Night on Earth review

 Number 478 on the top 1000 films of all time is Jim Jarmusch's comedy-drama anthology 'Night on Earth.'

Night on Earth tells five vignettes of five taxi drivers and their relationships with their passengers all on the same night across five different cities: Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Rome and Helsinki.

Night on Earth was a charming film that deftly navigated a number of themes including heartbreak, connection and comedy all while getting you to care about its characters in a limited space of time. Across five different short films with all different casts, we get to see what makes us different, but more importantly the same.

The first vignette focusses on LA taxi driver Corky (Wionna Ryder.) Corky is a tomboy and has no great aspirations in life beyond being a taxi driver and a mechanic. This is in contrast with her upper-class passenger, casting director Victoria Snelling (Gena Rowlands.) Despite their differences, they form a certain rapport and understanding by the end of their journey together. Victoria even wants to cast Corky in her latest film, but Corky is happy with her current direction in life. It was a nice little insight into how we work as people. Not everybody has lofty aspirations. Some people are happy with whatever they have and that's okay.

The second vignette is probably the funniest. It follows the relationship between East German immigrant Helmut's (Armin Mueller-Stahl's) first night as a taxi driver in New York. His passenger is the loud-mouthed and obnoxious Yo-Yo (Giancarlo Esposito) who startled at Helmut's seeming incompetence decides to drive the taxi instead. The two characters could not have been more different from each other yet they embodied a brilliant odd-couple relationship. Helmut was endearing and although Yo-Yo was a bit annoying at first, he ended up being likeable too.

Our third vignette takes us to Paris where after an unnamed Ivorian taxi driver (Isaach de Bankole) abruptly turfs out two rude passengers, he accepts a new fare of a blind woman (Beatrice Dalle.) It was a pleasant enough story but largely forgettable compared to the others. Although there were a few moments of humour.

The fourth story set in Rome was probably my least favourite. It focussed on eccentric taxi driver Gino (Roberto Benigni) who after picking up a priest (Paolo Bonecelli,) proceeds to make a toe-curling confession which is almost too much for the priest to bear. Although this story was played for laughs with Benigni largely improvising, I did find it far too zany and over-the-top for my tastes. Benigni was so over-the-top, he became rather annoying.

Thankfully, we had the final Helsinki storyline as a touching palate cleanser. It focusses on Finnish taxi driver Mika (Matti Pellonpaa) who relates his tragic personal history to his drunk passengers. It was bittersweet way of ending the film, but also helped to offset some of the Night on Earth's zanier storylines. It was one of my favourite stories of the five.

Being an anthology film, naturally some of the vignettes were better than others. However, I think the film worked both as a whole and individually. I definitely recommend it.

Taxi Driver Review

You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?

Number 88 on the top 1000 films of all time is the film that made Martin Scorsesee's and Robert De Niro's careers: the neo-noir, vigilante thriller Taxi Driver.

Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a psychologically damaged Vietnam veteran living in the crime-ridden New York.  To cope with his chronic insomnia, he takes a job as a taxi driver working night, where he bears witness to the petty crime and prostitution that controls the city.  He then decides to moonlight as a vigilante so he can clean up the city.  Part of this cleaning-up process involves rescuing the under-age prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster) from the clutches of her pimp Sport (Harvey Keitel.)

This film works brilliantly as a piece of social commentary.  It's no secret that veterans, not just of VIetnam, but of any war, didn't always receive the special treatment that they deserved upon returning home.  A lot of them returned home with PTSD and some sadly killed themselves.  Although Taxi Driver doesn't explicitly focus on the Vietnam War, its effects are felt throughout.

Travis is only 26, but he feels alone and isolated in his society.  Unable to sleep, he spends a lot of his time in porn theatres and journalling.  These were both great devices to portraying Travis' alienation and his narration added a great energy to the film.

Intersecting with Travis' storyline is Iris' narrative.  I really lived this, as I felt that it was reflection of Travis' own storyarc.  Both characters have been through traumatic events and are completely lost in who they are.  To deal with their alienation, they both turn to external outlets: driving a taxi and prostitution.  But more than that, Iris, is one of the major catalysing factors in Travis' transformation.  Saving her allows him to be a hero again and break out of his alienation.

Although this film is rated as one of the greatest of all time, there were occasions where I felt a little disappointed.  Other than the film's climax, which was so bloody that Scorsesee had to desaturate the reds to get the film an R-rating, there aren't too many pay offs.  There is plenty of tension-building and allusions to violence, but not a lot of this materialised.  Rather the tension was defused with banal talking scenes, which for me made this film lacklustre and anti-climactic.

Collateral review

 Number 723 on the top 1000 films of all time is Michael Mann's 2004 neo-noir crime thriller 'Collateral.'

Max (Jamie Foxx) is an LA taxi driver with a simple dream of owning a limousine business. But his life spirals out of control when he accepts Vincent's (Tom Cruise) fare. For Vincent is a hitman who is a hitman with a number of contracts to complete.

Collateral was certainly an entertaining thriller if entirely unbelievable. Despite being a contract killer, Vincent is very careless. He exposes himself when he shoots his first victim leading to him falling out of a window onto Max's cab, partially destroying it. But surely a contract killer would be more careful than this. Vincent has hired Max to drive him around for the whole night. How is he supposed to do that when his windscreen has been near-shattered?  And they go on to put the victim's body in the trunk of the car. And they drive it around the whole night. Surely, this would attract unwanted police attention which later does happen. And Vincent even tells Max off about the dangers of unwanted attention. 

And when it comes to Vincent's final target, he (spoilers) hesitates long enough for Max to come and save a day. One, a contract killer would never hesitate like this. Two, we've seen Vincent kill remorselessly before. It made no sense for Vincent to hesitate now. Finally, he is very blaise about Max knowing his true identity. Surely, it would be in his own best interests to keep this a secret. There is less chance of Max panicking and doing something stupid. But I guess this wouldn't have made a very interesting film.

Despite these plot chasms, I did enjoy Collateral. At first, I wasn't convinced by Tom Cruise. I'm so used to seeing him as a hero that it was difficult seeing him as villain, but he was pretty damn good. Jamie Foxx was also great as Max. Max is your everyman whose whole life was turned upside down. And he goes through a very satisfying character arc from burned-out taxi driver to an unlikely hero. Foxx earned his Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Sure Collateral is unbelievable rubbish, but a film doesn't always have to be 100% believable to be entertaining.

Joker (October 2019) Review

 Having come out in October 2019, Todd Philips' Joker is too young to feature on IMDB's top 1000 films of all time, but I am sure it will feature on the next iteration of this list.

Joker provides a re-imagined origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime. It follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a mentally-ill clown and stand-up comedian who goes through a dark journey into becoming the titular Joker. We see his descent into insanity as he navigates the dark underbelly of Gotham City. Robert De Niro and Zazie Beets co-star.

I've never been a fan of superhero films. In the Marvel/DC debate, I pick neither. I tried watching the MCU, but I got bored by the Age of Ultron. I've seen fewer DC films, but that's done little to convince me of joining their side. IMDB obviously disagrees with me as the Dark Knight featured at number four and you will find the various other superhero films scattered throughout the list.

I had low expectations going into Joker; I thought it would be the usual mess of CGI, gun fights and explosions, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Joker was a masterful psychological thriller exploring what happens when you push a nice man over the edge. It is a far cry from the campy 60's Batman and Robin TV series - tonally closer to the gritty, dark world that Christopher Nolan created in his Dark Knight trilogy.

And just like Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix won a well-deserved Oscar for the role. It was a phenomenal performance, as he brought a scarily-human element to his role. His version of the Joker isn't a gangster or an anarchist, but an everyman who is pushed to his limit. He becomes a symbol for a revolution, as he inspires the down-trodden underclasses to rise up.

Considering Todd Philips is better known for his comedies like the Hangover franchise, it is impressive that he created such an intimate character study which is simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. The Joker could be any one of us. In may ways, he became a mouth piece for our deepest, most-repressed thoughts.

Critics of Joker have said that it is too derivative of previous films such as Martin Scorsesee's Taxi Driver or the King of Comedy - both of which also star Robert De Niro. However, Scorsesee certainly did not pioneer the dark, mysterious loner. I don't think Todd Philips so much ripped off Taxi Driver, as much as he was paying homage to it.

I did touch on Joaquin Phoenix before, but he gave an excellent performance, highlighting why he is one of the most versatile actors working in Hollywood today. You could argue that he should have won an Oscar before now, but Joker was certainly not a legacy win. He earned that award.

Yes, Joker has its critics, but that's only natural. As Frank Sinatra sings throughout the film: "that's life!" 

Hunted Season 3 Episode 1 Review

Hunted, the English TV show where 9 ordinary men and women go on the run from the government for 25 days, has returned to our TV screens for a third season.

I reviewed the first and second seasons, so it's only natural that I review the third season too.  But before I begin my review, let's explore the concept a little more.

As mentioned before, nine ordinary men and women from all ways of life- marketing executives, electricians, grandmas and deputy mayors, become fugitives from the British government for 25 days.  They are allowed to use any means as possible, as long as it's legal and they don't leave the British mainland.  If they escape detection for 25 days, then they will win a share of £100,000.

However, hunting them down is a crack team of government hunters headed up by former Scotland Yard Detective and perhaps the most Cockney person ever: Chief Peter Becksley.  Rounding out his vast team are Julie Clegg - an intelligence specialist, Donna Young - a behavioural Psychologist and Ben Owens a former military sniper, as well as a whole host of former police officers, hackers, techies and analysts. 

They have all of the powers of the state at their disposal from mobile tracking to ANPR to drones with thermal imaging cameras.  In the first series, 4 fugitives escaped detection and in the second series, this halved to two.  Will any fugitives make the distance in this series?

While the series cuts to all of the different fugitives teams, they also focus specifically on two to three teams per episode.  I'll be taking a similar approach, but before I begin delving into the three teams that this episode focusses on, let's quickly look at the 9 different fugitives.

Team 1: James Clark, 37, - a former firearms police officer with counter surveillance experience.

Team 2: Magid Mah, 27, Deputy Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Somalian refugee

Team 3: Sandra Canron 30, Marketing Executive and Mella Mwama, 28, full-time mother

Team 4: Robert Ayling, 60, electrician and his son Alex Ayling, 26, postman

Team 5: Joseph Appleton, 29, and Daniel Murphy, 33,

Team 6: Carlene Crowe, 67, retired college tutor

  The nine fugitives are driven in a van to St Peter's Square in Manchester, where they all bail out and immediately go on the run, with no chance to plan their escape.  This episode focusses on Magid, the Aylings and Carlene Crowe and we see little of the other teams. 

We see James Clark being pursued by the Hunters' helicopter through Manchester city centre and struggling to remain calm.  He gets in a taxi to Salford, where he is last seen.  From there, we jump to Joseph Appleton and Daniel Murphy who get a taxi away from Manchester city centre.  Sandra and Mella go for a similar tactic, getting a taxi to Preston, with the intentions of roughing it.

Where all of the fugitives are in non-distinctive black clothing, Magid is in a noticeable blue coat.  This meant that he stood out like a sore thumb and he immediately gained the attention of the Hunters.  Magid ducks into a Subway and some of the Hunters wonder whether he has already screwed up, but the wilier ones think he is setting a trap.  And that's exactly what he's doing.  He takes off his blue coat and gives it to a stranger who reluctantly agrees to wear it and then leave the store, as a decoy.  While this is happening, Magid asks whether he could leave out of the back exit, which he isn't allowed to do.

Meanwhile, the decoy leaves the store and the Hunters takes a few seconds to realise that it isn't Magid.  The decoy has a different build, but, more importantly, he isn't the same rushed, panicked person, which ran into the Subway store.  However, these few seconds they spent concluding this was enough time for Magid to give the Hunters the slip.  We last see Majid trekking through the forests.

From here, we go onto Carlene Crowe, a 67 year old retired college tutor and grandmother.  She's competing in Hunted, so she can have one last adventure, but also to prove that age shouldn't be any barrier, and I applaud this goal.  I think, as society, we do tend to write off the over-60's as weak and feeble, which is far from the truth. 

She begins her escape in a very different way to the other fugitives.  While the rest of them are scrambling to safety, she calmly walks out of the van, which is a smart way of doing things.  Obviously, running brings a lot of attention to yourself and, by walking, Carlene was able to blend into the crowd more effectively.  But she also chose to walk, as she was too dignified to run. 

She then makes her way to Manchester coach station, where she intends to get a coach to Milton Keynes.  With CCTV at their disposal, the Hunters quickly spot her and identify the coach she is travelling on.  But Carlene continues to play it smart by putting on a disguise.  She dons a silver wig and puts her big rucksack into a carrier bag.  Continuing to play it cool, she boards the coach.  Although the Hunters have CCTV in the coach station, they're unable to get a positive ID on Carlene.  Amusingly, just by coincidence, there is a passenger wearing a massive sombrero, but the Hunters quickly rule this person out.

Unsure of whether Carlene is on the coach or not, the Hunters decide to risk it and send a ground team to intercept her coach in Milton Keynes.  And this is where after beginning well, Carlene begins to make mistakes.  She starts talking to another coach passenger, telling him her name and giving him her mobile number.  Mistake number 1: never trust anybody on the run.  She then begins to worry that the Hunters might be waiting for her at Milton Keynes and asks the coach driver whether they could bypass Milton Keynes and instead go straight onto London.  As the driver doesn't have any pickups or dropoffs, he agrees and they continue to London.

This was another clever tactic, which helped to throw the Hunters off the trail, although they quickly recover and continue pursuing the coach to London, with the intention to intercept it at Marble Arch.  Carlene's coach stops at Marble Arch and she departs it without any real strategy, while also continuing to wear her disguise.  She dithers a little, before deciding to get a taxi.  While she is nonchalantly walking off, the Hunters spot her and quickly catch her.

This was a sad end to what was an early favourite for me.  Carlene reminded me a lot off Nick Cummings, winner of the second series.  Nick was your stereotypical, bumbling Englishman who started as the joke contestant, but finished as anything but.  Just like Carlene, he was endearing and had a warmth that made him completely likeable.

However, unlike Nick, Carlene was perhaps too nonchalant throughout.  She made a mistake by boarding a coach, which the Hunters could easily intercept.  And while the disguise was a clever move, she should have taken it off, after she left the coach.  The Hunters knew to look out for it.  Finally, she should have had a plan when leaving the coach.  The few seconds she spent dithering was enough for the Hunters to catch her.

Anyway, onto the final team of fugitives: Robert and Alex Ayling.  This father and son team are also early favourites for me, because of their evidently strong relationship.  As a child, Alex was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and as such has low-self confidence.  When looking at his Facebook page, Hunter, Donna Young, a psychologist, notices he has posted lots of imagery relating to failed relationships, depression and struggling to face the outside world.

However, Robert is the polar opposite of this.  Robert is your typical happy-go-lucky, Jack-the-Lad, man's man type.  Despite their differences, Robert is fiercely protective of his son, claiming that he is competing in Hunted, not for the money, but for Alex.  Robert wants Alex to realise that he is more confident and intelligent than he gives himself credit for.

While the Aylings aim to win, the Hunters are not going to make things easy for them.  They immediately start tracking Lynne Aylings (Alex's mother) phone, as well as the Aylings' bank account.  This was a smart tactic, which already led cracks to form.  Robert goes to an ATM to withdraw money and quickly becomes flustered and panicked, when it begins to play up.  They then get a taxi to Wilmslow with the intention of heading to the Peak District via the countryside. 

While in the Peak District, they stumble across a tiny, unlocked parish church, where they begin making serious blunders.  Worried about running low on samples, they decide to call Lynne, so that she can deliver more equipment.  They call her on a pre-pay, burner phone, thinking the Hunters won't be able to detect this.  This is a grave mistake, as the Hunters can track anything which gives off an electrical signal, and thus, they hear the entire conversation, including when Alex tells his mum his exact location and what road to take to get there.

Although, the Hunters are suspicious of this being a decoy, they take it at face value and dispatch a team to intercept them.  The Aylings then become heavily worried that they've turned themselves into "absolute fucking sitting ducks," to quote Robert Ayling, (which they have) and debate whether to leave the church or not.

Meanwhile, the Hunters have dispatched a ground team and their remote-controlled drone.  However, when they arrive, they find that the Aylings have already left, leaving behind some snacks and water and a taunting note reading "cheers.  Don't look too hard." While, it might be tempting to taunt your Hunters like this, I can't help, but think that you're going to need this food later.

The Hunters do not take this taunt lightly and release their most terrifying weapon: a remote-controlled drone with a thermal-imaging camera.  The episode ends with the drone having potentially spotted the Aylings.  We won't know whether they've been caught until next week.

So, one day into it, and one fugitive has already been caught: Carlene Crowe, but with eight fugitives left, perhaps we'll have multiple winners yet again.

Top Tips for going on the run:

1. Always change disguises: Carlene Crowe went wrong, as she didn't remove her first disguise.

2. Always have a plan.  Carlene also went wrong by not having a clear strategy.  You cannot wing this.

3.  DON'T PHONE HOME.  I feel like I say this every series and this moment had me screaming at the TV.  And if you have to phone home, then don't say your exact location and the route there.

The Fifth Element Review

 Number 669 on the top 1000 films of all time is Luc Besson's 1997 science-fiction action film 'The Fifth Element.'

Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a former army major and now taxi driver in 23rd century Earth. He receives an unexpected fare when Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) falls through the roof of his cab. It is revealed that she is the fifth element needed to safeguard the survival of the human race against an evil alien entity hell-bent on destroying the Earth. It's up to Dallas to bring her and the four other elements together before the planet is attacked. Ian Holm, Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker all co-star.

Luc Besson had a very specific vision when he created The Fifth Element. Rather than emulating the dingy, techno-dystopias of Blade Runner, he wanted a bright, vibrant and colourful world. That's why The Fifth Element has such eye-popping visuals and off-beat humour. In many ways, it seemed like a low-budget, science-fiction B-movie. Even for the 90's the special effects didn't look great. 

Rather than being depressing and downbeat, everything was over-the-top. And that's why I didn't like the film very much. Bruce Willis was just Bruce Willis. Korben Dallas was not unlike John Mclane - just another wise-cracking ex-military guy who becomes an unlikely hero. He certainly didn't bring anything other than a cheesy energy to the part. I don't think he had much chemistry with Milla Jovovich. 

And if we're talking about cheesiness, let's mention Chris Tucker. His performance has been divisive to say the least. Some critics liked him others hated him. I am in the latter category. He was so over-the-top to be completely annoying. Every time he was on screen I rolled my eyes. His character was just ridiculously loud and obnoxious. I guess he was supposed to be a comic relief character of sorts, but I didn't find him very funny.

I was also very disappointed with Gary Oldman. He played the film's villain Jean-Baptise Emanuel Zorg - an industrialist pawn working for the entity that wants to destroy Earth. But Oldman wasn't particularly villainous or scary or malevolent. He had no threat to his character. Perhaps that was because of how he spoke with a rather inconsistent Southern American drawl or he was just as over-the-top as Chris Tucker. It was very difficult to take Zorg seriously as a villain. His performance was a far cry from his excellent effort in Leon: the Professional - also directed by Luc Besson.

The film's saving grace was Milla Jovovich who was very charming as the eponymous fifth element Leeloo. She brought a great chaotic energy to the role, as well as a lot of humour. And unlike Chris Tucker, she was actually funny.

Overall, I wasn't impressed by the Fifth Element. From its b-film visuals to its over-the-top performances, it wasn't for me at all.

Braveheart Review

They may take our lives, but they may never take our FREEDOM!

Yes I know.  How could I have lived 21 years without seeing the masterpiece that is Braveheart? Don't worry, as of October 15th, I have now watched the 89th film on the top 1000 films of all time.

Braveheart focuses on the historical figure of William Wallace (Mel Gibson) a 13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First Scottish War of Independence against King Edward "Longshanks" (Patrick Mcgoohan gave a great performance of the cruel ruler) of England, after Wallace's wife is executed by the English.

After I watch films, I tend to read about them on IMDB and it was on IMDB that I learnt that Braveheart is less than historically accurate, despite being based on a number of real-life events.  Although, I don't think that this is a problem.  Sure there were a number of historical inconsistencies, but there weren't any big enough to detract from the entertainment value of the film.  It doesn't claim to be a documentary, but an epic war-drama and on that front I think it works well.  

Firstly, I'd like to address the film's three hour long run-time.  3 hours is a long time for any film and rarely have I watched a three hour film and not gotten bored or been praying for it to end: with The Godfather being an exception.  However, I think that Braveheart was paced very well.  Unlike other three hour films, where I've watched them in two halves, I watched Braveheart in one sitting.  I felt engaged throughout and the thought of turning it off and watching the rest in the morning never crossed my mind.

There's no doubt that Braveheart is a tragedy and if you know how things worked out for the real-life William Wallace (not well,) this makes it even more tragic.  William Wallace was undoubtedly a tragic hero and his devotion to his cause still rings true today, especially with all of the modern-day wars of independence.  Gibson portrays Wallace as an emblem of stoic masculinity going to war to avenge his murdered wife and then to gain freedom for his country.  His journey is one that is chartered well with his motivations clearly established early and his development into a darker, more uncompromising character was great to watch.  Wallace is an empathetic hero and the dedication he shows to his country is enough to instil patriotic feelings in anyone.

However, Wallace isn't alone in his journey.  He is surrounded by a number of his lieutenants who all serve not only as comic relief but also to showcase the loyalty that these men show each other.  His four lieutenants include his childhood best friend Hamish (Brendan Gleeson) Hamish's father Elder Campbell (James Cosmo) the mad Irishman Stephen (David O'Hara) and Morrison (Tommy Flanagan) whose wife was the first victim of Primae Noctis.  Whilst Hamish's father and Morrison sadly, but rightly die in battle, Hamish and Stephen survive until the end.  It was heart-breaking to watch them see Wallace's torture and execution and not be able to do anything about it.

As a war film, Braveheart works well.  The battle sequences are brilliantly choreographed and are understandably brutal.  War by its very nature is violent and for it to be portrayed in any other way would be insulting to those who fought in it.  A criticism I had of the last film I reviewed: Taxi Driver was that there was too much tension-building and not enough pay-out.  The same can't be said for Braveheart.  I think that the battle sequences were entertaining and satisfactory payloads to all of the tension-building.

Filmed on location in Scotland, but also partially in Ireland, the cinematography is gorgeous with the rugged landscape adding in another element to the film.  Finally, I have to discuss the great soundtrack.  Composed by James Horner and the London Symphony Orchestra, the main theme tune is uplifting, sad, moving and patriotic all at the same time.  It is used throughout during the film adding a great power to some of the film's most crucial sequences.  

Listen for yourselves

So as I said before, if you're looking for an accurate historical retelling, Braveheart probably isn't the film for you.  It makes fast and loose with a lot of the details of the time, so if you want something closer to the truth, then try reading The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace' (aka 'The Wallace'), by a minstrel known as Blind Harry, which was Randall Wallace's main inspiration in writing this film.  Watch this film for an entertaining, moving story about a man who wanted nothing more than for his country to have freedom.

The King of Comedy review

 Number 556 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsesee's black-comedy film 'The King of Comedy.'

Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) is an up-and-coming stand-up comedian. He wants nothing more than to be a world-wide comedy star. After a chance encounter with successful comedian and talk-show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) which results in Pupkin being invited onto his show, Pupkin then develops a dangerous obsession with the comedy star.

In 2019, Todd Philipps made Joker with Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role. Upon release, it was instantly compared to the King of Comedy and with good reason. Both main characters are paranoid comedians. Both have Robert De Niro, although in Joker, he is playing the Jerry Lewis role. And both films were absolutely terrific.

Just like Arthur Fleck in Joker, Rupert Pupkin is a dangerously unreliable narrator. How much can you trust anything he says? He goes through the film in a paranoid delusion believing that he is Jerry Langford's' best friend when that is far from the case at all. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I wonder whether Rupert met Langford at all or whether it was just another paranoid delusion. Either way, it was a great comment on society's obsession with celebrity culture that has always existed.

And that leads me to Jerry Lewis' perfect casting as Jerry Langford. As one half of the iconic Martin and Lewis partnership, you can't imagine anyone else playing one of the US' greatest comedians. Or rather I should say a disaffected comedian who no longer has the patience for crazed fans.

Speaking of crazed fans, that brings us to Robert De Niro who, in some ways, played a similar role to his earlier Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Both men were dangerously unhinged, but Pupkin was all too believable. De Niro was convincing as the crazy superfan who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He was the literal embodiment of every toxic fandom ever.

I thoroughly enjoyed the King of Comedy. The lead actors were great and I loved the delicious dramatic irony. One of Scorsesee's best films for sure.

Roman Holiday review

 Number 230 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1953 romantic-comedy Roman Holiday.

Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is just completing her European tour in Rome. Sick of her diplomatic assignments she runs away for a night of fun. Enter hard-nosed journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) who has been tasked with getting an exclusive interview with the princess but ends up falling in love with her.

Some have labelled Roman Holiday as one of the most romantic films of all time. I did enjoy it a lot, but I wouldn't go that far. I don't think there was enough conflict or tension running through the film. We see Ann and Joe scootering around Rome in a love-filled daze until it inevitably comes crashing down at the film's conclusion. But it might have been nice to see more worry and doubt throughout the film. We certainly saw the highs, but we also should have seen the lows. We needed that contrast.

Character-driven films like these rely on the strength of their two leads. And Hepburn and Peck were both good considering this was Hepburn's breakout role and Peck's first foray into comedy. He did very well with the comedy especially the physical comedy. At times the comedy descended into farce and incredulity, particularly the fight scene on the boat. Although perhaps I am unfairly judging it from my modern-standard. 

But there were still plenty of great supporting characters like Bradley's photographer friend Irving, Bradley's boss and all the small Italian roles especially the taxi driver at the film's beginning.

Is Roman Holiday an entertaining, fun romantic comedy? Yes. Is it one of the best romances of all time? No.

Awakenings Review

 Number 575 on the top 1000 films of all time is Penny Marshall's 1990 drama 'Awakenings.'

Dr Malcolm Sayer (Robin Williams) is a researcher at a hospital in the Bronx. He has a whole contingent of catatonic patients including Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro.) Dr Sayer begins treating Leonard and the others with an experimental drug. While the results are initially promising, things start to quickly go wrong.

I've seen Robert De Niro in a number of roles from taxi driver to gangster to boxer to cross-dressing pirate, but Leonard has to be his best role. Leonard is a character who has been catatonic for the last thirty years. Upon his awakening, he has to relearn how to walk, speak and function as everybody else does. He even becomes a Randle McMurphy character when he tries to gain more rights and freedoms for he and his fellow patients. In some sense, he almost acts as their Messiah.

Leonard is an empowering character and, despite his many disabilities, is never one to be pitied. And all of this is down to De Niro's excellent portrayal. He brought humanity and vulnerability to a role that could have been little more than a gross caricature. But he was also brave enough to show the severity of Leonard's Parkinson's. Rather than shy away, he embraced the role. And he forced the audience to realise how badly people like Leonard suffer. 

It took courage to play a character like Leonard. Penny Marshall was equally courageous to direct such a film. I work with the mentally ill and I know how terrifying they can seem for some people. They function as an uncomfortable reminder of our own mortality. It is all too tempting to lock these people away. Out of sight. Out of mind.

Speaking of courage, we have to talk about Robin Williams as the brave Dr Sayer who never gave up on his patients. For a comedic actor, he does drama damn well. He deserves just as much praise as De Niro. In fact, I was surprised that only De Niro received an Oscar nod. They surely both deserved Oscar nominations.

Nevertheless, this was a triumphant film that tells a very brave story. Just because somebody has a mental illness doesn't mean they should be treated as any less of a person.

After Hours review

 Number 625 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsesee's 1985 black-comedy 'After Hours.'

Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is an office worker trying to get home from Manhattan's Soho district. However, a series of misadventures makes this task more difficult than it sounds.

What do you think when you think of a Martin Scorsesee film? Endless swear words? Gangster flicks? Robert De Niro? I bet you wouldn't think of this 1980's black-comedy. Compared to the likes of Raging Bull or Taxi Driver, it's definitely not as explosive or well-known.

It was definitely one of his zaniest, most-off-the-wall films with plenty of off-beat humour to keep the plot running along nicely. The premise is simple enough: an office worker desperate to get home keeps coming up against increasingly outlandish barriers. Yes, the film does stray into the world of absurdist fiction, but you're willing to suspend your disbelief.

It helps that you had Griffin Dunne who gave Paul Hackett an everyman quality, which kept the film grounded. He was in a relatable situation; I'm sure there are many of us have had desperate journeys trying to get home after a late night. I certainly have, although I haven't remained as affable as Paul did, despite everything happening to him.

It certainly might not be as memorable as the Departed, but it might be a nice palette-cleanser after Scorsesee's more violent efforts like Gangs of New York. Either way, this is one of Scorsesee's more overlooked efforts with a great ending that brought everything full-circle.

The Wide Window Review

The Bad Beginning Review

The Reptile Room Review

Dear Reader,

when we like to read reviews of our favourite television shows or movies, we like to see what others think.  However, I find it difficult to believe that A Series of Unfortunate Events is anybody's favourite television show, as it focuses on the Baudelaire orphans who encounter much misfortune in their lives.  In this challenging chronicle, they meet a relative who's scared of everything, Violently Ferocious Dreadful leeches, a powerful hurricane and peppermints.  I have no idea why would you want to read a review of such thing, so I implore you to be please click off this screen now.

The Wide Window begins in classic A Series of Unfortunate Events form with a parody of a news report informing the viewer of everything that has happened so far.  The news anchors then hand over to Lemony Snicket, (Patrick Warburton) who introduces the current story to the audience.  The Baudelaire orphans have arrived on the shores of Lake Lachrymose to stay with their latest relative, Aunt Josephine (Alfre Woodard.) Aunt Josephine has a nervous disposition - a phrase which here means that "she is absolutely afraid of everything, from being electrocuted by the telephone to having the stove burst into flames if it is turned one." Aunt Josephine is also a complete grammar Nazi - a phrase which here means "somebody who takes complete delight in correcting somebody's grammar." I'll discuss Woodard's excellent performance later, but for now, I'll just say that she did a great job as Aunt Josephine.  She was hilarious without being over the top.  All of her little nervous ticks and twitches did well to enhance her character.

Whilst the Baudelaires are becoming acquainted with Aunt Josephine, we also learn much more about "Mother" (Cobie Smulders) and "Father." (Will Arnett) We find out that they are indeed husband and wife, proving my theory that they were Kit and Jacques Snicket, unquestionably wrong.  However, beyond this, we don't know much.  They are no longer in Peru, but ready to fly a Cessna back home.

At the same time, we also find out that the Baudelaires have an unknown friend in the form of Larry the Waiter who works at the Anxious Clown restaurant.  He also appears to be part of the mysterious organisation that the Baudelaire parents and Uncle Monty were part of.  The scenes with Larry contain important world-building, as we find out that he has deep ties to Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris) who has tracked the Baudelaires to Lake Lachrymose and has set up base in the Anxious Clown restaurant.  Whilst Larry was in the books, he was nothing more than a waiter, so I am interested in how he has been elevated to such an important role.  I am also intrigued at the further development of the secret organisation V.F.D.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Baudelaires also discover that Aunt Josephine is also connected to V.F.D, having known the Baudelaire parents and Uncle Monty for a long time.  However, we don't find out anymore, as Aunt Josephine refuses to speak anymore about it.  Instead, she goes shopping, to ensure that her and the Baudelaires have enough food to last Hurricane Herman.  Whilst she is away, the Baudelaires sneak around and find a photo of Uncle Monty, "Mother" and "Father," another couple next to them, Aunt Josephine and Larry the waiter, all standing in front of Lucky Smells Lumbermill.  I think that the unnamed couple standing next to "Mother" and "Father" are the Baudelaire parents and "Mother" and "Father" are simply red herrings.

Aunt Josephine returns to the house bringing back none other than Captain Sham, whom is really Count Olaf in disguise.  Whilst the Baudelaires instantly see through his disguise, Aunt Josephine falls for him "hook, line and sinker" - a phrase which here has nothing to do with fishing, but means that Aunt Josephine was completely fooled by Count Olaf.  Here, I find myself agreeing with Zach Handlen of A.V Club's comments concerning Aunt Josephine being so utterly tricked.  He argues that "the death of her beloved husband, Ike, has made her a shell of her former self," which I think makes sense.  It was odd that Uncle Monty was fooled by Count Olaf's disguise, despite how he was well-trained in espionage and secret disguises and codes.  

However, Ike's death has left Aunt Josephine so hurt and lonely that I think it makes perfect sense that she would fall for Captain Sham, in spite of how she received similar training to Uncle Monty, to the extent that she knew Olaf in a past life.  This also goes back to Woodard's great performance who portrayed Josephine as sympathetic, but also quite pitiful.  It's easy to feel sorry for her.  What I find is a bit weird is that Captain Sham, uses a lot of nautical slang, which Aunt Josephine doesn't seem to have a problem with.  Sure, she corrects the "it's/its" error on his business card, but she is perfectly okay with the rest of Captain Sham's grammatically incorrect speech.

However, Aunt Josephine doesn't live long to realise her mistake, as she kills herself, leaving the Baudelaires in the care of Captain Sham, which she writes in her suicide note.  SPOILER ALERT: she's not actually dead.  "Not Yet," anyway, as Lemony Snicket states, concluding the first part of the episode.  As far as first parts go, I'm not sure how keen I was on this one.  A lot of it seemed like just set-up and preparation for the second half.  Maybe it'd've been nicer, if we actually saw more things occurring.

Anyway, moving onto part 2, which opens on the hapless banker Mr Poe (K. Todd Pressman) coming to collect the Baudelaires to take them to brunch with Captain Sham, so that they can finalise the adoption proceedings.  As usual, Mr Poe refuses to believe the Baudelaires when they state that Captain Sham is really Count Olaf in disguise, and takes them to the Anxious Clown for lunch.  This is where we get one of the funnier scenes of the episode, as we see Larry the Clown desperately trying to help the Baudelaires, whilst Count Olaf's troupe keep a watchful eye on him.  Even though they don't really do too much in this episode, it's always great seeing them as an ensemble, which is where they work best.  Having said that, Larry is about as much use as Jacquelyn really.  He buys the Baudelaires sometime through feeding them peppermints, which they're allergic too, but doesn't do a whole lot else.

Whilst Mr Poe and Captain Sham stay in the Anxious Clown, the Baudelaires return to Aunt Josephine's home to figure out the real mystery that is happening.  A task not made easy by the fact that Hurricane Herman is now in full force.  However, this does little to deter the savvy Klaus, who soon deduces that Aunt Josephine left a secret code in her suicide note, revealing that she is alive and is hiding in Curdled Cave.  Klaus determines this just as Hurricane Herman begins to buffet the house and I'd agree with Zach Handlen, that this was one of the more unbelievable moments of the show.  

Yes, I know that a Series of Unfortunate Events is supposed to be Absurdist fiction, but when you see Klaus doing a ridiculous feet and the house rocking back and forth on its foundations, the boundaries of this genre are pushed a bit far.  Aunt Josephine's house is built on the edge of the cliff, which Hurricane Herman threatens to topple, before conveniently righting it, allow the Baudelaires enough time to escape.  All a bit too much for me.

Anyway, the Baudelaires then steal a sailboat to sail across Lake Lachrymose to rescue Aunt Josephine, leading to another great scene, involving Lemony Snicket.  In a brilliant lampooning of the "don't try this at home," messages, Snicket implores viewers to "don't steal sailboats and sail them across a lake in a hurricane," yet Warburton's voice is so full of exasperation, that it's implied that anybody who is stupid enough to do this, deserves any consequences they receive.

The Baudelaires reach Curdled Cave, where they find Aunt Josephine who reveals that Count Olaf forced her to write that note and told her to kill herself.  However, two things here don't match up for me.  Firstly, why would Count Olaf rely on Aunt Josephine to commit suicide, and not do the job himself? We know that he is perfectly capable of killing, so it is a bit strange that he wouldn't murder Josephine and have everyone else think it was a suicide.  Secondly, it is also a bit odd, that a woman too afraid to use a telephone, in case she is electrocuted, would be brave enough to defy a villain like Count Olaf, by faking her death and leaving a hidden code.

As the Baudelaires and Aunt Josephine are returning over Lake Lachrymose, they are attacked by the Lachrymose Leeches.  They escape their near predicament through Violet's ingenuity, but also by "Mother" and "Father" who happen to be flying their Cessna over Lake Lachrymose.  Violet has the idea of signalling for attention by creating a fire.  She tries to light a scarf on fire by refracting the beam of the Lighthouse through a spyglass, but the angle is wrong.  As "Mother" and "Father" fly past and observe what is happening through a pair of binoculars, the light first hits the binoculars, before hitting the spyglass, which is enough to set the scarf alight.  I didn't like this, as it is reminiscent of Deux Ex Machina - a Latin phrase which translates as the Machine of God, and has gone to signify an external device, which saves the protagonist at the last minute - a writing device that Snicket lampoons heavily in the later books.  I think it very much undermined Violet's Fabulously Delightful inventing ability.  It would have been better if she had set the scarf aflame without any external help whatsoever.

Anyway, the Baudelaires' signal attracts the attention of Captain Sham who rescues them in his signal boat.  The Baudelaires confront Captain Sham on his nefarious plot, claiming that they went to rescue Josephine, so that she can tell everybody the truth about what happened.  Josephine then exhibits incredible bravery by standing up to Captain Sham, confronting him on all of the evil he has committed.  However, this is all to little avail, as Captain Sham pushes her overboard to the leeches.  I have less of a problem with the courage that Josephine exhibits here, as it isn't as nearly sudden or abrupt.  It is made obvious that she has been inspired by the bravery of the Baudelaires.

Captain Sham takes the Baudelaires to shore, where they meet Mr Poe.  Just as it looks like the orphans will be adopted by Captain Sham, Sunny bites through his wooden peg leg, exposing him as Count Olaf.  As Mr Poe begins arguing with Count Olaf, the Baudelaires sneak into the back of a truck which is heading towards Lucky Smells Lumbermill.  This is another major deviation from the book series, but it is an intriguing development, and I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here.

V.F.D and Literary References

1. One of the News Anchors is called Vincent Fig Demetrios.

2. Damocles Dock, which serves Lake Lachrymose is named after the figure in Greek Mythology.

3. The taxi driver that takes the Baudelaires to Aunt Josephine's house espouses a literary analysis of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, and of course, Hurricane Herman, is named after Herman Melville.

4. When Aunt Josephine is shopping for food, we see one market trader crying out "Very Fresh Dill."

5. Aunt Josephine admits that her choice to leave the hidden code and fake her own death was a "Very Frightening Decision."

6. The Baudelaires quote Haruki Marukami concluding the second part of The Wide Window:

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”