Author Archives: Mark

Movie: This Gun for Hire: Tight film noir that is the prototype for all solitary movie assassins 7/10

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Mark

This Gun for Hire (1942) Containing Alan Ladd’s first starring role as a stone-cold killer, this is an excellent, though twisty (and rather contrived) plotted piece apparently based on a story by Graham Greene. Ladd is magnificent here as Raven, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, 3.5/5, crime, T, thriller | Comments Off

Johnny English – Family-friendly Bond-spoof with solid laughs and sight gags 3.25/5

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Mark

Johnny English (2003) Likeable, old-fashioned (in a good way) pastiche of James Bond, starring the man with the most expressive face ever, Rowan Atkinson. It’s fun, there’s reasonable laughs all the way through, and there’s even some quite good stuntwork … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, comedy, J, spy | Comments Off

Movie: Arthur (1981) A good comedy with an excellent first and third act 3.5/5

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Mark

ARTHUR (1981) Arthur is a cool little romantic comedy about a playboy gagillionaire that is being shoved down a path of marrying a girl he really doesn’t love (Susan), and being forced to shape up into someone respectable to please … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, 3.5/5, A, comedy | Comments Off

Movie Review: Fear is the Key – A great overlooked 70s action thriller 7.5/10

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Mark

Fear is the Key (1973) A good, twisty, jagged little thriller based on a book by Alistair Maclean where things are not what they seem. Barry Newman is excellent in this as the protagonist that is initially quite rotten as … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, 4, F, thriller | Comments Off

Movie Review: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein – Top horror comedy, with monsters and comedians really delivering 7.5/10

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Mark

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein This film marked the final film for several of the universal monster franchises, such as the Frankenstein, Wolf Man and Dracula series, and is touted by some critics (but by no means all) as some … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, 4/5, A, comedy, horror | Comments Off

Alice, Sweet Alice – Interesting American Giallo with plenty of atmosphere and weirdness 7/10

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Mark

Alice, Sweet Alice aka Communion An interesting little thriller that plays like an Italian Giallo, but is set and made in America. Got famous for the brief presence of Brooke Shields at a young age (and she never acted better … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, 3.5/5, A, horror | Comments Off

Movie Review: Idiocracy – Broad-stroke satire about future America that’s like crossing Sleeper with Fox News 6/10

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Mark

Idiocracy An interesting but not entirely successful satire of the state of America, where a reasonably likeable Army slacker and a prostitute are used in a cryogenics experiment that goes wrong, and they wake up 5 hundred years in the future. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, 3, comedy, I | Comments Off

Book Review: The Light Fantastic – Fun 2nd book in Discworld series, definitely a pleasing read 8/10

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Mark

The Light Fantastic This is a direct sequel to Terry Pratchett’s first Discworld book, continuing the adventures of Rincewind the semi-failed magician, Twoflower the tourist, and the walking luggage. There’s many funny moments and scenes in this book, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, book, L | Comments Off

TV Review: Battlestar Galactica miniseries and Season 1: Fantastic, gritty, funny, surprising space opera that really delivers here 9/10

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Mark

The 3 hour miniseries set the scene very nicely. This was total war, and total losing, the cylons won this one outright. 3 very clear and outright awesome characters were established in this series: Commander Adama, Starbuck and Roslin. There’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, B, scifi, TV | Comments Off

Movie Review: 13 Assassins – exciting modern Samurai actioner 8.5/10

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Mark

13 Assassins A quite enthralling hark back to 60s Samurai movies with a modern twist, solid all the way through. The bad guy is completely bad, and the good guys are tough, powerful fighters that need to take down 200 … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, foreign, martial arts, T | Comments Off

Movie Review: Fright Night 2 – rather poor 80s horror/comedy that isn’t very scary or funny 3/10

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Mark

Fright Night 2 Okay Fright Night was recently made with David Tennant channelling Russell Brand as a vampire hunter, but this is a review of the sequel to the rather charming original. This sequel suffers from a number of problems. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, F, horror | Comments Off

Movie Review: The Day The Earth Stood Still – classic 50s scifi 8/10

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Mark

The Day the Earth Stood Still Made in the 50s and remade recently starring Keanu Reeves (and everything I’ve heard about it makes is sound like a worthless remake), this is a solid, if a little plodding, scifi story. An … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 2011, D, scifi | Comments Off

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