Goldfinger [M]

Auric Goldfinger, renowned smuggler and owner of quite a large stockpile of gold, plans to break into Fort Knox, not to steal anything, but to irradiate it and substantially increase the net value of his own stocks, creating nuclear panic and crippling the Western economy in the process. Armed with razor sharp wit and even sharper gadgets, Special Agent 007, James Bond, is here to learn Goldfinger’s plan and bring him to justice. 

I’m going to admit this right now and get it out there in the open: I have never seen a James Bond movie. Goldfinger was my first. Yes, I know that snippets of these movies are sampled and imitated everywhere, I am aware that the entire Austin Powers trilogy was a spoof of the films, and I realise that it’s practically considered blasphemy if you say the line “shaken no stirred” without having seen the film that it’s from. But the truth is that, although the films have pretty much become their own genre and the charming and handsome Sean Connery has starred in a fair few of them, they just never really appealed to me. Being that Goldfinger is featured in The Book, I figured that I may as well lose my “Bond-virginity” to it, and I have to say that I’m glad that I did. A perfect balance of action, gadgets, and romance James Bond is up there with Star Wars and Indiana Jones as having no expiration date. Fantastically rollicking fun for the whole family! 

Auric Goldfinger, renowned smuggler and owner of quite a large stockpile of gold, plans to break into Fort Knox, not to steal anything, but to irradiate it and substantially increase the net value of his own stocks, simultaneously creating nuclear panic and crippling the Western economy in the process. Armed with razor sharp wit, impeccable style, and fantastic gadgets, Special Agent 007, James Bond, is sent to find out Goldfinger’s plan and bring him to justice before it’s too late. 

In a way, the James Bond adventures are not that dissimilar to Sherlock Holmes. You’ve got memorable characters that battle through a series of mysteries, each one a new and different story. I think that’s what’s nice about James Bond, that it doesn’t really matter if you don’t go in sequence, they’re just there to watched and enjoyed. 

Sean Connery stars as 007 and he was great. Very suave, handsome, charming, witty, cheeky, and he had such a magnetism about him. He delivered a great performance and gave us that immortal line “a martini shaken not stirred.” 

Starring Honor Blackman (it simply has to be said) as Pussy Galore, Gert Frobe, Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallet, Harold Sakata, Bernard Lee, Martin Benson, Cec Linder, Austin Willis, Lois Maxwell, Billy Nagy, Michael Mellinger, Peter Cranwell, and Nadja Regin, Goldfinger was a perfect action movie armed with great technological effects, action, romance, and a light comedy script. It’s simply packed with action, adventure, cool gadgets, dazzling dames, plane rides, and a debonair hero at the centre of it all. It had me hooked from start to finish. 

Go-o-o-old-finger. He's the man, the man with the Midas touch. A spider's touch. 

Rush Hour [M]

Agent Lee is the pride of the Hong Kong police force and Detective James Carter is the LAPD’s worst nightmare. When the daughter of the Hong Kong Consul is kidnapped, these two unlikely heroes must join forces in order to save her. 

After being constantly hassled by my brother, I finally promised to sit down with him and watch this movie… really just to shut him up. It takes a strong woman and an even stronger sister to admit when her younger brother was right… need I say more? Rush Hour was the perfect example of how completely opposite characters can work wonders together and it was a great romp filled with action, adventure, cops, and a solid story. Good film. 

Agent Lee is the pride of the Hong Kong police force: precise and lethal. Detective James Carter is the LAPD’s worst nightmare: a cocky loudmouth who manages to foul up everything. When the daughter of the Hong Kong Consul is kidnapped, the FBI is initially brought in to solve the case, but the Consul also sends for his personal friend Agent Lee. Bitter about the Consul’s lack of faith in them, the FBI hires Detective Carter to “babysit” Agent Lee whilst they solve the mystery and get the glory. Realising they’ve both been had, Lee and Carter become determined to save the girl first and, therefore, are forced to team up and kick some serious arse. 

The basic story of Rush Hour was solid, but the film’s appeal comes in the successful partnership of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

 Jackie Chan stars as Agent Lee and he was great. He delivered a performance that was sincere, protective, and honourable. Providing the film with most of the action, his kung fu fighting and whatnot, he was great to watch on screen.

 Chris Tucker stars as Detective Carter, providing the comic relief of the film. He gave a performance that was loud, egocentric, and very attention-demanding. As Jackie Chan was armed with all the right moves, Chris Tucker was armed with all the right lines and the partnership of the two made for great family entertainment. 

Starring Tom Wilkinson, Ken Leung, Tza Ma, Julia Hsu, and Chris Penn, Rush Hour was a rollicking cop movie that was filled with action, honour, great lengths of dialogue from Chris Tucker, and kung fu fighting.  It was good action-packed fun.

The Graduate [M]

Shy and uncertain Benjamin Braddock is back from college with a degree in his hand and an uncertain mind about his future. With his parents suffocating him with education, level-headedness, and praise, Ben cannot see straight enough as it is, but his confusion is thrust up to a whole new level when the wife of his father’s business partner begins making strong sexual advances towards him. Completely lost and uncertain, Ben is then saved by Elaine, the girl of his dreams, but to add insult to injury, Elaine is Mrs. Robinson’s daughter and this sexually territorial woman will stop at nothing to keep the two apart. 

Nominated for seven Academy Awards and earning director Mike Nichols the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Directing, The Graduate was a subtly shocking film that dealt with a number of themes including defiance, self-realisation, sexuality, and relationships. Packed with powerful performances and a memorable soundtrack, it really was a brilliant film. 

Shy and uncertain Benjamin Braddock is back from college with a degree in his hand and an uncertain mind about his future. With his parents suffocating him with education, level-headedness, and praise, Ben cannot see straight enough as it is, but his confusion is thrust up to a whole new level when the seductive and manipulative wife of his father’s business partner begins making strong sexual advances towards him. Completely lost and panicked, Ben is then saved by Elaine, the girl of his dreams. However, Elaine is Mrs. Robinson’s daughter and the sexually territorial dame will stop at nothing to keep the lovers apart. 

I think what was most powerful about the movie was its subtlety. Essentially, nothing much happens aside from a young man struggling through a relationship with an older woman, and then falling in love with the woman’s daughter. I have to admit that quite a few of the messages about uncertainty and impulse were completely overlooked by me, and it wasn’t until the climactic end that I had an epiphany and realised what the film was about. Yes, it’s one of those movies where perseverance is rewarded. 

Dustin Hoffman stars as Benjamin Braddock and he was simply marvellous. On the surface, it seemed that his performance was subdued and occasionally jagged, but as the dramas of the film erupt one by one, Dustin delivers a moving, uncertain, impulsive, polite, and oddly romantic performance. He was mesmerising from start to finish. 

Starring Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton, Elizabeth Wilson, Buck Henry, Brian Avery, Walter Brooke, Norman Fell, Alice Ghostley, Marion Lorne, and Eddra Gale, The Graduate was a brilliant film filled with defiance, self-realisation, drama, sexuality, a bizarre love triangle, and, finally, certainty. It was absolutely brilliant! 

Jurassic Park [PG]

On a remote island, a theme park exists where humans can interact with real dinosaurs, thanks to advanced cloning techniques. Before the Jurassic Park is opened to the public, it must first obtain the professional opinions of palaeontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler. But whilst the experts are on a tour of the island, along with the creator’s grandchildren and lawyer, a severe power failure causes the worst happen. With raptors and the vicious Tyrannosaurus Rex running amuck, could this be the last ride they go on? 

From Steven Spielberg comes this fantastic, rollicking adventure movie that’s filled with action, dinosaurs, and technology. Like Star Wars and the Indiana Jones series, Jurassic Park has no expiration date! 

On a remote island, a theme park exists where humans can interact with real dinosaurs, thanks to advanced cloning techniques. However thrilling as that may sound, the park’s investors have their doubts of the park’s safety and therefore, before the Jurassic Park can be made open to the public, it must first obtain positive opinions from palaeontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler. But whilst the experts are on a tour of the island, along with the creator’s grandchildren and lawyer, a sever power failure causes the worst to happen: the high voltage security fences shut down and the dinosaurs escape. With raptors and the vicious Tyrannosaurus Rex running amuck, could this be the last ride the experts and kids ever go on? 

Backed by its great story and light comedy script, Jurassic Park is, essentially, a special effects movie. The spotlight belongs to the dinosaurs, which were a brilliant and quite life-like triumph of technology. 

The basic story is relatively easy to follow and harbours fantastic moments of suspense and thrills. In the simplest terms, Jurassic Park is a real adventure movie. Like Star Wars or Godzilla, it’s a great Friday-night-in-with-pizza-and-the-family type movie. Just brilliant! 

Starring Sam Neill, Wayne Knight, Richard Attenborough, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Samuel L. Jackson, Jurassic Park is an epic movie filled with action, technology, science, romance, suspense, and dinosaurs. An absolute winner from start to finish!

Gladiator [M]

Caesar Marcus Aurelius has ruled the Roman Empire for many years and is now seeing it become corrupt and the complete opposite of his vision. In the hopes to restore Rome to its former glory, he chooses Maximus, general of the Roman army to succeed him rather than his own morally corrupt son, Commodus. Bitterly jealous, Commodus exiles Maximus after the Emperor’s death and has the general’s wife and son murdered. In exile, Maximus trains as a gladiator and soon returns to Rome to overthrow Commodus and make Caesar Marcus Aurelius’s dream a reality. 

Beyond the gore and bloodshed that was so entertaining in Rome, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is a really moving and majestic film filled with defiance, violence, morals, corruption, betrayal, politics, action, and bravery. It was a really amazing film. 

Caesar Marcus Aurelius has ruled the Roman Empire for many years and is now seeing it become corrupt and the complete opposite of his vision. In the hopes to restore Rome to its former glory, he chooses Maxmius, general of the Roman army to succeed him rather than his morally corrupt son Commodus. Bitterly jealous, Commodus exiles Maximus after the emperor’s death and has the general’s wife and son murdered. In exile Maximus, sold as a slave, trains as a gladiator and soon returns to Rome to overthrow Commodus and make Caesar Marcus Aurelius’s dream a reality. 

What really captured my attention in this movie was the marriage of aerial camera shots and ethereal music that brought a moving and majestic feeling to the film and beautifully played against the violence and bloodshed that took place on the fields of battle and the gladiator arena. It really did feel like a long deep breath of fresh air after you’ve been running for who knows how long. 

Russell Crowe stars as Maximus and well done to him. Not quite so dissimilar to Sweeney Todd, the character of Maximus is a somewhat distant and unsatisfied person, having been away from his family for so long. Crowe the played the part beautifully and it was his minimal facial expressions that made his actions all the more powerful and meaningful. He did really well! 

Joaquin Phoenix plays Commodus and (although Russell did a very good job), I have to say that Joaquin was the star. He delivered a performance that was eager, jealous, longing, and really menacing towards the end. I loved him from start to finish. 

Starring Connie Neilson, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Honsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Thomas Arana, David Hemmmings, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, Tommy Flanagan, and Richard Harris, Gladiator was a wonderful look at ancient history that was filled with betrayal, action, romance, defiance, politics, and bravery. I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!

Dirty Harry [MA]

The city of San Francisco is held ransom when a rooftop sniper, calling himself Scorpio begins committing random murders. In steps Detective Harry Callahan nicknamed “Dirty Harry” to take down the psycho at whatever cost, even if the law does not approve of his methods. 

Bringing that famous line “do I feel lucky?” to our vocabulary, Dirty Harry was a great rollercoaster ride of a cop movie that was loaded with action, violence, murder, a great script, and memorable characters. 

When a woman is murdered by a rooftop sniper, the city of San Francisco erupts in a panic. Calling himself Scorpio, the sniper has promised to continue committing random murders until the city pays him to stop. In steps detective Harry Callahan, nicknamed “Dirty Harry” to bring down the psycho at whatever cost, even if the law does not approve of his methods. 

I think the real appeal of Dirty Harry was the fact that it had closure, but you never really found out what the psycho’s deal was. I’ve always held a belief that the best villains are ones that keep you in the dark, that give nothing of themselves away, and that certainly was the case with the villain in this film. Played beautifully by Andy Robinson, Scorpio was a really memorable villain, one that gave nothing away and kept you on the edge of your seat, providing the film with its gripping edge. 

Essentially, Dirty Harry is a classic story of good guys Vs bad guy, but what’s really interesting about it is the twist of the plot that concerns the law and the American Constitution. Without wanting to give too much away for those who have not seen the film, the law plays a role in preventing the film’s closure from occurring sooner and really makes you question whether or not it is capable of ensuring our protection. It’s food for thought really. It was a very interesting point. 

Clint Eastwood stars as Dirty Harry and he was great. This was the first Clint Eastwood movie that I’ve ever seen and it’s kind of a strange one to start off with as he plays a character that is incredibly distant and frank. I’m not convinced that the role of Dirty Harry was that much of an acting challenge, but I am willing to say that Clint delivered a performance that was subtly menacing, but at the same time passive aggressive. He moved the film along, certainly. 

Starring Andy Robinson (who was the real star of the show), Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon, John Larch, John Mitchum, Mae Mercer, Lyn Edgington, Josef Sommer, Ruth Kobart, Woodrow Parfrey, William Paterson, James Nolan, and Maurice Argent, Dirty Harry was a rollicking ride of a cop movie loaded with gunplay, psychos, murder, action, chases, nudity, great lines, and memorable characters. It was a great ride form start to finish.  

But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself a question: “do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya punk? 

Chinatown [M]

Private detective Jake Gittes is hired by Los Angeles socialite Evelyn Mulwray to follow her husband whom she believes is having an affair. Gittes delivers the goods, but then gets a rude shock when the real Mrs. Mulwray barges into his office and threatens to press charges. Not willing to be made a fool of, Jake delves deeper into the mystery, but soon realises that he’s bitten off more than he can chew when Mrs. Mulwray’s husband is murdered and a whole other mystery comes to light. 

Chinatown was written by Robert Towne (whom I’ve recently read about in What Happens Next) especially for his friend Jack Nicholson, and I have to say that it’s an amazing film filled with mysteries, murder, deceit, and rude shocks. It was really rather brilliant! 

Private detective Jake Gittes is hired by Los Angeles socialite Evelyn Mulwray to follow her husband whom she believes is having an affair. Gittes delivers the goods, but then gets a rude shock when the real Mrs. Mulwray barges into his office and threatens to press charges. Not willing to be made a fool of, Jake delves deeper into the mystery, but then realises that he’s bitten off more than he can chew when Mrs. Mulwray’s husband is murdered and a whole other mystery comes to light. 

I think what was most enjoyable about this film was the fact that it was really cleverly written, having mysteries within mysteries, but it wasn’t overly confusing. The entire film was a mind trip, but at the same time rather easy to follow, which is good for people like me who like to know the details about everything that is happening and why it is happening. 

The other thing that I really liked about this film was all the different mysteries that popped up. Chinatown is a classic example of the ripple effect: how something can start out so small and then escalate into something mammoth. What started out as a simple follow-my-husband-I-believe-he’s-cheating-on-me case soon turns into a set up, which then leads to a murder mystery, which then sparks up an investigation into a conspiracy that involves the entire city! It is really amazing and clever writing. Towne, my hat goes off to you. 

Jack Nicholson, for whom the film was written, stars as Jake Gittes and no one could have done it better. Jack was passive, wisecracking, and never gave any emotions away. He didn’t even seem phased by the fact that he had to wear a large bandage on his nose for the duration of the film, courtesy of a nasty character played by Roman Polanski. 

Starring Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Darrell Zwerling, Diane Ladd, Roy Jenson, Richard Bakalyan, Joe Mantell, Bruce Glover, Nandu Hinds, James O’Rear, Jame Hong, and Roman Polanski, Chinatown was a great film filled with drama, romance, conspiracies, incense, violence, mysteries, and a few rude shocks. It was a really good movie! 

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [MA]

For fifteen years Benjamin Barker has been sweating in a living hell. Locked away in prison on a false charge, he has now escaped and returned to London where he plans to take his revenge upon the Honourable Judge Turpin: the man who locked him away and ruined his life. 

Now, before guys get the impression of “aw-yeah-gore-and-blood-and-murder-what-fun!” I am forewarning you that this is a real musical. And when I say musical I, don’t mean something like The Nightmare Before Christmas or The Producers that has long stretches of dialogue dividing up the songs. I mean the number of songs and musical numbers outmatch the dialogue! Between each song, there is about a minute, maybe three at the most, of dialogue before the next song begins. If you’re not a musical-lover, this may not be the best film for you. But… if you love musicals and don’t mind the odd bit of gore and gross, then Sweeney Todd is a wonderful film filled with revenge, rape, murder, cannibalism, bloodshed, and the sinister. Another Tim Burton triumph!

For fifteen years, Benjamin Barker has been sweating in a living hell. Locked away in a prison on a false charge, he has now escaped and returned to London as Sweeney Todd, and he shall have his revenge on those who ruined his life. Whilst planning his revenge, he acquires the companionship of Mrs. Lovett, a lowly widow whose meat pie business is struggling with the high prices of meat. As Todd’s skills with a razor begin to attract attention, the two come up with a solution to both their problems: Sweeney will practice revenge on “less honourable throats” and Mrs. Lovett will grind up the carcasses and use the meat in her pies. And so begins the chilling tale of Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

I think what appealed to me most about the story of Sweeney Todd is that it is a revenge story where everyone is the villain. Everything, and I mean everything in this film is covered in the sinister and Burton’s use of no colour (aside from blood red obviously) successfully conveys the wickedness of the entire bleeding thing.
That’s not to say that the film is all dark and resentful. Scattered throughout the script, there are wonderful little moments of dark humour and there is a wonderful showmanship scene starring Sasha Baron Cohen (who has a pretty damn good singing voice) that brings a touch of colour and life to the movie. Brilliant!
Johnny Depp stars as the Demon Barber himself and he was just brilliant! I can only imagine that playing Sweeney Todd would have been immensely difficult because he is such a distant character with a one-track mind, finding it immensely hard to return to his old life. A bit like a war veteran. Johnny delivered a performance that was distant, cold, menacing, but at the same time melancholy, tragic, and even funny at times. It is my belief that there is nothing Johnny Depp can’t do!
Helena Bonham Carter plays Mrs. Lovett and she was just lovely, and even more sinister and deceitful than Todd. Playing the manipulative, but eager to please and gain the rewards, Helena gave a wonderful performance that was charming, witty, cunning, and just brilliant. Without a doubt Helena has to be my favourite actress!
Starring Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Sasha Baron Cohen, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a delightfully chilling film filled with villains, revenge, bloodshed, murder, deceit, rape, beautiful songs, lies, and cannibalism. I absolutely love it!


There’s a whole in the world like a great black pit and it’s filled with people who are filled with shit and the vermin of the world inhabit it. 

Dead Man [R]

Accountant, William Blake travels to the far western reaches of America to the town of Machine, where he soon learns that the job he was promised was filled over a month ago. Feeling dejected and alone, William beds a prostitute and is then shot when her ex-fiancé walks in on them. Wanted for murder and terribly wounded, William flees the town and begins travelling with an outcast Native American named Nobody who believes William Blake is really the dead English poet of the same name. With Nobody guiding him, William embarks upon a spiritual journey that may be the death of him. 

What a film. WHAT A FILM! Dead Man was a black and white masterpiece that successfully mixed the genres of action, western, comedy, and drama together. Both a physical and spiritual cross-country journey, it’s a really amazing, albeit confusing film. 

Accountant, William Blake travels to the far western reaches of America to the town of Machine, where he soon learns that the job he was promised was filled over a month ago. Feeling dejected and alone, William beds a prostitute and is then shot when her ex-fiancé walks in on them. Wanted for murder and terribly wounded, William flees the town and begins travelling with an outcast Native American named Nobody who believes William Blake is really the dead English poet of the same name. With Nobody guiding him, William embarks upon a spiritual journey that may be the death of him. 

I think the best way to describe this movie is “mystical masterpiece”. I had seen it once before and, obviously, needed to see it again in order to understand the message and point that Jim Jarmusch was trying to get across to the audience… And I still don’t get it, but I LOVE it! I mean, how are you meant to watch this film? From a spiritual perspective, a logic perspective? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? Whichever way you look at it, Dead Man was an amazing film that kept you guessing and interpreting and that is where the film’s genius lies. 

Johnny Depp stars as William Blake. It has to be said (if it has not been said already) that I am a huge Johnny Depp fan because of what he can do. He is so versatile and there are few actors out there who can pull off as many characters as Depp can. In Dead Man, Johnny delivered a performance that was confused, adorably timid, and then finally at peace an on top. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! 

Starring Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, Alfred Molina, John Hurt, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen, Eugene Byrd, Michelle Thrush, Jimmie Byrne, Robert Mitchum, and featuring a brilliant lone guitar soundtrack by Neil Young, Dead Man was a delightfully confusing film filled with action, western influence, sex, violence, gunplay, murder, cannibalism, comedy, and spiritual journeys. Proving that you don’t need to understand the plot to realise filmmaking genius, it’s a real rare gem of a film! 

High Society [G]

Spoilt and icy Tracy is due to marry her dull, dependable beau George, but the day before her nuptials, Tracy’s ex-husband Dexter arrives back in town and sets his mind to stopping the marriage. As if her love triangle is not enough, two reporters turn up to cover Tracy’s wedding and report on the shenanigans that the upper get up to. 

Competing with Meet Me In St. Louis for the title of Most Pointless Musical in Cinema History, High Society was completely wasted on me. In its day, it may have been a remarkable piece of cinematic satire and taking the piss out of the class differences, but, in my eyes, this was a mediocre and pointless film filled with terrible songs and even more terrible performances. 

Spoilt and icy Tracy is due to marry her dull, dependable beau George, but the day before her nuptials, Tracy’s ex-husband Dexter arrives back in town and sets his mind to stopping the marriage. As if her love triangle were not enough to deal with, two reporters turn up to cover Tracy’s wedding and report the shenanigans that the upper class get up to. Putting on a fair and flawless face of the reporters and trying to navigate her way out of her bizarre love triangle is going to prove harder than anything Tracy has ever faced before. 

I just don’t get it! Throughout the 50s brilliant musicals were gracing our screens: An American In Paris, Singin’ In the Rain… even bloody Guys and Dolls was better than this. High Society, a musical adaptation of The Philadelphia Story, just plain did not work! The story went nowhere, the musical numbers were not very memorable, and Bing Crosby’s attempt to do jazz was the most abominable and most offensive thing I have ever seen! 

The only highlights of the film were Louis Armstrong playing himself (although he seemed to struggle a fair bit with lip syncing), Grace Kelly, sadly this was the last film she did before becoming Princess Grace of Monaco, and Frank Sinatra, although I have to say that even his overacted and incredibly funny drunken scenes weren’t enough to save this film. 

Starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm, John Lund, Louis Calhern, Sidney Blackmer, Margalo Gillmore, and Louis Armstrong, High Society was a pointless and bland musical that failed to capture any theatrical, dramatic, comedic, or romantic response from me. Maybe it was a brilliant piece of cinema in its day but on me personally, whatever comedy or satire or whatever was completely missed. 

Filled with mediocre songs, a bizarre love triangle, a very slow moving story, and the occasional bit of jazz to wake us up from the boredom ensued; High Society was a complete flop for me. No desires to add it to the collection.  

Spellbound [PG]

Dr. Constance Petersen is the picture perfect psychiatrist: she wears glasses, she’s prim and neatly presented, and she prefers textbooks to relationships. But when the young and handsome Dr. Edwards joins the staff of her workplace, she falls head over heels in love with him. All too quickly, she discovers that Dr. Edwards is really a schizophrenic imposter wanted for the murder of the real Dr. Edwards. Convinced of his innocence, Constance devotes herself to curing his illness and securing his freedom, but her psychoanalytic investigation is going to unearth some disturbing truths. 

I have to admit that after Frenzy, my admiration for Alfred Hitchcock had plummeted quite a bit. But after Spellbound, I am whole-heartedly back on the Hitchcock bandwagon and eager to add this one to the collection. 

Dr. Constance Petersen is the picture perfect psychiatrist: she wears glasses, she’s prim and neatly presented, and she prefers textbooks to relationships. But when the young and handsome Dr. Edwards joins the staff of her workplace, she immediately falls head over heels in love with him. All too quickly, she discovers that Dr. Edwards is really a schizophrenic imposter, suffering from amnesia and wanted for the murder of the real Dr. Edwards. Convinced of his innocence, Constance devotes herself to curing the poor man’s illness and securing his freedom. But her psychoanalytic investigation is about to unearth some disturbing evidence. 

This has to be the most romantic film that Hitchcock has ever done! It was the absolute perfect balance of mystery and suspense and a dramatic (almost forbidden) romance. It may have even taken the place of Vertigo as my favourite Hitchcock film. 

During the 40s, movies about psychoanalysis were all the rage, which in a way is perfect for the style of Hitchcock. With its story of an investigation within an investigation, Spellbound is almost a romantic cross between Psycho and Marnie (both of which are later films, I do realise.) 

And the story wasn’t the only genius thing about the film: the sets used in the dream sequences were designed by none other than surrealist artist Salvador Dali, making the film visually stunning as well as a masterpiece of the written word. 

Ingrid Bergman stars as Dr. Constance Petersen and she is too beautiful. She delivered a performance that was romantic, concerned, professional, and she was just an all around gem! She has to be up there with Bette Davis and Marilyn Monroe on my favourite actresses list. I absolutely LOVED her in this! 

Gregory Peck stars as the patient that holds Constance’s affections. Possibly one of the most handsome actors in cinema history, he gave a performance that was charming, troubled, aggressive, and romantically unstable. I have found a new love in Gregory Peck! 

Starring Michael Chekhov, Leo G. Carroll, John Emery, Steven Geray, Paul Harvey, Donald Curtis, Rhonda Fleming, Norman Lloyd, Wallace Ford, Bill Goodwin, Art Baker, Regis Toomey, Irving Bacon, and backed by an absolutely beautiful, Academy Award winning soundtrack by Miklos Rozsa, Spellbound is a magnificent film filled with suspense, terror, brilliant camera usage, and romance. I loved it from start to finish and firmly believe that this is my favourite Hitchcock film!

Miss Congeniality [M]

FBI Special Agent Gracie Hart is a man’s woman. She chews with her mouth open, snorts when she laughs, has a mean right hook, and is having a “bad hair decade”. So when the FBI need an agent to go undercover at the Miss United States Pageant to smoke out a murderer, Agent Hart isn’t their first choice… she’s their only choice. With the help of bitter and sarcastic pageant guru, Victor Melling, Gracie is transformed from grot to glamour, but can she keep her eyes on the prize as well as catch the bad guy? 

Possibly one of the most original and heart warming transformation stories in cinema history, Miss Congeniality is armed with everything from action to romance to lip gloss. It’s one of my all time comedy classics. 

FBI Special Agent Gracie Hart is a man’s woman. She chews with her mouth open, snorts when she laughs, has a mean right hook, and is having a “bad hair decade”. So when the FBI need an agent to go undercover at the Miss United States Pageant to smoke out a murderer, Agent Hart isn’t their first choice… she’s their only choice. With the help of bitter and cynical pageant guru, Victor Melling, Gracie is transformed from grot to glamour, but can she keep her eyes on the prize as well as protect the girls? 

It only just occurred to me that this film was really clever in that Candice Bergen, who is known for being pro-women and a bit of a feminist, is cast in a role that is a complete contradiction to her real character. Cathy Morningside, curator of the Miss United States Pageant is as far away from a feminist as you could get, to a certain degree, and Candice gave a wonderfully glamorous as well as charming and funny performance. 

The story itself is a gem. From the start, the basic idea works brilliantly and it lends itself to all sorts of different comedic perspectives. Any way you look at this film, whether it be from a feminist point of view or airheaded romantic point of view, any way you look at it, Miss Congeniality is charming, clever, funny, and wonderfully heart warming. It’s a real jewel. 

Sandra Bullock stars as Agent Gracie Hart and she was absolutely brilliant! Beginning the film with frizzed hair and a mean right hook, the transformation that takes place is just amazing. She was glamorous, aggressive, and wonderfully sarcastic and cynical, adding much of the comic relief to the film. 

The only person who topped Sandra’s razor sharp wit was Michael Caine who played pageant guru, Victor Melling. He was the best thing in this film! He was grumpy, sarcastic, and his timing is positively lethal. He was a complete delight from start to finish and had all the best lines: “I haven’t seen a walk like that since Jurassic Park.” Classic! 

Starring Heather Burns, Benjamin Bratt, Ernie Hudson, and William Shatner, Miss Congeniality is a wonderful film loaded with action, romance, glamour, frocks, sparkles, epic transformations, and memorable quotes. It’s a film that I can always come back to and enjoy time and time again. 

The Adventures of Robin Hood [PG]

With King Richard away at the Crusades, England is in the hands of his tyrannical and traitorous brother Prince John, who is taxing the Saxons left, right, and centre. Watching his people starving and being mercilessly tortured and slaughtered, the outlawed Robin of Loxley, infamously known as Robin Hood, becomes determined to stand up and fight against the injustices placed upon the Saxons. With a band of followers, can Robin keep oppression at bay until the rightful king returns? 

The story of Robin Hood is a timeless classic that has been remade and revamped time and time again, and whether it be Kevin Costner or Errol Flynn playing the famous outlaw, each Robin Hood has been a rollicking adventure that all audiences will enjoy. 

With King Richard away at the crusades, England is in the hands of his tyrannical and traitorous brother Prince John, who is taxing the poor Saxons left, right, and centre. Watching his people being starved and mercilessly tortured and slaughtered, Robin of Loxley, infamously known as Robin Hood, becomes determined to stand up and fight against the injustices being forced upon him and his people. With a band of followers, can Robin keep murder and oppression at bay until King Richard returns? 

Equally as cheesy and fun as Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Robin Hood Men In Tights, or The Princess Bride, The Adventures of Robin Hood is a very enjoyable movie that proved that authenticity is not everything. The only thing on this film that could be seen as a “let-down” was the achievements of the costume department in successfully turning a legendary outlaw story into a primary school nativity play. With the entire cast in brightly coloured leggings and suede feminine-looking boots, you cannot help but giggle at the silliness of it all. I mean, it would take an enormous amount of time travel and a flying Delorian for me to go back the time of Robin Hood, but I’m pretty damn sure he did not have sequins on the shredded sleeves of his outfit. Aside from that minor flaw, that in turn makes the film all the more enjoyable, The Adventures of Robin Hood is a camp, but very fun and swashbuckling movie, good for the whole family. 

Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Raines, The Adventures of Robin Hood was a rollicking movie filled with action, swordfights, a very romantic balcony scene, and heaps of finger food. Although very camp and cheesy, it was still a film that I really enjoyed. 

Stormbreaker [M]

Alex Rider is a normal teenager who believes that he is living a mundane life with his boring bank-manager uncle. But in reality, Alex’s uncle is a spy and has been training him to take his place should something bad happen. When his uncle is murdered, it falls on Alex to take his place and solve the sinister mystery of the Stormbreakers: a new super computer that is soon to be teaching children everywhere. 

I’d come across this movie sorting through the Action section at work, but it had never really grabbed me as something I’d like to watch. The only reason I hired it out was because of its interesting cast, of which a co-worker informed me. Filled with action, science, technology, and comedy, Stormbreaker is a rollicking action film that’s perfect for a family night in. 

Alex Rider is a normal teenager who believes that he is living a mundane life with his boring bank-manager uncle. But in reality, Alex’s uncle is a spy who has been training him to take his place should anything bad happen. When his uncle is killed, it falls upon Alex to take his place and solve the sinister mystery of the Stormbreakers: a new super compute that will soon be teaching children all over the country. Armed with gadgets, training, and intuition, Alex soon discovers more than he bargained for, and with no other spies to help him, can he save the world before these new computers are launched? 

Not dissimilar to The Fantastic Four, Spy Kids, or even Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Stormbreaker is a well-balanced action movie. The only difference between this and the aforementioned others, is that it’s a rollicking spy movie. With its enthralling chases, which are different because they are done on horseback in the middle of London traffic, and cool gadgets, this film is armed and dangerous and its lighter comedy script just takes a bit of the edge off. Story-wise and in terms of a family action film, this did well. 

What really was the most intriguing thing about this movie was the weird blend of the cast. Stormbreaker features big names such as Bill Nighy, Alicia Silverstone, Andy Serkis, Stephen Fry, Robbie Coltrane, Missi Pyle, Ewan McGregor, and Mickey Rourke. How much more of a strange mix can you get? 

Filled with action, adventure, science, technology, and comedy, Stormbreaker was a rollicking film that I really enjoyed. Good for family night in, it’s the perfect in-between action film.  

The 39 Steps [PG]

On holiday in England from his home in Canada, Richard Hanney’s vacation enjoyment is short lived when he meets a mysterious woman who is later murdered in his apartment. With nothing to prove his innocence, poor Richard soon finds himself entangled in a sinister secret spy plot to smuggle a secret weapons formula out of the country. Wanted for murder and with the police hot on his trail, can Richard solve the mystery and find the real villain before it’s too late? 

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s earlier, and more primitive thrillers, The 39 Steps was a great achievement in cinema, particularly as it first introduced that key Hitchcock hook: the notion of the wrong man. From the beginning, it’s filled with sharp twists and turns of the plot and it’s just a whirlwind of conspiracy and thrilling excitement. 

On holiday in England from his home in Canada, Richard Hanney’s vacation enjoyment in short lived when he meets a mysterious woman who is later murdered in his apartment. With nothing to prove his innocence, poor Richard soon finds himself entangled in a sinister spy plot to smuggle a secret weapons formula out of the country. Wanted for murder and with the police hot on his trail, can Richard solve the mystery and find the real villain before it’s too late? 

Although it is a little bit primitive in that it was made in the 1930s, a time that hadn’t really seen the crystal clear black and white that could be achieved in pictures, the 39 Steps had everything going for it in terms of story. Not only did it introduce the notion of the “wrong man”, it was an engaging thriller that was balanced out with witty comedic dialogue and even a spot of unlikely, yet heart-warming romance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film quite like that. 

Robert Donat stars as Richard Hanney and he was gorgeous. He was incredibly dashing, gentlemanly, charming, witty, but could be menacing when he set his mind to it. Between his deadly quick comebacks to his vexed pacing, he was a delight from start to finish. 

Starring Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Helen Haye, Frank Cellier, Wylie Watson, Gus McNaughton, Jerry Verno, and Peggy Simpson, The 39 Steps was a brilliant thriller that was filled with romance, comedy, quick-witted dialogue, plenty of action, and heaps of suspense. A little hard to get into at first, but after the murder, you’re irrevocably hooked!

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [PG]

Lorelei Lee is a woman cursed with a delicious figure, beautiful blonde hair, a gorgeous face, and a lust for expensive jewels. When she gets engaged to a charming rich gentleman, she sets off to meet him in Paris, but on the boat ride over, she gets up to her old tricks. Unbeknown to Lorelei, her fiancé’s father has hired a private detective to watch her every move. Will there be a happy ending for Lorelei or has her lust for diamonds landed her in water that’s too hot? 

Another triumph for the dazzling Marilyn Monroe and proving that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a stunning little musical that’s packed to bursting with romance, comedy, music, and all that glitters and shines. 

Lorelei Lee is a woman cursed with a delicious figure, beautiful blonde hair, a gorgeous face, and a lust for expensive jewels. When she gets engaged to a charming rich gentleman, she sets off to meet and marry him in Paris, but on the boat ride over, she gets up to her old tricks and begins to flirt dangerously with a much older diamond mine owner. Unbeknown to Lorelei, her fiancé’s father has hired a private detective to watch her every move on the journey. Will there be a happy ending for Lorelei or has her lust for diamonds landed her in water that’s too hot? 

This was another classic musical for the Golden Age of cinema. Like Singin’ In the Rain or An American In Paris, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was adorably camp and amorous as well as founded upon a simple and engaging story that leant itself to all sorts of comedic interpretation. Not only that, but there were strong messages of love and friendship thrown in between the glamorous and shining musical numbers. It was a very light, but also a very nicely balanced romantic comedy. 

Marilyn Monroe stars as Lorelei and she was absolutely delightful. Between her adorable wispy singing, her stunning costumes and jewellery, and her delicious carriage, she delivered a performance within a performance really well. She played a rather bright woman who played the part of a complete ditz, playing to the appeals of men. She was just gorgeous from beginning to end. 

Although Marilyn was incredibly stunning, Jane Russel, who played her best friend Dorothy Shaw, was the real star. She was Lorelei’s support and she delivered a performance that was charming, brave, flirtatious, glamorous, and incredibly protective. I loved her right through! 

Starring Charles Coburn, Elliot Reid, Tommy Noonan, George Winslow, Marcel Dalio, Taylor Holmes, Norma Varden, Howard Wendell, and Steven Geray, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a lovely little romantic comedy filled with glamour, romance, comedy, musical numbers, and everything shiny. It has to be said that all that glitters is not gold, but it’s just as dazzling! 

But square-cut or pear-shaped, these rocks don’t loose their shape. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. 

Rebel Without a Cause [M]

Constantly moving from place to place, unable to make friends, and unable to look to his parents for guidance, Jim Stark lives in an unhappy and trying world of juvenile delinquency. After moving to a new town and straight away, making some enemies, Jim discovers an alternate family in Plato and Judy; two other misfits whose home lives are as unsatisfying as his. But when an act of honour turns nasty, Jim’s newfound family is violently torn apart. 

There is something remarkably sexy and appealing about juvenile delinquent movies. Grease and Cry Baby were just two of my favourites and now, Rebel Without a Cause. Filled with action, romance, and knockout performances, this movie was a wonderful story of defiance and self-realisation. A brilliant film! 

Constantly moving from place to place, unable to make friends, and unable to look to his parents for guidance, Jim Stark lives in an unhappy and trying world of uncertainty and juvenile delinquency. With his parents living a life equally as unhappy as his, Jim is not certain of anything and tries really hard just to be accepted and make friends, most of the time not being true to himself. Upon moving to a new town, he instantly makes a few enemies, but he also finds an alternative family in Plato and Judy: two other misfits whose home lives are just as unsatisfying as his. But when an act of honour turns deadly, Jim’s newfound family is violently ripped apart as insecurities begin to overpower reasoning. 

I think what was most brilliant about this movie is that it was incredibly true to its title. As the central character is a rebel without a cause, the movie is a film with no cause. There is no real message or meaning, just a simple story that progresses forward solely by actions and events of the characters. In other words, everything just seems to happen completely naturally, and that’s great because it brings a great sense of realism to the film and its characters. 

James Dean stars as Jim Stark and he was just beautiful. He delivered a very stirring performance that was both tentative and really powerful. He was impulsive, sincere, frustrated, and uncertain. He was absolutely mesmerising from start to finish. 

Starring Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, William Hopper, Rochelle Hudson, Dennis Hopper, Edward Platt, Steffi Sidney, Marietta Canty, Virginia Brissac, Beverly Long, and Ian Wolfe, Rebel Without a Cause was a powerful and emotionally stirring movie filled with action, romance, violence, juvenile delinquents, leather jackets, great hair, and drama. It really was a wonderful film. I absolutely loved it!

Metropolis [PG]

In the future, there is exists a mammoth city called Metropolis, ruled by John Fredersen. On the surface, the city is a utopian paradise where the rich and the beautiful live in amazing towers with extensive and exotic gardens. But underground, the workers are working themselves to death keeping the city going. Preaching patience and urging them to wait for a mediator, is the saintly Maria, who is kidnapped by the evil scientist Rotwang and kept prisoner whilst a robotic replica of her is set loose and encourages the workers to destroy the machines, and therefore themselves. Can this all be stopped before its too late? 

From what The Book has told me, this film was the first science fiction movie, originally German, and was a box-office disaster from the start. 

In the future, there exists a mammoth city called Metropolis, ruled by John Fredersen. On the surface, the city is a utopian paradise where the rich and beautiful live in amazing towers with extensive and exotic gardens. But when Fredersen’s son sneaks down to the machine rooms underground, he is shocked by what he discovers. Under the surface lives a sub-human race of workers who, day after day, work themselves almost to death to keep the machines running and Metropolis functioning smoothly. Soon, Fredersen’s son falls in love with the saintly Maria, who preaches peace and patience to the workers, urging them to not rebel, but wait for a “mediator”. Her teachings are interrupted, however, when the evil scientist Rotwang kidnaps her and holds her prisoner whilst a robotic replica is set loose amongst the workers and urges them to rebel and destroy all the machines, therefore themselves. Can the hero find the real Maria and stop all this before it’s too late? 

From the start, for me anyway, this film was incredibly hard to get into because it was a silent film, the picture was not as clear as I would have liked, and the only sound was the strange science-fiction soundtrack. I think what makes this film stand out in history, aside from the fact that scenes from it were used in the music video of Queen’s Radio Ga Ga, is the sheer size of the bleeding thing. 

This thing was monumental. And you have to remind yourself that there were no computer tricks or anything like that that the filmmakers could cheat with. There must have been thousands of extras, heaps of trick sets, as well as the real ones, and the amount of money that went into the entire production came to $2 million in the 1920s. Holy crap! 

All the performances were incredibly overacted, but fair play there really was no other way to get the drama and emotion across, I could not help myself from laughing. Starring Alfred Abel, Gustav Frohlich, Brigitte Helm, Rudolph Klein-Rogge, Fritz Rasp, Theodor Loos, and Heinrich George, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis was a very strange and somewhat creepy science fiction film filled with robots, religion, romance, and rebellion. An epic for its day, I’m glad that I’ve seen it, but I don’t think I’ll see it again thank you. 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [G]

Caractacus Potts is a broke, eccentric inventor and the proud father of Jeremy and Jemima, two loveable children who spend their time playing in the junkyard with an abandoned racing car. When a nasty dealer intends to buy their car and melt it down, Caractacus raises the money to buy the car and sets to work transforming it from a rusted mess into an amazing polished car that not only works on land, but flies and floats as well. Together with his children and his lady friend, Miss Truly Scrumptious, Caractacus and his car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, embark on a great adventure filled with pirates, castles, and wonder. 

Although it’s a classic and the Oscar nominated title song will never get out of your head, I’m still in two minds about whether or not to add this to my collection. I’m a keen collector of the classics, but Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has to be one of the silliest, albeit entertaining and fun, family musicals of all time… 

Caractacus Potts is a broke, eccentric inventor and the proud father of Jeremy and Jemima, two loveable children who spend their time playing in the junkyard with an abandoned racing car. When a nasty dealer intends to take the car and melt it down, Caractacus raises enough money to buy the car and sets to work transforming it from a rusted mess into a polished car that not only works on land, but floats and flies as well. Together with his children, grandad, and lady friend, Miss Truly Scrumptious, Caractacus and his car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, embark upon a grand adventure filled with castles, pirates, and wonder. 

For the first half of the film, you’re sitting there going “this is really stupid”, but by the time you reach the second half, you’re laughing at how over-acted and monumentally silly the entire film is. I think that’s where the real entertainment comes through. 

I’ll admit that some of the songs are lovely and memorable, particularly the title song which I have literally had stuck in my head for a week now, but ultimately, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a strange and very camp sort of musical that didn’t really have a strong story, a clever script, memorable musical sequences, or even admirable acting. It was really just sort of there… fun, but there. 

I think the most memorable part of the film was the “doll act”, and that’s really about it. I’ll admit that the costumes were sparkly and glamorous, and I was rather transfixed by the elaborate styles of Truly’s hair, but even the slightly amorous Dick Van Dyke, didn’t really do much for me. 

Starring Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Frobe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill, James Robertson Justice, Robert Helpmann, Heather Ripley, and Adrian Hall, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a fun, but ultimately silly family musical that was filled with kidnapping, action, songs, extravagant costumes, romance, “magic”, and adventure. I’ll admit that it was fun-filled and I did enjoy watching it, but I think it’s one that you can only come back to when the mood grabs you, once every couple or so months. 

Megamind [PG]

Megamind is the most brilliant super villain around… and the least successful. For many years he has tried, and epically failed, to conquer Metro City, each time being thwarted by the city’s superhero, Metro Man. However, this all changes when Megamind actually defeats the great hero completely by accident. Suddenly realising that a super villain needs a superhero to battle with, Megamind creates a new superhero for the city. But, like all his previous evil plans, this one takes a downward turn and in an amazing display of role reversal, could it be the super villain who saves the day? 

This was a great film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. After a long and tiresome two days and one night at work, I just wanted something short, fun, light, and easy to follow whilst I slowly poison myself with alcohol. Megamind was just that: the perfect quiet-night-in-with-a-bottle-of-wine movie. I loved it! 

Megamind is the most brilliant super villain around… and the least successful. For many years he has tried, and epically failed, to conquer Metro City, each time being thwarted by the city’s superhero, Metro Man. However, this continuous routine changes when, in an amazing turn of events, Megamind actually defeats Metro Man… completely by accident. Suddenly realising that a super villain needs a superhero to battle with, Megamind decides to create a new superhero for the city. But, as with all his previous plans, this is doomed from the start and, in an amazing display of role reversal, could it be the super villain that saves the day? 

This film is armed with everything that makes for a good family movie. Like Shrek or Shark Tale, the movie is filled with memorable characters, bright colours, good animation, and a very clever and funny script. But I think it’s the basic story that makes this film different. I mean, I cannot recall another movie that shows a better display of role reversal and it’s really nice to see the villains (who have always been my favourite characters) have their time in the spotlight, come out on top, all that jazz. 

Not to mention that this movie has a totally wicked soundtrack! Featuring songs from AC/DC, Michael Jackson, and (of course, how could you not?) the song Bad to the Bone, my brother and I were completely rocking out whilst watching this. Awesome! 

Featuring the voice talents of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt, David Cross, Justin Theroux, and Ben Stiller, Megamind was a great family film filled with action, inventions, romance, super powers, dastardly plans, and one of the most epic superhero-super villain battles at the end. I loved it from start to finish!

The Town [MA]

Doug MacRay is the leader of a group of ruthless criminals from the harsh city of Charlestown. Having successfully held up two banks and numerous trucks, Doug has never feared losing anyone close to him. But this changes when, during the gang’s latest bank job, they take a hostage that Doug becomes attracted to. Now, Doug is not certain of anything and, with the coppers, hot on the gang’s tail, will he take the risk or will he change his ways? 

What a beautiful movie! It used everything at its disposal and, although you’d usually associate a bank robbers’ movie with action and maybe a little bit of comedy, this is the only movie (that I can recall) where the two genres of action and drama work hand in hand. With all the action elements of a rollicking criminal gang’s movie, The Town was also a story of internal struggle, uncertainty, and changing the direction of one’s life. It was really very moving. 

Doug MacRay is the leader of a group of ruthless criminals from the harsh city of Charlestown. Having successfully held up two banks and numerous trucks, Doug has never feared losing someone close to him. But that changes when, during their latest bank job, the gang takes a hostage; a woman who Doug becomes strongly attracted to. Now, Doug is not certain of anything and, with the coppers hot on the gang’s tail, will Doug take the risk or will he change his ways? 

It must now be said that Ben Affleck is nothing short of genius, a genuine talent in more than one field of filmmaking. He not only starred in the film, but he also wrote the screenplay and directed it as well! My hat goes off to him. The Town was a beautifully crafted film that used everything at its disposal. From the brilliant aerial shots of the epic car chases that gives the film that rollicking action feel to the breathtaking and deeply emotional music that plays during those more dramatic and emotional scenes, this movie had everything right and it was hugely successful in both exhilarating and deeply moving its audience. It’s marvellous. 

As I mentioned before, Ben Affleck stars as Doug and he was amazing. He gave a performance that was deeply moving, charming, aggressive, conflicted, and you could not help but fall in love with him. I’m literally still sighing heavily. 

With absolute knockout performances from Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper, and Pete Postlethwaite, The Town was both a moving and a rollicking movie that I absolutely loved. Filled with action, romance, car chases, explosions, crime, friendships, and beautiful music, it was a really wonderful film, an absolute treat from start to finish. 

Hairspray [PG]

With big hair, a huge grin, and all the right moves, Tracy Turnblad’s dreams are about to come true when she is accepted to dance on Baltimore’s number one TV show, The Corny Collins Show. Showing everyone how to Madison, Cha Cha, Pony, and Twist, Tracy’s out to let all of Baltimore know that she’s big, blonde, and beautiful. 

The original comedy classic that later became a Tony Award winning musical on Broadway, John Waters’ Hairspray is a delightfully quirky and off-centre comedy filled with familiar faces, plenty of music, heaps of dancing, and racial messages. It’s a treat from start to finish. 

With big hair, a huge grin, and all the right moves, Tracy Turnblad’s dreams are about to come true when she is accepted to dance on Baltimore’s number one TV show, The Corny Collins Show. Showing everyone how to Madison, Cha Cha, Pony, and Twist, Tracy’s about to rock Baltimore’s segregation policies and let everyone know that she’s big, blonde, and beautiful. 

Aside from its stable story that’s filled with comedy and romance as well as a few racial messages, what really makes Hairspray so intriguing is its interesting cast. Ricki Lake stars as Tracy Turnblad and she was delightful. You could almost see the stars in her eyes when she first gets accepted on the Corny Collins dance council. She gave a performance that was charming, opinionated, stylish, and cute. A delight for start to finish. 

Joining Ricki’s Madison line is Divine, Jerry Stiller, Sonny Bono, Debbie Harry, Mink Stole, Shawn Thompson, Clayton Prince, Leslie Ann Powers, Ruth Brown, Colleen Fitzpatrick, and Michael St. Gerard. How interesting a mix is that? 

I mentioned before that the film is rather quirky and a little off-centre. This effect is achieved through the cast’s over-acted performances. The entire film is rather camp and flamboyant, but of course there is nothing wrong with that, it makes for good entertainment. 

Filled with dancing, music, racial messages, pop stars, familiar faces, romance, and comedy, Hairspray is a great little film that keeps you intrigued and one that I’m quite happy to have in my collection. Love it! 

Red [M]

Retirement is not easy for anyone, but for these four former CIA agents, it’s going to be murder. When Frank, Joe, Marvin, and Victoria, former CIA agents marked as “RED” (Retired Extremely Dangerous) discover that their knowledge of a government conspiracy has marked them as targets for assassination, they quickly club together to kick some serious arse.

 Like Knight and Day, only heaps more entertaining, Red is a wonderful action-packed romp with a good story, a great cast, and a healthy balance of action, romance, and comedy. It was a great film.

Retirement is not easy for anyone, but for these former CIA agents, it’s going to be murder. When Frank Moses has his house raided and then blown to smithereens, he realises that someone is out to get him. Catching up with Joe, Marvin, and Victoria, former CIA agents marked as “RED” (Retired Extremely Dangerous), Frank works out that they’re all in the same boat. Their knowledge of a past war crime conspiracy has made them targets for assassination, so the four of them club together to dish out some justice and kick the arses of those trying to kick theirs.

This was the ideal action movie. It had a perfect mix of action, gunplay, fire, and explosions and was all balanced beautifully by its lighter comedy script. Perfect for a Friday or Saturday night in. It’s a simple story to follow and has a fair amount of intrigue mixed in too. Brilliant!
The real appeal of the movie, though, lies in its wonderfully contrasting cast. The central characters or “REDs” are made up of Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich (who was absolutely hilarious), and Helen Mirren (who is a real screen glamour puss) and each one delivers a marvellous performance that plays against the others perfectly. Bruce Willis is a fidgety retiree when he’s on his own, but faced with danger he’s the calmest man you’ve ever seen. Morgan Freeman is wonderfully affectionate, wise, and lethal. John Malkovich is paranoid, trigger happy, not in the right head space, and wonderfully funny. Helen Mirren is witty, charming, and remarkably glamorous. I loved them all!
Also starring Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker, Richard Dreyfuss, and Julian McMahon, Red was a wonderful action romp filled with romance, explosions, gunplay, violence, action, memorable characters, and comedy. Not to mention that, during a good fight scene between Bruce Willis and Karl Urban, Aeorsmith’s Back in the Saddle is used as background music. Awesome! It really was a good film, I was thrilled, I laughed, and I just loved it!