Stanley Long’s ‘Adventures of a Taxi Driver’ (1976) is not a great movie by any criteria. However, it does possess a few merits although we have to tread carefully in attempting to accurately identify them as these merits fall into three distinct categories that can still be easily confused and/or…

So the ending of ‘El Cid’ (1961) is basically ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ (1989), right? Personally I think Anthony Mann missed a trick here because if I was director of the film I’d have leaned into the whole ‘the Cid is still alive!’ angle so hard it would’ve taken up almost…

S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ (2022) is a Telugu-language historical epic that, in other hands, might have been played serious, straight and realistic as it tells the story of two men and their fight against British domination and brutality in India. The thing is ‘RRR’ is like no epic you’ve ever seen…

Despite never being a fan of the Jurassic World series I was still baffled as to how a movie about dinosaurs, motorbikes, dinosaurs and motorbikes, aerial attacks and marauding monsters could be receiving such negative reviews. Having now seen the movie I now understand why and the problems, unlike the…

Warning — Contains Highly Explicit and Offensive Language. I adore George Cukor’s ‘The Philadelphia Story’ (1940) so was curious what ‘High Society’ (1956) would bring to the story that was fresh, new and different. Additions include a raft of Cole Porter numbers, gorgeous Technicolor cinematography, strikingly colourful set design, William…

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022) is a radically simple movie — Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) must train some pilots to recreate the ending of ‘Star Wars’ (1977) by getting them to practice recreating the ending of ‘Star Wars’ (1977) until they can recreate the ending of ‘Star Wars’ (1977). And…

You know you’re watching an Enzo G. Castellari movie when the opening pre-credit scene contains more bonkers action than the entirety of most other films put together and boy, the opening to ‘Kill Them All and Come Back Alone’ (1968) is a doozy. Confederate soldiers have taken control of a…

I knew I was watching an Enzo G. Castellari movie last night when in the space of the opening ten minutes I’d been treated to a stake-out, a foot pursuit, a surprisingly fantastic car chase, deaths, explosions, ambushes and all this with the feeling that Castellari was only just revving…

Conflict is healthy and the smartest Hollywood comedies always knew this. It’s an inevitable part of any relationship that cannot be avoided and, if handled correctly, can even be fun. It’s why I believe Howard Hawks’ ‘20th Century’ (1934) should be required viewing for anyone attending couple’s therapy — “See…