Change Your Image
Sinafter
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Hark at Barker (1969)
It left me broken-hearted.
I only recently discovered this series and without significant expectation I have thoroughly enjoyed it. With good writing Ronnie Barker is always a treat and Alan Ayckbourn delivers alongside a host of well known contributors including Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
In each episode the opinionated Lord Rustless (Barker) educates viewers on a different topic from his country house, supported by his staff, all of whom make welcome contributions. There are also additional sketches that are separate from the central narrative, some of which are very good and each programme is introduced by Barker in the newsreader style that he carried forward to The Two Ronnies.
Lord Rustless is hilarious and the reason that I mentioned that this series has left me broken-hearted is because I read that the impressive cast were given the chance to make a sit-com playing the same roles (His Lordship Entertains) in 1972 but that most of the episodes are lost. Many other 1960s and 1970s comedies are entirely missing and I find it very sad, however Hark at Barker is still with us and it is a bit of a gem!
San Daikaijû Chikyû Saidai no Kessen (1964)
Charming monster mayhem.
Despite occasionally less-than-special effects, this is a marvelous monster movie, with an enjoyable story and some memorable action sequences. The world is endangered by a new alien menace and this story unfolds alongside a human drama, involving the attempted assassination of a Princess.
The first real triumph of this film is King Ghidorah, the most evil looking of the Toho monsters, as well as being imaginatively designed and operated. The appearance of the creature was inspired by Japanese mythology and it works very well, despite having limited screen time.
Another big plus is Emi and Yumi Itô reprising their roles as Mothra's fairy friends, the Shobijin. Despite being gentle and vulnerable they are able to intervene to help the Princess and indeed the entire planet!
A further strength, although a wasted opportunity in continuity terms, is the return of Akiko Wakabayashi. She plays the Princess, Selina Salno, having previously featured in King Kong vs. Godzilla as an unrelated character. Following contact with an alien intelligence, Selina makes prophecies of doom, which start coming true. Meanwhile her uncle's goons try to despatch her throughout the story! Wakabayashi has the best lines and adds star quality to the production.
This film sees the start of Godzilla's transition from angry trouble maker to Earth's saviour and comes before the craziest giant monster movie of all, 1965's unsurpassed Kaijû daisensô. Great times, great movies.
Five Golden Dragons (1967)
I probably rated this film too highly!
I have a real soft spot for 1960s movies and I am a fan of all of the ones produced by Harry Alan Towers in that decade. He was frequently involved in making low budget action pictures, but they were often filmed in beautiful locations with numerous stars in the cast. Five Golden Dragons certainly has both but as a result it looks better than it is. Harry wrote the screenplay under an assumed name and I would have done the same as this script is pants.
Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski, Margaret Lee and even George Raft (eternally memorable as Spats Colombo in Some Like It Hot!) are trapped in this nonsense about a mysterious and impenetratable crime syndicate. I enjoy this kind of escapist adventure but it is a bit too slow moving and cringeworthy to be of interest to most adults. Badly cast leading men are a staple of Harry's productions and Robert Cummings fits the bill perfectly here.
I recently bought this film on blu-ray and the sound and picture are superb. Hong Kong looks beautiful and contributed to me giving this film more stars than it really deserves. I haven't done a very good job of explaining why I am so fond of Harry Alan Towers productions, but this is not one of his best despite having some nostalgic charm. Paroxismus (1969) for example is way better!
Qian mian mo nu (1969)
This is it!
I am a huge fan of sixties movies. If they happen to be spy films, all the better. If they happen to be from Hong Kong, best of all!
Like earlier Shaw Brothers classics, Angel With The Iron Fists and Operation Lipstick, this film features the wonderful Tina Chin-Fei in a glorious and light-hearted fighting frenzy! The plot is not Shakespeare and is just an excuse for the action and the humour which is plentiful but perhaps not always intentional.
I am disappointed by the fact that this super stylish Jane Bond film is out of print while Shaw Brothers formula kung fu films continue to have a worldwide market. The world doesn't know what it's missing. The sets, costumes and fight choreography are as dated as they are delightful.
Films like this may be considered cheap and derivative but they come from a wonderful place and time which will never be seen again and should not be forgotten.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
A horrible but memorable experience.
If you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, the most awful things can happen to you. That was made clear to me whilst watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time and the message has stayed with me ever since.
In Tobe Hooper's one great film he tortures the characters and the audience equally, making it uncomfortable to sit through. The suspense is worthy of Alfred Hitchcock and is so unbearable that I found myself wanting Sally (Marilyn Burns) to die so that she would be put out of her misery.
Horror films are supposed to horrify and this one utterly succeeds.
Kaijû daisensô (1965)
Yes indeed.
Hilarious looking aliens from an unimaginatively named planet double cross the people of Earth and try to destroy them all with giant monsters. Fortunately one alien falls in love with a human and explains to him how the entire invasion force can be defeated by making sounds they don't like.
Usually I prefer it if the humans get less screen time in a Kaiju movie but in this case the plot moves at a good pace and it is accidentally very entertaining. A lot has to go wrong in the planning stages for a film like this to exist, no-one sets out to make one.
Funny story. Sexy alien traitor. King Ghidorah. Godzilla dancing. The only thing missing is Mothra.
Murder One (1995)
Unsurpassed quality television.
I happened to watch the first episode reluctantly because I did not have enough money to go out on the evening on which it aired. After watching it I recognised this as a stroke of luck! The entire first season was an exciting whodunit about a team of attorneys defending a celebrity in a murder trial, with other cases they were involved in providing additional content from week to week.
Court rules and processes were fascinatingly revealed in the telling of the story, I was particularly mesmerised by the defence team's use of psychological profiling of potential jurors before the trial had even begun! I enjoyed the programmes so much that I started to worry that the ending might be a disappointment after so many great episodes. I should have trusted the writers more because the final episode was both brilliant and unforgettable.
The cast were uniformly excellent but the main character, Ted Hoffman, portrayed by Daniel Benzali, was like a force of nature. His screen presence was incredible, so much so that when I heard that he would not be involved in the second series I never bothered to watch it.
Despite my better instincts I found myself drawn to the lurid TV coverage of the OJ Simpson trial and I have always believed that it gave the producers the idea for this show. Regardless of where the inspiration came from, the original run of Murder One is the best American TV drama I have ever seen. The less than HD picture quality of the DVD set is worth putting up with because the story-telling and acting still stand up today.
37°2 le matin (1986)
A triumph of style and substance and more style.
Goodness me there's a lot of passion on the screen.
Betty (Béatrice Dalle) and Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade) are in love. They party with their wonderful friends, Eddie (Gérard Darmon) and Lisa (Consuelo De Haviland). It's all so much fun that you know that something's going to go wrong. Betty's Mental Health starts going downhill and it's heart-breaking to watch. Zorg tries to help but soon comes tumbling after her.
Béatrice Dalle's performance is incredible, the casting is superb, the scenery and settings are terrific and the music by Gabriel Yared is haunting and memorable.
This film is quite surreal and leaves the viewer to ponder at the end, did Betty live a short and tragic life or was she just a figment of Zorg's imagination? A wonderful and romantic movie.
Jean de Florette (1986)
This is what cinema is for.
I saw Jean de Florette and it's sequel, Manon des Sources at an Arts Centre, a week apart, in the late 1980s. I am so glad that I did not have to wait a year to see part two, like those who saw the first film when it was released. I think I would have become demented waiting to find out what was going to happen next.
The story unfolds gradually over the course of two films and it is genuinely funny, romantic, heart-breaking and uplifting at different stages in the journey. All the main characters are brilliantly portrayed and every scene seems to serve a purpose.
The award winning cinematography is absolutely beautiful and this was the first movie that made me really notice and appreciate that aspect of film making. It must be the most powerful tourist propaganda that Provence has ever had!
In the thirty or so years that have passed since I first watched this masterpiece, I have never seen any other film that I thought was better and I can only thank the director, Claude Berri, for his focus and vision. Without any reference to the excellent plot, I just want to encourage people to watch it. That reminds me, I should read the novels on which the two films are based, I bet they are a bit special as well.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Keep them coming.
I went to see this film ready to love it, but alas I am only fond of it, mainly because the human stories are such clichéd drivel. As soon as the characters were established I knew who would live and who would die, but without caring either way. I thought Kong: Skull Island had the same problem, fantastic visuals but dismal writing.
Speaking of the fantastic visuals, this film is very respectful of the old Toho movies and I was quite moved by the beautiful makeovers that Rodan and Mothra have been given. The soundtrack also seemed intentionally reminiscent of past monster glories, adding to the enjoyable nostalgia. Godzilla and King Ghidorah did not excite me as much as I had hoped but both definitely had their moments.
I love Godzilla and Mothra movies, I'm glad they are still being made and I would like to see more. Increasing the monster screen time and taking a few story line risks would be a good start for any future efforts, but as I said, keep them coming.
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)
Utterly brilliant, possibly by accident.
This cynical tale of politicians and spin-doctors gives me goosebumps because I am amazed how prescient it is fifty years on. Either it accurately predicted the future or politics never changes. If it had been released when it was finished it would have been topical and might have been more of a success, instead it was held back for a year and then vanished without a trace. I ordered a copy when it was first released on dvd, because of the involvement of John Cleese and Graham Chapman; but I was amazed by how much I enjoyed it and I also remembered seeing it on late night TV many years ago, when I was too young to appreciate it.
Peter Cook's unemotional performance in the title role has drawn criticism, even from the man himself but I think it is just right. I have met people in real life who are just as wooden as Michael Rimmer, with nothing behind their eyes. I find the character menacing and I think Cook has a great screen presence, even though this movie apparently ruined his career! The wonderful Vanessa Howard plays Rimmer's wife; I think she should have been a huge star but at least a few of her movies are now available on dvd. Arthur Lowe does a great turn in a supporting role as the lazy and envious Ferret, and many other well known English actors appear, including Denholm Elliott and Dennis Price.
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer is a comedy but a decidedly black one and all the better for it. There is a shortage of characters to relate to and root for which shows how well it reflects the world of politics but this will have contributed to it being so quickly forgotten when it first came out. At least there have been many favourable reviews since the dvd release.
The Telegoons (1963)
French overland saxophone champion.
Spike Milligan's finest radio scripts from The Goon Show were wonderfully adapted for television by Maurice Wiltshire and presented with a combination of inventive puppetry, stock film footage and simple animation. The vocal performances by Spike, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe were fantastic and television allowed for additional slapstick humour, such as characters being struck suddenly with absurdly large clubs.
I have seen low quality versions of every episode and I found all of them to be visually creative and utterly hilarious. It is my understanding that the BBC has copies of some episodes but that there is uncertainty regarding copyright ownership, which may prevent them from being televised again or released on dvd. To my mind Spike Milligan and Stan Laurel are the greatest English speaking comedy talents of the twentieth century, but somehow much more of Stan's output has survived for new generations to enjoy, despite it being done so much earlier.
This series is so weird and wonderful that the low quality episodes that can be found via the internet are still better than having no episodes to watch. The Telegoons is the funniest TV show I have ever seen.