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  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 21,704MI6 Agent
    edited July 2022

    Miss Minoes (2001)

    (alt. title: "Under over Kitty". Org. title: "Minoues".)

    This is a Dutch live-action family movie. Tibbe is a failed newspaper journalist, mainly because of his ficsation with cats. One day he meets a woman in a tree in the park, scared by a dog. It's Minoes (Carice van Houten). It turns out Minoes is a chat who somehow just turner into a cat. van Houten's performance is impressive, especially if you've only seen her as Mellisandre in Game of Thrones. She has adopter many cat mannerisms: how she eats fish, the fear of dogs, the fasination with shiny objects etc. I've been admiring van Houten's p*ssy all night! 😎

    Minoes can still understand and talk to cats. The cats are (mainly) CGI and far more impressive than those in the recent Cats movie. Minoes poses as Tibbe's secretary, and together with the other cats she works as Tibbe's inteligence service and restarts Tibbe'career. There's even a gunbarrel gag!

    I really liked this movie because of the strong and inventive plot and van Houten's pu ..... cat. The kids I watched it with also enjoyed Miss Minoes.

  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,054Chief of Staff

    Yes, I agree. The son should have died.

    I did enjoy the film, more or less, but will always prefer the 1953 version - not to mention Jeff Wayne's musical one.

  • CoolHandBondCoolHandBond Mactan IslandPosts: 6,033MI6 Agent

    THE WRONG MAN (1956)

    Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this is what would be called a docudrama today. In a case of mistaken identity a family man is accused of having robbed an insurance office. The film is based on fact and some unfortunate coincidences point to the guilt of Henry Fonda who plays musician Manny Balestrero. Manny’s wife has a nervous breakdown during the events. It’s a compelling drama and Hitchcock ramps up the tension as Manny struggles to prove his innocence.

    A lesser known Hitchcock movie, but one of his finest.

    Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,054Chief of Staff


    An unplanned Vincent Price marathon.


    THE ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES (1971)

    Price plays a horribly disfigured organist (wearing a very Price-like mask during most of the movie) seeking revenge on the medical crew responsible (in his eyes) for his wife’s death. The revenge takes the form of biblically inspired deaths (eg locusts, frogs) while Scotland Yard try to track him down. It’s not to be taken very seriously, and Price knows this and plays appropriately.

    Two Bond ladies are here: Virginia North plays Price’s assistant and she played Olympe, Draco’s girlfriend, in OHMSS. There she was dubbed by Nikki van der Zyl (of course) and here she’s completely silent, so I still have no idea what her own voice was like. Anybody know of a movie where she speaks? The other is the beautiful Caroline Munro (Naomi in TSWLM) who plays Price’s dead wife, partly in photos- so of course she’s silent as well.


    DR PHIBES RISES AGAIN (1972)

    The law of Hollywood: if your film’s a success, do a sequel. Nowhere near as good as the first one, and Price’s assistant is played by a different actress. Munro’s still there, sort of (photos and lying still, being dead). Being a Peter Cushing fan, I was disappointed that his “Guest Star” part was perhaps two minutes long.


    THE FLY (1958)

    Don’t be afraid. Don’t be very afraid. This isn’t the gruesome 80s remake with Jeff Goldblum but the much tamer original starring our own David Hedison (billed here as Al Hedison, don’t know why) as the unfortunate man who splices with a fly, and Vincent Price as his brother.

    It’s structured more as a mystery than a horror movie, and most of the heavy lifting is done by Patricia Owens as Hedison’s wife, and done well too. The SFX are a bit creaky by today’s standards, or even those of the 80s, but it’s enjoyable enough if you can ignore those.


    RETURN OF THE FLY (1959)

    And once again the law of Hollywood. Price returns in the same part, but the main protagonist could be called “Son Of The Fly” which might have been a better title. It’s done on the cheap (b&w while the original was in colour; as many of the same sets used as possible) and repeats many plot elements. Only if you really liked the first one, or are a sucker for bad movies. 

  • Shady TreeShady Tree London, UKPosts: 2,965MI6 Agent
    edited July 2022

    The Gray Man (2022)

    (No substantial spoilers)

    Saw this on Netflix today. It's an entertaining if totally cliched actioner, reading like an extended audition for lead Ryan Gosling as the next James Bond. There's one explicit, quite hip, reference to 007 in the dialogue (worked in against some diegetic use of a retro Shirley Bassey track); the world of the film is presumably one in which characters go to see Bond movies. Beyond that single namecheck there is, in fact, a lot of allusive leaning into the Craig era of 007, alongside Jason Bourne, John Wick and one or two bits of earlier Bond stuff as well.

    In general terms, the backdrop is a world of amoral CIA covert ops - think Bourne, or Beam in QOS - out of which corrupt villainy arises. There's a lightness to the film, despite that baggage; It's great to see Chris Evans - Captain America himself, no less - having lots of fun playing the operational bad guy.

    Compared with typical Bond fare there's more extensive use of obvious CGI here, sometimes rather cheap looking; but the numerous fights, shoot-outs and explosive chases are all compelling enough.

    Gosling is good in this. Some of his previous leading roles have been artsily outre, as if to match his slightly off-centre version of handsome, but here he's delivering pleasingly conventional action heroism of the impassive-yet-ultimately-empathetic variety, minus any womanising.

    The Sierra Six/ Claire dynamic may bring to mind the Bond/ Mathilde connection in NTTD, but it's different: Six is acting only in loco parentis, and Claire (Julia Butters) is an older girl, given to verbal wit and banter with her jaded protector.

    Ana De Armas is welcome casting as Gosling's friendly CIA back-up, as if responding to the chorus of wishes from Bond fans that there'd been more of her in NTTD. There's no exact matching of Paloma's cutesy attitude, or killer evening dress, though; nor of the enigmatic Joi's haunting connection with Gosling in 'Blade Runner 2049'.

    'The Gray Man' is a worthwhile popcorn movie, the edgier darkness of which is blunted by cliche (not in a bad way). I recommend it to Bond fans. It's prompted at least one interview with Gosling - for Sky News - about whether he considers himself in the running for the part of Bond. His diplomatic reply is that he doesn't think they'd ask a Canadian; I'm sure he's just being coy.

    Critics and material I don't need. I haven't changed my act in 53 years.
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 21,704MI6 Agent

    Did you get an impression of Regel Jean-Page in the movie?

  • Shady TreeShady Tree London, UKPosts: 2,965MI6 Agent
    Critics and material I don't need. I haven't changed my act in 53 years.
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 21,704MI6 Agent

    I think he's a potential Bond even though I haven't seen him in anything other than interviews and trailers yet. He has the looks and charm, but I need to see him convince in a well-acted drama (and ideally demonstrate a talent for action too) before I support him fully. Nice to hear he did well in The Grey Man.

  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,054Chief of Staff

    Vampyr (1932) Carl Theodor Dreyer


    An obscure horror movie from the dawn of sound. This was an international production (German/French/Danish) which I watched in German. The dialogue was limited, so my German was able to cope.

    I don’t know if this qualifies as expressionism or just off-beat, even for the times. A young man visits a small town where strange events happen, and how. The film deals more in images than plot

    and is distinctly non-linear in progression. Not a patch on almost contemporary productions such as “The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari” but haunting in the extreme.

    The lead is played by one “Julian West”, a pseudonym for its aristocratic backer. As far as I know, this was his only film.


  • CoolHandBondCoolHandBond Mactan IslandPosts: 6,033MI6 Agent

    BUSTER (1988)

    Over the last week I’ve been recovering from my first bout of covid so I’ve been watching quite a few movies. Phil Collins stars as Ronald ‘Buster’ Edwards, one of the Great Train Robbers from the infamous true 1963 heist which resulted in the theft of £2.6 million (£60m in today’s value). It’s really a romantic comedy-drama as it explores the Edward’s relationship before and after the robbery and their escape to Acapulco, finishing with their eventual return to England where Buster girls himself up to serve his sentence. Collins does very well in his role and a good British supporting cast make this an enjoyable romp. There’s some good songs from Collins and The Four Tops with songs from the day as background.

    There is an excellent 2-part drama from the BBC about the robbery which goes into much more detail, but for a diverting piece of hokum this is well worth a watch.

    Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
  • ChicoChico Posts: 56MI6 Agent

    So I just finished seeing The Gray Man.

    Good overall movie when compared to generic action thrillers nowadays.

    However, I’m more intrigued by the jacket Ryan Gosling wears at the end. No spoilers, I mean it’s just a jacket, but I’ve been wanting a white one like it.

    Anyone know what brand it could be? I was thinking Carhartt and I DM them but still no response.


  • CoolHandBondCoolHandBond Mactan IslandPosts: 6,033MI6 Agent

    COOL IT CAROL! (1970)

    Two naive youngsters leave their rural village for the bright lights of London and are drawn into drugs, pornography and prostitution. A pre-Confessions Robin Askwith stars with Janet Lynn as the teenagers seduced by various predators in this low budget exploitation movie directed by Pete Walker, who would go on to make his name in British horror movies. Shot on location it captures London of the period nicely and is fascinating to see.

    Nothing special but as a time capsule, it’s well worth seeing.

    Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,177MI6 Agent

    catching up on my COVID movies:

    THE RAILWAY CHILDREN (1970)

    E. Nesbit’s dated but ultimately warm-hearted children’s story is set in 1906 and has three enterprising London kids adapting to life in rural Yorkshire, at Oakworth, close to the village railway. Clever playing from Jenny Agutter as the eldest, Roberta, disguises the methodical camerawork and spartan script. The trio save a train from disaster, foster a lost Russian dissident, and generally make good-natured nuisances’ of themselves. Good for what it is and despite my general cynicism, the final scene on the station platform is cinema at it’s heart-pulling best and dares you not to shed a tear. There’s a sequel doing the rounds and I might just pop out and give it a glance. Nice looking trains.


    OCEAN’S ELEVEN (2001)

    Steven Soderbergh’s slicker than oil heist caper has George Clooney’s smooth bank robber accumulating a gang of eleven crooks, all experts in their fields, to rip off an immense Las Vegas casino vault. Clooney has form for this kind of performance: his ex-con in Out of Sight is virtually an identikit role: Danny Ocean has the same swagger, smooth patter and smile and neat cut in clothing as Jack Foley. He also has a smashing leading actress to impress, this time in the form of Julia Roberts. Soderbergh directed both films with an ear on character dialogue and an eye on impressive, but hollow images. Here, Las Vegas could hardly look any more glitzy. Whole scenes pass by leaving us astounded at the magical trickery of movie making and bank robbing, but without revealing anything of the story’s soul.

    There isn’t one. This is surface gloss of the highest order. Sit down with a large Haig over ice, wallow in the fantasy of the phenomenal crime, snigger at the jokes and make yourself feel good. A starry cast barely has to breathe to make this watchable. Delightful rubbish, which like the equally silly Sinatra-Rat Pack 1960 original, leaves you with a sufficiently pleasant after taste.

    Much like a Haig over ice.  

  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,177MI6 Agent

    Channel Film 4 has been doing a week of sci-fi movies and I caught a few.

    ALIEN 3 (1992)

    David Fincher’s directorial debut is this disappointing second sequel. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is jettisoned in an escape pod and wakes up stranded on a Y-Chromosome penal colony with a band of unpleasant criminal brothers and another rampaging alien. Having seen two previous films deliver the goods in startling and effective fashion, this one doesn’t seem to have anything significant to tell or show us. Not content to repeat scenes from earlier movies, it even repeats itself. Well designed, but dull. 


    UNDERWATER (2020)

    No surprises undersea sci-fi drama.

    Lots of things go wrong on a deep sea drilling rig. The movie sets out its stall in the opening sequence and refuses to let up for the next ninety minutes. A very silly, tensionless exercise. I expect better from modern filmmakers.

  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,177MI6 Agent

    And best of the lot:

    VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS (2017)

    I may have reviewed this before. The burning question remains: who is Dane De Haan and why isn’t he Bruce Willis? Luc Besson directs his lead actor in the same way he did Willis in The Fifth Element [that spectacular monument to a grandiose ‘ancient aliens’ argument]. Hell, he even writes the same kind if world-weary dialogue. De Hann’s reactions and movements are storyboarded / choreographed like Willis. “So, where the hell is Brucie?” I cry. The film demands him. A beautiful Cara Delevigne almost yearns for an older man – Valerian’s protestations of love seem too maturely contrived to come from such a young man.

    For all that Valerian is a superb piece of sci-fi fantasy filmmaking, taking us on a spaceship-sized rollercoaster journey of action and tension with some environmental / pacifist agendas thrown in for good measure. Far in the future, the International Space Station has expanded to such a size as to be a threat to Earth’s stability, so Rutger Hauer’s World President shoves it off into deep space where the station, now known as Alpha, grows to a gigantic seething mass of life, a space ship supporting thousands of life forms in an equable and democratic environment. Galactic Police Officer Major Valerian and his female Sergeant Laureline are charged with the recovery of an alien ‘Mul Converter’, the last of its kind. Valerian is doubly intrigued as he’s been dreaming about the planet Mul, a world of peace and tranquillity, yet, according to the Police Database, Mul was dreary and uninhabited. It was also destroyed during an unfortunate intergalactic war.

    Not only does the Mul Converter prove difficult to obtain, but so does keeping hold of the creature. A wonderful, vivid space-chase ensues, passing through the various worlds of Alpha and encountering several outlandish and inventive creatures, most notably Rihanna’s Glamour Pod, a silicon shape-shifter trapped in an exotic erotic show. The audio and visual effects are outstanding throughout. It was originally made for 3D exhibition and some of the most spectacular scenes are clearly designed for the format. Watching on a flat screen doesn’t hurt, but occasionally the viewer is more than aware of the filmmaker’s original vision. The feel of the piece is somewhat disjointed, part serious anti-war eco-fable, part comic book romp [it is actually based on a popular French comic] but Besson is a good enough director to move us swiftly from scene to scene without making the thing too disjointed. It’s a fun exercise with funny incidents and a tongue firmly in its cheek. Even the violence errs to the comic, which is rather refreshing. At last! I thought, a view of the future which doesn’t take itself too seriously.

    Clive Owen hams it up as the villain. John Goodman voices a CGI alien which more than resembles himself. Rihanna impresses. So too Ms Delevigne, a clothes horse with talent. But who and why is Dean De Haan? A non-entity of a leading man does no favours to the movie. The effects and the overall physical thrust of the film just about covers this earthquake-sized crack, but it is to its detriment.

    Still, fabulous entertainment.    

  • CoolHandBondCoolHandBond Mactan IslandPosts: 6,033MI6 Agent

    THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971)

    Released between Witchfinder General and The Wicker Man, this is another of the Middle Ages folk horror movies so popular at the time, it’s not as good as the other two but does have some powerful scenes and a suitably Cushing/Lee-esque performance from screen bad guy Patrick Wymark. When a farmer unearths a skull in a field it leads to accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. Some of the scenes are quite gory for the time but they are not handled as well as they were in Witchfinder General.

    It’s ok, worth a look.

    Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
  • Golrush007Golrush007 South AfricaPosts: 3,418Quartermasters

    ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC (1943)

    Starring Humphrey Bogart as the first officer on a Merchant Marine freighter during WWII, this is a pretty well made seafaring drama. Obviously it was made during the war itself, so the film has a progandistic edge to it but I wouldn't call that a criticism. It's very much a studio-bound production so it relies heavily on miniatures and special effects and these are quite effective most of the time. The sets look good, the film generally has quite an authentic feel to it. And another nice touch is that Germans speak German, Russians speak Russian etc. The dialogue is not always the most convincing aspect of the film, but I wouldn't expect anything different from this type of film. It goes on a bit long, but I did find it an entertaining film and worth a watch,

  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 21,704MI6 Agent

    Movies about the merchant navy are rare, far too rare. I'm looking forward to a new Norwegian movie about the merchant navy later this year. It's big budget (by local standards) and about time. Think off all the movies made about paratroopers, but hardly any about the much more important role of the sailors transporting fuel, explosives, weapons, food and other vital cargo.

  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,239MI6 Agent

    Never clocked that Léa Seydoux was in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) now showing on UK TV. Can't say she made that much impression but these films are really just one long McGuffin, bolstered by two great set pieces per movie, Cruise's star power and keenness to do his own stunts, a bit of comic relief but.... it is hard to tell them apart.

    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,177MI6 Agent

    They did a brief Terminator series on Channel Film 4, although I had to re-watch the first two of my own accord. Couldn't have done that without Covid. Not sure if I feel blessed or not:

    THE TERMINATOR (1984)

    Occasionally a sci-fi movie comes along which really breaks the mould and James Cameron’s The Terminator is one.

    This is the movie which sealed Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fame and introduced us to his catchphrase ‘I’ll be back.’ That the movie makes no logical sense is irrelevant. Just accept the premise and go along for the ride.

    I won’t bother explaining the plot. Good performances from Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn as soon to be time-crossed lovers. Arnie makes an absurd but watchable villain. The movie is violent, horrific and constantly amusing, which you’d think contradicts the action, but actually complements it as most of the humour stems from the characters’ reactions to Arnie’s indestructible human cyborg or there astonishment at the bonkers plot.

    Of course, Cameron’s intention wasn’t to send up Arnie’s persona – that came later – and thus the T800 is a monstrous villain fit to bestride a well-orchestrated and tension filled movie. The suspense is the true key and the gripping climax has been often imitated but seldom bettered. Along with Bladerunner and The Empire Strikes Back, this is probably one of the best sci-fi epics of the era but was starchily received in 1984. Video rentals really did it huge favours and it has subsequently been recognised as a classic of its genre.

    Very excellent.

    [Incidentally the movie’s plot line was stolen, sorry, re-imagined from a 1973 Dr. Who adventure Day of the Daleks in which terrorist freedom fighters travel back in time to assassinate a politician who, if not thwarted, signs a treaty which paves the way for nuclear war, thus setting in motion the seeds of a Dalek invasion; the Doctor of course realizes the plan won’t work as it messes with the basic laws of time...]

     

    TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)

    How do you make a sequel that outshines its predecessor? Remake it, only bigger, louder and better.

    James Cameron certainly achieves that here with a gripping, high-octane chase movie whose pace doesn’t relent for a single minute. No explanations are needed.

    Excellent performances all round, even from the cyborgs T800/101 [Arnold Schwarzenegger] and T1000 [Robert Patrick]. Linda Hamilton provides the core of the film’s humanity, even if she’s as ruthless as the cyborgs. The film needs her conscience as it doesn’t have time for much intellectual bravado. Stupendous action is the order of the day, off-set by moments of pithy humour. The FX still hold up today. The tempo is unrelenting and violently effective.

    A fine achievement in entertainment which, like many of Cameron’s films, could have done with a screenplay polish. Nonetheless, tremendous science fiction. Five stars all round. Quite possibly one of the best action movies ever made.  

  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,177MI6 Agent
    edited July 2022

    And there's more:

    TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003)

    A second sequel didn’t seem necessary, but another decade on from Judgement Day, here we all go again.

    While the original duology gave us innovations in both narrative and visuals, this one doesn’t provide us with anything we haven’t seen before. The novelty value of a sexy female cyborg [Kristanna Loken] soon wears thin and the chases, fights and arguments become repetitive. The movie is bold enough to have an uncompromisingly bleak end, but it’s not a patch on James Cameron’s two efforts in terms of tension and excitement. Direction, script and production values are merely functional.


    TERMINATOR: GENISYS (2015)

    There was a disappointing post-apocalyptic fourth instalment [Terminator: Salvation, 2009] which was meant to kickstart a whole new trilogy. However, minus Arnold Schwarzenegger and the time-travel concept, it barely seemed worth the effort. This film returns us to the original storyline as John Connor sends Kyle Reese back to Los Angeles 1984 so his father can meet his mother. Unfortunately, there’s some parallel universe gobbledegook going on and things don’t run as smoothly [!] as they did first time around [!].

    Emila Clark makes a decent stab at being a more self-aware Sarah Connor. It’s good to have Arnie back, even if he’s “old and obsolete” and nicknamed “Pops” for fun. Jai Courtney is a bland hero. The movie basically combines the first three Terminator movies into one confusing, exceptionally loud thrill ride. I lost track of the plot half-way through.

    The film doesn’t venture out of the night-time for well over an hour, so a story that’s too clever by half gets more and more perplexing the darker the night gets. Oh, how I wanted the sun to shine on Ms Clark and Mr Courtney. When it does, though, the themes remains unremittingly glum and it is no surprise we are quickly plunged back into the dark. The action is more Marvel Universe than Terminator and becomes more and more ridiculous the longer the thing goes on. And it does go on. And on.   


    TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (2019)

    The sixth instalment in a heavy laden franchise conveniently forgets everything we learnt in episodes 3, 4 & 5.

    James Cameron had a hand in the script and tactfully reintroduces Linda Hamilton’s older, but no less confrontational, Sarah Connor. There’s a new threat. This time they call it Legion, but it’s basically Sky Net all over again. This all-seeing computer villain has created a Rev-9 Terminator machine whose virtual indestructability becomes preposterous, turning every action sequence into a weary, tensionless exercise. Some of the fight scenes felt like watching two ancient heavyweight boxers relive past glories. The chases are numerous and forgettable. I’ve forgotten them already. A helicopter was one, I think. Almost every scene felt as if I’d already watched it in one of the previous episodes.

    Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t put in an appearance until midway and then he arrives in the disguise of a skilled draper with a family and an out-woods cabin: his T800 has become a domesticated gunslinger persuaded to go on one last bounty hunt. All wild west analogies stop there.

    A terribly executed film. Too long. Too loud. Too violent. Extremely boring. Thankfully [apparently] this will be the last.

  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,177MI6 Agent

    I'd forgotten that too. You'll get my reactions to this franchise in a few days.

  • JoshuaJoshua Posts: 1,138MI6 Agent

    Not seen yet, but tonight I am going to watch 'What Ever Happened To Baby Jane' on BBC4 at 2100hrs.

    I haven't seen this film but have been told it is good.

  • CoolHandBondCoolHandBond Mactan IslandPosts: 6,033MI6 Agent

    CARRY ON DOCTOR (1967)

    Frankie Howard joins the usual cast in this first of his two Carry On outings. I liked Frankie, his humour appeals to me, he was a one-off, a unique comedian of the like that we will never see again. Frankie plays a faith healer who injures his back and has to spend time in hospital with a group of madcap patients - Sid James (workshy malingerer), Charles Hawtrey (sympathetic pregnancy) and Bernard Bresslaw (love struck). Kenneth Williams plays the registrar and Hattie Jacques the matron (all hospitals should go back to having matrons and they should all be like Hattie 😂). Misunderstandings abound as Barbara Windsor’s sexy nurse causes ructions all around.

    I suppose Carry On’s are now cancelled in today’s woke culture, but I find them funny, in the sense of a British seaside postcard style of humour, full of double entendres that make me chuckle. One of the best of the series.

    Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
  • Golrush007Golrush007 South AfricaPosts: 3,418Quartermasters

    I should give Carry On Doctor a rewatch. I'm also fond of the Carry On series, but when I watched them Carry On Doctor was one of the last I got round to and I think it suffered from a bit of Carry On fatigue on my part. I'd like to rewatch it with fresh eyes, because in line with what you say, it has a reputation as one of the best in the series.

  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,239MI6 Agent

    Carry On Doctor was indeed one of the best, as is the one that preceded it, Carry On.... Follow That Camel! which was an attempt to break in to the US market by hiring Phil Silvers in a key role of the kind usually taken by Sid James, the film - called simply Follow That Camel! until rebranded - was unsuccessful, however.

    These films are perhaps best to be watched with the family all around and their laughter echoing down through the generations.

    Like the Bond films, they went off badly in the mid 70s, unlike the Bonds they never were successfully revived though there were nods to that kind of humour in TV series Blackadder and Benidorm.

    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • hehadlotsofgutshehadlotsofguts Durham England Posts: 2,107MI6 Agent

    [B]Whatever Happened To Baby Jane[/b] is on BBC IPlayer to watch on demand. Released in 1962, the film has Bette Davis and Joan Crawford playing sisters who are actresses. Bette Davis's character (Baby Jane Hudson) is a has-been and Joan Crawford's character (Blanche Hudson) is a popular actress. Jane resents -Blanche's popularity and fame and inflicts physical and emotional abuse on her.


    Blanche is paralysed after a car accident and uses a wheelchair. There's a great twist at the end. No spoilers though!


    Great film! One of my favourites

    Have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?"

    " I don't listen to hip hop!"
  • Lady RoseLady Rose London,UKPosts: 2,667MI6 Agent

    The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Stars Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal.

    If you like Nicolas Cage you'll like this. I enjoyed it very much. Lighthearted, fun and just enough action to keep you interested.

  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,177MI6 Agent

    MISSION IMPOSSIBLE MARATHON

    MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (1996)

    I reviewed this last year. I did watch it again, but there was no need to change my review of a very good thriller:

    I can’t tell you guys anything you don’t already know about this cinematic reboot of a 60s/70s TV show. Suffice to say, it was a lot less violent than I recalled – having not seen it since about 2000 and its TV premiere. Yes, there is one tremendously suspenseful [!!!] sequence set in a CIA sealed vault and a hair raising climax atop a Eurostar, but for the most part this movie is a tension and plot twisting, dialogue driven exercise. No shoot outs or karate fights bar a very short incident at the film’s end. The body count is as low as seven. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. A few minor quibbles with the plot, but a tremendous lot of fun. The lack of action is refreshing. It’s sub-Hitchcock, after a fashion.


    MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 (2000)

    A decent effort from John Woo spoilt by having too many slow motion inserts slowing down what should be pulsating action scenes.

    A half-way remake of Hitchcock’s Notorious, but a film which chooses to focus on action rather than suspense, a mistake not made by Hitch in his 1946 classic or by Brian De Palma in 1996’s Mission: Impossible. What this film is really attempting to do is out-Bond James Bond, given Pierce Brosnan had so solidified the original and best espionage franchise by the late 1990s. It doesn’t succeed in being a Hitchcock homage or a OO7 imitation. Instead it mixes the two components with a healthy dose of T.V.’s Mission: Impossible and comes up with a stylish, good looking thriller that keeps an audience interested without ever bothering to delve too deeply into character or plot lest they become too bored. There’s some neat byplay with Anthony Hopkins’ spymaster, where he suggests Thandie Newton’s cat-burglar is an expendable woman worth exploiting, and thus Ethan Hunt’s conscience takes another hammering, just as it did in the first film, but that’s about it for character motivations.

    While the locations are more exotic than rainy London and oppressive Prague – sunny Seville and Sydney, very nice – the movie, despite the bad guy’s world threatening scheme, feels smaller in scale than any James Bond film. Tom Cruise is suitably robust. I forgot he had long hair in this one. There’s some messing about on motor cycles, several death defying cliff-climbs and another high wire act of some tension [get it ???].

    Overall, not bad, but not a patch on the first film.  


    MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 (2006)

    J.J. Abrams’ directorial debut, after successful television stints with Alias and Lost, begins the ‘excessive action’ phase of the M:I Series. With the first two movies a moderate attempt was made to temper the violence with a semblance of character insight and neatly twisting narratives. Mission: Impossible 3 decides to globe trot excessively [Virginia, USA; Berlin; Rome; Florida; Shanghai] and uses each location for admittedly outstanding slices of action. The night-time helicopter chase across a windfarm was particularly visceral despite being completely implausible. It’s noticeable that even with all the high-tech Impossible Mission Force hardware, this movie basically boils down to a pissed off gun runner threatening to kill a secret agent’s wife. We learn this during a gripping precredit teaser and don’t forget it. So when the wife is kidnapped, we know exactly where the narrative will lead us. The fact this doesn’t affect our enjoyment one iota underlines how mesmerizingly well presented the scenes of suspense and violence are.  

    In fairness, the writers did include the necessary MacGuffin and it’s better utilised than the NOC List or the Chimera Virus from in the first two outings. Called the Rabbit’s Foot – I kept thinking of Good Luck Charm by Elvis Presley and wondered why the music librarian hadn’t – it is completely irrelevant to the plot. Instead, as before, the MacGuffin is merely a diversionary tool to uncover something rotten at the core of the Impossible Mission Force. Ethan Hunt must turn rogue agent to find the Rabbit’s Foot and save his wife. Yes, you read that right: Ethan Hunt is married. If you can accept the premise that Hunt could ever form a workable, supportive, emotional relationship based on a lie, then I offer you Terminator: Dark Fate to stress how stupid that scenario really is.

    Still…

    Michelle Monaghan is suitably delicate as the wife in question [she’s called Julia Mead]. Ving Rhames returns as cyber expert Luther Stickell. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Maggie Q play perfunctory I.M.F. agents. Simon Pegg makes an amusing bow as techno wizard Benji Dunn. The best turn comes from Philip Seymour Hoffman as terrorist Owen Davian, a calmly demented arms dealer who emits more physical and psychological menace than any of Pierce Brosnan’s near contemporary Bond villains. This film, by pure spectacle and simplicity, outshines most of the 1990’s OO7 movies and were it not for Daniel Craig’s relaunch at Christmas this same year, the British spy franchise might have bitten dust. Casino Royale wisely reverted to source and left the excesses to the I.M.F. In fact, when Hoffman’s Davian is sprung from an armoured motorcade in the Florida Keys, I could only think how much easier it had been to rescue Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill. This movie really does demonstrate excess like nothing else.

    Regardless, Mission: Impossible 3 is very, very good indeed.    

  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,239MI6 Agent
    edited July 2022

    I'm enjoying these reviews, Chris No1. My enjoyment is only tempered by the fact I don't entirely agree - yes, the first one is great fun, well it's Brian De Palma almost in Untouchables mode, slick and stylish. The second would surely be great given John Woo's Face/Off - well, how appropriate is that for a M;I movie? - but was dogged by rewrites so it wasn't what it could have been. The film didn't charm me really. However, for the first time it had that thing of taking Bond set pieces and upgrading them - the car chase rivalry between Cruise and Newton is borrowed off Brosnan and Jamssen in GoldenEye.

    The third film I think opened with Cruise being tortured by the torture of his wife or something, I just thought 'naw, this isn't for me' - I can't recall if I saw the rest of it or bits of it later. I think they were trying to address the whole 'Is Cruise's character a ladies' man at all? Will he get married?' snag that seems to dog some of Cruise's films.

    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
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