You Take the High Road

Well gentle reader I am just in the process of summoning up my strength to make the journey north with Tom this weekend. Given his and his team's performance last weekend it will be a little disappointing not to be there for the Rishworthians game on Sunday. I am also preparing for next week when I will be able to watch all those films I have had to put off watching because they are not suitable for children.


Jenni is taking a trip south on Monday for her first time away. Having booked my hotel room for my interview in a couple of weeks I was mildly worried that the booking was insured by AIG which in the current climate does not fill you full of hope.



So on to the films for the next seven days. All next week there are Bond films on. These are mainly showing on ITV2. The best of these is probably The World Is Not Enough which is probably the best outing for Pierce Brosnan. On Saturday afternoon there is also a showing of Live And Let Die which is probably Roger Moore's best outing in the role. Whilst I liked Brosnan in the role there was almost a sensation that it was his turn as he had been linked with the role since the dawn of time. The best thing about his tenure was Judi Dench as M. For me Connery is and always will be the best and Moore was the worst. Yes readers even Lazenby was better in my opinion. Dalton was never really given much of a chance. Daniel Craig has the potential to be the best.

Saturday night has two excellent films which are worth a look. The first is Red Dragon. This is Hollywood's second attempt to make the first Hannibal Lecter story. The original is Michael Mann's Manhunter. This film has some pros and cons. The pro in Manhunter was the performance by Brian Cox as Lecter. Arguably his performance is the most chilling portrayal of Lecter. The cons are that it is a lousy film (IMHO). Red Dragon saw the film remade with the most famous personification of Lecter by Anthony Hopkins. Now there is nothing wrong with the portrayal as far as it goes. Red Dragon is a better and more accessible film than its more lauded predecessor and the acting is fine but there is an argument that after the success of Silence of the Lambs Hollywood should have left well enough alone because this is not a patch on that film.





The other film on Saturday night is something of a hidden gem. Cop Land is a film in which Stallone is not playing some muscle bound hero beating the living daylights out of his foes. This is possibly amongst his best ever performances for that very reason. He is surrounded by some outstanding actors in Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta. If I had to recommend only one of these films for Saturday it would be this. On Sunday night there is also a film which the critics slated but which I found stranegly enjoyable. Bulletproof Monk is one of those films which has a ludicrous plot, bad acting but is wonderful entertainment nonetheless.



Tuesday is another double header with two wonderful and contrasting films. Firstly we have Rio Grande. This is the final instalment in John Ford's Cavalry Trilogy. The on screen chemistry between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara is there as ever. Wayne is also surrounded by his usual repertory company. This is a factor that Wayne shares with Bogart and Eastwood. All three had a group of actors who they worked with regularly and the ease with which they worked together is plain to see. It is also worth noting that the group was never a closed shop and all three brought other actors into the group. Contrast this with Hero and its cast of millions. It is a sumptuous visual feast with plenty of action. It is another film in the tradition of Crocuhing Tiger Hidden Dragon. It is well worth watching.

On Thursday there is a film on Five US called Shadow of a Doubt starring Brian Dennehy. It is one of those roles that he does so well and is probably worth a look.

There we go for another week.