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Reviews
Steptoe and Son: A Perfect Christmas (1974)
The Perfect Ending
The 2 Christmas specials sum up everything about the love hate relationship of Harold & his dad..all the little elements come together, with the 2nd & final instalment being the best episode of them all, chickens come home & the humour is ascerbic, irreverent as ever..
The whole thing was a ploy to get rid of his dad, a double bluff..the only time he ever got 1up on him..priceless, a Christmas favourite
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Hammers redoes Universal, beautifully
The 1st of the 3 great Hammer Horror remakes in gory Eastmancolour tonight, they really did add something to the classic Universal originals, scary, slightly less comedy, more terror..& Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee
The Curse Of Frankenstein 1957
horrorchannel 9pm dont miss
The Thing (1982)
Perfect as it is..
This is one of those projects that clicked at 1st attempt, no point trying to remake/reimagine..
Such a great film, set in the middle of nowhere, nowhere to run/hide..
The cast really works, freaky & funny too at times, it's a standout film from what was the home video era, this survives & still rates 10
David Copperfield (2000)
Terrific version, best I've seen..
This is the one for me, understated, no "star" names taking away from the consistency of a good "solid" cast..and for me especially memorable for Michael Richards delightfully eccentric turn as Mr Micawber..best visualization of the character, it's what Dickens would have the screen version to be..
Les bicyclettes de Belsize (1968)
Fell in love with her on the spot
Really is nostalgic this, a curio from the swinging 60's but it's all well done, Francis Megahy, Douglas Hickox, Wilfred Shingleton..
De Lane Lea studios, Les Reed Orchestra.. names to conjure with..and well Judy Huxtable is the ultimate waif, petite, pretty, gorgeous.. one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen..
Talking Pictures might show it, with a tweet request..
From Beyond the Grave (1974)
The best of British horror!
A superb slice of vintage British horror from Amicus productions, which although headed by two Americans Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky, Amicus was based in England at Shepperton Studios. I personally am a huge admirer of the work of Milton Subotsky, I think he gave a great deal to the British film industry and gave us the 'portmanteau' style of horror film which meant that the stories would be around half an hour long, it was impossible to tire of such a short subject! Milton himself claimed that the classic 'Dead of Night' was the inspiration behind these multi segment horror films and I think he took it to another level. I think that 'From Beyond' is the finest one they made, with atmospheric stories and great acting from the entire cast and of course the wonderful Peter Cushing as the mysterious proprietor of 'Temptations Ltd'. Peter was the actor most used by the studio, he being very reasonable by way of his fees, whereas Subotsky claimed the great Christopher Lee became too expensive!
EBC1: Emu's Broadcasting Company (1975)
Great Comedy Not Just For Kids
I got to thinking about this TV gem after watching a profile made by Australian TV about Rod Hull and his uncontrollable Emu. As a youngster of 10 years I used to love Emus' Broadcasting Company or EBC 1 as it was called in the show. It had some truly funny 'programmes' which were part of a weekly schedule - just like a real TV station! I remember one called 'The Searching Beak of Emu' which basically involved Rod and his totally mad Emu travelling up and down the land demolishing supermarkets (stacks of baked beans, ransacking freezer chests etc.) much to the delight of the staff. There was a weather forecast with Rod and Emu on the roof in yellow mack and wellingtons as it was always raining, you had to write in for the only copy of the EBC Times which Emu would rip to shreds every week! The whole thing was irreverent and great fun. The support was excellent too with Barbara New (tea lady) and the late Billy Dainty, for me it was super television.
The Beast Must Die (1974)
Great, Escapism At Its Entertaining Best
I have never understood the generally bad notices harvested by this terrific movie. From the opening titles and groovy seventies music to the closing credits it is a roller-coaster of fine plot and fantastic acting. The limits in the films budget are not obvious and totally irrelevant as the acting is top notch and the suspense relentless. Calvin Lockhart is perfect as the wealthy ranch owner, but the ensemble cast, the inimitable Peter Cushing, Charles Gray, Anton Diffring,and even Tom Chadbon and Michael Gambon chip in nicely, the ladies are appealing too! Made by the Amicus film stable, it is one of my favourites of theirs and I would heartily recommend it to any fan of British horror movies. Enjoy !!
Night of the Demon (1957)
Atmospheric Chiller
Great late night lights out stuff which although slightly dated (it was made in the 50's after all!) is still entertaining and suspenseful. The acting is consistently good as no one dominates the proceedings, the cast work well as a whole. I guess director Jacques Tourneur must be given credit for setting the perfect, steady pace of the film. Actually the film is a rather well done interpretation of M.R. James' classic ghost story 'Casting The Runes' (perhaps the only one made as a feature film? not sure.) and definitely does justice to James' spooky tale! Some might say it is one for genre fans only, but since that includes myself..!