Copy Fail: JML Worktop Wonder

Well it would be hypocritical of me not to include my own errors now wouldn't it? Should be drawers, shouldn't it? Really obvious, well, as long as you notice it.

I wasn't laughing much, I can tell you. And neither was anyone else!

More Danger at the British Library

It seems the British Library's commitment to stair safety is even greater than previously thought. As you can see here, there are no steps in sight. However, should steps suddenly appear from nowhere, should steps just suddenly rise up from the ground, then the British is prepared and has signs there, waiting and ready to ensure that you don't get caught out by them and can handle them with caution. Well done.

June Film Highlights

You can always read more at the blog.


Radio On (1979) David Beames, Sandy Ratcliff, Lisa Kreuzer, David Beames, Sting. Dir: Christopher Petit.

A DJ drives from London to Bristol to discover why his brother killed himself. Rare, and bleak, British road movie that lingers on the already crumbling signs of modernity across isolating landscapes. Fascinating snap-shot of dark times, with a brilliantly employed soundtrack, its blank joylessness is intriguing, though not endearing.


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Cosmopolis (2012) Robert Pattinson, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Sarah Gadon, Kevin Durand, Mathieu Amalric, Juliette Binoche. Dir: David Cronenberg.

A super-rich businessman sits in his limo in traffic, meeting many colourful characters on the way. Exploration of the dark consequences of our lust for wealth. This disquieting satire is often witty, insightful and funny. But gets quite tedious; Pattinson’s detached persona and the bitty story depriving it of drama.


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Pack Up Your Troubles (1933) Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Don Dillaway, Jacquie Lyn, Mary Carr, James Finlayson. Dir: George Marshall, Raymond McCarey.

Stan & Ollie search for a war orphaned girl’s family, one of hundreds of Smiths. Their second feature still shows unease with a full narrative – takes a while to get to the main set-up. But things take off when the girl appears and them protecting her brings welcome emotional investment.


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Prometheus (2012) Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron. Dir: Ridley Scott.

Scientists travel to a faraway world to search for mankind’s origins. Intelligent blockbusters are rare, and a prequel that lays new ground unheard of. But for a film about creation, there’s little contemplation. Action’s prioritised, with dramatic and thematic development cut. Does leave you with much to mull over though.


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Carancho (2010) Ricardo Darín, Martina Gusmán, Carlos Weber, José Luis Arias, Fabio Ronzano. Dir: Pablo Trapero.

A doctor falls in love with an ambulance chasing lawyer, but without realising how dark his world is. Excellent Argentinian crime thriller, with the tropes of film noir but without glamour, and intended to highlight a troubling phenomenon. Gripping and uncompromising, with Darin and Gusman excelling as damaged, compromised people.


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Plague of the Zombies (1966) André Morell, Diane Clare, Brook Williams, Jacqueline Pearce, John Carson. Dir: John Gilling.

Mysterious deaths and missing bodies lead a rational doctor to suspect a supernatural cause. One of Hammer’s most polished productions, directed with a good sense of timing and atmosphere, with well utilised music and a fairly intelligent script. It’s just a shame that the climax falls a bit flat.


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Iron Sky (2012) Udo Kier, Julia Dietze, Christopher Kirby, Götz Otto, Peta Sergeant, Stephanie Paul. Dir: Timo Vuorensola.

US astronauts discover Nazis living on the moon, and preparing for invasion. Goofy fun, but the inexperience of its crew holds it back. Direction lacks timing, tone’s a bit off, it’s cheesily soundtracked, and Bush/Palin gags are outdated. But does look terrific, and there’s some good laughs along the way.


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An Extract From an Article on Internet Trolls...

I'd like to thank the BBC for pointing this out...

Especially useful half-way down the page.

Danger at the British Library

Well, I can see why they'd want to be cautious. They are a perilous 6 inches high. And who would expect stairs near a main entrance, how ridiculous!

May Film Highlights

The 50 Word Film Reviews blog has earned me a massive £6 - oh yeaahhh!  I just need to make another £54 before I can make a withdrawal from Google!  

Cabin in the Woods (2012) Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Amy Acker. Dir: Drew Goddard.

5 teens head to an isolated cabin for a holiday, while men in a bunker wait for the action to unfold. Both celebrates and parodies genre conventions, while insisting on their constant re-evaluation and renewal. It never forgets to be scary and successfully plays with your expectations and your sympathies.

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Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo Montalbán, Natalie Trundy, Hair Rhodes. Dir: J. Lee Thompson.

The apes’ baby is now 20; he arrives in the city to find evolving apes are now a slave class. The first planned sequel develops the ongoing story in a more satisfying way, even if script’s patchy and rushes along. Having an experienced director pays off with a stunning climax.

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Marley (2012) Dir: Kevin McDonald

The life of Bob Marley, as told by his family and friends. First family-endorsed Marley documentary explores the life of an extraordinary talent and the popular, social and political impact of his music, without indulging in hagiography. Startling footage, great tunes, and real characters make it hard to improve upon.

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Ordet (1955) Henrik Malberg, Emil Hass Christensen, Cay Kristiansen, Preben Lerdorff Rye. Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer.

A father’s faith is tested by two less devout sons and another who believes he is Jesus. Strange but compelling drama about the nature of faith, shot with almost ghostly grace. Characters are brilliantly observed, totally natural in their lack of hysteria. Writing’s sharp, thoughtful and surprising – a real one-off.

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The Avengers (2012) Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson. Dir: Joss Whedon.

A team of heroes assembles to fight an alien threat. Hangs together surprisingly well, and manages to give almost everyone worthwhile material (except for Jackson). But as with other Marvel movies, the threat’s bland and too pondersome to get worked up about. Yet with so much talent involved, hard not to enjoy.

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Bringing Up Baby (1938) Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, May Robson, Fritz Feld. Dir: Howard Hawks.

A palaeontologist’s life is turned upside down by a debutant who happens to have a leopard. All-time classic comedy, with a snappy and outlandish script, which yields all kinds of riches. Only a double act as good as Grant and Hepburn could pull off the breakneck speed of it. Superb.

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Performance (1968) Edward Fox, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, Michèle Breton, John Bindon. Dir: Donald Cammell, Nicolas Roeg.

A gangster hides in the home of a musician, who has an unexpected effect on him. Experimental film about identity which uses creative cutting and visuals to show Fox’s character unfurl, stripping away the roles he plays. Little grating, but intriguing, with alluring moments and a surprising turn from Jagger.

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The Deer Hunter (1978) Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale, Meryl Streep. Dir: Michael Cimino.

Three friends party and hunt before shipping out to Vietnam, where events transform their lives. Powerful epic-length portrait of sheltered lives transformed by absolute horror. Beautifully shot, with sympathetic, believable characters, great performances and knife-edge terror. Thematically though, it’s muddled, occasionally style-over-substance, and lots of work for a war-is-hell message.

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One Day I Will Get to Number 1!

Copy Fail: John Lewis again...

Obviously no one's noticed... Yikes...

Word of the Week

Fletcherize - to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

Copy Fail: John Lewis

Generally speaking, that's not how I would use a camcorder.

Templates aren't so good if you don't take care and fill them out properly. And that second sentence is awfully pushy!

Word of the Week

Flapdoodle - nonsense; bosh.

April Film Highlights

Though must readth the 50 Word Film Reviews blog.

Akira (1988) Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Taro Ishida, Mizuho Suzuki. Dir: Katsuhiro Otomo.

After an inexplicable accident, a biker in future Tokyo is taken by the military for experimenatation. Few films work so hard to blow your mind – if the cosmic existentialism doesn’t do it, the explosive sound and intense visceral action will. So relentless it’s hard to endure, Akira is truly unforgettable.

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Day of Wrath (1943) Thorkild Roose, Lisbeth Movin, Sigrid Neiiendam, Preben Lerdorff Rye, Albert Hoeberg. Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer.

A woman falls for her elderly husband’s son while starting to suspect she maybe a witch. Atmospheric, complex movie, which suggests the notion of witchcraft comes from sexual repression and men’s fear of desire. Gently paced, broodingly intense, and shot with a simple, subtle elegance, this is masterful individual filmmaking.

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The Omega Man (1971) Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Paul Koslo, Rosalind Cash, Eric Laneuville. Dir: Boris Sagal.

After a plague wipes out humanity, one healthy man remains, persecuted by a cult of diseased fanatics. A lone man hunted scenario ought to create a feeling of discomfort and suspense, but the emotional content is undermined by gung-ho direction and exciteable scoring. It’s action packed, but that’s counterproductive to the concept.

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Vampyr (1932) Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Jan Hieronimko, Sybille Schmitz, Rena Mandel. Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer.

A wanderer meets a man who predicts his own death and whose daughter is a vampire’s victim. Brilliant ghostly fantasy, soaked in startling gothic imagery. Dreyer develops an unsettling dream like atmosphere rather than a coherent narrative – just turn out the lights and experience a nightmare unlike any other.

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Son of Kong (1933) Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Frank Reicher, John Marston, Victor Wong. Dir: Ernest B. Schoedsack.

Denham and crew sail away from prosecution, but return to Kong’s island to seek treasure. In cinemas 9 months after Kong and it shows. The humans weren’t that interesting before, and aren’t interesting enough to carry this for the long trip back. And who wants a cuddly Kong? Forgettable nonsense.

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Headhunters (2011) Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Synnøve Macody Lund, Julie Ølgaard, Eivind Sander. Dir: Morten Tyldum.

An executive recruiter and art thief accidentally picks a very dangerous target. Gripping non-gloomy Scandinavian thriller that mixes suspense with black humour and takes a satisfying swipe at the amoral corporate class. Ingenious set-pieces excite, although a tendency to be too gruesome jars, and the ending breaches credulity. Very satisfying.

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Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman, Natalie Trundy, Eric Braeden, Sal Mineo, Ricardo Montalbán. Dir: Don Taylor.

The ape scientists escape their world’s destruction and travel back to 20th century earth. The Apes films were always humorous, but here it over-indulges, detracting from its dark themes – two societies facing their failings, unable to prevent their destruction. Reduced budget prevents thrills, though the ending’s as devastating as ever.

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Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) Joan Fontaine, Louis Jourdan, Mady Christians, Marcel Journet. Dir: Max Ophüls.

A rogue receives a letter from a woman he barely remembers, but whose life he transformed. Hankies on standby; this weepie keeps its melodrama in check with elegant brush-strokes and by not sugar-coating the cruel tragedy at its centre – a life spent chasing a false fantasy. Hollywood at its best.

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Theatrama

The Ladykillers – Gielgud Theatre

The West End is filled will easy-money big stage productions of Hollywood hits, but at least The Ladykillers is slightly more risky material. Stories like Singin’ in the Rain and Top Hat are feel-good box office slam-dunks that you’d have to stage pretty sloppily not to hit the mark. But few West End headliners can claim to revolve around a gang of crooks and their inability to murder a kind old lady.

60 years on, The Ladykillers has lost none of its dark comic charm. It’s a very British film; one about flawed characters who are failures - villains who aren’t good at being villains. Graham Linehan, of Father Ted and IT Crowd fame, has elected, quite rightly, to avoid the easy route of putting the film on the stage line for line. Instead, he’s approached this the way a filmmaker might approach adapting a stage play for the screen and taken the opportunity to infuse it with new ideas and to explore angles untouched by the original.

With an expanded running time, Linehan builds the supporting parts into larger roles with greater comedic opportunities. Professor Marcus’ gang now includes a cross-dresser (Vicar of Dibley’s James Fleet) a pill-popper (up-and-comer Stephen Wright), an Eastern European with a child-hood fear of old Ladies (comedian Ben Miller) and a classic old-fashioned dunce (Clive Rowe).

The crux characters, the Professor (the Thick of It’s Peter Capaldi) and Mrs Wilberforce (theatre veteran Marcia Warren) remain largely unchanged. Capaldi is more energetic and slippery than Alec Guiness, but Warren seems to channel Katie Johnson perfectly, bringing the same harmless, doddery indomitable innocence that can cause havoc but receive no reproach. They’re the stars of the piece, for sure, although the ensemble is so perfect, they all deserve a slice of the credit.

The set is ingenious – a forced perspective interior that allow us to see the crooks in their room as well as Mrs Wilberforce pottering about the home, an ever approaching threat to their plans. But the home spins on its axis allowing us a view of the roof and the bedroom window, where many of the cast will meet their fate, and the front of the house, where, in one of the biggest laughs of the piece, the robbery will be played out – as toy cards running on tracks with police radio broadcasts.

There are many highlights; perhaps the best is the music concert, in which the crooks’ attempts to play music are successfully passed off by the Professor as an experimental music piece, leading to an applause-inciting line about the middle-classes love of fake art. The Ladykillers is a brilliant night out, and a great alternative to well-staged but artistically dead, money-hoarding big movie adaptations.

Bingo – New Vic Theatre

A sparsely staged character piece, Bingo centres on Will Shakespeare in his Twilight years, as he attempts to live a peaceful life in retirement. His dubious contentment (he is distant to his wife and daughter) is disrupted by a wealthy local landowner, who wishes to consolidate his lands, moving away small farms and replacing them with larger operations.

Shakespeare has invested in the local land, and agrees to support the plans if his income is guaranteed throughout the changes. But of course, the redistribution of land has a consequence to the people who currently live there. This leads to violence, causing Shakespeare to reflect negatively on the moral consequences of his life.

The idea is that as an artist, Shakespeare has led a comfortable life, a complacent one. That while he practiced his art, constructed tales and worlds in his theatre, he paid little heed to those suffering in the world, and the he himself has contributed to that suffering; indirectly through complacency, and now directly by protecting his interests.  He has aimed through his life for his work to have enriched the lives of men, yet his security has now cost men dearly.

It’s a situation that’s clearly designed to makes us consider society as a whole, and not just the bard. That capitalism forces people to behave in ways that are unavoidably self-serving and to the detriment of others. Shakespeare discovers that his wealth and security have devastating consequences to the people he knows and cares for. And he also comes to realise, reflective in his old age, that he has passed these problems onto the next generation.

Throughout the play, he is dismissive and rude to his daughter, and neglectful and distant from his wife, who remains unseen. Later, while drunk, Shakespeare simultaneously berates and apologises to his daughter, who he sees as superficial and grasping, a consequence of his trying to buy her love. It seems a cruel attack, yet events prove his reproaches to be accurate.

Shakespeare is played by Patrick Stewart, and his performance is as good as you’d expect. Despite being silent for many scenes, his resigned posture and weary, frail frame gives him a constant appearance of mourning, even when he’s actually doing very little.

While there are scenes that amuse (a drunken encounter with his rival Ben Johnson is particularly entertaining) the whole thing is undeniably a bit of a drag. It’s an intelligent and insightful play, and performed with a sensible economy on stage, but its glumness, and downbeat conclusion, leaves little room for hope. The issues that trouble the bard remain unresolved, and the suffering and cruelty around him is simply left to go on. An honest end, I daresay, just not all that fulfilling.

Swallows & Amazons – Vaudeville Theatre

I’m a big fan of Neil Hannon and his Divine Comedy, so this was pretty much a must for me. An adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s children’s classic, it might seem troublesome as it involves sail boats and islands and the outdoors. But it’s actually an ideal production project, because it’s a celebration of children’s imagination.

The National Theatre sets all its action in what appears to be an attic, with the children taking objects - bit of wood, streamers, a lifebelt – and using them to bring their adventures to life. It gives the whole effort a rather charming, homemade appeal, which is just as well – as if any parent would allow their children to sail a boat on their own these days!

I’ve always thought Neil Hannon was at best when working with a touch of literary pretension – as opposed to when he’s being earnest – and again it shows. His songs are infectious, catchy and often very funny indeed; his anthem for the Amazon pirates - “raised by our mum on the banks of the Amazon delta/ With only the clouds and a four-bedroom house for shelter” - is a particularly memorable toe-tapper. But there’s no grand orchestrations, the songs are arranged simply for a small band in keeping with the plays rather intimate presentation.

The kids are all played by rather youthful looking grown-ups, which doesn’t jar with proceedings much, despite the fact the youngest is also the biggest, and has a beard. Somehow actor Stewart Wright’s size manages to make his strops, his shyness and clumsiness that touch more funny.

Although special mention has to go to the gobby Blackett children, played by Celia Adams and
Sophie Waller, whose foot-stomping, gizzard-bothering Amazons found the most favour with the audience. They’re probably also a more recognisable character type for kids anyway, much more relatable than the old-school goodie-two-shoes Walker children.

Kids are probably the toughest audience to keep fixated, but with this cosy production, they were engrossed from the off. It was brought off with warmth and gentle humour, and had respect for the material and never cocked a sneer at the anachronisms of its time. It’s a wonderful celebration of the wonder and pleasures of play and imagination, and proof again that kids can love more, and deserve more, than noisy CGI robots.

Word of the Week

Barnburner - Something that is highly exciting or impressive.

Copy Fail: King's College

I just don’t get this; in what context do they mean “World questions”? Do they mean it in the sense that while the rest of the world questions, King’s comes up with the answers? Or that King’s comes up with answers for all the questions about the world?

I think it’s probably the former, as it’s meant to be a juxtaposition. But without the - the definitive article - it could be either. The result is slogan that’s supposed to impress, but is vague and clumsy.

And let’s not also forget that while it’s common for folk to refer to King’s College as King’s, not everyone is certain to know this, especially foreigners. There is a small chance a visitor could see it and think they mean literally mean kings. Sure, it’s a small chance, but a good writer tries to anticipate these kinds of stumbling blocks. I mean, we all have ‘off’ moments when we don’t quite make the connection we’re supposed to – this kind of ambiguity, small though it is, makes this more likely.

What I imagine happened was that it was originally a longer, and more precise phrase, probably: While the world questions – King’s answers. But somebody decided it needed to be four words and cut it done, maybe without consulting the writer. Certainly without considering the impact on the phrases meaning.

You’ll also notice there’s no comma. And I’m not really sure what the italics are bringing to the table.

Word of the Week

Caparison

noun
1. A decorative covering for a horse or for the tack or harness of a horse; trappings.

2. Rich and sumptuous clothing or equipment.

verb (used with object)

3. To cover with a caparison.

4. To dress richly; deck.

March Film Highlights

It's possible I've mentioned my 50 Word Film Reviews blog I'd be most grateful if you could go there and visit.

The Woman in Black (2012) Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer, Sophie Stuckey, Liz White. Dir: James Watkins.

A lawyer is dispatched to an isolated mansion feared haunted by the locals. Play worked because of carefully built and sustained dread; at one point this adaptation has Radcliffe race into a burning building. Added periodic shocks suggest little faith in the source material, or the audience. Some effective sequences.

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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) Ben Gazzara, Timothy Agoglia Carey, Seymour Cassel, Azizi Johari, Robert Phillips, Morgan Woodward. Dir: John Cassavetes.

A strip club owner becomes indebted to gangsters who will clear his debt if he murders a bookie. Backstreet cinema-verite character study, which asks how far you’d go to protect your world. Gazzara’s not desperately likeable or intimidating, but his response to losing his seedy hole is shocking and unexpected.

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Natural Born Killers (1994) Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield. Dir: Oliver Stone.

A couple of violent killers on the run became media darlings. Wildly filmed, Cormenesque critique of mass media manipulation, one that pushes you to root for the killers, despite their depravity. MTV style hyper-cutting is striking, but exhausting over two hours, beating you over the head with the film’s message.

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The Dark Eyes of London (1939) Béla Lugosi, Hugh Williams, Greta Gynt, Edmon Ryan, Wilfred Walter. Dir: Walter Summers.

A series of dead bodies in the Thames are linked to a crooked insurer and a home for the blind. First UK film to get an H rating for horror. This surprisingly nasty thriller has some creaky moments, but boasts strong suspense, solid direction and Lugosi really in his element.

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The Raven (2012) John Cusack, Alice Eve, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Luke Evans, Brendan Gleeson. Dir: James McTeigue.

Edgar Allen Poe joins a murder investigation after his stories inspire a killer. Poorly scripted and plotted. Directed without suspense or atmosphere and little attention to period. Cusack plays Poe as a washed-up rockstar, with few demons, but at least he has good lines; Evans is painful to watch. Rubbish.

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Dracula AD 1972(1972) Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame, Michael Coles. Dir: Alan Gibson.

The Count awakens in 70s London to avenge himself on the Van Helsing family. The 70s seems like the 60s in this unintentionally funny attempt to relaunch the series. Still the same plot, yet it’s one of the pacier entries, with above par direction and a welcome return for Cushing.

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Carnage (2011) Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz. John C. Reilly. Dir: Roman Polanski.

Two sets of parents sit down to discuss a fight between their children. Not quite on-par with Polanski’s other interior psychodramas; characters are a tad archetypal and it doesn’t cut as deep as it promises to. But there’s sharp dialogue and wit, and a great performance from Waltz to enjoy.

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The Omen (1976) Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Harvey Stephens, Patrick Troughton. Dir: Richard Donner.

Sinister occurrences lead an ambassador to believe his son maybe evil. Is it the many parodies, or the film’s tendency to take itself very seriously, while going way OTT, that makes it a giggle? Some fabulously flamboyant executions help make it very entertaining despite weak plotting and stodgy sections.

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Copy Fail: Next

Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to use more words describing a product’s drawbacks rather than its positives.

The fact that the writer makes little effort to sell a £10 product is bad enough, but the fact that more text is dedicated to the problems of returning the product automatically produces the implication that the customer is likely to be unhappy with the purchase, and will probably want to return it.

It’s a bit like that warning they read to you very quickly at the end of adverts for loans or mortgages. But now imagine that message was longer than the actual advert.

Seriously, at least put the warning in small writing, somewhere away from the main message. Otherwise, as in the case, the product looks problematic and more trouble than it’s worth.

Word of the Week

Debouch - to march out from a narrow or confined place into open country, as a body of troops. To come forth; emerge.

February Film Highlights

Bit late this month, but you could always just look at the blog instead.

The Iron Lady (2011) Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, Alexandra Roach, Harry Lloyd, Stuart Heard. Dir: Phyllida Lloyd.

Elderly Margaret Thatcher reflects on her rise to power and political career. Makes its case for Thatcher as a formidable, yet human, force to be reckoned with, but her divisive policies remain an awkward elephant in the room. Without Streeps excellent performance, it’s little more than a daytime TV melodrama.

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Bullets Over Broadway (1994) John Cusack, Dianne Weist, Jennifer Tilly, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Viterelli, Jack Warden, Jim Broadbent, Rob Reiner, Tracey Ullman. Dir: Woody Allen.

A playwright reluctantly accepts a gangster's money to stage his play, but then must suffer his girlfriend as his star. Entertaining backstage farce with a great cast and standout turns from Weist and Broadbent. Asides from being laugh-heavy it’s also a great satire on pretentious artists, their commitment and integrity.

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Steamboat Bill Jr.(1928) Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron, Tom McGuire. Dir: Buster Keaton.

A father struggling to save his Steamboat is shocked to discover his son’s become a dandy. Keaton displays his skill at mise-en-scene with some of his most memorable visuals and most elaborate visual gags. With an endearing story and exciting climax, he’s at the absolute hilarious height of his powers.

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Village of the Damned(1960) George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens, Michael Gwynn. Dir: Wolf Rilla.

A village’s population black-out at the same time; when they awake, the women are pregnant. Sci-fi horror where invaders take on the uncanny form of children, chillingly emotionless and cruel, yet still childlike. Intelligently written, economical handling is its strength and weakness, there’s more potential beyond its short running time.

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The Muppets (2011) Jason Siegal, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Jack Black, Peter Linz, Steve Whitmore, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz. Dir: James Bobin.

A Muppet fan discovers their studio is being demolished and tries to re-group the gang to save it. Canny revival that appeals to old fans so they’ll bring the kids. Some gags misfire, but successfully restores the gang back to their daft, anarchic roots. Songs are good, but cameos a bit disappointing.

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Thirst (2009) Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-kyun, Kim Hae-sook. Dir: Park Chan-wook.

A priest survives a botched medical experiment but develops a taste for blood, and lust. A witty refreshingly different vampire thriller, one that blends faith questioning, domestic drama and film noir with lashings of black comedy. It’s less a horror, but a love story, one that’s pleasingly demented.

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War Horse (2011) Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Marsan. Dir: Steven Spielberg.

A boy raises and trains a horse, but when WW1 comes, both are called into battle. With a script so acclaimed, why would you change it? Spielberg and Co smother it with sentimental goo and blunt its edges with cosy characterisations. Looks great, but not a patch on the play.

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Divorce, Italian Style (1961) Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli, Leopoldo Trieste, Odoardo Spadaro. Dir: Pietro Germi.

Unable to divorce his wife, an Italian nobleman tricks her into having an affair so he can honour-kill her. If Ealing Studios ever made a trip to Italy – clever satire on the ludicrous contradictions of traditional Sicilian relationships, brought to screen with style and wit and a great star performance.

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