Films on Freeview w/e 14th January 2011

Well Happy New Year to all my readers and apologies for not posting anything recently. I will explain my absence tomorrow all being well.

Over the next week on the Freeview channels there are a number of films of note to watch. For new readers these films are not necessarily the best in cinematic terms but are films I like and that I would recommend to anybody.

Today we have had a few films which on any given day would be my film of the day and even occasionally a film of the week. The day got under way with The Searchers starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Arguably this, or one of the Cavalry trilogy, should have been the film that Wayne won an Oscar for instead of True Grit which has just been remade and is due at cinemas imminently. Wayne plays against type to a degree and is not at all likeable as a character. As usual he has his reliable acting troupe around him. At around the same time there was Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country. This was one of the best of the movies and many argue that it was the best. It is worth a look in its own right. One slightly odd recommendation is Cronos by Guillermo Del Toro. It is a slightly odd 'vampire' movie and is worth a look.

Sunday brings The Princess Bride. This film is a work of genius and you should not trust any human being who says that they don't like this film. In the evening there is a plethora of films to choose from. You have The Long Kiss Goodnight with Geena Davis, Samuel L Jackson, Brian Cox to name but a few of the cast. This is a brilliantly comic action film. You have The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise, Billy Connolly and Ken Watanabe. This is a beautiful film and one of my favourites. There is also The Hunt For Red October with its all star cast. or my money this is thebest of the Jack Ryan movies and Alec Baldwin is a better Ryan than Harrison Ford for my money. One last recommendation is to avoid Aeonflux like the plague. Now I like pointless films and mindless violence but this is just utterly without redeeming features.

Throughout the week on ITV2 theya re showing the Bourne films one after another. They are all worthy of a look. Monday night sees Mars Attacks (ITV4) a gloriously anarchic film. The film was based on a set of cards and is brilliant and the all star cast just go for it. Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Rod Steiger the list goes on. A little later on there is Alien Nation (Film4) which is a quirky little film and which is generally underrated by most people.

On Tuesday is South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut. Much like the cartoon series this film is a bit hit and miss but for me the stand out bit is the musical number 'Bomb Canada'. Wednesday night brings possibly Arnold Schwarzenegger's finest film (OK I know that that isn't saying a lot) The Terminator. It is a film that stands out and which is still as effective as it was when it first came out.

Enjoy your films.

Snow and its side effects

Well the weekend has now been cancelled due to another wave of snow in sunny Huddersfield. I have now been living here for nearly 18 years and this is the first proper winter we have ever had. Yes there has been snow before but this is the first time that we have had a time when the town has ground to a halt at times. The council have not coped with it desperately well. The potholes in the road that were bad before the cold weather, and weren't being fixed, are now significantly worse. There is one road in Slaithwaite which has what I would describe as a car-killer of a pothole. The road has just totally subsided so it now resembles something from Journey to the Centre of the Earth rather than a pothole.

My concern here is that with all the potholes what unseen damage has been done to my car literally days away from its MOT. So since I am somewhat sidelined since we are not at the rugby club today I thought I would inflict some more film opinions on you. This week, as you will see from the little list on the right of your screen, I have highlighted three films for your delight and delectation. These are not necessarily the best films on those days in terms of critical acclaim but are my favourites and on some days there are other films which are well worth a look.

Today, after Gerry Adams investigates the story of Christ, Channel 4 has two films which are both worthy of attention. At about 8 there is 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which is the sequel to the Fantastic Four. I am a comic book fan but I always felt that the FF were Marvel's equivalent to Stepford and a bit too stereotypical. This film is better than the first film, which isn't actually saying a lot, and is diverting entertainment. It is followed by one of the best action films you will see. The current governor of California goes around the jungle deforesting it and having his crack team wiped out one at a time in Predator. There is no deep pathos here, no real moral message it is just really good fun if you like violent action thrillers. This is why I have nominated it as my film for the day. Other offerings available on some of the smaller channels are Top Gun and Romancing the Stone and Black Widow all on Film 4.

On Monday, my film of the day is Highlander. It is one of my favourite films of all time and has one of the largest franchise operations in existence with 4 'sequels', 2 spin off TV series and a number of animated series as well as books. Highlander, like Predator, is no Citizen Kane but is just enjoyable fun which is what the critics, the real ones, never really seem to appreciate. There are other better films on today but few will be as original in concept as this or will be as loyally supported by the fanbase that exists. There are rumours of a remake of the film in the pipeline and fans of the original are waiting with dread at this prospect. Other offerings of note today would be The Sixth Sense, Ladyhawke (set aside the really bad soundtrack) and Working Girl.

On Tuesday, I don't have a favourite film as such. Crocodile Dundee is alright but has begun to show it's age somewhat. I strongly suggest that you avoid The War of the Roses. I went to the cinema to see it on the back of the previous collaborations of Messrs Douglas, Turner and De Vito. That is two and a half hours I will never get back. On Wednesday if you liked Highlander on Monday you can watch it again. On Thursday you will find the quirky Local Hero and the deeper Once Upon A Time in America. I lost patience with the latter and never really took too it as I am not a big fan of american gangster films.

On Friday, there are repeats of T2 and Top Gun and the very British comedy, Time Bandits which hasn't aged very well largely because of the effects. I will probably check out Seraphim Falls on BBC1 at 11.45.

Just for the information of my international readership, which I have apparently acquired. Since you don't have British TV much of the scheduling information is irrelevant but the recommendations still stand. In the UK until the 1960s we only had one TV channel and a few radio channels - all BBC. The Beeb added another in the 1960s and we got ITV. In the 1980s Channel 4 arrived and in the 1990s Channel 5( if you could get the signal). This was about the time of the cable and satellite TV boom. There are now hundreds of channels showing next to nothing that anybody wants to see. The ones that people watch are showing programs that were, in many cases, made 20 years ago. Most of my recommendations will be for terrestrial channels or on freeview (the free to air digital channels)

With films, almost all will probably be available at your local DVD rental outlet by now since it generally takes a couple of years to get on to terrestrial TV here unless your film has been backed by one of the channels (usually the BBC or Channel 4). Any TV programs I may mention probably won't be available in overseas markets but keep an eye out as you never know. Books and music recommendations are almost certainly available at Amazon or Itunes etc.

Media reviews of the week

Firstly I have been watching a lot of DVDs in recent days. Eddie Izzard 7 a box set of all his shows is great entertainment if you enjoy slightly unpredictable and off the wall comedy. Star Trek (the film released earlier this year) is a very good watch. The only slightly unsettling thing about it is that I keep expecting Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock, to turn into Sylar rather than use the Vulcan neck pinch. I have also completed series 2 of Highlander.

I am still reading Ranulph Fiennes' latest book which as something of a history buff is incredible. This is one family going down through history affecting major events. I recommend it to you all but read after reading John O'Farrell's Utterly Impartial History of Britain.

Apologies for coming to the weeks televisual film offerings but I had a life at the weekend. I won't dwell on what we have missed so far but Wednesday has a number of films worthy of consideration. The Last Samurai is arguably my favourite of the day. It is beautifully shot and Ken Watanabe steals the show from Tom Cruise but unlike in his early days I suspect that Cruise is more comfortable with this. Cruise is good and with able support from Billy Connolly and Timothy Spall it is a well spent couple of hours. Also worth a look is The Sixth Sense which is up against one of the most overrated horror films of all time The Exorcist.

On Thursday we have Enter The Dragon. Arguably the most influential martial arts movie of all time. It is brilliant entertainment particularly if you get to see the unedited version. Bruce Lee was never better than in this and it is a tragedy that he never lived to see the successor possibly to fulfil his massive potential. Big Trouble in Little China is also on but if you watch Dragon then why would you bother with this effects driven chop socky adventure. On any other day Big Trouble is worth a look.

Friday's tour de force is Mars Attacks. It is hysterically funny and star studded. Perhaps those who make films based on computer games should watch this to see how to expand an idea where there is little actual source material. With nods to War of the Worlds, Airplane and many other films this is one that is well worth the effort. Also available is The Black Dahlia. This was a disappointment after LA Confidential but that being said it is worthy of a look. It was a bit slow and ponderous and didn't quite hit the film noir feel which it needed. Samuel L Jackson's version of Shaft is also worth a look. Like The Jackal which I reviewed some time ago it retains enough of the original but is more than capable of standing on its own two feet as a film in its own right.

Films of the week (w/c28/11/09)

Well it's been a while since I reviewed any films or indeed anything. I will be watching Highlander 2:Renegade Cut in the next few days. To all those who remember the abomination that was Highlander 2 at the cinema it is supposed to be the film we should have seen. I am currently watching Series 2 of the Highlander TV series.

I have recently finished reading Stuart Maconie's Cider With Roadies. If you are interested in music history it is interesting. It is not as good as Pies & Prejudice but is much better than Adventures on the High Teas. That just didn't click for me.

So on with the films on Saturday there are 3 films each of which if they didn't have the competition would be film of the day. The Adventures of Robin Hood is Hollywood does English legend ye olde englishe waye. It is a fantastic romp and Basil Rathbone, Erroll Flynn and Claude Rains simply chew up the screen. Overlapping this gem is The Empire Strikes Back. This is by a considerable distance the best of the original three Star Wars films and by definition, therefore, the best of the six. It is dark and the Vadar and Yoda characters are fantastic. Late night on Virgin 1 is No Way Out. Gene Hackman acts Kevin Costner off the screen in what is one of Costner's best films. It is simply well written, well acted and a pacy thriller.

On Sunday yet again there are a clutch of interesting offerings. Channel 5 offers Firefox. Based on the Craig Thomas novel of the same name it is actually quite a good adaptation of the book. Unfortunately it was panned by just about everybody as one of Clint Eastwood's worst films. The dodgy Russian accents offered by pretty much the entire membership of Equity are a delight to behold. It is good fun if not a great movie. It is followed by The Green Mile. This is based on the Stephen King story. It is the director Frank Darabont's second King prison flick after The Shawshank Redemption. Coincidentally the stage play of that film is in trouble with a number of reviewers for putting a review of the film over it's theatrical offering which was not so praiseworthy apparently. I am not a big Tom Hanks fan but this is one of his better films. Other offerings are Sahara (Film 4) which is a very good action adventure offering. Lastly there is Enemy at the Gates. This isn't rated too highly in Radio Times but I think it is actually a very entertaining movie if at variance with actual history.

On Tuesday the undoubted film of the day is Flags of Our Fathers (Film 4) This is one of Clint Eastwood's 2 war films and is actually probably the slightly weaker of the two in my humble opinion. Nevertheless it is still a better film than most you will see. It tells the Iwo Jima tale from the American point of view. The outstanding performance in this film comes from Adam Beach who can also be seen in another fantastic film, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. The other film on Tuesday is The Blues Brothers. There isn't a plot as such it is merely a series of set pieces to showcase the fantastic music which is what the film is all about.

Wednesday brings the second of the Clint Eastwood war films, Letters From Iwo Jima. I think this is the best of the two. Ken Watanabe is truly magnificent but is there a film where he isn't, perhaps Batman Begins. Also on Wednesday there is First Blood. This is the first and, by some considerable distance, the best of the Rambo films. Stallone is excellent, despite evidence to the contrary (Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot), he can act given the right material (Rocky, Copland, Judge Dredd). The tension is ratcheted up in this film. Brian Dennehy is a fantastic foil and watch out for David Caruso of CSI Miami. If only the rest of the franchise could have been a patch on this one they would all be classics.

On Thursday there is one underrated offering and one guilty pleasure. The underrated offering is Black Widow. It is not normally one of my type of films and I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to see it. However, I ended up watching it one evening and was impressed with the offering. The guilty pleasure is Rat Race. It is by the Airplane team which means one of two things usually. A film will be either very very funny (Airplane, Naked Gun, Police Squad) or it will be very dodgy (Kentucky Fried Movie, Top Secret). There are gags in this film that you laugh at but your not sure why or even if you should be laughing but you can't help it.

We end the week with two films on Friday night. The first of these, The Jackal, shouldn't work and some still feel that it is heresy that it was ever made, but it is a great film that whilst showing a nod to its illustrious predecessor doesn't feel constrained by it. It takes what worked in the original but changes it slightly. Bruce Willis is absolutely fantastic as the title character, Sidney Poitier is fantastic as the FBI agent. The one thing that spoils this film is Richard Gere and the frankly ludicrous plot involving an ex-Basque terrorist. The second film is Downfall. This is about the last days in Hitler's bunker in Berlin. It is a film which was universally lauded particularly Bruno Ganz who portrays the German dictator. I found it a bit turgid and long winded for my taste. It might well be very good but I found it hard going.

Enjoy yourselves more to come in the next few days.

Avoiding the football

Hi everybody,

If you are not one of those people who is bothered about whether England can beat Andorra this evening then I have a few film recommendations. At 9pm on E4 we have Tim Burton's Batman. This original vision of the Dark Knight story was excellent. The show was stolen by Jack Nicholson as The Joker but overall it is just great entertainment. At the same time on Film 4 there is Dodgeball. Those who know me would testify to the fact that I think Ben Stiller films are very hit and miss and in my opinion most of them are miss. Dodgeball is one of those rare films that is actually quite good. From 10pm onwards you have a choice of 3 offerings. Mad Max is a film I never really got in to. In fact I once spent a Sunday afternoon at the ABC cinema in Mansfield watching all 3 films back to back and still came out no wiser. On FiverUSA there is Terminator 3 which is possibly the weakest of the films in the Terminator series thus far. I have yet to see Terminator Salvation and will probably wait for it to come out on DVD. Lastly on BBC1 there is Insomnia. It is a good watch although it is probably not a film you will watch again. The performances from Robin Williams & Al Pacino are excellent.

Go Ireland by the way and hope that you beat India in the cricket today.

Tomorrow film wise there are two films to look out for. At 9pm on Virgin1 there is Dark Angel. Nothing to do with the Jessica Alba series but a Dolph Lundgren film in which an alien comes to Earth and wreaks havoc because he likes collecting endorphines. At 10.35 on ITV1 is Total Recall. This is one of those rare films of a Philip K Dick novel that is actually a good film. I have never been a fan of Blade Runner or Minority Report but absolutely love this film. It is rip roaring entertainment that doesn't take itself too seriously. Arnie is, well, Arnie. Ably supported by Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox. These two gentlemen are both actors who you will watch probably not knowing who they are but going "I remember him in...". They both play fabulous villains.

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.