I was intrigued by this film as it was produced by future Bond producer Albert. R Broccoli and co-written by future bond writer Richard Maibaum but also near the beginning the main character introduces himself as 'Craig Duncan Craig' in the bond style (almost Daniel Craig). Another thing is that near the end the music score actually plays a couple bars of the Bond theme. The film plays very much like a Bond film. There's exotic locations, some great realistic fights and a really nasty baddy. Unfortunately it also shows the killing of many whales which would obviously be not acceptable if made today but if you can see past that this is an enjoyable adventure.
Reviews
124 Reviews
The Statue
(1971)
Not a dick move(e)
19 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Not nearly as bad as I was expecting this was actually quite enjoyable for most of its running time. It feels like a typical 60's comedy that's been sexed up for the 70's.
It has several things going for it including a nice mix of Italian, English and American involvement. A fairly major role for John Cleese as well as more minor roles for Graham Chapman and Tim Brooke Taylor.
Ann Bell future star of Tenko also has a good part in it.
One very funny scene in the film as David Niven inadvertently inventing the dick pic which has to be seen to be believed.
It go's a bit crazy towards the end with a generous helping of nudity but sorts itself nicely right at the end.
It has several things going for it including a nice mix of Italian, English and American involvement. A fairly major role for John Cleese as well as more minor roles for Graham Chapman and Tim Brooke Taylor.
Ann Bell future star of Tenko also has a good part in it.
One very funny scene in the film as David Niven inadvertently inventing the dick pic which has to be seen to be believed.
It go's a bit crazy towards the end with a generous helping of nudity but sorts itself nicely right at the end.
Britt-Marie Was Here
(2019)
Not my Britt
18 January 2023
Your opinion of this film probably does depend on if you've read the book. I did read it and to be honest didn't love it but nearly everything I did like is missing from the film. Firstly the Britt in the book was far more disfuntional and clueless but this was what drew you to her and made you like her. Then the next best thing was her relationship and reliance on the person who arranged the job that she took. This was such a pivotal part of the story that it would be like making a film of the Titanic but never mentioning that it's a boat. I realise you cannot use everything that's in a book but to leave such an important part where so much of the humour came from is such an own goal it's ludicrous. What your left with is a film that is very serviceable and workman like but with very little else.
Hidden story
24 October 2022
After two great series I'm not sure what happened with the third. The story is so thinly stretched and told about as slow as it's possible to be told. It would have made an ok hour's episode but six your having a laugh. Such a shame when the other series especially the first was completely compelling viewing. This series is like watching in slow motion it takes all my will power not to drop off. If your going to be dark and gloomy you've got to have at least a half decent story otherwise all you have is a masterclass in depression. I really hope that this is the last series and Hidden will not return.
The American Road
(1953)
Very Ford-able
2 July 2022
No idea why this has such a low rating it's a great little documentary about Henry Ford and the origins of the motor car from it's humble beginnings to eventually the present day which is the early fifties in this case.
Still better than La La land.
3 March 2022
Amazing music with a lame story. Nearly all musical theatre in the last 15 years has followed those rules. This film may have started that. It knows what it is and never takes itself seriously. It's like a long Monkees episode. It's got the great George Burns singing The Beatles. It's got the great Steve Martin singing The Beatles. It's got the great Frankie Howard playing the villain. It's got some of the greatest music ever written. Is it very silly yes it's suppose to be. But is it entertaining. Absolutely!
Eyeball
(1975)
Hilarious
22 February 2022
I'm always surprised at how high the ratings are for films like this. Maybe others are watching a non-dubbed version but unfortunately I didn't. Though it is surprisingly watchable probably because it's so bad. Atrocious acting, dialogue and story but Barcelona looks nice and the score is deserving of a much better film.
The hour you won't get back
24 January 2022
The early episodes had terrible production values but quite good stories. When it returned you got immaculate production values but the stories were not that great this episode being one of the worst. Nothing really happens for 40 minutes then there's a rather mundane forgettable ending. A real waste of time.
Local Hero
(1983)
Heroic
22 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
There aren't too many films that are almost perfect in every way. In the best Ealing tradition this is a classic British comedy that has rarely been bettered. It's gentle and life affirming and still very funny with some great subtle performances. Burt Lancaster has never been better as the Texan oilman. A very young and gangly Peter Capaldi is very different to how we now think of him. Denis Lawson as the town spokesman is coolness personified. The not really Scottish Reigert is ideal as the 'fish out of water' American who gradually falls for the town's charms as we do. The great Fulton Mackay plays the town's eccentric to perfection and not forgetting the luminous Jenny Seagrove in her first major film who brings an other worldly quality. Perhaps the greatest part is played by Pennan the breathtakingly beautiful location where most of the film takes place. The more you see this the more you fall in love with it and then every scene becomes a classic. I almost forgot the icing on the cake Mark Knopler's wonderful lilting score. All this is expertly brought together by Bill Forsyth's BAFTA winning direction.
Singleton's Pluck
(1984)
More of a Turkey
19 October 2021
Billed as an Ealing type comedy sadly this has none of the charms that those most of those films had. Storywise there's no problem but the execution of it is very bad. The script and performances are so uneven and erratic that it's very hard to watch. Some of the dialogue is very random and irellevant it feels like a pick'n mix from other films. A shame when the similarly themed 'Fly Away Home' did it so well. It looks good though and has a lovely score.
Crisis
(1939)
Pure Fear
31 May 2020
I'm currently discovering the world of Documentary as a result of lockdown I have some time to fill. I thought I'd go right back to the beginning where it all began with the first documentaries in the early 20's. 100 documentaries later (quite a few of them only last 10 minutes or so) I come to this one and it may be the best so far. It gives you a real feel of how an independent free thinking democracy will quickly evaporate into a fascist dictatorship. As it's filmed in 1939 the pure fear of nazism feels very fresh and real. I expect on my journey I will come across a lot more documentaries on the subject but I don't expect too many will be as good as this one.
Loving Vincent
(2017)
Beautiful but Unsatisfying
4 November 2019
There's no disputing that this has been lovingly crafted is in itself a work of art and an amazing achievement but after all that it's still feels unsatisfying. The animation relentlessly recreating the style of Van Gogh is very heavy which I found distracts from the story where as the delicate black & white flashbacks are more easy to watch. What is also a negative factor for me is that all the characters are drawn to look exactly like the actors that are playing the parts which makes me think I would much rather see the actual live actors palying these roles as they can convey so much more than their animated counterparts no matter how well they're drawn and would have made the film far more emotionally satisfying.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
(2018)
Whose this for?
26 May 2019
I wasn't exactly expecting a Disney type film but I can't see who would enjoy this film. It's far too dark for children to watch and yet there's no levels of story humour or characterization that adults would appreciate so it ends up being very straight forward and predictable making it a very banal experience. Basically I couldn't stay awake for much of it.
The Martian
(2015)
Great Scott
31 December 2017
Some reviewer on this site said don't trust any reviews that give this film more than 2 stars because they aren't genuine. Well let me say having just watched it that I wouldn't trust any review that give it less than 7 stars. If this was La La Land I would have agreed as that was overrated rubbish but this was superbly crafted wonderfully acted and a joy to behold. Not at any time during its 141 mins was I not totally engrossed and exhilarated by this total cinematic experience. I'll even go as far as to say this maybe the best film that Ridley Scott has directed.
Catwoman
(2004)
What A Shocker!
10 November 2017
Reading all these shameful one star reviews I was expecting a truly terrible film with bad acting and dialogue and a confusing ridiculous story line. Well I was shocked at how it wasn't bad in any area. This was a very enjoyable lighthearted film trying to catpture a little of the style and spirit of the original 60's series. Maybe people were expecting a Christopher Nolan type film that takes itself overly serious but I'm very glad that wasn't this film. This film was fun and entertaining and the IMDb rating is a disgrace. Watch some other films with that kind of low rating and you'll soon see the difference between a bad film and this. 8/10
The Happening
(2008)
Another Great M. Night Out
5 November 2016
Wow is M. Night Shyamalan the most misunderstood director in history. His critics seem to want him to make a certain kind of film and are really not happy when he doesn't. This is the seventh film I've seen of his and although I'll admit it's probably not up there with his best ones I still found it very enjoyable. All his films have a different quality that make them stand out and are not as predictable as most of the films that get made in that genre. I'm pretty sure this was meant as a black comedy but it was also quite disturbing and creepy. I liked Wahlberg's wide eyed performance and the way he played it for laughs a lot of the time. I hope Shyamalan is strong enough to ignore the haters and continues to make interesting and entertaining films.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
(2009)
I'll take one with cheese please.
25 October 2016
All these people giving the film 1 or 2 stars should be ignored (and sent to bed without any supper) as it's quite obviously not anywhere near that bad a film. I enjoyed the first film much more than I expected to possibly because of the stupidly low rating and I enjoyed this one almost as much. The dialogue that everyone says is cheesy is no more cheesy than most of the films in this genre. The performances were all fine believe me I've seen some truly bad films with terrible acting and dialogue and this is a masterpiece compared to them. I'm starting to really mistrust the ratings as I'm just a likely to enjoy a film rated really low as not enjoy one that's rated high.
Condorman
(1981)
The Stinkiest Piece Of Cheese
22 April 2016
If this was a childhood favourite then so be it you can't be helped. But coming to this as an adult with a fondness for Disney I have to say the usual Disney magic is completely missing here. I knew we were in trouble straight away when Michael Crawford's Hello Dolly American accent reared it's ugly head again. The first mission was quite amusing and cleverly choreographed and instantly falling in love was ridiculous but forgivable and there's one or two other passable mildly funny bits but it was very hard going sloppily written and directed. I admit I did drop off at one point. Maybe with a better actor it might have worked. It's a shame as it looked like they spent a lot of money on the special effects and locations. A low point for Disney (3/10)
Heading for Glory
(1974)
Watch it in deep freeze!
22 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The BBC are currently showing all of these official FIFA documentaries of the World Cup from the 60's onwards. I missed the first one they showed of the 1962 World Cup but I've watched the 1966 and 1970 ones. They were both quite good with lots of football action. Unfortunately I'm not sure what happened with this one but it's pretty terrible. To start with it opens with a spoiler immediately telling you who won and the result of the final which makes you think why should I bother watching anymore then. After that there's a dreary depressing inquest of the losing team and then some filler of fans drinking and dancing before we finally get to some footie action of the early stages but then that's over before you know it and we're almost at the final and there's still over an hour to go! So then we get too much of the final lots of bits where the referee has a go at the players. The music chosen is also very odd especially during the final and on top of all that the narration is laughably bad and at times so pretentious that I don't know what they were thinking. It's a shame that this 'official' documented film of a great World cup is so poorly done. (3/10)
Legacy
(2013 TV Movie)
An Intriguing Story.
9 February 2014
After reading the one poor review and seeing the very low score this had I nearly didn't bother watching it but I decided to give it a go anyway. I really wish I hadn't checked up on it beforehand though as it did prejudice my feelings about it certainly to begin with. The story was an intriguing one and was told in a low key but atmospheric way which kept you interested to it's conclusion. I agree Andrew Scott and his strangulated accent wasn't quite as good as you would expect him to be but I thought Simon Russell Beale was particularly good playing a more forceful and less charming Smiley like character. After recently seeing the two excellent home grown TV movie's of The Great Train Robbery and Lucan this falls short of their quality but I would still say it was worth watching.
Bonnie Prince Charlie
(1948)
Not That Bonnie But Not That Bad
24 January 2014
When I saw this had a rating of 4.9 and a running time of 130 mins I was expecting a disappointing long slog of a movie and I admit it's no great film by any means but it's also no way as bad as the 4.9 rating suggests. The DVD that I watched which was from The David Niven Screen Icons collection was only 112 minutes and had a good for its age unremastered colour picture that made the most of the rich colours of the costumes and landscape. Expecting it to be a longer film I saw it in two sittings and it was hard to get into at first but by about halfway I was quite engrossed by the story and thought it was well told. No doubt its failure at the box office along with its high cost has dented its reputation but that doesn't mean it's a terrible film. I would give it a 6/10.
One of his best
19 September 2013
I'm currently working my way through the 'Ken Loach At The BBC' box set and have been fairly impressed so far though 'Up The Junction' I found almost unwatchable the others have all been very interesting and in the case of 'Cathy Come Home' very powerful and moving but none of them are as devastating and spot on as 'In Two Minds' the story of a woman with possible mental problems and how she and her family deals with it. Shot like a fly on the wall documentary which makes it seem more contemporary the acting from everybody in the cast is so natural and believable and the editing and direction are far better executed than any of his previous films I was surprised and blown away with how good this was.(9/10)
Ice Cream Girls
(2013)
Cold To Touch
17 June 2013
I thought I would give an alternative review as the only other one seems very harsh indeed. Maybe if I read the book I would have been just as disappointed with it but as I haven't I cannot comment about comparisons with the book. But what I can say is that I found the story absorbing and compelling, well acted by all the cast and never less than interesting right up to its unpredictable conclusion. If you like a good mystery thriller then I would recommend seeing this and if you enjoy it enough maybe then read the book afterwards. That's all I really wanted to say but I don't seem to have reached the required ten line rule that is currently being enforced!
another dud
5 June 2013
After last weeks appalling episode we have another very dull and insipid story that goes nowhere very fast. Great actors like David Warner are completely wasted. Like last week the story is very weak. I'm not in the least bit surprised that Matt Smith has decided to call it a day and leave this sinking ship. I really don't see much of a future if they can't improve things greatly. We just want a bit more thought to be put into it with a decent (or even half-decent) story like there has been in previous series. I've only seen the first three maybe it improves but I'm starting to think I'm never going to see a good episode again.
A Complete Waste of Space
24 April 2013
As somebody else has already stated this is a horrible horrible episode where as usual your expected to feel unearned connections and emotions. Last week's episode had a great build up but a too quick unsatisfying ending this week there was no great build up just a long drawn out ending filled with terrible po faced blustering dialogue.
If you can't give us a satisfying adventure over 45 minutes which is what seems to be happening recently then please go back to well thought out original stories that last at least two episodes so that the story and the emotional depth can be built more organically and honestly. If that can't be done then I really don't see the point of doing them anymore,not if we get episodes as empty as this one.
If you can't give us a satisfying adventure over 45 minutes which is what seems to be happening recently then please go back to well thought out original stories that last at least two episodes so that the story and the emotional depth can be built more organically and honestly. If that can't be done then I really don't see the point of doing them anymore,not if we get episodes as empty as this one.
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