Very, very silly sci-fi picture in which an intrepid group of scientists (magmanauts?) tunnel towards the earth’s core. Why? Because the earth’s core has stopped rotating and our magnetic field is weakening, causing the earth to be bombarded by deadly radiation from space. Our “magmanauts” build a drilling machine (a bit like a more sophisticated version of The Mole in Thunderbirds) out of Unobtanium – I’m not making this up – so they can travel to the core, detonate a number of thermonuclear devices and start the earth’s core rotating again.
It’s complete hokum, of course, and stretches the limits of credulity and credibility, but enjoyable enough.
My wife and I were discussing what to watch and she suggested the Genre ‘Classic’ or ‘Musical’, so I suggested Oliver!.
As it happens I had just ripped the BluRay, which we had never watched, in fact we haven’t watched the film for a couple of years.
The BluRay soundtrack and picture are excellent, and I had forgotten how much i enjoy this film. The music, the choreography and the Ron Moody star turn. Superb. The whole is lifted up by the grit and grim reality that is highlighted by Nancy’s murder.
In this World War II satire, a lonely German boy, Jojo, has his world view turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. In spite of his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo confronts his blind nationalism.
We’ve not watched this film for a few years, but following positive reviews I bought the 4K disc & we watched it last night. Wow! The picture and sound quality are truly astonishing. Deep blue skies, wonderful HDR colours, super Dolby Atmos sound track. I forgot just how great this film is. The acting, pace, score, everything about it is truly top-notch. Highly recommended! I’ll stop gushing now…
I’m getting this 4k soon. I saw it at the Imax cinema last year and yes, I’d forgotten just how good this film is. It hasn’t aged and in fact has got better due to how good the characters are. Something that is definitely lost in modern films.
Bonkers Brit folk-horror movie starring Edward Woodward as a priggish, devout policeman, Christopher Lee as a wayward, kinky Laird, Britt Ekland as the fruity landlord’s daughter, plus the likes of Ingrid Pitt, Diane Cilento, Lindsay Kemp, Russell Waters etc. The score is odd but completely appropriate, the settings (the picture was shot in Ross-shire and Galloway) wonderful. A British arthouse oddity but a brilliant one. The 2006 unintentionally hilarious remake with Nicholas Cage is an abomination.
Very much enjoying my MUBI subscription at the moment. It’s a longish story but I was without any internet for almost two months so have some catching up to do.
This evening I got around to watching this…
I thought the young actress playing the part of Wadjda, a young girl with attitude in Saudi Arabia, was outstanding. The film manages to highlight the atrocious situation for women in that country in a very understated way with a storyline and main character that are both superbly charming and at times very funny.
I have never seen this film, Ese suggested I watch it. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would - it wasn’t the meretricious weepie I’d been expecting. The leads – Oprah, Whoopi, Danny Glover, Adolph Caeser, Margaret Avery are all excellent, the cinematography (especially of the light of the Southern countryside). Quincy Jones’ score is absolutely first rate and Spielberg directs with his usual sure touch, treading the tightrope between sentimental manipulation and documentary realism with extreme skill.
Like some other QT films imo, in that the first half is intriguing and builds the entertainment and anticipation, only for the second half to be a little disappointing.
It’s like he can’t format it and wind it down to a closing point, he has to keep widening and growing the plot and characters until it’s become just a bit too big and a bit too daft, almost like a modern Blazing Saddles, only with more ketchup.
