DVD

Streaming Confusion

~ beetleypete ~ 63 Comments

At one time, not too long ago in the dim and distant past, if I wanted to watch a film that I had missed at the cinema, there was a straightforward option.

I could buy the DVD.

Not only from Amazon, but from many other DVD sellers around the UK. Even if the film was a Region 1 release that only played in North America, there was a 95% chance that I could find a Region 2 copy, released for the European market. I have bought over 700 films on DVD since they first launched the concept, and killed off VHS in the process.

Then everything changed.

Netflix released its own films.
Amazon Prime released its own films.
Apple TV released its own films.
And Disney put many of its better releases onto Disney+.
Then came Hulu, HBO, HBO Max. SKY Films, and many more…

So now, buying a DVD is often a very difficult prospect, and sometimes impossible.

Yes, I can rent a DVD on Amazon, or watch some films free on Prime. But that means watching it on a computer for me.

I can see a Netflix film on the streaming service, but that costs money, and we currently have access via my stepson’s account. I cannot buy a Netflix film to keep on DVD though.

As for Disney+, most of their output is not to my taste, so I am unlikely to pay a monthly fee to watch just an occasional film.

I get recommendations from blogging friends. I think “Ooh, I would like to see that”. Only to find it is on SKY Cinema, Hulu, HBO Max, or Paramount. If those services are available in Britain, I am not aware of them, except for SKY. Even if they are, they probably cost close to £10 a month each or more, so I cannot justify another £30-£50 a month outlay just to watch a few films during the year.

My conclusion is that DVD will soon be dead.

It is currently in the Intensive Care Department, struggling to live. But it has enemies, and those enemies are the ever-growing army of streaming service providers who want to kill it off completely. The shiny discs will soon be a thing of the past, along with the players that we can watch them on.

Thing of the past? Yes I know.

A lot like me.

Film And TV Stuff

~ beetleypete ~ 52 Comments

I have been watching a few films lately, and that got me thinking. Most of those I watched were being shown on TV. Mainstream channels, not Netflix or Amazon. (Both of which I have access to) I have Netflix through a relative, but I cannot remember the last time I watched anything on it. I am also a member of Amazon Prime, though I mainly use it for the next day delivery service, and don’t take any of the ‘free’ books or make much use of any other membership options. I have only ever watched three films on it, and none of their own popular series.

There is also the NOW TV box, which I have had for some years. Offering access to Sky Atlantic, and many ‘free’ films too. (Most of which I have seen)

I use the marks around ‘free’ as nothing is free of course.

My stepson pays for Netflix, and we are on his account. I pay for Amazon Prime, and also for the NOW TV box. Those monthly subscriptions start to add up, but we get used to paying them, and don’t even think about what we could do with that £18-40 a month people like me pay for streaming services.

Many people pay much more. I have a close friend who has the whole SKY Q package. That includes everything, and live sports too. But SKY currently charges around £70 a month for all that. As with mobile phone and broadband contracts, it becomes ‘normal’ to pay out for them every month, and we mostly forget about those costs.

New kids on the streaming block here include Disney+. They are getting wise though. Many streaming providers are outbidding regular TV networks for popular series. So if you are a long-term fan of things like ‘The Walking Dead’, or anticipating a new series of ‘Loki’, you have to pay up, subscribe, or not get to see your favourite shows.

I predict this will be the way of things, sooner rather than later. Streaming companies will outbid established providers like the BBC, and make many of our favourite TV shows only available to their subscribers. Anyone who cannot afford to pay out for all the various players in the streaming ring will be stuck with whatever everyday programming is left to the free channels.

And what about DVD films? Do you still buy them? I do. I mostly buy used copies from Marketplace sellers at much less than £5. But sometimes I have to pay full price for something unusual. I just checked the shelves behind me, and I have 52 DVD films yet to be watched. Most are still in their cellophane wrapping, and some I have had for as long as five years without watching them. The majority are foreign language films, and most of those could be described as ‘obscure’. They are never going to turn up on mainstream TV, or on a streaming service.

So what of those films in the future, when companies just stop making DVDs in the same way they did with VHS tapes?

I have no idea, but I suspect it will be a case of having to see them at a cinema that shows rare films (of which there is only one on Norfolk) or never be able to see them at all.

You know that I am old now, and resistant to change. But I will rue the day when streaming becomes the only option to watch anything, and anyone without the money to subscribe is sidelined.

Just my thoughts.

Tech Nostalgia

~ beetleypete ~ 65 Comments

I am old enough to remember when Tech stuff just worked, and never went wrong.
The days before ‘planned obsolescence’ made sure we had to throw it away and keep buying new things.

My first ever cassette player. Never let me down once.
Then they stopped making cassettes.

The wonderful Ferguson Videostar VHS player/recorder.
Always reliable, and never once failed to work.
Then they stopped making VHS tapes.

My first CD payer. It cost the equivalent of a month’s wages at the time, and I could only afford to buy six CDs the first year.
It never let me down, but it was so big that when I moved I had to get a ‘mini-system’. I gave it away, still working.

You can buy a DVD player for £20 now, but when I bought my first one, there wasn’t much change from £500.
It was a monster machine, and always worked well. It is in a box somewhere now, as the size became an issue.

From the 1960s until the year 2000, those products served me well, and never once failed to work.

Shame we can’t say the same about the Tech that’s around today.

A Mystery Gift?

~ beetleypete ~ 75 Comments

***UPDATE***

I contacted Amazon on the phone, and spoke to a young lady who cleared this up.

Sort-of.

I had ordered a pack of spring door-stops, and for some reason, the code number for those translated incorrectly to an order with a Marketplace seller for the Mamma Mia DVD! I now have to return the DVD, to get a refund for the door stops, which will not be arriving. 🙂

You couldn’t make it up. 

To be fair to Amazon, I have never had this problem before, and have been a customer since they started.

When I got back from an early walk with Ollie, there was an Amazon delivery for me that had been posted through the letterbox. The envelope had all my details correct, printed on the usual Amazon form, including my alternative delivery instructions. It felt like a DVD film was inside the padded bag.

But I hadn’t ordered any DVD films from Amazon, so I was intrigued.

It was a film inside, a new copy of the special edition of ‘Mamma Mia’, starring Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep. It was the ‘Singalong Edition’, according to the cover, and had many extras on a special second DVD that was included.

That got me thinking it must be some kind of joke, as anyone who knows me will be aware that I couldn’t care less about Abba, and would sooner watch two hours of grass growing than ever bother with that film.

So I am posting this in the hope that whoever sent it will let me know why, before I donate it to a charity shop. 🙂

Time to start watching…

~ beetleypete ~ 39 Comments

Christmas is coming, and our habit is to give out a list of presents we might like to receive, so we don’t end up with unwanted gifts like soap sets, or decorative items we have no room to display. My short list this year contained one non-fiction book, and fifteen DVD films that I would like to own. I already knew that I would be getting a new pair of my favourite sheepskin bootee slippers, so didn’t bother to include them on the list.

Thinking about the DVD films to add to my list, I generally only consider the cheaper ones, not the expensive brand new releases, or Blu-Ray editions. It seems presumptuous to request an expensive version of something that can be bought for half the price, or reduced significantly once the festive season has passed. As small parcels began to arrive, it soon became obvious that Julie has bought more than a few of the films on my list. And if she has passed on the others from the list to relatives, I might be lucky to get lots of new films to watch.

This morning, I had to get something from a shelf in my small office. I noticed the top shelf, which contains DVD films that I have yet to watch. Some of these are still wrapped in cellophane, and some are used copies, bought for next-to-nothing on Amazon Marketplace. The films are stacked two deep, with others on top of them, sideways on. I had a look through them, and was quite frankly startled to discover that there are over forty films I have yet to watch. Many were presents from last Christmas, and my birthday in March. Some date back to Christmas 2016.

I watch a fair bit of TV. I also watch films on TV. Since acquiring a streaming device, I have watched a lot of foreign serials on that, generally one episode after the other, until I have seen them all. But I obviously don’t watch nearly enough films on DVD.
I will have to set aside some time in 2019, and get watching.

My DVD Films: Back to the stacks

~ beetleypete ~ 30 Comments

Last year, I posted six articles in this series about random selections from my DVD collection. I just slide out six films from the many stacks, and give them a short review. Towards the end, I also included short clips or trailers, where available. This is nothing like my current series ‘Unforgettable films’ as it includes films that may well not be very good, and others that were purchased on a whim. I thought it might be time to start this off again, as the last entry was way back in December, 2015. So here goes.

***Spoilers included***

King Arthur (2004)

I couldn’t bring myself to go to the cinema to watch this, but was intrigued enough by the new treatment to buy the DVD. Directed by the man who made ‘Training Day’, and with a stellar cast, I expected quite a lot from this film, despite lukewarm reviews elsewhere. This is a big-budget epic, and released by Touchstone Films, with a cast including Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone, and the usually excellent Stellan Skarsgard. Even Mads Mikkelsen is in it! The film sets the story of the legendary King Arthur back in Roman Britain, where some believe it might well have its roots.
The Romans are getting ready to leave Britain. They have had enough, and the empire is falling apart anyway. The country is being invaded by brutal armies of Saxons, and the Picts are still rebelling. The band of cavalry led by Arthur is about to get their long-promised leave, but they are compelled to complete one last task before they are allowed to go. They have to venture into the dangerous country of the Picts, face the chance of encountering the Saxons, and all to save the godson of the Pope.
From there, it plays as a by the numbers bunch of hard men story. Ray Winstone plays his gritty Roman soldier as an East End London gangster who just happens to be armed with swords. Others in the group are worthy, but so familiar it becomes very hard to take them seriously as 5th century warriors.
Despite some well done set piece battles, and Skarsgard chewing up the script as the Saxon warlord, it is all very dated, and only worth watching if you have nothing else to do. Even the talented Keira Knightley manages to come across as a Kensington debutante, despite brandishing a bow and arrows, and wearing fierce blue make-up.

Southern Comfort (1981)

Walter Hill has directed some good films, and the underrated Powers Boothe has acted in some too. Add Keith Carradine, Fred Ward, and a marvellous soundtrack from Ry Cooder, and right there you have the makings of a great film. Well, almost. I saw this at the cinema, and later bought the DVD, though I have never actually watched it. It also throws in some familiar ingredients. Louisiana bayous, alligators, and those mysterious Cajun people who are often shown as backward and quaint in films from that era. (Think ‘Deliverance’ and you get the idea)
The story is a little different though. A group of part-time soldiers from the local National Guard are on a weekend exercise, training in the seemingly limitless swamps. Boothe portrays Corporal Hardin, who has transferred across from Texas, so is unknown to the rest of the soldiers. Naturally, they are wary of him, and he is content to be a loner, apart from the rest of his squad. The men discover what appears to be an abandoned camp, with some canoes. The leader decides to take the canoes, to make life easier getting across the swamps. From then on, events take a downward spiral.
When they see that they are being observed by the Cajuns from the riverbank, one of the soldiers thinks it will be amusing to open fire on them with his heavy machine gun. He knows he is only firing blanks, but they don’t. Firing back, they kill one of the soldiers, who get into a panic and get into cover.
One of the men confides that he has brought along real ammunition, and divides it up so that they can defend themselves. Then they hear dogs, and the Cajuns begin to hunt them down.
I recall finding this film both tense and enjoyable at the time. I expect that it still is.

Assault On Precinct 13 (2005)

Film fans will note from the date that this is a remake of the original 1976 film by John Carpenter. I tend to hate remakes, and as the original was one of my favourite films of the 1970s, I expected to hate this more than most. However, they wisely chose to considerably alter the original story, and bring in a thrilling tale of police corruption, very loosely based on the claustrophobic atmosphere and sinister feel of Carpenter’s film. By making these changes, we are left with a film that feels very different, and is able to stand on its own two feet because of it.
And the cast is good too. Lawrence Fishburne as the villain, Gabriel Byrne as the corrupt cop, and the ever-reliable Brian Dennehey, more or less playing himself. Add a sexy turn from the good-looking Drea de Matteo (well known from The Sopranos) together with a square-jawed Ethan Hawke as the honest cop, and the mix is a good one. Trapped by bad weather in a police station that is closing down, the disparate group of prisoners, police officers, and staff find themselves under siege from unknown assailants. It seems that they are trying to rescue the kingpin gangster (Fishburne) who is currently held there.
With lots of action, and some good twists and turns, this film is a lot better than you might expect it to be. That said, the 1976 original is much better…

Ma Mere (2004)
(Foreign language film, with English subtitles)

I read some rave reviews of this film at the time it was released. Considering that the film has serious sexual content, not least the still-shocking subject of incest at its core, I was surprised to see it taken so seriously, so I bought the DVD some years later. Perhaps the cast, including the always magnificent Isabelle Huppert, helps to lift this film above the undeniably seedy subject matter. The location on the sunny island of Gran Canaria provides an interesting backdrop to what is an essentially French film, but the dark recesses of sexual perversity and everything associated with that cannot be overlooked. It was a hard watch, even for someone as hardened as me. Because of scenes that I won’t go into here, which many people will find decidedly unpleasant, I cannot recommend it. If you ever decide to watch it, that has to be your decision.

Le Samourai (1967)
(Foreign language film, English subtitles)

Back when I was a teenager, I thought that this was one of the coolest films I would ever see. I am a lot older now, but I still think it is just great. In fact, I wrote a review of it for a film website, which you can read from this link, if you are interested.

Le Samourai (1967) – Jean Pierre Melville (Pete Johnson)


I also wrote about it on this blog, in 2013. This is the short review from that post.
‘This 1967 film, shot in Paris, gives you two of the best; the director, Jean-Pierre Melville, and the lead actor, Alain Delon. In this production, they are both seen at the very top of their game. The moody direction and lighting from Melville, the coolest acting style of ‘less is more’ from Delon. The clothes, the hats, the cars, all scream 1960’s, and urban cool. The very good-looking Alain Delon out-cools every actor of his time, in the role of the lonely hit man. It is not about Japanese Samurai, as I fear that the title may mislead. This is merely a euphemism for the rigid rules that Delon’s character lives by, in the shady underworld of Parisian low-life he inhabits. He even drives a Citroen DS, so I admit to bias. Stylish, minimalist, and with an excellent Jazz soundtrack, this is one of my favourite films of all time.’
No more to say really, except to suggest that you watch it.

Novecento (1976) Also known as ‘1900’
(Foreign language film, English subtitles)

I have always liked the films of Bernardo Bertolucci, and this is no exception. An epic on a huge scale, running to 317 minutes long, (yes, almost five and a half hours) it is generally shown in two parts, so the DVD has two discs. This film covers the life of one Italian village and its inhabitants, rich and poor, from 1901 until the end of WW2, in 1945. This is a considerable undertaking, yet Bertolucci manages it to perfection. The multi-national cast reads like a who’s who of modern actors. Burt Lancaster, Donald Sutherland, Gerard Depardieu, Robert De Niro, Sterling Hayden, alongside a huge list of Italian talent too. The film is in Italian, and though subtitles are offered of course, the non-Italian actors are dubbed. I wouldn’t normally watch films with dubbing in this fashion, but it worked well enough.
Anyway, I was so soon caught up in the sheer rapture of this film, that I forgot about the dubbing almost immediately. This is not only a film of scope, it is beautifully shot, with some scenes as captivating as paintings. The events include involvement in WW1, the depression that follows, and the slide towards the divisive politics of Fascism and Communism during the 1930s. To complement the stunning visuals, there is a marvellous score from Ennio Morricone. This is film making as it should be. I was so excited by finding this DVD today, that I may well watch it again, next weekend.

So there you have six more from my collection. I hope that you find something to enjoy.

Film fraud

~ beetleypete ~ 22 Comments

Back on the subject of film and cinema, something I have been thinking a lot about recently. This is mainly because I watch a lot less films than I used to, and nowhere near as many as I would like to.

As I do not currently subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any such service, and I do not even have my TV connected to the Internet, I don’t keep up with the trends as fast as my fellow bloggers. I have thought seriously about watching films on my PC, but discounted this as being too uncomfortable; stuck on an office chair in a small room, sitting in front of a monitor for two hours.

Besides, it wouldn’t be fair on my wife Julie to connect the only TV to the Internet and watch films, as many of the things I would want to watch are not what she would enjoy. Going to the cinema in rural Norfolk is too much of a mission to consider. Our local cinema in Dereham only shows very mainstream and family films, so I would have to make a 40 mile round trip to Norwich, involving car parks and buses, to see the sort of films I like.

So I continue to buy films on DVD now and again, adding to the stack of unwatched films still in their wrappers on the shelf behind me. I can comfortably only watch them when I am alone, so during the day. What with blogging, dog-walking, and necessary household tasks, fitting in a two-hour film-watching period to the daily routine is just not practical at the moment.

I am left with the realisation that I am an avid film fan who hardly ever watches a film. I am a contradiction in terms, pontificating on a subject that I have little right to bang on about. I have to reserve my opinions to films I have seen on TV, generally two to three years after everyone else has seen them, and written about them. Failing that, I review the odd DVD that I get time to watch, or write reams of nostalgia pieces about the films I watched years ago.

Let’s face it, I’m something of a fraud, at least where modern films are concerned.

I think an apology is due. Sorry about that.

Just been watching…(7)

~ beetleypete ~ 31 Comments

Legend (2015)

Reggie and Ronnie Kray were identical twins, born and brought up in a tough part of London. During the late 1950s and into the 1960s, their criminal gang controlled most of east and central London, and they became men to be feared, though not admired. That is why I have some issue with the title of this biopic, as it implies some status that these sadistic criminals do not deserve. Extortion, intimidation, murder, blackmail, fraud, and corruption are hardly things to be considered the stuff of legend. However, if Jack The Ripper qualifies, then I suppose that the precedent is set.

Their story is well known, at least to most people in the UK. And a very similar film of their activities and background has been done before, in ‘The Krays’ (1990), with twins Gary and Martin Kemp playing the brothers. But that film seemed stagey, the sets felt contrived and lacking authenticity, and the Kemp twins, famous as musicians from the group ‘Spandau Ballet’, did not really impart sufficient gravitas to their roles.

This new film uses one actor to play both of the twins. This could have proved to be a disaster, but director and writer Brian Helgeland made the perfect choice, in Tom Hardy. Hardy does hard men well, and he does London even better. Despite the limitations of over the shoulder shots, and obvious problems when both brothers are in the same room, Hardy brings off the dual roles with conviction, and is believable at all times. Whether portraying the more sensible and occasionally sensitive Reggie, or the bespectacled, lisping homosexual sadist, Ronnie, he manages the balance perfectly.
There is a bonus too. The supporting cast is near-perfect, and seem like they are in period. Some of our best British character actors turn up. Chris Eccleston plays the Scotland Yard detective, Nipper Read, who made it his life’s work to hunt down the gang. Paul Bettany appears briefly as the Kray’s south London opposite number, Charlie Richardson, and the wonderful John Sessions gives an accurate and rather affectionate turn as the Tory peer, Lord Boothby. Strong female roles are provided for Emily Browning, as Frances, the doomed wife of Reggie, and Tara Fitzgerald, who is very convincing as her mother. Chazz Palminteri plays the Mafia connection. Chazz is one of my favourite American actors, but he is almost unrecognisable, as plastic surgery appears to have been his undoing.

But this is undeniably Hardy’s film. He dominates every scene, whichever brother he happens to be at any given time. The nuances that betray the slight differences between the twins are handled to perfection, and there is no slip up, or merging of the two. London in the 1960s is something I know intimately, and it is recreated well here. The cars, the streets, and the interiors of the old houses or modern flats are meticulously rendered. The seedy clubs of the west end might lack some authenticity, but they no longer exist to film in, and this is the only area where the film feels less than convincing. But the pub interiors, cafes, and street market scenes all come with the ring of truth, for anyone who was actually there.

This is a film about violent gangsters, and accordingly has many violent scenes. They are very realistic, and spare the viewer none of the graphic details. A fight with iron bars and knuckle dusters is ouch-inducing, and a vicious stabbing, using a small cocktail knife, is so well done you might think you were in the room. The problem is, who are we supposed to be rooting for? Not the horrible criminals, that is made clear. Not the detectives and policemen, whose bungling and corruption allows the gang to continue their reign of terror. Certainly not the politicians featured, as their lust and cover-ups were tying the hands of the very police officers tasked to catch the Krays. The tragic Frances perhaps, ill-used by Reggie, living a life of broken promises? Well, not really. She knew who he was, and what he was, long before she agreed to go out with him, so should have honestly expected nothing less than what she got.

What the film leaves us with, is a faithful tale of two violent and unpleasant men, and their associates. What they did, how they did it, and what they were prepared to do to keep what they had. If you are interested in this as a piece of history, perhaps know the story, or want to see them get what many considered to be their just desserts, then this might be for you. It is something of a niche film, perhaps more of interest to an audience in the UK, or those of us old enough to remember some of the events. Is it a great film? No. But it is better than some. I watched it for Hardy, and I wasn’t disappointed, at least not by him.

Here’s the trailer.

Just been watching…(6)

~ beetleypete ~ 27 Comments

Blue Ruin (2013)

*****Condensed to avoid plot spoilers*****

I had read some good reviews of this film, and waited until it was cheap on Amazon, before buying the DVD at the end of last year. This American Indie release is a cleverly-conceived revenge thriller, offering all that you might expect from the genre, but delivering so much more.

It opens with the hapless Dwight, living in a dilapidated car, foraging in bins for scraps. He is a loner, bearded and shabby, avoiding contact with the outside world. Something has happened to bring him down, and we soon find out what that was. His parents had been killed some years earlier, and their killer is about to be released from jail. This galvanises Dwight into action. He gets the car going, shaves off his beard and unkempt locks, and heads for home, the unnamed town of his past. He has transformed from the scruffy tramp into a normal-looking man. The type you might see working in your local electrical shop, or trying to sell you insurance. He is an everyman figure, and you cannot help but be on his side, as he begins a difficult journey.

This is where the film builds its strengths. This could well have starred a craggy Bruce Willis, or slick-looking Mel Gibson. He would have a story seen in flashback, and be square-jawed, well-honed, driving along familiar sets, on the streets of Los Angeles, or Chicago. Blue Ruin eschews these classic stereotypes, offering instead a cast of unfamiliar faces, (to me, anyway) in unknown locations, looking like real people, minus the buff bodied stars, artificially whitened teeth, and world-weary smarts that have become so ubiquitous, to be almost a requirement. In Dwight, we have a scared man, determined to exact his own style of revenge. He knows nothing about violence, has never handled a gun, and only his will drives him on.

There is no love interest. Why would there be? The man has been living rough since abandoning his life years before. But you can be sure that other film-makers would have crow-barred in a lover, maybe an old flame, perhaps a waitress in a roadside diner. Director and writer Jeremy Saulnier knew better than to introduce such cliches. The woman that Dwight goes to see is his sister. He is worried about her safety, and must convince her to leave home. The criminal family responsible for his parents’ death is on to him, and hers is the only address they have. He looks up an old college friend, someone he hasn’t seen for so long, he needs a yearbook to remind himself. In some films, this role might be played by a co-star, or well-known tough guy. In Blue Ruin, he is an overweight loner, and his interest in weapons is why Dwight seeks him out. He teaches the hopeless friend how to use guns, and supplies him with what he needs too. But he has a feeling that Dwight will not be up to the task, so follows him, to help out if he needs it.

Much of the film concentrates on Dwight’s preparations. He defends his sister’s home against attack by the family he fears; and we see him trying to stay awake, jumping at sounds, the camera lingering on scenes, as he sits for hours in his prepared positions. He stalks his targets, going to their home when they are out, walking around, searching, discovering. The violence, when it happens, is shocking, and more effective for the scarcity of its inclusion. Dwight doesn’t immediately prevail. This isn’t Bruce Willis, after all. He fails at first, and has to come back again, ever closer to his enemies, always in more danger himself. Despite the quiet moments, the film manages to convey the tension that is always present, as well as the claustrophobic atmosphere, even in open spaces, brought on by Dwight’s lack of skill at what he is trying to achieve.

By the time he discovers that the events surrounding his parents’ death were not exactly as he had assumed, it is already too late. He must continue on his chosen path come what may, and we are certain that nothing will end well, for all concerned. By staying small, and avoiding big names, routine car chases, pointless love scenes, explosions, and decisive shoot-outs, Saulnier has crafted a small gem from what could have been a run of the mill, seen-it-all-before film; placing the thoughtful viewer into a situation that they could imagine themselves in, and showing just how difficult it can be to carry out your intentions. I loved it, and recommend it unreservedly.

And in case you were wondering about the title. It is the old car that Dwight was living in. It was a ruin, and was blue in colour. Here’s the trailer.

My DVD Films: A stack from the front

~ beetleypete ~ 23 Comments

Continuing this occasional series about the collection of DVD films stored on my bookshelves, I slipped this stack of six from one of the front rows earlier. The selection surprised me. Even though I have watched all the films reviewed in these posts, I am guilty of sometimes forgetting what I actually own.

84 Charing Cross Road (1987)

Based on the book by Helen Hanff, this was produced by Mel Brooks, and starred his wife, Anne Bancroft, alongside the always reliable Antony Hopkins. This is a true story that gave rise to Hanff’s book, which was followed by a stage play, on which the film is based. An American researcher writes to a bookshop in London, and receives a reply from the manager. So begins a series of increasingly intimate letters between the two that lasted for nineteen years, though they never met.

This may not seem like a riveting film plot to those of you who haven’t seen it, but the perfect performances of all involved, and the fine sense of period conveyed over the years, all adds up to making this one of the best feel-good films ever made. The development of the relationship between Hanff (Bancroft) and Doel, (Hopkins) as well as members of his staff and family, is never less than completely believable, and handled with great warmth. Bancroft won the BAFTA for best actress for her portrayal of Hanff, and Judi Dench was also nominated, for her part as Mrs Doel.

This may seem to some to be little more than a weepie, or one of those films popular on afternoon TV schedules. But it is a great deal more. It is about a love of books, respect, manners, human kindness, and long-distance relationships based on trust and goodness. It is just wonderful.

The Tuskegee Airmen

This is an HBO TV film from 1985, released as a DVD in the UK. It is the based-on-truth story of the all-black unit of combat airmen who flew for the US Air Force in the Second World War. Subject to the usual prejudice and racism, at first the fliers are not allowed to participate in any action. After a visit from Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the president, they are reluctantly allowed to go onto combat duty. They show a real flair for fighting in the air, and eventually become escorts for bombing missions into Europe, flying the famous Mustang fighter aircraft. They paint the tails of these planes red for identification purposes, and earn the nickname ‘Red Tails’, from both friend and foe.

A star-studded cast lifts this film from its inherent sentimentality and TV roots. Lawrence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Junior, Courtney B. Vance, and John Lithgow, are just some of the familiar names and faces that you will see. The combat footage is convincing, and occasionally quite exciting too. So if you are interested in a glimpse into the history of both war in the air, and the treatment of black servicemen by the US during that war, this will be something you might enjoy.

Black Robe

Directed by Bruce Beresford, in 1991, this is an Australian/Canadian production (English, Cree, Mohawk, and Algonquin languages, with subtitles) about the life of the early settlers in 17th century Canada. If you are thinking it sounds similar to ‘The Mission’, or ‘The New World’, you are in the right area; but it is far superior to both, in every way imaginable. Lothaire Bluteau plays Father LaForge, the black robed priest that gives the film its title. He is sent on a dangerous mission into the territory of the Huron natives, with a group of Algonquin indians as escort. This journey is a cinematic treat in itself, with canoes paddling quietly along vast waterways, surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

They meet some of the Montagnais tribe, who have never encountered Europeans. LaForge is disliked by their holy man, the shaman of the tribe, and he convinces the Algonquins to abandon LaForge, and to leave for their hunting lodge. But they feel guilty, and soon return, to try to save him. This ends in disaster, when the party are captured by Iroquois, and dragged off to their camp, where they are beaten and tortured. Even after they manage to escape, wounds and weather get the better of some of them, and the survivors eventually accept LaForge’s pleas to convert to Christianity.

This is a compelling and convincing look at early European settlement of the Americas, and of the cultural and spiritual differences that existed for so long, before all the tribes were eventually subdued. The different native American nations are shown with great respect, and efforts are made to explain why they behave as they do. The locations are stunning, the cast near-perfect, and the ending is far from the easy option it might have been.

Heaven’s Gate

This epic from 1980 is probably more famous for its huge budget overspend, and the antics of director Michael Cimino, than for its content. With a running time of over three hours, an enormous cast, and covering events over a period of more than thirty years, it is not something that can easily be explained in this short appraisal. It is rumoured to have cost over $45 million dollars to make, and almost broke the studio and financiers that backed it, when it failed to recoup a fraction of this sum at the box office. It signalled an early end to the burgeoning career of Cimino, who had enjoyed huge success with ‘The Deer Hunter.’

This is a western, set around the time when the cattle barons and big landowners were coming into conflict with settlers and immigrants who wanted to create small farms and new communities. It follows the fortunes of two Harvard graduates. One becomes a marshal in Wyoming, the other an alcoholic drifter, espousing causes, and spouting poetry. It is very loosely based on real events know as The Johnson County War, which culminated in a violent shoot-out between armed settlers and farmers, and the hired guns of the cattle barons.
In the meantime, we are treated to a very accurate representation of the period. It is always a delight to watch, and strong performances by the leads hold together the sprawling plot. Less attractive is Cimino’s insistence on using ‘real sound’ (trains drown out conversation, for example) and some of the lingering set pieces, such as the roller skating in the hall known as ‘Heaven’s Gate’, which gives the film its title.

The cast is a who’s-who of the period. Kris Kristofferson, John Hurt, Jeff Bridges, Christopher Walken, Isabel Huppert, and many, many, more. Don’t be put off by the criticism of Cimino, and the negatives that surround this production. It is worth the effort, I assure you.

The Army Of Crime

A worthy French film (Original language, English subtitles) from 2009, this deals with a band of resistance fighters during WWII. It focuses on the Manouchian Group, led by an Armenian immigrant, which operated against the German occupiers in the areas in and around Paris. Because he was a Communist, and many of his group were Jews, the Nazis labelled them ‘The Army Of Crime’, attempting to insinuate that they were foreign criminals, rather than French patriots.

The film doesn’t try to glamourise the fighters, and readily shows how disorganised, and occasionally shambolic they were. Yet their efforts are effective enough, and they also grow large, with up to 100 members in their complex organisation. The Germans were so keen to arrest them, they issued the famous ‘Affiche Rouge’, (Red Poster) showing the photos and names of more than twenty of the ringleaders. It was on this poster that they were first called ‘The Army Of Crime.’

The film has a realistic, everyday feel to it, which also makes it a little dull in places. Sense of period is good throughout, and the eventual downfall of the group, and the imprisonment and execution of most of them, is all dealt with in detail. One for fans of the genre, but a very good effort.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

France again, (Original language, English subtitles) this time from 2005. This film was released to great critical acclaim, five-star reviews, and also won many awards, including a BAFTA. I read a review of the film in Empire magazine that was so good, I bought the DVD as soon as it was released. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. This will give you a rough idea of the story.

Thomas is a shady estate agent who together with his partners, spends time doing dodgy property deals, and helping out his equally crooked father, who specialises in acquiring property by intimidating the tenants. His father also gets into serious trouble with Russian gangsters, asking Thomas to help him out. Meanwhile, Thomas rediscovers his childhood talent for piano playing, and employs a glamorous Asian piano tutor, Miao Lin, to bring him up to concert standards. Before his audition, he gets involved in another deal with his partners, arrives unprepared, and fails miserably. Going to tell his father, he finds him dead, apparently killed by Minskov, the Russian gangster.

The film moves forward in time. Thomas is now Miao Lin’s manager, and he once again stumbles across Minskov, who he fights with at the concert hall.

Are you still interested? I wasn’t. But surely all those critics cannot be wrong? I must have missed something. Perhaps I was unable to comprehend a masterpiece. I will never know.

There you have six more from my collection. They are quite varied, and offer something for most tastes.