Tag Archives: 3.5/5

Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones 3.5/5

Well, I think whenever Annakin is on screen in dramatic parts, it feels quite poor and drags by his mopey teenager persona, but there were two dramatic scenes I thought were decent. The first, the death-scene of Shmi Skywalker, was … Continue reading

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Stone Cold 3.5/5

Whilst Brian Bosworth has all the acting ability of a tree stump, the charm of this movie is generated by 3 things; the grandiose scene-chewing of Lance Henriksen, delivering lines like ‘This reminds me of my father’s last words: “Don’t … Continue reading

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How To Train Your Dragon 3.5/5

This started slow, but got better and better, and had a great, happy ending. Very enjoyable.

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The Killer 3.5/5

Parts of this film have not aged well. The parts that have aged well are the insanely great action pieces – if there’s gunfire, you’re gold. To some degree if there’s doves, churches, candles, hospitals, or fast cars, you’re also … Continue reading

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Fermat’s Room 3.5/5

Nicely made film that looks great, and solid script and performances. The central conceit intrigues right up until you find out exactly who is responsible, and the revelation doesn’t live up to the original promise, and as you think it … Continue reading

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Jason X

Okay, we’re now on the 10th Friday the 13th movie, and this alone should alert you you’re heading for a barrel of crap. If so, your film radar is suitably developed, but switch that beeping screen off. It’s misleading you. … Continue reading

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Hound of the Baskervilles 1959 3.5/5

Fine Hammer take on Sherlock Holmes from Peter Cushing. Christopher Lee is also present and rather good as Sir Henry Baskerville, and I liked that the Watson in this was rather capable and less of a bumbling audience-substitute who only … Continue reading

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Mighty Joe Young 3.5/5

I really expected this to be a rerun of King Kong, and for the first 2/3rd it mostly was, but it then wildly diverged into unexpected territory of a chase, followed by rescue that was genuinely exciting. The male lead … Continue reading

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Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream 3.5/5

A fascinating documentary giving us in the 21st century an insight into the ‘midnight movie’ phenomenon of the 70s, .starting with El Topo and finishing with Eraserhead. Some fine talking heads, insights and period footage made it engaging and funny.

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X The Unknown 3.5/5

Rather fine 50s scifi that is very Quatermassy (it was intended to be a sequel to the original Quatermass movie, but Hammer couldn’t get the rights), and rather good. It has a creature reminiscent of The Blob, and the effects … Continue reading

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Night of the Creeps 3.5/5

This was a lot of fun, and definitely at the top end of 80s B-movie horror. Witty, self-knowing script (in a good way), some good effects (and bad effects), and some really decent setups/payoffs. It thrilled me.

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The Haunted Palace 3.5/5

Rather fine, and I think a little forgotten, Roger Corman movie with Vincent Price. The film looks really crisp and lush, and Corman knew how to stretch the dollars to keep the film looking classy, but kept it cheap by … Continue reading

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Paperhouse 3.5/5

This is a weird and subtle British horror movie that is really about a child’s dreams. The acting is generally quite poor from the children (who are essentially the leads), but it static quality actually works fine in this movie, … Continue reading

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Saturday Night Fever 3.5/5

Travolta is absolutely terrific in this, giving the reasonably complex script his all by an excellent portrayal of a conflicted, trapped, working class young guy. He’s helped by the pounding soundtrack, especially the BeeGees tracks, which add several points of … Continue reading

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TV: PSYCHOVILLE – Very very dark comedy with horror elements 6.5/10

PSYCHOVILLE Season 1, Halloween Special, Season 2 Spawned from half the team that brought the world ‘The League of Gentlemen’, Psychoville occupies a similarly-dark universe to the village of that show. Indeed, ‘Psychoville’ is named after the Japanese title of … Continue reading

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Movie: 28 Days Later – Fast zombies, excellent first half, not great second half 6.5/10

28 Days Later The whole premise of this film can be summed up in two words: Running Zombies. That’s not to denigrate this cool B-movie with A-movie ambitions, but that’s what it is. And it’s a great premise, even if … Continue reading

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Movie: The Battle of Algiers – Tense docu-style movie that remains contemporary 7/10

The Battle of Algiers This is a film made in 1965 about the late 1950’s uprising in French-run Algeria. It has a soundtrack by Morricone, and is filmed in an interesting and gripping documentary style, in order to try and … Continue reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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