Reviews

What a load of old toss. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones looked bored and given the thin plot and awful script I'm not surprised. This has none of the charm of MIB I and is little more than a huge amount of computer generated effects which seems to be Hollywood's only way of making a big film these days.

The most annoying part for me was that wretched talking/singing dog. Not funny at all.

I think we have all been "had" with this movie and should all ask for our money back right now.

I'm not going to dwell on the plot or on the film - there are many other comments that have done that very well already. This is probably my favourite film (can anyone say they have an absolute favourite) because it is just so solid, tight and dynamic.

This film should really be used to demonstrate to modern day Hollywood producers and directors that it is very possible to make a film that grips the audience without the need for computer effects, pointless love story, glamorous females etc. but instead employs carefully crafted script, plot, direction and acting.

I hope they never do a remake as they are certain to:

1) Make it in colour.

2) Add some love intrigue.

3) Computer generate the steam locomotives.

4) Computer generate all the action sequences.

5) Give the lead role to someone wholly inappropriate.

This independent art house film was created on a budget so low that it is wonder that it ever came to the screen. Yet despite the lack of funding it is a masterpiece of creative film making that shows what can be done with determination and pure genius. Andrew Spencer, the writer and director, brings a film that is so full of disturbing imagery, superbly photographed, it puts many high budget films to shame. Throughout there is an undercurrent of doom and unrest which is cleverly concealed so that you are never quite able to say what it is that produces this feeling. This is the best of psycho/horror - the things you never see. Hitchcock and a few other knew this trick and so does Spencer. As a film it will only ever appeal to the discerning film goer who is prepared to put in the effort, it's not one for the casual viewer. Those making the effort will be rewarded with a visual style that is not copied from elsewhere but is new, fresh and inviting to the eye.

A superb film that frankly had me wondering - was it true or not. Well, watch it and find out for yourself.

Well scripted and directed it runs at a steady pace leading the viewer cleverly from one "fact" to the next. So convincing at times, with cutaways to well known stars such as Sam Neil, I am sure that those not so familiar with the history of cinema will be totally taken in.

Excellent photography considering that a great deal of it has had be shot so as to appear authentic 1920/30's original footage.

See this one of you want some fun.

A beautiful film that is well paced taking the viewer along a gentle ride across the US heartland, photographed as only Freddie Francis might. It just goes to show that it is still possible to produce movies that rate a U cert (no restriction at all in the UK) which will hold the audience from begining to end without the need for sex, drugs or FX.

Don't miss this one, though it has been hard to find a showing in the UK.

This must be one of the best children's films of all time. Mine are watching now for the first time and the film is 30 odd years old - and they love it - and so will all kids for years to come.

Full of harmless cheerful fun it is a pity that so many "shot 'em up" type kids films are made now.

Using Van Dyke and Andrews to play the English characters has helped to make this film acceptable both sides of the big pond. I doubt if this would have been the case had the cast been drawn from just the UK.

Dick Van Dyke absolutely shines and delivers a pretty well flawless performance, perhaps his best ever. The criticism about his Cockney accent is simply not justified. Those making the criticism are usually not from East London and wouldn't know a Cockney if they tripped over one. Its no better or worse than any other actor trying to take on a strange accent.

If you want a beautifully crafted film for your kids then don't hesitate - buy Mary Poppins and you'll have something that will last forever.

Lean's films are not eveyones cup of tea but it who could fail to see the splendour of this epic production. Suberbly photographed by Freddie Young and absolutely stunning design from John Box go a long way to making this such a breathtaking film. Lean, as ever, takes the film at his own leisurley pace, never hurrying but always moving purposely forward.

This really is an epic film.

Possibly the worst ever portrayl of "Merrie England" by Hollywood. What do those guys think we do here in the UK all day, bumble about in wooden cars around country lanes?

This film is just utter tripe and a serious insult to the English. If you've never been to the UK it is NOTHING like this film shows it. OK, so film makers have a certain amount of artistic license, but this is really too bad altogether. It would be the same as showing the US populated wholly by overweight burger chomping rednecks. But it isn't, is it.

Watch something else and do yourself a favour.

Sometimes seen as the follow up to Mary Poppins this movie has none of the charm or grace. Instead it has all the usual Disney cliches about what life in the UK is supposed to be like and how the average Britain behaves. All a lot of old rubbish that has been churned out time and again by US film makers.

Personally I cannot put up with Lansbury, the one expression actress, who bustles her way through this senseless and really pointless film. Tomlinson is not much better and totally overplays the professor character. No real direction here at all.

As for the special effects - forget it - they had to be joking. It was, I think, another attempt to show what could be done with mixing cartoon with live action, something new at the time. Technically there isn't much wrong, it just that the effects are so embarrassingly bad to watch.

Finally we have the Nazi army apparently put to flight by our intrepid heroes. The usual bungling German Nazis. There is nothing funny about Nazis, who, despite always being portrayed as such, were not bungling fools but a highly efficient killing machine. Nazi's aren't nice.

If you like to squirm at an embarrassing plot and acting then this is the film for you, otherwise forget it.

A truly eccentric British film based upon an even more eccentric story by Viv Stanshall. Trevor Howard is magnificent as Sir Henry and is supported by many other stalwarts of the UK film industry. Trevor Howard was a true actor - tackling both mainstream and experimental parts - some of todays famous actors should take note. The plot, Sir Henry's attempt to exorcise the ghost of his brother Humbert, has many strange and entertaining asides woven around it. Look out for the "pet prisoners of war", the unicycle scene, the dinner party and the incredible Mrs E. The film suffers from a very low budget - the sound is appalling at times and I suspect it may have been shot on 16mm. It was also in B/W though this seem to add to the overall feel. Sir Henry is also available as a book and was also an LP though this seem to be very rare. The LP is quite different to the film in both content and expression. This film is not for anyone wanting a British "carry on" style comedy - but rather a highly sophisticated and subtle film with comic elements. The UK film industry should have taken note instead of producing the comedy dross that it did at this period.

This is an early outing for Hay and the 2 stooges - Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt - made before the ever famous Oh Mr Porter. Now largely forgotten this film set the scene for several more to follow - all largely with the same characters and plot but different settings.

Hay plays the usual incompetent fraud supported and at the same time harassed by his partners Moffatt and Marriott. The latter pair were never really recognised for their unique talents, certainly Hay never acknowledged this. It is doubtful if he would have been so successful without them. The film itself is a competent comedy, typical of the period and very British. One scene in particular stands out however - the "navigation" scene where the three attempt to ascertain where in the world they are. This is done with a school globe and a dress making measuring tape. The scene should be compulsory viewing for all aspiring comedians. Watch this film not for the story but just to see the three in action - poetry in motion sometimes.

A strange little film that never made it at all. It deserved, perhaps, to develop something of a cult following, but this hasn't happened and the film will now, perhaps, slowly vanish from view forever.

Based on a strange and sometimes bewildering snooker match, this musical was never going to make it in the US. Why not? Well, they don't play much snooker in the States for a start but more to the point the film's two main characters are based on Ray Reardon and Jimmie White. These names are very familiar in the UK thanks to extensive snooker coverage on the television, but totally unknown in the USA.

I don't think Clarke was ever really at home directing this movie. It just isn't really his thing - a musical about snooker. He attempted to work in many more optical special effects but most of these were taken out in the final cut - a pity as some were so tongue in cheek that they might just have given the film a better chance of gaining a cult following. Clarke seemed, in the end, to err on the side of caution which is, perhaps, the failing of this film.