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Wonder Woman 1984
We splashed out and 'hired' this on Netflix or Amazon, can't remember which now. I thought it was not too bad, apart from gaping plot holes. Still, gaping plot holes are to be expected in most superhero films, especially those that involve time or magic. Teenager son thought it was awful, and continually brings it up as the worst film he's ever seen. Well, it's certainly not the best film I've ever seen, but neither is it the worst. Provided you don't think too hard about the overall plot, I can think of worse ways to spend a couple of hours than watching this film.
Definitely, maybe
I sometimes watch a rom-com: my wife forces me to. Usually I think, well, okay, I got through that without too much difficulty after all. But let’s not do it again too soon. Definitely, maybe is, however, one of the better rom-coms I’ve seen. It was nicely framed by a father telling his young daughter how he met her mother, without telling her until almost the last minute which of three women in his life’s story she actually was. It’s fairly predictable but has some good humour. I got a bit fed up with Ryan Reynold’s perpetually aren’t-I-handsome-but-loveably-useless persona, although paradoxically that’s also part of the film’s charm. So it almost pains me to admit it, but this is a rom-com that’s worth watching for a bit of light relief.
The Invisible Man
Well, this got a lot of good reviews, and we watched it on DVD the other night. But thumbs down from me, I’m afraid. The characters are... okay, I guess. The ‘scary’ invisible bits are... okay, I guess. Neither of them especially brilliant, although at least they weren’t overdone. But the plot... What plot? You might as well call this film The Invisible Plot. Apart from several problems during the main part of the film (no spoilers here), the ending was a complete unfathomable muddle. With some inconsistencies and, if not impossibilities, at least extremely unlikities. Frankly, I’d give it a miss unless you’re desperate.
Shane
Ivy read Shane a few months ago and really enjoyed it, and I discovered that I had the 1952 version, starring Alan Ladd, on dvd. I’ve seen it before and had remembered it as being black and white, but apparently not. For a film almost 70 years old it holds up remarkably well. The plot is solid, as you’d expect from Schaeffer’s book, and the characters are played well (the chief baddie gunslinger is played by a young Jack Palance). But what really struck me was how well the film portrayed everyday life in the West; horses, mud; ramshackle buildings; extremely homespun entertainment. It does it a good sight better than some modern westerns. I wouldn’t recommend you go out and find the dvd, unless you are a hard-bitten western fan or have fond memories of Shane. But we both enjoyed it. (I must try to find the cult classic film Monty Walsh, also based on one of Schaeffer’s books; a book I reckon is much better than Shane.)
Papillon
So a very long time ago I bought Papillon the book and was impressed. Then a few years later I saw the first Papillon the film, and was impressed. Last night, confined to barracks by Covid-19, we watched the latest iteration of Papillon on dvd. It’s fair to say we were impressed. It’s a ready-made plot for a film (if you can call it a ‘plot’, given that it all actually happened), but even so it was well done and the main characters were really believable. I occasionally thought that things seemed too clean, compared to what it must have been like in reality. Uniforms almost spotless, for example. But this didn’t really detract from the powerful performances and the way in which events just steamrollered on. I knew what was going to happen at any given point, but I was just as glued to the scene as Ivy and Dylan. Dylan said, ‘It was good.’ Wow, high praise indeed from a teenager. So definitely consider watching it, if you get the chance.
Spiderman into the Spiderverse
We watched this on dvd the other evening and rather enjoyed it. Sometimes the plot, such as it was, appeared to go slightly off track, mainly when trying to portray the powers of other spiderpeople. But it’s a very energetic film with some laugh out loud moments. My favourite character was the black-and-white spiderman hero: at one point we find him holding a Rubiks cube and saying: ‘Red?’ ‘No.’ ‘Purple?’ ‘No.’ Well worth a watch if you get hold of it.
Avengers: Endgame
I got most of the family together and we went to watch Endgame at the Imax in Braehead. Was it a good film? Yes. Did it live up to all the hype? Almost. It would be hard to live up to the levels of expectation that preceded its release, but it gave it a good try. One way in which it was an improvement over previous Marvel films is that, despite the number of characters and plot threads, it never got confusing. We always knew what was going on. The plot was OK, not brilliant: the basic premise was a bit wobbly, and there were a few places where I think it was a little weak. As usual, the characters were well played, so you would have fun whoever your favourite hero is, and the special effects were mostly good. A masterpiece? No, I wouldn’t say that. But it tied up a lot of loose ends and at the same time left enough hints that more is coming. If you are a Marvel fan, I don’t really have to urge you to go see it - you will anyway. If you are not a Marvel fan. you’d maybe want to think about it, if only because so much of the backstory relies on what happened in Infinity War and Captain Marvel.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
As I wrote the review of Clockwork Orange, I was reminded that I got a dvd of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at the same time. I remember seeing it when it first came out: it was in a crowded cinema in Cardiff that was so full I was actually sitting on the steps, along with a few friends. The atmosphere was tremendous. When the tall guy who was supposed to have no voice actually spoke, the auditorium erupted. A great experience. Has it stood the test of time? It most certainly has. The performances in the film are amazing, and the plot itself holds up... rather like Clockwork Orange, there’s no particular reliance on technology, so it hasn’t dated in that way. Perhaps the way in which society looks after the mentally ill has changed, but even so, this is brilliantly portrayed. So, anther film from the archives that I thoroughly recommend.
A Clockwork Orange
I saw on Twitter today that a sequel to Antony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange has apparently been found, and that reminded me that I saw the film (on dvd) a month or so ago. It’s a great film. Has it aged? Not a lot, not least because it doesn’t feature much in the way of tech. The film-making is just brilliant, and Malcom McDowell is perfect for the lead. It’s definitely an 18+ film, even today. But if you are over 18 and haven’t seen it, I recommend you get hold of a copy.
Aquaman
Urgh. I bought this on dvd during a recent sally out to Tesco, and I rather wish I hadn’t. It isn’t very good. I can’t put my finger on it, but the DC films in the main just aren’t up to the standard of the Marvel rivals. There was a lot of posing and a lot of superficiality in Aquaman. The main baddie was identified right at the start of the film, then vanished for...um... probably half of the film, then reappeared with a super-baddie suit, but got destroyed almost immediately, never to be seen again. The fact that Aquaman’s mum was dead was mentioned so many times that it was pretty obvious she was alive. Which she was. Perhaps the special effects looked better on a big screen, but some of them looked distinctly ropy on the TV. And Aquaman’s strength seemed to vary depending on what danger he was facing (a problem with some other superheroes I could mention). Anyway: avoid.