Big Fish review

 Number 296 on the top 1000 films of all the time is Tim Burton's fantasy-drama 'Big Fish.'

Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) is a man who has always had a story to tell. Sometimes these stories border on the surreal. And sometimes they're difficult to take seriously. As Edward nears the end of his life, his estranged son Will decides to start sitting the fact from the fiction. This is where we see a younger Edward Bloom (Ewan Macgregor) live out these stories.

This is possibly one of the most Burtonesque films I've ever seen. It was pure absurdism, surrealism and just plain weird. However, it wasn't just weirdness for the sake of weirdness. Everything was underpinned by two intertwining themes: relationship between father and son, and the art of storytelling.

As Will delves deeper into his father's life, he discovers weird and wonderful stories. These range from meeting a one-eyed witch who can tell you how you're going to die to befriending a giant who is rampaging around the local community. It doesn't matter whether these stories happened exactly the way they were told, as long as they are still told.

Stories have a wonderful way of uniting people. Nowhere is this more apparent than father and son. Sick of his father's ridiculous stories, son breaks off contact for three years. It's only his father's ailing health that reunites them. But it is Edward Bloom's love of story-telling that helps them to make amends. Bloom helps his son realises the joy which storytelling can bring everybody.

Did Edward Bloom really befriend a giant? Did he run away and join a circus ran by Danny Devito? Probably not. But it doesn't matter as long as we enjoyed the journey. And this was a weird and surreal journey that I certainly enjoyed. 

The Bourne Ultimatum review

 Number 225 on the top 1000 films of all time is Paul Greengrass' action thriller 'The Bourne Ultimatum.'

The third in the Jason Bourne series, the Bourne Ultimatum follows former CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) as he aims to find out more about his past. Suffering from amnesia, he is desperate to find out more about how he became the man he is today. His journey takes him across the world from Russia to London to New York as he investigates the mysterious Operation Blackbriar. And he is aided by former CIA operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Styles.)

The very nature of this list means that I watch lots of film series in the wrong order. Despite being the third film in the series, this is the first Jason Bourne film that I've watched. Please forgive me if I made any ignorant comments about the film's content. 

But as far as films go, The Bourne Ultimatum is a pretty generic thriller. It has all of your favourite action movie tropes: gun fights, car chases, explosions and a ridiculous amount of plot armour. Jason Bourne survives things that would kill non-action heroes such as myself. But that's what we would expect from our favourite action stars. And the action sequences were good. They were tense and thrilling if a little unbelievable or frenetic at times.

However, the biggest thing missing from this film was a central villain. Sure, there were plenty of villainous characters, but I don't think any of them really took an Ernst Bloefiled role. Noah Vasen (David Straithairn) the CIA deputy director is little more than hapless bureaucrat, constantly outwitted by Bourne at every occasion, He didn't pose any real threat. Paz (Edgar Ramirez) a CIA assassin was too generic to be memorable. I guess the scientist Dr Hirsch (Albert Finney) who orchestrated the mind control program that turned Bourne into a ruthless killer was supposed to be the big bad. But he really only appears at the end of the film. Up until then, he is only seen in shadowy phone calls. Too vague and enigmatic to be scary.

I also thought that a love story was missing from this film. In action films, there is usually a love story; a bit of heart to off-set all the high-octane action. But that was missing here. It's implied that Jason Bourne's last girlfriend has been killed, but I thought that something might happen between him and Nicky Parsons. But, apparently not. To be honest, Nicky Parsons didn't do very much at all. I think Julia Styles was wasted. It's a shame as he is a great actress.

The Bourne Ultimatum is good as far as it goes. It's exciting, gripping and thrilling, but it could have gone a hell of a lot further.

The King's Speech review

Number 232 on the top 1000 films of all time is Tom Hooper's 2010 biopic 'The King's Speech.'

Based on the real life story, the King's Speech follows the future King George VI trying to overcome his speech impediment. To assist him, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) enlists the help of Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush.) Small note, George VI was only a regnal name. George VI's real name was Albert or "Bertie."

Released to critical acclaim, the King's Speech received twelve Oscar nominations and won four including best film and best actor. It is easy to see why. Hooper tackled a sensitive topic with tact and discretion. I think it would have been all too easy to victimise Bertie rather than make him a character to root for. But he wasn't a pitiful protagonist, but an endearing one. His family have no patience for his stammer. His older brother Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) teases him constantly while his father George V (Michael Gambon) thinks he can bully the stammer away.

Colin Firth very much earned his best acting Oscar. Again, it would have been very easy to portray Bertie as a victim. And while he was a victim of his circumstances, he was also a fiercely brave man. Rather than submitting to his stammer, he constantly fights against it and seeks help. Firth brought a real vulnerability and humanity to the role. When Edward VIII abdicates and George VI is thrust into his new position as king, he breaks down proclaiming that he hasn't a king. This was one of my favourite moments of the film.

It did puzzle me a little that the film didn't focus that much on the social context of Edward VIII's abdication. Surely events like these would have impacted greatly on George's character, but then again, these probably weren't relevant enough to include.

Overall this was a great film with Colin Firth earning his best Actor Oscar.