Movie review - "Last Night in Soho" (2021) ***

 Edgar Wright's love letter (well, a letter) to swinging sixties Britain has some wonderful moments and a mangetic lead in Anya Taylor Jones (who is so perfect) plus a charismatic Matt James. Thomasin McKenzie is a little dull. Slow start but satisfying at the end.

Top Ten Use of Queen's Music in Film

honour of watching "Bohemian Rhapsody" I thought I'd do a top ten of my favourite uses of Queen's music in other films:
1) In the Space Capsule - in "Flash Gordon" (1980) - seriously the whole soundtrack to this is amazing, the title song, the Football Fight, the Attack of the Hawk Men... but limiting myself to one song, I'll pick the theme that plays when Flash, Dale and Zharkov fly to Mongo
2) We Are the Champions in "Revenge of the Nerds" (1984) - like so many 80s sex comedies there are problematic aspects to this film - but it does have a great soundtrack! in particular the finale with the nerds embracing allies to the strains of Queen's greatest anthem
3)One Vision in "Iron Eagle" (1986) - remember the days when studios made films about young men who flew missions into Libya in order to rescue their dad? this was one such movie - and the man played a mix tape while blowing up Arabs, including "One Vision" - which actually is the perfect tune to do such things
4) Who Wants to Live Forever? in "Highlander" (1986) - another great soundtrack by Queen, with It's a Kind of Magic being a superb single... but... for effectiveness on screen I don't think you can go past the montage of Chris Lambert losing his mortal lady love to this song (used well in Bohemian Rhapsody)
5) Bohemian Rhapsody in "Wayne's World" (1992) - I'm still recovering from the shocking badness of Mike Myer's turn in Bohemian Rhapsody but his use of that song in Wayne's world was very funny and definitely captured a time and a place
6) You're My Best Friend in "Peter's friends" (1992) - remember this film? great cast, good moments, dodgy direction, fantastic soundtrack
7) Don't Stop Me Now in "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) - I actually don't like this song that much but love how it was used in the film
8) Under Pressure in "Studio 60 on Sunset" pilot (2006) - ah this flawed flawed show - the pilot is pretty great though and "Under Pressure" (which pops up a LOT in films) is used very well at the end
9) Flash's Theme in "Blades of Glory" (2007) - I found a way to use more Flash Gordon songs! This brilliant track is used superbly in one of the best sports comedies
10)Radio Ga Ga in "Metropolis" (1927) - okay i'm cheating here but stay with me... in the early 80s Giorgio Moroder released his own version of Metropolis with a new soundtrack including a Freddy Mercury track... in return Queen could use clips from the film in their video for this song which is one of my favourite Queen songs... and was my introduction to silent cinema. True story!2

Movie review – “Danger Diabolik” (1967) **

Edgar Wright spoke in rhapsodies about this film on the Trailers from Hell website and it has it’s fans. It looks fantastic, like most movies from director Mario Bava – sumptuous photography, wonderful pop sets and costumes. The story and characterisation are a little on the thin side, and it lacks star power. 

Apparently Diabolik is a big time comic character in Europe. He's a master thief, who’s so successful it’s causing the police to crack down on all crime – which annoys the mob. So the cops and the mob go after him. Diabolik (played by a stone faced John Phillip Law) wears a leather outfit (including a face mask), drives a Jaguar and has perhaps the most awesome hero’s lair in cinematic history – it’s an underground cave, with a pool, massive bed, groovy furniture, large showers. 

He’s a one woman guy though – not too hard when that woman is the stunning Marissa Mell, who wears a series of very revealing costumes (clothes hanging on to nipples by the barest tape, little shorts, etc) and is always taking showers and going for swims. (William Goldman talks about Mell’s beauty in his piece on the 1967 flop musical Mata Hari in The Season and he was spot on.) Wright correctly pointed out it’s like watching Austin Powers without the jokes.

The support cast includes Terry Thomas as a politician (I wasn’t sure what country this was set in), Michael Piccoli (who was in Topaz) as Diabolik’s cop nemesis, and Adolfo Celi (from Thunderball) as the mob boss. Ennio Morricone did the music. Despite all the camp fun of it though I did find it wearying after a while. Law is dull, the action repetitive and it lacks humour. But it looks like a dream and I can understand why some people would love it.

Movie review - "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) ****

Wonderful take on zombie movies - what would happen if they'd arrived in Britain where people didn't have ready access to guns? The filmmakers cleverly take on Hollywood models (eg zombie movie) without leaving their own strengths (eg Gen X slackers finding their way in the world,quaint British life).

Simon Pegg is a wonderful thirty something Gen X leading man and Nick Frost is perfect as his sidekick. Kate Ashfield is a bit bland and harsh as the love interest - you can help wishing the warmer and lovelier Dawn from The Office played this role.

It's not a spoof - there are some quite emotional scenes like when Pegg's mum gets bitten and the relationship between Pegg and Bill Nighy. Another point - just like Night of the Living Dead the "great idea" of the hero (to take refuge in the pub) is actually the wrong one.

Movie review - "Hot Fuzz" (2007) ***1/2

Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright obviously got the desire to make zombie movies out of their system with Shaun of the Dead; here they fulfil their dreams of making a high octane buddy cop action film - just as Shaun, while a comedy, still had plenty of blood and guts and genuine emotion, Hot Fuzz has plenty of action sequences/montages, tormented heros and homo-erotic male friendship. Pegg is the tense, devoted, slightly manic supercop; the wonderful Nick Frost is the dopey kind of useless partner. Like a lot of the action films on which this is based, it goes on too long - a few action scenes too many, takes a while to get started (it lacks Shaun's narrative momentum - they don't realise it's murder until a bit too long into the film), and lacks a bit of heart. Many superb moments - Wright's direction is full of energy, the supporting cast are a delight, and reason behind the murders is hilarious.