The Kid With A Bike (2011)

French-language cinema has, for me, taken a number of twists and turns over the years. Many French-language films would appear on UK TV in the 1980s, some marked with that infamous "red triangle" (signifying adult content at one time), and they all seemed to address very adult subject matter in a very adult, and unflinching, way. A lot of the movies that I saw seemed to feature a lot of sex, but maybe that's because my young brain would seek out any film that sounded as if it would show me those bits and pieces that I was always curious about at that young age. Stop sniggering, I still have a healthy curiosity now, but I'm sure that many people can still remember that strange time when hormones are raging and everything seems so strange and exotic. Yet, the French-language cinema of today is well known to many as a fertile ground for fine modern horror and when they try to do something more akin to the adult output of yesteryear it ends up feeling false and horribly cliched. Like American Translation. Thankfully, they can still do some fine films and The Kid With A Bike is one of them. Which is Belgian. But a Belgian film in the French language.

Funnily enough, it's all about a kid named Cyril (played by Thomas Doret). With a bike (played by a bike). Cyril is an angry young boy, stuck in a youth facility after being placed there by his father (Jeremie Renier). He refuses to take in the harsh reality of the situation when his father's phone number is no longer in service and he is told that he has moved so he runs away to see for himself. The flat is empty and his bicycle is no longer there, apparently sold by his father. While trying to evade the people who want him back in their care, Cyril clings on to a woman named Samantha (Cecile De France). Samantha, obviously moved by the plight of the boy, manages to get his bike back for him and Cyril asks her if she will take him on weekends. She agrees, but her kind and patient nature may not be enough to help a young boy so full of rage and confusion.

Written and directed by the Dardenne brothers (Jean-Pierre and Luc), The Kid With A Bike is one of those movies that may resonate more with people who can identify with one or more of the main characters. This may sound like stating something obvious, something that applies to every movie even, but I really think that some films have an honesty at their core that can be best appreciated by those who have been in the shoes of the main character. Other people can also enjoy the movie, and the universal elements that it contains, but some people will get a bit more out of it. I'm not going to go into detail, it's a movie review and not a diary of my turbulent teenage years, but I'd certainly experienced a few of the highs and lows that Cyril goes through and most of the movie rang true for me.

The script and direction is very good, with a minor failing being the rushed way in which Cyril falls in with a local lad named Wes (Egon Di Mateo), but the film is really taken to a higher level thanks to the performances of all involved. Young Thomas Doret does great work as the young boy who can think of no other way to react to his situation apart from lashing out (the character walks a fine line between being a complete brat and being someone with all defences fully up), Cecile De France is lovely and believable as the woman who takes it upon herself to try to help save a life and even Jeremy Renier is great as the father who just can't manage looking after a child any more. Interestingly, the film doesn't make the absent father into a completely loathsome figure, but prefers to show him as someone who just isn't strong enough to raise his son alone. He truly thinks that he's acting in the best interests of all involved, but he doesn't see the consequences of his actions.

This may not be the first choice for a movie evening, but it's definitely a rewarding one and it's a film that beautifully captures a range of different emotions without ever feeling too heavy-handed or manipulative, in my view. I hope that it ends up being seen by people who get as much out of it as I did.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Kid-With-Bike-DVD/dp/B007ISZRBY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363569593&sr=8-1

Tombstone (1993)

As is sometimes the way, Tombstone is a fantastic film that really seems to have defied some long odds to come together as well as it has. Kevin Jarre, who wrote the main script, was initially due to direct the film, but was fired just after he directed a number of scenes featuring Charlton Heston. George P. Cosmatos is the man who now has his name listed as director, but Kurt Russell played just an important, and maybe even more important, role in getting everyone back in the game and getting the movie finished. It's not surprising. Russell had a plum starring role in a movie chock full of great actors being allowed to do great things.

The film is all about Wyatt Earp (Russell) and his brothers (played by Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton) as they settle into life in Tombstone and try to enjoy some peace and quiet. Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) is also in town and it seems like everyone may get to enjoy life a bit more with the days of being a lawman in Wyatt's past. But people don't always get what they plan for and Tombstone soon starts to see more and more violence in its streets, so much so that the pressure mounts for Wyatt to return to his old role. That is something that he just doesn't want to happen, but he may not have a choice in the matter if some of the more trigger-happy cowboys keep causing so much trouble.

Kevin Jarre's script was, apparently, pared down quite a bit from its initial size, but what's here is all good stuff. There are some superb lines of dialogue and characters are well sketched out. Despite how densely populated the film seems, everyone is given a decent share of the screen-time. Oh wait, that's not quite true. All of the men are given enough time and space, but most of the women in the movie are given fairly short shrift. Dana Delany fares better than most in the role of Josephine Marcus and Paula Malcomson and Joanna Pacula have one or two good moments, but Lisa Collins and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson needn't have bothered turning up, considering the little that they have to do. In fairness, the film is a look at Wyatt Earp and his friends and family and that famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral so decisions would have been made to keep the focus on the men about to get themselves involved in a historic shoot-out.

The direction, from whoever was in the big seat, is absolutely fine, but the cinematography, set design, etc. all pale in comparison to the work done by the casting department. Simply put, Tombstone has one of the best casts in a 1990s movie that you can think of. Let me just reel off the better-known names and see how long the list gets: Russell, Elliott, Paxton, Kilmer, Delany, Pacula, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Harry Carey Jr, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Zane, Wyatt Earp (you read that right, he's a distant relative of the lead character), Terry O'Quinn and the voice of Robert Mitchum.

Feel free to re-read that list and soak up just how much quality is scattered throughout it. The fact that, despite so much competition, this film ends up being owned by Michael Biehn and Val Kilmer, in their separate scenes and also any that see them sharing the screen, just shows how good those two actors are. One moment in particular, with Biehn's Johnny Ringo showing off his gun-twirling skill before being delightfully mocked by Kilmer, is up there with the very best in the Western genre (maybe even THE best, in my opinion). Russell is very good in the main role, as you'd expect, but Wyatt Earp is the unshowy, earnest heart while Biehn and Kilmer get to be a lot more flamboyant and fiery.

While not an entirely perfect film, Tombstone somehow manages to put so many individual great moments together that it feels almost like an instant classic. It becomes more than the sum of its parts, but that's because all of those parts are so well cast.

9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tombstone-The-Directors-Cut-DVD/dp/B001QOGXPU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363068604&sr=8-1

 

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

I don't know what the general consensus is on this Hammer horror movie but, for me, it's one of the worst of the lot featuring our favourite fanged count. Even if it is also amusingly groovy.

No, no, NO, don't look at the camera.

After Dracula (Christopher Lee) is yet again laid to rest by the brave Van Helsing we move forward to the Britain of the seventies where one of the Count's followers (Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard) is doing his best to bring the master back to life, allowing him to exact his revenge on the descendants of Van Helsing (Peter Cushing is on board for this instalment and also has a granddaughter played by Stephanie Beacham).

No, no, NO, DON'T look at the camera.

Directed by Alan Gibson and written by Don Houghton, this vampire movie suffers from a number of distracting flaws. First of all, the updating of the ongoing battle between Dracula and Van Helsing to the 1970s makes the movie, ironically, appear much more dated than any other movie in Hammer's Dracula series. Then we have the terrible acting. Cushing and Lee are as good as ever but the support from the "hip youngsters" is cringeworthy. Beacham doesn't do well but even her poor performance is better than most of the others on screen, with the exception of the gorgeous and magnetic Caroline Munro - who is gorgeous and magnetic and I won't hear any different.

Ahhh Caroline, you can look at the camera if you want to. No? Okay.

Everything is flat and unexciting, from the painful script that strives to be down with the kids to the execution of the few set-pieces, and we get a distinct lack of any pleasing bloodletting or lusty behaviour to compensate for the many dull moments.

This photo highlights the complete lack of bloodletting or lusty behaviour.

Is there any way it could be made any worse? Maybe a gratuitous scene featuring a couple of ear-hurting musical numbers from "Stoneground" - who also get namecheked as if they were appearing on some Saturday kid's TV show - with one or two of the band members doing their best to stare at the camera whenever they get the chance (see the top pic as an example). It's a testament to their presence that Lee and Cushing manage to raise this movie to the tier of average. Without them, it would definitely rank even lower.

5/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dracula-D-1972-DVD-Christopher/dp/B000B7KXDG/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1354657613&sr=1-1

The Beyond (1981)

Lucio Fulci is a director who tends to invoke extreme reactions in people. His work is often extremely gory, more than a little bit bonkers and very atmospheric, but there are many of his films that people also just dismiss as nasty, misogynistic trash. I've not seen too many of his movies, but I've seen enough to know that I like his stuff, even if it is completely off the wall at times. City Of the Living Dead (please be kind to my brief review, it was one of my first for Flickfeast) remains a firm favourite in the zombie movie sub-genre, thanks in no small part to the atmosphere that's laid on with a shovel. The Beyond is its equal.

Catriona MacColl plays Liza Merril, a woman who finally has a shot at getting something good happening in her life when she inherits an old hotel in Louisiana. It's unfortunate that the hotel is built over one of the seven entrances to Hell and that a long-dead artist named Schweick seems intent on leading hordes of the undead into the world of the living. If Liza heeds the advice of blind Emily (Cinzia Monreale) then maybe she, with the help of Dr. John McCabe (David Warbeck), can stop all hell breaking loose. Literally.

Fans of City Of The Living Dead should love this movie as it's certainly a thematic companion piece to it, making up a nice trilogy of sorts that would be completed by The House By The Cemetery. Fulci also co-wrote the screenplay with Dardano Sacchetti and Giorgio Mariuzzo though it's hard to imagine them doing much more than imagining nasty, gory death scenes and then making the rest of the plot up while the cameras were rolling. To be fair, a lot of the footage from the last third of the movie was added at the insistence of the distributor, but the movie feels like a melting point of ideas and outrageous horrors anyway so nothing ever feels too incongruous, even as everything gets crazier and crazier.

MacColl is a lovely leading lady, David Warbeck acts capably alongside her and Cinzia Monreale plays a young woman who can sit at a piano and play her own spooky theme music. Veronica Lazar and Anthony Flees are given enough just enough screen-time to make it clear that they might not live to enjoy any retirement in their old age and Maria Pia Marsala is a young girl who sees a lot more blood and death than any young girl should see.

The acting is uneven, of course, and so are some of the special effects moments, but the good far outweighs the bad when it comes to the eyeball trauma, flesh being lashed off in chunks, faces being severely disfigured, tarantulas enjoying some meat treats and the atmosphere that starts to build up during the middle of the movie and thickens and thickens right up until those brilliant final images.

In case you didn't realise it already, this is another film that I hold dear to my horror-loving heart, flaws and all.

8/10

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They Live (1988)

Ahhh, good ol' John Carpenter. Despite strong competition from a number of extremely talented people, he remains my favourite director of all time. I've tried to see every feature that he's ever helmed, from Dark Star to The Ward, and I've seen most of his output more than two or three times. In fact, I usually mention Halloween, The Fog or The Thing whenever I am pushed to list any kind of horror movie Top 10. The man has supplied me with an embarrassment of cinematic riches over the years and They Live is yet another.

Based on the short story, "Eight O'clock In The Morning", by Ray Nelson, They Live is a blend of sci-fi, action and horror that tells the tale of a drifter (played by Roddy Piper, the character is never named in the film, but listed as Nada in the end credits, ) who arrives in a city and just wants to get himself a job and then some money in his pocket. He ends up working on a building site with Frank (Keith David) and Frank then shows him a place where he can get a meal and rest his head at night. Times are hard for a lot of people so the kindness is much appreciated. While things start to look up for our lead character it's not long until a complication arises in the form of a pair of sunglasses. Not just any sunglasses. These sunglasses are made from a special material that allows anyone wearing them to see the awful truth. Humans are being kept docile and compliant by an alien race. They use subliminal messages to keep people in their place and the only way to get things back to normal is to find out where the main signal originates from and destroy the source. Thankfully for the human race, our hero is willing to give it a go, but not without some help from a woman named Holly (Meg Foster) and, of course, Frank.

As well as directing and adapting the story for the screen, John Carpenter also supplies another cracking synth score (this time with the help of Alan Howarth) and once again shows how to make the most of every dollar of a film budget. I'm not saying that the movie looks like a blockbuster, or that it's even perfect, but the visuals do a fine job of showing what needs to be shown and giving a sense of the all-encompassing nature of the alien infiltration, thanks to some canny work from the art department and special effects team.

Ex-wrestler 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper does a solid job in the main role. He's not going to get any Shakespearean roles, but he's able to convincingly chew bubblegum and/or kick ass. Keith David is always great and in this movie . . . . . . he's great. Meg Foster has one of the more thankless roles, but she makes quite an impression and holds her own in amongst all the testosterone. Speaking of testosterone, this is the film that has a brawl between Piper and David that seems to go on for half the movie. It starts off as good fun, then gets boring, then gets into thorough overkill territory and then keeps going for so much longer that it becomes good fun again.

As relevant today as it was back in the late '80s, They Live is a film that will always resonate with those who despair at the ever-increasing gap between the poorest sections of society and the richest. The fact that it has supporting turns from Peter Jason, George 'Buck' Flower and Raymond St. Jaques (who may not be as instantly recognisable as the other two, but who gives a great performance) and one of the greatest one-liners in sci-fi horror history just adds to its ability to hit the sweet spot for genre fans.

8/10

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Hospital Massacre AKA X-Ray (1982)

Directed by Boaz Davidson, who also wrote the story that was developed into the screenplay by Marc Behm, Hospital Massacre AKA X-Ray is a film so inept in so many ways that you'll watch it and start to wonder when Leslie Nielsen will appear. It feels like a spoof, but it's also brilliantly demented entertainment that's never dull for one minute of the run-time.

The lovely Barbi Benton plays Susan Jeremy, a young woman who heads in to hospital to receive some test results. Unfortunately for her, the doctor that would have seen her has been killed and her x-rays have been switched by a madman who obviously wants her to stay in the hospital long enough for him to make her clinically dead. Susan initially goes along with the hospital procedures with nothing more than a slight hint of impatience, but as time drags on she starts to get more and more frustrated. That frustration turns into real anger when she realises that her life is in danger and is unable to convince any of the hospital staff around her.

Boaz Davidson might be best known to a lot of people as the director of a number of films, including the very first, in the Lemon Popsicle franchise. That's certainly where I knew his name from anyway before seeing any of his work in the horror genre. I think it's fair to say that he brings the same subtlety and restraint to the slasher movie as he did to the teen sex comedy. So that's none at all then.

Thankfully, a lack of subtlety and restraint isn't the worst thing for either a teen sex comedy or a slasher horror movie and that's why I remain a fan of Boaz Davidson's work. His films may never top any "best of..." lists, but he makes some fun stuff that just needs to be watched in the right frame of mind. And usually a smirk, ready to develop into a grin.

I'm not going to pretend that the cast members do any great work, but they manage to keep a straight face while delivering some truly laughable dialogue, and they deserve some small amount of praise for that. Benton is a very attractive leading lady who puts herself across as being quite likable, Charles Lucia (billed as Chip Lucia) is a handsome doctor who seems more helpful than anyone else in the hospital and John Warner Williams is a doctor who refuses to believe any of the outlandish claims from Benton's character, though he's only too happy to get her topless for a prolonged examination/bit of gratuitous nudity. Gloria Jean Morrison and Karen Smith are two stone-faced nurses who won't put up with any histrionics.

There's a score derivative of some classic horror movie tunes, a lead character who just can't seem to help herself at all and proves to be one of the clumsiest people to try to survive to the end of a slasher movie, a great selection of scripted moments that have people saying something and then completely contradicting themselves/turning around a moment later and a classic comedy moment in which a room full of people in traction are shown moving frantically as someone walks into their room.

However, there are also a number of entertaining deaths, some absurd moments that carry on until they become surreal and a surprisingly decent finale that stands as some small reward for viewers who make it all the way to the end.

The comedy factor may not usually be the main thing that horror fans look for in their movies, but this one is really worth seeing if you go into it in the right frame of mind.

6/10

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Braindead AKA Dead Alive (1992)

Despite the fact that he already had a number of films under his belt at this time, it's hard to argue against the fact that Braindead put Peter Jackson firmly on the road to great success (though few could envision just HOW great that success would be). Other films from him would have more importance (Bad Taste being his debut feature and The Frighteners being the film that led to the creation of WETA and that work that would help make The Lord Of The Rings movies) but Braindead will always have the blood and guts. And more blood. And more guts. And LOTS more blood.

The story is a simple one, set in New Zealand in the 1950s. Lionel (Timothy Balme) lives at home with his domineering mother (Elizabeth Moody) and doesn't really get to enjoy life as he should. This looks set to change when he somehow ends up taking the lovely Paquita (Diana Penalver) on a date to the zoo. Unfortunately, Lionel's mother is following them and she ends up being bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. It's not long until she gets very sick and then dies. Then comes back to life. Poor Lionel can't bring himself to kill his zombie mother so he tries to control the situation, even when the bodies start to pile up and things get more and more dangerous. And bloody. It's important to mention that because Braindead actually held the record for the most fake blood used in a movie for many years.

Anyway, the above description might help you know what the core of the movie is about, but it doesn't even begin to describe the various, gory pleasures available throughout. From the opening sequence showing the Sumatran rat-monkey being collected by a New Zealand zoo official to a nauseating and memorable dinner scene to a priest who can do more than just pray for help when faced with trouble to another nauseating and memorable dinner scene to every bit of physical trauma and bloodshed in the second half of the movie, this is just one spoonful of gory goofiness after the next. And I've STILL not mentioned the best bits.

There is actually a bit more to it than just the zombie carnage, including some sneaky behaviour by Lionel's lecherous Uncle Les (Ian Watkin), but only a bit. The film is most concerned with getting from one pile of gore to the next and the singular focus is somewhat impressive. Having said that, Balme, Penalver and everyone else onscreen do great work, even when acting alongside some of the more outrageous practical effects or under heavy make-up.

Jackson also helped to co-write the screenplay with Fran Walsh and Stephen Sinclair and it's wonderfully economical in places while leaving plenty of room for the scenes that don't really focus on the dialogue (aka about 3/4 of the film). It's just a shame that, as is often the case with Peter Jackson movies, the rest of the film isn't as neat and concise. Of course I don't begrudge the man his scenes of bloody excess, but it's a shame that so many moments tend to overstay their welcome by a minute or two, leaving the whole thing feeling just a bit too much like overkill. It's hard to argue the point, however, when so many moments during the blood-drenched finale leave a big smile on my face, but there's just a slight imbalance somewhere that stops the movie from being as perfect as the younger version of me used to think it was (before I'd exposed myself to a fuller range of crazy horror movies out there).

I can't imagine any horror fan who likes to see a bit of the red stuff thrown around onscreen disliking Braindead. If you like your horror movies to be more restrained and/or psychological then don't rush to see this one, but if you like zombies, inventive practical gore gags and more fake blood than you'll see in almost any other film . . . . . . ever, then this is for you.
9/10

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The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave (1971)

The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave is a film that I know I should score pretty low. I laughed during many moments, I was never scared for a second and the camerawork seems to be planned to highlight the bad (over-)acting throughout. Yet, despite the major flaws, I liked it. I liked it a hell of a lot.

The plot sees Lord Alan Cunningham (Anthony Steffen) caught in a vicious cycle of ever-so-naughty behaviour. He has a thing for redheads, you see, and likes nothing better than taking them back to his estate, eventually getting them to put on some long, leather boots and then get a bit kinky before he spoils it all by taking things to far and causing them no small amount of trauma in the form of making them dead. Lord Alan just hasn't been the same since his wife (the titular Evelyn) died during childbirth. His doctor (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) keeps trying to help him, while others (Joan C. Davis as Aunt Agatha, Enzo Tarascio as cousin George and Roberto Maldera as Albert) may or may not be messing with his mind. Perhaps everything will work out for the best when he meets and decides to marry the lovely Gladys (Marina Malfatti). Perhaps not.

Directed by Emilio Miraglia, who also co-wrote the uneven script with Fabio Pittorru and Massimo Felisatti, The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave may not count as some long lost masterpiece, but it has some stylish moments scattered here and there and the central plot allows for a heady concoction of fetishism, sex and death. Call me shallow, but it works for me.

The cast are a mix of heavy breathing and widened eyes, with the only real suave character being the good doctor. They are easy to point and laugh at, but it's worth bearing in mind that a) I saw the dubbed version and b) the film is from a time when that overcooked melodrama was much more common than it is nowadays. If only Nicolas Cage had been at this stage of this career at the end of the 1960s/start of the 1970s . . . . . . . . . he could have been a giallo superstar. Thankfully, there is at least the added enjoyment of watching the likes of Marina Malfatti and Erika Blanc occasionally in various states of undress.

The plot twists and turns nicely and it's fun to get to the finale and discover just what's going on, even for people who have been one step ahead the whole way through. There aren't too many death scenes, but the ones shown are memorable enough and one in particular stands out from the crowd (I'd give a clue to what it entails, but I don't want to spoil anything for those lucky enough to get their hands on this film).

When this film started I was laughing within the first few minutes and I didn't really stop laughing until the end credits rolled. But, for all that, I've also grown fond of it and enjoy it for the bit of off-the-wall entertainment that it is. Those who like their movies to be just a bit less laughable should remove a point or two.

7/10

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Evelyn-Came-Out-Grave/dp/B00009P1PA/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1359152959&sr=1-1&keywords=the+night+evelyn+came+out+of+the+grave

Dead Birds (2004)

Modern horrors come in all shapes and sizes, but many people keep trying to insist that they're all unscary and not worth your time. There are many, many fine horror movies still being made and released each year, it's just that the better movies aren't always as easy to hear about and get hold of. Most people will know this already, I'm not saying anything new, but it's always worth remembering every now and again. Especially when you come across a movie like Dead Birds (recommended to me many years ago by the fine folks who used to populate the IMDb Horror board).

Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Michael Shannon, Isaiah Washington, Nicki Aycox and Mark Boone Junior star as a bunch of outlaws who rob a bank in 1860s America. They then hide out at an abandoned plantation before their next stage of the plan - getting to Mexico and splitting the gold. But it's not long until mistrust starts to take hold, as well as a sense of unease about just where they're holed up for the night.

With great acting from all involved, Dead Birds is a horror movie that feels a bit different while hitting a number of familiar genre beats. Henry Thomas is a decent lead, but the real treats come from the supporting cast (especially Michael Shannon before his name was so well known and Isaiah Washington). Nicki Aycox could easily, in a lesser film, be sidelined as nothing more than a token female character in the group, but she's given some decent moments and she does well with them.

The script by Simon Barrett does a great job of making each bit of character motivation clear and also allowing for some flashbacks that provide imagery to feed into the fear-filled present. The main characters may not realise how the fear is building until the second half of the movie, but it is. All around them.

Director Alex Turner also deserves praise for his handling of the material. There are a few jump scares here and there, with some decent CGI helping one or two of them, but he also keeps ladling on the atmosphere like golden honey. The film may blend Western elements with the horror, but it's not trying to be a horror Western, specifically. Oh no, it's just a horror movie that happens to take place in years gone by when there was a shorter life expectancy and bigger divisions amongst men (namely race and allegiance to certain flags). It's a real shame that Turner doesn't have much more to his credit yet.

Do check it out when you get the chance and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Dead Birds is showing today at The Filmhouse - buy your ticket here - as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations on the run up to Dead By Dawn.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Birds-Nicki-Lynn-Aycox/dp/B0007RUSUS/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1359152412&sr=1-1

The Pool (2001)

Having heard about, but not seen, The Pool for years, I was expecting something awful. Something so bad that it would easily become a movie by which I could judge all others (e.g. "well, it's bad, but it's no The Pool"). So when it turned out to be a decidedly average slasher with one or two half-decent moments I was pretty disappointed. I had to throw away the list of derogatory words I had noted down for the review and start with a completely blank page/screen.

A bunch of bright young things decide to celebrate their freedom from a prestigious European school by partying in a swish swimming pool. The big problem is that they're not alone in the building. There's also a masked killer eager to hack and slash through them before the night is over.

Directed by Boris von Sychowski, The Pool is absolutely generic stuff. If one or two more death scenes had shown some wit and imagination or if some more style was layered over everything then that wouldn't have been so bad. However, style is in short supply and there's really only one death scene that shows both wit and imagination.

The most fun to be had comes from spotting familiar faces among the cast. Isla Fisher and James McAvoy are the most recognisable of the bunch, but UK viewers might also know Cordelia Bugeja and/or John Hopkins while German viewers may have already seen Paul Grasshoff and Elena Uhlig in other projects. Jonah Lotan has done his fair share of TV work, as has Linda Rybova. While many of the faces may be familiar to viewers in different parts of the world, it's a shame that almost everyone is pretty bad. Perhaps it's because they have been thrown into such a strange mix or perhaps they just ARE that bad, it's hard to tell. At least Fisher isn't in it for that long and McAvoy is always dependable (though even he struggles).

The script, by von Sychowski and Lorenz Stassen (with some help from Ryan Carrassi in adapting the dialogue), doesn't help anybody. Exchanges between characters are dull and there are no memorable one-liners that you'll find yourself quoting once the end credits have rolled. In fact, there is nothing here that you will remember, or even want to remember, once the end credits have rolled. It's not eye-searingly awful to endure, but it's just not worth bothering with. Mercifully, it's beginning to fade from my memory already.

4/10

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Battle Royale (2000)

Before the main review, do remember if you're in the Edinburgh area and consider yourself a bit of a horror fan then THIS is for you - the All Night Horror Madness at The Cameo promises to be a great night and after enjoying the movies that are lined up I will be placing reviews here next week.

In the future, Japanese society isn't holding up as well as it used to and so the government takes more and more extreme measures to punish and cow the population. In a premise familiar to movie fans, people are grouped together and left in an area that they can only leave once all bar one is dead. They are given a bag with a weapon (well, a useful item ranging from binoculars to a gun), they have exploding collars around their necks to keep them in line and they have to be ready to move at any moment when certain areas are designated as danger zones and can no longer be occupied (otherwise it leads to that exploding collar . . . . . . . . exploding). The most upsetting thing about it is that those picked for the battle are just schoolkids.

That's the basic core of Battle Royale, but it doesn't really begin to cover just what makes this movie so fantastic. It is a Lord Of The Flies for the 21st century that also manages to mix in elements of Wedlock and The Running Man with a bit of Class Of 1984 and just a pinch of Heartbreak High (or the Japanese equivalent). As highly derivative as it is, it also manages to feel very fresh and interested in more than just stringing together darkly comedic death scenes. Okay, you may find that hard to believe as each death is accompanied by the name(s) of the deceased and the running count of how many are left alive, but it's true.

Based on the book by Koushun Takami, the script by Kenta Fukasaku is handled perfectly by his father, Kinji Fukasaku. With 42+ characters, it may seem quite dense and confusing in the early scenes, but things soon settle down as the deaths begin and viewers are given time to familiarise themselves with the main characters.

Takeshi Kitano plays the (ex-)teacher who explains the rules to the children before sending them out to begin their fight for survival. Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Masanobu Ando, Ko Shibasaki, Chiaki Muriyama and Sosuke Takaoka all play various combatants who manage to stand out from the crowd. Ando and Shibasaki are particularly enjoyable thanks to their clear sociopathic tendencies, but everyone does well in their respective roles. There are times when you get the usual histrionics associated, rightly or wrongly, with the Japanese acting style, but they are few and far between.

The violence and death may be ugly, but the movie has some nice camerawork that keeps the action in focus without revelling in every single drop of blood spilled. The soundtrack, mixing well-known classical pieces with music by Masamichi Amano, fits perfectly with the way everything is presented.

Even now, while writing this review, I am struck by what a strange movie Battle Royale is and what a delicate balance of elements it maintains from start to finish. There are emotional moments, there are horrible and hilarious mistakes that end up in multiple deaths, there are moments in which the rules of the schoolyard run in scary parallel to the rules of the deathmatch and the whole thing almost bulges at the edges of each frame with social commentary. And, of course, there are all of those schoolchildren frantically trying to kill each other.

9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Royale-Disc-Edition-Blu-ray/dp/B007RM1G7K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362454057&sr=8-2

When Time Becomes A Woman (2012)

Once again, I find myself in the enviable (and also difficult) position of being offered an advance viewing of a movie that I hadn't heard anything about beforehand. This time the email was sent to me by Ahmad Alyaseer (director and co-writer, with Rana Alyaseer, of the film). Ahmad told me that this movie was "the first Sci-Fi feature film from Jordan and probably the Middle East." I have no reason to doubt him, but my own knowledge of Middle Eastern cinema is very limited so I will state here and now that anyone who knows different is more than welcome to comment here and provide some more information. What is definitely beyond doubt is the fact that the movie has already been selected for a number of festivals, including the 38th Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival and the Pollygrind Film Festival (where it won an award for best cinematography).

So let's get to the film itself. What is it about? Well, it's a conversation between two people, for the most part. A conversation about identity and responsibility and belief and ego and much more. The film takes place in the future, but there are no visual clues as everything is related via the scripted dialogue spoken by Najwan Baqaeen and Zaid Baqaeen. That's it. Two people talking on a beach for 70 minutes. During that conversation, details are revealed about the state of the planet and some major problem that needs to be fixed. That particular strand works well, it's just a shame that the rest of the script can't match it.

When Ahmad Alyaseer contacted me I replied with my usual proviso: "I'd love to review the movie and hope to enjoy it, but I can't guarantee that it will get a positive review." That's my standard reply now because I genuinely DO appreciate being offered the chance to see any new movies and genuinely always hope to enjoy them. It's mutually beneficial. The filmmakers get a good review and my review gets spread around a bit more. Sadly, it doesn't always work that way and I end up feeling like someone who has been invited for a nice meal and then thrown up during the main course.

When Time Becomes A Woman has a number of elements that could be made into something very good, but it suffers from a lack of budget/scope/vision. Alyaseer does enough to make people forget that this is his feature debut, which is something to be proud of, but he doesn't do enough to take the ideas that he has and make them into a fine, low-key sci-fi movie along the lines of Primer or The Man From Earth, for example. Sci-fi movies don't need lots of money and CGI thrown at them as long as they have interesting ideas. This movie has a couple of decent moments, but they don't make up for the lack of activity in the rest of the movie and the circular, repetitive dialogue that may or may not be the result of something lost in translation.

Najwan Baqaeen and Zaid Baqaeen are fine in their roles and they need to be. If this movie starred the wrong two people then it would have been unwatchable. It's tough going as it is and bad acting would have been the final nail in the coffin. Najwan and Zaid aren't great, but they do enough to get by.

I know that I'm sounding very negative here and I feel bad about that because the film looks comparable to, and even better than, many movies made with a much bigger budget. I'm not sure of what the exact budget for this was, but it's listed on IMDb as approximately $5,000 and I'll go along with that for now. What Alyaseer has done with that $5,000 certainly shows that the man has potential to do something memorable with more money and resources at his disposal.

As a movie, it just didn't really work for me (sorry Ahmad), but as an example of a starting point for the technical quality that can be achieved with little money and a crew of about five people all taking on a variety of roles it does quite well.

3/10

When Time Becomes A Woman is currently doing the festival rounds so you may get a chance to catch it at a cinema near you if you keep your eyes peeled.

Captain Ron (1992)

If you mention the movie Captain Ron to some people, then they may grin and try to tell you that it's a fantastic film. They will be wrong, but they won't realise that. Captain Ron is one of those movies that SEEMS better when some time is passed and you're thinking about all of the different roles that Kurt Russell has played and then your brain goes "oh, don't forget that he was great in Captain Ron". Your brain will be correct to remind you that Russell was/is great in the title role, but that will then lead you to remember the entire movie with a coating of fondness that it doesn't really deserve. It's mildly amusing and it's something I'd watch again if it was on TV during a horrible, rainy afternoon, but it's nothing great.

Martin Short plays Martin Harvey, husband to Katherine Harvey (Mary Kay Place) and father to Benjamin (Benjamin Salisbury) and Caroline (Meadow Sisto). When Martin inherits a yacht he gets very excited and immediately plans a family trip. He wants them all to enjoy themselves and learn a bit about life on the ocean while someone takes charge and helps them bring it back to America to sell it. The person who comes to take charge of the boat for them is Captain Ron (Russell). Ron has one glass eye, an uncanny talent for getting lost and an easygoing, somewhat slapdash, manner that soon starts to get on Martin's nerves. Can the two men survive at sea together for the whole journey? And does Ron actually know what he's doing?

Directed by Thom E. Eberhardt, who also worked on the screenplay with John Dwyer, Captain Ron is easygoing, by-the-numbers, comedy fare. Martin Short plays the highly strung character that he's played many times before, Mary Kay Place is a supportive wife and the Salisbury and Sisto are kids who change during the course of their trip, for better or worse. People fall overboard, some DIY goes horribly wrong, there's an embarrassment that befalls the married couple when they try to have some quality time on their own, etc. etc. etc.

The big plus point in the movie is Russell in the role of the captain. There are times when the character could become annoying and unsympathetic, but Russell plays him with such a laid-back, kindly demeanour that even as he's making mistake after mistake it's hard to think unkindly of him. As Martin Short's character starts to lose his patience with Ron, viewers end up warming to him even more and that warmth stays throughout until a final third in which some danger is added and characters need to show what they're really made of.

Undemanding fun, lifted up to the top of the rigging by Russell.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-Ron-DVD-Kurt-Russell/dp/B0001IMC9S/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1362364373&sr=1-1

Anvil: The Story Of Anvil (2008)

"Even though Anvil doesn't give me pay it gives me the joy and the pleasure that you need to get through life" - Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, Anvil

Anvil were, and still are, a hugely influential heavy metal band. Back in the 1980s, when hair was long and trousers were tight and guitar solos were . . . . . . long and tight, Anvil seemed poised to become superstars. Then it didn't happen. Nobody really knows why, judging by this documentary, but Anvil just weren't destined for greatness. Thankfully, nobody told them that and they kept working hard over the years to regain their former glory and prove that they deserve to be a success. Anvil: The Story Of Anvil covers a pivotal time in the life of the band as they make personal, and financial, sacrifices to give it all one more go at becoming rock gods.

If you're not a fan of heavy metal then this may not appear to be a documentary that you'll be rushing to watch, but give it a go and you may well find yourself as entertained and uplifted as I was. Because this isn't really about heavy metal, although it obviously IS. Anvil may be a heavy metal band, and their music is scattered throughout the soundtrack, but this is about people who have kept their spirits up throughout more than two and a half decades. It's about having self-belief that may have others doubting your sanity, but that may also be entirely justified.

Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner are the core of the band and the documentary really focuses on them. They're two men who are much more than just band-mates. They are best friends and even almost brothers. When things go wrong they are quick to take it out on one another, but they stick it out through even the bleakest of times. Sadly, plenty does go wrong and it always seems to be when they most need it to go right.

The problems begin when the band goes on a tour arranged by Tiziana Arrigoni. Tiziana may be a big fan who believes that the band deserves more exposure and a better lifestyle, but she's a terrible manager. A small European tour quickly turns into a disaster, all of which is caught on camera by director Sacha Gervasi, before the band members return home to consider their next move (for Anvil's guitarist Ivan Hurd that next move involved marrying Tiziana, funnily enough).

There are moments in the documentary that you can't believe weren't put there to raise laughs, to deliberately tip a nod and a wink to This Is Spinal Tap, but those moments are just part of life in a band and part of what these musicians have to endure as they keep following their dream. You will laugh, though mostly at the situations and not AT the band members themselves, but you will also be impressed by their dedication to their own cause and how they keep dealing with whatever is thrown at them - from venues not wanting to pay to music execs not knowing how to market their music.

As the end credits roll you might just end up agreeing that Anvil deserve some respect and deserve their place on stage in front of a sell-out crowd. Why not? If Lemmy, Slash, Lars Ulrich and many other rockers think so highly of them, then they definitely shouldn't be dismissed just because fate hasn't smiled upon them in a while. That's one of the many lessons here applicable to everyone, no matter what they do in life.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anvil-Story-Blu-ray/dp/B001UE8JBW/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1362315111&sr=1-2

Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell (1974)

The final entry in Hammer's series of Frankenstein movies is actually a welcome return to form for all involved, mainly thanks to the character of Baron Frankenstein being once again portrayed as someone well-intentioned but morally dubious as opposed to the outright evil schemer he was depicted as in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed.

This time around the Baron (Peter Cushing) is joined by young Simon Helder (Shane Briant), a man who has been sentenced to time in an insane asylum after being caught carrying out experiments based on the Baron's work. When Frankenstein reveals his real identity to the young man and outlines a plan it's not long before the body parts start to pile up and things get ever more problematic.

With Anthony Hinds writing and Terence Fisher directing, this particular Hammer horror rises above its relatively low budget to provide a fitting final outing for the man who is constantly trying to cheat death.

Cushing is as good as ever, Shane Briant acquits himself well and Madeline Smith, John Stratton, Bernard Lee and everyone else onscreen (including David Prowse, hidden once again behind a mask but doing a better job than he did last time he was asked to play the central creature) manage to hold their own.

It's perhaps inevitable that a lot of the material here feels overly familiar and a little bit lazy but there is also some dark, twisted stuff in here (including the reason for Madeline Smith's character not talking) and some proper nastiness that still manages to retain some impact to this day.

It's not really the best swansong that we could have for the Baron but it's a hell of a long way from the worst and, for that, I'm glad.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankenstein-And-Monster-From-Hell/dp/B004NOQ9W2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354725685&sr=8-1

The Millennium Bug (2011)

As a family (the father played by Jon Briddell, the daughter played by Christine Haeberman and the stepmother played by Jessica Simons) head out into the middle of nowhere to relax and ensure that they avoid any chaos caused by Y2K - yes, the movie is set on December 31st, 1999 - then it becomes pretty obvious where this movie is going. Anyone going to an isolated location to enjoy some peace and tranquility will almost inevitably meet up with a disfigured and demented family when residing in horrorland. Unsurprisingly, that's exactly what happens here. But there's more to it. The Millennium Bug of the title isn't just referring to Y2K, as one particular cryptozoologist (Ken MacFarlane) knows.

Yes, this is part killer redneck movie and part killer bug movie and after an unsteady start it soon gets to its feet and runs headlong towards a finale as blood-soaked as it is non-CGI. Movies are getting a lot of love nowadays if they state that they're going back to just practical effects and when you see end results like those on display here . . . . . . . . it's hard not to wish that most movies would leave the computers switched off.

Written and directed by Kenneth Cran, The Millennium Bug is over the top and gory in a way that will remind many horror fans of the glory days of past horror. It throws plenty into the mix, but still keeps a good balance as the story strands weave together and move forward. People may, rightly, worry that this is yet another movie trying to replicate those low-budget, grimy exploitation movies of yesteryear, but they will be pleased to hear that it's not. Despite the extreme gore and the craziness of it all, it never feels as if it's deliberately setting out to be shocking or quirky because it's so brilliantly entertaining.

The cast aren't all exactly from the Daniel Day-Lewis school of acting, especially Briddell, Haeberman and Simons, but those playing the redneck family get to have more fun and set about the material with glee. John Charles Meyer becomes the "star" of the piece, but Trek Loneman is a lot of fun, as is Ginger Pullman (a beautiful woman, though you wouldn't know it from how she's made up here).  Adam  Brooks, Ben Seton and Sandi Steinberg are also entertaining. Ken MacFarlane falls somewhere in the middle, his acting isn't all that great, but he provides a lot of fun in the second half, playing the one person who sees beauty in the killer bug.

Horror fans can do a lot worse than check out this little gem. It's a bit rough in places and certainly has moments in the first third that will give you cause to doubt your choice, but when the madness begins it really does start to shine. And fans of practical effects will absolutely love it, it's a reminder of why we can put up with imperfections and mistakes when the material, and execution of it, has real heart.

7/10

http://www.amazon.com/The-Millennium-John-Charles-Meyer/dp/B009DH378I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362310073&sr=8-1&keywords=the+millennium+bug

Unlawful Entry (1992)

In the late '80s and early '90s, the glossy psycho thriller was a popular box office choice for many viewers. This was due, in no small part, to a certain smash hit by the name of Fatal Attraction. Then audiences were treated to the psycho-centric likes of Pacific Heights, Dead Calm, Single White Female, The Temp, The Crush, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle and many other entertaining releases, including this one.

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan and written by Lewis Colick (though there were a couple of other people involved in creating the story), Unlawful Entry holds up as a superior entry in the psycho thriller sub-genre for two reasons. First, the presence of Ray Liotta, who can play a menacing psycho like few others. Second, the fact that this particular psycho is also a policeman, which really hits home just how scary it can be if any member of Joe Public is ever at the mercy of someone in authority abusing their power.

Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe play Michael and Karen Carr, the married couple who meet Officer Pete Davis (Liotta) when he is one of the men who responds to their call after a traumatic experience with an intruder in their home. Pete and his partner, Officer Roy Cole (Roger E. Mosley), make a great impression, both being professional and friendly, and it seems as if Officer Pete may be a good man to have as a friend. However, when Michael realises that Pete doesn't always act in accordance with the law himself he starts to get worried and he tells Karen that they shouldn't spend any more time with him. Of course, by then it's a little too late. Pete sets out to get what he wants and he has his powers as a policeman to help him get it.

The movie, essentially, boils down to a battle of wills between Russell, playing a regular guy, and Liotta and those two men really work well against one another. Madeleine Stowe isn't left out, but the film is certainly more about different types of alpha males. Roger E. Mosley does well in his role, Ken Lerner is good as the friend/attorney Roger and Deborah Offner is likable enough in the role of Karen's friend, Penny. Fans of Dick Miller will be pleased to see his brief cameo and fans of Djimon Hounsou will also be happy, despite the fact that his role is even smaller than that of Miller's.

It may be, like many others of its kind, quite hard to believe at times, but Unlawful Entry also keeps things more tense and uneasy throughout because of the thorough feeling of helplessness that Kurt Russell ends up experiencing. It may be nothing more than a slick, well-made thriller, but there are moments that strike uncomfortably close to home when aligned with news stories that have been known to crop up about corruption in the police force. It serves as a worrying reminder that bad people can do bad things, no matter what uniform they wear.

7/10

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J. Edgar (2011)

Written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar is the biopic of J. Edgar Hoover and it's a pretty decent film. The sad thing is, however, that it could have been a great film. It seems that Eastwood is content with sitting on his laurels lately instead of delivering the quality of movies that he was giving to audiences not more than five years ago.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the main character, starting the movie made up as an old man. It's an important time in his life, time to think back over everything that he's done and to get his memoirs written and as he tells his story to a young man typing everything out the audience gets to see many episodes from his life. They may not all be true interpretations of events, sometimes J. Edgar Hoover would say whatever would place him in the best light, but they all add up to paint a picture of the man who started off with great ideas and ended up with great, many would say too much, power. As Mulder might put it he "put the eye in FBI."

Considering the subject matter, this is a surprisingly dull movie at times. Various episodes do, of course, provide some excitement, but when it comes to the central character it does seem as if the script, and in turn Eastwood, is content to just barely scratch the surface. Perhaps he didn't want to upset those who are now working in the house that Hoover built.

It's a shame that the script and direction are so unimaginative and unexciting because the cast all do well and have the potential to do better. DiCaprio, in particular, is excellent in the main role. His performance isn't unlike the performance he gave in The Aviator, especially as Hoover becomes more and more driven and paranoid. Naomi Watts is fine as Helen Gandy, the woman he takes on as his secretary and also the one person he seems to trust completely. Armie Hammer is superb as Clyde Tolson, the man who may or may not have been Hoover's lover, but was certainly a close, dear friend and colleague. Then we have Judi Dench, who may not be in the movie for all that long, but does her usual great work as the mother who casts a long shadow over Hoover's life. Small, but enjoyable, turns from Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, Stephen Root and Denis O'Hare help keep boredom at bay, but only just.

J. Edgar is certainly not a bad movie, in my opinion, but it feels like a wasted opportunity for almost all of its two-hour plus run-time even though it has enough interesting elements throughout to make it worth at least a one-time watch - the look at Hoover's self-aggrandising version of events, the rumours about his sexuality, the film even takes one moment to hint at the alleged cross dressing. I don't think many people will love it, but some people may like it a bit more than I did.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/J-Edgar-Triple-Blu-ray-Region/dp/B005RYA5XQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361915312&sr=8-1

Dr. Jekyll & Mistress Hyde (2003)

Sadly, this isn't a fun and cheeky riff on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story (unlike Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde). It's adult erotica that uses the essence of the tale to string together some scenes in which people have sexy times with each other. Usually women getting naughty with other women. There's a screenplay by Bruce G. Hallenbeck ("based on" the classic tale, of course) and I was about to dismiss his role immediately, but he does actually put some semblance of a storyline in the mix, even if it is hard to find sometimes.

A doctor (Julian Wells) is talking to an interviewer about her attempts to separate the pure from the lustful side of females. Meanwhile, her husband (Boz Tennyson) has sex with their maid (Ruby Larocca). things then move on to a scene that shows the good doctor dealing with one of her patients (played by popular adult movie starlet Misty Mundae), injecting her with a new serum and then they start to have sex. It's just all too lusty, however, and poor Misty Mundae is driven insane by her new, overworked sex drive. The doctor takes her own serum, transforming her into Heidi Hyde (not to be confused with the hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hiiii from "Minnie The Moocher"), and then wanders the streets, quickly bumping into a young woman she wants to have sex with (Misty Mundae once more). They have sex. Andrea Davis plays someone who joins them. For sex. People start to get a bit upset at each other, but it's okay because they soon have some more sex.

That's it then. Indeed, it's probably the lengthiest plot description I've ever written for a film of this kind. Director Tony Marsiglia makes sure that everything is erotic enough for those who enjoy such things, but keeps everything far removed from anything that would be deemed hardcore. It's all very softly lit and teasingly presented.

The actors and actresses involved don't do a great job, but who watches this stuff to stumble across a future Oscar winner? Misty Mundae is the star of the show, but Julian Wells is very attractive too. As for Ruby Larocca and Andrea Davis, well there was just too much flesh on display by the time their main scenes came around and I was just waiting for the credits to roll. No I hadn't gone blind, you cheeky monkeys.

The strange thing about this stuff is that it's never really worked for me. I find some of the women attractive, of course, but seeing them in carefully edited lovemaking montages just doesn't come high on my list of priorities. I have so many other things I'd prefer to do: watch better movies, read a good book, take the dog for a walk, etc. etc. etc.

People will mock me, and often do, for this viewpoint and they'll wonder why I watch such stuff if I have no interest in it. Well, Misty Mundae AKA Erin Brown has gone on to make a bit of an impact in the horror genre so that's the first reason. The second reason? As mentioned in my review of An Erotic Werewolf In London, morbid curiosity forces me to see if any of these soft-core porn parodies ever contain enough elements showing that they care one bit about the original material.

Let's face it, I may have hated this film, but it wasn't exactly torture to sit through. As ever with these movies, anyone thinking of watching the film for their own personal happy happy joy joy will probably want to add a point or two.

3/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Jekyll-Mistress-Hyde-DVD/dp/B00009RS0Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1361703610&sr=1-1

The Siege (1998)

The Siege is an interesting thriller that may seem overly familiar to viewers now, but certainly seemed quite unique and daring when first released back in 1998. I'm not going to say that it was the first film of this kind, but I will say that after the real shock of 9/11 and then the subsequent escalating war on terror it has become a movie unfairly overshadowed by many more recent releases (including, for example, the thought-provoking Unthinkable).

The basic plot of The Siege concerns retaliation against America, on American soil, by a number of terrorist cells who want one of their leaders returned to them unharmed. That would be all well and good, but nobody is admitting that they actually HAVE the leader in their custody, which makes for quite a stalemate. Caught up in the middle of this tension is staunch federal agent Denzel Washington, working alongside his partner Tony Shalhoub, and a CIA operative (Annette Bening) who keeps clashing with them as she works on her own agenda. Bruce Willis plays Major General William Devereaux, a man who may prove useful or may, in fact, prove to be the most damaging individual in the city.

With Edward Zwick in the director's chair you know that this isn't going to be a vapid and glossy action movie, though perhaps they tried to market it that way when it was first released (I really don't recall). Zwick is the guy who will take a closer look at courage and morality and will make it interesting, entertaining and invested with emotion. That blend isn't always appealing to some, and he doesn't always get it right, but I've enjoyed many of his movies BECAUSE of the mix of emotion and intellect that I'm sure provides plenty of ammunition for his detractors.

Bruce Willis isn't given too much screen-time here, so don't let his presence put you off if you're not a fan (I usually quite like him, but realise that many don't). The main focus here stays on the triangle formed by Denzel, who is on his usual good form, Shalhoub, who is given one of his better movie roles and does great with it, and Bening, who is the weak link, despite how much more interesting her character could have been. I've liked Bening in a lot of movies and tend to think that her weak turn here is more the result of some poor writing than any major failing on her part. And it's not that she's bad, it's just that she should have been better. Sami Bouajila does okay as Samir Nazhde, who might be able to help the good guys stop further attacks if they can keep him in the game long enough, and David Proval does well as another agent doggedly trying to get information that will help break the case.

The screenplay by Zwick, Lawrence Wright and Menno Meyjes is surprisingly good. While the first half of the movie seems to hit standard beats and be walking a well-worn path, the second half takes a different direction and looks at things from a completely different angle. The fact that it was a very prescient movie also adds to its interest. Protests were held by many Muslims and Arab groups when it was initially released, but the film has an ace or two up its sleeve to counter the criticism it received. One of those comes in the shape of Tony Shalhoub's character, a Lebanese-American who is undeniably a good guy through and through. The other ace? Well, I wouldn't want to give too much away. Needless to say, the film shows racial profiling and stereotyping as both a tool used by government agencies and also a mistake made by people driven to distraction while something possibly much worse transpires before their very eyes.

It's a flawed film, as most of Edward Zwick's movies are, but it's also well worth watching, especially in light of events that we've seen since the turn of the 21st century.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Siege-Blu-ray-Edward-Zwick/dp/B002M4CF0A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1361828833&sr=8-5

Django (1966)

Django is a name that has towered over the Western genre for many years before Quentin Tarantino decided to take it and put it to the masses with the fantastic Django Unchained. I'm sure that many people will now seek out the older movies thanks to the major homage from Tarantino and that can only be a good thing, especially when the film holds up as such fine, influential, entertainment.

Django (Franco Nero), the titular hero, is a gunslinger who walks around dragging a coffin behind him. This, as you can imagine, makes for some strong imagery. In the first moments of the movie he guns down some men who are attempting to punish a woman named Maria (Loredana Nusciak). It turns out that Maria is a prostitute who has been caught in between a rock and a hard place, in the shape of Major Jackson (Eduardo Fajardo) and General Hugo Rodriguez (Jose Bodalo), two enemies who have been ruining a town caught up in the midst of their ongoing battles.

It may not have been the first of its kind, but it's hard to argue against the fact that Django is the most important and influential Western of its time. It certainly spawned enough sequels (both official and unofficial) and imitators, as did the classic Leone Westerns from the same period. Film fans can enjoy the movie, but they can also take great pleasure in spotting every moment and scene that has since been homaged in other movies (and not just by Tarantino).

Franco Nero is great in the main role, every bit as cool and mesmerising as Eastwood ever was. It's no wonder that to many people he will always be the character, despite how many others have played him, or variations of him. Loredana Nusciak is a suitably appealing damsel in distress, Angel Alvarez is great as the bartender who wants to keep his life as well as his bar and Eduardo Fajardo and Jose Bodalo are entertaining potential villains, depending on how they deal with Django.

Behind the scenes, Sergio Corbucci is the man responsible for this enduring creation. Not only did he direct the film, but he also wrote the screenplay with his brother, Bruno Corbucci, and a few other helpful scribes. Then there's Luic Bacalov, the man responsible for the superb score, who also deserves a fair bit of praise and Enzo Barboni does a good job with the cinematography. Ruggero Deodato fans will probably already know that he was an assistant director on the movie and it's certainly a worthy entry in his filmography even if he's not getting the biggest credit.

While it was never the most obscure movie, it's good to know that more and more people will discover this film after yet another cinematic love letter from Tarantino (love or hate his work, he does his best to point people towards the movies that he's always loved). Django isn't a great spaghetti Western, it's not a great movie for its time, it's not something to be viewed just as a hugely influential work of art. Django is a great movie, period.

9/10

There have been some criticisms of the Bluray release so fans may just want to opt for the DVD here until the film gets the treatment it so deserves - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Django-Newly-Re-mastered-Region-DVD/dp/B00ABH20HI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361482202&sr=8-2

Countess Dracula (1971)

Okay, let's be clear about this from the start. This is not really a Dracula movie, we don't get any fangs or big bats or people who sleep in coffins. This is, however, an excellent Hammer flick loosely based on the legends woven around the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

Countess Elisabeth Nadasdy (Ingrid Pitt) is much put out when she hears the reading of her deceased husband's will. It orders his fortune to be shared between his widow and his only daughter (played by Lesley-Anne Down). Rather than share the wealth the countess comes up with a plan after finding that the blood of young girls can make her look young and gorgeous again. With youth back on her side, she bags herself a handsome man (Sandor Eles) and arranges to have her daughter waylaid en route and then proceeds to take her place. But just how long can she keep finding the victims she needs to retain her youth?

Jeremy Paul wrote the screenplay, based on a story by a number of people who took inspiration from the life of lady Bathory, and Peter Sasdy directed this lusty, busty release from the studio that dripped blood and it's a good job they do too.

Once fans get over the disappointment of this not being an actual vampire movie there's much to enjoy here. It has plenty of nefarious scheming, all planned and carried out by a beautiful femme fatale. The look of the thing is up to Hammer's usual standards, the cast are all very good (the central role helped to make Pitt quite the horror icon while Nigel Green is wonderful as a co-conspirator, Sandor Eles is very good as the unwitting object of Elisabeth's affection and the rest of the cast do just fine, despite all being overshadowed by Miss Pitt's luminous beauty) and the pacing is just right.

It's the perfect blend of blood and lust, with an essence of sleaze given an outer coating of velvet finesse, that made the studio such a bankable name at its height and I recommend this movie to all of the fans.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Countess-Dracula-Special-Ingrid-Pitt/dp/B000GUK3QA/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1354417663&sr=1-1