The Fall review

 Number 404 on the top 1000 films of all time is Tarsem Singh's adventure-fantasy film 'The Fall.'

In 1915 Los Angeles, stunt man Roy Walker (Lee Pace) is hospitalised after a stunt gone wrong. In hospital, he forms an unlikely friendship with fellow patient, eight-year-old Romanian girl Alexandria  (Catinca Untaru) who is recovering from a broken arm. He entertains her with a wild and fantasy tale about a rag-tag group of rebels to team up to kill a common enemy, but he has an agenda of his own. 

I think this is a film that you have to see more than once to truly appreciate. Upon the first watch, I decided the film wasn't for me, being critical of the story-within-a-story format. On other occasions such as with the Chinese Wuxia Hero, this format fell flat because the framing story wasn't as interesting as the secondary story.

Upon a rewatch, I can say this was not the case for the Fall. I really enjoyed watching Roy and Alexandria's relationship progress. The two of them had great on-screen chemistry. Catinca Untaru was adorable and she worked well with the much older Lee Pace who became a surrogate father figure for her. I'm not sure whether Untaru went onto have a big acting career, but she was very good here. So was Lee Pace. It was a relationship with lots of pathos.

*spoilers*

This pathos extends into Roy's dark secret. In exchange for entertaining Alexandria with these stories, he asks her to steal morphine for him. Ostensibly, this is to help him sleep, but he actually intends to commit suicide. His beloved has left him for the actor he was doubling for. Now he no longer wants to live. This was suitably tragic with Pace and Catinca giving good performances.

While the B-story has great visual flair reflective of the countless different filming locations as well as director Tarsem Singh's insistence that the film be shot on-location with minimal special effects, the framing story is suitably more muted and dour. 

The B-story sees a range of quirky characters including a masked bandit, a silent Indian warrior, an ex-slave, an Italian explosives expert and Charles Darwin. They all team up to take revenge on a governor who has wronged them all. The fantasy land they inhabited was marked by bold colours and a distinct look - similar to the Chinese Hero film. I enjoyed seeing this colourful cast of characters and it was sad watching them meet their respective ends.

If you were left unimpressed watching this film once, do yourself a favour and watch it again. You might just be surprised.

The African Queen review

 Number 348 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Huston's 1951 adventure film 'The African Queen.

Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) is the alcoholic captain of the steamboat: 'The African Queen' who delivers mail and supplies to a Methodist mission in 1914 German East Africa. The mission is manned by brother and sister Samuel (Robert Morley) and Rosemary (Katherine Hepburn.) When WW1 breaks out, German colonial troops conscript the African natives and kill Samuel in the chaos. Rosemary urges Charlie to use the African Queen to attack a German gunship.

If you think this film sounds similar to the iconic 1942 Casablanca, you would be right. Both films star Humphrey Bogart as an alcoholic rogue who only looks out for himself. This is despite the protests of the attractive female lead urging him to take a side in the wider-world conflict. Swap Morocco for Tanzania and Ingrid Bergman for Katherine Hepburn and you basically have the same film.

However, the biggest similarity is that The African Queen is just as good and iconic, if not more, than Casablanca. A lot of this comes down to the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. It is undeniable that both of them were titans of the acting industry - it's difficult to think of two actors more emblematic of the Golden Age of Hollywood. They were brilliant together. Unlike other female leads, like Ingrid Bergman, who disliked Bogart, and Audrey Hepburn, who was disliked by Bogart, Katherine Hepburn was every bit his equal. 

Katherine Hepburn was well-known for her fiery, outspoken demeanour which made her the perfect match for the cynical Charlie Allnut. She brought a great firecracker energy to her role as Rosemary Sayer, but also portrayed a soft, sensitive side for when her brother was killed. Yet she is also persuasive enough to convince the old, gnarled cinnamon-bun Allnut to jump down from the fence and pick a side. The two of them soon develop a romance. And, unlike other films, I could totally believe the two characters being together.

True, I'm not sure how much Hepburn got on with Bogart off-set - reportedly, she made a point about only drinking water after being appalled at seeing how much whisky old Bogey and director John Huston were drinking, but the two of them were great on-screen. Bogart earned his only Oscar for this performance, but I would argue that Hepburn truly earned her Oscar nomination as well. 

The African Queen was mainly filmed in Uganda or, what was, the Belgian Congo, and it looked brilliant. The cinematography was great. John Huston made a terrific film that blended humour, tragedy and important ideas about standing up and fighting for what was right. It also didn't hurt that you had the excellent pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.

The Man who would be King review

 Number 385 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Huston's 1975 adventure film: 'The Man who would be King.'

Based on Rudyard Kipling's novella of the same name, the Man who would be King follows two former soldiers in 19th century Afghanistan. Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine) and Daniel Dravot (Sean Connery) are two rogues seeking their fortune in Kafirstan. Telling their story is Kipling himself played by Christopher Plummer. Saeed Jaffrey and Shakira Caine co-star.

At its heart, the Man who Would be King is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed. Carnehan and Dravot go seeking fame and fortune. They find it in Kafirstan by exploiting the fears of the locals. Instead of getting out while the going is good, they stick around as everything crumbles around them.

It's also difficult not to read this as a post-colonial narrative. The original story was acknowledged as an allegory of the British Raj. Kipling himself was born there. Carnehan and Dravot effectively colonise and take over Kafirstan by tricking, exploiting and manipulating the locals. They then both receive their just desserts.

Although they are both roguish characters, Caine and Connery played Carnehan and Dravot with enough charisma to make them likeable and entertaining to watch. Both of them have some of the most iconic voices and accents in the history of cinema.

We also can't forget Saeed Jaffrey who plays their translator Billy Fish. He received horrific racist abuse on set, but he brought a great life and energy to his role. Although he did come to an unlikely end.

The Man who would be King reminded me of John Huston's earlier 1948 effort: the Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Again, it has characters seeking fame and fortune, but are ultimately corrupted by their own greed. Originally, Huston wanted Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable in the lead roles. If they had not died years earlier, we would have had a very different Carnehan and Dravot. Thankfully, it went to two British actors which made more sense, considering the historical context.

Like the Treasure of the Sierra Madre, the Man who would be King has some brilliant cinematography and morally-grey characters. It also showcased the dangers of greed.

The Man who would be King was another John Huston success. It was a thumping-good adventure film.

Stardust review

 Number 532 on the top 1000 films of all time is Matthew Vaughn's 2007 fantasy romantic-drama 'Stardust.'

Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) is a young man from the fictional Victorian village of Wall. In love with an already betrothed woman, he ventures into the neighbouring fantasy land of Stormhold to collect a fallen star that has taken the form of a woman called Yvaine (Clare Danes.) However, a coven of witches led by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) are also seeking Yvaine in their quest for immortality. Meanwhile, Stormhold's dying king (Peter O'Toole) decides that his successor should be whoever can find the ruby he has thrown into the sky. His squabbling sons led by Prince Septimus (Mark Strong) start fighting to become the new king.

This was a fun re-imagining and subversion of the fairy-tale, as well a great take on the fantasy genre. Like science-fiction, I find fantasy to be full of pretentiousness - authors desperate to show off how creative they are put all their efforts into world-building and purple prose, neglecting their characters and narrative. The result is usually an overly-serious and stuffy story.

 Yet Stardust was refreshing and charming. There was no shortage of well-choregraphed, slapstick fights, as well as comedic characters. Robert De Niro as the effeminate pirate Captain Shakespeare is a prime example. De Niro has such a reputation for playing grizzled, old gangsters, it's difficult to imagine him as cross-dressing dame, but he did the comedy so well. He only had a supporting role, but a scene-stealing one.

Similarly, the old man (David Kelly) guarding the wall was great. He uses his staff to fiercely stop Tristan from crossing realms. Granted, he isn't very effective, but it was great slapstick all the same. And there's loads more examples of quiet humour from Lamia's youth potion wearing off leading to her hair falling out and her breasts sagging, to the king's sons committing fraticide one by one. When one of them has his throat slit, he bleeds blue blood. All of these were nice little touches.

I wish my praise could extend to Charlie Cox, but he was very bland and sappy as Tristan Thorn. Arguably, he becomes progressively more heroic, but he is still a rather dull protagonist. It's a shame as I've seen Charlie Cox in more action-oriented roles and he's very good, but he was nothing out the ordinary here. Mark Strong and Michelle Pfeiffer made great villains though. Generally, I've only seen Mark Strong in villainous roles, but he does do them so damn well.

All in all, I did enjoy Stardust. It was wonderfully creative. Yes, Charlie Cox, is sappy, but Stardust proved that fantasy does not need to be dark and serious all the time.