Cinema - Reviews by Magic Marmalade

Cinema - Reviews by Magic Marmalade

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
Magic Marmalade 27th Sep 2023		Cinema If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) (2018)	Rated 9/10 Turns out they do make 'em like this anymore! Good heavens! (Thought I) after having watched this: "Film-makers are actually still capable of making a real movie!" For this is nothing less than a work of cinematic art... From the incredible cinematography, the sublime soundtrack mix of easy, lo-fi jazz and cello based classical mood pieces, through the tight an thoughtful stage-play style screenplay, with excellent dialogue delivered very naturalistically by the entire Oscar worthy cast, right down to the subtle camera movements, editing, and the need not to smash the audience over the head with statements about society or as a platform for "activism", despite it's subject matter. It assumes an intelligence in the viewer, and a certain familiarity with it's themes, but concentrates entirely on the characters, and their interactions, which conspire to create the story: Here, the story of a young woman who has become pregnant by her childhood sweetheart, and the family drama that ensues when her own family must be informed, as well as her boyfriend's family. This though, is further complicated by the fact that the boyfriend has been convicted on the suspicion of rape, so she is coping with all this, as the film follows her through a chronological narrative, interspersed with flash backs, all expertly interwoven in a wonderful, seamless mosaic. The civil rights issues, only serve as a backdrop against which the personal, and very human drama takes place. We can see the issues at hand, and don't need a neon sign style expositions of them, instead, they have bearing only in how they affect the two young lovers, and their soon to be family. The whole thing just tells this personal tale, as a portrait of the two, and specifically, from her point of view, as the brief overlaid narrations she provides tie the thing together, as the whole movie moves as one perfectly realised whole, gently, easily, and artfully through this juncture of their lives. I've already used the words: Art, and artful. but could also use the words: Beautiful, poetic, balanced, poignant, thought-provoking, tender, sensitive (at times funny), as well as tragic, sad, and sombre. Wonderful movie. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 13th Sep 2023		Cinema Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023) (2023)	Rated 7/10 Wow, and indeed, at the same time.... Oh no. Having mentioned just the other day, how The Matrix sequels really annoyed my by being split on a cliff hanger... this does exactly the same! Except, with respect, it was marketed this way from the outset, so I knew it was coming. (Glad I didn't watch it in the cinema for this reason, therefore - I really do resent it, cinema not being the place for TV soap style cliff-hangers in my opinion: "Tune in next year to find out what happens next...." Grrrrrrrr) But also, I see what they did with this, in order to up the ante: as if the first film was akin to a comic book, excellently paced, well tied up, and perfectly self-contained, this has ambitions to be the equivalent of a graphic novel, in terms of scope, and scale, and so requires the two parts. That said, the action is frantic, and a blizzard of new characters, action and... stuff, happens all at once, a lot more hectic than the original, so that it's difficult to keep up with, and then you have these other, dramatic moments that, in direct contrast to this, grind proceedings almost to a halt - the personal dramatic moments go on too long - dramatic pauses etc, Some scenes, and indeed, the art-work / production design are a clear step up even from the original (did not think that was possible!), but this is altogether a more "involved" affair, whereas the casual viewer can enjoy the first, this goes a little bit more into comic fan "lore" land, which may lose a lot of this audience. If you are into it to this degree, you'll probably like this even more, but if, like me, you are only a casual comic book movie fan, but more of a general movie fan, this won't be as good as the original... just by a shade or two. The first, beyond the comic book nature of the film, was just good movie making, and story telling in general, this lacks somewhat in this regard, and so is more of a Comic-Con fanbase movie. But, I will dutifully await the next one, I suppose, and resign myself to the fact that, along with this, and Everything Everywhere, All At Once, this is how movie are going to be from now on, rather than a fresh, exciting, and original experiment, everyone is going to jump on this band wagon, of nutty, frenetic story splat, story telling, which will inevitably become the contrary: Same-y, bland, and unoriginal. But this was enjoyable, and worth watching for all that. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 13th Sep 2023		Cinema The Happiness Cage (1972) (1972)	Rated 7/10 Weird, quirky little film. There are two basic associations to be made in connection with this movie, in order to convey what it is about: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and A Clockwork Orange. (Not bad company to keep, I'd say!) But this is basically a three man stage play (with a couple of other peripheral characters), about a troubled soldier, who gets arrested for acting on his mental disturbances, one night, and finds himself farmed off to a country mansion to be experimented on by a Doctor, in order to "fix" him, under the auspices of the military, as part of an experimental project. He is interred with an equally troubled room mate: also ex-soldier: Ronny Cox... (Who's wild, brash, charismatic character basically steals the show) And it's essentially a "talky" movie, which feels like it exists somewhere between the flower power sixties and the seventies, in terms of tone, and subject. The obvious theme is a direct allusion to the Nazi experimental programmes, and the ideas of free will, and person-hood. There's a disturbing rape scene, the consequence of the situation acting on Cox's already disturbed mind, but thankfully, this calls things for what they are, which contrary to modern popular belief, doesn't fall into that idea that people back then didn't realize what things were, or think of them other than the crimes they are - "It was a different time..." etc. ...No. this is proof to the contrary. A weird, sixties "Groovy" soundtrack tune at the beginning, and a little later, quite an intriguing Tangerine Dream style tune... But other than this, it is a fairly flat out, stage play style drama, rather than a "movie", so to speak. The three central actors here all give very strong performances, that essentially carry the show: Joss Ackland's doctor, and the two inmates: Walken and Cox. The only other point of note is the many names this seems to go by for some reason: As mentioned in notes, as well as: The Happiness Cage, and as the title screen shows: The Mind Snatchers, it also seems to go by just: Mind Snatchers, and indeed, on the packaging of the DVD I watched this from: Mind Snatcher. Bizarre. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 21st Aug 2023		Cinema The Piano (1993) (1993)	Rated 8/10 Realistic Magicalism. There was always something bleak and forbidding about this movie, that put me off watching it from the moment of it's release; Aware of course, of all the buzz and hype surrounding it since that time, I still couldn't get myself into wanting to watch it, as it seemed like a drab, pretentious, arty Merchant / Ivory piece, except set in some miserable wasteland. ...Still, thirty years later, the right mood finally stuck, and I thought: "Why the hell not?" (I was at a loose end, and it was either this, or the prospect of watching some of those awful housewife "humans" on tv, so I rolled the dice) Very glad I did, as it seems, to some extent, the promotion and ads mis-sell it somewhat, giving the kind of impressions I stated above.... ...Instead, I found this to be quite a magical movie - not sure if I'd go so far as to call it one of those "Magical Realism" stories, but it does have very quirky elements, and a slight tone that could come from a Grimm fairy tale, and plays out like a parable of yore. What it's a parable of (And I think I still need some getting of my head around, and into it yet), is a woman's voice; That is, more accurately rendered, the voice of woman, and the personal empowerment that proceeds from that, as seen through the eyes of a particular woman. Opening with Holly Hunter's: Ada, having been married to a man the other side of the world, In New Zealand, and essentially "mailed off" to him on on a long sea voyage, with her daughter from a previous partnership, she carries with this most precious, and personal object - her piano - to express herself, or better yet, communicate with herself... (In the sense, that her playing of the piano is a sort of personal communion between her and her own soul) ...In a world where she, being woman in this time, is not master of her own destiny. For she is also mute, as the voice of a child, which is her own internal voice, states in a brief voice over at beginning (and end) informs us is for no real biological or physical reason yet at the same time, not really a matter of choice... she just is. Her daughter interprets for her, when not at the Piano, which, being left on the harsh weathered beach at their arrival, seems to be, of course, a symbol of her current state - the men refuse to help her take it to her new home. Of course, her new "master" / husband, in the shape of Sam Neil's: Stewart is a very uptight guy with a very conventionally colonial sense of Victorian propriety, and won't have it in the house, it seems, but agrees to swap it with Harvey Keitel's: Baines, a subordinate "Scottish" (his accent is pretty ropey, alas :) servant of his, who brings it in to his own home, with the intention of drawing Ada over, and perhaps getting to know her a little better than he oughta - crumbs. A very sensitive, and soft seduction then ensues by degrees, and of course you feel this moving inexorably towards a tragic conclusion, the unempowered / unheard woman caught between her duties to her Husband, and the man she comes to love. There will be tears before bed-time. All of which, as I said, could be a very melodramatic, grim story in the telling, especially, as the underlying theme is fundamentally, of course, feminist story, which could get very... er,,, over earnest, and so forth, but, I must repeat: In giving just the right amount of fairy-tale and a sense of the magical, in being framed as a parable, it all actually adds up to a very engaging, engrossing, watch - compulsive viewing, with a wonderful slightly magical air. Really enjoyed it actually... and would probably watch it again, as it certainly makes you think about the underlying meanings to the symbolic aspects of the movie, and what they say about the world. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 8th Aug 2023		Cinema The Lawnmower Man (1992) (1992)	Rated 6/10 Yesterday's future of tomorrow.. today! At the time, it felt way off the map in terms of future predictions, as, having no existing tech that could make anything like this remotely possible (V.R. being a blisteringly new concept), and so, firmly in the fantastical, and therefore, nonsensical end of sci-fi - odd. And the visuals were at the still early stages of CGI (proper - not counting visual "effects" and simple block rendered graphics such as Tron), so the CGI animation has really badly dated now. However, the underlying story, written by Stephen King, holds up, probably even more as time goes by: Modern Techy equivalent of "mad scientist" type Pierce Brosnan, fumbles around the mind of local simpleton (And Lawnmower Man) Jeff Fahey' Jobe, as he navigates his brain in a virtual reality space, and jiggers, pokes, and prods with it through this method, in order to see if he can make Jobe smarter, by reconfiguring his noodle. He does. ...He regrets it. Though not a fan of such suggestions, this could probably do with a remake, bringing to bear all that has been learned since, technology wise, as well as in terms of brain science :) (Sorry for using such big wordy speakage from thew world of frowny thinkery!) Still has it's own charms, and points of interest, in spite of everything. *Another movie that would serve very well as a double header with this movie, of about the same time was one I recall with a young Russell Crowe, and Denzel Washington, called: Virtuosity.* ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 8th Aug 2023		Cinema Escape From L.A. (1996) (1996)	Rated 5/10 Escape from New York is, of course, a timeless classic. This, however, is a cheap looking and feeling "Hollywood" version of a John Carpenter film. Like John Carpenter, minus the Carpenter-isms. Clunky, paint by numbers cash in on Escape from New York's cult status. Bleh! :( ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 5th Aug 2023		Cinema Tango & Cash (1989) (1989)	Rated 7/10 Firmly in the "Guilty Pleasure" category for me... ..The absolute apex of over the top Eighties-max action / comedy star vehicle era. Corny, cheesy, Crash, Bang, Wallop, lots of ridiculous action sequences, with improbable technology (The car :)... Cheesy eighties action one liners (looking back, quite psychotic given you've just killed somebody, that you deliver a punch-line! :)... Jack Pallance doing his ultimate bad-guy thing, (James Hong is in it too, as a minor baddie), Brion James giving a truly terrible performance as a "cockney" villain (but it is magnificent in it's awfulness!), Terry Hatcher, because... well, why not?!!!, and all redeemed by the presence of the man... the dude... that is: Kurt Russell. I skipped school with some chums to see this at the cinema. Pleased to report that all said teenagers went home happy :) 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 29th Jul 2023		Cinema Screamers (1995) (1995)	Rated 8/10 Pretty good low budget sci-fi / horror. ...A blockbuster rental on release for me on a slow week, and pretty much forgotten now, but it is, as I recall, another based on a Philip K. Dick short story, and of course, starring Peter Weller, so both of those things to recommend it. I'd like to see it again now, to see if it is as good as I remember. As I recall it, two warring factions of humans on another planet, have fought each other to stand still, and have abandoned some place or other, but left automated killing machines like mines all over the place, and Weller and co. are sent to investigate a mystery without getting minced in the process. It's like a Phantasm crossed with a low budget pre-cursor to Starship Troopers, minus the Verhoven "humour". Slow burner, lo-fi, sci-fi horror. A good watch. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 25th Jul 2023		Cinema Hardcore Henry (2015) (2015)	Rated 9/10 Like John Wick... on crack! In fact, there's plenty of other movies and other stuff that could be mentioned in attempting to convey a sense of, and characterise this absolutely batshit crazy movie... so here goes: It's like a live action, first person shooter sci-fi video game (the gimmick), which moves frenetically with the adrenalin charge of *Crank, with a dash of Robocop* (has a very strong whiff of Verhoven style humour), emitting a Saw like grim / gross graphic disturbing horror aesthetic, along with a Grand Theft Auto style irreverent humour, and all mixed up in a live action *manga* blender, to produce a nutty, almost relentless John Wick style smoothie. Phew! ...And believe me... "Phew!" is is how you feel after watching this absolute banger of a movie. It's taken me almost two years to get around to watching this, on account of I didn't have a blu-ray player, buy found the blu-ray disc at a bootfair last year (I am both cheap... and poor, and if I wasn't poor, I'd still be cheap! :) - finally found a player in the charity shop few weeks back for £2, and set it up, and watched last night - yay! ...During this time, I'd read many a disparaging review that seemed merely to dismiss this as a novelty item, based on the one gimmick, it ostensibly has: The first person shooter, video game idea, which many surely had thought to try sooner or later, but maybe abandoned it themselves due to it being a pretty thin idea on it's own (A fact that critics seemed to hone in on), which you would soon get tired of. And they are right. Except, this has a whole lot more going for it, which seems to have been overlooked, or ignored... ...Principally, it's the humour that sells the idea, and keeps the show on the road, as it has a razor-wire sharp sense of humour, manifest in the gags, both spoken and visual, which even some of the camera movements are funny, in the context of what's being shown on screen, which is mostly horrific, but even that somehow is hilarious - perhaps because it is so over the top, as to be the blackest slap-stick violence you've ever seen. (Basically, every one of the most awful things a person could do to another is done in this movie, and rather than baulk at it - you find yourself erupting with laughter - it ain't right, and I ain't proud of m'self for it, but damn it's funny!) The Sharlto Copley show Then there's the real feature of the movie, given that you never see Henry, from the outside, or hear him speak, even... (Bit like that old Judge Dredd thing of never showing him without the helmet) ...It's up to the other actors, and their characters to convey a sense of Henry by virtue of their relationship to him, which they do with aplomb... none more so than Sharlto Copley, who plays many variations of a character named Jimmy (It becomes clear later why), and is clearly having the time of his life. The guy is known for his somewhat outrageous portrayals in things like District 9, and even the A-Team movie, but here you get Copley-max, hamming it up in his many cartoonish cockney character versions which, if you struggle to key into at first, you will find hilarious pretty soon in. He basically steals the show here, and is performance, coupled with those other comic aspects, makes this a brilliant watch. I can, on reflection, see why initial critic reactions may have been negative for another reason too: As I have found myself, that the old "Cam-corder", "Found-footage" style of movie, as if from first person point of view, when presented on the big screen of the cinema, can be more effective at immersing you in the world than any amount of CGI, chilling, in the case of Blair Witch Project, I felt, but Nauseating, and even mildly Traumatising in the case of Cloverfield, but this uses an almost fish eye style camera (only slightly curved at the edges, so not over done), which when coupled with the frenetic pace of the action, and the wild camera movements, even so well considered, and used as here, may be somewhat vomit inducing at the cinema. But on a home cinema, or the TV in your living room, it's just about right, I'd say, and you can better appreciate the action. The story (yup, there's actually a story here, which is slightly overwhelmed by the action) is actually a good one too, with a few nice twisty turns in there, and even sci-fi concepts of it's own that are interesting ideas in themselves. This, overall, is a great, switch the mind off, Saturday night rollercoaster that you go in one end of, get mercilessly chewed up in, and spat out the other end of with a big fat smile on your face, and no sense of the time having passed at all since you started watching. Brilliant :) 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 23rd Jul 2023		Cinema La Cité Des Enfants Perdus (The City Of Lost Children) (1995) (1995)	Rated 9/10 The grimmest modern fairy-tale. From the infamous, and brilliant film-making duo: Jeunet And Caro, who brought us the strange and brutally wonderful: Delicatessen, and later the almost perfect fantastical French rom-com: Amelie, and indeed the wildly under-rated, and nutty: Micmacs... (Although I'm not sure if both of them were involved in this last one) ...Comes this wildly imaginative, beautifully shot (as usual) brothers Grimm style fairy-tale of man who cannot dream, and so recruits his less ciriminally mastermind-ish cloned brothers to venture forth, from their adapted oil-rig-ish home, to the mainland, in order to steal lost and abandoned children (orphans, and street urchins and such), to be taken back to their lair, in order to be hooked up to him while he sleeps, so that their dreams may be his for the experiencing. One such kidnap-ee, is young girl Miette's even younger brother: "Little brother", whom she sets out to find, and recover, with the help of simple ex-circus strong-man: "One", from the clutches of this evil enterprise. This has quite astonishing set pieces, especially the one on the pier, with the boat, where a cain of extraordinary events escalates to an incredible climax, having been initiated by the intervention of a trained assassin flea! There's a mysterious man in a submarine, biding his time apart from, and beneath the city, in it's river ways, a pair of evil conjoined twins, and indeed, a large talking brain in a tank. ...Everything your average movie-lover craves! :) The look and style will obviously be familiar those who appreciated these aspects of Amelie, but there's also an incredible blend of evocative yesteryear circus stylings and characteristics, science fiction, and antique, turn of last century Paris... and all wrapped up, of course, in this very strong Fairy-tale story and vibe. The opening dream sequence alone is one of the most visually incredible renditions of a dream (that rapidly sours into a nightmare) you will ever have seen on screen... so much so, you begin to feel a little woozy and uncertain yourself, just watching it! It was quite a big deal on release, as I recall, although I didn't see it until, I think 97, at Glastonbury festival on the cinema there, and it seems to have been largely forgotten, which is an incredible shame, as this is an absolute masterpiece of imaginative story-telling, as well as being one of the most sumptuous, brilliantly shot movies of the nineties, and a truly unique experience. Cannot recommend enough. [YouTube Video] 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 19th Jul 2023		Cinema La Vie Rêvée Des Anges (The Dreamlife Of Angels) (1998) (1998)	Rated 8/10 An expectation of life. Having not seen this, more or less, since the year of it's release, my memory was more than a little hazy of it, I just remember being engrossed in it... (And if I'm honest, more than a little taken with the elfin pixie girl Elodie Bouchez, which may have caused my still young brain to block out most of the other substance of the movie :) ((Got tired of waiting for this to turn up in a charity shop or boot fair, so bought a used DVD copy from amazon for a couple of quid - the extravagance! :)) ...It's a fairly straight up character study of two girls, on perhaps the lowest rungs of the social / economic ladder who meet, become friends, and then move in together, in an apartment owned by A mother and daughter who are both in a coma, after a car crash... So they are basically house-sitting / squatting, here, while aimlessly drifting through life, from job to job... and so forth. However, although it seems, from the outset, that Marie is the more "put-together" of the two, with Isa being a little bit more flaky, and "loose leaf", as the story goes, it becomes apparent that Isa is more able to accept the circumstances in which they find themselves, and is the more adaptable, as Marie, it seems, has more aspirational ideas of what her life should be, when she hooks up with a young, rich asshole of a guy, in whom she sees the opportunity, for that "dream-life" of hers to become a reality (more so, than any particular fancy for him, as a person). ...Needless to say, she becomes a tad obsessive about him, as all her hopes are invested in him, to the extent that she is willing to overlook almost every horrible thing about him, and how he treats her, and this, in turn, causes great friction in the once fun relationship she has with Isa... This, you feel, may end in tears. Meanwhile, Isa seems to be getting along fairly nicely, circumstances notwithstanding, and having paid a visit to the hospital, to see the young girl in the coma, to sit with her, she discovers her diary, and it can almost be said she begins to develop some kind of bond or relationship with the girl she has never met in the waking world. So it seems, on re-watching, and reflection to be about the expectations we have of life, what it should be, and what you are prepared to accept in it's stead - how adaptable you are in your mindset. But my residual impressions still hold true... (Now unblinkered by the absence of youthful hormones smashing through my tiny younger head!) ...A thoroughly engrossing, sad but intimate tale of two young girls, who each dream of other things in life, just not necessarily the same things, or in the same way. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 17th Jul 2023		Cinema Jacob's Ladder (1990) (1990)	Rated 9/10 Beauty in the darkness. While this is perhaps, not the most gross, or horrific movie to look at, compared to others, it has a uniquely disturbing nightmare quality, which most closely approximates the experience of a sweat inducing, nocturnal hallucination that we all know... more than any other film I can think of. It does it by virtue of a mood, a tone, the grimy, dingy looking cinematography, and some disturbing, horrific concepts shown through the images, rather than what the images themselves show... And what really underscores that nightmare, is the concept that, while most of us get to wake up, and shake it off, poor Jacob lives it in his waking world... all the time. For Jacob, an ex Vietnam vet, mourning the loss of his son, finds things around him in his world, by degrees, turning very peculiar, and terrifying. But it's not a simple horror movie, there is a purpose to the horror, as this is one man's journey through a kind of purgatory instead of hell. For this reason, once the film is done, is feels like it has a redemptive quality; Even, a *grace* to it, which prompts you to reconsider, in this context, all that you have just seen in the foregoing events. Although not a movie I'd put on for giggles, or fun, by any stretch of the imagination, I always found it strangely compelling, and needful, back in the day, to re-watch my old VHS copy, as a kind of catharsis / therapy for myself. In fact, I wonder what an actual therapist / psychiatrist / psychologist might make of this, not least, in how closely it might resemble a genuine psychosis, or schizophrenic state... ...Not entirely sure if it would, in such a scenario, be considered advisable or not for anyone suffering from such a condition to watch it... could be, according to the new-speak: *triggering.* But still, as a movie, masterfully done, and a perfectly executed, finely balanced redemptive nightmare movie. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 14th Jul 2023		Cinema Arkansas (2020)	Rated 6/10 There's a real movie here!... ...Somewhere... I think. Largely, an attempt at a kind of Tarantino movie (Chapter headings, among other indicators) - crossed with a languid, quirky indie flick aesthetic... Which proves to be too grand in it's production for the latter, but too light for the former. It feels flat, for the most part, and the first section, around Hemsworth and Clark Duke's characters feels tacked on to the Vince Vaughn character section, although they both, eventually converge at the end. Which is the first real issues with it... there's a "break in play" section later in the movie, where the story telling goes back in time to tell a tale about a couple of other characters, And I found this confusing, as I wasn't aware of an earlier section of the movie being set later than the last (if you get my drift) until this happened. The Chronology of a bit of back story is not well integrated, or explained. So structural story issues, and tonal issues (trying to be two types of movie at the same time, and drifting a little into neither and nothing-ness in this regard). Two hapless nowhere bods becoming embroiled in a down-south drug ring, headed by Vince Vaughn's: "Frog", get stuck in some low level drug ring limbo, while things go wrong around them, jeopardising both their position in this organisation, as well as their lives. The movie sprawls a bit, goes nowhere fast really, and is a bit disjointed. However, there are elements of this that make it very worth watching: Each of the characters, and each of the actors playing them, work very well: Hemsworth is much better than I thought he could be, Duke does his character very convincingly, as does Eden Brolin (yup, a Brolin family member) who seems to me to be a great actress in the making - she's got bags of charisma, very watchable presence - got real potential!... But I don't buy the pairing of these actors, or the characters they play, in that I can't imagine any of these three really having anything to do with each other in reality. (I have done myself a favour by neglecting to remember John Malkovich is in this movie, because his role / performance = Jeepers! :( But there's one real ace up this movie's sleeve: Vince Vaughn. Holy Mackerel, what a great performance! Neither a fan, nor... "not a fan", I have to say, he is absolutely mesmerising here, playing a rather callous, cold, low level drug kingpin, of the "legend in his own backyard - population: 5" variety, but it's a very subtle, very understated performance giving just an occasional glimpse, or sense of a broken, and breaking, vulnerable man within. If you could jettison the other story threads, enlarge his role, and make it about him, this would really be a great movie, as Vaughn can carry it, and hold the room. So much so, that you could probably drop his performance here into a Godfather / Goodfellas scale of story, and it would be equally at home... not out of place at all. This is Vince Vaughn's movie, and he steals the whole show. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 9th Jul 2023		Cinema Local Hero (1983) (1983)	Rated 9/10 I'ts only taken me decades to do, but finally got around to watching this... (I'd always pushed it back thinking it was going to be a cheap piece of shonk) ...And as reviews like the one below tell, I was wrong, and they are absolutely spot on! Magnificent movie. Very odd, though, it doesn't, aside from the basic premise of a guy sent to buy up piece of coastline for an oil company, seem to have a plot. ...It doesn't seem to have anything by way of traditional shifts in the story that would recognisably be considered "drama" - no struggles, no antagonist, or villain, no "all is lost" moment, no real act or acts of overt "heroism"... It just... is. And what it is, is gentle, warm, lightly funny, quirky, stunningly beautiful to look at, and is a veritable warm hearth of a movie, which will henceforth, serve as a great comfort food of a movie. Why did it take me so long?!!! All it is, based on the premise mentioned above, is a big city business type (not objectionable in any way, or cartoonish, or a caricature) dropped in this stunning little world of this village on the coast, and it, and the people there, just go to work on him; Eroding him until he, by degrees falls in love with the place and people. As will you, if you haven't seen it yet, and intend to watch it. Sublime. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 5th Jul 2023		Cinema Deathtrap (1982) (1982)	Rated 9/10 Another stage-play adaptation (of sorts) in the Murder / Mystery category, with just three central characters (and a couple of other instrumental characters). This time, Michael Caine takes on the role of the once successful / now hitting the skids play-write mentoring a young, prodigiously talented play-write in the shape of Christopher Reeve, at his "modest" yet cosy Windmill conversion house, with Caine's incredibly highly strung wife at his side, hosting the young prodigy. This is a wildly hammy, mega-schlock kitsch-to-the-eyeballs, overacted , stagey melodramatic affair, but I love it :) ...Even in spite of Dyan Cannon's mega annoying character, as well as the equally infuriating and unbelievable psychic (I kid you not) nosey next door neighbour, each with the acting to match (although allowances must be made, as this was clearly on purpose). But the real stand out here is Christopher Reeve, who, being a big guy, and an imposing enough Prescence to land him the role of Superman, put it's to great use here, not as the ultimate good guy super-hero, but rather, a truly terrifying character - You might not believe this man can fly, but you certainly will believe you'd not turn your back on him if you ever met him! But great fun, and I've always enjoyed watching it late night in the winter months. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 5th Jul 2023		Cinema Sleuth (1972)	Rated 10/10 Still the best of it's kind for me! This was probably my earliest introduction murder mystery / stageplay movies, and it remains entrancing to me all these years later. Just two dudes in a room (a very BIG room.. in a very BIG manor house in the country) trying to out-wit, and out-do each other in the ultimate, deadly game of cat and mouse. - OK, so the "twist" probably won't fool many, if any, but it's the drama, and the acting, as well as the portrayal of very specific character tropes of the time: Olivier's arrogant, upper-crust English Aristocrat gentleman sleuth novelist of leisure, set against Caine's lower class cockney / immigrant / new blood / new money, comparatively youthful type that makes this endlessly captivating. ...So much so, that you find yourself perfectly prepared to consciously suspend any disbelief you will undoubtedly have, and go along for the ride. (As opposed to having to be convinced by the movie makers to do so, by any contrivance of theirs) Still the gold standard of tightly focused murder mystery movies for me. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 4th Jul 2023		Cinema Zui Quan (Drunken Master) (1978) (1978)	Rated 8/10 Story idea: pretty good. Script and dialogue: ouch! Acting: Yikes! Fight choreography: Mind bendingly brilliant. It's this last that makes this fun and compelling to watch right through to the end, and makes the other less than acceptable points I alluded to tolerable. Going on the acting and script, this would be a 3 or 4 /10 - the choreography alone adds the extra points in my rating. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 2nd Jul 2023		Cinema National Treasure (2004) (2004)	Rated 8/10 >Attention, Disillusioned Indiana Jones Fans! - look here< Having not been inspired at all, from the moment of announcement (even before the inevitable hoo-ha) of a new Indiana Jones movie, and knowing that some / many will be disappointed with the new offering... ...I would instead, direct the attention of crypto-archaeology adventure fans to this, and it's sequel. After Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, this is what a 21st century Indiana Jones movie ought to look and feel like! Indeed, after much thought, I have concluded that the reason Raiders, and Last Crusade worked, and endured, where Temple, and these two newer ones don't is because those former two take a pre-existing, and enduring sources of general fascination: The Ark Of The Covenant, And The Holy Grail, whose enduring myths always draw the audience's attention, regardless of whether it is set in an action adventure movie or not, but then place an iconic Sherlock Holmes / James Bond type character capable, and dynamic enough to explore those myths, and fathom them out, in an exciting, and intriguing manner we ourselves are not able to. So the problem, from the get- go, with Temple Of Doom (for a western audience at least) was the subject of his adventure there - stones (whaa?), Crystal Skulls (more recent modern hocum from the proto- conspiracy theorist shack), and most recently, some kind of metaphysical bullshit clock, invented by lazy writers, I imagine, who have no grounding in history, and the stuff that elicits the intrigue of an audience. *Who cares!?!* No, Indiana Jones is merely our guide to those subjects, which already hold our imaginations. And that's where this comes in... ...Same basic set-up, with Nick Cage's geeky, reluctant Historian adventurer getting drawn into a web of historical intrigue, around just the kind of historical curiosities (albeit of more modern vintage) that were so interesting when adventuring through Ark OTC, or The Holy G territory. And what's more, it's a cracking good ride! (Just like Indy used to be) Great family fun, that doesn't treat you like an imbecile. So don't watch that worn out old pair of shoes, watch this... and get from it what you wanted from that Dial business in the first place! ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 17th Jun 2023		Cinema Ghost World (2001) (2001)	Rated 8/10 Too cool for school... ...And most definitely too cool for you... as well as just about everybody else in the world. This quirky oddment of a movie, was, as I vaguely recall, part of a spate (I may be overstating the case) of adaptations of graphic novels / comics of the more everyday / unusual variety that occurred about this time... (I think, Napoleon Dynamite, and perhaps that roller skating thing with (now) Elliot Page (might have been one?) among others) It is a basic portrait of the kind of teen girl you may well have encountered, or may well know, for whom the whole world is just lame, and pathetic, as is everyone in it, and largely exists to be mocked and regarded as some kind of freak show wildlife documentary, simply there for her amusement, and to be the objects of her disdain. ...Such is Enid, who, along with her friend and observational ally Rebecca in this walk through laboratory / human zoo of life, is about to graduate from school and step into the adult world (also, indeed, especially lame), and move into an apartment together, and get their big plans in motion. Everyone around them seems to be just drifting, like ghosts, going nowhere in particular, and doing nothing of any importance, in this nowhere town, unlike them, who have it all weighed off nicely. ...Which, of course, consistent with life's delightful way, is proven to them, well, in particular, Enid, they most certainly do not. Enid faces changes at home, with her single father dating someone new (very threatening). Rebecca seeems to be taking the step a little more seriously than Enid - having a job etc. and so seems to be beginning to drift away from Enid a little, as well as a superflake art teacher (Veronica Cartwright giving one of her career best performances in deadpan comedic genius mode) getting her into trouble due to a picture she cynically entered into an exhibition and which she lifted form new found acquaintance / friend Seymour. Seymour being a particular object of amusement that Enid decides to mess about with one day, being, as he is, a super - geek, as well as a collector of rare and valuable blues 78s (So particular interest for users of this site! :)... ...But as life seems to be getting away from her, and friends and people drift away, Seymour unconsciously becomes her only remaining friend... over time, and quite against her original intentions, a real friend. Enid may not be so very cool, and aloof after all, as she discovers she may be the only real ghost in her world, lonely, and dislocated, while everyone else is getting on with living life. This movie has that indie vibe, very much in the Clerks (with a budget) style, as we follow these two girls (primarily Enid) as they drift around town, chatting, and going nowhere in particular. One or two things may not make the cut for the modern cancel crowd, or at the very least, raise an eyebrow, which in itself is shocking, given how relatively recently this movie was made, but if you go a little deeper in it's intentions, it's humour and sensibility, beyond the superficial, and see how these things serve the story, and plot, you find a very sharply written, minor cult classic wihch is a great watch. Could also be re-titled: The Disabuse-ment of Certain Erroneous Notions Of Life As Held By Enid, The Girl Who (Thought She) Was Better Than Everyone Else. (But that's quite a mouthful, so Ghost World, will do :) 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 31st May 2023		Cinema Sophie's Choice (1982) (1982)	Rated 6/10 Another movie who's reputation and even who's title, has become a part of modern cultural reference... ...But having finally watched it, I was somewhat disappointed. Of course, there's the great central performance by Meryl Streep, and a strong, sympathetic supporting role by Peter MacNicol, but Kevin Kline over does it somewhat, albeit, playing a deeply disturbed individual (He's giving an almost Fish Called Wanda skit, at the very least, it's very... theatre). But this aside, it's two things that underwhelm, and detract from this tale of an immigrant with a dark and horrific secret from her past: Firstly, it feels like a made for TV movie (Was it?), which may be forgivable, if it was, but it feels cheaper in the production than the subject and it's aspirations require. ...And secondly, it's feels oddly structured, like two separate movies tacked sequentially onto each other: The first section being like The Great Gatsby, a very jazz age tale of American urban life shared between three friends and their difficulties, then it goes back to world war two Europe, and is a Holocaust movie... The contrast in styles, and tones is jarring. I wonder if perhaps, this was made today, an editor or director might intersperse some of the latter element in the first American section, and vice versa, in order to foreshadow, suggest, or intimate the real underlying story, and even the tone, and indeed, even out the movie itself. Maybe it would be possible to re-edit, and restructure the existing film in that way? Doing this, might even elevate the whole experience to something more worthy of the film's reputation. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 31st May 2023		Cinema The Pianist (2002)	Rated 9/10 A tough watch, but ultimately rewarding. What begins as a very civilized lifestyle for a gifted pianist turns, by degrees into Schindler's list, and finally something akin to the Tom Hanks movie: Castaway, as the Nazis invade, take over, then the entire city is bombed flat, to resemble a post-apocalyptic moonscape, the ruins among which, Brody's character: Władysław Szpilman, must scrape and hide to survive, all the while, avoiding being blown to bits, or captured by the Nazis. It's essentially the story of one man's adapting to survive, and in so doing, having the layers of civilization stripped systematically from him. A remarkable true story too. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 30th May 2023		Cinema Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998) (1998)	Rated 8/10 It's strange, watching this at a distance of some years now, in that we are as far from the date of release, as the date of release was from the events depicted in this movie... ...And yet the background mood of reactionary conservative repression created by the "squares" of the time, flinching in moral panic at the licentiousness of the sixties and seventies, and seeking to squash it out at all costs, and who's puritanical, narrow lines of social acceptability seemed positively absurd to me back then... as if the world could be so ridiculously straight, and judgemental, certainly not in the comparatively liberal and enlightened nineties... ...Thank God we're over that, I thought (!) Indeed, it seemed such repressive society almost demanded a semi-psychotic anti-hero (and his attorney :) brandishing his wildly crazed, relentlessly drug fuelled Gonzo journalism like a wrecking ball, to smash, head-long through the social mores of the times, and break almost every taboo they could find as they went. In order that the human spirit should not entirely succumb to such impositions. (Well, it's a fine excuse, anyway!) Be that as it may, it seems further away from the nutty, hilariously cartoonish picture of wild exaggerated, mythologised excess, or a depraved "psyche" movie that seemed to be the culmination of the nineties style of off the wall movie that I used to watch it as entertainment, but now, rather a bench mark of just how far we seem to have fallen into the seventh circle of moral hell since that time... so much so, this new millennium at times seems to make the fifties seem like a very liberal, open minded time by comparison! Watch this then, for all the social commentary and pjilosphophy an old fart like me might ramble on about, or watch to see a movie that you would simply sit and think: "Well, they couldn't get away with making this kind of thing anymore!", or sit and watch the brilliantly funny characterisations Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro give of two of the most improbable human beings ever to walk the earth, or just put aside the trendy wokery for a spell, and bean-bag that old brain of yours Google boy, and just have fun watching an excessive, degenerate thrill ride that will have you laughing all the way through... ...Because it's fun. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 28th May 2023		Cinema Outland (1981) (1981)	Rated 8/10 Essentially, a western set in space, with Sean Connery's Sherriff type, thrust into the middle of a conspiracy / intrigue to do with the criminal activities of a shady corporation. He's basically Wyatt Earp, come to bring a little law to this outpost, but unusually (and refreshingly) for Connery, while he is the standard tough guy, he is not without a sense of vulnerability here. ...And it's a film essentially brought to you by the majority of the production team that made Alien, and it carries much of that look, feel, vibe of deep space horror created there. Very underrated in my book. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 22nd May 2023		Cinema Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) (1998) (1998)	Rated 9/10 Iconic nineties movie. It's groundhog day... all over again! But here, the now well established (and somewhat overused) device of reliving a single time frame over and over again until you get it right is contracted to the space of about an hour, where Lola must run as fast as she can, to reach her boyfriend before he robs a supermarket to get a stack of cash to replace one he lost on a train, and which was intended to be paid to the local mob. ...If she doesn't get there, and find a way to get the cash along the way, boyfriend Manni has a run in with the cops, and gets shot. She must keep doing this until she finds the right route through this time span to get there in time with cash in hand, and so prevent Manni's doom. A very bright, very kinetic movie (as you'd expect) that doesn't slow down much to catch it's breath, and has a really inventive, yet simple storytelling device woven in, whereby, if she does something different in her interactions with the people she encounters along the way, a series of Polaroid snaps outlining that person's new alternate future clicks rapidly through, following the legend: "And then..." (Saves filming entire sequences, and packs the new future story into a matter of seconds). Everyone I knew saw this in the nineties - was a bit of "A thing" back then... and more than a few people I knew had this poster on their wall too. Great fun. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 21st May 2023		Cinema La Vie D'Adèle (Blue Is The Warmest Colour) (2013) (2013)	Rated 5/10 A masterpiece trapped inside an abomination. This is another one of those movies that less, certainly would have amounted to so much more. In this case... less sex. I know, how very prudish or puritanical of me! Certainly, I've never been one to consider myself as such, but find myself having more and more reason for complaint as I get older. ...And it's not, as I say, for reasons of moral indignation, but rather, for actual storytelling, and movie making reasons that I find myself infuriated by these kinds of films: All the extra time you spend dwelling, or fixating on the sex, is, for me, time you are not telling an actual story, and cutting into the natural storytelling rhythms, that can make a movie more sublime, poetic, and well rounded, as well as more dramatic, poignant, meaningful, and impactful. For this could have been beautiful. ...A subtly, and deftly told coming of age story of a young teen girl struggling to get to grips with her sexual awakening, as well as her sexuality. Set among the classroom peer pressures of highschool life, where she feels compelled to contain all these feelings, until she ventures out one night, and meets an slightly older, artistic, pseudo-intellectual type young gay woman, who she is instantly smitten with, if not slightly overawed by, and with whom she strikes up a freindship. leading to the inevitable relationship, and even "love". So it is in essence, a coming of age lesbian love story. ... so far, so good. .....But then..... damn! Basically, they spend extensive sessions of awkward porn style pretzel sex bouts, which go on way too long... (So as you find yourself checking your watch, as well as forgetting there was a story going on somewhere there, that for some - ahem - reason completely went out of my mind) ... as well as being disturbingly graphic... to the extent that if this is not actual sex, but merely simulated, then I struggle to see the point in having bothered to simulate it. And of course, I see after a couple of attempts to watch this film, and get past the idea that it's just some creepy voyeuristic heterosexual male director / filmmaker using "making a movie" merely as an excuse to exploit young actresses for his own personal pleasure. It feels dishonest. ...And makes you feel grubby, and like you are participating in this exploitation just by watching it take place - like you tacitly agree with this - which I do not. The worst thing is, on more than one occasion, a momentary, involuntary glance at camera from one of these actresses which seems to speak of confusion and uncertainty about what they have been asked to do, only hammers this horrible feeling home to you the viewer. It feels like witnessing a crime to watch it. Now, the overall plot, and point of the movie is actually a really good one - in that two people who "fall in love" despite some very apparent differences between them, may well be confusing sex with love, or even infatuation with love... to the extent that I begin to suspect this is not about love, or even a gay relationship, or even a healthy sexual relationship, but more a tale of addiction. Sexual addiction, and a shared, and mutual sexual addiction at that. This is then essentially a tale of two sex junkies, addicted to each other, and don't know how to control this need in themselves, or square it to their lives. Actually quite a tragic tale. And told on it's own, could have been a classic, indeed, a masterpiece. Unfortunately, it's trapped inside an unnecessarily absurd, over-long, overly- graphic, grubby series of porn flick episodes that totally detract from a, kill the wonderful tragic tale beneath. Again... not a prude, I just feel that if a director feels he wants to make porn, then do so, you only need ten minutes of that everyone consenting, everybody happy, and you need not then try to pretend it's "drama", and porn doesn't need a Shakespearean plot under it. Get in, get out, go home - wham, bam.... etc (so to speak) But at least this would then be honest about, and with itself. And at a three hour runtime, I do not exaggerate to say you could, by means of editorial excavation, lose at least half hour to forty five minutes of unnecessary movie flab, and porn, still make your points about the nature of their relationship, and have brilliant movie as the end result. But as it is, it is too uncomfortable a watch. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 12th May 2023		Cinema Spanking The Monkey (1994) (1994)	Rated 7/10 Excellent film, if somewhat...er... controversial. (To say the least!!!) Basically, it's the story of a young guy on the threshold of adult life, with lots of pressures bearing on him, and in his attempts to find a moment or two to himself... for... er... a little relief (ahem) discovers that that inner tension builds to an unbearable degree. Something has to give. ...And does, in a way, that... er ... is.... um... yikes! (far be it for me to offer spoilers, but I think it advisable to let you know what you're getting into in this case, as Oedipal incest ensues. Crumbs!) When a movie has such a big talking point, especially one of such a controversial magnitude around a very particular taboo, it tends to push all other considerations aside, and how good the movie is, the performances, and indeed the story being told, and how well it is told tend to get lost in the mix, overwhelmed by the degree to which the one nugget of outrage that public discourse latches onto becomes. For on all other of these counts, this is brilliant... a lightly, wryly handled comic / tragic portrait of a very confused young man's struggle to realize himself in the approaching adult world. This has become a bit of a back-burner, low key cult classic indie movie, which, even the most broad minded tend to not mention in polite society. It likely won't appear any time soon in your TV for these reasons, and it might be difficult to find on any media too... but stands as a good example of how to go about tackling the toughest of subjects. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 28th Apr 2023		Cinema I ♥ Huckabees (I Heart Huckabees) (2004) (2004)	Rated 5/10 Not half as clever as it likes to think it is, or wants you to think it is. Another noisy neighbour! ...As I've come to think of those movies that seem to hum away in the background of your consciousness, occasionally bubbling up to the surface of conversation as some kind of cult classic contender, or unappreciated prospective masterpiece, to quote Peter Griffin: "It insists upon itself", until you finally relent, and watch the thing. And for the most part such movies have not yet disappointed: Crazy Stupid Love, The Before Trilogy (such as I have seen so far!), have knocked it out of the park, and proven themselves worthy of more general appreciation, even, to a degree: Punch Drunk Love was in this zone... ...But this has proven itself not to be such a film - a lot of talk about it's quirky strangeness worthy of being mentioned alongside the works of Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Charlie Kauffman, Gondry, Jonze and the rest, is flattery beyond what is reasonable, because basically, this feels like an attempt to bottle and commercialise, or otherwise cash in on the vibes and themes that those other master film-makers do - to tap into their wild, surreal, yet insightful genius, and claim it for their own. This wants to be a Wes Anderson movie, or a Paul Thomas Anderson movie, better yet. Wes Anderson directing a Paul Thomas Anderson Kauffman story, and reeks of pretentions to this... indeed it is, therefore: Pretentious. And while, on the surface of things, it should be an interesting confounding story of a man who feels nudged out of an enterprise by usurping, shallow former friend hiring a couple of, um, existential investigators to follow himself around, and get the bottom of his existence, and discover if life rests upon the intricate relationship of a causal interconnectedness of things, with meaning or purpose in it's design, or if it's all just one great coincidental mess, with no point or purpose to the circumstances of life... (Phew! - I told you it was pretentious!!!) ...It actually dissolves into an uninteresting, incomprehensible mess of parts. .......And you become increasingly aware as the movie goes on, that it was only a half baked idea to begin with, that on paper, may have made the actors involved look with relish at such an interesting concept, and script, probably with those other movie makers works in mind, like they would get the chance to be involve in something like that, with the same results. But sadly, no. This feels very much like nobody involved even understood what it is those other guys actually do, but thought, let's just be strange, wordy, and make it look and feel like one of those we've achieved it... if it's purposely obscure, it must mean something, and people will be believe it too, and nod reverently at us for having made something so profound, and brilliant. (For some reason, that Turner prize winner of the painting made with poo springs to mind, that everyone got very frowny, obsequious, and celebratory about :) For this is a piece of shit. First, look at the cast: Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, ad Jude Law... yeah, enough said. And then, I think the cardinal sin, is trying to all of those other film makers at once, and therefore loses the definition, and distinctiveness, both in substance and style which is each their own, and makes their movies work. It therefore feels messy, flat, bland, and uncompelling. Granted, there are one or two moments of inspiration, such as the blanket analogy of reality, which I enjoyed, but then went beyond ridiculous to plain embarrassing in the "surreal" moments of seeing Schwartzman as a baby being breast fed by a grown man with hairy tits - an image I never want in my head again! - or the slow motion "passionate sexual abandon" in the woodland, covering each other with mud, and being really depressingly sad to look at. Many other things just feel like amateur theatre ideas and playground gimmicks dressed up as something important, but it just made me wince. And, although promising to begin with, the telling line: "That September thing" seeming to allude to what this was all about really, given it's historical proximity to 911: A shattered faith, and psychology of a people after that catastrophic event, seeking to make sense of an equally shattered reality trying to find meaning, and purpose in life where everything is apparently called into question... ...But this never lives up to it, and just meanders along until the end, and doesn't get good at any point. So, I can now file this in my brain as watched, and can advise anyone else curious about it because of what they may have heard about it, that on this occasion, you can give this a miss, it won't ever (I hope) become regarded as a beloved classic, or culturally important in any way. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 19th Apr 2023		Cinema The Iron Giant (1999) (1999)	Rated 9/10 I have vague recollections of being made to read the Ted Hughes story at school of this; Originally titled: The Iron Man. ...I am somewhat sketchy about it now, but the lasting impression of it being a very haunting, sad feeling tale of the giant robot from outer space arriving on earth to be befriended by a boy, with the same depth of warmth and feeling as one of those early Oscar Wilde short stories... (Better than the plays and witticisms he is generally known for! - saw an animated version of The Happy Prince at school, which has scarred me for life, and lodged it firmly in my soul ever since! - devastated!!!) ..And it has always jarred with me... seemed odd to me, that Mister Serious McFrowny pants intellectual poet Ted Hughes could be responsible for this, but Brad Bird does a bang up job of capturing the feeling of the book that stayed with me all this time. Due to the setting of 1950s America, against a backdrop of Sputnik, the Cold War, and imminent Nuclear destruction, the general underlying themes of advancing and advanced technology posing a threat to humanity, and the boy who sees otherwise in this robot visitor (And all that this implies :) probably makes this a bit too much for very small children, but maybe early teens and up would be a better audience - so if on TV, more early evening than morning. And there's lots for older (ahem) viewers to like, in the subtle light wit, and humour that's here throughout. A wonderful animated movie! ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 19th Apr 2023		Cinema The Big Sleep (1946) (1946)	Rated 6/10 How disappointing! Another one of those I'd sought to cross off my list, that comes with a huge, and legendary reputation... ...And while of course, it essentially patents the formula for the twisty turny private investigator noir movie, I found it unnecessarily convoluted, and the plot complicated, and a little difficult to follow. What was amusing was the old stereotype of the characters talking in very quick, clipped sentences of this era: "You know what I mean see...?", "I do, see...?", "Oh you do see..?", "Oh yes I do, see...see...!".... "I see!" etc. But that was mostly I think, because it felt they trying to cram too much dialogue and plot into too short a runtime, so it feels hurried. It did gradually, mildly engross me towards the end, but I was getting quite non-plussed and even slightly bored with it until then. (Oh, and while I Appreciate Humphrey Bogart is, of course, Humphrey Bogart, swimming in his Bogart-ness, I can't fathom why every single girl and woman in this thinks he's "Cute" and can barely keep themselves from falling over in swoons every time they encounter him... what the hell is that about?) Overall... meh. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 1st Apr 2023		Cinema 37°2 Le Matin (Betty Blue) (1986) (1986)	Rated 9/10 Classic French romantic tragedy. Along with the nineties': Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt) a movie from a non-English speaking country which transcended national boundaries, and punched through into a broader International consciousness... And like Lola, the poster alone became an iconic emblem of the time every bit as much as the movie itself. And while in this case, it's prime selling point that brought it to the wider audience was the rather, um... - if perhaps graphic would be the wrong word to use on it's own, then maybe illustrative -matter of fact sex scenes right from the first shot, which reputationally, have rather overshadowed the substance of a great, and haunting movie with a tragic, brilliant story. Jean-Hughes Anglade's Zorg, is a bit of a drifting, easy going wannbe writer, bumming along from menial job to menial job with all his dreams always in the never never land of tomorow, or some way down the road. He happens to have scored (to use the common vernacular) big time, in hooking up with the feisty, intense Betty, played by Béatrice Dalle, who seems to complete his vision of a free and easy life of sun, sand, sex and fun. So far, so good. ...Except, Betty's zest and intensity reveal themselves to be more than just a lust for life, and a reasonable passion for Zorg, for as their relationship develops, and Zorg begins to unconsciously fall for and accept Betty as a more permanent fixture in his life, she becomes more obsessive about him, and cajoling in trying to make him more of a doer than a dreamer, pushing him to get his work published, and abandon his more itinerant lifestyle... and her methods become gradually more extreme and eye-brow raising. Fr what transpires is that she is labouring under the heavy dark could of a growing storm of profound mental illness, which Zorg, is now emotionally obliged to try to assuage, and try to save Betty, or at least manage her, because now he loves her. It becomes a tough, but hauntingly beautiful watch the further in you get, as what began as fun, and joyous in seeing a burgeoning youthful love affair becomes a dark, and tragic relationship. So, if you can get past the opening sex-bout, and concentrate on the story therafter, you have an all-time classic tragedy, as well as a quite important movie from the late eighties, and as well as the movie itself, the simple, devastating piano theme will stay lodged in your head and haunt you long after the film is over. Simply brilliant. (Great poster too! :) 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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