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 Leicester Bangs’ Half a Bottle of Wine and a DVD Blog... 7th May 2008 The Last Winter A mildly diverting horror / drama set in a melting Alaska with a plot that involves the ghosts of long dead beasties thawing out and driving a bunch of mercenary oil riggers insane. Claustrophobic and paranoid, their are elements of the movie which are clever and thought provoking, but unfortunately some fool put Ron Perlman in the lead role, truly the ugly, untalented, mutant, American version of our own Brian Blessed (national tresh) and when it comes to delivering a line with any degree of subtlety or nuance, he simply defaults to VERY LOUD. 4/10 12th April 2008 The West Wing Series 1 We’ve avoided this for years. We were wrong. It’s a funny, sharp, beautifully written drama series with story lines that drag you in and don’t let go. Martin Sheen plays the Prez with gravitas and just the right amount of humour, and the supporting cast, including Rob Lowe and Stockard Channing, all get their share of killer lines and pull their weight accordingly. Can’t wait ‘til series 2 (next week). 8/10 1st March 2008 The Stone Tape A 1972, made for TV chiller, written by Nigel Kneale, the man responsible for Quatermass. Fantastic stuff; a shade scarier than a John Pertwee Dr. Who episode and made with the same production values. This is a must see for anyone vaguely interested in classic British TV of the period and in particular, the ghost stories that were usually aired around Christmas time. The plot’s great, the speci Recommended tipple: a bottle of slightly too warm Black Tower. 16th February 2008 Death Proof Tarrentino’s latest, his take on the schlock, drive-in exploitation movie experience of the ‘70s is spot on. Kurt Russell plays Stuntman Mike, a psycho with a ‘death proof’ stunt car and a magnificently perverse sexual desire to slaughter beautiful young women by smashing into their cars or running them off the road. The fact that he prefers to dispense with them in small batches is a bonus, as is the soundtrack, a jukebox blast featuring acts as diverse as The Coasters and T-Rex. The fleapit / drive-in experience in compounded by a print that is dirty, jumps, crackles and changes from black and white to colour whenever it feels like it. If it wasn’t 20 minutes too long it might’ve been perfect. 6/10 Jane Eyre I must’ve been the only person to have sat down and watched this 2006 BBC adaptation having no idea of the story. Well, let’s just say it utilises every plot device known to man and leave it at that. The two leads, Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson both appear to be perfect for their roles, and over four hours the pair ooze mystery, vulnerability and sexual tension. I’ve no idea how faithful to the book it is and frankly, I couldn't give a steamer. 8/10 The Majestic It’s Jim Carrey playing a Jimmy Stewart role in this supposedly feel-good slice of hokum. The plot, mistaken identity and a hero’s return from the grave, will remind you of The Return Of Martin Guerre, but that’s the only similarity. This is manipulative tosh trying to pass itself of as something meaningful. Avoid like a kick in the bits. 3/10 |