The unsung heroes of cinema and TV part 21. Luis Guzmán.

Luis Guzmán

A fantastic actor with an unusual look that has more or less guaranteed him a career of playing criminals, reprobates, drug dealers and all round dodgy bastards. Bucketloads of background appearances in his early career made him very recognisable. He's always an entertaining and welcome presence when he turns up and shows a great flair for comedy when the film calls for it. Stars in a lot of low budget stuff but is a go to guy for some very big directors like Steven Soderbergh and Paul Thomas Anderson.

He's been the baddest bastard in America's toughest prison. He's been a sidekick to both versions of Carlito Brigante. There's a statue of him in a fictional Californian community college campus. He's listed on IMDB as goon number 3 and gang member number 7 a LOT. He took on both Walker, Texas Ranger and Crocodile Dundee and lost. He got a scary blowjob from a cow in one of the worst films of the 90's! He's played a gay magic obsessed escaped convict who gets his arm broken by Jennifer Lopez. A busboy with a penchant for flashing his bits at Ryan Reynolds. Gotten his head blown apart by an M60 in one of Netflix's biggest hits. He's fought alongside Arnie and held Conan The Barbarians sword ( not a euphemism ). He's chased vampires. He's done it all in a 40 year career and one day I hope he gets his own starring role. He deserves it in fairness. Check out his career here

Greatest hits

Carlito's Way. Pachanga. Carlitos's buddy and a vicious bastard who murders for fun and sells his loyalty to the highest bidder. Unfortunately for him he sells it to Benny Blanco from the Bronx.

Boogie Nights. Maurice Rodriguez. Wannabe pornstar and eternal hanger on and part of one of the funniest scenes in the entire film.

Oz. Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez. The leader of the Latino gang and the scariest man in a prison chock full of scary men. Scarier than Simon Adebisi! And that is saying a lot.

The Count Of Monte Cristo. Jacopo. The Count's right hand man and a nice bit of needed comic relief. Gets a great introduction on the beach.

Traffic. Ray the DEA agent. Partner of Don Cheadle. May as well have a bullseye on his forehead from the opening scene of the film. Does a lot with a little though and adds fun to a serious film.

Previous parts

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20

Pilgrimage. An Irish historical drama that's really worth watching.

Last night I watched a film where a man gets his face caved in and another man has his guts slowly pulled out of him. It was horrific. What was the name of this horror film you ask? Well it was no horror. It was a new Irish film called Pilgrimage and it was really rather good.

A group of monks living a simple life on the west coast of Ireland in the 13th century are tasked with bringing their monastery's relic to Rome. Brother's Ciaran, Cathal and Geraldos lead the pilgrimage along with young novice Diarmuid and a mute assistant with a mysterious past and no name. They face a difficult journey through the wilds of Ireland and things are made worse then the true importance of the relic is found out by others.

First things first, this story is nothing new. Mixed groups of warriors and followers wandering through desolate landscapes while being attacked from all sides have been a mainstay of genre cinema and direct to video movies for decades now. It's old hat stuff. But few have casts like this. Scenery like this. A unique blend of language like this.

I liked this a lot. Aside from the obvious hook of being a historical Irish drama/action film it's a very well made film. It's has bucketloads of beautiful Irish scenery that it uses well and it's full of characters you want to see survive the journey. It's well written too, efficient and fast moving yet still finds time to let us get to know our main characters and get a good sense of their motivations and loyalties.

The cast is cracking. The big international names and the ones who hopefully will draw an audience are Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal. Both are now famous because of their work with Marvel (Holland as Peter Parker and Bernthal as The Punisher) and they both do well here. Holland as Brother Diarmuid is very believable as a fresh faced and terrified baby monk and he also pulls off a very passable Irish accent. Bernthal as the Mute brings an immense and convincing physicality to the films more action packed scenes. Thankfully his non speaking role means we don't have to hear him with a brogue. Americans never do it justice.

Delivering meaty support are a handful of seasoned Irish actors, including John Lynch and Hugh O'Connor and both add a lot to the film. Lynch, a quiet dignity as a man prepared to suffer the trials of Job to protect what he finds scared and O'Connor adds a lot of heart in a quieter part. Rúaidhrí Conroy appears too along with some other recognisable faces from Irish film and TV. Richard Armitage as the villain of the piece is solid too. A vicious bastard. A proper boo hiss baddie. They all look and sound believable importantly. They look the part. They don't sound like modern characters spouting ye olde timey dialogue.

One novel aspect of the film I really liked was the use of language. The monks speak subtitled Irish for the most part. Others speak French and English is used when they cross over. I liked it. The gaelic spoken adds a lot to the authenticity of it all. Nothing takes you out of a period setting faster than anachronistic use of language.

Some people will take issue with the violence in the film though. It vividly earns it's 18 certificate. Swords and arrows pierce faces. Entrails and brains spill. Blood splatters the landscape a lot. But it was a violent time and the film depicts it truthfully. If a little too gooily at times.

My only real issues with all are what I mentioned above. The story is nothing new and you have any experience of genre movies you will have an idea of what beats will be hit and who will survive. Also, and I know it fits the tone of the story, but the washed out look of the film can be quite dreary in places. It deadens some of the beautiful scenery and makes one big death scene hard to make out. But apart from that it hit the spot for me.

Director Brendan Muldowney and writer Jamie Hannigan have made a film to be proud of. A unique, compelling and exciting look at an Ireland we never see onscreen. Well worth a watch.

Annabelle: Creation. Shite.

A prequel to a spin off of a horror franchise and exactly as good as that sounds.

Blah.

A happy family suffers a horrible tragedy and 12 years later when they open their home to an orphanage the past comes back to haunt them. Big style. In the form of an evil doll. Dun dun dunnnn. Think of it like The Beguiled meets Poltergeist but, you know, not a patch on either.

I was not a fan of this. I thoroughly enjoyed The Conjuring 1 & 2 and the first Annabelle spin off was effective in places but this annoyed the face off me.

Annoying because it started really well. The first half of the film is quite effective. The setting is nice and scenic. Anthony LaPaglia and especially Miranda Otto are good as a couple trying and failing to cope with grief. The house they live in is creepy and full of dark nooks and cranny's in the tradition of the best ghost stories. The story is horrifying at first then it lapses into a nice subtle(ish) slow burner. Small things happen, so small you aren't sure you saw them or if it's your imagination playing tricks on you. Silly Scooby Dooish things like a scarecrow hanging on a barn wall or bible pages stuck to a door will give you the heebee jeebee's. It builds a lot of good will and then throws it all out the window with a shrieking climax that seems to go on forever.

Annabelle: Creation, especially in its second half, is a horror film from the school of LOUD NOISES and DRAMATIC MUSIC, the default setting for scary movies these days. Apart from the aforementioned couple it's characters are identikit and dull. Honestly I saw it a few hours ago and the only name I can remember without looking them up is the one in the title. It's characters are also morons. Their actions make no sense. Kids can be silly because they are kids but are priests and nuns this stupid?

The other films in the series especially the Conjuring's had roughly the same quiet, quiet, loud layout but importantly they had main characters you gave a shit about played by capable actors like Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, actors able to bring their characters to life. They were something for the audience to cling on to, to empathise with. That makes such a difference in a horror film. Here we have a group of young girls who scream a lot. A lot. You just don't care about them. And it's a bad state of affairs when you don't care about kids being theatened. It reminded me of years ago, watching the old Friday The 13th films and wanting the bad guy to win. All that and it's ending just fizzles out into nothingness. I know it's a prequel but come on. No doubt the film makers wanted people to wow at how that film ties into the next but most people will just be relieved it's over.

I think a lot of my problem with the film is the earlier tragedy in the film is so horrifying and all encompassing that everything else in the film seems silly in comparison. No amount of faces popping from the shadows and screeching can compare to a sudden cut to black and the sound of a roar of anguish and the horrors your own mind can make up.

It's just not good and turns into a microcosm of everything that's wrong with modern day horror. Cheap scares, shit characters and the need to batter the audience over the head.

Poor show.

11 Films worth watching on TV this week

Alice In Wonderland   Sat   12/8   BBC2 @ 20.20


A woman lost in a fantasy land populated by the creatures of her childhood dreams and nightmares finds out her true destiny. Tim Burtons take on the tale is a feast for the eyes. A CGI fest but one chock full of imagination. Mia Wasikowska as Alice leads an amazing cast of British talent. Far from the definitive version but one that's plenty of fun and one that will look unreal in HD.

Song For A Raggy Boy   Sat   12/8   RTE1 @ 22.35

An ex soldier becomes a teacher at an Irish industrial school & stands up to the establishment after he witnesses the cruelty dished out by so called "men of god". An excellent but very very hard to watch film directed by Aisling Walsh that will rightly leave you shaking with anger. Aidan Quinn is solid in the lead role but Iain Glen and Marc Warren are so chilling in their parts that it will probably forever colour your views on them. 

Trash   Sun   13/8   RTE2 @ 00.15

3 young men in Rio De Janeiro who survive by scavenging in garbage make a life changing discovery in the trash and find themselves in a dangerous position. A funny, exciting and despite the situation, a feel good film that will engage your brain. One that makes superb use of it's favela locations too. The 3 leads (Rickson Tevez, Eduardo Luis & Gabriel Weinstein are local actors too and it's all adds to the authenticity. Well worth a look.

The Way   Sun   13/8   BBC2 @ 00.15

After a personal tragedy a man decides to set out on an adventure and finds out a lot about himself on the way. Martin Sheen stars in a lovely, gentle and thoroughly affecting film directed by his son Emilio Estevez. A love letter to both the bond between father & son and the Camino region of Spain. Sheen as always is superb and gets great assistance from James Nesbitt and Deborah Unger as the people he meets on his journey. 

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty   Mon   14/8   Film4 @ 18.50

A chronic day dreamer trying to save his job finds himself on an adventure that tops anything even his wildest imagination could come up with. A fantastic bit of family fun right here. Highly entertaining, imaginative, exhilarating, lovely looking and ably led by Ben Stiller who for once is surprisingly likeable. Nice support too from the always welcome Kristen Wiig and Kathryn Hahn.

Midnight In Paris   Mon   14/8   TG4 @ 21.30

A novelist holidaying in Paris struggles with writer's block but finds some pretty fantastic inspiration on his nightly walks. But his inspiration pulls him away from his real life. Woody Allen's romantic comedy is a lovely, sweet bit of whimsy that's a lot lighter than some of his other tales but that's not a bad thing. Very solid support from Alison Pill, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates and Marion Cotillard all adds to the fun.

Moby Dick   Tues   15/8   TCM @ 15.00

This film adaption of the famous Herman Melville tale of obsession follows Captain Ahab and his all consuming hunt for a giant whale that took his leg many years before. A very atmospheric and complex tale that's all wrapped up in a cracking bit of adventure. And all carried by a fantastic performance from Gregory Peck with great back up from Richard Basehart as Ishmael and Leo Genn as Starbuck.

30 Days Of Night   Wed   16/8   Film4 @ 22.45

Vampires descend on a small Alaskan town that is engulfed in darkness for the winter months. It gets bad. A full blooded roar of a horror film. This is as far from Twilight as a vampire movie can get. Full on, vicious, terrifying stuff. If you are squeamish don't apply but if you like your horror films red and dripping you'll love this. Melissa George and Josh Hartnett are good but Danny Huston in a wordless role owns the film. 

Dr Terror's House Of Horrors   Thurs   17/8   The Horror Channel @ 21.00

On board a night train a fortune teller reveals the futures of 5 strangers. They are not going to like what they hear.  A gloriously cheesy and fun anthology movie from the golden age of British horror that isn't scary in the least but is very entertaining. The 2 stalwarts of the era, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing show up in great form and Donald Sutherland makes an appearance as a follow guest. 

Cape Fear   Fri   18/8   TCM @ 18.50

A lawyer in a small town finds himself and his family in danger for their lives when a convict he put away returns looking for payback. A lot more restrained and believable than the 1991 version and much better for it. Dark, scary, thrilling stuff with brilliant performances from Gregory Peck and especially Robert Mitchum as Max Cady, one of the all time great movie villains. 

Panic Room   Fri   18/8   TV3 @ 23.10

A woman and her daughter find themselves trapped in their panic room during a home invasion. And what the invaders want is in the room with them. Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart are excellent in David Fincher's little cracker of a thriller. It's a simple but fierce effective film, scary, fast moving and with a little touch of humour here and there. Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto and Dwight Yoakam are fun as the villains of the piece.

A perfect pairing of Sound and Vision part 5. The opening credits of Raging Bull

Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta. Slow motion shadowboxing to the glorious strains of Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana.

It's a thing of beauty. The misty black and white photography and then the blood red lettering of the film title. And one of the few times we see LaMotta at peace in the entire film. In his element, doing his own thing.



Perfect.

Previous Parts

Almost Famous
Once Upon A Time In The West
Goodfellas
Last Of The Mohicans

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets.

A very odd fish of a film here. But one with plenty to enjoy. If.....if.

It's the 28th century. What started as the International Space Station in orbit above Earth has become something huge called Alpha. First it was joined by spacecraft from other countries but as the centuries went by alien craft started to connect up too. It eventually gets so big that it's a danger to earth and is shunted off into space. But something dark is threatening  Alpha and two special ops soldiers must find out what.

I kind of liked it......... but more on that later.

You won't see a more imaginative film this year. It's bursting with ideas. In fact there's nearly too much going on. I'd happily watch a spin off looking at some of the things that were only brushed over. But seriously there is some whacked out stuff in here. Mind reading jellyfish for one. Fishing sumo aliens with a thing for slinky dresses for another. The alien designs are fantastic. The converter is a deadly little creation that I'd actually love to have. The depiction of a galactic market bazaar is really cleverly done too. I'm going to call bullshit on anyone saying drugs didn't play a major part in the design part of the film. There's some great fun in here as well. Exciting chase scenes and gooey sword battles. Bizarre alien technology and rituals. Big angry monsters. The red light district of the future and a cool little fenty dance routine that stops the film for a good 5 minutes.

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne play the leads and I'll come back to them. The supporting cast is an eclectic one . Ethan Hawke is a scream in a bizarre little cameo. Rihanna is good craic as a shape shifting alien called Bubble and gets a few excellent moments and lines. Herbie Hancock turns up as a grumbling politican. Clive Owen is a solid bastard and upcoming Irish actor Gavin Drea has fun in a small gun toting role.

My main issue with the film is a big one. It's hard to truly like a film if you can't connect with the main characters and I definitely couldn't here. Cara Delevingne's Laureline is the better of the two but that's kind of damning her with faint praise. She has screen presence but she just not good in this. Her performance leaves a lot to be desired. Wry smiles will only get you so far. We'll see what the future holds for her. Here her character is just blaah. Dane DeHaan's Valerian was bad though. I think he was going for a sort of a Han Solo-ish character but failed big time. He just comes across as dull, odd, smug and pretty unlikeable. If you're going to copy a character don't copy such an iconic one. You'll fall at the first hurdle there. He was great in Chronicle but this role did not suit him at all. Dull leads are a killer and here their blandness is only magnified by the multi coloured madness going on around them.

Luc Besson who directed this also made the Fifth Element. That was another wacked out Sci-Fi epic but that one had likeable (Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich) leads and a truly entertaining baddie ( Gary Oldman on fire ) and that made all the difference. Even Chris Tucker was funny. Sort of. 22 years later the Fifth Element is still remembered fondly. I've a strong feeling this one won't be remembered that long.

This is just my opinion though. Some people might love them. If you can get past the main characters ( It's a big ask ) you'll have good fun and it's definitely a feast for the eyes. It's definitely a one of a kind.

Atomic Blonde. It's good.

Colours by Dario Argento

Atomic Blonde proves one thing. It's basically impossible for an action film to get an 18 certificate anymore. Ouch.

Set during the last weeks of communist rule in Berlin and told in flashback during a government debriefing, Atomic Blonde is the story of an undercover M16 agent who gets sent to Berlin to both solve a murder and retrieve a list of government secrets.Things don't go easily for her. Of course.

Few things aside I enjoyed this. It's under 2 hrs long which is always a plus, it's funny, it's vicious, it's full of cracking action and it moves like a freight train. It has all the tropes of a spy film, the double talk, the silences, the looks, the double crossing, the eavesdropping but it's all done in such a stylish way that it never feels stale. It also looks fantastic. The colour scheme in places looks like it was ripped from a Dario Argento film which made me geek out. Just a little bit like. It's evocation of late 80's East Berlin is pretty much spot on. The drabness, the look of desperation on faces, the sheer misery. Like something out of Reeling In The Years.

Charlize Theron plays the lead, Lorraine Broughton and she just fuckin rocked it. I was expecting her to kick the shit out of dozens of blokes and my god she did it well but I wasn't expecting the subtlety she brought to her role too. Loads of meaning conveyed in sighs and glances. You can see the toll her job is taking on her without her mentioning it. She was great. She has screen presence to burn. James McAvoy as David Percival has a whale of a time as a fellow M16 agent who loves his undercover life in Berlin. Like a younger version of Bond who went a bit too mad on the women and the coke. Reminded me of his recent role in Filth too. Eddie Marsan pops up too as a Stasi agent who wants out. It's not a big role but Marsan adds a touch a calm to the storm and gets one great laugh amongst the chaos.

It's not all perfect, there's a few downsides. The framing of the flashbacks are both unnecessary and interrupting. It's choppy and ruins the flow of the film in places. It adds nothing but annoyance. Also 2 plot devices are extremely predictable, one you'll know the answer to the second it's mentioned and the other involves a character included as a way of moving things forward and something you see coming a mile away, you don't want it to happen and it's disappointing when it does.

The action though, jesus, we're here for the action and the film delivers it in spades. Brilliant stuff, clearly choreographed, easy to make out, no horrible shaky cam and absolutely wince inducing. This is director David Leitch's first full length film and he handles it all like an old pro. I can't wait to see what he does with Deadpool 2. A couple of set-pieces stood out for me. One involves a famous Russian cinematic auteur and a piece of violence I've only ever seen in a Jason Statham film. The other is a near ten minute long action sequence done in one go* that involves hand to hand combat, shoot outs and car chases and some absolutely blistering brutality, oh the brutality!. It's here that Theron really follows up on the brilliant physicality she showed in Mad Max Fury Road. She's immense.

*These scenes are rarely done in one go, if you know where to look you'll spot the joins but when it's this much fun who cares.

Lastly the soundtrack. It's just deadly. A heady mix of 80's classics, both original and cover versions and all well placed too. One scene played out to the sound of George Michael is an cracker. Only one song choice failed for me and that's because it's a song that is chronically overused and here it feels fierce out of place. That aside it's the best 80's soundtrack since Grosse Point Blank. IMO.

The couple of things I mentioned earlier aside I found this great fun. It's always great to see a woman lead in an action film in a world of films for lads. I'm generally not a fan of sequels but I'd happily go and see a follow up to this. I hope it does well enough to get one.

What are your favourite "OH FUCK YES!!!!" moments in modern movies.

We all have one. The part of a film where you have to fight to contain yourself. When you find yourself absolutely riddled with goosebumps. When you want to stand up and roar "ABOY THE KID!!!" but you don't cos you'll look like a loop the loop in the middle of the cinema. I did this once and still feel mortified during it. More on that later.

The most recent one first.


Star Wars : The Force Awakens 

The final battle sequence. Just when we think it's all over and Kylo Ren has won we get to see what Rey is truly capable of. An amazing moment. The music. The whoosh of the lightsabre. The goosebumps all over everyone in the cinema. Awesome.



Aliens 

Private Vasquez. A huge gun. The first battle. The soundtrack. Aliens all over the gaff. The marines have orders not to fire. Vasquez doesn't care. "LET'S ROCK!!" What more needs to be said.


The Untouchables 

The border raid. Our heroes ride in on horseback to foil the baddies. It's such a western moment. Even has Ennio Morricone music playing. An all time favourite film scene for me.


Strange Days

Los Angeles, New Year's Eve 1999. Mace, a black woman is being targeted by the LAPD. The crowd is sick of police brutality and decided to fight back with a vengeance. 22 years old and still topical as hell.



The Spy Who Loved Me 

The opening scene. The parachute. The Union Jack. Brilliant. I may as well revoke my Irish citizenship now. 


My Left Foot

Christy Brown, suffering from severe cerebral palsy becomes an unlikely footballing legend and puts the doubters to shame. Awesome.


Billy Elliot

The scene where we see Billy's Da belting down the street full of joy at Billy's news is a great one. A moment of sheer bliss and one that shows how proud of his son he has become.



Bend It Like Beckham

Jess's miracle free kick to the strains of Nessun Dorma is a real punch the air moment, even when you couldn't give a flying fig about football.



Open Range 

"You're the one that killed our friend?" "That's right, I shot the boy too and I enjoyed it." BOOM. Headshot. The moment of sweet revenge that kicks off a brilliant gunfight in the best western of the 21st century. Lesson - Do not fuck with Kevin Costner's friends.



Star Wars Episode VI : Return Of The Jedi

I get awful guff for this but this is my favourite of all the films and I love this little moment of joy near the end. Lando Calrissian's holler of satisfaction at a job well done. I love it. It never fails to bring a smile to my face.



Cinderella Man 

Max Baer is gunning for our hero James Braddock. It's the final round of a bruising box match. James is against the ropes. One more punch will do him in. But James ain't going out like a punk. This is the film where I stood up and roared at the screen in the Limerick Omniplex and then curled into a wee ball of shame. I couldn't stop myself. I'm a sucker for a boxing film.


Toy Story 3

Our heroes are trapped on a conveyor belt, heading towards incineration. Oh jesus, there's no way out, OH NO!! But then, the CLAW!!!! YEAAHHH!!!


Tombstone

"All right, Clanton, you called down the thunder. Well, now you've got it! You see that? It says "United States Marshal." Take a good look at him, Ike, because that's how you're gonna end up! The Cowboys are finished, you understand me?! I see a red sash, I kill the man wearin' it! So run, you cur, RUN! Tell all the other curs the LAW'S coming! You tell 'em I'M coming ...... and Hell's coming with me, you hear! HELL'S COMING WITH ME!"

I LOVE IT SO MUCH

Ok now for a cheat. A TV episode.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

The final episode of season 6. While Xander tries to stop Willow from destroying the world, Buffy is below ground protecting her little sister Dawn from evil. But Dawn ain't a kid anymore and the Summers sisters fight together for the first time and it is an awesome scene. The moment where Dawn stops being annoying (sort of) and Buffy gets her mojo back big style. Just typing it now makes me want to watch the entire show again.



So.

What are your moments?

11 Films to watch on TV this week

Munich   Sat   5/8   TV3 @ 22.00

In the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympic games fiasco a squad of Mossad spies is sent out to get revenge for the Jewish athletes murdered by Palestinian hostage takers. Steven Spielberg's action thriller is an absolute cracker of a film and a fine history lesson into the bargain. Fast moving, complex, bloody, thrilling stuff thats well acted by a superb cast including Eric Bana, Ciaran Hinds and a pre Bond Daniel Craig.

The Field   Sat   5/8   RTE1 @ 22.30

A field in 1960's Connemara becomes the catalyst for murder and heartbreak. This film version of the famous John B. Keane play is immensely powerful stuff and a look into the dark heart of Irish country life and it's ties to the land. Richard Harris gives a career best performance as the Bull McCabe, a one man force of nature and gets cracking support from Brenda Fricker, John Hurt and a very fresh faced Sean Bean.

The Master   Sun   6/8   Film4 @ 01.10

A WW2 veteran struggling to adjust to civilian life finds solace in the arms of a religious movement that accepts him for what he is. Paul Thomas Anderson's movie is definitely not for everyone but if you can stick with it you'll find it a very rewarding experience. Joaquin Phoenix is super in the lead but the film belongs to the much missed Philip Seymour Hoffman as the man in charge. Amy Adams is also pretty much perfect in this.

The Kings Speech   Sun   6/8   Channel 4 @ 21.50

The story of King George VI, the man who did not want to be king and the man who helped him overcome his physical afflication so he could lead his country in war time. A brilliantly entertaining film, one that will make you laugh and choke up, sometimes at the same time. Colin Firth & Geoffrey Rush are great as the King and his therapist and Helena Bonham Carter gives a lovely warm performance as Queen Elizabeth. 

The Secret Of Kells   Mon   7/9   RTE2 @ 09.35

A young boy finds himself on a mystical quest when he agrees to help an artist finish an ancient and magical book. A wonderful piece of animation from Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. A perfect film for all the family and a lovely introduction to Irish history for younger children.In these days of nonstop CGI films it's really refreshing to see a hand drawn film too. Great voice work by Evan Maguire & Brendan Gleeson is the icing on the cake.


American History X   Mon   7/8   ITV4  @ 22.00

A former skinhead is released from prison and sets out to stop his younger brother from making the same mistakes he did. But his past still haunts him. Edward Norton is excellent in this harsh, nasty, gripping but at times very hard to watch look at the evils of racism and bigotry and its far reaching effects. Beverly D'Angelo and Edward Furlong are on fire in supporting roles too.  

Black Rock   Wed   9/8   CH4 @ 01.30

3 lifelong friends go for a girl's camping weekend to a deserted island to become close once again. It's not a spoiler to say things go seriously wrong for them. A survival thriller and one that actually seems pretty realistic for once. Tense, exciting, well acted stuff and with well developed characters that you will actually want to see survive. Managed to mostly avoid cliche too. Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth and Katie Aselton are 3 very solid leads.

Run All Night   Wed   9/8   RTE1 @ 21.35

An Irish mob enforcer in Brooklyn finds his allegiances tested when his work life and family life become intertwined. Liam Neeson is in fine bone crunching form is this very entertaining, fast moving and violent thriller. Ed Harris as always is a menacing baddie and they get fine support from Joel Kinnaman and Common. This one washes the bad taste from the Taken sequels away in a jiffy.

Wild   Thurs   10/8   Film4 @ 21.00

In an effort to jolt herself back to life after her mother dies and his life goes haywire, a woman embarks on a hike along the full length of America's west coast with no previous experience. Reese Witherspoon is absolutely fantastic in this, as good as she's ever been. Darkly funny in places and harrowing in others but a film that will suck you in and demand you watch and all based on a true story. 

Murder Most Foul   Fri   11/8   TCM

After she causes a mistrial in a murder case due to disagreeing with the rest of the jury, Miss Marple joins a local theatre group to snare the person whom she thinks it the real culprit. A great whodunnit, funny and well made with a lovely little story. You can't beat a Miss Marple film, they are just pure comfort food for the eyes. Margaret Rutherford as always is excellent in the lead role with a super cast of British faces in support.

Demons   Fri   11/8   The Horror Channel @ 22.55

A group of people find themselves trapped in a cinema in Rome when the film onscreen begins to bleed into the real world. A brilliantly entertaining piece of 80's euro horror. Cheesy as hell, full of plot holes, ropey acting and disgusting gore but so much fun and with a cracking soundtrack. Bobby Rhodes and Geretta Geretta as Tony The Pimp and Rosemary give performances you will literally never forget. Hahaha. A perfect beer film.

The unsung heroes of cinema and TV part 20. David Morse

David Morse

The king of "THAT LAD, WHAT DO I KNOW HIM FROM??" The head that has launched a million IMDB searches. Has turned up in bucketloads of film and tv since the 80's and is always a reliable presence. Like most of these actors, he started in TV, put in his time and eventually broke into films. A big lump of a bloke. Full of authority so no real surprise that he regularly plays cops and soldiers. A 37 year old career and still going strong and always in demand. One of those actors who makes you smile when the turns up because you know he won't disappoint you. Check out his career here.

He's been the first president of the United States. A racist Baltimore scumbag. A loyal friend to a rogue Lieutenant. A vicious torturing bastard of an assassin. He's played a rare lead role in films based on Bruce Springsteen songs. Too many cops to even begin to mention. A drink driver who decimated a family. Been in a Macaulay Culkin film that was banned in the UK. Half of a brotherly team of hitmen. Bjork's brutish husband. Jodie Foster's Da in a scene that would make a glass eye cry. A CIA agent with no teeth and he's just about to play yet another U.S President. I'm amazed he's not a massive star and its a pity.

Greatest Hits

The Rock. Tom Baxter. A good man on a doomed mission. Strong sense of loyalty. Doesn't deal well with bullets.

The Green Mile. Plays a Death row guard called Brutal. And his temperament matches his name. But don't cross him and he's sound. Has a soft spot for mice and men who's names sound like drinks.

The Long Kiss Goodnight. Daedalus. An interrogator/killer named after a Greek legend. Underestimates Geena Davis. A huge mistake.

Brotherhood Of The Rose. A late 80's TV movie thats deffo worth tracking down. Plays Remus. Has a brother called Romulus. They kill people. And they are good at it.

The Indian Runner. A rare lead role. Plays Joe and puts in an immense performance in a dark dark film that has an amazing cast.

Treme. Terry. The nicest cop in the Big Easy. Rocks a serious moustache. Gets a happy ending. 

Previous parts

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A story I'd love to see on the big screen. The Battle Of Ramree Island

Ramree's Mangrove swamps

World War II films are ten a penny. There's 70 years worth of them. Some of them are absolutely fantastic and some are awful but most of them are about the same thing. One side against the other. Man vs Man. English Vs Germans. Yanks vs Japanese and so on and so forth.

The story of the Battle of Ramree Island is a different kind of war story though.

It's absolutely terrifying. The stuff of nightmares. One that could make for a great film.

Ramree was a small Island off the coast of Burma. Small but of big strategic importance. It was being held by Japanese forces and the Allies needed it to establish an airbase for resupplying their troops in Burma. 

On the 21st of January 1945 allied forces invaded the island and started to skirmish with the enemy. The battle continued for 2 days until the Japanese forces found themselves outflanked. 900 of them decided to retreat across land to join up with a larger group. To get there they had to travel through a dozen miles of mangrove swamps and while they were in there they found themselves surrounded on all sides by the allies. But a worse danger lay waiting inside the swamp, salt water crocodiles. Man eaters. The place became death. 900 soldiers had entered the swamp. The next day 20 were left. 20. Far more would have survived if they had stood their ground and fought. The allied soldiers camped around the swamp heard it all. 

“The scattered rifle shots in the pitch black swamp punctured by the screams of wounded men crushed in the jaws of huge reptiles, and the blurred worrying sound of spinning crocodiles made a cacophony of hell that has rarely been duplicated on earth.”

Nope.

This story could be the basis for an extremely intense film. Imagine The Thin Red Line crossed with Jaws. But with crocodiles instead of sharks of course. And we could see it from the Japanese soldiers point of view. It would certainly make for a unique movie. World War 2 films from a Japanese point of view are rare, U.S. ones especially. Letters From Iwo Jima is the only one i can think of off hand. Taking a Japanese WW2 POV and having it in a horror film would be very unique indeed. This could be Jaws for a new generation of cinema goers. TBH I'm amazed this hasn't been made into a film yet. The nearest the story has come to any form of adaption is in pulp comic books (see above) of the 1950's and 60's.

Of course a lot of modern day research says the numbers reported are exaggerated but since when has that ever bothered film makers. 

To quote the great western 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' -"When the legend becomes truth, print the legend"