Reviews

This really, really is a first rate film in every respect. It's great not just as an A1 political thriller but as a reminder of what a genuinely good actor Frank Sinatra could be-and how white-hot Laurence Harvey was in his day, sort of a Jude Law for the late 50s/early 60s.

The plot is quite simple, however the storytelling and dialogue is occasionally a challenge, but one you want to get your teeth into: In the Korean War, a US platoon is kidnapped by the Chinese and the Russians. They are brainwashed, and returned home. Raymond Shaw (Harvey), the leader of the pack, returns to a hero's welcome and his overbearing mother, who in turn is now married to an obnoxious senator. Ben Marco (Sinatra), one of Shaw's men, is plagued by terrifying nightmares though, ones that could unlock murders, treason and a massive political plot. It's top class, full of twists and turns.

Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury are awesome too. 9/10.

This was an absolutely brilliant show, first piloted by the UK's Channel 4 in 1992, and then becoming a six-part series in 1994.

It's weird, but this series has only been re-run once since then, and has never made it to video or DVD-which is pretty strange as Frank has gone onto become one of British TV's biggest and funniest stars.

Anyway, Frank here plays Frank Sandford, a likeable Birmingham lad who's in a useless amateur band called 'Blue Heaven', alongside his Irish friend Roache. He chases unreachable women, he argues with his common parents, he gets confused bits of philosophy from an elderly Asian chap who follows him about-it's a meandering but realistic and fun show, very unfairly neglected by Channel 4 over the years.

As they say down the Carson Club-"It's A Cracker"

"Bedazzled", mainly because it's not available on DVD (and even VHS in the UK), has become something of a cult in recent years. This is also due to the simple fact that its a very good film, a very mannered and well-crafted high concept flick.

Dudley Moore and Peter Cook were still friends in 1967. They were two of British TV's most feted stars, and had also enthusiastically appeared together in a few ensemble comedy films. They were no slouches when it came to their first feature either. Stanley Donen was brought in a director, Cook toiled over the witty script, Moore did the perky score.

"Bedazzled" is slightly dated and is quite an uncommercial product overall, but its still a clever and interesting film. It doesnt deliver bellylaughs, but it is pretty thought-provoking and intelligent. There's funny one-liners ("Yes, Irving Moses-the fruitier etc), totally original ideas (the animated fly sequence, Raquel Welsh as Lust), slapstick stuff and a top pop parody with Cook as the indifferent "Drimble Wedge".

The pathos and sadness underpinning the movie is perhaps best summed up with the conned old lady's "Goodbye" as the Eyewash men leave. "Bedazzled" is very British and very 60s, but it still a well-made and well-acted fantasy, much better than the silly 2000 remake.

This really is a great film, a supremely intelligent and well-made picture that deserves to make a mint and possibly scoop the top Oscars.

I didn't think that Ron Howard was capable of a mature and clever film like this one as much of his work to date has been pretty light-eg The Grinch, Parenthood, EdTV etc. He had a go at 'serious' cinema with Apollo 13 in 1995, but I felt that the popularity of Tom Hanks and the naturally dramatic nature of the Apollo story carried it to its box office and critical heights.

That said, A Beautiful Mind is full-on clever and mannered film-making. Howard is totally on top of his game. His craftmanship and care subtly drives every scene. The film is not cluttered or over-complex, nor is it preachy or patronising while tackling its quite difficult subjects-schizophrenia, the nature of misunderstood genius, the Cold War etc.

Russell Crowe is a God in this film, its his best work to date. He doesn't overdo John Nash's mannerisms or accent, he BECOMES Nash, dominating the movie with an endearing mix of honesty, comic understatement and heartwarming naievety. Jennifer Connelly is sexy and smart as Nash's wife, too. Ed Harris is wonderful as usual.

All in all, a brilliant film. 9/10.

Yet another great film from Steven Soderbergh, 'The Limey' is a slow-burning and detailed movie, totally driven by a tough yet subtle performance from Terence Stamp. It's a wonderfully low-key, thoughtful film, more mythodical and intelligent than most 'revenge' movies. Stamp goes to find out what happened to his daughter, meets with Peter Fonda's slimey record boss, raises hell etc etc-yes, it's rather formulaic and derivative of 'Get Carter', but there's layers of invention and style in the film-making. A lost classic.

This is a fantastic and witty film, a genuine treat for all ages. It's been said that the movie never feels quite happy with itself and is occasionally a touch too dark, but that's partly the point-there's some serious messages and themes about greed and family here amongst the candy bars, Oompa-Loompa singalongs and weird gadgets. Gene Wilder is great as Willy Wonka-this is a vastly entertaining and interesting family flick. Great fun.

This one has always been a sentimental favorite of mine. I won a VHS copy of it in a newspaper competition about 8 years ago, and I still watch it today, it's great fun.

It's like a peek into another world-Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior are on top of the WWF, and probably two of their more interesting , if not brilliant, outings are here. Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper are hamming it up on commentary, and virtually everything that was great about wrestling between 1988-92 is here-a great Hart Foundation bout, prime Curt Hennig stuff, The Rockers, the underrated Brother Love sketches and plenty more. Not totally great, but really fun stuff all round.

There are a heck of a lot of people out there who are highly sceptical about this whole thing, and say that the entire story was a set-up scripted and staged by the Bret Hart, Vince McMahon and the WWF.

Trust me, it's not. It makes no sense for a then-40 year old professional wrestler like Bret Hart to go along with something that makes him look dumb and gullible, especially when he's on his way to another job just a few weeks later. There's too many conspiracy theories about all this, but just take it for what it actually is-a very, very well made and revealing wrestling film that will live on and on.

The sad thing is that this is Mike Myers' lowest grossing film, which shows just what most people know. It's absolutely his best one though, with more likeable wit than the 2 Austin Powers pics and better characters and plot than the Waynes World movies.

Myers can only really do about 4 voices (Himself, Wayne, Austin and a Scotsman, which he's doing AGAIN in Shrek now) and he gets to show them all off here, which is actually great. He's great as his miserable dad, and the whole thing is just great fun, a really good film. Nancy Travis and Anthony LaPaglia as his insecure cop buddy support Myers well all the way through. Mike Myers and this movie just rule.

Wrestlemania 3 is the historical one, WrestleMania 14 is the cool one that put the WWF firmly back on track in the US-but Wrestlemania 10 stands alone as the one with the best action, fun and storylines. The late,great Owen Hart tears the house down with his brother Bret Hart, the late Yokozuna manages TWO respectable performances and,of course, the Shawn Michaels-Razor Ramon ladder match just rules. Elsewhere, there's a midget clown, Little Richard, a decent womens match and Burt Reynolds. Cool.

These WERE the days for the WWF. It's 1987, the absolute height of Hulkamania and there's 93,000 VERY loud fans cheering and booing in all the right places. Perfect. Randy Savage vs Rick Steamboat is the finest 15 minutes of your life, it's a truly great match. Elsewhere, the matches aren't all great, but the sense of history and fun carry them all through. A real wrestling classic, up there with WrestleMania 10 as a 100% great event.

Even some 68 years on, you cannot top this for laughs, invention, songs and fun. It's plot-free, but really well-acted and staged. Only problem is that it's slightly short, but it's pure quality here, not quantity. A truly great film, especially in the Harpo-Chico scenes. Classic.