Movie review - "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979) *****

 Magnificent movie. It looks incredible - that production design, those costumes. It's hilarious. There's a devastating point - the satire on people who blindly fellow religion. No wonder people got upset- it's targeted at them. But they can't say that so they say it's blasphemous. The ending is incredibly moving and powerful.

Movie review - "The Holcroft Covenant" (1985) *

 Such a bad movie. Confusing. Slow. Devoid of action. Dull. No decent action scenes.

Michael Caine replaced James Caan. Caine is bad. Everyone is bad. Incomptent. Finale is a press conference. No sex, no intrigue, no suspense.

This was an abomination. 

Movie review - "Clockwise" (1986) ***

 John Cleese argued this wasn't a success in the states because it was too indigenous. Maybe - also the film is very stressful with Cleese failing upon failing. And he doesn't really deserves it. Basil Fawlty deserves to suffer. Maybe if his character had a romance with Penelope Wilton, was unhappily married, fell for his ex. I liked the subversion of the teen girl who was having an affair with another student.  Maybe it needed a baddy as well - someone even worse.

Its deftly written and some very funny moments. But it kind of hits the same beat - "the poor bastard".

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 think this was commercial? 

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. 

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 - "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. 

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 - "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 - "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 - "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. 

 

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.

Movie review - "Memoirs of a Survivor" (1981) **

 On one hand I can see how this got greenlit - classy writer, interesting book, promising director. Julie Christie signed on.

But it's so dull. England in economic collapse but everything is messy and shabby rather than dramatic. Christie watches things. A young girl roots a guy. There's visions of a Victorian era house. 

The movie went on and on. At first I was forgiving but then I became annoyed because it's so doggedly un commercial.

This should've been done for TV if that. I felt like I was in a festival audience watching it. Trying to stay awake.

Movie review - "The Jazz Singer" (1980) **

 I was in the mood for this. It's not very good but it's a big crap musical with Neil Diamond a warm presence with a wonderful voice who deserved a better film. Starts with a thumping song, shots of NYC and Diamond and Laurence Olivier being Jewish and you wonder what went wrong. Then Diamond's in blackface with some black musicians.

Franklin Ajaye and Luci Arnaz are perfect support. Script makes dumb decisions like not killing off Olivier (isn't that the point?). Apparently they were going to kill off Arnaz too that would've been ideal. And dumb to make him married that makes him an arsehole. Lean into the melodrama. 

Great songs. Diamond doesn't disgrace himself. Olivier has a high old time. Campy fun when Diamond goes on the road.

Movie should have been book ended by a huge concert.