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The Whalebone Box (2019)
The Whalebone Box
I haven't really much idea as to what this film is trying to achieve here, to be honest. Andrew Kötting takes us, and writer Iain Sinclair, on a journey to the Isle of Harris with the eponymous box that can, apparently, alter the lives of anyone who touches it. The film makes no pretence to entertain in any sort of traditional fashion, nor does it try to engage on any intellectual or cultural level either. It appears to be little more than a self-indulgent documentary-style exercise peppered with curious whalebone stories, some beautiful cinematography from far-flung parts of the country and a disabled performer who appears to have been promised a role in a film without having that having been properly, or favourably defined.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz
I was really fortunate, recently, to catch this on a big screen and it is still wonderful. After her dog is taken by "Miss Gulch" (Margaret Hamilton), "Dorothy" (Judy Garland) is all in a tizz. She decides to run away from her kindly aunt and uncle but only gets about a mile down the road before she encounters a medicine show run by "Prof. Marvel" (Frank Morgan). A twister is approaching - she must get home before she is blown away. She makes it into her room but is clouted by a blown-in window and next thing, the house is flying through the air and she lands in Oz and on top of the "Witch of the East" - exposing only her ruby slippers. "Munchkinland" proves to be a friendly enough place, but the good witch "Glinda" (Billie Burke) tells her that she must seek the help of the great and powerful Oz should she wish to get home. Now in possession of the dead witch's slippers, she sets off down the legendary "Yellow Brick Road" along which she encounters the scarecrow, the tin man and the frequently scene stealing cowardly lion (Bert Lahr) as they set off on their adventures - constantly harassed by the evil "Witch of the West" (Hamilton) who has designs on the shoes! The story evolves in the best traditions of a classic fairytale. Good vs. Evil, humour, friendship, a good degree of pantomime menace, a can of WD40 and some small people with squeaky voices all contributing magnificently to the overall cinema experience. The colours of 'Oz" are vivid and joyous - contrasting well with the drab, downbeat monochrome Kansas from whence "Dorothy" has come and to where she hopes to boldly go again! The cast is small and tightly knitted, allowing the relationships and momentum to build up stealthily from Frank Baum's original story to probably the finest denouement of any fantasy film made since. Miss Hamilton's characterisation (I always love a good baddie) reminded me of my English teacher at school - only this one wore less make up; and Bert Lahr and Jack Haley never fail to raise a smile - or even a tear - as they follow their own yellow brick roads. Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen have worked their magic with a score and songs that compliment the adventure splendidly - I wonder how many singers have had a go a "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" since 1939? Despite being over eighty years old, it has lost little of it's magic. The visual effects rely on simplicity and vivacity, and they deliver well a thoroughly engaging story of longing, companionship and the most fiendish laugh in cinema history. Watch it, my pretty...or else!
Pretty Woman (1990)
Pretty Woman
"Lewis" (Richard Gere) is a ruthless merger merchant who loves nothing better than a lucrative deal that will line his pockets regardless of the impact on anyone else. He arrives in town and has a one-night stand with call girl "Vivian" (Julia Roberts). He likes her, she likes him - so he decides that she can stay on. Maybe help him out with a few formally social occasions where she can smile and stay schtum? To that end, he gives her a credit card so she can go shop to look the part, and that's when we discover that this girl is no pushover. Despite his rigidity, "Lewis" starts to realise that he's beginning to fall for her, despite her unsavoury provenance but what happens next? The story is simply constructed and fairly predictable, but there is loads of chemistry on display between a more relaxed and natural looking Gere and an on-form Roberts. Hector Elizondo also chips in well as the hotel manager who also begins to fall for her charms and who can ever forget the saleswoman (Dey Young) who judges a book by it's cover and loses out on some mega-commission. The writing is sparing, but funny and observational of a society that judges relentlessly without ever really taking any time to get to know the people it is harshest to. Roberts offers us a cheekily endearing and spirited character that just belongs in that stretched limousine. Good fun.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Mamma Mia
How can anyone not like this? Phyllida Lloyd has managed to convince half a dozen serious A-list stars to take part in this Mediterranean musical extravaganza. Meryl Streep and Christine Baranksi are cracking and Julie Walters - when the three together sing "Chiquitita" is glorious. Sure, it's not a wonderful piece of classic cinema; but it must bring a smile to your face (even if - as Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård or Colin Firth break into song, it's more of a grimace). Dominic Cooper makes a valiant effort as "Sky" who is to wed the orchestrator of this whole predicament "Sophie" (Amanda Seyfried) who has invited the three men to her wedding in the hope that she might find out which of them might be her father. If you don't like ABBA and musical theatre, then don't waste your time; otherwise this is just good fun!
Edison (2005)
Edison
Well there's certainly nothing original here, but it's still not a badly executed crime drama that sees spunky young journalist "Pollack" (Justin Timberlake) fall out with his boss "Ashford" (Morgan Freeman) over some sloppy article he wrote about a man convicted that he doubts is guilty. Indeed, he is convinced that there are some crooked goings-on here and determines to investigate. This is a dangerous path to follow, though, as swiftly he and his girlfriend are on the end of a nasty beating and are only saved by the timely intervention of "Deed" (LL Cool J) whom by now we know is part of the specialist police FRAT squad, and they are the folks that seem to make the rules up as they go along. Soon "Ashford" starts to believe his young reporter and things get even more deadly for just about everyone. For some inexplicable reason, auteur David J. Burke lets the audience in on pretty much all of the secrets right from the get go, so there is precious little jeopardy as this set piece narrative unfolds. Timberlake looks good, Kevin Spacey features competently as the investigator of the investigators and Freeman sinks some Scotch meaningfully, perhaps to alleviate the predictability of the whole thing. It's well put together and to be fair, the writing isn't the worst - but it just comes across as a market research exercise to see how the public react to JT (keeping his clothes on). Instantly forgettable, sorry.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Well, if you are looking for a collection of good looking folks lurching from one perilous scenario to another - desperate to escape the clutches of the arch villain that is Aiden Gillen; then this is the film for you. If you are looking for anything remotely akin to the books that tell of the continuing adventures of "Thomas", "Newt" etc. As they attempt to defy the will of "WIKD", then get ye hence (as Shakespeare might have said) for this film has nothing for you. Gillen has all the terror-factor of Mary Poppins and whilst Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario and Thomas Brodie-Sangster; along with a seriously hammy Giancarlo Esposito look like they are having some fun with their escapade-driven flight; the dialogue is all over the place and the story lacks any sort of structure. The effects work well and the battle scenes are well put together but, ultimately, it is a sort of "Percy Jackson" version of the story; watchable but forgettable and not in the same class as the first film.
Allegiant (2016)
Allegiant
Picking up where "Insurgent" left off; "Tris" and "Four" determine that they must escape the walls of Chicago and make a new life for themselves - regardless of the risks and uncertainty. Once free - perhaps the only few moments of tension in the film - they hook up with a group of ostensibly like-minded rebels; but are they who they say they are? Seeds of suspicion are sewn that test the relationship between Theo & Shailene; and frankly the patience of the viewer. Jeff Daniels tries hard to inject some menace as "David" but Miles Teller "Peter" is just plain irritating. We are clearly heading for a grand-scale denouement, but where is it? Instead someone decided to leave us with some ambiguity (I suspect a fourth in the franchise may have been, at one stage, on the cards?) The actors are going through the motions as though they, too, can't wait for the conclusion so they can all go home for ice cream. It looks good, they look good, but it isn't much good...
Divergent (2014)
Divergent
Ever since I saw him in a UK television drama entitled "Bedlam" (2011) I thought that Theo James ("Number Four") was a man to watch. He was certainly the hook that got me to start watching these adaptations of Veronica Roth's futuristic novels. Well, beauty can only take you so far; the rest has to be down to acting; dialogue etc. And this falls pretty flat on all counts. The premiss is unique - society is divided into five factions based on a perception of virtue. At 16, teenagers have to decide which they have and then they spend their lives living up to the ideals - involving strenuous mental and physical trials. "Tris Prior" (Shailene Woodley") is an exception, however - she doesn't fit into any one category - and so the system has no idea how to cope with this renegade. When she reveals her confused status to James - her trainer - we embark on a tale of cat and mouse as she and a rag-bag gang of misfits set out to save a world that deems them all as a serious threat. It certainly looks good - budget clearly was not an huge issue, and it is broadly faithful to the book but therein lies the problem - it is a preposterous proposition from the outset - it has not even the weakest of anchors from the society we know today (i.e. How the hell could we ever have gotten ourselves into this kind of dystopian mess in the first place?). When romance begins to rear it's head too, then I started to forget how sexy Theo actually is and wonder what else I could watch... There are clearly some parallels with "The Hunger Games" series, but this one definitely comes off a very poor second.
Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)
Underworld: Blood Wars
Unashamedly, I really quite enjoyed the first two films in this franchise. The next two were poor and poorer still, and this one really is the nadir. Kate Beckinsale reprises her role as the rogue outcast "Selene", only this time she must ally with the swarthy "David" (Theo James) who is the son of vampire supremo "Thomas" (Charles Dance). Thing is, the ambitious "Semira" (Lara Pulver) and her militant toyboy "Varga" (Bradley James) have other plans for their coven - and in the face of the resurgent and emboldened Lycan "Marius" (Tobias Menzies) the battle lines are drawn for some internecine plotting, backstabbing and all out war. To be fair, it doesn't hang around and Anna Foerster doesn't let the black leather-clad Miss Beckinsale keep her feet on the ground for long (or very often) but that's really the snag. There isn't really much of a story and what there is is all gummed up by some really lacklustre efforts from pretty much all concerned. It misses the simple dynamic of the earlier iterations that featured a smaller, tighter cast with a much more entertaining and menacing story. It does pick up a little at the end, but I think this was just one too many for the characters and it misses Scott Speedman - and that's not a thing you read every day!
Underworld: Evolution (2006)
Underworld: Evolution
Now this film will only make sense if you saw, and enjoyed, the original in this franchise from 2003 and as sequels go, it works ok. That is, side from a strangely miscast Sir Derek Jacobi but that's short and sweet. The persecuted pairing of Kate Beckinsale and a still rather wooden Scott Speedman race to track down the imprisoned original Lycan "William" before the recently awakened super-vampire "Marcus" (his brother) can release him and unleash untold terror on the world. Such as it is, the script is a bit stilted but the action scenes are tight and the film moves along quite sharply. As with the first film, probably not for purists of the genre, but it does have the distinct benefit of being half an hour shorter and the characters are suitably mean and moody.
Underworld (2003)
Underworld
True, this isn't the most original of concepts and we have oft seen similar styles of treatment of these ancient rivalries, but Kate Beckinsale's lithe and deadly "Selene" and Michael Sheen's menacing "Lucian" are engaging enough in this tale of vampires v werewolves. Scott Speedman provides the eye candy (but very little else) as the hapless human "Michael" whom she rescues only to discover that he might prove a lot more important than either of them realise, and Bill Nighy is superbly over the top as the recently raised from his slumbers "Viktor" who really did fancy a (very) long lie in. Clad in leather and scurrying from place to place amidst the darkened environments the breadth of the city, the two must avoid capture and find a way to thwart ambitions that will re-enliven the timeless conflict between the two warring species. The combat scenes are heavily choreographed and do repeat themselves quite often and least said about Shane Brolly's weakly portrayed "Kraven" the better, but I did enjoy this.
The Hollow Crown: Richard II (2012)
Richard II
Richard II: With Bollingbrooke (Rory Kinnear) and Mowbray (James Purefoy) at each other's throats over treason allegations, it falls to their king (Ben Whishaw) to try to settle matters. Thing is, Richard II isn't the most imposing of characters and when his attempts at arbitration fall pretty flat, a joust to the death is arranged. Even then, the king cannot bear to see either of these two nobles die so he banishes them for six years. Thereafter, this hapless monarch makes a series of poor judgments, not least the confiscation of the assets of John of Gaunt (Sir Patrick Stewart) which only irritates his son (Kinnear) who returns in a position of strength far exceeding that of the unpopular and deserted king so an usurpation duly ensues. The result of the change at the top causes issues of conscience for both men, though curiously enough very few scruples amongst the subservient underlings like Aumerle (Tom Hughes), the duplicitous Northumberland (David Morrisey) and the traitorous Duke of York (David Suchet). Unlike many of Shakespeare's other characterful histories, this one is an out and out tragedy. Even those that win don't really win, and it's probably the finest effort I've seen from Whishaw. His slightness of physique and pallid skin (usually exacerbated by wearing an almost virginal white) exudes vulnerability and a political frailty that certainly elicits a sympathy as the wolves surround him without him really realising. The story also benefits from having distinct timelines and a denouement that allows the presentation to be comprehensive and complete. It's a story about political intrigue and oaths that mean nothing as those who again the crown fins it's not quite what it's cracked up to be. The production design is excellent and the flowing direction allows each of these frequently unsavoury individuals their moment in the sun.
The War Wagon (1967)
The War Wagon
"Lomax" (Kirk Douglas) has an axe to grind with "Jackson" (John Wayne). Indeed, he has sworn to kill him when he is eventually let out of prison. Meantime, "Jackson" has a cunning plan to relieve a greedy mining boss "Pierce" (Bruce Cabot) of a load of gold. Maybe they could work together? Well "Lomax" agrees on the basis that he gets a share and a daily rate. Extra if he has to draw his gun, even more if he has to fire it. Fair enough, now they must recruit others to help out. With their plans coming along nicely, they face a new technological problem. "Pierce" has gone and got himself an horse-drawn armoured car, compete with a turret-mounted Gattling gun that can fire hundreds of rounds a minute, mowing down anything in it's path. Now they must adapt their plans and engage the help of the local Indians led by "Levi Walking Bear" (Howard Keel) as well as the sleazy but wily "Wes" (Keenan Wynn) who has a wife young enough to be his daughter and the young "Billy" (Robert Walker Jr) who might just prove to be more of a liability than an help! The last twenty minutes of this are about as good as westerns get, with plenty of action, pyrotechnics, screaming Indians and just a little bit of just desserts. Wayne, Douglas and Wynn work well together and Cabot does the smugly suited bully well too. A proper western adventure that I really quite enjoyed.
Rooster Cogburn (1975)
Rooster Cogburn
Stuart Millar must have had a great time directing this with Wayne reprising his "True Grit" character on the trail of some reprobates that robbed an army convoy of a wagon load of nitro. On their way to rob a bank, they stop at a mission run by the "Rev. Goodnight" and his daughter "Eula" (Hepburn). Things all turn a bit nasty and her father is killed in a drunken brawl. Shortly afterwards, she is discovered at his grave by "Cogburn" with whom she - and a young Indian boy named "Wolf" (Richard Romancito) team up and set off on the trail of their murderous felons. The two wind each other up wonderfully at the start (and Hepburn always seems to manage to find a rock to stand on so she can be taller than her co-star). Gradually they learn to work together and become quite a formidable partnership as they pursue the ruthless "Hawk" (Richard Jordan). There is plenty of adventure, humour and charisma in this yarn - nothing too taxing, but a film that really does bear watching and who doesn't like a Gattling gun. Keep an eye out for the one scene with Strother Martin, too.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Approaching the end of his military career, "Capt. Brittles" (John Wayne) is charged with one final patrol whilst trying to reconcile two hormonal lieutenants who have the hots for the prim "Miss Dandridge" (Joanne Dru). One is from military gentry "Pennell" (Harry Carey Jr.) the other a more working man "Cohill" (John Agar) and she is having quite good fun playing the cat with two balls of wool. Just to compound his misfortunes, "Brittles" has to take this woman, and the major's feisty wife "Abby" (Mildred Natwick) on his tour too. Yikes, maybe the Apache would be a welcome relief from all these shenanigans. Perhaps not though, as it transpires that the Indians are very much on the warpath and it might not matter for very long for whom "Dandridge" wears her yellow ribbon. There's a solid cast here, as you'd expect from a John Ford who has pretty much assembled a team to follow his adventures through the genre with the Duke. Ben Johnson's confederate veteran "Tyree" as well as Victor McLaglen's mischievous top sergeant "Quincannon" and his cohort of fellow whiskey lovers all keep the film moving along entertainingly with plenty of action and just a little slapstick humour to raise a smile as Wayne continues to engagingly rule the roost.
Rio Grande (1950)
Rio Grande
"Col. Yorke" (John Wayne) has enough on his plate fighting the marauding Apache when his son "Jeff" (Claude Jarman Jr) arrives at his post, only to be followed shortly thereafter by the man's mother "Kathleen" (Maureen O'Hara) determined to buy him out. Let's just say that marital relations are a bit strained, and that the youngster has no intentions of leaving his post and so the seeds of slightly comedic discord are sown as mother and father bicker their way back into love. The film itself is all just a bit predictable, but there's a fun dynamic between Wayne and O'Hara and a solid supporting cast offering entertaining roles for Chill Wills; Victor McLaglen as the snifter loving "Quicannon" and Fred Kennedy as the gargantuan "Trooper Heinze". There's plenty of action and the stars make sure that what "romance" there is, is presented in feisty and stroppy a fashion with the bare minimum of anything remotely sentimental. John Ford knew how to cast and make an entertaining western and he does it well here.
Stagecoach (1939)
Stagecoach
As the stagecoach meanders it's way across the Arizona desert they encounter the recently escaped convict "Ringo" (John Wayne) whom the sheriff "Curly" (George Bancroft) duly apprehends. Then they discover from the army that Geronimo's Apache are on the warpath and the soldiers cannot stay to protect them. They must proceed on their own; a wagon load of flawed, scared and untrustworthy people seeking safety and survival. The story itself isn't that imaginative, it's more about the development of the characterisations and in that John Ford has excelled. There's old-hand "Buck" (a typically rambunctious Andy Devine) driving the thing then inside the ostensibly delicate "Lucy" (Louise Platt) heading to meet her army husband; the deceitful "Peacock" (Donald Meek) who is definitely not quite what he seems; the boozy "Doc Boone" (Thomas Mitchell); "Hatfield" (John Carradine) a gambler by trade and finally the good-time gal "Dallas" (Claire Trevor). Along the way they pick up the crooked bank manager "Gatewood" (Berton Churchill) before coming under attack and each present their courage (or lack of it) in quite a surprising and effective fashion. Of course, "Ringo" needs to weigh in and then we add some dangerous adventure to this cracking drama as arrows fly and tempers flare amongst this disparate bunch. The photography and scoring add richness to the story that unnervingly mixes the claustrophobic with the vast expanse of territory through which our motley collection must survive. This is as good as this genre gets, and is a great watch.
The Searchers (1956)
The Searchers
Fabulously framed against a backdrop of Monument Valley; this is a most cinematic experience. John Wayne leads in this classic story of a man whose family are murdered/kidnapped by Comanches and of his subsequent search for his family and for vengeance. Jeffery Hunter plays his nephew "Martin" with considerable skill and emotion and Ward Bond is another who knows how to get the best from Frank Nugent's screenplay. The plaudits that have since been paid to Wayne and to John Ford are well deserved. The 'Duke" does incorporate compassion and emotion into his usual swaggering macho delivery and Ford directs this adventure movie with an eye to the very distinctive humanity of the story. The days of the "Western" are well over now, but the best of them still stand tall amongst the best cinema has to offer - this is one such film.
The Very Thought of You (1944)
The Very Thought of You
Two American sergeants have a weekend pass from their bitterly cold Aleutian Islands posting before they must report back for new wartime duties, so they head to Pasadena for some some fun. Almost immediately they alight on "Janet" (Eleanor Parker) and "Cora" (Faye Emerson) who work making parachutes. It's "Dave" (Dennis Morgan) who takes a shine to "Janet" - reciprocating a childhood crush, but her wary mother (Beulah Bondi) wants none of him, fearing the dangers to her daughter of a wartime romance. Luckily her father (Henry Travers) is a little more sympathetic, but can they make things work? Meantime, "Cora" has found love with his friend "Fixit" (Dane Clark) and their path is moving along altogether more smoothly. On the face of it, this is just another feel good piece of thinly veiled propaganda, with the script making several references to the war and to the "Japs", but the acting - especially from Parker and Bondi elicits a more genuine sense of romance, yes, but also trepidation and that feeling that striking while the iron is hot may well be the best, or only, way forward. It tempers the sentimental, and there is a fair bit of that, with the realistic in quite an effective fashion taking a plausible look at how people juggled their responsibilities and aspirations in time of great peril and uncertainty. Ray Noble's title song features but sparingly, yet poignantly and the film is far better than that expected from the usual standard WWII spirit-lifter.
Rio Bravo (1959)
Rio Bravo
Sherriff "John T." (John Wayne) is saddled with a drunken deputy "Dude" (Dean Martin) just at a time when local landowner "Burdette" (John Russell) is besieging the jail to extricate his murderous brother. Luckily, his friend "Pat" (Ward Bond) drives his wagon train through the town and he's got the gunslinging "Colorado" (Ricky Nelson) on board. Initially reluctant to get involved in someone else's fight, the turn of events change his mind providing Duke with a new ally. Then, when he thinks things can't get any worse, the stagecoach comes in with a dodgy wheel and wanted card-sharp "Feathers" (Angie Dickinson) - a woman who knows exactly which buttons to press to turn the sheriff into a gibbering wreck. With tensions mounting, we retreat to the safety of their prison for a sing-song with Martin and some acerbic antics from the real star of the film - Walter Brennan. He's the cantankerous old "Stumpy" who is tasked with keeping an eye on their prisoner whilst fixing their beans... Wayne and Martin work well together and though Nelson is a bit wooden, his eye candy value just about works - that and his lively rendition of "Cindy" that gets even Wayne's toes a-tapping. It all builds well to a lively and explosive denouement with some diney-mite and a perfectly aimed sawn-off shotgun topping this off nicely. It's a solid story with engaging characters and well worth a watch - even if westerns aren't necessarily your thing.
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
The Sons of Katie Elder
When "John" (John Wayne) returns home for the funeral of his mother and to reunite with his three brothers, he sets the cat amongst the pigeons. It turns out that their ranch now belongs to gunsmith "Hastings" (James Gregory) and with their father having been shot in the back, they start to investigate. Now "John" is a notable man with a gun, so tensions heighten when "Curley" (George Kennedy) arrives in town as a bit of muscle for the ambitious "Hastings". It's all a little predictable this but it builds to quite an explosive denouement and there's an enjoyable degree of chemistry between Wayne and kid brothers "Tom" (Dean Martin) and the baby of the pack "Bud" (Michael Anderson Jr) who has a notion to put a marble angel on top of his mother's grave - that or an horse. What ensues delivers quite an entertaining western with plenty of shoot 'em ups, quite a menacing baddie and a pretty wimpish Dennis Hopper in there too. It's a solidly written and paced action adventure that showcases some of the less laudable elements of the pioneering spirit - with plenty of splinters.
The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers
I have to say that the furore surrounding this film had pretty much doomed it to failure in my book. The Marvel marketing machine had gone into over-drive plugging it, so no way could it be any good. Well, it is good. Not great, but it is good. The compendium element of the storyline pits all of the superheroes against the mischievous "Loki" (a cute, curly haired, Tom Hiddleston) whom, together with his army of extraterrestrial henchmen, is bent on taking over the world... well, of course he is... The writing is nothing special at all, but who cares? The visual effects are great and each of the characters gets their moment in the sun as they work to thwart our Tom's even plotting. Robert Downey Jr. Steals the show as engineering genius "Tony Stark" with Scareltt Johansson and Chris Hemsworth - and his trusty hammer - on great form too. I'm afraid I find the whole "Capt. America" character so nauseatingly wholesome that even Chris Evans in his spray-on lycra cannot do anything other than put me firmly in the baddies camp right from the get-go. On the downside, Mark Ruffalo tries hard with the rather limited opportunities offered him as the rather dull "Hulk", and Clark Gregg continues to prove he must be one of the luckiest actors alive to have alighted on this franchise - he is hopelessly wooden as "Coulson" but as a piece of fast-paced fantasy entertainment this film takes some beating ("Star Wars" notwithstanding). It is too long - the fight/chase scenes can get a tad recycled and repetitive after a while but it all builds well to a fitting crescendo that did make me wonder whether the impeding alien invasion may have ended up causing less damage than the saviours of mankind did! No point watching if you're not up for a complete suspension of reality - this is a top class adventure with loads of quirky characters, a bit of humour, plenty of fisticuffs and even a bit of Schubert!! Great stuff!
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron
This is not a bad follow up to the first film. "Stark" (Robert Downey Jnr.) and "Banner/Hulk" (Mark Ruffalo) have a grand design to create a computer programme that will ensure peace on Earth for ever. Snag is, that programme hoodwinks "Jarvis" as well as both of them and turns into the rather menacing James Spader iteration of "Ultron" (yes, I too thought that was a detergent!). Anyway, "Ultron" concludes, not entirely unreasonably, that peace on Earth might be more attainable if mankind were actually to be the beings eradicated, so he sets about creating the ultimate vibranium-based weapon to accomplish this most dastardly of deeds. "Stark" must now rally the "Avengers" to thwart this plan - but can they combat the seemingly insurmountable odds and rescue mankind from oblivion? The usual suspects now congregate and using their combined strength and ingenuity take on their metallic foe and his equally lethal army of minions. My favourite has to be the cute and extremely nimble "Pietro Maximoff" (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) but there are plenty of decent efforts here that give the film a collegiate feel to it. There are a lot of characters, but for the most part Joss Whedon keeps them rowing in the same direction. The dialogue is poor, though - and I found that the robotic nature of their enemy robbed the film of much of it's mythological and characterful style, replacing it with frequently over-long fight scenes that seem to wreak havoc on everyone and everything except those actually fighting. Spader has some good lines to deliver, as does Chris Hemsworth's "Thor", but oddly the two leading characters - "Stark" and Chris Evans' far too goody-goody "Capt. America" proved to be much less effective here than before, as did Scarlett Johansson's pretty underused "Natasha". Still, for the most part this long, colourful, action epic flows well and proves to be an enjoyable big screen experience.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 2
Sadly, this is really quite a lacklustre sequel that takes formulaic to a whole new level. "Stark" (Robert Downey Jnr.) has now been outed as the eponymous super hero, and just about everyone is after his technology. Aside from Uncle Sam, it appears that the son of his now deceased business partner - "Ivan Vanko" (Mickey Rourke) - is first in the queue. Armed with some pretty impressive laser whips, he is out to avenge his poor dead dad. Meantime, business rival "Hammer" (Sam Rockwell) sees an opportunity to capitalise on this by offering the government a drone army that could do the peace in our time bit, but of course he has a megalomanic ulterior motive... Though the film looks good, and there are plenty of action scenes with pyrotechnics and airborne antics, the scenarios recycle themselves once to often. There is no jeopardy, and both Rockwell and Rourke really just substitute excessive ham for menace. Most of the originality and humour of the first film has been lost, indeed this is just a bit relentless and actually quite dull. Perhaps because so many of the other MCU characters are more interesting than this one? I don't know, but though I enjoyed it on the big screen, I was actually quite bored by it all.
A Cry from the Streets (1958)
A Cry from the Streets
This got a BAFTA nod for Best British Screenplay and you can easily see why. It is a gentle, almost nostalgic, reminder of how different society was in the UK 60 years ago. Barbara Murray ("Ann") is a social worker struggling to look after a collection of kids from a variety of disadvantaged backgrounds. She meets and falls for the kind, gentle, real-life crooner Max Bygraves ("Bill") who has some fairly traumatic baggage of his own, and they both set about trying to bring a little happiness to themselves and to their young charges. This doesn't pull it's punches - not that it is gory, or visually violent - but it does tackle the topics of suicide, child neglect and parental (& official) indifference in quite a forthright (for 1958) fashion. It did remind me a little of my own childhood in Glasgow in the 1970s - kids were packed off "out to play" on spare ground - frequently that bombed out during WWII - on their own for days at a time; surrounded by an environment of cigarettes and alcohol - and although impossible to reconcile with attitudes today; people just didn't know any better and very, very few of us were ever at risk of anything more dangerous than a skint knee. The kids' performances are good as is Mona Washbourne as "Mrs. Daniels".