awblundell Reviews

The Black Duck (1929)

interesting banned cartoon

[7/10 · 2 May 2006]

Interesting anti racist storyline about a black duck who doesn't get on with the mouse farmer and end up tied to a tree.

Along comes wicked cat tries to kidnap (cat-nap? duck-nap?) the rest of the ducks.

Banned, not surprisingly as it contains violence, alcohol and tobacco abuse as well a racism (although it is anti-racist in it's message) as it is quite violent but also because the central mouse character looks rather familiar.

Rather difficult to see but definitely worth a look if you can find it. Other sources attribute this film to Van Beuren which seems to disagree with the IMDb production credits

Be Big! (1931)

Laurel and Hardy at their worst

[4/10 · 24 July 2004]

Up until a few years ago I had disliked Laurel and Hardy, until my wife, who is a fan forced me to watch some of their better movies, for example Way out West and Sons of the Desert.

Watching this particular effort, however, reminded me of why I had disliked them so much in the first place.

It starts out brightly enough with the boys trying to pull the wool over their wives' eyes in order to go to a stag party in their honour but then it loses it's way. The centrepiece is an over-extended sequence where Ollie is trying to remove a boot. After ten minutes of this I was heartily wishing it hadn't got stuck as well

For dedicated fans only

Shocking Pink (1965)

watchable D.I.Y. spoof

[5/10 · 1 May 2003]

Pink panther cartoons are certainly consistent. At their worst they are at least watchable. At their best they are, well, watchable. This is an average one.

A disembodied narrator tells PP to stop lazing around and get on with some odd jobs around the house. The results are predictably worse than leaving well alone, but every time PP gives up that little voice starts nagging at him again...

Lumber Jerks (1955)

chip n dale with english accents

[6/10 · 15 March 2003]

cute cartoon very reminiscent of chip n dale but with english accents.

two chipmunks find their tree home has been demolished and follow it along the river and to the sawmill.

Clever and inventive cartoon but I still prefer chip n dale

Happy Go Ducky (1958)

an era ends on a low note

[6/10 · 25 January 2003]

This was the last of the Hanna-Barbera Tom and Jerry shorts.

Out of an Easter egg pops a familiar cute little duckling who makes a nuisance of himself (herself?) and Tom and Jerry join forces to get rid of the pest.

The story-line is not bad, although it is not a typical Tom and Jerry and Jerry seems to be acting out of character. The animation, however, is not as good as earlier Tom and Jerry cartoons. The backgrounds in particular are sparse.

I suspect that this was done on a very low budget. Not a good way to end an era, but still far better than the later revivals of the franchise.

Sixty Years a Queen (1913)

Early milestone of British film now lost

[5/10 · 11 January 2003]

Produced and directed by silent movie pioneer, Will Barker, this was the first major picture to be produced at the legendary Ealing Studios, which he founded.

The film tells the life story of Queen Victoria, who reigned as queen of England 1837-1901.

Sadly, only a few second of film still exist. They depict the young queen being told of her accession to the throne and can be seen in the documentary, 'Forever Ealing'.

Fathers Are People (1951)

a cartoon for fathers

[7/10 · 8 January 2003]

Although I am sure kids will enjoy this cartoon, the humour is primarily aimed above their heads. I am sure a lot of fathers will smile wryly while Goofy as Everyman comes to terms with fatherhood. Enjoyable and nicely observed cartoon. Not as immediately funny as some but more subtle than most.

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)

race of stereotypes

[5/10 · 28 December 2002]

Edwardian period comedy about a race across the English Channel in early aeroplanes. The film is set in 1910, a year after Bleriot's first crossing when a pompous newspaper magnate (Robert Morley) puts up a £10,000 prize. Entries come from all over the world bringing their national characteristics with them.

Terry Thomas plays the English cad who will stop at nothing, certainly not sabotage, in order to win. The basic plot is familiar from films such as the UK comedy Genevieve, The Love Bug, and It's a Mad,Mad,Mad,Mad World (how many Mads is that?)

Although the cast list reads like a Who's Who of British comedy, the lacklustre script gives all these comic talents far too little to do, with the exception of Robert Morley who is excellent as Lord Rawnsley. Instead it relies for it's humour on racial stereotyping and of course on the aeroplanes.

It is the aeroplanes that save this film. Never before did you see such a selection of weird and wonderful flying machines nor did you see them come to grief in such weird and wonderful ways. Early aviation was a dangerous pastime but, fortunately for this film, survival was just about plausible when flying at 20 miles per hour at a height of ten feet!

I saw this film at the cinema when it first came out, aged about eight. If you have an eight year old boy who's mad about old planes then I can tell you he'll love it, otherwise it hasn't really aged well but is watch-able if just for the planes.

8 Ball Bunny (1950)

good 'toon - weird title

[6/10 · 27 December 2002]

Bugs bunny meets a lost penguin and sets out to get him home to the south pole. Naturally there are a few slips along the way, but the indestructible bunny is equal to all challenges.

Better than average bugs bunny cartoon but what a strange title. It doesn't seem to have anything at all to do with the cartoon. Chuck Jones does seem to go in for odd choices of title but this one beats them all!

Suspicion (1941)

entertaining thriller

[8/10 · 21 December 2002]

Charming and entertaining Hitchcock thriller notable for the genre switch.

The film starts out as a romantic comedy, rich girl falls for likeable rogue, but gradually the plot gets darker as Johnnie (Cary Grant) lies and swindles to cover his gambling debts. Eventually Lina (Joan Fontaine) begins to suspect that he is planning to murder her for money....

My only criticism of this film would be the idealised Hollywood version of pastoral English countryside complete with huntsmen, dogs and an eccentric mystery writing spinster. All a little bit too picture-postcard perfect for my taste.

Jonathan Creek: Satan's Chimney (2001) Season 3, Episode 7

traditional murder mystery with some fine twists

[8/10 · 28 November 2002]

This feature length episode of TV Series, Jonathan Creek introduced Julia Sawalha as his new side-kick, Carla.

A murder mystery is being filmed in the Scottish Castle owned by the producer. It is a typical 'locked room' mystery in the best Agatha Christie tradition, but when the rest of the cast batter down the door, they find that the unfortunate leading lady has a real bullet hole in her breast to go with the fake one in her temple.

Needless to say, magician's assistant and amateur sleuth, Jonathan Creek is called in to investigate. Pretty soon there is another death to investigate with plenty of twists and turns before the whole truth is finally out.

A must-see for mystery fans and recommended for anyone else.

Murder by Death (1976)

great cast cannot compensate for poor script

[5/10 · 21 November 2002]

Whodunnit spoof, largely based on Agatha Christie's 'And then there were none' and 'A murder is announced' A murder occurs at a country house - someone in the house is a murderer, but who? And can the crime be solved before the murderer strikes again. The difference is that the world's greatest detectives are the guests, and a million dollar prize has been put up by the host.

The concept and plot are well thought out and with a wittier script this could have been a very funny film, but despite the quality of the actors involved, the characters remain stereotypical parodies of the fictional detectives they represent. Only Maggie Smith as Mrs Charleston really comes alive, though there is the occasional flash of brilliance from Alec Guinness.

Most of the humour made me smile rather than guffaw, too many jokes were done to death, for example the fortune-cookie words of wisdom from Peter Sellers as Wang.

Final verdict: watchable but don't go out of your way to see it.

The Search (1948)

unforgettable, haunting and profoundly moving

[9/10 · 19 November 2002]

I have only just seen this movie but I do not think that I will ever forget it.

A mother and son seek each other amongst the once great city of Munich, much of which has been reduced to rubble by the war. The film opens with haunting images of children, recently released survivors of the concentration camps, terrified waifs that hardly make a sound, still expecting to be beaten or worse at any moment. One nine or ten year old boy is befriended by an American officer who teaches him English and plans to take him home, believing him to be orphaned. Meanwhile we see his mother searching across Germany in the forlorn hope of finding her son.

The film was made on location in occupied Munich. The images of the ruins bring home the devastation of warfare in a way that no modern Hollywood epic ever could.

I feel that war films made near the time give a much better idea of what it was really like. They have a much greater emotional impact than latter day Hollywood reconstructions. Thus 'The Big Parade' moved me more than 'Saving Private Ryan', though both are great films.

Strongly recommended, especially to anyone interested in the history of this period

When Time Ran Out... (1980)

when ideas ran out

[3/10 · 18 November 2002]

Fairly decent acting from an impressive cast list was not enough to save this disaster (of a) movie from a thoroughly boring and unoriginal script.

*** potential spoilers follow - not that there's much to spoil ***

The plot is fuller of holes than a Swiss cheese. For a start I'm not sure that an active volcano and an oil field on the same small island are compatible, but as I'm not a geologist I might be inclined to let that go. But there's much more.

There's the tidal wave that trashes the village up the coast when the hotel doesn't see so much as a ripple. Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't a tidal wave travel outwards from an eruption and trash the island next door?

There's the long shot of a volcano spewing fire full blast into the stratosphere, cut to the research station on the edge of the crater. OK it doesn't look to be the best place to be but judging by the previous shot it should be vapourised.

There's the overloaded helicopter that crashed, despite having taken of even more heavily loaded (at least 3 people fell off). Oh yes, and it had just arrived even more heavily loaded. All it would have taken to make this less ludicrous was an additional four words in the script, (It's out of gas!) but obviously time ran out for the script-writers some time before they had finished the job.

And where did that blonde woman get that awful pink dress. The group that left the hotel to reach safety on the other side of the island were told they were travelling through rough country and to wear sensible clothes. I don't believe that was the best she could do.

And last but not least, the plot driver for the whole film was the head-in-the-sand attitude of hotel owner. He refused to leave,insisting that the lava could not reach that far, an that the hotel was the safest place to be. Quite a few others followed his lead. We never saw the lava reach the hotel. It was destroyed when the volcano blew its top again, shooting out a few tons of fiery rock which arced high in the air and, much against the odds, scored a bullseye. It seems the hotel owner was right, the odds were better on staying, even if they didn't come off.

All in all, one to miss. But why, you might ask, if it was that bad, why did you watch it for long enough to find all these faults. I wish I knew.

Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring (2001 Video)

the right feel but something is lacking

[12 November 2002]

This is the first T&J cartoon since Hanna Barbera days to recapture at all the look and feel of the Kenneth Muse animated originals.

Here are rich backgrounds, visual gags coming one after the other and a decent plot to pull it all together. Too often, later T&Js are reduced to plot less itchy-and-scratchy violence with the cat always coming off worst. The Hanna Barbera cartoons were never so predictable.

But for all that, something is lacking. The pace in the action sequences is never as breathtaking. Perhaps stretching T&J to the longer length simply spreads out too thin the ideas.

In the end, while watchable, this is equally missable.

Traffic (2000)

vastly inferior to Traffik (the original mini series)

[5/10 · 4 October 2002]

I found this film disjointed, at best averagely acted, and vastly inferior to the original UK mini series.

The conversion to an American location didn't work properly - some of the plot devices didn't quite make sense in this context.

Catherine Zeta-Jones though decorative is simply not good enough to carry the pivotal role played in the original by Lindsay Duncan. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this film more if I hadn't previously seen Traffik, but I don't think so.

Like many other reviewers of this film I simply cannot understand it's high rating.

Mucho Mouse (1957)

not one of the best

[5/10 · 18 September 2002]

One of the few disappointing Tom and Jerry cartoons of the Hanna Barbera era.

This cartoon is notable for the fact that Tom and Jerry both speak - and in Spanish!

Jerry is El Magnifico, the uncatchable mouse. The local cat has given up and plays flamenco guitar while Jerry raids the larder. Call for the world champion mouse catcher - you guessed it - Tom So far an interesting idea, but Jerry emerges from every attempt unscathed. Part of the charm of Tom and Jerry is that you're never quite certain who will get the best of things, but this one is entirely too predictable.

However even the worst of the Hanna Barbera cartoons are at least watchable and better than most of the later efforts.

Smitten Kitten (1952)

another clip show but the clips are good

[6/10 · 16 September 2002]

Tom is in love again, and the little mouse-devil is encouraging Jerry to break it up by reminding him of previous times when Tom was smitten. Another clip show but the clips are good and so are the links.

Haunted Honeymoon (1940)

disappointing adaptation of a good whodunnit novel

[5/10 · 8 September 2002]

Watchable but missable adaptation of Dorothy Sayer's novel about just married amateur detectives, Lord Peter Wimsey and crime novelist Harriet Vane (now of course Lady Wimsey) Attempts to add whimsical comic touches fall short of the mark and the detective mystery doesn't really grip either. Shown in the UK as Busman's Honeymoon, but in the US and also these days on TCM as Haunted Honeymoon - a pointless and misleading change.

The Black Hole (1979)

feeble rehash

[3/10 · 18 August 2002]

Take the plot of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, add a generous helping of Forbidden Planet and stir vigorously while adding Star Trek to taste. Add a pinch of 2001: A Space Odyssey and - whoops it's curdled!

I watched this movie just after watching Galaxy Quest, a moderately funny parody of Sci-Fi, and, in particular, Star Trek. By comparison this movie is also a parody of Sci-Fi, though it did not set out to be and does not even have the saving grace of being funny.

The Black Hole is basically a remake a previous (and far superior)Disney live action movie The leaden and plot limps along at a snail's pace, the scientific errors are glaring and totally unnecessary. The special affects, much publicised at the time compare poorly to other films of the era.

Another comparison: Plan 9 From Outer Space, often cited as the worst film ever. It isn't and neither is this on but The Black Hole comes a lot closer to it. Though silly, the plot of Plan 9 is at least original and keeps moving along at a brisk pace and keeps you watching to the end.

The only reason I watched the Black Hole to the end was in the forlorn hope that it would improve. It didn't.

In short this is the perfect film get for Thanksgiving. A monstrous turkey!

Double Indemnity (1944)

genre defining film noir

[9/10 · 10 August 2002]

This movie has everything, the laconic narration, the dark look - low lighting and seedy apartments, the femme fatale - Barbara Stanwyck is perfect in the role, the descent and eventual destruction of the central character. If you weren't sure what the term "film noir" meant before you watched this movie then you do now.

Good as the lead characters are, it is Edward G Robinson as the 0obsessively brilliant claims investigator with his little hunches that steals the show. Classic movie.

Oh, and I work in the Insurance industry. It may look glitzier now on the surface but a lot of things sure looked familiar.

L'Age d'Or (1930)

strange but fascinating

[7/10 · 7 August 2002]

Is this film years ahead of it's time or did it just take the rest of us thirty years to catch up!

First let me say that I have not seen many films of this era and am reviewing this from the point of view of a modern filmgoer.

The film consists of four or five distinct sections which on first watching seem pretty tenuously linked. This and the surreal images which abound make me feel like I am watching a very grainy Monty Python show. The lead character even looks a bit like John Cleese.

A strong anti-religious theme comes through, directly in the rough treatment of priests whenever they appear, or more subtly in the comments about Rome.

*** spoiler warning ***

They occur most strongly in the final section where we are informed that the evil leader of a depraved group of men is about to leave his chateau after 120 days of debauchery, and a messianic figure emerges....

The scene in the garden is stunningly erotic. Modern picture makers should take note on how this affect can be achieved without feeling the need to show more than a shapely ankle.

I said at the start of this review that I hadn't seen many films of this era. Perhaps I should correct this omission.

Jason and the Argonauts (2000)

faithful to the original story but disappointing

[5/10 · 23 July 2002]

One might have thought that a remake of Jason and the Argonauts with the advantage of modern special effects would be at least as good as the original. Wrong! It's not the quality of the effects but the way they're used. The fight with the skeletons in particular was disappointing. Anyone who had seen the original must have been saying "Was that it?" when it finished. Of course, if the original had never been made, I would have to say that this is an enjoyable film, quite faithful to the original story and worth the watching. But it was made! Skip this and watch the original.

The Cat Concerto (1947)

note perfect performance

[8/10 · 10 July 2002]

Tom flawlessly performs a Liszt piano concerto despite simultaneously engaging in the usual Tom and Jerry antics.

Lifted above the usual high standard of the Fred Quimby produced series by the flawless melding of action and music

Stuart Little (1999)

cute but perhaps a little bit too cute

[6/10 · 30 June 2002]

Charming family film about a couple who adopt a talking mouse, to the initial disgust of their son and the pet cat.

This film reminds me of the sort of stories you read to very small children. No rationale is given for the existence of a talking mouse. It is just accepted in the way that the very young, for whom everything is strange and new, accept things.

The Little family home and the views of New York have a 'chocolate-box picture' quality which adds to the air of unreality though it is very pretty.

This overwhelming cuteness, together with the rather predictable story-line prevent this from being a great family movie, though it is still a good one.