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.