My Life In Film: Part 38

Just when you thought it was safe to open your internet browser… #MyLifeInFilm is back, back, back!  It hasn’t all been wasted time, though, as you were ‘treated’ to my regular Halloween and Christmas specials.  But now it’s time to get things going again, sharing those films that I’ve loved, or that mean something special to me.  This time around there will be swords & sandals, psychos & psychics and at least one mermaid!

 

BLUE STEEL (1990)

Here’s a truly underrated gem of a thriller from writer/director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, The Hurt Locker) and starring the fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis.  Megan Turner (Curtis) is a rookie cop who, on her first day with NYPD shoots and kills a supermarket robber.  When it subsequently transpires that the robber had no weapon and the witnesses couldn’t corroborate Turner’s story, she is suspended from active duty.  She is temporarily reinstated, this time as a homicide detective, when a bullet turns up at another scene with her name on it.  Enter commodities broker Eugene Hunt (the magnificent and much-missed Ron Silver) who shared a date with Turner when she was suspended and has developed a dangerous obsession with her.  Silver plays the bad guy so well and is the perfect foil for Curtis’ rookie cop.  Sure, it’s a pretty paint-by-numbers thriller but the performances elevate it above the mundane.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

TRON (1982)

Tron is one of those films that, while gloriously failing at the box office, has since gone on to become a cult classic.  Most of that can probably be traced back to the ground-breaking special effects combined with the boom in computer games.  Jeff Bridges plays arcade owner/computer hacker Flynn who is transported into the world of computer games by the villainous software pirate, Master Control (David Warner).  Whilst there, Flynn, along with his friend, Alan (Bruce Boxleitner), must participate in gladiatorial games in order to escape.  As you’d expect for a film that is almost forty years old, it has dated quite a lot but there’s no denying the film’s appeal, so much so that a sequel was made in 2010 with Bridges and Boxleitner reprising their roles.

WATCH IT FOR: Light Cycle Battle

 

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997)

After the monster successes of Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, director Steven Spielberg took a rare break from making movies.  Four years later and we are treated to a Jurassic sequel.  But how do you follow a behemoth like that?  Answer: with more dinosaurs!  Yes, The Lost World is everything you could want from a sequel, complete with at least one returning character, double the action and roughly 50% more dino action than the original.  Jeff Goldblum returns as Ian Malcolm and joins Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn and Pete Postlethwaite on an island eight-seven miles away from the original site to research and document the liberated animals.  Unfortunately, the greedy types at InGen have sent a separate team to capture and transport the creatures to San Diego.  What could possibly go wrong?  While not on the same level as the first film, The Lost World has plenty going for it including some fine set pieces and, of course music by John Williams.

WATCH IT FOR: Over The Cliff

 

SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1992)

In the early nineties there were a number of films classed as ‘psycho thrillers’.  Depicting damaged characters as crazy killers.  Single White Female portrays a very broken young woman, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who infiltrates the life of Bridget Fonda leading to all manner of dangerous situations.  Allison (Fonda) places an ad in the paper for a Single White Female to share the rent now that she’s ditched her boyfriend.  When Hedra (Leigh) answers the ad, all seems perfect.  Until it isn’t.  For the most part this is your average run-of-the-mill ‘psycho thriller’ but if it weren’t for the two leads, this would be a made-for-TV affair.  Both Fonda and Leigh are magnetic together in a film that will make you think twice about renting a room to a stranger!

WATCH IT FOR: Worried Sick

 

SPARTACUS (1960)

It seems fitting that Spartacus should appear in this edition as we say farewell to a true cinematic icon, Kirk Douglas, who passed away recently at the grand old age of 103!  This is, perhaps, his most famous role among dozens of outstanding performances and its not hard to see why people love it so.  Stanley Kubrick‘s monumental epic follows the rise of Douglas’ slave, Spartacus as he leads a revolt against the Roman Republic including Charles Laughton and Laurence Olivier.  Douglas is superb as the reluctant hero alongside Tony Curtis and a gallery of who’s who in Hollywood.

WATCH IT FOR: I’m Spartacus!

 

BLITHE SPIRIT (1945)

After the success of his play in the West End and on Broadway, Noel Coward was inundated with offers from Hollywood to turn it into a film.  Instead, Coward took the project to his friend, David Lean, who made some alterations to the original play to which Coward was not best pleased.  For this big screen adaptation, Charles (Rex Harrison) and his second wife, Ruth (Constance Cummings) are being haunted by the spirit of his first wife, Elvira (Kay Hammond).  They soon decide to enlist the help of local medium, Madam Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) to try and exorcise Elvira from their lives but things don’t go to plan.  It’s a wonderfully witty and wry comedy with a stand-out turn by Rutherford. Its hard to believe that, on its initial release, this film tanked on both sides of the Atlantic!

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

DEAD CALM (1989)

Here’s another example of a damaged character being used as the villain in this stylish thriller from Philip Noyce.  John (Sam Neill) and Rae (Nicole Kidman) are taking a sailing trip in the Pacific in order to escape a terrible tragedy.  While out on the open sea they discover a ship in distress with one survivor, the disturbed Hughie (Billy Zane), who is not all that he appears to be.  What follows is a tense game of cat and mouse with all the claustrophobia of the best of Hitchcock.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

SPLASH(1984)

Director Ron Howard brings us a modern-day fable starring the soon-to-be-worldwide-treasure, Tom Hanks.  As a kid, Allen (Hanks) is rescued from drowning by a young mermaid.  Years later and he finds himself back in the same spot and, after falling into the water, is rescued once again by the mermaid, Madison (Daryl Hannah).  They go their separate ways but Madison sets out to find him in New York City.  Once they meet up again, they fall for each other but the course of true love never runs smooth.  Featuring support from John Candy, Splash is one of those delightful romantic comedies with a fishy twist.

WATCH IT FOR: What’s Your Number?

 

FRANTIC (1988)

This is a stylish mystery thriller in the vein of the classic film noirs of old.  Harrison Ford stars as Dr Richard Walker who, along with his wife, Sondra (Betty Buckley) are in Paris to attend a medical conference.  When Sondra disappears in mysterious circumstances, Walker is plunged into the murky underworld of drugs and espionage.  Director Roman Polanski cranks up the tension while Ford is at his best as the distraught husband caught up in a web of intrigue.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

VERTIGO (1958)

I’ve made mention this edition of Hitchcockian moments in modern thrillers, well here’s the man himself doing what he does best.  James Stewart stars as former San Francisco police detective John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson who becomes dangerously obsessed with Kim Novak in a suspenseful tale of betrayal and deception.  While the story takes a backseat, the real treat for the viewers (apart from Stewart and Novak) is the visual style, the use of the camera and, of course, Bernard Hermann’s atmospheric score.  Rightly regarded as one of Hitch’s classic thrillers, Vertigo may feel a little leaden at times but in the reliable hands of Jimmy Stewart, it almost zips along.

WATCH IT FOR: Scottie’s Nightmare

 

And there you go, another fine batch of cinematic classics that have, in one way or another, made some sort of impact on me.  It’s good to be back and I’m looking forward to bringing you plenty more examples of celluloid gems very soon.  If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen here today, feel free to get in touch, I’m always open to chatting with new people, especially with a love of film.  Until the next time…

“Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that’s how it always starts. Then later there’s running and um, screaming”

 

My Life In Film: Part Twenty Eight

Now the hustle and bustle of The Oscars has died down, it’s time to get back to business with this, the twenty-eighth part of my film odyssey.  I’ve said in previous editions that I really enjoy these trips down memory lane and revisiting all the films that I thought I’d forgotten about (and some that, by rights, I really should have forgotten about!).  This edition comes complete with some major Hollywood stars and at least two films that are a little…dubious.  So, without further ado, let’s get to work…

 

SPEED (1994)

Jan de Bont has spent most of his career as a cinematographer, working on Die Hard, Flatliners and Lethal Weapon 3, before taking the helm for this adrenalin-fuelled action thriller.  Dennis Hopper plays Howard Payne, a bomber terrorist whose original plot to extort money failed when he was thwarted by LAPD officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves).  Payne has an alternative plan, though, to rig an LA city bus with a bomb.  There is only one stipulation: the bus must stay above 50mph and no passengers must disembark.  Traven and his trusty partner, Harry (Jeff Daniels) forge a plan to defuse the bomb and catch the madman.  It’s a high concept thriller that never lets up the pace and helped cement Reeves as an action hero and made a star out of Sandra Bullock.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)

This is a classic film-noir mystery from legendary director John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart.  Bogart stars as Sam Spade, a private detective who finds himself involved with a series of criminals, beautiful dames and the search for a priceless statuette.  Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet co-star in a tale of murder of deceit.

WATCH IT FOR: “Let’s talk about the bird”

 

FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR (1986)

In 1978, David Freeman (Joey Cramer), a 12-year-old boy goes missing, only to reappear in 1986 without having aged a single day.  At the same time he returns, a flying saucer is discovered and soon the truth behind David’s disappearance becomes clearer.  Cliff De Young, Veronica Cartwright and a young Sarah Jessica Parker co-star in this great sci-fi fantasy that has since become a cult classic.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

SAVING MR. BANKS (2013)

Mary Poppins is one of the most beloved Disney movies of all time but it almost didn’t get made.  Here, the story of its genesis is told through the eyes of author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) and her determination to keep her story’s integrity no matter what.  She is up against tough competition in the form of Hollywood magnate Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) who will stop at nothing to get the rights to her story.  It’s a delightfully entertaining film with a particularly brilliant performance from Thompson.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

STRIPES (1981)

In the eighties, Hollywood was full of this kind of movie.  Slackers-turned-heroes, often saving the day and getting the girl.  Stripes sees two such slackers, John and Russell, played by Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, who are dissatisfied with their jobs and decide to join the army.  You know, for fun.  Along with a rag-tag bunch of losers, the two friends end up defeating the Soviet Army and becoming heroes.  Directed by Ivan Reitman and featuring a host of actors in their first significant film roles, Stripes is an old fashioned comedy that is a riot from start to finish.

WATCH IT FOR: “Willing to learn”

 

RISING SUN (1993)

When an escort girl is found murdered in the offices of an LA based Japanese company, it falls to detective Webb Smith (Wesley Snipes) and former police captain and expert on Japanese affairs John Connor (Sean Connery) to solve the case.  What appears to be a simple matter soon turns out to be a lot more complicated than they thought.  Directed by Phillip Kaufman (known for writing the Indiana Jones films) and adapted from the Michael Crichton novel, Rising Sun is one of those thrillers that manages to mix a formulaic cop movie with a political twist.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994)

This is the third of Tom Clancy‘s Jack Ryan novels to be filmed following The Hunt For Red October (1990) and Patriot Games (1992) and the second to star Harrison Ford as the CIA analyst.  Here, Ryan is drawn into an illegal war between the US government and a Colombian drug cartel.  It’s a tightly-wound story that takes Ryan from the comfort of his office to the killing fields of Colombia.  Once again directed by Phillip Noyce and featuring James Earl Jones, Clear and Present Danger is, in my opinion, one of the better Ryan adaptations and deserves more love than its predecessors.

WATCH IT FOR: Ambush

 

NORTH (1994)

Ok, I’m not going to spend too much time on this one.  It is universally panned and hated by most critics and film fans but I was always a fan of North.  Directed by Rob Reiner and starring Elijah Wood as a kid, neglected by his parents, who decides to set off on a trip around the world in search of new ones.  Bruce Willis co-stars as North’s guide, almost like Jiminy Cricket, who appears in various costumes along the way.  It’s littered with famous cameos but it just didn’t hit the mark for everyone.  I liked it.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

MY LIFE (1993)

Michael Keaton stars here as Bob Jones, a man who seems to have everything he needs; a loving wife (played by Nicole Kidman), good job and baby on the way.  Until he discovers that he has incurable kidney cancer and doesn’t have long to live.  He decides to document his life on videotape so that his unborn child will have knowledge and wisdom as it grows.  Yes, it’s sentimental and melodramatic but this is lifted by Keaton’s likeable performance as a man coming to terms with his own mortality.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

DON’T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER’S DEAD (1991)

I fear I may be scraping the barrel with a couple of entries this month, but I do genuinely enjoy these films and have fond memories of seeing them at the cinema.  Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead is one such example of a movie that wasn’t too well received but is one that I loved when it came out.  Admittedly, I haven’t seen much of it since its release, but I know I liked it!  When their single mother has to leave town for a few weeks, she hires the sitter from hell to watch over her five kids.  The sitter subsequently drops dead which leave the siblings to fend for themselves.  Christina Applegate leads the cast in this funny and often silly comedy.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

Ok, so a couple of those films will probably split opinion but, like I’ve said many times before, the films I put into each edition are there for a reason.  I have fond memories of the period of time when they were released or the films themselves are just so damn good that I have to include them.  For whatever reason, though, they’ve all brought back some great memories as I’ve delved deep into the dark recess of my mind!  If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen here today, please feel free to let me know.  I’d be particularly interested this month with your opinions on my selection of a couple entries (I think you know which ones!) so either drop me a line on here or come find me on Twitter (@Shadow_Chaser) Until next time…

“Pop quiz, hotshot”

 

 

 

 

My Life In Film: Part Twenty Three

And so, as the dust settles on another entry of My Life In Film… we must surely delve deeper into the archives for more lost gems of cinema.  This time around there is at least one curveball that I had forgotten all about and, more importantly, forgotten that I liked! There are also a couple of massive blockbusters and plenty of award winners to enjoy in this twenty third edition.  Time to get to it, then…

 

STAR TREK (2009)

In a world of reboots and reimagining there lies the odd film that actually works as it should.  Star Trek is one such delight.  J.J. Abrams takes the helm of this spectacular reboot of the classic television series and movie franchise.  I was never a fan of either of these originals but hearing of Abrams involvement got me on board.  Chris Pine stars as a brash James T. Kirk trying to live up to his father’s legacy.  Along for the ride are Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as Bones, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu, Simon Pegg as Scotty and Zoe Saldana as Uhura.  Original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, appears as his own father and thus keeping a foot in the original franchise.  It’s a really entertaining action sci-fi where the whole cast works so well together.

WATCH IT FOR: Beam us up!

 

ASK A POLICEMAN (1939)

Sgt Dudfoot (Will Hay) and his two incompetent constables, Albert (Graham Moffatt) and Harbottle (Moore Marriott) are the dedicated policemen in Turnbottom Round, a village that prides itself on being without crime for years.  Unfortunately, this means that their jobs are now at stake so they form a plan to stage fake crimes in order to get the numbers up and save the station.  However, they unwittingly uncover an actual smuggling operation.  If you think you’ve heard that plot somewhere before then you’d be right.  It was remade as The Boys In Blue starring Cannon & Ball in 1984, which has also made the list of my favourite films!

WATCH IT FOR: A visit to Harbottle’s father!

 

THE PRESIDIO (1988)

I revisited this thriller recently and had forgotten just how much I enjoyed it.  For years the only thing I remembered about it was the scene with Sean Connery‘s character beating a guy up with just his thumb, but there’s more to it than that.  Mark Harmon plays a civilian detective in San Francisco who comes up against his former commanding officer (Connery) while investigating a series of murders that cross both their jurisdictions.  Directed by Peter Hyams and co-starring Meg Ryan as Connery’s daughter and love interest for Harmon, The Presidio is an underrated thriller that doesn’t get the love it deserves.

WATCH IT FOR: THAT fight!

 

TRULY MADLY DEEPLY (1990)

I’ll be honest, this isn’t my go-to style of film to watch and I don’t know why I was drawn to it first time around but I’m glad I did.  Juliet Stevenson plays Nina who is overcome with grief at losing her partner, Jamie (Alan Rickman).  She gets a second chance when he comes back to her as a ghost.  It’s a romantic comedy but, at it’s heart, is a story about grief and nothing illustrates that more than Stevenson’s heart breaking performance.  In other hands this could have been overly sentimental and cheesy but when you have Anthony Minghella writing and directing, you know you’re in for some quality work.

WATCH IT FOR: The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore

 

PACIFIC HEIGHTS (1990)

If you take nothing else from this film, just know that Michael Keaton gives good villain.  Pacific Heights came along during a busy period for unhinged individuals invading peace-loving, All-American people’s lives.  Here, Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith are a young couple who have worked hard to renovate their dream house and now plan to rent out apartments to pay for it.  One of their tenants, though, has other plans.  Keaton is suitably maniacal while Griffith and Modine are perfect as the innocent couple falling for his charms.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

FINIAN’S RAINBOW (1968)

How’s this for a curveball?  Francis Ford Coppola‘s fantasy musical starring the legendary Fred Astaire and Petula Clark.  Astaire and Clark play father and daughter who move from Ireland to the American South with a magical piece of gold that has the ability to change people’s lives.  With Tommy Steele as a leprechaun and an array of memorable songs, Finian’s Rainbow is a film that is often derided but is also an absolute delight.

WATCH IT FOR: Look To The Rainbow

 

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960)

As westerns go this one is pretty damned good.  A remake of Kurosawa‘s Seven Samurai, the story sees a bandit who terrorises a small Mexican village.  The villagers seek help in the form of seven gunslingers from across the border, each of whom have their own agenda.  A stunning cast – Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz – and one of the most famous soundtracks in cinema history, The Magnificent Seven is proof that remakes sometimes work.  The same cannot be said for the remake of this remake, though!

WATCH IT FOR: Gunfighter arithmetic!

 

SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992)

This is the film that finally snagged Al Pacino an Academy Award for Best Actor after twenty years of being nominated and just missing out.  Chris O’Donnell plays Charlie, a prep school student in need of extra money to help him get home for Christmas.  He takes a job “babysitting” a blind man over Thanksgiving.  This blind man is retired Lt Col Frank Slade (Pacino), impossible to live with and with his own plans to spend the holidays.  It’s a tour-de-force performance from Pacino who is, as you’d expect, magnificent but its wise to acknowledge O’Donnell’s fine support in one of his earliest roles.

WATCH IT FOR: Tango!

 

BLIND FURY (1989)

From one blind veteran to another in this action thriller from Phillip Noyce.  Rutger Hauer takes the lead as Nick Parker, a blind veteran of Vietnam trained as a swordsman, who travels back to America to rescue the son of a fellow soldier.  Baywatch star Brandon Call co-stars as the son Nick aims to help in this quirky road movie.  It has its tongue very firmly in cheek with regards to the action sequences and plot and Hauer is perfect as the surrogate father figure with hidden skills.

WATCH IT FOR: Skills!

 

UNFORGIVEN (1992)

Seen as Clint Eastwood‘s farewell to the Western, Unforgiven is a masterpiece in cinema and storytelling.  Eastwood directs and stars as William Munny, a retired cowboy who takes on one last job with the aide of his old partner, Morgan Freeman and young gun (Jaimz Woolvett) who initially accepts the bounty.  Gene Hackman shines as the heavy-handed Sherriff ‘Little Bill’ in a role that won him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.  It’s a wonderful swan-song to a western career during which Eastwood made his name.  Unforgiven quite rightly won a shedload of awards, including the big ones at the Oscars – Best Picture and Best Director (Eastwood’s first) – and is regarded as one of the best in the genre.

WATCH IT FOR: “It’s a hell of a thing killing a man…”

 

Another fine bunch of movies I think you’ll agree, some of which have been severely neglected in recent years.  Some of them haven’t been shown on television for absolutely ages.  These are high calibre stars and directors taking on some of their finest work and reaping the rewards.  Once again, if you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane please don’t hesitate to get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.  Until the next time…

“We all got it coming, kid”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Life In Film: Part Twenty One

After another short hiatus, My Life In Film… returns with more movies that hold a special place in my heart.  They might not all be great, cinematic classics but they all mean something to me.  In this edition there is at least one outstanding film that never fails to move me as well as a couple that are just plain stupid but great fun all the same! So without further a do, let’s get to work…

 

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998)

Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) lives a perfect life.  He lives in a perfect, little town where everybody knows everyone and nothing out of the ordinary ever happens.  Until one day when his whole perception of reality is shattered.  This is one of those films that, in anybody else’s hands, would have been overly saccharine and sentimental but with Peter Weir you know that you’re going to get quality.  Ed Harris and Laura Linney co-star in one of the most surprising movies in recent years.

WATCH IT FOR: Good morning!

 

JOHN WICK (2014)

I picked this film up on Blu-Ray without knowing anything about it.  I’d seen a couple of trailers but that was it.  What I found was a truly mesmerising action thriller that gave Keanu Reeves another smash-hit.  John Wick is an ex-hitman who is drawn out of retirement when gangsters take everything away from him.  It’s balletic, violent and utterly brilliant.

WATCH IT FOR: Boogieman

 

GOODBYE, MR CHIPS (1939)

Robert Donat won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of an aged classics teacher at an elite boarding school.  Mr Chips looks back over his long and illustrious life, taking in the memories of former pupils and colleagues as well as the love of his life.  Donat is spellbinding as is Greer Garson as Katherine, the lady he courts and eventually marries.  It is one of those films that once you’ve seen it you won’t forget it.  Simply magnificent.

WATCH IT FOR: Mr Chips’ First Day

 

PATRIOT GAMES (1992)

This wasn’t the first time Tom Clancy‘s CIA Analyst, Jack Ryan, had been portrayed on the big screen.  He had been played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt For Red October (1990) alongside Sean Connery.  Here, though, Ryan is played by Harrison Ford who finds himself on the receiving end of a vengeful Sean Bean in this action thriller from director Philip Noyce.  Ford is, as ever, brilliant as the unassuming man in a suit forced to protect his family from the IRA.  Although, at times, the action veers towards the absurd, Patriot Games is nonetheless a great slice of action.  Ford reprised the role one more time two years later in Clear and Present Danger which focussed more on the political nature of his job rather than seeing him as an action hero.

WATCH IT FOR: London Ambush

 

THE MONEY PIT (1986)

This remake of Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) sees Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as a young couple trying (and failing) to find a perfect house that they can afford.  Their luck changes when they meet an old con artist who sells them a beautiful mansion.  There is a catch, though, as soon as they move in the house begins falling apart around them.  The renovations also turn into a huge disaster and soon the cracks begin to appear in their relationship, too.  It is utter madness, a little bit daft but also hugely enjoyable.

WATCH IT FOR: Faulty wiring!

 

CON AIR (1997)

If you want all-out action, cheesy dialogue and Nicolas Cage kicking ass then look no further than Con Air.  Cage plays Cameron Poe, a newly-paroled former US Ranger who finds himself on a plane home that is packed with the worst of the worst kinds of villains, headed up by John Malkovich.  The villains seize control of the aircraft and it falls upon Poe to defeat them and get back home in one piece to see the daughter he’s never met.  Director Simon West delivers one of the biggest surprises with this fun thriller.  The action never lets up and the one-liners and set pieces come thick and fast.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t really like it when I first saw it but on repeated viewings it really is a little gem of a movie.

WATCH IT FOR: Movie trailer

 

PRETTY IN PINK (1986)

If there’s one thing John Hughes did well it was to tap in to the hearts and minds of eighties teenagers in America.  Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club had shown a side to these kids that movies just weren’t showing at the time.  For Pretty In Pink, Hughes continues to examine teen angst with Molly Ringwald playing a poor girl torn between the affections of her childhood sweetheart (Jon Cryer) and a smooth, rich playboy (Andrew McCarthy).  It’s a perfect slice of eighties pop culture with an evergreen tale of class.

WATCH IT FOR: Otis Reading

 

PAUL (2011)

Written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, Paul is the tale of two comic book geeks who discover an alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) at Area 51 while travelling across America.  They soon find themselves on the run from the feds and the angry father of a woman they accidentally kidnap as they attempt to get Paul back to his mothership.  It is one of those comedies that keeps on giving with every viewing and just keeps getting better.

WATCH IT FOR: Spaceman Balls!

 

LICENCE TO KILL (1989)

Licence To Kill marked the end of Timothy Dalton‘s short tenure as 007 and he went out with a bang.  James Bond goes rogue as he hunts down the drug lords (including Robert Davi and Benicio Del Toro) who left his friend, Felix Leiter (David Hedison) for dead.  It is, by far, the most violent of the franchise but also remains as close to the original idea of Fleming’s Bond novels.  Dalton is outstanding as Bond but is sadly overlooked in favour of Moore or Connery, probably due to only doing two movies.  It would be another six years before Bond returned to the big screen due to various legal wrangling, but as a swansong to the Cold War, Licence To Kill is top drawer entertainment.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016)

From Laika, the animation company that brought us Coraline, The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman comes this magical adventure.  Kubo is a young boy who must locate a magical suit of armour once worn by his father so that he can defeat an evil spirit.  It really is a special film complete with comedy sidekicks and plenty of heart.  If you haven’t seen it yet then do yourself a favour and give it watch, it will lift your spirits and might also make you cry at the same time.

WATCH IT FOR: Don’t Mess With The Monkey!

 

Oh, it’s good to be back talking about films.  I love my television but film is where my heart lies.  I think this is quite an eclectic mix, as usual, full of old classics and more modern features.  Again, not all of my choices will resonate with everyone but they do have special meaning to me.  If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen here then please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.  Stick around for more of the same and a couple of specials that are on their way but, until then, it’s time to make my exit…

 

“Put the bunny back in the box”