Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow is based upon Hiroshi Sakurazaka book All You Need Is Kill, from 2004 and it's a shame that the movie did not retain that title. Edge of Tomorrow is a somewhat bland and generic moniker. Mercifully the film itself is a cut above your usual blockbuster Sci-fi release. The screenplay written by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Jez Butterworth (Jerusalem) offers a tight and gripping narrative which quickly establishes its premise and makes it continuously engaging. Dubbed "Groundhog D-Day" by certain pundits, the story of history repeating itself is presented in such a fashion as to be intriguing rather than repetitive.
Vigilante (1985)
William Lustig, a director of low budget exploitation films, has a small but distinguished back catalogue. His 1983 foray into the revenge sub-genre is a curious beast but certainly not without merit. Far less sensational than The Exterminator or Death Wish II, it is still a stark and grimy look at urban crime and its impact on working class neighbourhoods. It is the minimalist style of Vigilante, along with parallel storylines and complete lack of moral judgement that makes it a surprisingly better film than it first appears. Considering the violent nature of the story the film is rather restrained, yet does includes a rather unpleasant child murder. Although not graphic, it is somewhat shocking. Such material would be handled a lot differently these days.
Death Wish 3 (1985)
Michael Winner’s Death Wish (1974) was a gritty urban vigilante tale about how every-man Paul Kersey, took on the rising tide of crime that swept New York at the time. Despite its sensationalist style the film struck a topical nerve upon release and fared well at the box office. Featuring a strong central performance by Charles Bronson, Death Wish improved the standing of both its director and star. Death Wish II (1982) was a far more exploitative sequel, choosing to dwell on the violence rather than ponder the nature of vigilanteism. Its lurid rape scenes remain controversial to this day.
Dracula (1958)
Following the 2012 restored release of The Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer, Icon Film Distribution and Lionsgate jointly produced a Blu-ray restoration of another British classic. This time it was the 1958 version of Dracula directed by Terence Fisher. This is one of Hammer's finest films and not only gets a superb High Definition transfer but also sees the restoration of two lost scenes. Dracula literally re-invented the horror genre and the depiction of vampires in film. It also established the studio as a key player within the industry and made international stars of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. This new restoration finally does justice to the source material presenting it as it deserves to be seen.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
The 2012 Blu-ray release of Hammer Studio's The Curse of Frankenstein is a visual delight. The use of Eastman colour and the outstanding cinematography by Jack Asher are sumptuous and the new restoration does the film justice. This unique British horror movie introduced a new visceral style and brooding quality to the genre back in 1957. Despite a modest budget the creative production design evokes a truly Gothic horror atmosphere. The studio also introduced graphic violence along with a strong undercurrent of sexuality. These lurid aspects of the film proved particularly successful with the post war audience and became an integral part of the marketing campaign.
Fire in the Sky (1993)
After recently watching Communion, I decided to explore the alien abduction genre a little further. There are a lot of movies based on these phenomena but most are very poor. Then I remembered Fire in the Sky from 1993; a movie that got quite a lot of publicity at the time of its release and gained a reputation for being a quality drama rather than a low budget cash-in. So I dutifully watched it to see if it warranted the minor cult status it seems to have acquired. I was pleasantly surprised to find an interesting movie with good performances that took the material in a direction I hadn't entirely expected.
Communion (1989)
Ambiguous is a very good word to describe the movie Communion. As are nebulous, circumspect, vague, inconclusive and confusing. However that is the entire point of the film. It doesn't provide a definitive answer because to this day, author Whitley Strieber, who's personal experiences the movie is based on, doesn't have one. Was he abducted? If so by whom and for what reason? Who can say? Communion is not so much a study of the abduction phenomenon but more of an exploration of coming to terms with an unquantifiable experience. There is a strong religious subtext to the proceedings as the title implies. Strieber did not automatically assume that the "visitors" were extraterrestrial and has been very careful to use neutral terms to describe them.
The Soldier (1982)
The Soldier is a curious beast. This independently financed action film from the early eighties draws on Cold War themes and features sub Bond exploits, endeavouring to punch above its weight. It also had one of those trailers that really over sold the film. You know the kind. One that showed all the best action sequences and implied that there was a lot more content of that kind in the movie . The marketing also made a big deal about Klaus Kinski's, blink and you'll miss him, cameo. I remember the promotion of the film in my local video store during my teenage years. Specifically the high expectations I had (the director's previous movies was The Exterminator) and how the film never quite lived up to them. I wanted to like it so much but even back then it was clear that the movie was lacking.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
The Outlaw Josey Wales is often hailed as the last great western from the golden era of the genre. As a child when I first saw the movie, I failed to appreciate its subtleties, having been raised on a more traditional diet of movies from this genre such as El Dorado. It has only been in more recent years that I have revised my opinion of this finely crafted piece of cinema. It is radically different from the much of Clint Eastwood's earlier work and most certainly displays a quality in his film making that was not apparent previously.
The Time Machine (2002)
I never got round to seeing The Time Machine during its initial release. The marketing at the time placed a lot of significance upon the fact that the director, Simon Wells, was H G Wells grandson. This made me somewhat suspicious because apart from novelty value, this really has no bearing on the movie in any real capacity. Finally having finally watched the film, my immediate conclusion is that it falls between two stools. The Time Machine starts as a romantic drama and then later on tries to re-assert itself as an action driven adventure. Unfortunately it does not commit fully to either, resulting in a rather odd, melancholy film.
The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
I discovered The Ultimate Warrior via an anecdote my Father told me, about a film that he had once seen in which "Telly Savalas got paid in cigars". I was somewhat flummoxed at the time but after a little research it became apparent that he meant Robert Clouse' 1975 science fiction movie. I finally got to see The Ultimate Warrior for myself in the late eighties on satellite. Turns out it was Yul Brynner and not Telly Savalas but it’s easy to get such iconic seventies slapheads confused. He was spot on about the payment in cigars though.
The Medusa Touch (1978)
The Medusa Touch is a paranormal thriller based on the novel by Peter Van Greenaway. It has been one of my favourite films since I first saw it on TV in the mid-eighties. It left a lasting impression upon my young mind with its very British sense of style and narrative understatement. Being a joint British and French co-production some interesting changes were made to the original story to suit an international audience. The British Police Inspector from the book becomes a French Officer (played by Lino Ventura) on administrative exchange. The gender of the psychiatrist Zondfield also changes from male to female to accommodate American actress Lee Remick. The screenplay also reduces the role of the church in the storyline and updates several topical references.
Them! (1954)
Although the realities of the nuclear age where far from pleasant, for Hollywood it was a source of box office gold. Never mind radiation poisoning, cancer and birth defects; the atomic age was good for business. It meant super powers, mutations and giant big monsters. Such terrors offered a clumsy metaphor for the dangers of atomic energy and a source of terror, thrills and drama on the big screen. Them! was one of the first movies in this idiom and became a blueprint for the genre that followed in its wake. Featuring a colony of out sized ants, that initially terrorise New Mexico but eventually migrate to Los Angeles, Them! leaves a trail of destruction and dead B actors in its wake.
Rolling Thunder (1977)
Incarcerated in a POW camp for eight years during the Vietnam War, Major Charles Rane returns back home as a national hero and is awarded a silver dollar for every day of his ordeal. Despite the positive press coverage of a returning hero, the reality is far different. Alienated from his family and institutionalised, he sleeps in the garage unable to adjust to normal life. An attack by criminals seeking the silver dollars leaves him maimed and his wife and son dead. He survives the ordeal and seeks revenge, knowing that it will bring him no peace or serve any purpose. It is simply the only option he has.
The Captains (2011)
The Captains is a curious beast. If you’re expecting a traditional documentary where Bill Shatner simply indulges in a standard Q & A with other actors that have portrayed captains within the Star Trek franchise, then you will be disappointed. The Captains is a horse of a different colour entirely. Throughout its ninety minute duration, this documentary veers from personal reflections on acting, muses upon the nature of fame and even touches upon contemplating one’s own mortality. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting and was subsequently a far more rewarding experience.
Wild Geese II (1985)
The fortune of British film producer Euan Lloyds took a turn for the worst after the success of The Wild Geese in 1978. Both his subsequent movies The Sea Wolves and Who Dares Wins were critical failures and subject to diminished box office returns. Therefore Wild Geese II was conceived in hope that a new addition to the franchise would prove financially successful and restore Mr. Lloyd’s reputation as a top British producer. Former Bond director, Peter Hunt, was brought on board to oversee the proceedings, along with original star Richard Burton. The screenplay was again by Reginald Rose and soundtrack composed by Roy Budd.
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints desperately tries to be an instant cult classic, throwing in everything bar the kitchen sink to try and grasp that niche market status. However, Bubba Ho-Tep succeeds effortlessly with just an idea. The insanely plotted comedy horror, in which an ageing Elvis Presley battles an Mummy with help from former President John F Kennedy, strikes the right balance between satire and the ludicrous nature of its own premise. Horror-icon and underrated character actor Bruce Campbell gives an outstanding performance as "The King", spending his twilight years in the Shady Rest Convalescence Home. After the initial set up it’s not long be the audience is regaled with soul sucking cadavers, outsized insects and Elvis doing karate.
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
Gender representation in movies is a thorny issue at present. Certainly all male ensemble casts are a rarity these days. 12 Angry Men and John Carpenter's The Thing are two examples that spring to mind but by and large Hollywood still favours broad gender representation (if not equal status) for reasons of pure box office. However the all male cast of The Flight of the Phoenix simply reflects that nature of the oil industry at the time of filming and is not in any way a political statement. The absence of any romantic sub plot or any kind of sexual dynamics, allows the narrative to focus clearly on the theme of survival along and the psychological and emotional side effects.
Right at Your Door (2006)
I saw Right at Your Door upon its UK release in late 2006 and was impressed with the scope of the movie and the way it handled such an imposing subject matter. At the time the director Chris Gorak was still looking for a US distributor, which was proving somewhat difficult due to the subject matter and post 9/11 sensibilities. It was a full year before the movie finally got a limited theatrical release in North America. I recently saw the film again on UK network television and was further impressed with its exploration of a biological attack and the human cost. The movie has further relevance in light of current international events in the Middle East.
Firefox (1982)
I read Craig Thomas's cold war novel Firefox in the spring of 1982 and was unaware that a film adaptation was in production at the time. Having enjoyed the novel immensely, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the adaptation. The screenplay stayed true to the story and large passages of the book made it directly into the films screenplay. Then there was the sublime casting of Clint Eastwood as Mitchell Gant, the veteran pilot suffering with Post traumatic stress syndrome. Even the author Craig Thomas approved. The movie proved to be very entertaining at the time (I was fourteen), with its action sequences and special effects.