Thunderbolts* (4½ Stars)

The star after the film's title isn't a mistake. It's an asterisk. Asterisks are used to draw a reader's attention to a note written at the bottom of the page. In this case, it's not a written page, it's a film, and the asterisk is pointing to a message at the end of the film, after the credits. After the credits we're told that the team temporarily calling themselves the Thunderbolts will call themselves the New Avengers.

Unlike the usual Marvel films, I have no feeling for the characters. The Thunderbolts first appeared in 1997, well into Marvel's post-canon era, when I rarely read comics. All I know is that the team members in the film aren't the same as in the comics, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Marvel's films are famous for their mix and match approach, taking characters with the same names as in the comics, but often with different powers and always with different costumes. There's no respect for the original source material.

Having said that, I have to admit that it's a good film. It's one of the better Marvel films in recent years. Florence Pugh carries the film as Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, but my favourite character is Bob. He's fascinating. But watch the film yourself if you want to know why.

Don't worry, Darling (4 Stars)

This is the second film I've watched this week that I gave five stars in the cinema but have downrated it now. They were both films that overwhelmed me in the cinema, but I was better able to judge them sitting at home in the comfort of my own room.

Jack and Alice live in a perfect world. The sun is always shining, and everyone gets on with one another. The men work in a company called Victory, and the women spend their time taking dance lessons or idling by a pool. The only problem is occasional mild earthquakes. Judging by the technology, such as rotary phones and black and white televisions, it seems to be the 1950's. But things aren't always what they seem.

None of the men, Jack included, tell their wives what they do. When Alice starts to ask questions, she realises that she's trapped in an elaborate prison. She can't trust anyone, especially not Jack. He knows exactly what's going on, but his loyalties lie with Victory, not his wife.

I wrote more about the film's plot, but I deleted it. The film is new enough for me to avoid spoilers. This is the sort of film I like, about a world with hidden secrets, but while watching it a second time I realised that there are unanswered questions. I might go into them next time I watch the film.

Success Rate:  + 0.5

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Oppenheimer (5 Stars)

I'll watch any film made by Christopher Nolan, despite my disappointment with his last (almost) true film, "Dunkirk". Before going to see "Oppenheimer" I was tempted to read up on Robert Oppenheimer. I'd heard his name and I knew he had something to do with the first atom bomb, but I knew nothing about his life. Eventually I decided to watch the film first and inform myself later.

Imagine my shock when the film started as a courtroom drama. Almost a courtroom drama. It's repeatedly emphasised that it wasn't a court, it was a senate committee. The difference is subtle. If found guilty, Robert Oppenheimer wouldn't be sentenced to prison, but he'd lose his security clearance and his ability to work for the government.

The film shows three phases in his life: before the Second World War, during the war and after the war. They're easy to tell apart from the cinematography, with the post war scenes being shown in black and white. A slight criticism is that I only roughly know when they happen. I would have appreciated the dates, or at least the years, being flashed on the screen.

So far I've only skimmed the Wikipedia page on Oppenheimer. It's late at night. I'll read more about him tomorrow. All I'll do is give a very brief summary of his life. It's not spoilers, because people with more knowledge than me would have known it already.

Before the war Robert Oppenheimer was an internationally renowned expert in quantum mechanics. He wasn't a Communist, but he kept an open mind, and he attended informal meetings of Communists. During the war he was made the leader of the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb. After the war he was an adviser to the American government on the further development of atomic bombs, but his past history with the Communist party was dug up to discredit him, until he lost his security clearance and was no longer allowed as an adviser.

It's a powerful film. It's not exactly a pacifist film, although it could be interpreted that way. Oppenheimer built the bomb, and he was proud of his work, because it saved millions of lives. In 1945 America was planning to invade Japan, but every Japanese child from the age of 12 upwards had been given a rifle. It was estimated that at least nine million Japanese civilians would die in the invasion. In comparison, less than 300,000 died as a result of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, in the following years Oppenheimer had a What-Have-I-Done feeling, and he tried to persuade America not to make even bigger bombs.

Despite being shown in English, the film was almost sold out in Gloria, a cinema that has two large screens. The other screen showed "Barbie", also almost sold out. This made me happy. It's Gloria's most successful day since the Corona pandemic started in 2020. Cinema isn't dead, it just needs the right films.

Black Widow (5 Stars)

What age was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, supposed to be in this film? The actress Scarlett Johansson was 34 when the film was made, but she looks much younger, thanks to the miracles of Hollywood makeup. In the picture above she looks like she's 22 at the oldest.

Speaking of myself, I went through two phases in my life. In my early years, up to when I was 35, Scarlett's age, people always thought I was younger than my real age. For instance, on my 23rd birthday I was waiting at Stuttgart's main train station in the early morning for a friend to arrive. I got into a conversation with some strangers while I was eating a snack, and they didn't believe I was 23. Their estimates ranged from 16 to 18. When I was 45 I returned to England, and everyone I met thought I was older. Their estimates ranged from 55 to 60.

What made the difference was my hair. At 23 I had long blond hair. I started growing my hair long when I was 18, but it was probably at its longest when I was 23. (I cut it short less than a year later, one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but that's a story for another day). My hair made me look young. In my late 30's I had a slowly advancing bald patch, and by the time I was 45 my remaining hair had turned grey. My hair made me look old.

"Black Widow" wasn't released until 2021. It was delayed by the Coronavirus pandemic. It was a posthumous film, as far as the Natasha Romanoff character was concerned. She'd already died in 2019 in "Avengers: Endgame". The post-credits scene shows her sister Yelena mourning at her grave.

Where does Black Widow (the character) go from here? At first I expected Yelena to adopt the role and become the new Black Widow. Now I don't know. The whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is fragmenting. The Marvel comics have a large lore to draw upon, with hundreds, maybe thousands of characters that can be used in films. Just being able to do this doesn't mean the MCU has to do it. Less is more. (I like that quote, but there's no consensus about who said it first). For me the breaking point was "The Eternals", totally unnecessary characters in the MCU.

Just writing about this makes me feel sad. There have been complaints about the Marvelization of Hollywood, complaints made by big directors like Quentin Tarantino. I don't think it's a bad thing in itself. It's all about films. I wouldn't mind if Hollywood were completely Marvelized, as long as the films are good. The word Marvel used to stand for quality. Today it stands for making money. I used to be excited whenever I heard the news about a new Marvel film. Now I just shrug my shoulders and hope it won't be too bad.

"Black Widow" is a good film. But it could be one of the last good Marvel films.

Success Rate:  - 0.1

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Don't worry, Darling (5 Stars)

This is the first film in the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival.

Each year a catalogue is published with descriptions of the films that will be shown at the Fantasy Film Festival. I don't bother reading it, I just flip through the pages and look at the pictures. Since I intend to go to all the films in the festival (apart from the ones that finish after midnight), I don't need to read the catalogue to make a choice. I want to be surprised by the films I watch.

Today was the first time that I regretted not reading the catalogue. After watching the first 15 minutes of "Don't worry, Darling" I was confused. I had no idea what was happening, and I didn't even know what genre it belonged to. It was even difficult to date the film. Judging by the small black and white televisions it looked like the early 1960's, but there were anachronisms. Things became clearer as the film progressed. I shan't give you any clues in this review. All I'll say in the film's favour is that there's a strong feminist message that develops later in the film.

I was happy to see that the cinema was sold out. The seats were full from the front row to the back. Maybe it was for the wrong reason. It looked like the film had attracted fans of Harry Styles. When his name was mentioned by the festival host there was loud cheering from the female members of the audience.

The film won the audience over. There was applause when the final credits rolled. It's one of the best films I've seen this year.

Black Widow (4½ Stars)

This year's Amazon Prime Day has come and gone. Usually I'm excited about it. I don't buy things at random. I have a shopping list that I've been preparing for months, and when Prime Day comes I go through my list to see what's on offer. Usually I buy a lot. This year I didn't. The selection of films on Blu-ray was very meagre. The only items on offer from my shopping list were Marvel Blu-rays: Buy two, get one free. Better than nothing.

I clicked around the web site to see what else was on offer. I could have bought an Echo device or a Kindle, if I hadn't got them already. There were 55-inch televisions for less than 300 Euros. Very nice, if I'd needed one. Then I found that Clarks shoes were on sale. I don't know if any of my friends have noticed, but I always wear the same shoes. I have very wide and very high feet, so it's difficult to find shoes that fit me. I've been buying identical shoes for the last 20 years, the Clarks Recline Free. In England I bought them from the Clarks shop in New Street. In Germany I buy them from Amazon. The Prime day offer was 33% off Clarks shoes. I already had two pairs which I wear alternately, but I ordered another pair while they were still cheap.

The Clarks Recline Free are beautiful shoes with a leather lining and leather inner material. Best of all, they're very wide, wider than the "extra wide" varieties of other shoe brands. I can strongly recommend them to any of my readers who have awkward feet. My feet have been a curse all my adult life. My feet are size 9 (EU size 43), but for years I bought size 10 in order to get my feet into the shoes. Then I discovered the Clarks Recline Free shoes, and I can finally wear the correct size.

So the only items I bought on Prime Day were a pair of shoes and three Marvel Blu-rays. I'll watch the other two soon. "Black Widow" is the first film.

When "Black Widow" was made in 2021 the character was already dead. She sacrificed herself in "Avengers Endgame" (2019). Chronologically, "Black Widow" takes place shortly after "Captain America: Civil War" (2016). Natasha Romanoff is a fugitive, because she refuses to accept the Sokovia Accords that regulate the activities of superheroes.

Natasha is sent a package by her younger sister, who she hasn't seen for 20 years. It's a collection of vials which contain a gas capable of undoing the brainwashing carried out in the Red Room. A Russian general called Dreykov has gathered hundreds of young women that he calls widows, an army which he'll use to conquer the world. They're beautiful and they're deadly, and most importantly of all, they've been brainwashed to obey Dreykov unconditionally. 

Is Natasha's sister Yelena intended to be her replacement as the new Black Widow in the upcoming Marvel films? That would be good. Florence Pugh is a beautiful actress with poise and charisma. I just hope she'll drop the fake Russian accent. It sounds silly.

Their father is the Russian super-soldier called the Red Guardian. In the original comics he's terrifying, but the film shows him as inept and overweight. No, I don't want to see him again.

The Black Widow that we see in the film is far removed from the comic book character, so I have to watch the film in its own right. It's a top notch spy thriller, not a superhero film. It's one of the better Marvel films made in recent years. Let's hope Marvel returns to its former glory.

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Fighting with my Family (5 Stars)

True Stories #35

Name: Saraya Bevis

Lived: 17 August 1992 – still alive

Film dates: 2005 to 2014, mostly 2010 to 2014

Film made in 2019

This is the story of the WWE wrestler known as Paige. The young woman from Norwich had a whirlwind career, leading to winning the WWE women's championship

Saraya started wrestling when she was 13. Her parents and her two elder brothers were all wrestlers in the family owned business, the World Association of Wrestling. In 2011 she and her brother Zak auditioned for the WWE in London. Saraya was accepted, Zak wasn't. This was heart-breaking for both of them. It had been Zak's dream all his life to join the WWE. It hurt Saraya because she loved her brother and didn't want to be separated from him.

The training in Florida is hard. At first Saraya, who's now taken the name Paige, isolates herself from the other female trainees. She's the only woman from a wrestling family. The others are models or cheerleaders.

People who don't understand professional wrestling say that it's fake. It's not fake, it's scripted. The level of athletic prowess needed to perform in the ring is immense. Despite Saraya's former experiences in England she had difficulty getting through the training programme.

The film ends with Paige's debut on Monday Night Raw on 7th April 2014. It's unusual for a true story to be made so soon after the real events. Florence Pugh does an excellent job portraying Paige. She had help and coaching from the real Paige. Several real wrestlers appear in the film, including the Rock (Dwayne Johnson), the Miz and the Big Show.

Success Rate:  + 1.8

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Black Widow (4½ Stars)

Disney Wednesday #2

I admit it. I'm getting annoyed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The whole concept of filming Marvel characters is flawed. The idea is as follows:

Take a character from Marvel comics. Put him (or her) in a film. Keep the name, but give him a new costume. Give him a different background. Change everything. Then say it's the same character from a different part of the Multiverse.

This concept is most obvious in the recent film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". Shang-Chi in the film has nothing to do with Shang-Chi in the comics. Nothing at all. At least the MCU's Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, could be associated with the comics book character while her background remained vague. Now this film, the 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has made the mistake of giving us information about her early life, emphasising that it's a completely different character.

In the early years of Marvel, from 1961 until the late 1970's, everything was simple. It was a consistent universe, carefully crafted by Stan Lee, and continued by other writers. It wasn't even an alternate universe. Stan Lee wrote everything as if it were happening in our own world. There were occasional references to current political events and world leaders. This was in contrast to DC Comics, in which the characters lived in fictional cities, such as Gotham, Metropolis and Star City. Marvel's heroes (with the exception of the Hulk) were based in New York City, so there were frequent landmarks to give the reader an anchor to the real world. Later on the catchphrase "Marvel Universe" was invented to name the alternate place where the Marvel heroes live. Even later, this universe was numbered. The Marvel Universe is Earth-616.

Marvel itself (the comics company) justifies the deviations in the MCU by saying that they take place in a different part of the Multiverse. This is a list of the relevant alternate universes.

Earth-1218 -- the real world where you and I live.

Earth-616 -- the world where the Marvel heroes live in the comics.

Earth-199999 -- the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Do the numbers look as random to you as they do to me? The rest of the Marvel films have other designations:

Earth-730911 – "Spider-Man" (1977)

Earth-96173 – "Doctor Strange" (1978)

Earth-58470 – "Howard the Duck" (1986)

Earth-58627 – "The Punisher" (1989)

Earth-697064 – "Captain America" (1990)

Earth-94000 – "Fantastic Four" (1994)

Earth-26320 – the Blade films and TV series (1998-2006)

Earth-10005 – the first five X-Men films and the first two Wolverine films (2000-2016)

Earth-96283 – Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films (2002-2007)

Earth-701306 – "Daredevil" (2003) and "Elektra" (2005)

Earth-400083 – "Hulk" (2003)

Earth-58460 – "Man-Thing" (2005)

Earth-121698 – the Fantastic Four films (2005-2007)

Earth-121347 – the Ghost Rider films (2007-2012)

Earth-120703 – the Amazing Spider-Man films (2012-2014)

Earth-TRN554 – "Fantastic Four" (2015)

Earth-TRN404 – "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016) and "Dark Phoenix" (2019)

Earth-TRN414 – the Deadpool films and "New Mutants" (2016-2020)

Earth-17315 – "Logan", the third Wolverine film (2017)

Earth-TRN688 – "Venom" (2018)

I've listed all of those, even though I consider them nonsensical. The proliferation of universe numbers is only intended to be a justification of the lack of continuity in the films.

As for the Black Widow film, I might write something about it next time I watch it. For now I'll just say that it's a good film.

Success Rate:  - 0.1

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Black Widow (5 Stars)

When I went to the cinema tonight there was a trailer for the new James Bond film. The Black Widow film that followed was more of a high octane spy thriller than James Bond could ever be. The similarity is deliberate. The action jumps from country to country (USA, Cuba, Norway, Hungary), before finally settling in Russia.

Is the story faithful to the comics? Not really. I was grinding my teeth in annoyance when the Red Guardian was shown to be Natasha's father by adoption. In the comics he was her estranged husband. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised that the Red Guardian's costume was so similar to the comics. Here's what he looked like in his first appearance in August 1967.

The Black Widow has gone through many costume changes over the years, but none of them are like the white leather outfit she wears in the film's posters. She first appeared in Tales Of Suspense #52 (April 1964), wearing a sexy long dress, looking like a sultry Russian spy from 1950's films.

How many of you understood the significance of Yelena mistakenly calling her father the Crimson Dynamo? It made me chuckle. When the Black Widow first appeared in Tales Of Suspense #52, she was sent to assist the Russian super-villain Crimson Dynamo.

After their defeat at the hands of Iron Man, the Crimson Dynamo returned to Russia, but Black Widow remained in America. At first she acted alone, but in Tales Of Suspense #57 (September 1964) she teamed up with Hawkeye, who was still a villain at the time. Hawkeye was immediately love-struck, but Natasha was only using him. It wasn't until a few years later that a genuine romance developed.

This is Black Widow's costume in Tales Of Suspense #64 (April 1965). Hawkeye was considering giving up crime, but she tempted him to attack Iron Man yet again. He called her darling, but she felt nothing for him. He should have known better than to trust a woman who calls herself Black Widow. He gave up crime and joined the Avengers a month later in Avengers #16 (May 1965).

In Avengers #30 (July 1966), Natasha claimed that she'd been brainwashed by the Russians and now wanted to defect to America. After that she often aided the Avengers in their battles, but she didn't become an official member until Avengers #111 (May 1973). For months she worked for SHIELD, which separated her from Hawkeye. During this time she met and fell in love with Daredevil. Daredevil and Black Widow were partners from Daredevil #81 (November 1971) to Daredevil #124 (August 1975).

Hawkeye was jealous, understandably. Notice that the title of Daredevil's comic was temporarily changed to "Daredevil and the Black Widow". This was from Daredevil and the Black Widow #92 to Daredevil and the Black Widow #107. It makes things awkward for collectors.

Natasha's inviation to become an Avenger in Avengers #111 was one of the steps in their eventual breakup. Daredevil wanted to turn down Natasha's membership on her behalf. This is typical of the writing of Steve Englehant in the 1970's. Stan Lee had written about super-heroes with weaknesses, such as Daredevil being blind, but Steve Englehart took it a step further. He showed that heroes could have character faults, such as wanting to boss women around. Natasha was a strong, independent woman and didn't stand for it. She accepted the invitation and became an Avenger.

This is the tearful break up of Daredevil and Black Widow in Daredevil #124. Couldn't they have been given a little privacy?

After breaking up with Daredevil, Natasha left the Avengers and formed a new group called the Champions with Hercules, Ghost Rider, Angel and Iceman. I shan't go into it here. Black Widow has a long history in Marvel comics, too much to write about in a short review.

Nevertheless, the film is very good, and I'll write more about it when I own it on Blu-ray.

Little Women (4 Stars)

It took me a long time to begin to write this review. While watching the film I felt disadvantaged by not having read the book. I've already decided that I'll read the book before I watch the film again, and the Kindle edition only costs 95 cents, so there's nothing to stop me buying it. To help me with this review I've read a few articles about the book and the differences between the film and the book. I shan't repeat what I've read, neither verbatim nor in summary, but it's helped my understanding.

Rather than being a strict adaptation of the book, the film tells the tale of how the book was written. It's well known that "Little Women" is Louisa May Alcott's autobiography, with the names changed. The film adds another layer around the book, a type of meta-narrative, which helps us to better understand Jo March, the name that Alcott gives herself in the book.

The film's narrative is told in a non-linear way, even within the meta-narrative layer. That's something that confused me as someone who's never read the book. The same four actresses play the March sisters in their younger and older years, so at times I didn't realise that the timeline had switched until something happened that made me say "Ah ha". I repeat, this is a film for people who already know and love the book, not for outsiders like me.

The film tells the story of Jo March and her three sisters who live in semi-poverty in Massachusetts during the American Civil War. The book evidently goes into their financial situation in more detail. They have enough to eat, but not enough for any of the pretty clothes that young girls like to wear. They perform works of charity for those poorer than themselves, but they thankfully accept gifts from their richer neighbours.

Jo March is a free-spirited independent woman who wants to become a writer. She doesn't want to rely on a man to support her. Her older sister Meg is a vaguer character in the film. She gets a lot of screentime, but at the end of the film I felt I didn't know her. The reason for this became apparent when I read the online articles. The book presents Meg as the opposite to Jo: she's a traditional woman who sees her purpose in life as marrying and having children. The director, Greta Gerwig, reduced this aspect of her personality in the film, leaving a vacuum.

The third sister, Beth March, is a sensitive girl who loves music. The youngest sister, Amy, is a talented artist. It's a beautiful family that any parents would be proud of.

The girls' father is a pastor. I was somewhat shocked when I first saw him wearing a dog collar in the film. I wasn't expecting it. In the early scenes he's away from home with the Union army, so I assumed he was a soldier, but he was actually an army pastor.

Religion, or rather religiousness, plays an important part in the novel. This is missing from the film entirely. The good deeds performed by the family are humanitarian rather than Christian. This is why the girls' father and his importance in the family is downplayed. Evidently, Greta Gerwig's intention was to make a feminist film, and traditional Christianity is an enemy of feminism.

The film's meta-narrative emphasises the biggest difference between Louisa May Alcott in real life and in her auto-biography. The novel ends with her marriage, even though she remained single all her life. That's a strange change to make to a true story, but it's carefully explained. The publisher says that women in novels have to end up married or dead. That was probably the attitude in the unenlightened world of 19th Century America, but it's not the case now. Greta Gerwig adds Jo March's romance in hurried fashion towards the end of the film, but then we're told that it never really happened. The film ends with her alone and happy. That's the way Greta Gerwig would have written the book.

It's a film that I greatly enjoyed, but it's far from perfect. The non-linear storytelling causes too much disruption. Meg's character could have been fleshed out more. It's not a problem for me that the Christian element is downplayed, but the father's job as a pastor could at least have been better explained.

Maybe I'll give a more positive review after reading the book for myself. Wait till next year.

Fighting with my Family (5 Stars)

This film tells the true story about how the wrestler Paige progressed from a small wrestling company in England to becoming the women's champion of the WWE, the world's largest wrestling company. The film ends with her winning the championship on 7th April 2014. It's unusual for a biopic to be made so soon after the events on which it's based. (The film was released in 2019, but it was filmed in early 2017). Maybe it would have been better to delay the film a few years so it could have included later occurrences in her career. On 27th December 2017 Paige was injured in a match, leading to her permanent retirement from wrestling. She's still employed by the WWE, frequently appearing in television broadcasts, but carrying out other roles, such as managing tag teams.

I've seen Paige as a wrestler, and I can verify that the actress Florence Pugh is very similar to her. She's a few inches shorter, but apart from that she's made up to look like her and successfully imitates her mannerisms. They could be sisters. Florence Pugh also appeared in "Midsommar", which I watched earlier this week. I'm starting to notice her as an actress. She seems to have great talent. I'll give a final decision after seeing her in this year's "Black Widow" film.

Success Rate:  + 1.6

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Midsommar (4 Stars)

It's one of those awkward relationships. Christian Hughes is a postgraduate anthropology student, and his girlfriend Dani Ardor is a struggling undergraduate. The difference in the academic levels isn't a problem in itself. The problem is that Christian isn't getting what he wants out of the relationship. He complains that she's not interested in sex, and she borders on neurosis, calling him with her troubles all times of the day and night. He tells his friends about his problems, and they encourage him to break up with her. He almost takes the step, but then her sister Terri kills herself and their parents, so he decides to stay with her. It's pity, not love.

Christian's fellow student Pelle suggests that the four friends, Christian, Pelle, Josh and Mark, visit a midsummer festival in Pelle's home village in Sweden. Christian wants to spend some time away from Dani, but she puts him under emotional pressure, and he invites her to go with the group, much to their horror. They do their best to be polite and act as if they're glad she's with them.

The nine-day festival in Hälsingland looks like a hippy commune at first sight. Everyone is dancing and content. It isn't until the second day that the dark side becomes apparent. Two people commit suicide by jumping off a cliff while everyone is watching and rejoicing. Dani is shocked and wants to leave, but the villagers insist that it's normal. When people reach the age of 72 they end their lives for the good of the community.

Bigger surprises follow.

This is a horror film, but the horror is bubbling below the surface. Everyone is happy and laughing, content in the belief that their pagan rituals are in harmony with nature. The outsiders are the ones who don't understand and need to be educated. What they experience terrifies them.

It's a beautiful film stylistically. The cinema audience laughed at several scenes which I didn't find particularly funny. They couldn't fathom a society which is ruled by such a totally different moral code. People from our Christian society can't understand paganism in its purest form.

I find the story itself weak. It takes a long time for anything to happen. We know, or at least we suspect, how the film will end, but it takes a long time to get there. The film's naive beauty makes up for it. If you want to enjoy the film, you need to accept the paganism at face value, rather than judging it in terms of good and evil.

Fighting with my Family (5 Stars)

There's a sentence I've used a few times in my blog, and I'm not ashamed to keep repeating it: "I knew this film would be good, but it's better than I expected". That's definitely true of "Fighting with my Family".

The story tells the true story of the British wrestler Paige, real name Saraya Bevis. It deals with how she became one of the biggest female wrestlers in the company World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). I wanted to see the film because I used to be a big fan of the WWE, or rather the WWF (World Wrestling Federation), as it was called until 2002. I first saw the WWF on television while I was on holiday in Scotland in 1990, but I didn't become a regular viewer until 1997. For me the WWF's greatest years were 1997 to 2002, referred to as the Attitude Era. In those days it was all about flamboyant wrestling, with most wrestlers being anti-heroes. After 2002 it was all about faces and heels, i.e. good guys and bad guys, which I found boring. The audience was programmed by scripted speeches to like one wrestler and hate another. I found this trite, and I stopped watching the WWE a few years later.

During my years as a WWF/WWE fan I watched all the Pay Per View events. I taped them and built up a large collection, which I eventually threw in the trash after unsuccessfully trying to give them away. I'm sure my tape of Over The Edge 1999 would have been valuable to wrestling fans, because it's the only PPV event which has never been released on VCR or DVD. PPV events were broadcast live on Sunday and repeated on Monday, but Over The Edge 1999 wasn't repeated because of Owen Hart's death during the broadcast. His accident happened off camera, but there was a long break while the commentator Jim Ross talked to the audience at home about what had happened. My tape is gone now. Tough luck.

The film itself is about the struggles of a young woman who was an underdog and outsider. She was fortunate enough to be born into a wrestling family. Her father Rick was the founder of the World Association of Wrestling (WAW). Despite its glamorous name, it was a small independent company in Norwich with very few employees apart from his family. Rick's children Zak and Saraya dreamt of joining the WWE, the world's biggest wrestling company. Zak was refused, whereas Saraya was accepted and became Paige. The rest of the film deals with Zak's reaction to being rejected and Paige's difficulties fitting in with the WWE wrestling community.

Most of the actors in the film aren't wrestlers, with the exception of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Nick Frost is absolutely brilliant as Rick Knight. He looks and talks like a wrestler. The WWE trainer Hutch Morgan is played by Vince Vaughan, who has the size and muscular build to be a wrestler. It's excellent acting throughout. I've always liked true stories, and this has immediately become a film I want to add to my Blu-ray collection.

P.S. I wrote this review on March 21st, but I've backdated the post to the day I watched it in the cinema.

The Falling (4½ Stars)

To be free you must be conscious.

This film has a surreal dream-like quality. It's not terrifying enough to be a nightmare, but it's not pleasant enough to be a good dream.

The story takes place in a girls' school in the late 1960's. The location isn't specified, it could be anywhere in central England, but it was actually filmed near Oxford. Abbie and Lydia are two girls in the fifth form (ages 15 to 16). They're more than friends, there's a budding lesbian relationship between them, and they swear they'll love one another forever. This relationship is disturbed when Abbie loses her virginity on the back seat of a car with Lydia's brother Kenneth. Worse still, Abbie becomes pregnant from this single act.

Abbie considers having an abortion, but before she has a chance there are complications and she dies. Soon after the funeral an epidemic breaks out in the school. The girls in the school repeatedly faint, and some of them even have convulsions. The headmistress doesn't call a doctor because she thinks the girls are faking it, and she accuses Lydia of being the ringleader. It remains a mystery throughout the film: is the fainting a contagious illness, is it the result of witchcraft, or are the girls really faking?

Despite being written by an English author, Carol Morley, the film follows the tradition of American gothic literature. The girls spend their free time in the woods communing with nature. It would be going too far to call them pagans, but they're aware that there are greater powers at work in nature than they can understand, something in contrast to their Christian education in school.