Movie review - "Wild Geese II" (1985) * (warning: spoilers)

 What happened on this movie? Did they not understand what made the first work?

The first had really interesting characters - doomed men, with no future, looking for a cause, men out of shape.

This is mostly about Scott Glenn as a gloomy mercenary from Lebannon. Edward Fox plays Richard Burton's brother from the first one. Why didn't they use someone with a bit more life? Like Oliver Reed, Peter O'Toole? Maybe they tried. Fox is just pompous. 

There's a throwback to the first film in a training montage. But it's super short. Then a training sergeant yells at a former IRA man then just kills him. Whose dumb idea was that?

The story feels so repetitive. Scott Glenn gets hauled into a car. Then Barbara Carrera. Then Glenn again. 

Why didn't they lean into them being mercenaries?  

Random plots like Carrera and Glenn falling in love, and a network paying for it, and Carrera's brother helping, and there's a double agent (actually that's not bad), and the Russian foisting an IRA man on them, and the IRA giving Fox LSD. And it ends with Hess (Laurence Olivier) deciding to go back. 

No stakes - no reason to bust him out. 

Just shit. 

Interesting to see Laurence Olivier as if he's going to die, Ingrid Pitt as a hooker working for the Russians and Patruck Stewart. Nice views of Germany. 

Book review - "Slayground" by Richard Parker

 So much better than the film it's not funny. Brilliantly tight, gripping account which starts with Parker in a robbery - dodgy driver crashes, Parker seeks refuge in a fun park, is seen by corrupt cops and crooks who figure out he's got money so don't turn him in but go after the money. So it's a siege story.

Why didn't they film this instead of stupid stuff about killing a nine year old girl and being killed off one by one (here he kills a gangster which annoys a crime lord but that's so much better). In the film Parker (called Stone) was a whimp, an idiot, who only shoots one person. Here he's a complete bad ass.

I guess there's a lot of internal action but you could add a character for Parker to talk to. 

TV review - "Stranger Things - Season 5 Part 1" (2025) ***1/2

 Looks amazing. They spin the plates well. Slight uncanny valley with some of these kids growing up. Terrific action. The writers have watched a lot of movies.

Movie review - "Restless Natives" (1985) ***

 Sweet Scottish film about two young men who decide to be highwaymen. Goofy and tries to entertain. Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman have a funny cameo as does Mel Smith. Ned Beatty pops up randomly in a decent role. Bernard Hill is one of the dads.

I didn't recognise the leads. Lovely scenery.

Movie review - "Comfort and Joy" (1984) **1/2

 This film has charm and quirk and a relaxed lead performance from Bill Paterson  but there's no relationship to hook into - no progression. He has a friend who is married with a family but they feel like flavour. He meets various ice cream people but I got them mixed up. No new romance. I get why it didnt work commercially. 

Movie review - "Slayground" (1983) ** (warning: spoilers)

 I get there's always a market for a thriller but it was odd EMI Films made this. Perhaps they were seduced by the name of Richard Stark/Donald Westlake - but really it needed a bigger name than Peter Coyote, even if he was coming off ET.

It's an odd duck - Coyote is Stone (Parker), a tough professional crim who works with an incompetent getaway driver who causes a crash that kills a nine year old girl. This prompts the girl's father to hire a killer to take out the crooks and the film turns into a kind of slasher with crims being offed one by one, and Coyote fleeing to England.

It was a mistake to have the accident kill a nine year old girl because I was all on the side of the father. The film tries to soften Stone by having him stop and inspect the dead body and express guilt about it but... sorry. If they'd killed a grown wife or something it would have propelled the plot just the same... I think killing off a kid just feels mean.

Stone never gets the chance to do anything tough until the end and even then it's mostly because the killer is being silly announcing himself. The killer acts as if he's in The Shadow and kills everyone who Stone helps - Mel Smith his friend (his death was a downer), a girl, his lawyer. Stone is toxic.

Why did EMI ever thing this was commercial? 

Soundtrack review - "Almost Famous: the Musical"

 Not the soundtrack to the film but the score for the musical. This is fun, I didn't mind it. Collection of original songs which are fine, and some recogniseable tunes like 'Tiny Dancer', 'Ramble On' and 'Fever Dog' (the last being written for the film). Not sure how it would go on stage. Reviews weren't great but you can't rely on them.