Cosmic Stargazer

John Gregson, was a truly great British actor - it is also truly great to see him in this - after enjoying him as the cerebral, efficient & humourous Commander Gideon in Gideon's Way, not to mention as the hilarious Alan McKim in the most enjoyable film Genevieve, this role is very much a departure. As Richard Hammond, he is an inventor & as is the case with brilliant minds, their social skills often leave a lot to be desired - he's obsessive & while demanding perfection from all around him, he is also rather pompous. He makes a breakthrough with the Apollo bulb, but, in testing, something goes wrong - there is a terrible explosion & he is blinded. His wife, played by the ever-lovely Mai Zetterling, appears to be devoted to him - she tries constantly to reassure him, but, he grows ever more testy, ill-mannered, bombastic & wild-tempered. She decides to take him to their holiday-home in Cornwall - respite for her, as much as for him, I first imagined. As the story unfolds, we discover exactly, what his wife is really devoted to & to where, he has really been taken - the tale thereafter twists & turns into its climax. I think this is a great film, I've seen it at least five times. Richard's pianist brother, Max, played by John Ireland, is a drifter that relies heavily on his brother's fortune - they couldn't be more different in character, but, they do have a lot of love for each other - there's a piece of piano music, I don't think it was John Ireland actually playing it, to be fair, but, it haunts me for days after watching this - a trumpet-heavy version plays on the car radio, on the way to the fitting conclusion. I wish I could find out what it is - neither the credits, nor Shazam, will enlighten me. The suave Michael Denison, as David Merton, has an important part to play in the piece & we see the gorgeous Nanette Newman, too, as Janet, Hammond's maid. This film is a tense & teriffic thriller, that everyone who enjoys the genre should see at least once. I will, no doubt, watch it many more times, in my lifetime.

This film really is a lot of fun, if you have a pretty wacky sense of humour - I say that, because, it is wacky :0) I do love me a bit of surreal anarchic adventure - in Hell's Bucket, with Chris Elliott's 'Fancy Lad' Nathaniel Mayweather (along with his (eventual) friends) on the scene, surreal anarchy is all you're going to get. We meet the initially really obnoxious Nathaniel as he graduates from his fancy finishing school. He leaves & proceeds to insult the limo driver (that is supposed to be taking him to the marina, to catch a liner to Hawaii to meet his father), one too many times & he is then, summarily ejected from his ride. One mishap after another befalls him, all of which I found hilarious, but, the best thing about it, for me, is how he grows as a person on this (mis)adventure. He becomes gradually more tolerable, until, he is ultimately endearing. A cracking cast, none of whom this film would have been half as enjoyable without - they all tell their every aspect of the farce, with great skill. It's weird to believe, this is a 30-yr-old film, I left school a few years before it came out & it completely passed me by. Of the few cast I recognised, I especially loved Ann Magnuson as Calli - the 6-armed femme-fatale with a literal giant for a husband. I wondered what it would have looked like with C.G.I. on occasion, but, the effects aren't a let-down, they're part of the fun. I only saw this for the first time a few months ago - that I am watching it again after such a short time, I'd say it's high praise! I think I love it best because it's not overly-bawdy, or, smutty, so, if that kind of thing turns you off, you'll be just fine, here. It's wittier than that, much more daft, too - it's all the way from chaotic to catastrophic & every perilous situation, takes the gang one nautical mile closer to the sweet conclusion. No spoilers - you'll just have to watch it for yourself :0)

Another good film I saw on TPTV - a channel that really does, have something for everyone. I love, that every Wednesday, for >3 hours, from around 3pm, there is a great homage to the Western genre on there, with Western films & TV series being shown, mostly in black & white. Actor James Stephens does the 'Saddle Up' overviews prior to the main feature, too. This black & white film, 'Frontier Gun', opens with a fine, upstanding man, Mr. Jim Crayle (John Agar), arriving in a lawless frontier town. He decides to sign up, for the until-then-vacant Marshal's job. His new-found position, is, of course, at first reluctantly, but eventually supported with gusto by the good-but-scared people of the town, while being met from the get-go with serious & deadly resistance from the criminal elements. Jim is just as serious, about making the town a nicer, safer place for the law-abiding majority. His father, though, upon his arrival there, despite his own record as a very good Marshal, fears for his son's life. A beautiful young lady that likes the look of him, feels exactly the same. Jim exposes a 'tinhorn', a low-down kinda somebody, that marks cards, then cheats at cards with them - after one unsuspecting fella having lost two weeks wages, a princely sum back then of $42, becomes finally suspicious & immediately calls the Marshal's attention to it, Jim tells the cheated man to take back his money. He then declares, that this cheating tavern owner has to sell up & get out of town. What ensues is somewhat predictable, but, still interesting to watch. Great characterisation, all parts very well-played, by actors I'd not seen, or heard of before (only Robert Strauss, as Yubo, the 'tinhorn', was vaguely familiar), roles made believable having been delivered with a good script, in a typically dusty town set. Only the fact it is a formulaic Western, a story of the like that's been told & seen before, meant it got four & not five stars, from me. I did nonetheless enjoy it & I would definitely watch it again, but, I don't feel a great need for it on DVD. Being an obscure, less well-known film, it's likely not available on DVD, anyway. It's not streaming on TPTV Encore, so, I'll happily catch it for a second time when it's repeated.

'The Ghost Train' is some spooky fun from 1941. Kathleen Harrison, is, as per, absolutely perfect - her delivery in an early scene, of the line "maybe you'd like to check my basket, see if I've got a bicycle or a machine gun", to the ticket master on the train, it still tickles me & I've seen this film a fair few times. I adore her as Mrs. 'Mum' Huggett in all the Huggett films. She provides a fair few laughs here & is perpetually watchable, most entertaining, in anything she features in. 'The Ghost Train', while, once seen, is never forgotten, it is definitely one that can be watched again & again. Despite the great comedy in this film, small children, would likely find the spooky aspects scary - I'd say age 10 upwards, would be okay. Of note, there is one scene towards the end, that has a gun being pulled & a punch thrown, but, that's it for any violence. To be expected in films of this era, there is no profanity. Arthur Askey, with his razor-sharp wit & chaotic demeanour, is providing most of the comedy. His relentless cheerfulness could be irritating for some, but, nobody can deny his talent, for dead-pan & slap-stick. It's a very good story, well-played out by all the turns. I thoroughly enjoy it every time I watch - I'd actually like this film on DVD for my collection. Thanks to Talking Pictures TV, a whole world of past film & TV, has been paved off into the distance for me - I happily get to enjoy things that came out before my mother was born, or, that were new back when she was a small child. This is a great film for a weekend afternoon, with some snacks & a cuppa.

With over 5,000 reviews, there's not much I could say about Interstellar (2014), that has not already been said. Visually-stunning, the effects are truly spectacular & it very-well tells an epic story, that could even come true one day? Maybe, maybe not - I am however most satisfied, with how it thrust itself into my imagination. It is my favourite space movie of all time - from the first time I saw it, I knew that I could & would, watch it again & again. I know it is contentious in my saying, it's straight-up the best Christopher Nolan film, but not so inflammatory, that it is my favourite of all his films. I wonder if he knew, the impact it would have? If he didn't know then, he does now. I loved to see Matthew McConaughey biting into this role as Cooper; he had not done a space-movie before - any worries producers may have had, no doubt immediately dissipated on seeing this work. The scenes where he is literally lost, finding himself enmeshed in the fabric of space & time, they haunt me. Jessica Chastain as Murphy tied me up in knots, in a kind-of good way - she really put across the angst & internalised anger, that comes from having a dad away from home all the time - I can relate to that. Sir Michael Caine, well, I don't feel I need to say any more, but, he as Prof. Brand was, as I always suspect & expect, just great - portraying a naturally-selfish scientist, desperate to see his life's work come to fruition - for the good of all mankind, obviously. 10/10. Edit: I just remembered, that Matthew McConaughey was in 'Contact' with Jodie Foster - not quite a space-movie, but, close.

I enjoyed this film - I did not expect to quite so much, to be honest. I've always loved Ross Kemp - for some, this role perhaps, would seem on paper to be similar to his hard-man Eastenders' Grant Mitchell role, but, trust me, it's really not. Our protagonist, Gavin Hughes, works as an agricultural mechanical engineer & product developer/ salesman, frequently travelling to Iran on business - he works also, for M.I.6 as an intelligence agent, but, he is kept absolutely in the dark, about what value & impact his true role has, in it all. This is for immunity against being prosecuted & sent to jail - what exactly for, I missed, or, it was not made clear. He wants to give it up, spend more time with the wife & son that he hardly sees, but, he is needed for one last operation. This film follows him, as his life is thereafter turned completely upside down & he is permanently relocated, until, it all comes on top for him & his new family. It is pacy, even the quieter parts are full of tension - it's got plenty of perilous predicaments piled up, one on top of the other, until the whole situation reaches its fever-pitch ending. Ross Kemp well-portrays a great range of emotions here - I really dig him in this. Great British supporting cast, plenty of well-known faces & voices - a couple of Americans well-playing C.I.A. agents & some great Iranian & Iranian-American actors, playing well their parts, too. Interestingly enough, this film was aired originally as a series in the US, two years before it was screened in the UK. I especially liked Rupert Procter as Andy Chalmers - a former special services operative, brought out from the underground for his expertise, who pulls together the final showdown. What I did not expect to see, in such a serious & deadly role, as the antagonist 'The Anvil', was Kayvan Novak - he is simply superb here. This British-Iranian has won awards for his comedy - that despite his obvious talent, for the serious also, he didn't get one for this role, is a crime. His helper in the piece, Leanne, is none other than Eileen Grimshaw's sister Julie from Corrie, played by Katy Cavanagh. This is a decent film & well-placed, to while away one hour & forty minutes of your life being entertained. I asked lots of questions, about decisions made by the protection team - what a bungle, at times - but, isn't that stereotypical, of depictions of our specialist armed officers? Surely, they're not that frustratingly chaotic in real life? I like best, that it doesn't leave you asking loads more questions, with loose ends not tied up by the end - I appreciate that kind of film-making - when there is not going to be a sequel, for me, the story needs to be complete. If there's nothing to watch on other live telly channels, it's repeated on Talking Pictures TV on Thursday, 17/10/24; streaming on TPTV-Encore until 19/10/24; or, you could pop over to the Online Auction Site & get it on DVD - in the time it took me to type this review, all three remaining copies, sold out on the South American Jungle Marketplace - I won't have been the only person in the UK watching it. Worth every penny. I'd happily watch it again (when I've not seen it for a good while is best, for this simplistic a story, that so well stays in the mind) - so much so, I'm off to get my own copy :0)

A truly brilliant best-of-British drama, starring two of our greatest actors - the late Dame Thora Hird & the late Pete Postlethwaite OBE. Two real-life characters, a mother & son, perfectly-scripted & beautifully, often hilariously-played, by these stalwarts of the screen. As per usual, it's billed as a drama, yet, in true British-fashion, we find really big laughs in some of the darkest places. Getting old & finding yourself in ill-health, both are genuinely no laughing matter, thus, there are some really heart-rending moments, too - these moments give great insight, into how distressing it is, when you're not in rude health - but my, how rudely we can fight back, when we have loved-ones in our corner. Ultimately, this is an uplifting story - I fully expected to be sobbing by the end, but, the love & mutual respect Deric & his mum shared is so plain to see, that actually softened the blows & I shed far fewer tears. There are limits to, it is finite, what love can fix, but, knowing you have what you need to get through, that you're not forgotten & you're not alone, is for many, half the battle won. This film is, as per Google, based in part on Deric Longden's autobiography - this story has so much heart, I must find that book - however much his heart must have broken, I should hope he found quiet pride, too, because, in giving his dear mum her dignity, he showed that he learned well from her - in repaying the kindness that she had shown him growing up, in paying that kindness to her in her twilight years, he amply proved his gratitude, in his devotion to her care. This film is charming, it fully engaged me (I'm usually very easily distracted) & I feel privileged to have seen it. The one hour & fifteen minutes whizzed by, so fast that I wished it was longer - Penny Downie was just great as Deric's wife, I loved seeing Malcolm Hebden (Norris Cole in Corrie) as the pharmacist & I wish I'd seen more scenes with him, that's how the run-time should have been extended. Anne Reid doing a great turn as Gloria Brooks had me almost crying with laughter - many scenes were (intentionally or not) laugh-out-loud funny; no spoilers, but, suffice to say, Whisky the cat was not harmed in the making of this film, I'm assured! It's a great film, with no swearing or violence - I do however think, that younger, more sensitive children, might be distressed at certain points - it's very much a family film, but with the subject matter being serious ill-health, that's something to bear in mind.

A delightful peek into another place in time - hello, 1961. Great soundtrack - jazz is a glorious genre, track two as she makes an important call, made me think of a smoky, dimly-lit exclusive club. I love noir films like this, black & white edgy drama, interesting well-rounded characters in great sets, flirting with disaster but even the odd chuckle is there - Jack's story in this, is not too similar to Tolly's story in Underworld USA (1961), but they both have that real American grit, of a man on the edge - will he, won't he, follow a redemptive, or irredeemable path? No spoilers, if you weren't around then/ haven't seen this & can get into monochrome (also if how long it used to take to dial a number doesn't annoy you), this is very well worth a watch. This film is now 63 years old & if there is any justice in this world, it will still be played another 63 years from now. I've seen it on TPTV a few times, I'd never have found it otherwise. I could watch it again & again.

This film, was the first I saw of any, of the many screen adaptations of a 1939 novel, by the late, great Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None. I read that Dame Agatha said, it was the most difficult of all her books to write. I can only, give this film all five out of five stars - it pulled me in & then held my attention, all the way to the end. If you knew me, you would know two things - I'm not easily pulled in & it's oft-impossible to keep my attention, all the way to the end of anything. Being a particular lover of many-a-thing, starring the wonderfully-great Wilfrid Hyde-White, made this film especially engaging, enthralling, endearing & enjoyable for me. Further, our own Dennis Price, Stanley Holloway & Leo Genn (I at first thought that he was Robert Newton - apparently, I'm not the first to make that error), they bring yet more great British talent to the piece. The blonde-bombshell that was Shirley Eaton adds her talent & drop-dead gorgeous to it all. For 'Ten Little Indians' we need a cast of ten - all, of the rest of the ensemble cast, has it perfectly pulled off, too - just superb, every one. Featuring a stunning Alpine vista, as it introduces the first eight of the ten characters, is just a small taste of the beautiful cinematography - they're ascending in a cable-car to a divine mansion house, where they are to be greeted by the last (but the first to get up there) two. It soon becomes clear, that they none of them, actually know the person, that has invited (or otherwise inveigled) all ten of them to this remote place. You will, no doubt wonder, if someone else is there. As the story unfolds, more things become clear, but, not before they are made more confused - that's part of a great mystery, after all - along with people, not being quite what they seem. One question is, how does their mysterious host seem to know certain things, things the guests would rather not have people knowing, or want to confront? They are given few choices in any matter, while, one by one, they meet their poetic (in?)justice. I haven't read the book, so, I don't know how this, or any other film differs, but, there are twists & (star-)turns galore - to say much more, would be to spoil it entirely, rendering your watching it to the rank of "why bother"? I just love it, so, I'd of course say "watch it" - at least, if it doesn't pull you in & hold your attention, there are other versions, two of which I've since seen. Most recently, the 1945 (also black & white) one, 'And Then There Were None' - that is set on an island. The 1974 one, also called 'And Then There Were None', is in colour & set in the desert - this film starring another late & SO great British actor: The Lord Attenborough CBE; we film-lovers knew him as Sir Richard Attenborough; I suppose luvvies got away with calling him Sir Dickie. From Pinky in 'Brighton Rock' to making 'Jurassic Park' - what a giant of a man he was. I love Talking Pictures TV, for showing these films of yesteryear & so many others. The VERY Best of British Film :0)

Months ago, I thought it was a phase that I'm going through, but for the last four months, I have been hooked on the wonderful old films & programmes on Talking Pictures TV. My mother was 10 years old when this film came out, in 1960. I'd never seen it before. James Cagney in the lead role, being most ably-supported by a brilliant cast, delivers in my opinion, one of his greatest performances, as Admiral Halsey. The fact that this film is, well, based on fact, it had added more intensity to it for me. Mr. Cagney shows us, in his superb acting, all the nuance, the different facets, of a great Navy man. The balance between being a humble human & being in command, making tough decisions, it's not a position I envy or have ever striven for, but he makes it all seem worthwhile. Particularly, the way he deals with an Air Commander, who had lost 9 planes & all the men in them, attempting to relinquish his command position, Admiral Halsey reminds him, without yelling at or insulting him, that however alone he feels, he most certainly is not. That scene choked me. I've some major issues with concentration, almost always, before the end of a film, my mind wanders, my attention wanes, it's rarely a reflection on the actual films, but to this 1 hour & 56 minute film, I remained riveted to the end. If you like a really good (well-scripted, cast, produced & acted) WWII film, if you like James Cagney, if you appreciate Black & White films, if you want to know more about the battle for Guadalcanal, you should definitely watch this excellent movie. 10/10.