The Running Man (1987)

Posted on January 28, 2015 by badblokebob

2014 #116
Paul Michael Glaser | 97 mins | TV | 1.85:1 | USA / English | 18 / R

25 years before Jennifer Lawrence had to fight for her life on TV, Arnie had to do the same.

In an ever-so-’80s vision of the future (my God, those costumes!), Arnie’s wrongfully-convicted fugitive ends up on TV’s most popular show, where criminals fight for their freedom against a variety of imposing opponents. Secretly, he’s there to try to overthrow the corrupt regime.

The implications of the central concept have been explored better several times since, but, despite dated design, the solid direction from Starsky (yes, as in and Hutch) ensures this is an entertaining SF action movie for genre fans.

Parker (2013)

Posted on January 20, 2015 by badblokebob

Parker trailed well — funny lines, promising action, solid setup — but doesn’t deliver.

The funny lines remain funny, but the trailer has them all. The plot’s generic — not necessarily a problem, but here it’s hampered by pointless asides and subplots. The action only delivers once or twice, the best being a mano-a-mano brawl featuring a great climax on a hotel balcony.

Reportedly Hackford wanted to make this a film noir. You can spot story elements he must have been thinking of, but it doesn’t feel like one, and certainly doesn’t look like one.

Fitfully adequate, but not even among Statham’s best.

Jason Statham stars in the superior Safe, on 5* tonight at 9pm and reviewed here.

Modern Times (1936)

Posted on January 7, 2015 by badblokebob

2014 #55
Charles Chaplin | 83 mins | DVD | 1.33:1 | USA / English | U / G

Charlie Chaplin satirises technology and modernisation in arguably the last film of the silent era. It actually has a synchronised soundtrack, primarily for music and effects, but also dialogue — though “we hear spoken voices only when they come from mechanical devices, a symbol of the film’s theme of technology and dehumanization.” The irony is it was that technological progress which rendered Modern Times the last hurrah for the era Chaplin remains most identified with.

Stand-out sequences include Chaplin and co-workers battling a speedy production line, and him being the test subject for a new machine designed to feed workers quickly.

Modern Times was viewed as part of my What Do You Mean You Haven’t Seen…? 2014 project, which you can read more about here.

The Spirit (2008)

Posted on December 15, 2014 by badblokebob

2014 #89
Frank Miller | 98 mins | TV | 2.35:1 | USA / English | 15* / PG-13

Comic book creator Frank Miller brings what he learnt co-directing Sin City to this adaptation of Will Eisner’s classic newspaper strip. Turns out, that’s not much.

Miller aims for a pulpy but satirical tone, a stylistic choice many misunderstood. Sadly, even when spotted, the execution doesn’t coalesce. Gabriel Macht is a limp lead; famous co-stars overact; visually it’s a Sin City rip-off… Castle’s Stana Katic as an eager rookie is the best thing in it (that might just be me…)

There’s the seed of a fantastic idea in Miller’s vision of The Spirit, but it germinates as an amateurish wannabe.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is released on DVD and Blu-ray today.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2014. Read more here.

* The Spirit was trimmed by 25 seconds to get a 12A for UK cinemas. The Blu-ray release is branded as an “Extended Cut” but is merely the uncut original, and is rated 15. This was the version shown on TV. ^

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Posted on December 14, 2014 by badblokebob

2014 #88
Barry Levinson | 116 mins | TV | 1.85:1 | USA / English | 15 / R

Inspired by the true story of a US Army DJ in Vietnam during the war, the resulting film is a showcase for star Robin Williams — reportedly, his antics aren’t even close to what really happened.

Doesn’t matter though, does it, because this is Williams at his best. His radio monologues show off his fast-paced improvisational riffing — as hilarious as always — while the more dramatic parts engage with the conflict and remind us of the serious flipside to Williams’ considerable skills.

Comedy-dramas are notorious for not being particularly comedic or particularly dramatic. This is funny and engrossing enough to subvert that.

Good Morning, Vietnam is on Film4 tonight at 11:25pm.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2014. Read more here.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Posted on December 12, 2014 by badblokebob

At an oppressive private school (is there another kind?), a gaggle of disenchanted students are invigorated by teacher Robin Williams; until his methods, and the independent thought they inspire, attract the ire of parents and faculty.

Here’s a film all children should see, to understand the value of free thought and rejecting the system. Cynics probably find its purity of message, coupled with a tragic ending, to be over-sentimental and twee, but this earnestness is what makes it work.

A few poor choices aside (slow-mo renders a key moment comical; Maurice Jarre’s synth score jars), this is powerful, affecting filmmaking.

Dead Poets Society is on BBC Two tonight at 11:35pm.

Robin Williams also stars in Good Will Hunting, which I’ll review tomorrow. Both reviews are part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2014. Read more here.

The Searchers (1956)

Posted on December 10, 2014 by badblokebob

2014 #24
John Ford | 114 mins | DVD | 1.85:1 | USA / English | U

Westerns don’t come more renowned than this Ford-Wayne collaboration about the years-long hunt for a girl kidnapped by Native Americans.

Alongside the usual Western thrills, peerlessly executed, it touches on themes of obsession and racism in a way deserving of more comment than this. Wayne plays an ‘upstanding’ man with dubious morals; an anti-hero for sure, almost villain at times. Works for me, tallying with my view of him more than a white-hatted paragon would.

Epic in scope without a patience-trying running time, and artistically shot without being tryingly artsy, The Searchers is old-style blockbuster filmmaking of the highest order.

The Searchers was viewed as part of my What Do You Mean You Haven’t Seen…? 2014 project, which you can read more about here.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2014. Read more here.

The Kings of Summer (2013)

Posted on December 1, 2014 by badblokebob

Fed up with their home lives, three school friends set out into the woods to build their own home. And kinda succeed.

I wasn’t sure I’d like this — it looked Quirky and Indie and Hipster-y — but I wound up rather loving it. It mashes zany ‘comedy’-comedy with indie drama — the kind of tonal disjunct some despise, because they like their films neatly Funny or Serious, but which I always have an affinity towards. Plus there’s an awesome soundtrack and frequently incredible cinematography — many shots are truly beautiful.

Surprisingly relatable, despite its outlandish storyline, this is a film to subvert expectations.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2014. Read more here.

Union Station (1950)

Posted on November 25, 2014 by badblokebob

2014 #19
Rudolph Maté | 77 mins | TV | 4:3 | USA / English

Often noted merely for being filmed in Los Angeles’ busy train station, there are some spirited defences of Union Station to be found. For my money, that’s nearer the truth: this isn’t some noir-era single-location-thriller, but a kidnap procedural with a significant role for trains and their locales. The best sequence isn’t even in the station: cops tail a suspect, get noticed, and the ensuing chase reaches a memorably grisly end.

Also in the mix are morally grey cops (“make it look like an accident”), one-step-ahead villains, and a blind girl in peril. The concoction produces an undervalued classic noir.

Local Hero (1983)

Posted on November 20, 2014 by badblokebob

Gentle comedy in which Peter Riegert’s middle-management American oil exec has to persuade the residents of a Scottish village to sell up, unaware that they’re only too keen — for the right price. One of Quentin Tarantino’s Coolest Movies of All Time (seriously).

It’s a funny one, lacking some structural focus and, being independently produced, able to eschew expected endings and pat resolutions. The cast make it, particularly Denis Lawson as the town’s publican/hotelier/solicitor/leader and Burt Lancaster as a beleaguered CEO.

A more acquired taste than you might expect, Local Hero is lightly, loosely likeable. But cool? Hm.

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Category Archives: drabble reviews

The Running Man (1987)

Parker (2013)

Modern Times (1936)

The Spirit (2008)

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

The Searchers (1956)

The Kings of Summer (2013)

Union Station (1950)

Local Hero (1983)