dis-6 Reviews

Blood and Bone China (2011– )

Atmospheric and gripping

[10/10 · 30 December 2011]

This was an amazing internet series and hooked you from the very start into waiting for the next instalment - the true sign of a good serial.

Some very attractive female vampires ( especially that played by Lara de-Leuw ) an some rugged male protagonists did not detract from the plot and a high level of plotting, writing and acting is clearly evident throughout all 12 episodes.

Good atmospheric locations and careful interior and exterior dressing added to the believability of the whole. Considering the subject matter there was a reasonable ( but not excessive ) use of blood.

Excellent series and I'm waiting impatiently for another series from the team of Chris Stone and Stephanie Cooper.

Jonathan Creek: The Grinning Man (2009) Season 4, Episode 7

Oh dear

[1/10 · 2 January 2009]

This was stretched way beyond reason - it could have been a taut 1 hour rather than a flabby 2 hour episode. There were several sub-plots which could and should have been excised ( especially the 3-d porn and boyfriend on telephone extended subplots )

On the plus side Alan Davies slipped back easily into the role and Sheridan Smith made a better job of the companion/sidekick role than Julia Sawalha but not as good as Caroline Quentin would have done.

The mechanical contrivance was as ingenious as anything from the prime of Creek but overall the humour seemed less and at the same time more forced so this was a wasted opportunity

Casino Royale (2006)

Good restart but...

[9/10 · 7 January 2007]

There are 2 main problems with this film : it is too long by 30 minutes and during the card game at Casino Royale it becomes the first boring Bond film ! This had a knock-on effect of making the Bond-Lynd story seem rushed and more superficial than it should have been and the amazing Eva Green should have had more screen time.

There are traces of the spectacular of the old Bonds especially in the building site, Miami airport and Venice sequences but Mr Craig's excellent portrayal brought to mind Timothy Dalton's Bond more than anyone else.

Other than that there really should have been a warning that some of the action takes place in the "Body Worlds" exhibition of Dr. von Hagens - personally I found this section more objectionable than anything in the story including the infamous torture scene.

The Home-Made Car (1963)

30 minutes of fun

[10/10 · 19 February 2006]

A long time ago short films had the knack of telling a story in a about 30 minutes without skimping on characterisation or acting. James Hill's Guissepina was a classic of this and his Home-Made Car is a close second.

The premise is a man ( and his dog ) finds a wreck of a car and rebuilds it in his garage and garden in his spare time with some help from a local service station.

Sounds simple but its the small touches that make it a wonderful feel-good film. Like the mischievous little girl next door with her toy Ray gun who eventually is won over with a smile and comes round and helps out. Like the nest of birds in some a cushion. Like the sequence with the rag and bone man where the hero chases after him clutching his cup of tea. Like the first trip out where man & dog and girl of his dreams ( and little girl next door ) drive off into the English countryside.

Added to that is a wonderful musical backing by Ron Grainer.

Just the right length and believably acted! This is a quirky fun English film.

Marple: The Moving Finger (2006) Season 2, Episode 2

One of the better ITV versions

[2/10 · 13 February 2006]

After the travesty of Sleeping Murder, I feared how ITV could wreck Moving Finger but they actually did a good job with this one. Yes they did change a few things like the makeover of Megan but overall the cast and script were faithful to the Christie story !

Of the cast special mention should be made of Sean Pertwee as the doctor, Keith Allen as the detective and Harry Enfield as the repressed solicitor Symmington. But the real delight was in the well known names and faces in tight effective cameos like John Sessions as Mr Pye, Ken Russell as the vicar ! and Frances Der la Tour as Mrs Calthrop.

This still isn't as good as the Hickson version but its nearly its equal. Excellent job all round!

Marple: Sleeping Murder (2006) Season 2, Episode 1

Dire

[1/10 · 6 February 2006]

I do not know what WGBH and the estate of Agatha Christie were doing when they put their names to this rubbish.

Somehow the makers have contrived to take the bare bones of the Miss Marple story and overlay that with a jewel robbery, an Indian traffic accident and a love story. Add into the pot the seaside entertainment troupe The Funnybones and stir and you end up with a real stinker.

The only good points about this show were the central performances of Sophia Myles and Aidan McArdle and the flashback sequences with Anna-Louise Plowman.

If you want to see a decent version of Sleeping Murder then catch the Joan Hickson version ( on rerun or on DVD )

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

A film too far

[1/10 · 23 June 2005]

To make a film straddling the prequels and the "real" Star Wars trilogy would tax even a great film-maker....Mr Lucas is not that film-maker.

To portray the fall of a good man into darkness needs a good actor...Mr Christensen is not that actor.

The first 60-80 minutes are overwhelmingly boring with only a few pockets of yet more light sabre fights but there is a lack of edge because you already know which main characters survive to the original Star Wars.

Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) has a very fleeting role here and about the best idea is to have Jar Jar Binks silent!

No the film only picks up with the Chancellor turning on the Jedi and has one great (overlong) sequence at the lava falls

Les bicyclettes de Belsize (1968)

Magical !

[10/10 · 16 January 2005]

This is one of those films that once seen stays in your mind always - initially for the haunting theme ( Engelbert Humperdinck's most bearable work ! ) but then for a dreamy London unsurpassed until Four Weddings/Notting Hill

It is also one of the films that should have been made more readily available on video or DVD - thank goodness for those rare TV showings on Channel 4. £75 for a video seems high but in this case it would be worth it.

Strange that some of Peter Cooks ( Judy Huxtable's husband at this time ) like The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer and The Wrong Box are also woefully unavailable. Oh for a legal short run on-demand DVD press.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Very much better Potter

[10/10 · 31 May 2004]

This is a different type of film than the first 2 Potter movies. There are a few deft comedic sections at the start ( watch out for the bus ride through London ) before the dramatic heart of the film swings into gear.

The director (Alfonso Cuarón) has pulled some great performances from the teenage leads and shows an eye for details that Mr Columbus could learn from - especially in the village scenes - and some great landscape shots in the flying sequences.

Of the Hogwarts staff, McGonagle ( Maggie Smith ) is woefully underused, Snape ( Alan Rickman ) is excellent as always, Hagrid ( Robbie Coltrane ) is allowed to act and Dumbledore ( Michael Gambon ) is Dumbledorish. Lupin ( David Thewlis ) is outstanding and Trelawney ( Emma Thomson ) is wasted in 2 short cameos.

Sirius ( Gary Oldman ) is only really in the film near the end but the screen comes alive when he's in the frame !

Of the cameos, two stand out - Julie Christie as Madame Rosmerta and Dawn French as the Fat Lady.

A great continuation of the Potter series.

Minority Report (2002)

Brilliant

[10/10 · 5 July 2002]

Amazing effects ( though the cars I hope will travel like that soon :-) with many many detailed touches make this movie one to watch and rewatch so rich are the scenes. The plot moves along well and nowhere does there seem to be padding.

The only points to watch out for are those involving the eyes which the squeamish may find upsetting.

This is the first Tom Cruise film that I've ever liked :-)

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Makes Episode 1 look good

[1/10 · 1 June 2002]

Ye gods but this is an AWFUL movie.

The only good things about it are : 1). Christopher Lee - in fact if you threw away everything in the film before his appearance then it would be a lot lot better 2). Ewan McGregor - more at home in his part than in Episode 1 and sounds more like Alec Guinness too 3). The visuals - ILM strike again

Natalie Portman is better than in the first but the "falling in love"/"love" scenes are plain boring because she has nothing to react to...Hayden Christensen is just terrible, his "love" scenes/dialogue risible and it is unbelievable that this petulant teenager with no presence will turn into the iconic baddie of 20th century movies. Come back Jake Lloyd all is forgiven :-(

The Scorpion King (2002)

Good fun - escapist action movie

[9/10 · 11 May 2002]

Taken as an action movie with little or no basis in historical facts then this movie works excellently. Of course there are massive plot holes ( how would you see in a sand storm then ? ) but this is far far more enjoyable than "The Mummy Returns" and almost makes up for the dire CGI at the end of that.

"The Rock" is excellent and I wished more had been made of his character in the previous movie.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

It is great but not the best ever

[8/10 · 22 December 2001]

Yes it is impressive that someone has managed to bring LOTR to the screen at last & bravo for that

Yes it is visually stunning in parts -especially the ring wraiths ( although someone must have based Hobbiton on the Teletubbies home )

Yes it stays reasonably faithful to the story

BUT

For me it didn't hang together - it was a series of set action pieces with few of the breathing spaces/humour of the book to turn it from a great action picture to a legendary saga which is what LOTR is - a nordic-style saga for the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and beyond

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Pure magic and true to the spirit of the books

[10/10 · 10 November 2001]

One of the most anticipated and one of the best films of 2001.

Yes there are sections from the book that have been missed out ( like the magical world's jubilation at the demise of Voldemort, a lot of the pre-letter scenes with the Dursleys, all of Dudley's "friends", the first meeting with Malfoy, the school song etc. ) BUT it doesn't matter.

The look is right, it feels right and it is marvellously executed from the cast, locations, direction and CGI/animation ( Compare and contrast the excellent Fluffy and the Centaur with that dire Scorpion in Mummy Returns ! )

This is a magic film with its own powerful magic - that of creating a world where you can stay for an all too short a time.

Certainly my film of the year. ( At least until LOTR )

Cats & Dogs (2001)

First 10 minutes purrfect the rest Woof

[6/10 · 6 October 2001]

For the first 10-15 minutes this was amazingly funny and well paced but whenever Jeff Goldblum ( doing his very irritating scientist role ) or any of the other humans appeared it flagged. Worst of all was any scene with Miriam Margolyes. There were some highlights later on ( the ninja cats, the russian cat with the hairballs and the rocket sled system ) but I really wish I'ld left before the end.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Redefines the musical!

[10/10 · 6 October 2001]

If "The Matrix" redefined and reinvigorated the action movie then "Moulin Rouge!" should reinvent the musical genre. It is visually sumptuous and amazing and the lyrics and prose sample from many many songs but are interweaved so well that it is seamless. It takes many more than one viewing to catch the references too. All the leads are excellent but once again Jim Broadbent is a scene stealer.

Carry on Constable (1960)

Great ensemble comedy

[6 October 2001]

This was the fourth of the Carry On series and although dated by the police uniforms is one of the best simply because all of the regulars are equally well used and for once Sid James is kept under control and used as a foil for some of the situations which works well with his expressive face. Kenneth Williams is still in the intellectual role which eventually gave way to the over-the-top persona in the later films. Leslie Phillips gels well with the others ( even better than he did in Carry On Teacher )

If anything this film underuses the female stalwarts with Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims being love interests.

Carry on Cabby (1963)

Dated but still better than some of the series.

[7/10 · 22 September 2001]

This is an old fashioned "battle of the sexes" comedy where an unappreciated wife ( Hattie Jacques ) sets up a glamorous female-only taxi outfit in competition with the existing old-fashioned male-only taxi firm run by her workaholic husband ( Sidney James ). Of course the glamorous cabs win all the custom until the male cab business is on the rocks...

By no means the best of the series but still far far funnier than "Carry On Columbus" or "Carry On Behind" etc.

The Dish (2000)

Magical

[10/10 · 2 August 2001]

For anyone who was a child during the magical era of the moon shots this is the film to take you well and truly back !!!

It's gentle, fun, friendly, no hyper effects nor mega marketing budgets here just a good fun film with plenty of archive footage too.

The film of the year so far for me :-)

The Mummy Returns (2001)

Nearly but nearly

[7/10 · 18 May 2001]

This is much more of an action film than the 1999 "The Mummy" and it so nearly matches or beats that film...but it doesn't for me.

What are great are the battles, the interplay between Jonathan and Alex, the scenery both real and CGI, the British Museum resurrection of Imhotep, the O'Connells, Izzy, Ardeth Bay, the balloon, the Rock in battle, Imhotep's rejection by Anck-su-Amun and the general whoosh of action whose pace never lets up.

There are lots of good touches like all the mummies in the British Museum coming to life at the same time or Izzy filling in some of O'Connell's past misdeeds and a few cheesy cliches like the dirigible floating across a huge moon a la E.T.

What let it down were the lack of a real narrative once the bracelet was off, the Rock looked in perfect health when supposedly close to death in the desert, the awful CGI of the Scorpion King ( whoever thought that was close to flesh colour needs a new colour chart ) and those terrible pygmy mummies at the oasis where the fight just went on and on and on.

It was fun but it could have been greater :-) and I don't think the Rock can carry the third film on his own :-(