Holiday On The Buses (4 Stars)

The first two On The Buses films captured everything that made the television series so popular. "Holiday On The Buses" has its moments, but by taking the characters away from the bus depot it loses much of the identity that made the franchise unique.

The film opens brilliantly. Stan crashes his bus after being distracted by a woman who accidentally bares her breasts while running along the road. It's exactly the sort of cheeky humour fans expect, and for a couple of minutes it feels as though we're in for another classic. Unfortunately, the action soon moves to a Pontin's Holiday Camp, where it remains for most of the film.

There are still plenty of laughs. Stan's hopeless attempts to seduce every attractive woman he meets are as funny as ever, and the chemistry between Reg Varney, Bob Grant and Stephen Lewis remains the film's greatest strength. Stan, Jack and Blakey are such entertaining characters that they can raise a laugh almost regardless of the situation.

The problem isn't the familiar jokes. Stan has always been an unsuccessful womaniser, and that's part of the series' charm. The problem is the setting. With so little time spent on the buses, the comedy often feels closer to a Carry On film than On The Buses. The holiday bus appears only occasionally, and the depot, which was the heart of the first two films, is almost forgotten.

Worst of all, there isn't a single clippy. The conductresses were central to the television series and the earlier films, providing many of Stan's funniest encounters. Their complete absence leaves a noticeable gap, making the film feel less like On The Buses and more like a generic British holiday comedy.

Holiday on the Buses is still an enjoyable farewell to the series thanks to its wonderful central trio, but it's also the weakest of the three films. The laughs are still there, yet by abandoning the buses it also abandons much of what made On The Buses so special.

So why were these girls left out of the film? I'd ride their bus all the way to the depot.

Mutiny On The Buses (4½ Stars)

When Inspector Blakey first appears in the film, he's introduced with the words, "Look out! Here comes Hitler!" That's not a very complimentary nickname, but let's be honest. Anyone with a moustache like that is begging for the nickname.

The story begins with Stan announcing that he intends to marry his girlfriend Susy. The Butler family quickly realise that losing Stan's wages will leave them in serious financial trouble, a situation made even worse when Arthur loses his job. It's enough of a storyline to tie the various episodes together, but the plot is never the film's main attraction.

That's one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. Many critics complain that the film lacks a strong narrative, and they're right in one sense. Apart from Stan's engagement, "Mutiny On The Buses" is just a collection of comic episodes loosely strung together. Even the title is random, as there's no real mutiny. The dispute that supposedly gives the film its name is just one brief incident among many. Critics may see that as a weakness, but I think it's exactly the right approach.

I don't watch comedies for intricate plots; I watch them to laugh. "Mutiny On The Buses" keeps the laughs coming with remarkable consistency. The story simply provides a framework for one funny situation after another, allowing the familiar characters to do what they do best.

As always, the regular cast are the film's greatest strength. Reg Varney, Bob Grant and Stephen Lewis had spent years perfecting the chemistry between Stan, Jack and Blakey, and it shows in every scene they share. The film also introduces a new depot manager, Mr. Jenkins, who provides a decent foil for the regulars without overshadowing them. More memorable is Nymphy Nora, whose outrageous flirting, first with Arthur and later with Mr. Jenkins, produces some of the film's biggest laughs.

When I first saw the film, I remembered the Windsor Safari Park sequence as feeling out of place. Watching it again, I realised it's only a fifteen-minute episode that arrives well into the second half of the film. Rather than dominating the story, it's simply one more comic set piece before the film moves on to its closing scenes, including the satisfying twist that leaves Blakey demoted to a conductor.

My only real criticism concerns Little Arthur. Arthur and Olive never had children in the television series, and I don't think the films gained anything by changing that. Their constantly bickering marriage was already funny enough without introducing a baby into the household. Fortunately it's only a minor subplot and doesn't detract from the film as a whole.

The film would have been better if it had spent less time on Little Arthur and more time showing the clippies in their delightful short skirts. 

Like the television series itself, "Mutiny On The Buses" isn't trying to tell a profound story. Its purpose is to make the audience laugh, and it succeeds brilliantly. The loose structure allows the writers to move effortlessly from one comic situation to the next, and the jokes land with remarkable consistency. If you judge a comedy by the number of laughs rather than the complexity of its plot, this is one of the finest British comedies of the 1970s. It may not surpass the original, but it's a worthy companion piece that almost deserves a five-star rating.

On The Buses (5 Stars)

In America, British sitcoms such as "Are You Being Served", "The Vicar of Dibley" and "Goodnight Sweetheart" have built loyal followings. Strangely, one of Britain's funniest sitcoms has never enjoyed the same success. "On The Buses" was a huge hit in the UK from 1969 to 1973, yet somehow it slipped under the American radar. Perhaps the early black and white episodes put people off. Whatever the reason, they're missing a comedy classic.

Hammer Films brought the series to the big screen in 1971, and unlike many television spin-offs, it feels completely at home as a feature film. The setting has changed and the buses wear different colours, but Stan Butler, Jack Harper and Inspector Blakey are exactly as fans remember them. More importantly, the film doesn't abandon the formula that made the television series such a success.

The title tells you everything you need to know. It's a film about buses. Stan is a driver, Jack is a conductor and Blakey is the long-suffering inspector. Even when the story wanders into Stan's chaotic home life or his hopeless attempts to impress attractive women, the buses are never far away. Every few minutes another bus rumbles across the screen, reminding you that this is a working comedy built around everyday life rather than glamorous adventures.

The main story concerns the arrival of female bus drivers, a prospect that horrifies Stan and Jack. Today the idea seems wonderfully old-fashioned, but that's part of the film's charm. The comedy isn't making a serious statement about gender politics; it's poking fun at men whose attitudes were already becoming outdated. Stan may spend his time chasing pretty conductors and bus drivers, but he's so hopelessly awkward that his romantic escapades are innocent rather than predatory. Reg Varney's natural likeability keeps the character on the right side of lovable.

The cast couldn't be better. Reg Varney and Bob Grant have effortless chemistry, while Stephen Lewis steals every scene as the permanently exasperated Blakey. Their performances capture everything that made the television series so popular.

Critics dismissed "On The Buses" as crude and unsophisticated, but audiences had the last laugh. It became one of the biggest British box office hits of 1971, outperforming the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever" at the UK box office.

What makes the film so enduring isn't just the laughs. It captures a Britain that has largely disappeared. Stan and his family live in a modest working-class home where money is always tight, overtime is essential and life's little pleasures mean everything. It isn't a world of glamour or wealth, but one that feels warm, familiar and authentic. For anyone who grew up in a similar environment, these characters don't feel like sitcom creations; they feel like neighbours, friends or even members of your own family.

That's why "On The Buses" remains such a joy to watch. Beneath the jokes and the flirtation is a wonderfully affectionate portrait of everyday working-class Britain. It may never have conquered America, but for those who remember that world, it's one of the finest sitcom spin-offs ever made.

Success Rate:  + 25.8

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

There are songs you listen to because you like them. Then there are songs that become part of your daily routine. For me, Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" falls into the second category.

Every morning my Echo Studio wakes me with Tony Iommi's unmistakable guitar riff. If I'm in a hurry I'll silence it before Ozzy Osbourne has a chance to sing a word. On a more relaxed morning I let the whole track play before getting out of bed. It's become such a habit that I can't imagine waking up to anything else.

Of course, "Paranoid" deserves its place in rock history. Released in 1970, it was written almost as an afterthought to pad out the album, yet it became Black Sabbath's signature song. Clocking in at under three minutes, it's one of the shortest songs they ever recorded, but it captures everything that made the band unique. Tony Iommi's unforgettable riff, Geezer Butler's driving bass, Bill Ward's energetic drumming and Ozzy's unmistakable voice combine to create a song that still sounds fresh more than fifty years later.

I've heard "Paranoid" literally thousands of times, yet I never tire of it. Perhaps that's because I rarely sit down and choose to play it. Instead, it arrives at exactly the same moment every day, announcing that it's time to stop sleeping and start living.

Not many songs can claim to have changed the history of heavy metal. Even fewer can claim to have got me out of bed every morning.

Who am I (3 Stars)

Today's the first time I've seen "Who Am I?", and I have to admit I was disappointed. This isn't really a Jackie Chan film; it's a spy thriller that just happens to star Jackie Chan.

The story is interesting enough. After a military operation in Africa goes disastrously wrong, Jackie survives but loses his memory. Unable to remember even his own name, he sets out to discover who he is while being hunted by the people who betrayed him. The plot is surprisingly similar to the Jason Bourne films, mixing amnesia with an international conspiracy.

The problem is that Jackie rarely gets to do what he does best. The film spends so much time on espionage, journalists and corporate villains that the martial arts seem almost like an afterthought. Whenever a fight breaks out, it feels as though it's been added to remind us we're watching a Jackie Chan film rather than because the story needed it.

That's not to say the action is poor. The final rooftop fight is excellent, and Jackie's famous slide down the side of the Rotterdam building remains one of the greatest stunts of his career. I only wish there had been more moments like these.

As a spy thriller, "Who Am I?" is perfectly enjoyable. As a Jackie Chan film, I wanted more. It's worth seeing once, but I don't think it'll ever become one of my favourites.

Mr. Nice Guy (5 Stars)

Note that this is the first film with Jackie Chan that I haven't flagged as Chinese. It was filmed in Australia, and almost all the dialogue is in English. Practically the only Chinese dialogue is private conversations between Jackie and his girlfriend Miki.

Why do so many critics dismiss "Mr. Nice Guy" (1997)? I honestly don't get it. They complain that the plot is paper thin, the villains are cartoonish and the humour is childish. Well, yes... but none of that matters. This is Jackie Chan at his absolute peak, delivering one astonishing action sequence after another. If you're expecting a deep, meaningful screenplay, you're watching the wrong film.

The real genius behind the film is director Sammo Hung. Few action directors understand pacing as well as he does. There's hardly a quiet moment in the entire running time. Every chase, fight and stunt flows effortlessly into the next, yet the film never becomes exhausting because Hung constantly changes the setting and the style of the action. One minute Jackie is improvising with kitchen utensils, the next he's racing through Melbourne on a bicycle or hanging from a speeding crane. It's a masterclass in keeping an audience entertained.

Jackie Chan is, as always, phenomenal. His comic timing is perfect, his stunts are breath-taking, and his ability to turn everyday objects into weapons remains unmatched. The spectacular finale, with a gigantic construction vehicle tearing through buildings, is exactly the kind of over-the-top climax that Hong Kong action cinema does better than anyone else.

Perhaps critics wanted a darker, more sophisticated crime thriller. If so, they completely misunderstood what Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan were trying to achieve. "Mr. Nice Guy" isn't about realism. It's about excitement. It's about keeping you on the edge of your seat while wondering how on earth Jackie survived another impossible stunt.

Sometimes cinema doesn't need to be profound. Sometimes it just needs to be brilliantly entertaining. "Mr. Nice Guy" understands that better than most action films. It's one of Jackie Chan's finest achievements and one of Sammo Hung's most underrated films as a director.

Police Story 4: First Strike (3 Stars)

"Police Story 4: First Strike" (1996) is a strange entry in Jackie Chan's most famous series because it barely resembles a Police Story film at all. The gritty Hong Kong police work of the previous films has disappeared, replaced by an international spy adventure involving the CIA, Russian agents, nuclear warheads and globe-trotting locations from Ukraine to Australia. It's closer to a light-hearted James Bond film than anything suggested by the title.

The biggest problem is the screenplay. Jackie spends the film chasing one person after another, yet it's surprisingly difficult to understand who's working for whom. Double-crosses, secret agents and smugglers are introduced so quickly that the story becomes little more than an excuse to move Jackie from one spectacular stunt to the next. Even by the end, many viewers may struggle to explain exactly why half the fights happened.

Fortunately, Jackie Chan's action choreography is as inventive as ever. The ladder fight in the warehouse is one of his greatest comic action sequences, the underwater shark encounter is unforgettable and the film rarely goes more than a few minutes without another dazzling stunt. Stanley Tong directs the action with tremendous energy, even if the plot never catches up.

"First Strike" is entertaining if you stop worrying about the story and simply enjoy Jackie Chan risking his life for your amusement. As a spy thriller it barely makes sense. As a Police Story film it feels completely out of place. It's an action spectacle held together almost entirely by the charisma and athletic brilliance of its star.

Cocorico 2 (3 Stars)

I went to see this film as my cinema's sneak peek. Once a week a film is shown before its official release date, but we're not told what it will be. Today the film was a French comedy, "Cocorico 2". I didn't see the first film when it was released in 2024, so I was at a disadvantage. All I'm willing to say is that it's about the friendship of two middle-aged men.

Frédéric Bouvier-Sauvage (Christian Clavier) is a wealthy, proud aristocrat who owns a grand wine estate in Bordeaux. Snobbish, conservative and fiercely protective of his family's social status, he looks down on the Martins as beneath him. DNA test results challenge both his sense of identity and his deeply held prejudices.

Gérard Martin (Didier Bourdon) is a cheerful Peugeot car dealer from a solidly middle-class background. More down-to-earth and outspoken than Frédéric, he's equally proud of his own values and doesn't appreciate being patronised. His rivalry with Frédéric provides most of the film's comedy, as the two men constantly clash over class, culture and family.