Hellfighters
Dir: Andrew V. McLaglen
1968
**
Andrew V. McLaglen's Hellfighters is an odd mix of action vs. soap opera. It's a cross between Dallas and Thunderbirds but without the Cowboy hats or strings. The cast may as well have been made out of wood though. The idea that there is a group of international firefighters made up of reckless (and mostly old) playboys is rather silly but if there was one, I can't help but think they'd have more pizzazz than this!? The action bits look a little bit too staged as if the actors didn't do much rehearsing but the bits with the stuntmen are good. The soap-opera story line is tiresome and somewhat out of place. It's two separate films that don't fit well together, maybe it could have been a good TV series but as a film it just doesn't work. Even hard-core 

Frank
Dir: Richard Heslop
2012
*****
Blimey, where do I start with Frank? Well I went to go see Frank at the 2012 Raindance festival in London. A good mate of mine who sadly passed away did the soundtrack (House of Fix) so I went to see this film just to hear his voice again. I knew nothing about the film before going but that was probably a good thing. I have huge niggles with the film, the generalisation of mental illness is very unfortunate and as much as I love the character of Fidel (played by the brilliant Con O'Neill) I can't help but think he should have been a more mysterious character, in the dark and 'in the other room' as it were. It's hard to say much about this film without ruining the story but all I will say is that it is one of the strangest, most unpredictable, most shocking (in places) and touching films I've ever seen. It is also so beautifully shot and has probably one of the most stunning intro scenes ever (they got their hands on a very flash camera, only 6 in the world and the other 5 were being used to film Hugo at the time). It doesn't really fit into a genre but that's a good thing. Unfortunately for the time being it doesn't have a distributor either but hopefully in time it will. After the film there was a Q&A session with the three main stars, producer and director and one of the actors quite bluntly said that he doubted it would get a release because quite frankly no one in the film industry has any balls anymore. I think he's right. They made the film on a mere £12,000 but you wouldn't have known by watching it, credit due to talented film making there. Still, on the chance this film does come your way I highly recommend to see it, I really want someone to talk to about it! The soundtrack is also awesome, it was lovely to hear my old friend's voice booming out of the cinema speakers, you made it into the movies Kit my old buddy, I hope you saw it from your little cloud up there.

Frankenweenie
Dir: Tim Burton
2012
****
Frankenweenie 2012 marks a return to form for Tim Burton and also sees him going full circle. When a story is as good as Frankenweenie is it is worth telling it twice. It's nice to see the passion to be honest, it's obviously an old project he has felt was unfinished so he developed it further. I think his self-indulgence has probably been his downfall of late but it's nice to see him working on one of his own stories, rather than a re-working of someone else's. I really liked it, it's got that Tim Burton style that his recent films have been lacking. It's nice to see him working with old friends too, the cast is a whose who of past collaborators which shows a level of loyalty and support you don't often see. I am quite glad Johnny Depp isn't in it to be frank, it's about time other actors got the full Burton treatment for a change and it clearly works. I hope this marks a return to greatness and that the quality continues!

Frankenweenie
Dir: Tim Burton
1984
****
Tim Burton was 26 when he directed the original Frankenweenie film. That is impressive. His passion and knowledge of old Black and White/B-Movies was evident and also impressive. Shelley Duvall, Barret Oliver, Jason Hervey, it's an 80's American TV extravaganza and brings about waves of nostalgia for me. In many ways I prefer the 'live action' version over the animated version. I like the animated version but I love the charm and simplicity of the original.

Rise of the Guardians
Dir: Peter Ramsey
2012
****
Rise of the Guardians hit Dreamworks hard. I really don't see why though? Maybe the marketing was a little slack, it's not really a Christmas film but many thought and still think it is. Maybe Dreamworks had unrealistic targets, it really wouldn't surprise me these days as films are regarded as failures if they don't make a billion or don't make 100 times what they cost to make. Unfortunately, this is almost like they're admitting that the film wasn't very good. People won't watch and I know of people who aren't interested because of this. The film was only released a few months before Dreamworks admitted defeat after the first weekend. It's a puzzling state of affairs, especially as Rise of the Guardians is a very good film. I was initially unconvinced by the style of animation but that didn't last long, I loved the way each character was represented. Maybe people didn't like Santa's Russian accent, maybe they didn't like his Tattoos or the fact he wasn't quite as fat and Rosy as he is usually portrayed. Who knows? I know I liked it though, it's tons better than the majority of animated films that have come out in the last decade. I hope the trend of film failure due to the public's lack of imagination rather than the film makers will end soon but then the public have been spoon fed crap for many years so maybe it's comeuppance!

Labor Day
Dir: Jason Reitman
2014
***
I like Jason Reitman a lot. His comedies are uniquely quirky and you can tell they are his, which is quite a mark of success considering he's only directed four films previously. This is his first drama/romance and much like his comedies it has his signature 'quirk' all over it. The drama side of the film was great, I would even go as far as saying it is a mild thriller and I certainly found it compelling and exciting in the first half, but then it settles down somewhat in the second half into a, I'm afraid to say, unconvincing love story. Unconvincing yes but not unlikable, more fantastical. Fantastical is good though and I think it worked well for the most part. The dreamy ending is sickly-sweet but actually quite rewarding, the performances are good and overall it is strangely likable even though I'm not sure it really should have worked.

Kelly + Victor
Dir: Kieran Evans
2012
****
Kelly + Victor is a compelling yet slightly uncomfortable love story that goes very much against the grain. It is provocative from the start and continues that way until the final credits roll but director Kieran Evans never goes too far in what he sets out to achieve, although he comes pretty close. It is an imperfect love story, an awkward romance, a complicated fling. There are no overblown theatrics, sickly-sweet gestures or any of the things big mainstream romantic comedies would have you believe you need for a romance to spark, just real people with real problems and broken dreams. Don't let the alternative description put you off though, as hard as the story might sound, it does have a warm heart. It is a breath of fresh air as far as romance films go but perhaps not suitable for valentines night. Any other night would be fine though, these brilliant little independent films need encouragement and support.

North Sea Hijack (AKA Ffolkes)
Dir: Andrew V. McLaglen
1979
***
North Sea Hijack seemed to be a bit of an odd choice for Roger Moore to star in to escape the type cast of Bond considering he plays a sexist ex-military adventurer who works for the government to stop a bunch of terrorists from blowing up an oil rig and a couple of ships against all odds. To be fair, the character of Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes isn't really the same as Bond, he is far more interesting and Moore plays him well. The rest of the films is fairly uninteresting and quite dated but I quite like these action films of the late 70's early 80's. James Mason's voice is a bonus.

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Dir: Beeban Kidron
1989
*****
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is British TV at it's best. It's not been bettered since it first aired in 1989. Charlotte Coleman and Geraldine McEwan are brilliant as Mother and Daughter, in this tragic but also very touching comedy based on the novel by Jeanette Winterson. It's so sad that Charlotte Coleman died at such an early age, it's also sad how overlooked this mini-series/TV movie is. I urge people to see it if you haven't already, the performances are unforgettable.

Love & Other Drugs
Dir: Edward Zwick
2010
*
Edward Zwick? Really? It didn't feel like one of his films but then it's not really his genre. That is the only reason I can imagine why it is a complete and utter mess. The balance between serious drama and comedy is dreadful. The acting is embarrassing, I cannot believe the two leads got Golden Globe nominations, surely that was out of sympathy, or for being tricked into it maybe? I'm not apposed to a bit of nudity, in fact I love a bit of nudity but only when it has a place. Here it was just gratuitous, not 'Hey look at the passion between these two lovers' but more 'Hey look, forget the story (or lack of), we got Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway to take their clothes off, whoopie!'. Is it a film about love? Is it a film about the state of the national health? Is it a film about sacrifice? Is it a film about the greedy pharmaceutical companies? Does it even know what it's trying to be? Maybe the book it's based on; Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman, makes sense and is a good read and this is just a poor adaptation, I don't know but either way, the film is stupid, formulaic and a guide on how not to make a film. Note to film makers, if you're going to make a 'Rom-com, you should make sure that it is a) Romantic and b) Funny. Sleeping in ones car overnight to wait for them even though they live just around the corner is not romantic and seeing a fat mans bottom is not funny. I hated every minute of it.

The Karate Kid
Dir: Harald Zwart
2010
***
Its length is a bit indulgent but overall this is a pretty good remake/re-telling. All the changes they made were right. Taking the story out of America was a good move. There are nods to the original film but nothing is copied as such. I know some people don't like it because they love the original but they would be more angry if 'Wax on, wax off' was there instead of 'Jacket on, Jacket off' (which actually seems to make more sense). I think Smith was a little too young for the role though, Ralph Macchio was twenty something when he played the Kid. That said, he obviously learnt his stuff and worked hard at it, so well done to him. Pat Morita's Mr Miyagi is a legend, so what better choice than another legend like Jackie Chan. All round, I thought it was a really good remake of a film that didn't need a remake.

Hustle & Flow
Dir: Craig Brewer
2005
****
I don't know whether or not this film would have worked if it had not have been for the brilliant performance from Terrence Howard. He really is the one to watch here, even D.J. Qualls couldn't spoil it. It may seem ever so slightly contrived, a white director and all, but it's not really. The opening dialogue is proof alone that this film has something to say, I don't know Memphis, I've never been but I felt like this was the real Memphis in many ways (I may be wrong) and it's a great story. Taraji P. Henson is so sweet, you just want to give her a hug.

Knightriders
Dir: George A. Romero
1981
*
I love George A. Romero, his film Knightriders stars cult favoratesTom Savini, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Patricia Tallman and mainstream favourite Ed Harris. It's a about a bunch of renaissance enthusiasts that ride motorcycles instead of Horses and use real weapons when jousting. Brilliant yeah? No, not brilliant, just incredibly dull. I've waited years to see this, they have just re-released it on Blu-ray but goodness knows why, it's not worth the disc it's burned on. It's really long too. Seriously, it's really boring. One star for Mr. Savini and that's it.

The Love Guru
Dir: Marco Schnabel
2008
***
Usually when a film is so hyped I often feel let down when I come to eventually seeing it. In the case of The Love Guru it is the other way round. Everyone hates it and everyone said not to watch it so I didn't. It was on TV the other day and I thought i'd give it a go and was surprised to find that it was quite funny. I honestly don't understand the hate for this film, it's much better than Goldmember and it had a couple of real laugh out loud moments. It's a little bit of more of the same from Mike Myers but I like him so was happy. I can think of many other films that were worse in 2008, I've seen What Happens In Vegas rated higher than The Love Guru, I mean, what the hell is that all about?

Alamar (To The Sea)
Dir: Pedro González-Rubio
2009
*****
Alamar is a simple yet hypnotic film that follows a father and son as they go fishing before the son leaves for Rome with his Mother. That's pretty much it, but it is so gentle and tender and so beautifully shot it's impossible not to enjoy. The scene in which they both train a Bird to stand on their arms is so simple but so captivating. I'm not one to gush over nothing but I found watching Alamar to be both therapeutic and uplifting. Neorealism at its best, I recommend to all for a breath of something new and simple.

The Runaways
Dir: Floria Sigismondi
2010
****
If I had to cast a film biopic of The Runaways I probably wouldn't have thought of Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning to play Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. That's why I'm not a casting director. Both do an excellent job. Stella Maeve was also the spit of the late great Sandy West. This is a very accomplished insight into the history of the band, I wasn't there but as Joan Jett produced it, I'm guessing it's pretty accurate too. A great band that deserve more recognition. The casting of Michael Shannon as Kim Fowley is probably the smartest thing in this film, not to mention a work of genius.

Iron Man 3
Dir: Shane Black
2013
****
Handing over Iron Man to Shane Black was a good move. The Batman films have forced the Superhero film to grow up somewhat, The Avengers took it that bit further and found the perfect balance and the rest is history. Iron Man 3 is a grown up Superhero film that some might find hard to adjust to. Tony Stark the Movie might have been a better title but then when you have Robert Downey Jr. as your lead, you don't want to see just 5 minutes of him and then a whole load of CGI. I have to say though there were elements I didn't care for, the whole 'Starting again' story-line I thought was a bit tired and also the inclusion of a Child just for the sake of it (or to appeal to a younger audience - like they're not already interested). Mostly though I found it to be a breath or fresh air. Keeping the action to a minimum and then including all of the Iron Men in one big fight was a brilliant idea. Saving the falling people was also pretty cool, as was Iron Potts. Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall provided some excellent supporting characters with Kingsley just edging ahead and nearly stealing the show. I really hope we see more of him, I'm sure we will. The big question is What happens now? Is Iron Man just going to be in the Avengers now or will he get another film, it is hard to see where he can go from here.

Iron Man 2
Dir: Jon Favreau
2010
***
'If it ain't broke don't fix it' seemed to be the motto here but unfortunately I wanted a little more or should I say, a little less. There were too many sub-plots going on and as much as I was looking forward to The Avengers, I remember finding this to be more of a franchise set-up than the sequel Iron Man deserved (although Black Widow makes up for this somewhat). I have got over this and now it works well as an overall bigger project but at the time I was disappointed. I hate it when an actor is changed too, although I did like the way Don Cheadle was introduced to the film. I also really liked seeing Iron Man drunk. Not as good as the first but then this has been made up for ten-fold. A real learning curve for the Marvel studio this one.

Iron Man
Dir: Jon Favreau
2008
****
This is a pretty good comic book movie. Nearly every Avenger has appeared on screen in one form or another but this is the beginning of Marvel's dominance of superhero cinema. The secret? It is simply better than a lot of the crap that's been made from comic/video game franchises before. Also in its favour is that Iron Man, as loved as he has been for many years by comic fans, is generally unknown to most people. He is also individual in the fact that he has no secret identity, broadening the possibilities of the character and avoiding many of the usual cliches. I can almost forgive Mr. Favreau for Daredevil now! One bit of criticism though, we now know to look out for them but the lack of warning of an exciting post-credit scene annoyed me more than anything in 2008 when I realised I'd missed it. I'm glad DC haven't adopted the same gimmick.

Fish Story (Fisshu sutori)
Dir: Yoshihiro Nakamura
2009
**
An interesting idea but the story is only connected by a real stretch. I didn't find it particularly funny either, I'm a big fan of Japanese films, particularly comedies but I didn't get the humour here and I don't think it's down to poor translation or cultural differences. The idea is cool, on paper it looks like the coolest story ever written but it just doesn't work well as a film. The conclusion isn't worth watching for, I did like the scenes with the band towards the end but for a 'Bonkers' film, it's pretty boring most of the time.

Wonder Woman
Dir: Lauren Montgomery
2009
***
Wonder Woman is pretty good, not as good as the Batman animations but still pretty good. The story is strong but it becomes a little tiresome with regard to it's constant reference to sexism/battle of sexes etc. Most of the time it is actually quite sexy, I mean sexist.... but I digress. The story is so strong in fact that it is a little frustrating that they didn't make this a live action version. They could probably cast half of the voice actors too but only, and I mean only, if the beautiful Lynda Carter was in it. She could play Wonder Woman's mum! I'll keep dreaming...

Up In the World
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
1956
*****
Norman Wisdom is one of the greatest Englishmen of all time. His films are a timeless joy to watch and I love them. Up in the World is a silly film, classic Wisdom that only people born without humour wouldn't like. I feel for those people. KEEP OFF THE GRASS!!!!

Agantuk (The Stranger)
Dir: Satyajit Ray
1991
**
Unfortunately, I found Satyajit Ray's final film Agantuk (The Stranger) pretty disappointing. It is the script that I found weakest, with the philosophical questions raised sounding pointless and nonsensical. The premise is basically; is this man who he says he is but with only two outcomes of no particular interest or consequence, so the conclusion falls a little flat. Also, why does everyone have to stand up when they talk, I don't think its a cultural thing and no one does it in his earlier films. It just feels like over acting.

Argo
Dir: Ben Affleck
2012
****
Argo lives up to the hype. It is a thriller that does exactly what films in the genre are supposed to do, it really was exciting, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting stuff. I love the story because it's so ridiculous and it's all true. I also have a soft spot for sci-fi and who doesn't like a good thriller. Ben Affleck deserves the praise he received, he has come leaps and bounds and I always thought his recognition for Good Will Hunting came a little bit too early in his career and wasn't really deserved. He picked a pretty good cast too, with Alan Arkin and John Goodman adding light relief when needed. Was that really Clea DuVall? Well I never.

I Killed My Mother
Dir: Xavier Dolan
2009
****
A very raw, honest, touching but funny look (semi-autobiographical too apparently) at the relationship between a young man and his mother. Xavier Dolan is fast becoming a young actor/director to look out for, Heartbeats was one of my favourite films of 2010. In I killed my Mother, Dolan conquers the art of acting and directing perfectly, and at such a young age, relatively speaking and not meaning to sound patronising but it's a very tricky thing to do and a lot of talented people who try, fail. Three films down, it's looking like it comes naturally and I'm really looking forward to seeing more from him in the future.

The Number 23
Dir: Joel Schumacher
2007
*
I'm sorry, but you're going to have to do a little bit more than write on a wall and light a few candles before you convince me that you are either obsessed or mad. What a stupid film. I still don't understand what the Number 23 is all about either? Make up numbers for things and make sure they all add up to 23, what is so interesting or mysterious about that? Jim Carrey is woefully miscast although I'm not sure even the greatest of actors could save this. I thought this was supposed to be a dark thriller? I'm shocked at how bad this film is. Never has a film been so pointless.

I'm So Excited!
Dir: Pedro Almodóvar
2013
****
If Volver was a little too art-house, Broken embraces a little too emotional and The Skin I live in just that little too odd for you and you crave the old days of Dark Habits, Matador and Tie me up! Tie me down!, Well then good news Pedro Almodóvar fans, he's back to his raunchy, over the top unashamedly camp self! Not that he has ever stopped being any of those things, but here in I'm so excited it really does feel like he's gone back in time and made a film like the ones he made that made us fall in love with him the first time round. I'm so excited mixes every genre under the sun and almost feels like a tribute to the elaborate, ridiculous but always fabulous Soup Operas that I guess Spain has managed to continue, where other countries seem to have forgotten. It's everything you could want from a lighthearted and outrageous Almodóvar film. An absolute pleasure for an old fan like me.

Subzero
Dir: Jim Wynorski
2005
*
Swap the homophobia for out dated cold war stereotyping and Subzero is easily the worst climbing film since The Eiger Sanction. I was made to watch this film against my will and it was clear from the first few minutes that it was poorly written and utterly ridiculous. Mindless action doesn't even come close to describing how terrible it is. Maybe if the story wasn't such a ludicrous patchwork of stolen ideas from outdated films it wouldn't have been as bad but then the script and performances would have still made it the terrible film that it is. It may well have been written by a ten year old.