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.

Script review - "The Wicker Man" by Anthony Shaffer

 Read an original draft - all the good stuff is there: the world, the sex, the ending, the lead. Needs a trim. Needed another character with more ambivalent feelings towards the island to mix it up. Someone unhappy there. Too many same-y types - publican, doctor, mother, Willow, librarian, etc. 

Movie review - "Morons from Outer Space" (1985) **

An excellent premise - aliens land, only they're dumb - and top rank talent - Mel Smithy, Griffin Rhys Jones, Mike Hodges - but it makes rookie errors. There's no distinct characters among the aliens - Mel Smith gets by being Mel Smith but the others are interchangable, nothing different. One was a girl, one was Jimmy Nail, one was the other guy... and that was it. I kept waiting for a romance, come conflict, being dumb in different ways... nothing.

There's no key relationship to hook into either - an Earth scientist falls for the girl, which has potential, but that's it. Smith and Rhys Jones have no scenes together until the very end - for most of the film Smith's off on his own (and actually this is the most effective bit as Smith is such a strong performer and it hassome emotional resonance).

I was a mistake too to make it so everyone knew about the aliens and they became a pop culture phenomeon. Stories like this work better when they're undiscovered.  

Really the film should have been Smith crashing, discovering Rhys Jones and the two of them being buddies. And if you need it we cut away to people chasing them, and Smith trying to find his dumb friends, but his friends have more personality.

The effects and design are great but the film doesn't need it. It needed better characters and relationships.

James Sikking adds energy as a deranged American. 

Movie review - "Dreamchild" (1985) ***

 Interesting. Three strands - Alice Liddell (Coral Browne) arrives in New York and gett s a lot of publicity for being Alice and her companion has a dull romance with a journalist Peter Gallaher). There's also young Alice inspiring Lewis Carroll (Ian Holm) who is a little lecherous towards her. And trippy scenes where young and old Alice have tea with characters from Alice in Wonderland - these are the best thing in the film.

This doesn't entirely work but it's made with skill.

Expensive - all those extras at the speech at the end, and scenes of people dancing. Didn't have to be. 

Dennis Potter wrote it. 

Book review - "The Uncool" by Cameron Crowe (2025)

 Superb memoir. Focuses on Crowe's childhood and career as a rock journo - winds up after he writes Fast Times at Ridgemount High apart from a book end of Almost Famous musical because that incorporates his mother's death. Not a lot of film stuff but plenty of rock stars - Bowie (didn't realise they were such friends), Allman Brothers, Kris Kristofferson etc. Also that random appearance in Other Side of the Wind.

Essential fact check against Almost Famous. Great read. Hope there's a second volume on the films. Why doesn't he do a second autobiographical film, like about him being a more established journo, or going to high school to write a book? 

Movie review - "Strange Invaders" (1983) **

 One of a bunch of 50s movies pastiche done by boomer directors in this case Michael Laughlin who wrote it with Bill Condon. Paul Le Mat investigates his missing ex wife which leads him to a small town. Nancy Allen is a tabloid girl helping investigate; terrible haircut. Le Mat is bland. 

Interesting support cast including Lucille Fletcher and names like Kenneth Tobey. There's some aliens at the end.

It lacks much suspense, humour or pace. 

Movie review - "Clint: The Man and the Movies" by Shawn Levy

 Underwhelming. Relies on work done by others especially Patrick McGilligan. Nothing really new or fresh. A lot of reviews. A few smart arse comments. I get the feeling Levy wrote it because he could turn it out in a short time though I might be wrong.

Eastwood's career meants this was easy enough to read but it's a recap really. 

Most interesting characters are Eastwood daughters who come across as hot messes who get involved in escapades. 

Movie review - "Age of Consent" (1969) *** (re-watching)

 Gorgeous to watch. Helen Mirren is perfect. James Mason's Australian accent isn't the best. Varying support work - I quite liked Neva Carr Glynn. The dog is terrific. Beautiful photography and locations.

Mirren looking old means the the dodginess of the plot is minimised.

Movie review - "Countess Dracula" (1971) ** (rewatching)

 Great moment where Ingrid Pitt is busted nude having a blood bath. But that's the one memorable scene. This lacks energy and excitement. It should be great - Pitt worried about ageing, killing peop.e Undercast the actor who plays her lover. Nigel Green doesn't have the star power of a Cushing or Lee. Not enough sex, violence, nudity. Needed to be more full throttle.

Movie review - "It's a Bikini World" (1967) **1/2 (rewatching)

 Fun. Bright. Fantastic music. Tommy Kirk and Deborah Walley ideally cast. Others are too. Not enough story. Needed a few more subplots. Stephanie Rothman has nothing to be ashamed of.

Movie review - "Tender Mercies" (1983) ***

 I resisted seeing this - I felt it would be a well observed excellently acted slice of life drama that wasn't that interesting, at least not to me, and I was right. Maybe it means more if you're into country music or alcoholics. I would rather have seen a film about Robert Duvall on the piss, slapping around singer wife Betty Buckley, or more of hot mess daughter Ellen Barkin and her deadbeat bloke. Her death and it's impact is the strongest section of the film.

This is good and all that I just didn't care and there's a reason no one much talks about it. 

Great Unmade British films - a random selection

* Alex Korda - I Claudius (started filmin), War and Peace (with Orson Welles!)

* Hammer - I am Legend (yes, more but that's the main one)

*Kubrick - Napoleon, The Aryan Papers

* Hitchcock - No Bail for the Judge, Greenmantle 

* Alistair Maclean - HMS Ulysses

*Mistress of the Seas

*Mary Queen of Scots from Alexander Mackendrick 

*Tom Paine by Richard Attenborough

*The Knight by Ridley Scott

*Barnado Boys, Feathers of Death and The Long Loud Silence from Bryan Forbes at EMI

*Nat Cohen - the Nat King Cole Story yes, remake of Kind Hearts and Coronets with Dick Emery no

 *Lawrence of Arabia from Terence Rattigan

*the Lewis Collins Falklands film 

Movie review - "Handgun" (1983) ****

 Tony Garnett produced a lot for Ken Loach. He directed this but it feels like a Loach movie - or, more accurately, a Garnett movie! It's a look at gun culture in the US. Karen Young is lovely and heartbreaking as a school teacher who gets raped by a walking red flag, but it was the times back then.

This is extremely well done. Karen Young is sensational - heartbreakingly naive, then traumatised. 

Movie review - "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965) **

 An attempt at making a literate blockbuster - the story of Michelangelo painting the Sinse Chapel focusing on his clashes with the Pope. Thing is it's not that interesting. He paints. They squabble. It feels better suited to a TV play or stage play.

It needed another subplot of more emotion. Someone in love with the Pope. Or a more compelling person into Michelangelo than Diane Cilento's noblewoman - nothing wrong with her performance but there's no heart.

I liked the scene where Michelangelo wants to discuss the painting before the Pope goes into battle - that's fun. It comes alive. The movie doesn't have enough life.

Gorgeously shot, smart, literate, attempts to raise the bar... But dull. Didn't need to be an epic/road show.

Fine performances from all - Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison. Harrison slightly miscast in a role that needed someone macho but he teams well with the more stoic Heston. 

Rex Harrison top ten

 1. My Fair Lady (1964)

2. Cleopatra (1963)

3. Anna and the King of Siam (1946)

4. The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947)

5.  Blithe Spirit (1945)

6. Night Train to Munich (1940)

7. Dr Doolittle (1967)

8. Midnight Lace (1960)

9. Major Barbara (1941)

10. The Rake's Progress (1945) 

Movie review - "White Mischief" (1987) ***

 A good, cracking yarn, which looks wonderful and has a strong cast. Greta Scacchi was never more beautiful or Charles Dance more debonair; Joss Ackland is empathetic, touching and scary, Sarah Miles a wonderful batty thing, John Hurt an enigma.

Fascinating world. It maybe lacks something... not sure what. Structure? 

Movie review - "The Materialists" (2025) *****

 Magnificent. Witty, clever, deeply felt. Chris Evans's character is as much a unicorn as Pedro Pascal - i.e. an actor who listens and doesn't talk about himself all the time. Says important things.

Script review - "Love Actually" by Richard Curtis

  Curtis said he restructured this in the edit maybe he did but it feels very close - Nicole Kdiman referenced instead of Claudia Schiffer and there's the African sequence which was filmed but cut.

There's a sub industry of hot takes about the flaws of this film, many from the US who I think are annoyed their country is described as a bully. And the fat jokes clunk and they could've jettisoned Colin in Wisconsin and yes flaws flaws.

But it's very sweet - grieving widow and step son have a lovely bond and satisfying pay off, the Prime Minister plot is (fat jokes aside) charming, the married woman stuff is great, no it makes no sense Sarah doesn't schtup Karl but it works, the flabby friend-in-love-with-mate's-wife story is redeemed by the cards at the end. So many iconic moments.  

George Sidney Top Ten

 One of the best underrated glossy directors

1) The Three Musketeers (1948) - wonderful swasbuckling version

2) Scaramouche (1952) - an even better swashbucker with career high efforts from Granger and Eleanor Parker

3) Viva Las Vegas (1964) - the greatest Elvis movie

4) The Eddie Duchin Story (1956) - splendid tearjerker

5) Bathing Beauty (1944) - fun, all star silliness

6) The Harvey Girls (1946) - some Golden Era fun

7) Showboat (1951) - cripes he did this one too

8) Annie Get Your Gun (1950) - and this one!

9) Young Bess (1953) - slight change of pace, great stuff, a little whiffy script wise

10)  Jeanne Eagles (1957) - serios biopic, solidly done

Movie review - "Cross Creek" (1983) **

 Worthy. Dull. Surprised it got green lit. Barry Spikings really liked Oscars. "The story of the woman who wrote The Yearling" isn't that sexy. Mary Steenbergen is fine. Peter Coyote a little dull. Malcolm McDowell is lively but has clunky dialogue. Alfred Woodard shines - story from her POV might've been more interesting.

This should've been a TV movie. 

 

Movie review - "Frankenstein" (2025) **1/2

Look, it's fine. I felt as if I'd seen it before. Maybe if I was more into Oscar Isaac. His performance is fine but you see the acting. I would've loved a real nutter in that part. Mia Goth struggles with her words.

When the film gets fantastical - the make up, some revived bodies, blood splattering - it becomes more interesting. 

Key problem - no emotional relationsship you care about. Frankenstein is so odd and eccentric he doesn't have real feelings for his brother or Mia Goth or Chris Walken or the monster. The monster bonds with the blind man but that's about it.

It's made with love but the whole thing is... so. Jacob Elordi is fine. 

Script review - "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" by Colin Higgins

 Basically same as the final film, from memory, with a few key exceptions

- this doesn't have the coda explaining they got married and Earl got elected (which I think was a great addition)

- this has a sequence where a girl goes to work at the Chicken ranch, admits her dad got "sweet on her" and Monda sings a song - great character stuff but I can see why it was cut.

It's wholesome, cheery, a fine star vehicle. Making it a romance totally works. I know Larry King whined but this works better. 

Movie review - "Predator Badlands" (2025) ***

 They tried to make a good movie with its own lore and integrity and pretty much succeeded. They had a vision and followed it. No humans. Character drama from predators. Elle Fanning very likeable.

The third act a little wobbly with mindless drone soldiers. It's better on the badlands.

Still, it shows what can be done with IP. 

Movie review - "Bad Boys" (1983) **1/2

 Most of the films Barry Spikings made at EMI Films seemed to be financed with the Oscars in mind. This did do wonders for the career of Sean Penn, who is very good as a crook in juvey, but it's not much of a movie.

It's based on old Warner Bros crime films, with a modern juvey twist. So all the cliches are there - tough kid but hopeful of reform, evil other gangster (Esai Morale), sweet girl (Ally Sheedy), girl is raped by Morales (an unwelcome new twist), Morales winds up in the same prison. There's a gruff warden, an ex gang member turned counsellor (Reni Santoni),  a wisecracking ethnic sidekick for Penn, an escape, a sadist prisoner.

Fine acting. Morales has a lot of charisma, ditto Clancy Brown, Sheedy very likeable. 

No sound track surprisingly. Maybe this would've worked better as a black movie. Rick Rosenthal doesn't make the material come alive. 

Movie review - "True Crime" (1999) **1/2

Solid, not that well remembered Clint Eastwood journo drama where he's rescuing a black man on death row. There's people like Denis Leary and James Wood in it along with Mary McCormack. Clint shags a woman and there's talk of him shagging other women.

The plot is an episode of a TV series really - race against time, innocent man, etc. Some affecting death row stuff but that's about it. 

Movie review - "Times Square" (1980) **1/2

 One of Robert Stigwood's string of flops post Grease/Saturday Night Fever this at least has a cult. It's about two teen girls who run away together and bum around in Times Square. Robin Johnson is working class and angry Trini Lopez is the daughter of a politician - who is meant to be a prick and I assume was but my sympathies were with him, though that's not surprising as a dad.

The film was supposedly cut about by Stigwood - who after all had fired the original director of Saturday Night Fever. A love affair between the girls was cut - the movie actually doesn't need it though I can understand why it's removal was upsetting for those dying for some queer representation. 

The involvement of Tim Curry as this all seeing wise deejay who comments on the girls and meets them is a little annoying. He is charismatic and fun it's just his character doesn't feel real.

I like the girls and the punk rock aesthetic and the music. The movie doesn't quite work, and pushes it at 1 hour 50 minutes, but is worth watching. 

 

Movie review - "Frances" (1982) **

 Key teammembers  behind Elephant Man - the writers, the producer, Mel Brooks - try another biopic, and it should be great (Frances Farmer) and there are elements of greatness (the performances of Jessica Lange and Kim Stanley) but it's boring. And annoying. And darkly lit.

The Sam Shepherd character is annoying - not real and he kept popping up to say things. It's never clear why Farmer is collapsing just that she has a bad time and has a bit of a mouth on her.

I think the filmmakers didn't "get" her. So they do "nightmarish" scenes - Frances cracking up, going nuts in the shower, being lobotomised. How is it her parents' fault?

Comes alive during the Clifford Odets bit. 

 

Patrick Swayze Top Ten

1) Dirty Dancing (1987) - perfect for this kind of role

2) Ghost (1990) - again, great to counter balance a female star

3) Red Dawn (1984) - from his sensible elder brother period

4) The Outsiders (1983) - see above

5) Roadhouse (1989) - JG can't compete

6) Point Break (1991) - masterpiece - his career went into freefall after this

7)  North and South (1985) - forgotten now but a big deal in its day

8) Donnie Darko (2001) - a rare decent credit post 1991

9) Blood Brother episode of MASH (1981) - great ep, good credit

10) Skatetown USA (1979) - put in for fun 

It's so weird how his luck turned so much after he became a star. The booze, I assume. Chasing the money. Hollywood not believing him. He should've made musicals. 

Movie review - "Second Thoughts" (1983) *

 Excuse my French but f*ck this movie and f*ck Larry Turman for directing it and Barry Spikings for investing in it for EMI Films. Craig Wasson has a fling with Lucie Arnaz who decides to abort so he kidnaps her. It's played as a drama.

Nice views of Santa Fe and the actors do their best but the film can get stuffed. 

It is fun to see Larry David pop up as a lawyer. 

Movie review - "The Elephant Man" (1980) ****1/2

 This movie feels forgotten now but one time it was a big deal. Crucial to David Lynch's career. Beautifully shot and handled. Some Hollywood touches - night porter villain for instance - but it works dramatically. Perfect acting, from Anthony Hopkins' decent doctor and Wendy Hiller's empathetic nurse to John Hurt's sensitive work. Splendid make up.

One of the best things EMI Films and Mel Brooks ever did. And Lynch. 

Movie review - "Can't Stop the Music" (1980) **1/2

 Gosh. Big. Splashy. Warm hearted. Very community minded. Dumb. No conflict - n opposition. Too many characters. Great feel of friendship and camraderie. Too many old dames at the end. But the movie just wants to entertain.