Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2019)

Although I really wasn't a fan of the revisionism of Maleficent, the strengths in that movie were still strong enough to ensure that I would watch a sequel (well . . . the strengths in the movie and the fact that I have to try and watch every film ever in a never-ending quest for completionism). From the very start of the film, Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil sets itself out as superior to the film it follows. The groundwork has been laid, the characters put in place, and this quickly turns into an entertaining mix of dark comedy and fairytale characters at war.

Angelina Jolie is, once again, the main character, and once again she's a villain allowed to prove that she doesn't have to remain in that box. Elle Fanning returns as Aurora, the young woman who happens to now have Maleficent as her guardian/godmother, and everything starts to move along at a rapid pace when Aurora accepts a proposal from Prince Philip (Harris Dickinson). What could lead to peace between humans and non-humans instead leads to a confrontation, and it's one that was planned by Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer).

The main returning name behind the camera here is writer Linda Woolverton, now working with Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and she seems to enjoy being freed from the obvious constraints of the twisted familiarity required for the first film. The character of Maleficent gets to enjoy her powers while also, in a few amusing moments, wrestling with more civil interactions with people she would have previously avoided at all costs.

Director Joachim Rønning has a relatively easy life, considering the cast and crew at his disposal. That transfers to the screen, with every fun performance taking place in a fantasy land realised by top-notch, and often beautiful, CGI.

Jolie is still perfect in her lead role, whether she's fighting back against scheming humans or practicing a polite smile that hopefully won't terrify anyone she is trying to be nice to. Pfeiffer is equally perfect in her role, the Queen with the scheme, and she proves to be a worthy opponent to Maleficent, happy to make many sacrifices on her way to a greater good. Fanning is very sweet and likeable, Dickinson is as you'd expect a Prince to be (meaning he's not given all that much to do), and Sam Riley once again tries to steal a couple of scenes as Diaval, a "sidekick" to Maleficent. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein work quite well under a lot of make-up, Robert Lindsay is a King who is put out of action quite early on in the proceedings, and there are enjoyable little turns from Jenn Murray, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, David Gyasi, and Warwick Davis. (of course . . . is there a big-budget fantasy film that doesn't decide to use Davis?)

It's not up there with the best of these movies, and still has an air of predictability about it, but Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil is surprisingly enjoyable from start to finish. And it's easily much better than the first film.

7/10

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Prime Time: Adventures Of A Taxi Driver (1976)

You know what it's like, don't cha. You want to have a great life, get a bit of cash in your pocket, get a nice little bird to have some fun with every now and again, and generally live a bleedin' charmed life without any worries. But you are living at your mum's gaff, you have an on-off girlfriend who wants something serious, while you're just keeping her as an option in between pursuing others, and most of your taxi fares end with you owing money because you got your head turned by some nice piece of skirt.

No, I've not regressed. The paragraph above sums up the outlook of the main character in Adventures Of A Taxi Driver, a very successful British sex comedy from the 1970s that came along after the popular "Confessions Of..." series and the much more enjoyable Eskimo Nell (if you ever explore these movies then that is one I recommend you make a top priority).

Barry Evans plays the main character, you won't be surprised to learn that he is a taxi driver, Joe, in a film that also has room for Robert Lindsay, Judy Geeson, Diana Dors, and one or two special cameo appearances. The opening minutes, with an amusingly sarcastic litany of praise for the good ol' British cabbie, bodes well for what you might get from the rest of the film, but things quickly go from bad to worse as viewers are left in the care of a cheeky chappie supposedly able to charm the ladies. He seems more like either a predator or a spoiled child for most of the runtime, and everything becomes even more tiresome when you get a final act that puts the main character in the middle of a robbery that allows him to be the best of a bad bunch (I suppose).

Very much a product of its time, this doesn't hold up well at all. Director Stanley A. Long, who also came up with the idea that was turned into a screenplay by Suzanne Mercer, a frequent collaborator, puts everything together like a late-night comedy sketch show with licence to show some gratuitous nudity. You get the married woman who is interrupted by her oblivious husband while she tries to enjoy the company of the cabbie, you get one young woman who seems suicidal until she starts responding to the warmth of Joe (yes, it is as horribly uncomfortable as it sounds), and you get the obviously hilarious moment in which Joe doesn't realise his latest passenger is a female impersonator. There's nudity and a nun, a happy-go-lucky hooker who likes to treat her clients while being driven around in the cab, and more.

Evans is at least okay in the main role. It's not easy to make his character any more appealing, considering the script working against him, but he tries his best. Geeson is as lovely as ever, Lindsay is there to often be a sounding board, and Adrienne Posta is horribly mistreated as Carol, the woman who Joe thinks is getting far too clingy. On the plus side, she at least gets to sing the main title song (even if it's not a very good one).

I used to hate this. I remember rating it even lower the last time I saw it, and I have no idea why, or how, I watched it before. But now I can't help view it with a little more affection. The attitude on display is still horrendous, the comedy doesn't really work, but it's just as fascinating a a number of other British movies from this time, many of them trying to make a splash at the box office by translating saucy postcard humour into something a bit more daring for adults to enjoy at their local cinemas.

4/10

The print currently available on Amazon Prime (UK, not sure about other territories) is actually very good.