to say the gang are a politically correct assemblage that tick just about every box and are frankly all pretty well deserving of what's to come. On that front, the clue's in the title. Exploring the house looking to top up their supply of booze, they find a locked room full of all things occult and that includes an unique set of tarot cards. Rather foolishly, but typically disparagingly, they demand that "Haley" (Harriet Slater) read their fortunes. Next thing they are dropping like flies - all in a manner they gradually realise is akin to the results of the tarot reading. As they gruesomely dwindle, they realise that they are going to need some help and so thanks to Google spook, they find a woman (Olwen Fouéré) who informs them of the bleak history of their toxic tarot and tells them that the cards' destruction might be their only road to salvation. Thing is, can they survive long enough to get back to the house? There's nothing at all original here, sorry. We've seen it loads of times before and the uninteresting dynamic between the characters is even more predictable than the denouement. To be fair, the candle-lit visual effects are quite effective at times, but the acting is pretty dreadful and the whole frat-like presentation left me looking at the clock after half an hour. It's a shame. The whole astrology and mythology surrounding the tarot could have offered us a rich vein to tap into and exploit, but here we simply get a rather lazy and formulaic light-horror enterprise that's really devoid of much imagination. Literally.
M
(1931)
M
9 May 2024
If only this were to be shown in every school classroom across the land. Children would never go near a stranger ever again. Mind you, they might never go near anyone at all again, either... A rash of gruesome child abductions and murders is sweeping the German capital and the only clues seem to be letters written by the purported killer to the newspapers. The police are doing their best but the public clamour for results, a constant stream of mis/disinformation and an increasing degree of urgency are leading to knee-jerk reactions and a general rounding-up of the criminal classes, but they are not stopping the crimes. With the lynch mobs looming, it may be that one blind balloon seller at the fun fair might have a clue. He may not have actually seen the killer, but he thinks he could recognise the voice - and maybe prove crucial in apprehending the killer. The detection stages of the film are intriguing to watch. In days when the notion of the "law" being an independent and fair institution were still developing, the public tendency to carry out their own justice proves just as much an hindrance to the investigators as the killer does. Indeed, their in-fighting and mis-trust might actually be helping perpetuate his reign of terror. It's the last fifteen minutes of this film that really stands out. An excellent effort from Peter Lorre bringing to an head the battle of the lawless and the lawful, and to that end Rudolf Blümner also shines as a man prepared to risk much to see that right is done - when it would have been so much easier to go with the baying flow. It's delicately and menacingly paced for two hours with a dark and gritty photography, scoring, lighting and a quite sparing but potent dialogue building to a denouement that is really enthralling. Big screen if you can - it looks so much murkier and grimier.
The Grandmaster
(2013)
The Grandmaster
9 May 2024
I'm a fan of Wong Kar-Wai's films but I reckon that I still prefer Wilson Yip's 2008 version of the Ip Man story. Set amidst the turbulent times in China that saw the end of the rule of Manchu dynasty, the embryonic republic established and then the Japanese invasion, we meet a man (Tony Leung) who lives peacefully in the small town of Foshan until he meets Wing Chun grand master Gong Yutian (Qingxiang Wang) who is looking for a successor. That is the beginning of a journey that will see him become a grand master of the martial art himself, whilst meeting, marrying and surviving! It's a superb looking film but for me just a little too over-stylised. The combat scenes are creatively choreographed but the use of the slowed-down visual effects didn't always work. Leung and the director are clearly on the same wavelength, and the story itself is a fascinating look at the rise of one culture through the wreckage of an ancient one. It's also clear that women too had their place in this society - and it wasn't always where stereotype might assume. A strong contribution from the adept and nimble Ziyi Zhang (Gong Er) demonstrates that well as battle lines between the old and new, the powerful and the aspirational are drawn and a good old dose of ancient tribal warfare sets up a proud story of heritage, loyalty and skill. Though a little soporifically scored at times, this is an enjoyable mix of history with touch of romance and plenty of action, and is well worth a couple of hours.
Tell No One
(2012)
Tell No One
9 May 2024
Though it's hardly an original bone in it's body, I did quite enjoy this. That's probably a testament to the engaging effort from Josafat Vagni as the twenty-something "Mattia". He's gay and just about everyone knows - except his family. He keeps trying to pluck up the courage, but each time he's on the precipice something thwarts him. Then he meets "Eduard" (Jose Dammert) and falls hook, line and sinker. A solution, he thinks! "Eduard" lives far from Rome in Madrid, so no need to tell anyone? Sadly, his beau wants to meet his in-laws - and he wants to meet them with some sort of status too. Can "Mattia" get over his cold feet in time to save his relationship? There's a little help from a comedy narration as we follow this hapless lad awards a conclusion that quite effectively points out that secrets are really, really, quite difficult to keep - especially from a tightly knit family that has eyes and ears. Vagni has a charm to him and that does much to keep this entertaining enough as he battles some bigotry, deals with some daft misunderstandings and hopefully gets his man. It's maybe a bit contrived at times, and no, you'll never remember watching it but it's still an easy watch.
Attack of the Puppet People
(1958)
Attack of the Puppet People
9 May 2024
"Sally" (June Kenney) ought to have had the alarm bells ringing when she goes for an interview with doll-maker "Franz" (John Hoyt) who positively begs her to take the job. They ought to have rung even louder when she discovers that his previous assistant never turned up at her new position. Swiftly, we discover that her new boss is collecting people - but at a fraction of their size and he is keeping them alive in glass jars. He lets them out to play every now and again and even manages to procure what has to be the smallest bottle of Champagne ever seen! Meantime, though, the slow on the uptake "Sally" is beginning to suspect something's amiss - especially when her beau "Bob" (John Agar) disappears too! She goes to the incredulous police who offer a cursory investigation - but can they, or she, rescue her love? I actually quite enjoyed this. That's entirely down to the almost maniacal (and accidentally comedic) effort from Hoyt. A frequent participant in daft sci-fi stories, but rarely with just such a big part as he has here. It's padded out a little too much, but there's some fun to be had with the giant telephones, a great big dog and a really annoying stage-door man at the theatre. The title doesn't really do it any favours, but if you like the B-feature horror genre then this is worth a watch, I'd say.
The Day the Earth Caught Fire
9 May 2024
Newspaper editor "Bill" (Leo McKern) is trying to keep his team focused on churning out the Daily Express whilst the Russians and the Americans are detonating nuclear devices all over the shop. When two of them explode simultaneously and knock the Earth out of it's orbit, things really do start to heat up and his reporter "Stenning" (Edward Judd) and feisty switchboard worker "Jeannie" (Janet Munro) have to try to get to the bottom of things. Just imagine the red tape involved as the government officials put up all sorts of barricades to him finding out anything - possibly because they don't really know a great deal more themselves. What now ensues is a mixture of romance coupled with some increasingly exasperating investigative journalism as we appear to be heading straight into the path of the sun. Might there be a way to arrest this inevitability? More bombs perhaps? We'll have to tune into the Prime Ministerial broadcast at 9pm... Made when the cold war was alive and well, this is quite an interesting story that when you strip it back offers us quite a potent look at the futility of nuclear weapons. The drama here doesn't politicise anything, but it does use the buzzing dynamic of the newsroom to present us with a story of mankind's own stupidity and bloody-mindedness. There's a solid supporting cast and a welcome bit of sarcasm in the dialogue and it's at the better end of the apocalyptic drama genre.
Repulsion
(1965)
Repulsion
9 May 2024
"Carol" (Catherine Deneuve) has arrived in London from her Balgian home to share a flat with her sister "Helen" (Yvonne Furneaux) and taken up a job doing posh people's nails in a beauty salon. She's no chatterbox, indeed she rarely speaks at all save when the subject turns to the subject of "Michael" (Ian Hendry) who is her sister's intrusive boyfriend and whom she abhors. As the story progresses, we begin to realise that it's not really him that she has a problem with, it's men in general. Her dreams are violent and sexually brutal affairs probably not helped by the sound of the banging headboard from the adjacent bedroom. Meantime, there's the hapless "Colin" (John Fraser) who sits in the pub pining for her. They are friends, of sorts, and he seems to be genuinely concerned for her - but any though of physicality causes her paroxysms. When her sister goes on holiday, she essentially barricades herself in her flat and that's where things turn almost surreal. The girl is now in a terrible state both emotionally and psychologically, and an attempt at intervention from "Colin" and a visit from the odious rent-man (Patrick Wymark) only make matters worse. Deneuve is superb here. She portrays the tortured "Carol" with an authenticity that is really quite hard to watch. Her illness is palpable but isn't so tangible, and as the story develops we begin to realise that she is increasingly unable to distinguish between truth and reality and that is impacting on all aspects of her life. Fraser also stands out here, his efforts as the would be suitor encapsulate an altogether difference series of frustrations. It's a toxic scenario that is uncomfortably presented but compelling to watch.
The Giant Claw
(1957)
The Giant Claw
8 May 2024
I'm not sure that if I'd been involved in this that I've have taken a credit at all, much less one of the multitude of big block capital ones that top this Kentucky Fried flop. It's all about planes that go missing - but radar can shed no light on the disappearances. Luckily, Jeff Morrow made it back to this island earth and together with "Sally" (Mara Corday) is trying to sort out the mystery for "Gen. Considine" (Morris Ankrum). Luckily, they have some balloons (the inflatable types not the writers) and they show us just what's been pecking at the USAF. Moreover, it appears to be extra-terrestrial and have some sort of radar bending ability so it can maraud at will, immune to everything the military can throw at it. What is it doing here? Has it a nefarious plan? I was surprised to see Morrow in this. He was never very good, but this is below the belt for just about everyone charged with delivering a terribly weak story supported by some frankly hilarious and not very special effects. If any Brits are watching they might remember Rod Hull and his "emu". This is reminiscent of that and really not worth the effort for an overlong seventy five minutes that could easily have been cut to fifteen.
Come Back, Little Sheba
(1952)
Come Back, Little Sheba
8 May 2024
I'd never heard of this film until I stumbled upon it today, and boy - what a stumble. Shirley Booth turns in one of the most intense performances I have ever seen. "Lola" is married to recovering alcoholic "Doc" (Burt Lancaster) and they live a meticulously ordered life with her the housewife and he at the hospital. As the story transpires, we learn a little more of what has driven them to their current scenario whilst she yearns for companionship. To that end she rents out their spare room to student "Marie" (Terry Moore). Initially, "Doc" isn't sure, but he takes a shine to the girl - if not to her all-American boyfriend "Turk" (Richard Jaeckel). She seems set on him, though, and as his paternal concern for her choices starts to mount his need for that lone bottle sitting in the cupboard starts to mount too! It's only really in the last fifteen minutes that the story all falls into place and we realise just why both of these characters are as they are. Lancaster plays his role in a measured and entirely convincing fashion as he foils the almost perfect effort from an entirely convincing Booth who elicits sympathy and exasperation in almost equal measure. What's also quite effective here is that the story isn't full of contrived pitfalls and disasters. It's a story of humanity with it's roots in a plausible scenario (of the time, anyway) that has provided these two, perhaps despite themselves, with a true and lasting affection. It's much more of a drama than a romance, and really is worth an hour and half of your time.
Riot in Cell Block 11
(1954)
Riot in Cell Block 11
8 May 2024
This begins with a television interview given by real-life prison reformer Richard McGee who reacts to a well documented spate of prison riots by informing the audience that they, too, must bear their share of responsibility for the conditions endured by the inmates. We are then taken to Block 11 where it does prove remarkably easy - especially given the prevailing tensions across the system - to nobble a guard, take his three colleagues hostage and then within a few hours take control of their entire prison. It's "Dunn" (Neville Brand) who came up with their plan, and escape isn't his intention. He wants both the prison governor (Emile Meyer) and the state one (Thomas Browne Henry) to agree to a series of demands that will ensure a more humane form of incarceration in future. What now ensues is a delicately played game of chicken. The prisoners reckon they don't have much to lose by killing one of the hostages if they don't get what they want. The authorities are terrified that acquiescing might just be a taper to light fires in institutions all across the country. Don Siegel delivers quite a poignant drama as the inmates begin to factionalise whilst the powers that be struggle to resist a more direct intervention and Brand, Meyer and Robert Osterloh's "Colonel" help create a story that offers food for thought. We have no idea why these men are in prison, which means we must make our evaluations as to the modern-day version of torture and solitary confinement imposed to keep discipline or to break spirits, or both, blindly? Yes, it is a bit predictable, but still worth eighty minutes.
Good Night, and Good Luck.
(2005)
Good Night, and Good Luck.
8 May 2024
There's a brief clip at the start of "Sink the Bismarck" (1960) that illustrates the impact of Edward R. Murrow's potent and succinct style of broadcasting that eventually led to him receiving an award from his peers at the beginning of this film. It's his acceptance speech that sets the tone for a retrospective that focuses on his time attempting to stand up for the civil liberties of many American people during the investigations by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Minnesota into the alleged infiltration of just about all aspects of society by communists and their allies. David Strathairn delivers one of his best performances here as the man whose stance earns him plaudits from some quarters, but enmity from others who accuse him of being an appeaser - or worse. Determined, he nevertheless becomes dependant on the good will of his network chief executive (Frank Langella) and stalwart producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney) as he issues a challenge to the politician and risks his career. In many ways these men had similarities of character. The use of archive footage of McCarthy and the pieces-to-camera from Strathairn offers us two contrasting styles, attitudes and sets of beliefs and though clearly the editorial is pro-Murrow, it still allows us to experience and evaluate some of the frenzy that prevailed at the time when the cold war was very much at it's height. Director Clooney uses a documentary style of intense monochrome photography to quite chillingly expose us to the perils of free reporting at a time when swimming agains a tide that would stop at nothing to rubbish it's opponents was no small gamble. It packs lots to think about into ninety minutes and emphasises the still quite dangerous scenarios that dogma coupled with a strong cult of personality can deliver to an unwitting population.
Sweet and Lowdown
(1999)
Sweet and Lowdown
8 May 2024
Presented in a documentary style, this drama looks at the life of the fictional jazz guitarist "Emmet Ray" (Sean Penn). Now, of course, he is American so is naturally the best in the whole wide world, well second best actually, and that is testified to by frequent obsequious pieces-to-camera from purported experts and then by his own performances as he plays standards from the likes of Django Reinhardt, the masterful Stéphane Grapelli and Duke Ellington. Director Woody Allen has a penchant for this style of music, and as faux-homages go this isn't at all bad. That's really thanks to a strong contribution from Sean Penn as the frankly pretty odious character who's selfishness was probably only eclipsed by his increasing obsession with the shy mute "Hattie" (a gorgeous effort from Samantha Morton) who comes to depend on him, but might he actually come to depend on her too - despite himself? It's a great looking film with plenty of attention to detail, and it does work well at illustrating just how important it is for people to have decent anchors in their lives. The dialogue is all a bit too relentless for me with very little time to come up for air as this rattles along but it's all genuinely and uncomfortably plausible at times, too. Pity about the constant hyperbole, though - how can anyone be the best guitarist? Hmmm?
Dirty Grandpa
(2016)
Dirty Grandpa
8 May 2024
Yikes, it's a coming of age film - for just about everyone concerned. Robert De Niro is an ageing gent who, having just lost his wife of 40-odd years - is intent on letting the badger loose. To that end, he recruits his rather straight-laced, soon to be wed, lawyer grandson "Jason" (Zac Efron) to drive him home. The journey proves anything but straightforward as they hit Daytona Beach on their road trip, meet a pair of lively girls and their gay pal and have some escapades that opens the young man's eyes to the aspirations of his grandad and, increasingly, of himself. De Niro has a bit of previous with this kind of role - though it's certainly more in your face than, say, "Meet the Fockers" (2004); the language isn't just a bit blue, it's fairly graphically explicit as he seeks sex with a perfectly willing girl Efron's age and at times it's actually quite poignant as he refuses to allow his age to consign him to the scrap heap. The humour is crass an a bit puerile, though - and the film really shows up the limitations of Efron as an actor. He is terribly wooden and never looks comfortable even when naked and high on drugs. The story tries, quite pitifully, to reconcile some more serious elements into the script - grandad is a Vet whose family don't know, is dysfunctional and that scenario is supposed to lend it some gravitas. Well, it doesn't. The ending is a twee, poor amalgamation of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994) and "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977) that left me squirming in my chair. Both stars work well enough together, and fans of both/either will probably enjoy De Niro's refreshing frankness that epitomises that age is no barrier to having sex, and Efron - well he gets his ass out a few times. That's about it....
Charade
(1963)
Charade
8 May 2024
This is a corker of a romantic thriller with both Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn at the top of their game. When her husband is found murdered by the railway line, "Reggie" soon discovers that he wasn't quite the man she had though - Walter Matthau ("Bartholomew") convinces her that he was on the run from the US Government with an huge stash of gold. Enter James Coburn; George Kennedy and Ned Glass who begin to cajole, intimidate and downright threaten her determined to obtain the stash. Grant - her knight in shining armour steps in to protect her from these avaricious hoodlums and the shenanigans begin. Stanley Donen really does get the best from everyone in this gripping, witty and stylishly sexy drama. The writing is subtle and nuanced - we have a thriller in which there is virtually no actual menace, but it still twists and turns and nobody is ever whom they seem/say, The characterisations are engaging, the ending is clever, fun and well worth enjoying again 60 years later.
Animal Farm
(1954)
Animal Farm
8 May 2024
George Orwell's politics were always front and centre of his work, but never more so, I reckon, that with this adaptation from Halas & Batchelor. It all starts in the farm where the farmer is a bit of a waste of space. Usually in the pub whilst the animals - pigs, horses, chickens, geese - are routinely neglected and left unfed. The "Old Major" calls a meeting to organise a plan of action, but he goes off to the big sty in the sky (not that Orwell would have believed in such a place) and that leaves "Snowball" in charge and they decide to quite entertainingly depose the useless farmer and do things by themselves. They even have their own form of constitution declaring equality, fraternity and - one may not eat the other, nor sleep in a bed! Their Elysian scenario prevails for a while but soon another insurrection looms in the form of "Napoleon" who sees their leader as weak and ineffectual. A coup ensues and gradually we see the emergence of a first amongst equals policy, then rules are arbitrarily altered, ostensibly for the good of the community then, yep - we are back with an overt dictatorship that spawns ideas of a little revolution now and again is a good thing. There are obvious parallels here with the decline of Imperial Russia (or even Bourbon France) being followed by a series of increasingly less benign dictators, and of the ultimate realisation that when you give people power, they will always want more. The animation uses the different animals to show strength - of body and/or will, well and the narration serves as a gentle tramline for what we can all see is the writing in the sand. Hierarchies clearly aren't just an human thing.
The Battle of Algiers
(1966)
The Battle of Algiers
8 May 2024
It's the mid 1950s and the population of Algeria are increasingly determined to break free from the colonial administration of France. From one perspective it's a fight for freedom, from the other a response to dangerous insurrectionism. What makes this drama stand out is the degree of impartiality with which it depicts the story. The French are still licking their wounds after leaving their Indo-Chinese empire and are desperate to avoid another defeat here. The local population are poorly educated and hopelessly outgunned but have the advantage of mobility and surprise as they seek to emulate their Oriental contemporaries. Neither side shies away from acts of brutality and that's depicted poignantly here with anyone in uniform a target for the rebels and any one at all a target by way of response. It has the feel of a docu-drama to it, with the characterisations of "La Ponte" (Brahim Hadjadj) and "Col. Mathieu" (Jean Martin) acting well as a conduit for both sides of a story that saw losers on every side and tested the humanity of each as any semblance of decency or a code of war went swiftly by the board. It's not just both sides here that are exposed to judgment, but the pretty hapless UN doesn't really come off any better (perhaps restricted by a potential French veto?). The photography and visual effects are very effective at presenting us with a largely urban war zone in which collateral damage was inevitable, and seemingly a price both parties were prepared to pay. The history of the scenario and it's results are fact, but Gillo Pontecorvo uses quite a considerable degree of creativity and sensitivity in demonstrating just how desperate times can result in desperate measures - and maybe even a little grudging respect. At times, the violence is claustrophobically presented and it's never an easy watch.
Drift Fence
(1936)
Drift Fence
8 May 2024
This was made in the same year that star Buster Crabbe was off fighting Charles Middleton's menacing "Emperor Ming" and he should maybe just have stuck to that? After a bit of quite exciting rodeo action, we meet "Travis" (Tom Keene) who is chatting with the check-clad "Traft" (Benny Baker) who isn't prepared to risk his hat to run his uncle's cattle ranch, so maybe he could manage it for him? What "Traft" doesn't know is that his new friend is really a Texas Ranger and this plan could work well as he is chasing an outlaw believed to be rustling the cows. Crabbe's "Slinger" owns the adjacent property and is soon embroiled in a plot designed to make people suspicious that it's actually him that's doing the thieving, so he's going to have to act. That's really the bit that lets the whole thing down. None of them are really very good at that, and it misses the cheeky, curmudgeonly, character usually employed to inject a little comedy into it too. Crabbe is just way too earnest and although Effie Ellsler has some fun as the granny wielding a gun easily as long as she is tall, it's all a rather procedural drama with little to remember about it. I think it's called "drift" for a reason.
Patterns
(1956)
Patterns
7 May 2024
When "Staples" (Van Heflin) arrives at the "Ramsey" building to take up his new executive job, he meets his boss "Briggs" (Ed Begley) then the guy with his name on the door (Everett Sloane), and is welcomed with open arms. Pretty quickly, though, he realises that "Briggs" - who has recently return from illness is in the firing line - and that he is to be the principal weapon used to replace him. The problem here is though "Staples" is fiercely ambitious, and his wife "Nancy" (Beatrice Straight) isn't so very far behind on that front, he actually quite likes "Briggs" and his more human approach to doing business. Indeed, when that man's secretary is arbitrarily attached to the newcomer, it would appear that the writing is on the wall so just how complicit will his scruples allow him to be? I found this to be one of Heflin's better parts, and he portrays his conflicted character really quite effectively. Begley is also on good form as a man maybe just a little past his use-by date and Sloane epitomises the family business obsessed mogul who cares only about power - and for it's own sake. What choices can "Staples" make? What choices does he want to make? This is a quickly paced look at humanity - warts and all, and for double the salary and an unlimited expense account, what might any of us do?
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