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Reviews
Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool! (1984)
Everyone on earth should be subjected to this!
I stumbled upon this gem from '84 back in October, and have watched it at least once a month since. It's a wonderful slice of 80s cream. It has it all - the hair, the fashion, the music.
Mr T murders the English language and creates some of the most cringeworthy moments in cinematic history, but it's such fun! I have decided to follow the advice of T for the rest of the month... leg bends, star jumps, running on the spot every day! if i fall over or if my boss gives me hassle i'll do some break dancing. if i'm with a group of kids who suddenly run into the sea in all their clothes, i'll bound after them and try to trample the fat kid. and of course, i'll try to find my personal rap...
Truly terrible, but so much so that it is excellent.
Carry on Camping (1969)
One of the best in the series
If you ask people to name a carry on film, many name Carry on Camping, perhaps due to the famous scene of "flinging" Barbara Windsor. However, it deserves to be memorable for other reasons, namely: * Sid James is at his comedic best (particularly when he mistakes Joan Sims' stew for his foot bath) * Amelia Bayntun (Joan Sims' screen mum, Mrs Fussey) is a perfect representation of the overbearing mother in law/overprotective mother. (She reprises this role as Charles Hawtree's mother in Carry on Abroad a few years later).
* The winning-formula familiar pairings of Sid James/Joan Sims and Kenneth Williams/Hattie Jacques.
* The 60s references work well, and echo the times in places (Terry Scott looking at holiday brochures, at a time when foreign holidays were becoming viable for ordinary people, the hippy ending showing the class of generations).
* The quaint references to pre-decimalisation money, notably when Sid James and Peter Butterworth are talking about the camping fees.
For my money, Camping was the last great carry on. Convenience and Abroad were good, but Camping saw the regulars at the height of their powers, and it showed. Wonderful little film.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Poor, really poor...
What a disappointment... admittedly the best of the prequels, but the story is weak, the plot is rushed and the end result is just a collection of set pieces, poorly realised and tacked together amateurishly. There are numerous continuity errors that clash glaringly with the original films, and the emergence of Darth Vader was handled so terribly that what could have been a legendary moment in modern cinema is now instead a cheesy goof that will be ridiculed for many years. I won't complain about the abysmal dialogue, as this is Star Wars... the original three films had style, cult feeling and cracking stories, and the strange dialogue added charm. The prequels were shallow attempts to make more money, and this lack of love shows in spades. Utterly disappointing.