Movie reviews
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All About Eve
Stunning, brilliantly constructed and, above all, totally cynical. Features
the wonderful George Sanders at his cool, snide best.
The Big Sleep (1946)
It doesn't get any better than this, and Bogie, the perfect actor was never
better. No more to say.
Citizen Kane
Stunning, disturbing stuff. One of my 20 all-time favourites.
City Lights
Possibly the best, amongst Chaplin's outstanding pack of full- length features.
You have a heart of stone not to kill yourself laughing and cry an ocean
of tears in this true tour-de-force. One of my ten all-time favourite films.
The Court Jester
Unrelentingly hilarious ! Only let down by the too-neat-and- quick ending.
Brilliant stuff.
Drunken Master II
What every other action film has ever promised, this one delivers. The
greatest group of action sequences probably ever put in to one film. The
storyline ranges from a little silly to extremely silly, with very occasional
serious comment against Chinese corruption and collusion with British colonialists.
Harakiri (1962, Japan)
Stunning and intricate revenge drama, set in late Samurai Japan. The first
ten minutes are fairly slow, but the of the remaining two hours, barely
a second is wasted. Deceptively slow in places, but nevertheless than riveting,
edge of the seat stuff. Plot synopsis : Japan is at peace again after a
long period of civil unrest. Samurai finds themselves masterless and landless.
Many go to their local lord, pleading to commit harakiri (not harikari)
in their presence, as a matter of honour. One young samurai makes this
request of his local lord, suffering the shame of having only a bamboo
sword with which to perform the act. The lord allows this to go ahead.
Young Samurai's father(some time later) confronts same lord with same request
(for same reason) ... but what is he planning ? Lord suspects treachery,
but plays along. Young Samurai's father dispatches Lord's best retainers
one by one. Not till the last few moments is the Samurai's father's intricate
and brilliant plan revealed. An absolute must for anyone who love Japanese
cinema or stories of well-deserved revenge.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Wonderful light fun, and tenderly romantic. What more could you want ?
One of my ten all-time favourites. Remade (though not up to the same standard)
as "Heaven Can Wait (1978) and Chances Are (1989).
In the Realm of the Senses (1976,
Japan)
Outstanding.
This film challenges the always-fuzzy line between erotica and pornography.
For my money, it just scrapes in as erotic, mainly because of its visual
brilliance, like watching a masterpiece painting in motion. The story,
one of vast sexual excess between two people in WWII Japan, is compelling
and eventually frightening. One of my ten all-time favourites.
Intolerance
One of the truly great films of the great silent era, indeed of any era.
One of my ten all-time favourite films.
Life of Brian
Python's masterpiece. If they'd done nothing else, they'd have been immortalized
for this wonderful film alone. Pokes extremely clever fun at almost everything
(mainly religion), and you'd have to be very serious indeed not to think
it funny.
Scandal (1950, Japan)
Stunning !
Completely captivating and moving story. Astonishing performances by three
or four great actors. Never thought I'd see the marvellous Mifune upstaged,
but Shimura, as the goofy and tortured lawyer Hiruta, steals every scene
he's in with Mifune ... expect those where Hiruta's daughter (played by
Yoko Katsuragi), dying of TB, appears. Her few short scenes will have you
in tears.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Total animated magic. One of my ten all-time fave films.
The Wizard of Oz
One of my ten all-time faves.
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Flying High
Classic silly movie - never lets up for a moment.
Animal Farm
Excellent adaptation of Orwell's brilliant satire, making it even easier
to understand. Even a young child couldn't fail to grasp the problems of
how dictatorships happen.
Charlotte's Web
Spellbinding, magical stuff. Good as Disney's best. Also, extremely clever.
You'd have to have a heart of stone not to love this one.
The "A Chinese Ghost Story" trilogy
The second of this series is this film which converted me from a Hong Kong
movie fan to a fanatic.
This first one is, for the first half, disjointed and confusing. But stay
with it. The love scene, smack bang in the middle, is one of the few movie
scenes that move me to tears, even after repeated viewings. The remainder
of this film is mind-blowing and weird, with elements of classic horror
and fantasy. Overall : not to be missed, by any serious lover of film.
The Compleat Beatles
Outstanding, comprehensive doco. Took me right back, and filled in a few
gaps. Essential for anyone who grew up or was around in the sixties, or
wants to know what all the fuss was (and still is) about.
Dune (1984)
I was prepared to HATE this movie. Directed by avid weirdo Lynch, watched
over by a member of shlockmaster DeLaurentis's family. Shudder. And how
could anyone compress such a wide-ranging saga into a two hour film ? Well,
the result is excellent. Visually stunning, well-paced and compelling.
It doesn't try to be the book, but a representation of part of it. And
that part is done very well indeed.
The Karate Kid
I could say a whole lot of negative stuff. Manipulative, cliche-filled,
predictable, corny, even unrealistic (right down to the karate style).
But I just LOVED it ! There's nothing like a well-done revenge movie with
loads of motivation. And this is one of the best of it's kind.
King Kong (1933)
Excellent early special effects. Not, as some critics have said, spoiled
by the overdone acting - it wouldn't be improved by restraint. This is
a story of extremes.
Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.
One of my childhood favourites. Must confess I haven't seen it since ,
but clearly remember killing myself laughing, especially at the boat chase
sequence near the end.
The Mark of Zorro
Action classic. As action-filled and entertaining as any of the great Hong
Kong films of today.
Shame (1987, Australian)
Riveting ! Disturbing account of rape and revenge in a small town. A tour-
de-force by Deb Lee-Furness, and easily her best ever on-screen performance.
Warning : the ending will leave you feeling VERY uncomfortable.
Song of the Exile (1992, Hong Kong)
Outstanding. By turns, harsh and sentimental family tale of mainly mother-
daughter tension over a lifetime. Have the tissues handy.
We're No Angels
Bogie mercilessly sends up his tough-guy image. Hilarious.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Stunning, harrowing, compelling, brutal stuff. And you'll need all your
wits about you to keep up with the plot. All four stars were rarely if
ever better.
The Wicker Man (UK)
Wonderful little classic. Hard to categorize. More eroticism than horror,
and the slow-moving pace only accentuates this effect, and for the better.
Lay back and enjoy seeing the priggish Woodward being drawn into the strange
and apparently sinful ways of a strange island people.
Yellow Submarine
All-time animation classic ! Does get a little tiring by the end, but only
because it's SSSSSSSO full-on.
The High Commissioner (UK)
Great piece of late 60s Aussie cultural film history (despite being British-made
!). Well-paced, nicely understated. Characters are mostly one-dimensional
national stereotypes, but that's (oddly) part of its charm.
The Wind Cannot Read
Glorious, moving stuff. Richard Mason manages to lift most of the best
half of his novel and shape it into a good screenplay (unlike the other
of his novels which was filmed, Suzie Wong , where a great novel was almost
obliterated). Then ending is telegraphed without subtlety (unlike the book),
but even this doesn't spoil it.
Manufacturing Consent:
Noam Chomsky and the Media
Outstanding exposition of Noam Chomsky's views. One of my great intellectual
heroes give essential info on how to interpret the events that go on all
around you. Also, an exceptionally fine piece of documentary film- making.
Muriel's Wedding (1994, Australian)
One of the great Aus movies of the decade. Bittersweet in the most extreme
sense. Don't come along expecting continuous laughs, as there are many
dark stabbing moments. Flings wildly between wild fantasy and grim reality.
Trio
Three lovely, moving stories in a beautiful package. Sanatorium is especially
touching.
Good : Three Stars
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Allegro Non Troppo
Some of the live action is amusing, but it's the animated sequences that
make this a classic. This is the film which turned me on to Ravel's Bolero
and and Sibelius' Sad Waltz. The segments based on these pieces are animation
and inspiration par excellence. Not to be missed !
Blind Fury
Pretty damn good action movie. Great dialogue exchange Hauer's character,
a blind martial arts expert, is driving a van (don't worry, it makes sense
in the story !). A nearby motorist yells "What's the matter, are you
blind ?". Hauer of course replies "Yes. What's your excuse ?".
Body Heat
Wonderful update of "Double Indemnity". Kathleen Turner's movie
debut. Wowwwwwwwwwww what a babe ! And a dangerous on at that. Features
one of the great dialogue exchanges of the 80s : After a night of frantic
sex, Wm Hurt's character walks up behind Turner's character and says in
a cool voice "Hey lady, wanna fuck ?".
She turns around, and it's not Turner, but Turner's friend, a virtual lookalike.
She replies "My, this is a friendly little town".
Hurt : "Oh Gahd, I feel like a JERRRRRRRRK !".
She : "You mean the offer's not good ?".
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
One of my childhood favourites. Kurt before he became a tough guy .....
Conan the Destroyer
Hilarious ! Wonderful tongue-in-cheek stuff, great slam-bang entertainment.
Great improvement on the too-serious C the Barbarian.
Continental Divide
Can't put my finger on why I like this movie. I just love it !
Crocodile Dundee 2
Whereas the original was tame and amusing, the sequel is just terrific
! Well paced, very funny and continuously entertaining. One of the cases
in recent years of the sequel being much better than the original.
Wedlock
(Deadlock in the US). Highly implausible (to say the least) but fun and
entertaining (at times in a gruesome sort of way).
Escape from New York
Rip-roaring, silly, and great fun. Kurt Russell at his tough, snarling
best.
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Adds more than a little to Chandler's original novel, but it's mostly for
the better (and the sexier). Good entertainment.
Flesh Gordon (1973)
Completely stupid and absolutely hilarious !
Hawaii
Excellent version of part of James Michener's splendid epic.
The Killer (1989, Hong Kong)
Pretty good tale of "criminal and cop are two sides of the same coin",
with moments of brilliance. In my opionion, not quite the classic it is
made out to be, though decidedly superior to anything Hollywood was producing
at the time, probably hence its impact. Chow Yuen Fat is perfect as the
killer with a conscience (a sort of Chinese Callan), and Danny Lee is quite
good as the cop who at first pursues, then begins to understand him. Lee
and Fatt reverse their roles in the at-least- as-good (and possibly better)
City On Fire, made by Ringo Lam a couple of years before.
Lady in Cement
A minor gem. Zippy, smart dialogue is the best feature.
The Last Starfighter
"Star Wars" brought down to a smaller and more personal scale.
A Man of Flowers (1984, Australia)
Kooky, erotic and fun Aus movie. Paul Cox is usually very heavy and serious,
but sarcastic Bob Ellis's wonderful treatment of the script makes this
a minor masterpiece.
Monty Python & the Holy Grail
Python's second-best movie.
Monty Python's the Meaning of Life
Mostly hilarious but much more savage than their previous movies (which
is really saying something). Spoiled by the terrible ending scene (Mr Creosote).
The Narrow Margin (1952)
Gritty b-movie film-noir classic.
Now You See Him, Now You Don't
Another childhood favourite !
Nuns on the Run
Screamingly funny farce. Can't understand why SO MANY critics rubbish this
one. Director/Writer J Lynn (co-creator of Yes Minister) atones for his
lame effort "Clue" (aka Cluedo), using a similar formula, but
far more successfully.
Poltergeist
Excellent big-budget horror/thriller. Gave me two or three of the biggest
"electric shock" scares I've ever had at the flicks. Astonishing
to NOT see cute young Drew Barrymore's first movie appearance (as Heather)
mentioned above !
Pretty Baby
Very good, and more importantly, level-headed and non-hysterical look at
child prostitution in the South around WW1.
The Prince of Tides
Charming, nicely-done story. Have the tissues ready. Streisand, despite
being pretty much in control of everything (by the credits), is surprisingly
unobtrusive in the film itself. The film is basically a journey of discovery
for Nolte's character, and Streisand the director does not allow Streisand
the actor to overwhelm him, as she may have done. Nolte gives his now-usual
well-done and sensitive performance.
Red Heat
Great opening sequence (the Georgian bath house), should have run it longer.
Competent entertaining action/spy nonsense.
Sayonara
Lovely, lush and romantic but less-than-faithful adaptation of Michener's
so-so novel.
Separate Tables
Touching, wonderful, initmate production of a good stage play. David Niven
was rarely better to the socially mal-adroit soldier who finally finds
a kindred soul.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Pretty silly plot (not an uncommon problem with musicals !), but good fun
and GREAT dance sequences.
Seven Nights In Japan (1976)
Completely enchanting tale of an impossible affair between a British Prince
and a Japanese tour guide. However, it was a little spoilt by the unnecessary
(and clearly included to make up the length) sub-plot about a group of
bumbling assassins out to get the Prince (Michael York). Also features
veteran support actor Peter Jones, as the Prince's long-suffering superior
officer.
Shogun Assassin
Astonishingly gory and violent. Compulsive and fascinating. The dubbing
into (American) English only makes it more surreal. A cut and paste of
the Lone Wolf with Babycart movies.
Three Stripes In The Sun (1955)
Touching true story of a G.I. who is intially very anti-Japanese, but won
over by a group of orphans and a translator. Beautiful interracial love
story.
WR: Mysteries of the Organism (1971)
More a smorgasbord than a movie. This wild, nutty and at times erotic mixture
of biography, documentary and fantasy will leave you with the (correct)
impression that you've never seen a movie like this before. Best watched
on video with finger poised above the fast-forward (for the documentary
bits) and the slow-forward (for the two rip- roaring nude/sex scenes).
The song in the final scene is as sad and moving as it's setting is bizarre.
It's refrain is "don't forget me either", a sort of homage to
Mr Reich, overlaid with the image of a Russian skater (also the singer
of the song) who's just cut the head off the female lead in the film, with
whom he's just shared a night of extraordinary passion. Not on that, but
the girl's severed head speaks some of the final narration. Yes, I am recommending
this movie !
What's Up, Doc?
Very good update of "Bringing Up Baby". Screamingly funny.
Wild Orchid
Somewhat implausible to say the least, and less than brilliant acting,
but great erotic stuff, especially the closing sex scene. Wow !
Under Siege (1992)
Very good (if rather improbable) action thriller. Erika Eleniak (the only
woman in the cast) is surprisingly good, given that she plays an airheaded
bimbo. Although the sequel was more or less a copy, Under Siege II was
even more exciting and fun, which is really saying something.
But if you want to see a better movie still, watch Jackie Chan's version
of Under Siege, called City Hunter !
Deadlier Than the Male (1967)
Very entertaining nonsense. Bulldog Drummond, a sort of James Bond of the
insurance industry, is drawn into a web of gorgeous female assassins (hence
the title) and a bunch of company directors meeting violent deaths when
they oppose business deals from a particular company. At times very silly,
pretty much tongue in cheek, highly macho. The scene where Drummond plays
chess (then life and death) with the lead villain, the chess pieces being
seven feet tall and played on a tiled floor, is a very nice touch.
The Joy Luck Club (1994)
Quite good soap opera about four Chinese women and their American-raised
daughters. The tone varies from moving to feverish to (occasionally) funny.
The frequent flashbacks, flashforwards and changes of viewpoint, while
showing the stories of the principal eight characters, soon become extremely
confusing and muddled.
This is not helped by the director's lack of interest in making the actresses
look distinctly different. No, I'm not saying that all Chinese look the
same !
But the constant changing of viewpoint and time-shifts make it damn difficult
to keep track of who and what.
In classic soap opera tradition, almost every possible mother- daughter
conflict is explored, played out and , in the end, worked out. Overall,
a pleasant mix of reality and melodrama.
Sirens (1994)
There's much to say about Sirens (but a comedy, it is NOT !!!!).
Some good, some mediocre, some bad.
On the good side :
* Hugh Grant is perfectly cast as the upper class but progressive twit
Anglican preacher, sent to convince the scandalous artist Norman Lindsay
(Sam Neill) not to exhibit some "lewd" (read "nude")
paintings.
* Beautiful photography of the Australian bush, and of the unclad bodies
of four lovely Aussie gals (playing Lindsay's models are Elle, Australia's
most famous bosomy bimbo Kate Fischer, Portia Di Rossi and veteran actress
Pamela Rabe plays Mrs Lindsay) and English actress Tara Fitzgerald.
* The theme, which eventually emerges as the sexual awakening of the vicar's
wife, is beautifully handled, despite a few drawbacks (listed below).
Mediocre :
* John Duigan's direction is uneven and often heavy-handed, as is his script.
* And some of the dialogue is just dreadful. It leads you to wonder if,
for instance, Jane Campion could have done a better job....
* Tara Fitzgerald, as Hugh Grant's frustrated but about to be awakened
wife, hints at some of the turmoil her character goes through, as Lindsay's
barbaric and immoral models tease, taunt and titillate her. But she could
have done a lot better.
* Sam Neill as Lindsay is too short and too heavy, and is played adversarily
to the hilt to Hugh Grant's "liberal progressive" vicar.
Bad:
* Elle and Kate Fischer don't have to act, and don't. Director Duigan should
have just let her stick to disrobing and posing.
* Portia Di Rossi evidently can act, but wildly overplayed her part, the
aptly named Giddy (Gideon), a silly young girl with pretentions to act.
* Overall opinion: worth a look and, for those of us who appreciate beautiful
female bodies, worth renting on video for the odd pause or slow-mo replay)
An Angel at My Table (New Zealand)
Gently erotic, quite disturbing in places, very episodic, a bit too long.
If you can take the sometimes slow pace, worth a look.
Written on the Wind
Grand, wild, weird and very glossy soap opera, that almost attains the
heights of real opera. Gorgeous colour & photography, very unpleasant
characters and situations.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask
Wild, silly, very enjoyable.
Father Is a Bachelor
A nice, pleasant movie. Holden makes it a joy to watch.
The Hawaiians
Pretty good sequel (to Hawaii). Worth watching.
Demolition Man
Highlights of this above-average Sly future- action/sci-fi nonsense include
* the "sex" scene, where dishy Sandra Bullock excitedly asks
Sly for sex, but he's not ready for what he ends up getting..... * Sly's
obligatory joke about his often good friend Arnie ("the Schwarznegger
Presidential Library ?!"). * Wes Snipes and his terrific and sassy
one-liners.
Playing Beatie Bow (1984?, Australian)
Lovely fantasy. Even better (and rather more adult and sensual) than Ruth
Park's warm teenager novel, on which it's based.
Drop Zone
Wonderfully entertaining nonsense. As good as "Terminal Velocity"
should have been.
Naked Killer (1992, Hong Kong)
One of the ultimate women's revenge on men films. See it and die (though
probably laughing).
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Special effects treat, & a great fun adventure.
So-So : Two Stars
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The Big Sleep (1978)
Much raunchier than the classic 1946 version. This film is a mixture of
great and really bad elements. For anyone who saw the original and is left
wondering who did what, who killed who and why, this version tells you.
Some of the photography is lovely (including the nude scenes), but the
acting is on the whole woeful and wooden, and the script isn't that good.
Worth a look anyway.
Class
Stumps me why this is regarded as a Rob Lowe film. Andrew McCarthy is ideal
in the lead role. Nicely done teen buddy film.
Dragons Forever (Hong Kong)
Plot is a blatant copy of "Not Just Another Affair" (1982, starring
Victoria Principal & Gil Gerard), right down to the final courtroom
scene. As with a lot of Chan's stuff, you either put up with the horribly
sweet and silly romantic and comedy scenes, or fast forward through 'em,
to get to the action. But this is action worth waiting for. Chan, Hung
and Biao near their best are awesome indeed !
Gold Rush (1924)
Compared with the wonderful City Lights and hilarious Modern Times, Gold
Rush has not stood the test of time nearly as well. Yet it remains an enjoyable
and charming fun film. Worth a look for all fans of silent cinema, though
others may find it slow and disjointed.
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Pleasant, feelgood remake of the classic "Here Comes Mr Jordan".
Not up to the standard of the original.
Hot Chili (1984 ?)
Better (and FAR sexier) than the average silly teen sexploitation movie.
Good fun.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
A not-bad example of what Frank Capra does best : all-out pure sentimental
story of the value of an ordinary American. Looks a bit overdone by today's
standards. Not quite up to the standard of "Mr Smith Goes To Washington".
Peking Opera Blues (Hong Kong)
Colourful, fun romp through political double-dealing and espionage through
early 20th century China. Brigitte Lin does her usual Asia-the-Invincible
tough-girl routine.
Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)
The ultimate domineering mother ! Nice, pleasant comedy, cringing in places,
with a couple of great scenes.
The World of Suzie Wong (1960)
I feverishly wish I could like this movie. It contains one of my fave actors
(Holden), is set in my fave location (HK), and is based on the best-ever
interracial romance novel written by a male author. Nancy Kwan is lovely,
as is the scenery and some of the scene. This film's big failing is that
it completely destroys this touching and realistic love story, rendering
it into a harsh and abrasive mess. Unless you'd read the book, you'd never
understand what brought or kept the two main characters together. I still
await an improved remake.
Northeast to Seoul (1976)
Amusing little "exotic-location" cheapie mystery. Three villainous
westerners (and assorted others) connive and cheat the police and each
other, in an effort to find and take possession of a historic sword, supposed
to bring great wealth and power to whoever owns it. Similar storyline to
The Maltese Falcon.
H.O.T.S. (1979)
Sure, it's a lame-brained and stupid female version of the much-rougher
Animal House. But, having said that, it's often great fun, and utterly
avoids taking itself too seriously. The strip football match only takes
up about the last third of the film, but it is one of the highlights..
Perfect for video. Keep the pause and slow-forward buttons handy.
Police Story 4: First Strike (1996)
Another not-bad-but-could-do-better effort. The plot is virtually copied
from Rumble In The Bronx (i.e lame-brained), though there are more (and
better-staged) stunts, and far more locations (no fewer than four continents
are covered !). The Australian accent are, typically for an American-dubbed
cover version, horribly ocker-ized (i.e. overdone), and the gratuitous
overuse of koalas is laughable (Jackie has two on a cut-down gum tree in
his hotel suite). Still, for slam-bang action and breathtaking/life-threatening
stunts, Jackie has no equal.
They're a Weird Mob (1966, UK/Australian)
Classic Aussie cultural cringe ! The (mostly) lighter side of a European
immigrant trying to adjust to his new life down under, in a very unsophisticated
mid-1960s suburban Australia.
Evil Roy Slade
Hilariously funny for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, it goes on for another
45 mins, which are a total loss.
Terminal Velocity
Enjoyable, but not nearly as good as the similar "Drop Zone".
Hear Charlie Sheen utter wonderful dialogue like "I'm not a walking
penis. I'm a flying penis".
The Mask (1995)
Dazzling spec effects, but should have had more of 'em. Some good comic
moments, and Camerion Diaz was luscious, but could have been much better.
Green Snake (1992, Hong Kong)
Enjoyable and visually-stunning nonsense.
Iceman Cometh (1991, Hong Kong)
Enjoyable and action-packed nonsense about good guy pursues bad guy through
a 300 year time-shift. Yuen Biao is the oh-so-serious goodie, nicely complemeted
by Maggie Cheung, as a modern-day prostitute and swindler. And the bad
guy, in good HK movie tradition, is REALLY bad. You can tell by the villanous
laugh that he lets out every 30 seconds or so.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Adequate re-make.
Awful : One Star
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Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion
A so-so combination of Muriel's Wedding and Dumb & Dumber. Comparisons
with Muriels are all negative : inferior copy, less funny, less tragic,
none of the sharp edge and almost none of the wit. Comparisons with D&D
are better : far less about bodily functions.
The best features of this rather lame and sanitized effort are Jeaneane
Garofalo's wonderful bit part and the generous views of Mira Sorvino's
cleavage. The direction is flat and (in places) very clumsy. It warms up
a bit at the end, and the final message (better to be yourself than put
on an act to impress others, who have their own downfalls) is made clearly
and strongly.
With a faster pace, screwball treatment and more funny lines, it could
have been a great film. Instead, it's pretty slow.
Caligula
It's hard to give this movie a simple rating. There are some good things
about it. Lush photography, some pretty good sex scenes. But it's far too
long, not well acted (at best), and far too overdone. Though I stayed till
the end, I can see why people walked out.
Clue
Badly muddled, which must come down to director J Lynn. Funny and farcical,
but not well controlled. Actors overplayed their parts, too. Could have
been better, like Neil Simon's wonderful Murder By Death and The Cheap
Detective.
Crocodile Dundee
This is another of those recent Aus movies where you have to ask "Why
on earth do so many people like this film ?". Sure, it's a nice and
pleasant comedy with likeable characters, and a couple of good scenes,
but nothing to set the world on fire. But, somehow, it did. For a complete
contrast, see review of CD2.
Dr. Who & the Daleks
WHY ? WHY ? Why, given that Dr Who is (with little or no argument) the
best sci-fi tv series ever produced, are the Dr Who movies so terrible
? And especially, with my all-time favourite villains (The Daleks), why
is this film so DULL ?
Empire of Passion
Interesting to watch for anyone fortunate enough to have seen the astonishing
Realm of the Senses, but not nearly as good. Rather slow, extremely depressing,
and therefore a good deal more realistic. This one's much more a ghost
story than a hyper-erotic melodrama.
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Really dull. Perfect insomnia cure.
Jabberwocky
Dull, unfunny, unnecessarily gory. Very minor interest to Python fans.
Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior
This was the first Kurosawa film I ever saw, and was very nearly the last.
Dull, with only occasional relief. Fortunately at the time I'd never heard
of him, and was only later to discover his wonderful earlier films, many
of which are now among my favourites.
La Strada (1956, Italy)
Borrrrrrring and unremarkable. Why do SO MANY people think this film, with
it's ordinary characters and dull situations, is a classic ?
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Oshima's worst film. Dull, confusing, unfortunate waste of talent.
Silkwood
Disappointing and a bit muddled.
Strictly Ballroom (Australian)
Why on earth do SO MANY people love this movie ? It's a nice, unremarkable
love story/comedy with a distinctly low-budget feel. Don't be sucked in
! It is NOT the greatest thing since the Lambada.
This Is Spinal Tap
They say you'll either think this film is brilliant or not. Well, my opinion
is the third possibility : it's mildly amusing. Tries to be clever, is
played pretty-well straight , and sometimes succeeds. Gets a bit dreary
as it goes on.
Throne of Blood (Japan)
Disappointing version of MacBeth.
Wall Street
Rather overrated.
Ed Wood
Disappointing, but not a total loss. Could have been much better, and any
Ed Wood fan would know most of what the film already tells about him, though
there are a few surprising titbits. The scene where Lugosi pretends to
fight a rubber octopus (in which the motor is not working) is truly hilarious,
and the funny high-point of the film.
Just Cause
Disappointing effort from exec producer Connery. Not that it's all that
bad, but it could have been better. Good points include Ed Harris's stunning
performance as the psychotic parent-killer, proving he (Harris) is more
than just a player of nice-guy bit parts. The racial tension element is
adequately played, though nowhere near as well as (for instance) In The
Heat Of The Night.
Showgirls
Pains me to give this film such a low rating. There were things I liked
about it. But the harsh characterizations, the melodramatic acting, the
implausability, and above all the utter cynicism which informed everything
from the script and direction down made me feel ill. Even though I thoroughly
enjoyed the bountiful and lush nudity.
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