The week ahead

Well greetings one and all. Film reviews shortly but what do we have to look forward to this week. Firstly I am about to finish Nation by Terry Pratchett. It isn't one of his best books but is still easily readable and accessible for all readers. Tomorrow I return to my weekly routine of standed beside a frozen sports pitch watching other people run around - yes Tom starts back at rugby. On Monday the students start back at uni so stress levels will rise as parking spaces will disappear.

On to the films now. Sunday has the film of the week and two notable mentions. Blazing Saddles is one of the funniest films ever made. In my opinion it is not the best Mel Brooks film ever, that honour goes to Young Frankenstein. It is filled with lots of visual gags as well as some outrageously funny moments. Whilst Cleavon Little is excellent in the lead role it is Harvey Korman who is in my opinion the outstanding performer as Hedley Lamarr the scheming force behind Governor LePetomane. Those who make bad taste comedy films today would do well to watch this and see how it should be done. The cast is excellent but I feel the Busby Berkeley ending does let the film down somewhat but that may well be just me. Earlier on in the day we have Krull. This is swords and sorcery stuff done with a British cast except for one American, Ken Marshall. Like most offerings of this type it is unlikely to provide you with any great insight into the world but it is good entertainment. Look out for appearances from Liam Neeson, Todd Carty, Bernard Bresslaw. Now for the low brow end of Sunday. On Deadly Ground is one of Steven Seagal's last bearable offerings. Seagal is to acting what Ronseal is to advertising campaigns. This is the first Seagal film where he starts to get a bit preachy. Now I may happen to agree with what he is preaching about but he is just irritating beyond belief when he does it. Michael Caine looks totally out of place here and this is probably one of those films that he did for the money. John McGinley is solid in support as is R Lee Ermey (the drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket). Also we have Joan Chen in yet another film where she is just a bit part player. If you heed my advice avoid Once Upon A Time in the West which made watching paint dry seem like speed dating when I watched it.

On Monday night we have Unbreakable. This is M Night Shymalan's second significant film following The Sixth Sense. Again he teams up with Bruce Willis. It is worth a look if there is nothing better on. It is not as good as its predecessor but it does keep you guessing for a while. Another film to look at is Patriot Games. This marks Harrison Ford's debut in the role of Jack Ryan. The plot is largely preposterous much like Sean Bean's Irish accent. Even Richard Harris' accent is dodgy and he WAS Irish. There is some debate as to who plays Ryan best but everybody now associates Ford with the role.

Tuesday has probably the most films of the week worthy of note. On BBC 1 we have Dead Poets Society. This film is a marked contrast to another Robin Williams film of the period, Good Morning Vietnam. This is a quiet, slow paced film with Williams delivering an excellent performance. Many other people hate this film but I do like it. The supporting cast is excellent and it is certainly worth a look if you like your films with less bang for your buck. Also on Tuesday is A Few Good Men. This is rated by some legal types that I know as one of the best courtroom dramas ever. Jack Nicholson steals the show but he has a job on. Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland are all on top form. On the same night we have Jaws. This is one of Spielberg's best films and it is now almost mythological in its status. However, I doubt many sharks will be watching as it does give them something of a bad press. Some Kind of Monster is a documentary charting the creation of the Metallica album St Anger. The album marks a lowpoint in the band's output, in many fans opinions. Watching this compelling documentary you can see why it was as bad as it was. Possibly the most interestin bit in it is when the band meet up with Dave Mustaine who was thron out of the band just before they became huge. The film is one of the best music documentaries I have ever seen. Lastly on Tuesday there is another film which I personally have trouble with but which is hailed as an excellent film. Memento is by Christopher Nolan who has since gone on to revive the Batman franchise. It is a tale told in reverse chronology and I just found it a bit difficult to cope with.

Thursday has two offerings. First is Black Rain which stars Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia. It is very much of its time but is certainly worth a look. Another film which is of its time is Enter the Ninja ( late night on Dave). The plot and the acting are daft as I recall but they are positively Shakespearean when compared to that of Seagal.

Photos are coming soon of family events - really they are!!!

Enjoy

Happy New Year

Welcome back one and all to the 2009 slog that is reading my reviews. We start with a clean slate and as such you may well see previously reviewed films in these pages. This week is particularly good for films and if you look at the list of quality films listed on the right hand side you will see what I mean. The more observant amongst you will have noted that I have changed my reading matter since my last post. Redcoat will not go down in my memory as one of Bernard Cornwell's better offerings. I had got some way through the book and really just lost interest in the characters. By the high standards set by many of his other offerings this didn't quite cut it.

So before we move onto matters filmic an update since my last post. Christmas this year has been somewhat trying. A couple of days before Christmas the DVD/HDD recorder broke down which precipitated a dash to Argos to replace it. On the same day Jenni showed up with chickenpox. I also nearly passed out from a lack of breath brought on by Rab C Nesbitt, so you should consider yourselves lucky to have these words.

This Saturday you can see three absolutely marvellous films each in their own right would be a film of the week which is why I have wimped out from choosing one above the rest. The Princess Bride (left) is one of the greatest films ever made. It manages to be a film which children will love whilst adults will appreciate some of the more sarcastic lines and some of the wonderful cameos. It is all at once a love story, a comedy and a boys own adventure. Cary Elwes is a great leading actor in this role and is supported by Mandy Patinkin (now of Criminal Minds), Christopher Guest (of Spinal Tap etc), Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon and Peter Falk. The cameos come from Peter Cook and Billy Crystal. Anybody who says that they don't like this film should not be trusted under any circumstances. Later on we have The Untouchables. Kevin Costner is one of those actors who polarize opinion. From what I have seen when he gets it right we have this and when he gets it wrong we have Waterworld. This film has a number of advantages. First we have Brian de Palma as Director. Frequently when Costner is in charge he doesn't quite manage both roles. The second advantage is the supporting cast Sean Connery, Robert de Niro and Andy Garcia. We end Saturday with a laugh. Still Crazy is the tale of a 70s rock band reuniting to relive their greatest (and last) performance. The film is stolen by Bill Nighy but the British cast is excellent - Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Billy Connolly, Tim Spall and Frances Barber. If you want a good laugh and some good music then you won't go far wrong with this film.

Sunday night has one outstanding offering and a couple of notable mentions. The outstanding offering is Narrow Margin. This is a remake but an excellent one. Gene Hackman plays the agent whose job is to get a witness safely across country so that she can testify in a mob trial. Hackman is as ever excellent and his nemesis is James B Sikking (the SWAT commander from Hill Street Blues). This is a well made modern thriller. It is followed by the comic book film The Shadow which is actually much better than I think it is given credit for. The other is also a sort of comic book film. Van Helsing is what my wife calls a ronseal-film (it does what it says on the tin). Kate Beckinsale provides the eye candy here and the male lead is Hugh (huge action) Jackman. It isn't going to give you any deep insight into the world but it will pass a couple of hours.

On Monday night there is one of those films which quietly passed most people by but which is critically acclaimed and is actually a fabulous film as well. After Buffy the writer Joss Whedon tried his hand at Sci-Fi. The short lived series Firefly was the result. Never one to be deterred Whedon made this film involving the characters. It is a masterpiece of science fiction action. None of the cast is a 'star' Chiwetel Ojiofor is probably the closest there is to one. Nathan Fillian starred in the last series of Buffy. As ever there is a totalitarian state, a suave bad guy, a rugged good guy, an assorted crew and friends and a girl who is a killing machine. This will be one of the best couple of hours you will ever spend.

On Tuesday there isn't anything of note. Watch out during the week for the first two 'Mummy' films and the spin off 'The Scorpion King' There is also From Dusk Till Dawn for all you vampire movie nuts. I found it strangely unsatisfying despite the stellar cast and fantastic effects. For those of you into macho posturing at its 1980s best on Wednesday there is Top Gun. The best acting comes from none of the leads but from Michael Ironside and Tom Skerrett (I think).

On Thursday night we have one of the finest comedies of recent years. Bowfinger is about a down on his luck producer who needs to make a film and does it by stealth. The leads are Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy. These two have a tendency to be very hit and miss in there offerings. This is undoubtedly amongst the best films either of them has made. Some of the scenes had me howling with laughter which for a comedy is always a good thing. This is without doubt one of the best comedy films of recent years.

Also on Thursday we have Equilibrium. This tale is a hotchpotch of a variety of science fiction classics. Whilst not well received critically it does have an appeal particularly the Grammaton clerics. It is never going to be a film classic but it is a good diversion. The cast is excellent and it is a shame that the film is seen by some as a cut price Matrix rip off. This is unfair as it probably has a lot more going for it than a lot of other films of its type - Ultraviolet, Aeon Flux and Ballistic to name but three.

That's all for now and I will post again soon.