Film Review - Biggles

As a plane-mad boy growing up with no History Channel Biggles was a staple of my childhood, thanks to my parents taping the movie from ITV one Bank Holiday - a recording I ran to death. Biggles was created as a series of aerial adventure books by W. E. Johns, a World War I pilot himself, for younger readers in 1932. The books were a staple for boys from then until 1970, the series having enough of a loyal following to only end when the author died. Biggles' in-fiction career started off in 1916 but did move forwards through time, taking in post-war time in a charter plane foiling various plots against Britain and then reactivation for World War II, followed by a period as part of a special flying unit. This seems to have been possible by James "Biggles" Bigglesworth and his chums having some sort of sliding lifespan; initially his callow age was a feature but it froze when he hit about 30. The book's attitudes towards race and nationalism congealed at about the same point and by the sixties were firmly out of swing with much around it; one suspects by this point the readership was mainly made up of those who had been reading the books for decades.

Film Review - Italian Spiderman

The first devastating salvo of Dario Russo and David Ashby into an unsuspecting world came in the guise of Alrugo Entertainment and the staggeringly brilliant Italian Spiderman, with Tait Wilson, Will Spartalis and Boris Repasky. It started as a student film of a trailer for an apparent lost film but secured funding from the South Australian Film Corporation provided backing for ten webisodes, all around four minutes long - and spwaned a famous reaction GIF. These are stitched together to form a film of some 37 minutes, at which point "Alrugo" split up, Russo and Ashby instead going on to form Dinosaur and make the sublime Danger 5. So technically Italian Spiderman was unfinished, ending on a cliffhanger, but it doesn't matter - the thing could have gone on forever and never actually finished, which is part of the brilliance.

Film Review: Transformers - The Last Knight

I held off reviewing the fifth Transformers film when it was on release over the summer; I had other projects on the go, I was a little tired when I went to see it, spending as much time looking at my watch, and there were a couple of queries about it that I wasn't entirely convinced weren't down to me missing something massive. I wasn't keen but I wasn't prepared to slaughter a film on one compromised viewing but the release of the DVD gave me a chance to re-evaluate it. Results were mixed; with better preparation for a letdown (anyone who reads mainstream reviews of the films, which have quickly become a Nickelback-esque punching bag for critics who make their mind up before the film even starts) it was less of a letdown but basically none of the film's problems were solved.

[SPOILERS FOLLOW]

Film Review: Transformers - Age of Extinction

I've been an avid fan of Michael Bay's take on Transformers since 2007. As a grown adult I can appreciate a different take on Transformers, realising that me liking it isn't compulsory; in an era of IDW's turgid, soul-destroying comics and some largely poor, unimaginative cartoons the films don't stand out as a particularly poor area. The first in 2007 did a fine job of relaunching the line into genuine popularity with a confident swagger; 2009's Revenge of the Fallen sandwiched a poor middle section between a superb opening and a decent conclusion but at least showed that errors from the franchise's past wouldn't be repeated. 2011's Dark of the Moon delivered solid big-screen action after a slow and overcomplicated start. 2014's Age of Extinction meanwhile greatly disappointed me; while the revamp of the universe showed considerable promise the actual execution was arguably spottier than any of the previous three instalments.

[Contains minor trailer spoilers for The Last Knight]

Film Review: The Lego Batman Movie

USA, 2017, 104MINS

DIRECTOR: CHRIS McKAY

STARRING: WILL ARNETT, MICHAEL CERA, ROSARIO DAWSON, ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, RALPH FIENNES

Spun off from the genuinely excellent Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie had two major pitfalls to avoid - that the superb arrogant send-up of the Dark Knight that was so funny would support a whole film and that it would live up to the hype after the arsenal of trailers. The answers are affirmative. 

A quite brilliant take on Gotham City makes an excellent canvas, a city populated by every member of Batman's Rogues' Gallery worth a mention and a few that really aren't. The resulting plot is a respectable mix of moral fable and adventure story pitched firmly at the kids; grownups will guess the shape of the plot from the opening moments but that's not the point. 

The journey as Batman finds a new family is fun for adults because like its predecessor the film is genuinely and unrelentingly funny on so many levels, with everything from slapstick to weird in-jokes about casting in Tim Burton films and taking the piss out of Orca while also hanging a lampshade on Batman's seeming inability to keep crime in Gotham under control.

As well as Batman there's a funny take on ward Dick Grayson; if Batman is a ripe send-up of the Nolans/Frank Miller and the whole Dork Knight thing then Robin is straight out of the sixties TV series, all wide-eyed mindless optimism. Joining them are a proactive spiky Barbara Gordon, recast as mixed race and well voiced by Rosario Dawson (carefully avoiding retreading Wyldstyle) and a disapproving Alfred courtesy of Ralph Fiennes. 

The other side is led by Zach Galifianakis as a needy take on the Joker, who dumps his usual allies (aside from a mercifully rationed and deslutted Harley Quinn) in favour of.. well, I won't spoil it beyond guessing that Lego's Dimensions licence is the key to swinging the sort of crossover cast that would make anyone else weep with envy. None of the rest of the Batman villains don't get a gigantic amount to do but a surprising large number get a call out or little bit to do. Some serious research has gone into this whole area,  hence big screen debuts for the likes of Calendar Man, the Kabuki Twins and Gentlemen Ghost. Seriously, comic fans might want to see this twice as you'll spend the first time character spotting.

If there's a fault it's that for a film made entirely from (computer generated) Lego bricks Lego isn't actually hugely integral to the movie aside from a few visual jokes and a belated mention of teaching Robin Masterbuilding. It's a weird criticism though and I feel a bit Comic Book Guy now that I've said it. Maybe the closest thing to a real criticism is that it's not quite as fantastically transcendent and genuinely touching as The Lego Movie but then I've seen thousands of films and few are.

The Lego Batman Movie does utterly succeed on its own terms. There are no caveats here - it's not great for a kids film or a toy film or anything.  It's a riot of adventure and wit, with something for everyone who isn't dead and cold on the inside.

Film Review: Wanted

USA/GERMANY/RUSSIA, 2008, 110MINS

DIRECTOR: TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV

STARRING: JAMES McAVOY, ANGELINA JOLIE, MORGAN FREEMAN, TERENCE STAMP, THOMAS KRETSCHMANN, COMMON, KONSTANTIN KHABENSKY, MARC WARREN

When a comic book adaptation is announced there's always a worry about what indignity is going to be heaped on a fresh classic this time - are the Wachowskis going to turn V into a capering title with a vintage film fetish borrowed from Wall-E? Will Nick Fury be reduced to chasing after a rogue jet with a rocket launcher? Is Will.i.am involved? All scary possibilities. 

However in this respect Wanted has a major advantage in that the original comic was appalling. The usually sturdy Mark Millar's original series was a beta revenge fantasy lauded by fat deskbound neckbeards who would love to be given the means to shoot the popular guys who bullied them at school and force themselves on the popular girls who turned them down. It had loads of swearing like a guy called Shithead and loads of sex stuff like a guy with a killer dick and ended with a lecture from a portly middle-aged Scotsman who used to write for Sonic the Hedgehog about not taking it from The Man. The book ran on shock value, as if the idea of a naughty man being the focus of the comic was enough to make it an instant classic, and it's a damning measure of the industry and its' readers that this seems to have actually happened.

So really that the film junks much of the source material is in this case a plus. Sadly, the comic's best feature was the starting point of supervillains having killed off the superheroes, running the world in secret. Instead the secret society revolves around the Fraternity being group of secret assassins killing those deemed necessary by fate, which communicates with them via looms and scratches out the code of each target. Much of the shape of the narrative is the same - Wesley, well-played by the likeable James McAvoy, is still a cuckolded cubicle droid whose father is part of the Fraternity and seemingly killed at the start of the film, leading to him being found and introduced to the group by the Fox. The latter is played by Angelina Jolie, a good choice of an exotic, dangerous actress and much better than Halle Berry, who the comic version was modelled on.

The broad shape of there being something rotten at the heart of the Fraternity and the fate of Wesley's father is kept but the rest is thrown out. Wesley is taught by Fox to take control of his life as well as becoming an assassin but thankfully this doesn't mean disproportionate retribution and a tedious slide into rape and murder. And that's where Timur Bekmambetov, director of Night Watch, comes in. Under his cameras the plot takes the middle hour of the film off to allow for an ever-escalating series of exemplary, absurd and balletic gunplay scenes, all bending bullets and preposterous sniping.

As such it's a bit of a shame when the plot comes back into things as the film tacks back into a big studio moral compass and has to find a bad guy, with a weak revelation near the end. It leads to an ultimately unsatisfying conclusion that takes the shine off but the journey is respectable fun while it lasts.

Film Review: Spider-Man

USA, 2002, 121 MINS

DIRECTOR: SAM RAIMI

STARRING: TOBEY MAGUIRE, KIRSTEN DUNST, WILLEM DAFOE, JAMES FRANCO, CLIFF ROBERTSON, ROSEMARY HARRIS, J.K. SIMMONS

Time has actually been kind to Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man film, especially compared to many of its' contemporaries. It's as good a filmed, modernised version of the webslinger's famed origin as you're likely to get complete with a nice smooth flow into the Green Goblin. At a fraction over two hours (minus credits) it's not a bad length, with about the right amount of establishing characters before we get into the nitty-gritty. The origin story alone wouldn't support a whole film, with the Goblin plot getting a decent amount of time even if Norman's problems are a case of coincidence when perhaps some sort of cause and effect would have made more sense cinematically.

The effects are... variable. Lots of the bluescreening doesn't hold up but whether that's worse than endless CGI I'm not sure. The costumes still look very good and solid, I've always like the Goblin's armoured suit. Generally it's a film that knows its' limits, relying more heavily on physical stunt work, pyrotechnics and clever framing for most of the action sequences. The tone actually captures the overall spirit of the comic and character; it's funny but not a comedy with just the right dose of teenage angst (often a key component of the comics) and enough spectacle to avoid feeling short-changed.

It's fair to say Tobey Maguire is a better Peter Parker than he is Spider-Man. His odd looks and awkward manner are excellent for Parker, who's a bit creepy in places here even if it is just due to a lack of social skills. It doesn't come off quite as well when he's speaking from inside the Spider-Man costume but there are plenty of areas where his flippancy helps. Kirsten Dunst is a bit of a square peg in a round hole as Mary-Jane, her obvious dye job indicating that she just happened to be a hot young actress available at the time; she's not bad exactly, it's just hard not to spend most of her scenes wishing someone else had the role. 

The ever-dependable Willem Dafoe is crucial to the success of Norman; while the character's a thumbnail compared to his extensive comics backstory a good job is done of giving him some sort of arc and Dafoe's reliable method of never looking down on any material adds layers. Of the rest things are laid on a bit thick with Uncle Ben but J.K. Simmons' nicely cartoonish performance as J Jonah Jameson is spot-on.

While it can't compete with either the explosion quotient or fan-friendliness of later offerings this film, important within the superhero genre for showing the audience really was there, still stands up as good origin story for Spider-Man, something Marvel would do well to take note of for Homecoming and not make the same mistake as Sony of showing it again when we can pick it up on ebay for 50p.

■■■■■■□□□□

Custom DVD Cover: D.O.A.

Public domain films are a double-edged sword; they're cheap and even free depending on where you look but any retail release will have corners cut, most just using poor stills. This one has one of the original posters on the front with a Swedish version cannibalised for the back, all slapped on the Optimum template because I really like Optimum.

| Full resolution PDF |

| Free download for D.O.A. |

Custom DVD Cover: In the Realm of the Sense

A hard one to do in terms of finding grist - the Japanese make awful film posters, the original UK sleeve is just a big still of Sada and Kichizo fucking and the various Criterion attempts are just airy-fairy hipster symbolism. Whereas I like the basic simplicity of the front cover with the pair of them just separate to everything else without it being too much of an abstract image.

| Full resolution PDF |

Custom DVD Cover: The Defiant Ones

Another MGM release given a photomontage cover; I much prefered the original poster, ridiculously exaggerated physiques for Sid & Tone notwithstanding.

| Full resolution PDF |

Custom DVD Cover: Mulholland Drive

The usually reliable Optimum did a lovely series of 2-disc Lynch special editions a few years ago; sadly they all used the ultimate wear-and-tear combo of digipaks with an acetate slipcase. Not only did these split and scratch respectively within minutes of purchase but they look really nasty on shelves to boot. So here's Mulholland Drive done in a visually similar style but for a standard double case.

| Full resolution PDF |

Custom DVD Cover: Bound

Subbed in one of the better US theatrical posters to replace the tabloidy UK "it's by the guys who done The Matrix and has sex in it" cover. Though if ever a more modern film deserved a forties-style painted noir poster it's this one.

| Full resolution PDF |

Custom DVD Cover: The Shining

Replacement for the dull and pretentious "door" cover for the special edition. Always find it worth remembering that while The Shining is technically superb it's still an eighties 18-cert horror and deserves garish cover art to match.

| Full resolution PDF |

Custom DVD Cover: Blue Velvet

One of my favourite films - and one that's been repeatedly saddled with cheap-looking UK releases, usually dominated by Frank Booth (the sleeve is for Secular Entertainment's two-disc special edition). Whereas America and much of Europe got one of MGM's better efforts, a smart wrap-around featuring the classic Kyle-and-Isabella on blue velvet background. So this one was pretty simple, adding UK bells and whistles to the German release.

| Full resolution PDF |

Film Review - All Superheroes Must Die

As a reader of superhero comics for decades now it's been quite sad to see the way the idea has largely been treated by cinema, be it Disney serving up generic Silver Age CGI shit or a series of increasingly awful Alan Moore butcherings. Superheroes can be great, it doesn't all have to be Avengers crap.

TV Review - The Comic Strip Presents:The Complete Collection

There's never really been anything to quite compare to The Comic Strip Presents..., a cross between a TV series and a film franchise. Started off as a vehicle for the titular club's alternative comedy denziens the series rapidly came under the almost-total control of Peter Richardson as the likes of Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Alexei Sayle found fame elsewhere. They would all be back at various points but there was always a sense they were doing their old mate Pete a favour. Richardson himself is the only constant; even the format's all over the place, varying from 25 minute episodes to full-length features.

Film Review - Adios, Sabata!

Gianfranco Parolini had already had one smash hit in the spaghetti western genre with If You Meet Sartana, Pray for Your Death in 1968, introducing Gianni Garko as the titular gunslinger. Two years later he made the Lee Van Cleef vehicle Sabata, with the American actor as a slightly more mysterious version of the Colonel Mortimer character that had effectively restarted his career in For A Few Dollars More.

Film Review - Royal Flash

Entertaining but a little less than the sum of its' parts. Richard Lester's 1970s output is to my mind very underrated, classic adventure fair, from the physical comedy and pure adventure of his Musketeer films through to the superb Juggernaut, before he was vilified by nerds for Superman II. 

Film Review - Very Bad Things

One of the last gasps of Christian Slater's major film career before assaulting his then-girlfriend made him toxic goods, this is one of his best performances and certainly towards the top end of the movies he's appeared in. Peter Berg's comedy is pitch black, of questionable taste and cruel to a degree that makes Lars von Trier look like a sentimental old duffer - i.e. it's a riot.

Film Review - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

I was a fan of David Lynch's Twin Peaks TV series before I knew much about his films but when I did get into the movies I was naturally eager to get to grips with this one, even if it was a prequel rather than a follow-up to the show's compound cliffhanger.