Shaun The Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas - 2021 - UK

Shaun The Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas - 2021 - 7/10

 
Shaun realizes his stocking is smallish and decides to appropriate the Farmer’s.
Along with a very young confederate, they enter the home for a quick burgle.
Whereupon the plans misfire, the youngling disappears, and Shaun is in big trouble.
What to do?  Head to the village, High Street merry with people.
Brisk outing is chocked with jokes, visual and musical gags, and a stream of mistakes.
Thirty minutes of pure confection.

How The West Was Won - 1962 - USA

How The West Was Won - 1962 - 7/10

 
Overlong “Western” is as good or bad as any given chapter.
The West sweeps from the  Alleghenies to Arizona in a rough fifty year span.
Generations of one family are profiled, but they are stand-ins for everyone.
Yarns about river pirates and the Civil War seem the weakest, with poorly drawn characters.
The wagon train is too Hollywood for my taste, but this has one of the few roles I’ve enjoyed Gregory Peck in.
Final two chapters are rousing excitement.
Railroad going though Indian territory, unflinching is observing (broken) agreements with tribes.
An outlaw gang trying for a train robbery as civilization begins to the “wild” West.
Recent BluRay addresses / fixes the Cinerama bars.
I originally saw this old-fashioned Hollywood spectacle with my grandfather, and a recent rewatch reminds me of how completely immersive it had been – and how it is less now.

Lone Wolf Spy Hunt - 1939 - USA

Lone Wolf Spy Hunt - 1939 - 6/10  

 
Retired safecracker, Michael Lanyard (the Lone Wolf) is set up.
War Department plans are stolen and dropped clues incriminate Lanyard.
While police are skeptical, and he provides alibis, he remains suspect #1.
Meanwhile, a bright-eyed young heiress (Ida Lupino) wants to marry the reluctant bachelor.
Plot zig zags between mystery, cheeky innuendo, and farcical comedy.
More silly than sinister.
William Warren effortless as the Lone Wolf, Rita Hayworth makes an alluring femme fatale.

Spitting Image Christmas Special - 2021 - UK

Spitting Image Christmas Special - 2021 - 6/10

 
Not quite the old series, which irks the faithful, yet this has its moments.
Elton John, mixing two chestnuts, is visited by ghosts and learns what life was like for his closest if he had never existed.
Three magi, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg sing how important their empires are to Yule.
This is short, swift and rushes, which is good.  Parts feel out of touch, though.
Hits vs. misses = 50-50.

Still Mine - 2012 - Canada

Still Mine - 2012 - 7/10

 
Both are old, elderly, but Craig notices his wife has slight dementia.
Their two-story Canadian house is too much for her, especially the stairs.
Consequently, he decides to build a smaller home for them.
Build, as in DIY, using his own trees, his own blueprints, just as he had done decades earlier.
Of course, there were no building codes back then.  And no “rules is rules” inspectors.
Enthralling film of the fiercely independent soul clashing with the bureaucratic machine.
James Cromwell’s character will linger with you for weeks, and all scenes with Geneviève Bujold are the definition of “growing old together”.

The Whistler - 1944 - USA

The Whistler - 1944 - 6/10

 
Tycoon Earl, bumming after the death of his wife, hires a killer to snuff him out.
Only condition, he doesn’t want to know when or where.
Then he finds out his wife ain’t dead.
When he tries to cancel – oh, hell.
Fast paced B-film makes decent Noir, although undermined by absurd plot twists.
Richard Dix, the businessman, looks disheveled most of the time, with ill-fitting suits.
The OTR on which this is based is a terrific series, worth listening to.

Hoosiers - 1986 - USA

Hoosiers - 1986 - 7/10

 
One of the great basketball films out there.
Small town team has the same ambitions of thousands of high school programs.
Make their way to the annual state tournament.
Their new coach, soon in trouble, receives strategic advice from the town’s alcoholic.
The focus is on the boys, however.
Well paced film is an underdog fable, set in a world that is now a ghost.
Sports before steroids, before endorsements.
Evoking a lost Americana that may never have existed.

Night Shift - 2019 - UK

Night Shift - 2019 - 6/10

 
Luv looks forward to the Halloween party with his girlfriend.
Until his boss hands him a stack of work he needs completed by morning.
His lone colleague is the weird new guy, going on about the messenger of death.
Tight horror short builds atmosphere, although overly bright interiors work against it.

Lawman - 1971 - USA

Lawman - 1971 - 6/10

 
Predating Robocop by decades, Burt Lancaster plays a zealously by-the-book marshal.
After a shoot ‘em up leaves an old man dead, a lawman arrives to arrest the whole ranch gang and bring to trial.
The usual “bargaining” is applied to no effect.  Lancaster’s sheriff is righteous to the point of being insufferable.
Some exchanges are akin to negotiating with a computer.
Revisionist Western filled with hotheads, weaklings, cowards, grafters.
Robert Ryan as aging sheriff, glory days well behind him, makes a compassionate conscience.
Slow boil throughout with violent finale, without heroism.

Diva - 1981 - France

Diva - 1981 - 7/10

Jules, passionate about opera, makes an HQ copy of his favorite singer, one who has refused any live recordings.
Round about this time, a hooker drops an expose cassette into his mail pouch, before she is killed.

 
Police want Jules, hired killers plan to murder him, music bootleggers want his tape.
Visually arresting film, packed with memorable characters and high energy.
Terrific chase in the subway are one of many highlights.
Dominique Pinon, in his second role, is unforgettable as the lethal “priest”.

Slumdog Millionaire - 2008 - UK

Slumdog Millionaire - 2008 - 5/10

 
Low caste Jamal is a contestant on popular quiz show (version “Who Wants Be Millionaire?).
Defying the odds (ha!) he performs well.  Really well.
So much so, authorities suspect cheating.
Extensive flashbacks narrate his life and expertise.
Overtly manipulative aims for feel-good, but this is highly calculated.
Every twist, every reveal, felt contrived and obvious, and I began disliking this film intensely.
This was the movie that had me reevaluate director Danny Boyle.
I truly enjoyed this earlier films.  From this point on, not so much.

Bend It Like Beckham - 2002 - UK

Bend It Like Beckham - 2002 - 6/10

 
When this came out, I knew there was no escape.
My wife, fan of World Cup, Premiere League, Man U.
Resistance is futile.
Friends Jesminder and Jules want to be professional footballers.
Parents of the girls feel otherwise, for different reasons.
Cultural and social.  Obstacles are emotional, physical, schedules.
Nevertheless, this is feel-good so there will be important moments.
Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley would go on to big careers.
Entertaining, even if you know jack diddly-doo about football (soccer).