Movie review - "Threads" (1984) *****

 The greatest TV movie ever made? Powerful. Uncompromising. Important. Starts as gritty British drama (shotgun marriage, squabbling family). Torn apart. So many terrifying things including this - the government do a lot. Tries to keep order, gets involved in planning. It's not enough.

Movie review - "An American Werewolf in London" (1981) ****

 John Landis' classic? A fresh, energetic take on werewolf movies, where the horror is straight but it loves the legacy, and has plenty of humour. David Naughton is so likeable in the lead it's a wonder he didn't have a bigger career - Griffin Dunne also very winning, and Jenny Agutter is magical as the perfect fantasy nurse.

I enjoy how Landis keeps the tension and pace going via violent dream sequences. Transformation is extraordinarily well done. 

HandMade Films Best to Worst

(of the ones I have seen - so not The Missionary, Song of Freedom, Taboo, Venom, The Burning) 

Classics 

Life of Brian (1979)

The Time Bandits (1981)

The Long Good Friday (1980)

Withnail and I (1987)

Solid Comedies 

A Private Function (1984) 

Water (1985) 

Nuns on the Run (1990)

Bullshot (1983) 

Solid Dramas 

The Lonely  Passion of Judith Hearne (1989)

Mona Lisa (1986) 

Five Corners (1987) 

Brave tries 

The Raggedy Rawney (1988)

How to Succeed in Advertising (1989)

Track 29 (1989)

Scrubbers (1982) 

Powwow Highway (1989) 

Comedy misfires

Privates on Parade (1982)

Drama misfires

Bellman and True (1987) 

 Fiascos

 Shanghai Surprise (1986)

Checking Out (1989) 

Cold Dog Soup (1990) 

Movie review - "The Long Good Friday" (1980) *****

 Great, tough British gangster film which is based on solid concept - a gangster going legit finds himself threatened by the IRA. Its ace in the hole is Bob Hoskins - working class, tough, ,warm, funny, sympathetic. 

He's got solid support from Helen Mirren (an uptown girl slumming it), Bryan Marshall, Eddie Constantine, a young Pierce Brosnan, and others. 

One of Hoskins' gangsters is gay - there were a few of these in British cinema of the time eg Villain. 

Terrific music. Just really well done. 

Movie review - "Time Bandits" (1981) *****

 I didn't like this much as a child because I wanted it to be a Monty Python film when it's an adventure movie. Watching it years later it's just a wonderful piece of work, Terry Gilliam at his peak, beautifully complemented by Michael Palin. The lead kid is fine, the little people are terrific, the cameos splendid - Shelley Duvall is as good as Palin and Cleese - Sean Connery gives it heart. The second half felt more Gilliam than Palin - he's in his element. The imagination is lovely - the boat on the top of the giant's head, the swinging rope in the dark. Dave Warner a lot of fun, so too Ralph Richardson.

It's a terrific film. Has aged incredibly well.

Movie review - "Castaway" (1986) **1/2

 Intriguing - Oliver Reed puts ad in paper for woman to live on island with him for a year. They have sex before even going out there and the relationship is explored. 

It's patchy, erratic, always watchable. Amanda Donahue isn't as naked on screen as often as I'd been led to believe. She's excellent. Great to see Reed in a decent role for a change. 

The island is located near Australia and there are some Aussie characters in it. 

Movie review - "The Raggedy Rawney" (1988) **1/2

 Handmade Films enjoyed success with two Bob Hoskins vehicles, The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa so when he came to them seeking finance for his directorial debut they ponied up the cash. It's not exactly high concept - in an unnamed European country a soldier (Dexter Fletcher) deserts, is traumatised by war, puts on a dress and is a mute who accompanies some Romani.

The cast includes Hoskins and many of his mates like Zoe Wanamaker, Ian McNiece, and Jim Carter. Ian Drury is also in it.  Fletcher looks like Mick Jagger. Shags a nubile blonde. The Romani fight off soldiers.

The film is a brave try. I like the ambition. Some moving moments. Open ending. Wasn't for me but no disgrace. 

Movie review - "Room with a View" (1985) *****

 Merchant-Ivory had been plugging away since the 1960s before everything clicked for them with this movie. It simply works from the opening of Dame Kiri singing Puccini - glorious song always loved it - then cutting to the new discovery beauty of Helena Bonham Carter and the exquisite comic timing of Maggie Smith, followed up by the dash of Julian Sands and the genius of Denholm Elliot. Rupert Everett auditioned for Sands' role and while Sands isn't amazing it was the right choice - I think Everett would've sent it up slightly.

Carter and Sands weren't the best actors then but they have the perfect look. Rupert Friend also stole the show as Freddy. Daniel Day Lewis is next level with his performance.

The oldies give it heart though - Maggie Smith's uptight nature, lying in bed alone at the end, Denholm Elliot's decency and awkwardness. Full of warmth like Sands giving his dad a kiss.

Very homoerotic gaze with its nude men running around and men wrestling and subtext about the importance of being rogered by young bucks in Italy.

The whole movie does work.  

 

Movie review - "Another Country" (1984) ****

 Well made British film has a great subject - Guy Burgess at school - and does it well. The other main character is his commie mate played by Colin Firth though he actually doesn't get much screen time - he starts as a commie ends as a commie (Ken Branah played this role on stage). The story is about the politicisation of Burgess. Some critics from the time whined that it didn't show his politicisation - but it shows very clearly his disenchantment with the estabishment, at first he disdains it cheerfully then comes to loathe it when he's booted from making head prefect. 

Cary Elwes is Bennett's love object, Bennett is played excellently by Rupert Everett in a star making portrayal. The make up at the beginning and end is a litte off putting - and would an American journalist be allowed to interview a spy?

But a very good movie. 

Movie review - "Track 29" (1988) **1/2

 Nic Roeg films are always worth watching and this is a case in point. I don't feel it quite works - the American setting perhaps, maybe he would've been more at home in Britain, or writer Dennis Potter. Theresa Russell is okay as the woman visited by son Gary Oldman, who goes all out - who may be a hallucination. There's incest and hammy antics from Oldman and the movie is about Russell's PTSD from rape.

The film doesn't die wondering that's for sure. Chris Lloyd is Russell's husband, Sarah Bernhardt is his lover.

Gosh, Handmade backed some odd ones in the late 80s.

Movie review - "Dance with a Stranger" (1985) ***1/2

 A model for how to make a sensibly budgeted British film: pre existing IP, really good theatre writer doing the script, TV director behind the camera, two new stars (Miranda Richardson, Rupert Everett) and an established name (Ian Holm), some sex and violence.

Done with taste and skill and Richardson is spectacular. Holm also excellent. Everett is fine. I preferred the Diana Dors version of this story - this is a little too restrained - but it's well done. 

Movie review - "The Mission" (1986) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

 Smart. Literate. Gorgeous to look at. Top cast. Magnificent locations. Divine score. 

Doesn't quite work. Jeremy Irons and Robert de Niro look too much alike. The original idea, for the priest to be an older actor, should have been persisted with. Irons is fine by the way. But he doesn't feel like a real person. Just a good priest.

Ray McNally feels real. So too does Robert de Niro. Liam Neeson. The other slave guy.

The depiction of the locals is unforgiveable. They are childlike simpletons. 

It's a shame because the film has such a great driver - slaver tries to redeem himself, returns to violence, defends native people against colonisers. That's Avatar. But in Avatar the local culture had a voice. It was personified.

If there had been a proper Indian character who had a relationship with the men - a firebrand and a peacelover, both women, say - this would have really resonated. The movie needed some women in it (there's one briefly, she's in love with de Niro's brother Aidan Quinn, but that's it). Also they could have ended the film on some hope. Having de Niro and Irons die felt really men. Maybe it would've been okay if some dimentional Indian character survived.

So much great stuff but they didn't nail the story. 

Movie review - "Five Corners" (1987) ***

 The first American movie from HandMade Films, in hindsight a mistake, though the company kept producing British pictures, and all its American films were something different.

This launched a bunch of names - John Patrick Shanley, John Turturro, Tim Robbins - and was part of the re-awakening of Jodie Foster. 

I remember reading the script ages ago - it was published - and being intrigued by its characters, the combination of nostalgia and violence, the unsettling story of a man out of prison seeking revenge for someone he's obsessed with (Foster), the killing of the penguins. Something Wild is maybe a little close to it though that had more sex.

That script was more vivid to read than the final film was to watch, although the film is faithful. Maybe it needed a better director. Mind you I doubt any other director would have made it. 

The ending felt satisfying. This was odd. It worked. 

Movie review - "Powwow Highway" (1988) **1/2

 One of HandMade's random American films this at least gets points for being about Native Americans. The director was a white South African but the cast is Indian and it's very respectful, or as least seems to be. There's plenty of Indian actors in the cast such as Wes Studi and Graham Greene.

The film is a buddy comedy between activist A Martinez and more laid back Graham Farmer who go on a road trip in part of help Martinez's sister who's been arrested. 

It's fine. Lot of warmth. Some good actors. I ddn't vibe with it - not my sort of movie. 

Movie review - "Checking Out" (1989) *1/2

 Joe Eszterhas could write one type of movie really well - the erotic thriller - though he tried his hand at other kinds, including comedy. He did a few comedies actually, and they were rarely funny (though his books can be witty).

It's a black comedy about Jedd Daniels in Jack Lemmon mode becoming obsessed with his health after his racist best friend dies while telling a joke. British HandMade Films responded to it as did director David Leland. 

Leland changed some of Eszterhas' stuff - Eszterhas says he changed it back.

A film like this needed carefully handing in script and directing and playing. It goesn't get it. Jeff Daniels is fine - it's not his fault this movie is so bad. I think David Leland maybe struggled being out of England, not being across the acting scene as much, knowing the intricacies of the culture. There's a bit of over acting going on.

Fun to see cameos from David Byrne and George Harrison.  I liked hearing the Traveling Wilbury's over the beginning and end credits.

I hated the lead for being best friends with a racist. And for Melanie Myron for having nothing to play. Maybe it would've worked more with Bob Hoskins in the lead -  Jeff Daniels is fine, Hoskins just was more affable.

Gosh, HandMade took risks though. 

Movie review - "How to Get Ahead in Advertising" (1989) **

 Bruce Robinson's sequel to Withnail and I has a decent swing. It feels like a young man's movie, some angry ranting, and Richard E Grant commits. It might play better on stage off the energy of the acting.

Rachel Ward is pretty but awkward in a nothing part. 

Robinson doesn't have many ideas other than his initial one. There's a lot of ranting but little of the personal knowledge he brought for Withnail. It doesn't have the character relationships - Robinson's earlier film had Withnail and I, and also the duo and their drug dealer and Uncle Monty. This has the undercooked stuff with the wife, and a better one with the boss.

Brave try.  

Movie review - "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne" (1987) ***1/2

 The sort of movie you know going in what it's going to be like - tastefully made, with brilliant acting, hosannahs for Maggie Smith in the lead, nice production values, depressing.

People tried to make this for three decades, notably John Huston - the title role is a gift for an older actress. But it is depressing. She's got no money, no family, loses a job, realises she's wasted her life, hits the bottle, falls in love with a bounder (Bob Hoskins) who only wants her money.

It's nicely made. 

Movie review - "Bellman and True" (1988) **

 HandMade films had a success taking a film intended for TV and releasing it theatrically with The Long Good Friday. They tried it again with Song of Freedom and this one, neither succeeded.

This isn't a bad story - a computer expert is forced to assist in a crime  after his step son is kidnapped.

But it's just shot like a British TV drama with all that TV drama acting, and musical stings, and TV cutting. Which is fine on TV but not for a movie.

Bernard Hill is a decent actor but he's taciturn, tight - there's no warmth. The lead needed a star. Bob Hoskins would have made all the difference.

The characters of the criminals are interesting because they are more three dimensional than usual. More interesting than the lead. It picks up in the second half when the heist kicks in.

But the core relationship between the lead duo - the guy and the kid - is flat. 

Movie review - "Mona Lisa" (1986) ***

 Very simple effective story. Bob Hoskins is wonderfully cast. Sean Connery, the original choice, would have totally changed it.  Ambles a bit in the middle. It was fine, not magical Maybe the queer twist carried more weight in 1986. It's good, mind. 

Movie review - "Privates on Parade" (1982) ** (warning: spoilers)

 You can tell it would've been fun on stage, with the energy of the dance numbers. Dennis Quilley is funny as is John Cleese. It doesn't work. A few reasons.

- the plot of the sergeant selling arms to the locals, faking his death and coming back for the final raid just seems dumb - maybe it happened, but it doesn't feel real. Why fake his death? Why take part in the final raid? Why kill one of the men? A communist could've done it. Doesn't feel real.

- They don't use the character of the newbie enough. Should be through his eyes. He joins up, meets wacky locals, romances a girl. But then kind of disappears from the film. He should be the star part.

- No real relationship progression. Should be the guy falling in love, making friends. Not done.

- I had trouble telling characters apart.

Also for all the film's relatively positive depiction of gay soldiers it treats the locals like exotic fauna.

Denis O'Brien shouldn't have added the silly walks at the end. But the film didn't work before that. His addition just gave the filmmakers someone to blame other than themselves.

Might mean more if you've seen active service from this period.