VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[Devon Malcolm]

He's followed the Elijah Wood model of 'I'm loaded and I'm free of that shit and I'm gonna make whatever the fuck I want'.

[Frankie Crisp]

Watched Goodfellas in the local picture house last night. Seen it more times than I can count, but it was special on the big screen. It’s probably in my top ten and almost every performance is a career best. Performances, pacing, soundtrack, casting, dialogue. All top drawer.

One bonus thing I really enjoyed though, was the number of younguns whose reactions suggested they were watching it for the first time. Genuinely loved seeing a few hands quickly cover faces during the corkscrew scene and when Pesci gets whacked. Took me back to seeing it as a kid and reacting the same way. There was also plenty of muffled chatter when some of the iconic songs were on, which I’m hoping led to a few fresh downloads when they got home.

Thirty two years old and winning new fans over. It’s what it’s all about.

Edited November 14, 2022 by Frankie Crisp

[Surf Digby]

Finally got round to watching the pure 80s daftness of Biggles. I remember seeing the trailer for it in the cinema, thinking warplanes and time travel looked ace, and my mum going to great effort to insist that I wouldn't actually like it. I got similar treatment at the video shop.

Watching it now, I reckon 9 year old me would have loved it, and weirdly, I actually reckon my mum would have enjoyed it too.

The plot's as nutty as you'd expect, and at times it has a similar feel to the more light-hearted moments from An American Werewolf in London. The launch party scene is possibly the most 80s thing ever committed to film, but as an adventure film it's brilliant. In particular, the dogfighting scenes in biplanes look incredible, no doubt aided by the fact it's all genuine (probably. There may have been some miniature model shots mixed in there, but there's no CGI, no bluescreen, no rear projection, just planes zooming across the fields).

There's also some top tier stuntwork with a helicopter, including some low flying craziness that - considering it was only filmed 2/3 years after the Vic Morrow incident - got me a little overexcited.

Also, Francesca Gonshaw, who played Maria, the French girl that was helping the British in 'Allo 'Allo is in this, playing a girl called Marie, a French girl who's helping the British, so one can only assume it's the same person and it's all part of the same universe. 

Is this a good film? No, but you can tell that they really wanted it to be. If you've got a six year old that's learning about the war and likes planes and stuff, then it's perfect fodder for a Sunday afternoon with some wine gums.

 

 

[Keith Houchen]

Our @bAzTNM#1 is a Biggles enthusiast. Cracking theme song as well. 

[Thunderplex]

Biggles is a lost wonder of 80’s movies.  Saw it at the Studio Cinemas opposite where the BBC was on Oxford Road and was possible the only person in Manchester who loved it.  Just loads of fun.

[Loki]

I remember going to the cinema to see it, as I was a big Biggles fan (of the book tapes!) but I don't remember anything about the film.  Time travel?!  Must track this down.

In my mind it came out right around the time Young Sherlock Holmes came out, which I also remember going to.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Loki

[Surf Digby]

I love Young Sherlock Holmes, and I think it's a real shame that it didn't get at least one sequel. I like how films aimed at children in those days were quite happy to scare the shit out of them, and this is an absolute treat for not going soft on it's audience. Whether it's death by pouring boiling oil onto sacrificial maidens, or the hallucinations (I mean, fucking hell, the stained glass knight!) there's moments that for a young audience are proper "hiding behind the sofa" stuff.

I still reckon that stained glass knight is one of the greatest CGI effects ever. It looks fantastic even now, almost 40 years later.

[Devon Malcolm]

Don't Worry Darling

Absolutely fine! I think some of the hostility towards this is rooted in misogyny towards Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles fans being wankers because him and Wilde are fucking. Just a well paced, well made thriller - a step down from Booksmart, sure, but hard to follow that anyway. Styles is absolutely *awful*.

My Father's Dragon (Netflix)

The best animation studio around releases a new film and Netflix buries it and it doesn't even get a limited cinema release. There must be some way to blame Disney. It's actually probably Cartoon Saloon's weakest to date but still absolutely beautiful and wholesome.

All the Old Knives

Chris Pine's had an odd year. A total DTV spy thriller with nothing to distinguish it. Adequate but I've forgotten almost everything that happened in it.

Nightmare Alley

Guillermo del Toro should never have started making films in America. They've all been boring. This is his worst yet - two and a half hours of absolutely nothing. Not even worth it for Rooney Mara. Bradley Cooper, please fuck off.

Breaking

Excellent bank siege thriller based on a true story. John Boyega has entered his Daniel Radcliffe / Elijah Wood post-blockbuster franchise edgy indie film phase and it's going great so far. Michael Kenneth Williams is going to be missed so much.

The Princess

Surprisingly fun The Raid-esque take on a fairytale story. Joey King is really, really good here, I hope she does some more action. Also, Olga Kurylenko has a whip, lads.

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon

From Ana Lily Amirpour, who made the awesome A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. More nighttime neon / synthwave vibes - not a lot going on but funny, weird and with more than a hint of The Terminator and Starman. Craig Robinson's in it, if you need convincing any further.

[Hannibal Scorch]

Don’t Worry Darling is awfully paced and is boring.  Just a rejected Black Mirror script. And this is from a big fan of Wilde. 
 

Speaking of awfully paced, Disenchanted  takes a fun film with a great Amy Adams performance and makes a sequel with duff songs, awful script and shit animation. She’s the best thing in it, followed by James Marsden. They and Patrick Dempsey all aging like fine wine. Avoid.

[Keith Houchen]

I didn’t mind Disenchanted but I won’t watch it again. It’s like Ali G, it worked as a character in the real world but when that character was in their own world, it didn’t work. And Maya Rudolph was ace as usual. 

[bAzTNM#1]

On 11/15/2022 at 11:05 AM, Keith Houchen said:

Our @bAzTNM#1 is a Biggles enthusiast. Cracking theme song as well. 

 "Do you wanna be a hero!" by Jon Anderson & Stanislas.

Edited November 21, 2022 by bAzTNM#1

[The King Of Swing]

All I can remember from Biggles is that I really enjoyed it. 

Have to hunt it down for a rewatch. 

[bAzTNM#1]

"Biggles", played by the same guy, also made a cameo role in the Pet Shop Boys film "It Couldnt Happen Here" around the same time. so the "Biggles' producers must have thought they had a rip-roaring series of films to get going.

[air_raid]

Recently watched a forgotten romcom, Down With Love (2003). Set in the 60s, Wiki describes it as a pastiche on "no-sex sex comedies." McGregor and Zellweger both had pretty decent comedy timing, the support is excellent from Sarah Paulson and (personal favourite) David Hyde Pierce, even if the latter is just playing Niles again in a different setting. I was surprised how often I laughed. One joke in particular where Zellweger's protagonist is introduced to a bunch of execs that go solely by their initials, which I won't ruin, completely took me off guard. Pleasing small roles/cameos too - Tony Randall (!) is it, Chris Parnell, and for the "I know her!" flickers of recognition, Melissa George of "Angel off Home & Away" nostalgia, Jeri Ryan from Star Trek, and and depending on your dork level you might recognize Lynn Collins who was Silver Fox in the first Wolverine film - which even hardcore Marvel fans would be forgiven for forgetting.

[Thunderplex]

Barbarian.  Fun old school horror.  No big surprises, but it entertains.

Spoiler

I enjoy Sawney Bean style movies, and this was a good one.