Charade review

 Number 280 on the top 1000 films of all time is Stanley Donen's romantic comedy mystery 'Charade.'

Regina "Reggie" Lampert is a translator holidaying in the French alps when she receives the news that her husband Charles has been murdered while leaving Paris. He is also accused of stealing $250,000 during World War 2. Together with the handsome, morally duplicitous Brian Cruikshank (Cary Grant) she must solve the mystery. George Kennedy, James Coburn and Walter Matthau all co-star.

Charade has been described as the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made and it certainly has all the hallmarks of a Hitchcock film: plenty of plot twists, a knife-edge atmosphere, ambiguous characters and, of course, Cary Grant. But Charade was a formidable effort from Stanley Donen. And it deserves to be reviewed on its own merits.

Thrillers, like any other genre, can tend to be formulaic. Attractive female lead is embroiled in a mystery which she can't possibly solve without the help of an attractive male lead. There's a deformed villain in the shape of the hook-handed Herman Scobie played by the gigantic George Kennedy, and throw in a Henry Mancini score for good measure. Yet Donen kept things refreshing by obscuring Cruikshank in shades of grey. He is not your generic, clear-cut hero, but something far more mysterious. The audience is trying to figure out his identity at the same time as Reggie. And considering his identity changes multiple times, there is a detective work to do. The title 'Charade' has never been more appropriate.

Cary Grant also turned his hand well to the comedy. The tense atmosphere threatens to be a bit stuffy, but he kept things light with his comedic timing and goofy facial expressions. Audrey Hepburn was also a very likeable protagonist. She is just an innocent woman who is inadvertently embroiled in a mystery and it's easy to want her to succeed.

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this film. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn were great as the leads. As for being the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made, I would certainly agree with that.

Papillon review

 Number 275 on the top 1000 films of all time is the historical drama epic prison film 'Papillon.'

Henri 'Papillon' Charierre (Steve Mcqueen) is a famed safecracker who is sent to prison after being wrongly convicted for the murder of a pimp. He is sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal system of French Guiana in a supposedly inescapable prison. Within the prison, he meets famed counterfeiter Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman) and the two become fast friends as they scheme to escape the prison together.

This was the 350th film that I have watched since I've started slogging through this list. And I've come to the conclusion that two hours is my cut off point. If a film is over two hours there has to be a very good reason. The Godfather, the Green Mile and Braveheart are all notable exceptions, but then you get films like the Last of the Mohicans, Gone with the Wind or, indeed, Papillon that just go on and on and on. You think you've reached the ending, but then there's another ending and another and another. This isn't to say that they are necessarily bad films, but they're all much longer than they need to be. Papillon is no exception to this rule.

Similarly to the Last of the Mohicans, it was very bloated. There was a lot of slow-motion and grandiose music that made the film half an hour longer than it needed to be. And then we come to the various endings. We see Papillon, Degas and orderly Maturette (Robert Deman) escape the prison and wash up on Honduras. We could have ended the film there, but then we see Papillon being taken in by a native tribe, in probably one of the slowest portions of the film, before being recaptured and taken back to the prison. 

Again, it could have ended there, but Papillon is moved to the remote Devil's island where he re-unites with Degas who has since lost his marbles. Papillon then tries another escape attempt by diving into the sea. We could have ended things here, but we get a voiceover telling us that he survives and finally the film ends. These constants endings really killed the tension. It would have been nice if things were left up to the viewer, but any ambiguity was completely dispelled. 

Also the sound mixing wasn't very good either. There were multiple scenes especially when Papillon and Degas are being brought by boat to the prison, where it was difficult to hear the characters speaking over the sound of the waves. I'm sure I missed many important details there.

The film wasn't all bad though. Steve McQueen was great as the formidable Papillon. He is sent there after coming to Degas' aid by attacking a guard. Degas returns the favour by sneaking him food in solitary confinement and Papillon never gives up his friend. Papillon almost loses his mind in solitary as the guards starve him and leave him in darkness. It is difficult to believe that anybody could survive torture like that. And the scene where we see a prisoner being guillotined, as a warning, was disturbing to watch.

It is a shame about the bloating and the slow motion and the multiple endings, because it did have the potential to be a great film. 

La Dolce Vita review

 Number 212 on the top 1000 films of all time is Federico Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita.'

Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) is a tabloid journalist who is going through a mid-life crisis. To rediscover his passion in life, he spends seven days and nights journeying through Rome.

This is my third Fellini film after 8 1/2 and La Strada and I was really hoping it would be closer to the latter than the former. But alas it was not to be. Just like 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita was slow, boring and surreal. It reminds me of Modernist literature where nothing happens in the real world. Everything plays out in the character's minds. And there's nothing inherently wrong in having films that are effectively character studies, but you need to have interesting and likeable characters. Similarly, to the Great Gatsby, La Dolce Vita is populated by rich people having existential moments. These are people I'm never going to relate to or care about. You can only imagine my horror at realising that I have to watch these characters for three bloody hours.

And that is especially true of the arrogant and unlikeable Marcello who very much has a meltdown at film's conclusion. All of the movie's themes culminate in the surrealist and most vulgar way. Marcello and his friends break into a beach house. Marcello becomes drunk and tries inciting the partygoers into having an orgy. He then has a young woman crawling on her knees and starts to ride her before covering her in alcohol, ripping a pillow and sticking feathers to her. And he only does this out of spite as the partygoers refused to agree to his demands. Yet the young woman is fine with it? And nobody else reacts to this. It's just so weird.

You get surrealism and then you get Fellini. He is on a whole other level. Let me tell you, I did not have a good life while watching this film.

His Girl Friday review

 Number 260 on the top 1000 films of all time is Howard Hawks' 1940 screwball comedy 'His Girl Friday.'

Walter Burns (Cary Grant) is a newspaper editor who is about to lose his top journalist and ex-wife Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) to another man. To win her back, he convinces her to cover one more story with him - the case of murderer Earl Williams (John Qualen.)

Something interesting happened when I explained this film to my girlfriend. She didn't know what I meant by a screwball comedy. And that's when I realised that like film-noir, screwball comedies are a film genre that has been left behind in the Golden Age of Hollywood. I was trying to think of modern-day examples of screwball comedies and I couldn't. And I think that's because they don't make comedies quite like these anymore.

Modern-day comedy, for the most part, have an over-reliance on crude double entendre or crass, over-the-top physical comedy. Of course there are exceptions, but that is generally the rule. They lack all the subtlety and nuance of screwball films like The Apartment, Some Like it Hot or even His Girl Friday. His Girl Friday balances farcical situations and understated physical comedy well. So that Hily and Walter can gain a scoop in the story, they hide Williams in a rolltop desk which leads to a bunch of great gags. One of the best is to emphasise how the desk is empty Walter bangs on it. Unfortunately, Williams bangs back and is discovered.

You could argue that Walter isn't the most likeable of protagonists. He very much manipulates his wife into staying with him and mystifyingly his ploys work - by the film's end, Walter and Hildy reconcile and agree to remarry. But then again this is a screwball comedy - effectively a reworked love story and a love story always needs to have a happy ending. 

The Help review

 Number 247 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2011 period comedy-drama 'The Help.' 

Based on Kathryn's Stockett's book of the same name, the Help follows aspiring writer Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan (Emma Stone) in 1960's Mississippi. Skeeter, inspired by the horrific racism inflicted upon African American maids, decides to write a book telling their side of the story. Two of the maids she interviews are Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minerva 'Minny' Jackson (Octavia Spencer.) Aibileen has the misfortune of serving the vile and racist Hillary "Hilly" Walters Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) while Minny serves the ditzy but kind-hearted Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain.)

In modern cinema, representation remains a divisive issue. However, I would argue that the Help is representation done right. It There is constant outrage over characters who are historically white being recast with POC actors in the name of diversity i.e the Little Mermaid. The outrage isn't focussed on seeing POC characters represented on screen, but rather with how they're represented. It's argued that instead of taking stories and replacing the white character with a black actor, film makers should be more creative and think of an original story or instead adapt a story with historically black characters. Hidden Figures, Green Book and Twelve years a Slave are all great examples of representation done right. And I would add the Help to that list.

It is a film that takes the challenging topic of race relations and tells it through the perspective of its victims. The stories of the African-American maids are put front-and-centre. Aibileen and Minny both retell the horrific abuse they've experienced - Minny is fired from her job for using the guest bathroom, which she is forbidden from because she's black. Meanwhile, Aibileen reveals that her son died after an accident at works leads to him being dumped at the "coloured hospital." Maybe if he was white, he would have received the medical attention he deserved. Davis and Spencer worked brilliantly together, playing the comedic and dramatic roles with a great sensitivity.

Inevitably, the film has been accused of a white saviour narrative, as although it is recounting the stories of African-American maids, it is doing so through a white voice i.e Skeeter's book. But I wouldn't agree with this. Minny initially refuses to help Skeeter, because she has neither asked or wanted Skeeter's help to tell her story. When Minny relents and agrees to tell her story, she stresses that it is on her terms. In some ways, the Help is acknowledging and dispelling the accusations of white savourism in one fell swoop. Furthermore, this isn't some non-issue that's been blown out of proportion, these are serious issues that need to be told.

Unlike Twelve Years a Slave which is brutal and unflinching in its portrayal of race relations, The Help is far more subtle and understated. It shows the insidious nature of racism. Hilly is a socialite who is campaigning for there to be segregated toilets in the household - one for the white people and one for the black people. And of course the toilets for black people are in a far worse condition. In her misguided way, she thinks she is doing this for the benefit of everybody, white and black, when her actions, of course, only benefit white people.

But, moreover, the Help is also nuanced in its portrayal of African-American households. After Minny loses her job, she is beaten by her husband. And it is obvious that this isn't the first time. We don't see this play out on screen, but rather hear it, as Aibileen is phoning her friend at the same time. Hearing the beating and seeing its aftermath will always be more effective than seeing it for real.

If anything, I would say that the white characters were badly represented. They all dressed and looked very similar which, at first, made it very hard to delineate one from the other.  This wasn't just the case for Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica, but all of the older white women. I kept getting everybody mixed up.

It was refreshing to see a film that not only had good representation of race, but also gender. It was very refreshing to see a predominantly female cast. And it shows that if representation and diversity are done right, films can be all the more better for it.

Donnie Darko review

 Number 209 on the top 1000 films of all time is Richard Kelly's science-fiction, psychological thriller 'Donnie Darko.'

Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a schizophrenic high schooler who also sleepwalks. He is haunted by an apparition of a man in a bunny mask who warns him about the coming end of the world. Meanwhile, Donnie also becomes fascinated by the notion of time travel and starts researching into spaceships and portals.

This was a weird, surreal film. A film that you think has to mean something. But maybe it doesn't mean anything and maybe that's the point. Nihilism is a central theme of this film. Donnie might be mentally unstable, but he is also very intelligent. His English teacher Karen Pomeroy (Drew Barrymore) thinks so when he gives an astute interpretation of Graham Greene's short story 'the Destructors.' His physics teacher notices Donnie's interest in time travel and gives him a book called 'the Philosophy of Time Travel,' written by once famed scientist Roberta Sparrow, now a senile old woman living on the edge of town. But Donnie also not afraid to challenge authority and to take the meaning that's so important to adults and reducing it to nothing.

His gym teacher Kitty Farmer (Beth Grant) plays self-help tapes by self-help guru Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) as part of her class. Donnie openly criticises these trapes. When Cunningham visits the school, Donnie publicly challenges his ideas. A meaning that holds so much value so so many is scattered into the wind.

And, of course, lots of meaning has been attributed to Donnie's hallucination of the man in the bunny mash. As well as providing ominous warnings, it also acts as the devil on Donnie's shoulder - pushing him into delinquent acts like flooding his school or burning down Cunningham's house. Perhaps the rabbit represents our unconscious desire to cause or mayhem or to challenge the system. it's always waiting in the background ready to strike, only leashed by our own vague senses of morality. A fluid morality that can change on the drop of the hat. 

The time travel aspect links in nicely to a key theme of the film - you have to find happiness wherever you can. As the film progresses, Donnie's nihilism slowly dissolves as he starts to finding meaning, partially due to his new girlfriend Gretchen (Jena Malone.) Once he has found his meaning and his happiness, he enters a wormhole sending him twenty-eight days back in time.

Having said all of that, considering the film's nihilism, a lot of my review is completely meaningless as well. So, I'll end on an unobjectionable point. Gary Jules' cover of Mad World by Tears for Fears, is the perfect way to conclude this film, as well as one of the best covers of all time.

Notorious review

 Number 198 on the top 1000 films of all time is Alfred Hitchcock's spy film noir 'Notorious.'

Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) is the American daughter of a Nazi spy who has just been sent to prison. She is recruited by government agent T.R Devlin (Cary Grant) to investigate Nazi officials who have escaped to Brazil at the end of the second World War especially Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains.) She has orders to seduce him, but things become more complicated when Huberman and Devlin fall in love with each other.

Although this film has considerable star power from Cary Grant to Ingrid Berman to Claude Rains, but the standout star had to be Leopoldine Konstatin as Sebastian's mother 'Madame Anna Sebastian.' She was the true villain of the piece and unlike her son, she actually had a spine. Lady Macbeth characters are always great to watch and Anna was no exception. It wasn't a big or powerful role, but you can always feel her presence in the background.

As part of the plan to glean information, Huberman is ordered to accept Sebastian's proposal of marriage. Anna is naturally suspicious of Huberman, but the hapless Alex is blinded by love. That is, until he eventually discovers the truth. Not only is his beloved an American spy, but she is also in love with another man. But it isn't he who decides her fate, but his mother. She orders that he poison her.

At the film's end, Devlin rescues Huberman from Sebastian's mansion in full view of Sebastian's Nazi pals. He takes her to the hospital, but deliberately leaves the Nazi behind. Sebastian, who has become under suspicion from his supposed allies, is forced to face the music.

This was an enjoyable watch from the Golden Age of Cinema and another great contribution to the film noir genre. Cary Grant fit a little too well into the role of the debonair all-American hero, but Leopoldine Konstatin shone as Madame Anna Sebastian.

Amores Perros Review

 Number 193 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Mexican psychological drama 'Amores Perros.'

Roughly translating to "Love's a bitch," this movie tells three separate but interconnecting stories that all revolve around the theme of dogs. The first follows Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Susanna (Vanessa Bauche.) Octavio is in love with Susanna who happens to be his brother's, Ramiro (Marco Perez) girlfriend. Ramiro is abusive and unfaithful and Susanna slowly starts to return Octavio's feelings. However, they need money to run away, so Octavio starts entering his rottweiler Cofi into dog fighting contests.

However, after a fight goes awry, and Octavio needs to make a quick getaway, he crashes his car into Valeria's car (Goya Toledo,) kickstarting the second story. Valeria is a supermodel whose boyfriend Daniel (Alvaro Guerrero) has left his family to be with her. The car crash leaves her wheelchair bound with a broken leg. While Daniel is at work, Valeria's only companion is her dog Richie. But he becomes trapped after falling through a hole in the floorboards.

The final story revolves around El Chivo, an ex-convict and guerilla fighter, who is now homeless and takes care of Mexico's stray dogs. One of these dogs is Cofi who he rescues from the car crash. El Chivo is also a part-time hitman whom a man hires to kill his half brother.

Hyperlink structures like this always have the potential to be complicated and convoluted. Even other great hyperlink films like Pulp Fiction can be confusing for the unsuspecting view. However, Amores Perros was surprisingly simple in its execution. Rather than having the stories intercept at various points and viewers having to constantly track of who's who, the storyline is far more linear. Octavio crashing his car is the cause and effect that leads to Valeria injuring her leg, as well as El Chivo nursing Cofi back to health. That's all there was. Although I do wonder whether this is a film that worked better as a whole rather than in its individual parts.

And I am referring to the film's most traumatic scenes - the dog fighting. I've written a short story about dog fighting and I had to research into the brutal sport, if you can call it that. To watch these scenes was triggering to say the least. And as such it was difficult to root for a character like Octavio who voluntarily offered Cofi to the dog fight. If it was a last resort to make money, it would be more understandable, but not entirely. Beyond that, the guy is borderline creepy. In a different film, his persistence to win over Susanna would result in a restraining order.

Having said that, Susanna's Stockholm syndrome was played well. Like most domestic abuse victims, she doesn't even realise that she is being abused at first. And her abuser slowly alienates her from her family and friends. It takes her a while to snap out of her denial. And while Ramiro was a scumbag, it was nice to his motivations. He works a dead-end supermarket job for little money. Powerless in his working life, he takes control of his family life. This depth helped him to not be just another generic villain.

Valeria's storyline was far more interesting. It was one of loneliness and isolation. Due to Octavio's actions, she becomes housebound and can no longer work. Her relationship with Daniel becomes strained especially when her only companion, her dog, Richie, becomes trapped underneath the floorboards. Out of the three main characters, she is the most innocent and also the most tragic. It was sad to see her despair at the removal of her billboards around the city. Modelling is an unstable profession. It's all too easy to be replaced by a younger, prettier model.

Finally we come to El Chivo (Emilio Echevarria) - the homeless, hit-man hired to kill a businessman. However, he is sick of being used and exploited and instead manipulates the situation, so that his employer and intended victim come face to face. He loosely ties them up, leaves them a loaded gun and allows them to fight it out. And when he isn't being a hitman, he is taking care of the city's strays. This isn't the first time that I've seen an otherwise morally unredeemable character be redeemed by his love of animals, but it's a trope I never tire of seeing. And it leads to the film's saddest scene.

El Chivo comes home one day to see that Cofi has killed the rest of the dogs. Due to the horrible trauma he's experienced, he has become a killing machine. In El Chivo's rage, he holds a gun to Cofi's head, but is unable to pull the trigger. After all, this wasn't Cofi's fault, but the scumbag people who trained him to be a killer.

I would definitely recommend this film. It's a hell of a ride, but a powerful one. Just a warning about the dogfighting. Obviously it isn't real - it's just playfighting that's been skillfully edited, but that doesn't make it any less traumatic to watch. And that's just watching. Can you imagine what it would be like for the poor dogs who actually have to fight?

The Game review

 Number 524 on the top 1000 films of all time is David Fincher's thriller 'the Game.'

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a wealthy investment banker in San Francisco. He is also lonely with no family, except for his estranged younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn.) Conrad enrols Nicholas in a mysterious game as a birthday present. Upon accepting, Nicholas finds his life spiralling out of control.

What David Fincher achieved in this film is taking an inherently unlikeable character and making you root for him. Nicholas is set up as grumpy, old curmudgeon. Haunted by the memories of his father's suicide at the same age he is now, he has no friends or family, save for Conrad. Michael Douglas played the fish out of water well. Nicholas' progressively growing panic was palpable to see, as the game evolves from mild inconveniences in his life to life-threatening situations. it might be tempting to describe him as a Scrooge, although I'm not sure if he performs a 180. By the film's end, he isn't welcoming Bob Cratchitt to eat with Christmas dinner with him, but there is a definite softening to his character.

This is exhibited within the character of Christine (Deborah Kara Unger) who is a waitress at Nicholas' favourite restaurant. Upon spilling wine on him, Nicholas admonishes her and gets her fired from her job. However, the two are thrown together, as Christine is also caught up in the mystery. But, by the end, the two reconcile and go for coffee. Nicholas may not have fully transformed yet, but there is the potential to do so.

Having said all that, I don't think Sean Penn was anything special as the unhinged Conrad. Yes, he kick starts the action by sending his brother down this rabbit role, but this role could have gone to anyone. Except for a few key scenes, he doesn't really do much. I guess the only reason that Sean Penn was billed second was his star power, rather than the importance of his character.

Fincher did well in always keeping the mystery high. The audience is in as much in the dark about the true nature of the Game as Nicky. And this always keeps the tension high. We have morally duplicitous characters like Christine who becomes an unlikely ally until she isn't. And, as things get weirder, Nicholas is sure that he is embroiled in some big conspiracy against him. The truth behind it all, which I won't spoil here, is far more innocuous.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable film with some edge-on-the-seat action. Douglas was great, but I do think Penn could have brought more to the role.

Kung Fu Hustle review

 Number 512 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Chinese martial art, comedy-drama Kung Fu Hustle.

Sing (Stephen Chow) and Bone (Lam Chi-Chung) are two hapless, small-time crooks. To break into the big time, they decide to join the Two-Axe gang which terrorises the local neighbourhood run by Landlord (Yuen Wah) and Landlady (Yuen Qiu.) To gain initiation, Sing and Bone must kill somebody - a task easier said than done when the neighbourhood is populated by no less than five kung fu masters.

Would it be fair to say that Kung-Fu Hustle was more style than substance? I know it's a comedy and it's not meant to be taken seriously, but I've never been a fan of films that are overly-reliant on special effects. I know they're supposed to be integral to the film's humour especially the slapstick nature and they weren't meant to be used gratuitously, but I did find them tedious after a while. From the weird banshee shockwave that the Landlady performed to the Sing's sonic punch that destroyed an entire building, it all became repetitive after a while.

Another reason I didn't get on with this film is that I'm not keen on martial art movies. Similarly to boxing films, while the fights maybe well choregraphed, they drag on too long and don't hold my interest. I'm not invested in the fighting so I naturally don't care about who wins or loses. I am also puzzled as to why the film was marketed as a comedy. It didn't make me laugh very much. But that's not because the jokes fell flat, but rather they didn't seem to be making many jokes at all.

A lot of the film is dedicated to Sing's childhood and a particular flashback of him standing up to some bullies going horrifically wrong. He is trying to stop them from beating up a girl, but is beaten up instead. We see the two re-unite and kindle a romance as adults. This was a cute subplot, but not very funny. In fact, other than bizarre special effects, the only joke I remember is a rather predictable one.

Bone, to gain initiation into the Two axes, decides to kill Landlady by throwing knives at her. But due to his terrible aim and hapless nature, the knives all end up in Sing instead. And Sing is behind him. Yet as we know that these two are hapless, this joke was far too obvious to be funny.

Unfortunately, this film didn't appeal to me. I am not a fan of martial art films, not am I fan of films that prioritise style over substance, but I am sure this film has a dedicated fanbase. I'm just not one of those fans.

Changeling review

 Number 498 on the top 1000 films of all time is Clint Eastwood's mystery drama Changeling.

Based on a true story, Changeling follows the trials of single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) whose nine-year-old son Walter goes missing in Mira Loma, California. A few months later, the LAPD claim to have found Walter. But Christine is insistent that this is the wrong boy. However, her claims are dismissed and she is made to look like an unfit mother. Together with Reverend Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich,) vocal critic of the LAPD, Christine begins building a case to challenge them, but the police have her imprisoned in a psychiatric institution.

This is an insane story, made even crazier by how it is based on real life. Yes, the film does play fast and loose with some of the finer details, but the core plot is the same. Christine Collins' son disappears. The police claim to have found the boy but Christine is insistent they are wrong. Rather than admit their mistake and face the ensuing negative publicity, they silence her by sending her to a mental hospital. If it wasn't so horrific, it would be funny. And it really is a case of fact being stranger than fiction.

It's a tale of women being dismissed in a patriarchal society by arrogant men, as well as the corrupt nature of the LAPD. During this time, they had received intense negative publicity after failing to solve other missing children cases. They desperately needed a win and were determined to get it even if that meant ignoring the truth. Eastwood created an atmosphere that was hostile and tense all at the same time. Police captain J.J Jones is an arrogant villain who is too proud to dare admit he was wrong. Instead he attacks Christine for daring to question his authority. 

And it's difficult not to feel for Christine at this point. All she wants is her son back yet she is ridiculed and mocked by the very people who were supposed to help her. Jolie makes her into the most sympathetic protagonist. But Malkovich was also great as the Reverend Briegleb portraying a character that was brave enough to fight against the police department. He was powerful enough to get Christine freed from prison and was the driving force she needed to take justified legal action against the police.

So what really did happen to Walter Collins? Well, like I said, Eastwood played fast and loose with history but he got the main facts right. Collins was kidnapped and murdered by Canadian serial killer Gordon Northcott (Jason Butler Harner) on the Wineville chicken coop. He is caught and sentenced to death, but refuses to admit whether he ever killed Walter. Harner was formidable as Northcott - he was unhinged enough to make him scary, but not so much he becomes a cliche. When he is about to be hung and he has the hood over his face, he starts singing Silent Night. As monstrous as he was, it was difficult not to take pity on him. In real life, Northcott was only in his early twenties - little more than a misguided kid himself. 

As for Walter's imposter, he decided to pose as him, so he could travel to Hollywood and meet his favourite actor Tom Mix. He also wanted to escape the abusive clutches of his step parents, but this was omitted. And as for the LAPD? They were punished but not really - as is often the case for corrupt members of authority. Captain Jones was supposed to pay Christine $10,800 but he never did. And even though he was fired, he was later re-instated. Why am I not surprised?

But this was a great effort from Eastwood. Although it wasn't 100% accurate, it was a fascinating depiction of a horrendous true story. You do wonder if Christine Collins had been a man, would the police have been more likely to have believed her?

Airplane! review

 Number 475 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1980 parody Airplane!

Parodying disaster movies especially the 1957 Zero Hour!, Airplane! follows Ted Striker (Robert Hays,) an alcoholic combat pilot with severe PTSD. Still yearning after his lost love, air stewardess Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty) Striker buys a seat on her plane to win her back. But when an epidemic of food poisoning cripples half of the flight crew including the pilot, it is up to Ted to save the day.

They certainly don't make movies like this anymore. They couldn't because they would get cancelled. And that's because Airplane! is as un-PC as you can get. From the white woman translating jive speak to the passengers killing themselves after hearing Ted pine for Elaine to Elaine inflating the autopilot in a rather provocative fashion, Airplane! is as outrageous as can be. And this outrageousness is what made it so funny. In today's day and age, it feels like everybody is so sensitive, so it's nice to see a comedy that does push the envelope.

And this was only complimented by the great cast. From Leslie Nilsen to Peter Graves and Lloyd Bridges, these actors were deliberately cast, because they were well-known serious and not comedic actors. It was great to see well-known tough men play more comical parts and they played them well.

Airplane! is packed full of jokes from the start to the end - from the squabbling tannoy announcers to the inflatable autopilot having an inflatable girlfriend. And Airplane! utilises so many comedy styles from slapstick to surrealism to physical comedy to gallows humour and running gags. This variety helped keep the film fresh, for the most part - more on this later. One of my favourite scenes is when the passengers sing River of Jordan for a terminally ill child only for said child to start convulsing while everybody else sings on.

However, I would also argue the film's greatest strength was also its greatest weakness. With so many jokes, some were bound to flop and flop they did. Some of the jokes were predictable or cheesy. But I have a bigger gripe with the running jokes. Running gags can be funny as long as they're not overused, but the very nature of running jokes means they will be used a lot. Striker is an alcoholic who throws drink anywhere but his mouth. It was funny seeing him throw drink in his face once or twice but after a few times it became very tedious.

All that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Yes, at times it was daft and silly, but it was also a refreshing and hilarious comedy, especially for today's stifled climate.

3:10 to Yuma review

 Number 489 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2007 remake of the Western action 3:10 to Yuma.

Christian Bale plays Dan Evans, a down-on-his-luck ranchers and family man. With steadily mounting debts, he decides to risk everything and earn a big reward by bringing outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to justice. Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda and Alan Tudyk all co-star.

Since starting this challenge, I've watched my fair share of Westerns and I can safely say that I don't care for cowboy films. Cowboys and gunfights have never been something that's interested me and, as such, I was pretty bored throughout this film. This isn't a valid criticism, but more personal preference. Obviously it has to be good, otherwise it wouldn't be on this list, but it wasn't for me.

As I wasn't interested in this film, I wasn't particularly invested in any of the characters. Yes, they do have arcs and they show some growth, but I don't think it was enough. Throughout the film, we're led to believe that Daniel wants to deliver Ben Wade to the law, so he can collect the reward and pay off his debts. Admirable motivation for sure. But at the end, it's revealed that all he wants is to make his sons proud of him. Yet I think that this happened too late for it to have any input. And I don't think it's very credible.

Yes it's established early on that he has a rocky relationship with his son William (Logan Lerman) but that doesn't stop him from accompanying his dad on his mission. The two of them fight side by side on multiple occasions.

Ben Wade's arc was a bit more interesting. he's quickly established as a ruthless outlaw - brutally robbing an armoured stagecoach and killing all but one of the Pinkerton guards. Wade later kills another man in his sleep, but as he and Daniel grow a burgeoning respect, Wade starts to reform his ways. In the end, he voluntarily goes to prison so that Daniel's family can have the reward money. Characters are never wholly good or bad.

Having said that, Ben Wade's right hand man Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) was pretty evil. In a hell-bent mission to rescue his boss, Charlie executes surrendering federal Marshals and shoots a man in the back. This unwavering loyalty was by far the most interesting part of the film and I wish they explored that further. I don't think they properly addressed why Charlie was so loyal.

While Western afficionados might love this film, it wasn't for me in the slightest.

The Last of the Mohicans review

 Number 474 on the top 1000 films of all time is Michael Mann's epic historical drama film 'The Last of the Mohicans.'

Nathaniel 'Hawkeye' Poe (Daniel Day-Lewis) is an English man raised by the Mohawk tribe in 18th century America. When he falls in love with Cora Munro (Madeline Stowe,) the daughter of Colonel Munro (Maurice Roeves) of the British army, he's dawn into a colonial war between England and France. Meanwhile Colonel Munro and, by extension, Cora and her sister Alice (Jodhi May) are being hunted down by Magua (Wes Studi,) a Huron with a grudge to bear.

Never mind the Last of the Mohicans, I thought I would be the last of the Lintons by the time I finished watching this film. It was only two hours long, but it could have easily been an hour and a half, if it wasn't for all the bloody slow-motion. Don't get me wrong, slow motion can be great when used correctly, but not when it's used for every other shot. We don't need to see the characters walking or riding their horses in slow-motion. Even the fight scenes were in slow motion which became tedious after a while. They're fight scenes, they're supposed to be fast and chaotic.

Beyond this, the film was slowly paced. There was a lot of talking for what was supposed to be a drama. You get the colonials fretting about their ranches being attacked or Munro fretting about his daughters or the colonials plotting to desert the base. There was so much talking that when the action scenes finally happened I had almost switched off. And the less said about all the staring in the fight scenes the better.

The music did nothing to help the pacing either. Large parts of the film including the slow-motion scenes were set to a grandiose, often cheesy, instrumental score, which made the film even slower.

As for Day-Lewis, when he was on screen, I thought he was good, but I also think he was severely underused. This was weird as he is the main character. But it took him a while to appear, and even while writing this review, I was struggling to remember his character's name. But I did like the supporting cast. Madeline Stowe who played Cora had a good agency about her, stealing a pistol and later shooting an Indian who's going to kill her.

And even her sister Alice, rather than be a prisoner of Magua, takes her fate into her own hands by jumping from a cliff. Then we have Major Heyward (Steven Waddington) who goes through a nice redemption arc. He proposes to Cora only to have him reject him and then he quickly becomes jealous of her growing closer with Nathaniel. The two become enemies, uneasy allies and eventually Heyward sacrifices himself to Magua in exchange for Lora's life. Although I found that a bit difficult to believe. Magua, not only wants Munro dead, but also his bloodline. Why would he let Cora go instead of killing her?

If a film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, you would expect to enjoy it, but the Last of the Mohicans didn't do ti for me. Too much slow motion and grandiose music.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas review

 Number 474 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Holocaust film the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (TBITSP.)

Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is an eight-year old boy from WW2 Berlin. When his father, SS officer Ralf (David Thewlis) is promoted, the family move to Poland where their new home borders a concentration camp. The adventurous Bruno discovers the camp and befriends another eight-year-old boy Schmuel (Jack Sanlon,) with neither boy aware of their true predicament.

Would it be fair to character this film as the Holocaust equivalent of Braveheart? Entertaining? Yes. Tragic? Most definitely. Historically accurate? Not so much. But I don't think that really mattered. This film isn't about being historically accurate; it's about retelling the horrors of the Holocaust from the perspective of childhood and the innocence that entails.

Since starting this challenge, I've seen my fair share of holocaust/WW2 films and they've all broken my heart. TBITSP didn't quite reach those levels, but it was still very powerful. And that could be down to how it was underplayed. Whereas films like The Pianist portray the unflinching brutality of the Holocaust, TBITSP is far more subtle. If you're going to tackle an issue as big as the Holocaust, I am adamant that you have to go hard or go home - anything else would be an insult. However, the understated nature of TBITSP made it very upsetting.

We see everything through the eyes of Bruno - at only eight he is too young to fully understand the complexities of the Holocaust. Even when Ralf hires a tutor, Bruno questions all of the propaganda he is being taught. Bruno's parents are keen to hide the truth from him, which I did find puzzling. I'm no expert, but I thought that children of Nazis would be brainwashed by anti-semitic propaganda from as soon as they could walk, but I guess this does make Bruno all the more innocent. The scenes where he is conversing with Schmuel, with neither boy fully understanding their situation, are laden with a subtext, and a dramatic irony that are impossible to ignore. Bruno thinks the prisoners are wearing pyjamas and having fun in a holiday camp while Schmuel thinks he'll be going home soon.

The illusion shatters in the worst possible way when Bruno burrows into the camp to help Schmuel find his father. Here Bruno's ideas are turned on their head. He discovers that there is no cafe and the inmates don't spend their time playing football. The film hurtles toward a shocking and distressing conclusion as all of the prisoners, including Schmuel and Bruno, are taken to the showers. The boys hold hands as the lights go out. For a film that is so understated, they nailed the ending. Hearing the prisoners screaming in the black was so much more terrifying than seeing their mangle corpses.

Lastly, I have to praise Rupert Friend who played the villainous Lieutenant Kurt Kotler. He was terrific as the sociopathic, boot-licking subordinate of Ralf. One minute he is all cute with Bruno and getting cosy with Bruno's older sister, the next, Kurt is beating a house slave for knocking over a glass of wine. Poor Pavel.

Although TBITSP isn't particularly realistic, it more than makes up for it with its subtle nature and ominous dramatic irony.

Oh Brother Where Art Thou review

 Number 472 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Coen Brother's comedy-drama Oh Brother Where Art Thou.

Inspired by Homer's the Odyssey, three convicts Ulysses 'Everett' Mcgill (George Clooney,) Pete (John Turtorro) and Delmar Mcdonnell (Tim Blake Nelson) escape from their chain gang in Mississippi to find the treasure that leader Everett hid before he was sent to prison. Hijinks and shenanigans ensue.

This is the third Coen brothers' film I've seen after Fargo and the Big Lebowski, and this has to be the most surreal yet. And I'm going to come out and sat it, the Coen brothers are too surreal for me. Oh Brother Where Art Thou is pretty weird from the heroes meeting Baby face Nelson to the valley flooding saving them from being remanded to prison. And apparently this wasn't deux ex machina as Mcgill constantly references how the valley will be flooded. But what does this all mean? Nothing probably, which I imagine is the point. 

Having said that, the film produces some genuine laughs and scares. We quickly realise that Everett is the brains of the operation, manipulating the weaker-minded Pete and Delmar to help him achieve his true objective. Along the way, they are lured away by sirens who drug and rob them and supposedly turn Pete into a toad. Of course this wasn't the case, but seeing Delmar's distress was very funny to watch.

Later on, they meet one-eyed bible salesman, Big Dan Teague (John Goodman) who squishes the supposed Pete the Toad and then beats Delmar and Everett and robs what little they have left. While he is beating Delmar, Everett nonchalantly asks him what's wrong. This kind of off-beat humour made the film very comical.

Yet it was also scary. The trio crash a KKK rally, just as they are about to perform a lynching. But the whole sequence was freaky from the Grand Wizard spouting his nonsense to the burning crosses and the ritualistic chanting. It was an abstract and disturbing spectacle.

My favourite part of the film had to be the music. Arranged by T-Bone Burnett, who later famously scored the television series True Detective, we're treated to period-specific music ranging from blues to country to folk. Most of the music is worked into the actual narrative giving the film a great authenticity, which also complimented the autumnal sepia-tone. 

The three leads, to get some quick cash, form a music group along with a Robert Johnson wannabe, and produce a record, quickly becoming local celebrities. Although all the actors were dubbed, it was great fun to see them perform. But I also loved all the gospel and blues music from the chain gang singing at the beginning to the congregation singing their hymns when Pete is baptised. And, of course, I'm not the only one who loved this music as the soundtrack won the Grammy for album of the year.

Overall while this film was entertaining with an award-winning soundtrack, it was just too damn weird for me.