Jubilee (4 Stars)

Queen Elisabeth I asks her court advisers what the future will be like. They summon the angel Ariel, who gives her a vision of England in 1977. England is in a state of anarchy. London is burning, while people sit at home and watch "Top of the Pops". The monarchy has fallen, and a Fascist record producer has bought the palaces, where he lives with his old friend Adolf Hitler.

The message of this film is clearly "No Future". There are memorable performances by Jenny Runacre, Toyah Willcox and Adam Ant. The soundtrack is better than the film itself and contains some incredible 1970's songs by artists from the punk era such as Suzi Pinns, Adam Ant, Wayne County and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Before his death in 1994 director Derek Jarman released his films, including this one, into the public domain. The full length film can be viewed on YouTube here.

The Illusionist (4 Stars)

This is a fascinating story that takes place in Austria at the end of the 19th Century. The story starts in Hungary, where a young boy called Eduard, a carpenter's son, meets a travelling magician and begins to learn conjuring tricks. He meets the Duchess Sophie von Teschen while she is riding, he shows her his tricks, and they fall in love. But in those days a romance between a pauper and a noble was not allowed, so he leaves to travel the world, studying magic at the feet of the world's greatest magicians.

15 years later he returns and appears in Vienna using the stage name Eisenheim. He dazzles audiences with tricks, and the police inspector becomes a fan of his, watching closely at all times to discover the secret of his tricks. Prince Leopold, a man with ambitions to become ruler of Germany, visits the performances, and we see that his fiancee is Duchess Sophie. The romance flares up again, leading to retaliation from Prince Leopold.

For me the real stars of this film aren't Edward Norton and Jessica Biel, who play Eisenheim and Sophie. Rufus Sewell and Paul Giamatti, who play Prince Leopold and Inspector Uhl, are the ones who dazzle with their on-screen presence. Rufus Sewell, though not so well known, is an outstanding actor. I first saw him in "Dark City", but I find him most suitable when playing a bad guy, such as King Agamemnon in "Helen of Troy". Very few actors are as skilled at playing evil characters. Maybe Gary Oldman, I can't think of anyone else at the moment. Paul Giamatti excels as the police inspector who means well, but has to do what the prince says if he wants to keep his job.

Click here to view the trailer.

Pushing Tin (3½ Stars)

I don't often watch films at random. I don't have television (i.e. I'm unable to receive television broadcasts) so I don't flick through channels and watch something out of boredom just because it's on. I plan my viewing carefully. I almost always know what I'm going to watch tomorrow. It might be a film I've seen before, or a film recommended to me, or a film I've read a review of. There's always a reason I watch a film. But not this one. I'd never heard of it, I just watched it. How did that happen?

I wanted to watch a film called "Mr. Holland's Opus", which was very strongly recommended to me by a friend. I checked online, and the DVD costs £3.50. Too much for me. But further searching told me that there was a box of three films that includes "Mr. Holland's Opus" for only £1.99. A good price, considering the usual rental price in England for one film is £2.50. So I bought it. And this is one of the other two films. I read the description on the box and decided to watch this first.

John Cusack plays Nick Falzone, a self-confident New York air traffic controller. As I understand now, after watching the film, air traffic control is not just about guiding aircraft through the sky so that they take off and land safely, it's also about doing this optimally with the least possible delays. This is a critical job in this area where three of the world's largest airports, JFK and LaGuardia are within 20 miles of one another. Nick is the best at his job, until Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton) is transferred from a smaller airport. Russell is eccentric and anti-social, but he's good at his job. He also has a beautiful wife Mary (Angelina Jolie) who is an alcoholic. After Nick has a one-night stand with Mary the professional rivalry turns into a personal battle.

The film is difficult to classify. It's not really a comedy, but it's not quite serious either. It shows the confusion of people sitting at screens all day arranging blips in a 3-D computer game with thousands of lives at stake. I found the film difficult to relate to. So far from my own world. I encourage any of my readers who have seen this film to leave comments

Click here to view the trailer.

The Las Vegas Serial Killer (2 Stars)

I was asked a short while ago how I come across so many obscure films. I assume that this is one of the films that my friend was referring to. The only way to answer the question is to deny that films like this are truly obscure. Obscurity is in the eyes of the beholder. If you're someone who only knows the films that you see in the cinemas, anything older than 10 years must seem obscure to you. Depending on your age, of course. If you only watch English language films, anything from other countries must seem obscure. If you only watch Hollywood blockbusters, low budget films must seem obscure to you.

I review films from any age. My very first review was "Metropolis", made in 1927, and yesterday I reviewed "Avengers Assemble", made in 2012. I review a large number of German films, most of which are well known to people who live in Germany. I watch many low budget films. Anybody who appreciates the magic of cheap films that rely on a good plot rather than fancy special effects knows the name Ray Dennis Steckler. He was a director who made about 30 films from 1962 to 1997. When people say "low budget" they usually mean a film that costs less than $100,000 to make, but Steckler's budgets were the lowest of all. Some of his films were allegedly made for less than $500. This was possible by using his family and friends as actors, and filming everything himself. His most famous film is "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies", made in 1963. I strongly recommend that film, but "The Las Vegas Serial Killer" isn't one of his best.

The film is about Jonathan Glick, a killer who is released from prison and settles in Las Vegas. Far from being reformed, he immediately sets out on a killing spree, murdering prostitutes and nude models. At the same time two petty thieves are operating in Las Vegas, mugging women and stealing their handbags. Glick kills a woman shortly after she has been robbed, leading to the thieves being the main murder suspects.

The problem with this film is that unlike Steckler's usual films there is no real character development. We have no explanation for the way Glick is; he merely stalks the streets and kills. The two thieves hardly talk to one another, so we don't get a chance to understand them. The film is as cold as a documentary.

Batman Begins (4 Stars)

I saw this film in the cinema when it was released in 2005. At the time I was disappointed. In a way I still am. The problem isn't that it isn't a good film. It's an excellent film that tells the story of one man's journey to overcome the fear and guilt that has tortured him all his life. My problem with the film is simply: it's not Batman. This isn't Batman in any of his incarnations; the dark detective of the 1940's and 1950's, the camp superhero of the 1960's and early 1970's, or the brooding crime fighter of the late 1970's till today. If anything, I'd say that the character we see in the film is really Daredevil in a different costume.

Watching it again today, for the first time since 2012, I tried to clear my mind. Instead of looking at it as a copy of the comic books I tried to accept it as a film in its own right. Yes, looking at it that way it succeeds. This is a new Batman, but he's a Batman we can respect in his own right. It's amazing how similar Christian Bale looks to Michael Keaton when wearing the Batman mask, they look nothing like one another otherwise.

On second viewing I enjoyed the film a lot more. It seems like a film I should watch a third time to get to know it better. I'll review the plot then.

Click here to view the trailer.

Avengers Assemble (5 Stars)

It might surprise my readers to know that I don't often go to cinemas. Usually it's four to six times a year, but this is the first film I've seen on the big screen since I went to see "Paul" 12 months ago. There aren't many films that I consider worth the additional expense involved. It isn't just the high price of the film ticket. I also have to reckon in the price of the bus fare to the city centre. And the price of wine gums. Yes, wine gums. It's a ritual with me. When I go to the cinema I must have a packet of wine gums, preferably Bassett's. This time it had to be Haribo wine gums, the second best. I try to pick a time when the cinema is empty. Early in the day, and not in the first week. For "Avengers Assemble" I was successful, there were only three other people with me for the early afternoon show. I don't have a problem with crowds as such. It's the smell of popcorn. It makes me feel sick. I have to sit at a safe distance from anyone with popcorn. At least my wine gums don't smell.

But now to the film itself. By the time I'm writing this it's officially the third most successful film ever. The final box office figures have yet to be published, but it's unlikely it will overtake the other two, "Avatar" and "Titanic". There has been a long buildup to this film, starting with "Iron Man", then continuing with "Iron Man 2", "Thor" and "Captain America". Was it worth the wait? Does the film live up to its hype? I say yes.

Joss Whedon has done a great job, as far as the portrayal of the characters is concerned. Thor is closer to his personality in the comics books than he was in his own film. In the trailer Thor laughed in response to a quip from Tony Stark. In the film itself the quip is still there, but the laugh has been cut. Smart thinking. Thor is a serious character, it's all about battles and glory, he doesn't have a sense of humour. Captain America excels in this film, unlike in his solo film. He's the weakest of the Avengers, but he's a natural leader, as we see in the later fight scenes. The other Avengers don't hesitate to follow his orders. Unfortunately there's a scene where he carries a gun, again. Iron Man was already perfect in his solo films, and he remains so here. After the disappointing performance of Eric Bana in the first Hulk film I loved Edward Norton's performance in the sequel, but Mark Ruffalo is even better. Supposedly he's signed up to make six films as the Hulk, so we can finally expect some continuity.
 

I'm a bit disappointed with the new guy, Hawkeye. He seems much too tech savvy in the film. In the comics his background is as a circus performer. He should be more down to Earth. And what happened to his costume? His mask? The H on his head? His costume in the film is almost as bad as Halle Berry's Catwoman costume. The Black Widow's costume isn't very accurate either, but I'll let that pass since her costume in the comics varied greatly over the years.

I've heard some criticism that the Avengers spend half of the film fighting one another while the real bad guy, Loki, sits on the sidelines and gloats. This isn't incorrect. There were a lot of fights between the Avengers in the comics, starting in Avengers #16 with the new line-up (Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch). Most of the fights were between Captain America and Hawkeye. The other fights in the film certainly don't seem out of character.

I'll refrain from writing about the film's plot, since my guest writer Kaylena has already promised a full review. Let me just end this post with a few words about Thanos, who appeared in the middle of the credits sequence. The words he speaks are cryptic, but easy to understand for anyone who knows writer Jim Starlin's epic stories from the 1970's and 1980's.
 
"Humans! They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled. To challenge them is to court death".

I await the next films with trepidation. Thanos is the most powerful enemy ever faced by the Avengers, a tragic figure who could only be defeated because he was weakened by his love being spurned. But this is the reason I'm nervous. An all-powerful being who can do anything, such as killing 50% of the living creatures in the universe by snapping his fingers, works well in comics, but how will he be portrayed in films? Even Galactus, who is far weaker than Thanos, was hardly shown in the second Fantastic Four film. Let's wait and see. I might write a post about Thanos next month. Watch this space.

Click here to view the trailer.

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (4 Stars)

The original version of this film, made in 1958, is hailed as a cult classic. Unfortunately I've never seen it. I only know this version, which was made in 1993. From what I've been told it keeps close to the original. The film is even set in the 1950's, not in the present date. The main improvement is in the more realistic special effects, and of course it's in colour. For me this is the film that I will always associate with the name of Daryl Hannah.

Daryl plays Nancy Archer, a rich woman who is the co-owner of her father's company. She is being used by both her father and her husband. By a stroke of luck she encounters a flying saucer which shines a ray on her that makes her very tall. The film is called "50 foot woman", but she looks bigger. She then has the chance to get revenge on the men in her life. This is an amusing feminist fantasy. And I hope I can get my hands on the original version soon.

Incidentally, let me add something to make my American readers jealous. I bought this DVD a week ago. I saw it on sale for £0.99, approx $1.54, and grabbed it straight away. Brand new, still factory sealed. I thought I'd got a great deal, but yesterday I checked and the price is £0.27 now, only 42 cents. At prices like that, why rent? Buy it, and if you don't like it throw it in the trash. It's great to live in England.

Europa Europa (5 Stars)

Yes, I confess that I've been rferaining from writing reviews deliberately over the last few days. I wanted my tribute to my murdered friend, Brian Farmer, to remain at the top of my page. This might seem alienating to my regular readers who are only interested in my film reviews, but this was important to me. Sorry. Now I have a few reviews ro catch up on. The first is "Europa Europa", the true story of Solomon Perel.

Solomon was born into a Jewish family on April 20th 1925 in Peine, a small German town near Hanover. When the Nazis came into power his family emigrated to Poland, where they expected to be safe. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland. Solomon's family was arrested, while he himself managed to flee into Lithuania, which was under Russian control. He spent two years in an orphanage and became a passionate Communist. In 1941 the Germans conquered the area, and Solomon surrendered to them, claiming his name was Josef Peters, an ethnic German whose parents had been killed.

Even though he was only 16, Solomon/Josef worked in the German army as an interpreter. After two years in the orphanage he could speak perfect Russian. After a year he is sent to a Nazi academy in Berlin and becomes part of the Hitler Youth. This is where he remains until the Russians invade Berlin in 1945.

The film makes no attempt to excuse the way Solomon lived his life. He was no hero, he simply did what he could to survive. Even if it meant denying his faith to fit in as a good German. Under the same circumstances it's what I would have done too. A remarkable film that has won several awards. And yes, that's the beautiful and talented actress Julie Delpy in the photo above. This is one of her earlier films.

Off-Topic: Tribute to Brian Farmer

On May 19th at 6:10pm a man called Brian Farmer was found dead in his flat. His body had evidently been lying there for at least a week, and there was evidence of murder. The details are still unknown, so I'll update this post as soon as I know more. Or maybe I'll repost it to keep it at the top of my page.

Brian Farmer had been my friend and neighbour since 2003. We spent many hours sitting and drinking together. I want to post some of my memories of this wonderful but eccentric person.

Brian was born in Hay Mills, Birmingham in 1948. He served in the British army for 22 years. When he left the army in 1993 he came to live in Small Heath, Birmingham. He spent the last two years of his life living in Yardley, Birmingham. (For those unaquainted with Birmingham, Small Heath, Hay Mills and Yardley are neighboring districts that are linked by the Coventry Road).

In the army Brian worked as a drving instructor for tanks. He didn't only instruct British troops, he was also sent to Canada to teach Canadian soldiers. He told me an amusing story of an exercise he took part in in the north of Canada. Several tanks had to take part in a race to a place that was 30 miles away across the ice. Brian's tank was the only one to arrive, all the others got lost.

Brian's hobby while in the army was mountain climbing, and being posted to foreign countries gave him plenty of opportunity. Brian claims to be the only person ever to have climbed to the peak of Mount Fuji in the winter. He attempted the climb as the leader of a group of four soldiers. The base of Mount Fuji is guarded by American soldiers, since climbing attempts are forbidden in winter, but he forged a document saying he was allowed to make the climb. On the first day he could see that the three soldiers with him were having problems, so he brought them back down. He was about to abandon the mission himself, but then he spontaneously turned back and climbed to the peak as a solo mission.

Brian told me that the happiest day of his life was when he shot down a Turkish plane with a machine gun in Cyprus. He says that this was an amazing achievement, since the chance of shooting down a plane with a hand held gun is close to zero.

I asked Brian on more than one occasion how many people he had killed during his time in the army. At first he was evasive and changed the subject. Finally he told me that it's something he would rather forget. When he remembers the army he prefers to think about the good times drinking with his friends.

When Brian turned 40 he was put in charge of the officer's mess. At first he was annoyed at this, because it meant he was no longer in active combat, but he soon grew to enjoy his new job. It meant that he was allowed to grow his hair long, which is a rare privilege in the army. He also mixed with high ranking military personnel. In particular, he claimed to be a personal friend of Prince Phillip and spent time with him whenever he visited the troops.

In 1990 Brian volunteered to take part in the Gulf War. I don't know the reason he had to volunteer. Maybe his regiment, the Royal Irish Hussars, didn't take part in the war. Prince Phillip was present when he volunteered, and when he heard that a member of the regiment had volunteered Phillip said, "It must be Brian, he's the only person crazy enough."

After fighting in the Gulf Brian returned to his duties in the officer's mess. He could have continued with the job for years, but he retired for the sake of his son. Brian's son was also in the regiment, and it was a tradition that if father and son are in the same regiment the son is never promoted to a higher rank than his father. Brian had never advanced further than sergeant, so he thought he was holding his son back. After Brian retired his son was promoted twice within 12 months.

Brian had saved money and was planning to buy a cottage on the Isle of Skye. Unfortunately, his wife divorced him immediately after he said he was quitting the army. The savings were divided, and he couldn't afford his dream any more, so he returned to Birmingham.

After leaving the army Brian had problems dealing with "normal life" and was unable to hold down a job for more than a few weeks. When I met him in 2003 he was working as a traffic warden. One of his many jobs. He was fired because he was letting off elderly women with a warning. He told me that he didn't have the heart to write a ticket for little old women.

Brian's main hobby after the army was his motorbike. I don't know if he belonged to a club, but he went on biking trips with friends and visited biker bars. He had a large collection of LPs, mostly from the 1960's and early 1970's. He never owned a CD player. Brian liked to drink, especially beer and cider. He had a special mix of brown cider, white cider and rum which he proudly offered to his friends when they visited. I refused, it tasted vile to me, but he enjoyed it.

During his time in Small Heath, where he lived for almost 20 years, he lived in a squalid single room. He was obviously unable to look after himself. He kept his rifle, a souvenir from the army, in his wardrobe. I once asked him if it was loaded, to which he replied, "Mike, there's nothing as useless as an unloaded gun".

In his last few years he was having trouble with his memory. I first realised it was serious when he forgot the name of his granddaughter. Later on he forgot what road I lived in, even though he had visited me many times. As he became more confused the parasites descended on him to take advantage. He received his army pension on the last day of the month. The local drug addicts used to visit him on that day, claiming they were his friends and asking him for money. He was too senile to refuse, and he was almost broke by the next day. On one occasion he refused to open the door and his window was smashed. This led to him being evicted, but his new place in Yardley was bigger and better. Unfortunately the addicts soon found out his new address, and the cycle started again. It's almost certain that some of them were responsible for his murder. I'll post more details as I find out.

Link to the BBC report of Brian Farmer's murder.

Click here to view the police appeal concerning the murder of Brian Farmer.