Halloween [1978] (5 Stars)

Another year, another Halloween, another viewing of John Carpenter's masterpiece. I've now watched this film every year on 31st October since 2021, and it hasn't lost a single bit of its magic. There's nothing I can add to my previous reviews, except that I still love it just as much. Roll on Halloween 2027

Success Rate:  + 213.4

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Star Trek 7: Generations (4 Stars)

There are actors who play a part, and then there are actors who inhabit one. Patrick Stewart belongs firmly in the latter category. His performance as Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a masterclass in acting, and "Star Trek Generations" provides an opportunity to appreciate just how extraordinarily good he is.

Stewart has a remarkable command of his craft. His voice alone is an instrument, capable of conveying authority, warmth, amusement, anger and vulnerability, sometimes within the space of a single sentence. His delivery is impeccable, but never feels rehearsed or artificial. Every word has weight, every pause has purpose, and even the smallest change in expression can tell us more than an entire page of dialogue.

What makes him so compelling is his ability to combine strength with sensitivity. He can be commanding without being overbearing, intellectual without appearing detached, and emotional without ever becoming sentimental. There's an unmistakable dignity about his performances, but he also knows when to let his guard down. It's in those quieter moments that his talent really shines.

The meeting of two generations of Star Trek captains may be the film's great attraction, but for me, Patrick Stewart is its greatest asset. He doesn't simply play Picard. He makes us believe in him.

A magnificent actor in every role that he plays.

"Star Trek Generations" offers the handover from Captain Kirk to Captain Picard that we never saw on television. It couldn't have happened, because Kirk and Picard lived about 80 years apart, in two different centuries. The film makes up for it by offering a temporal nexus to bring the two men together.

Patrick Stewart
13 July 1940 – 28 October 2026

Success Rate:  + 1.4

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Scared Stiff (3 Stars)

After a near-death experience a young man finds he has supernatural powers. He has the power to move things with his mind, and he can enter the dreams of anyone who's sleeping.

I picked the film to get in the mood for Halloween, but I was disappointed. It contains the tropes of horror films, such as vampires, cemeteries and a serial killer, without actually becoming a horror film. It's an action comedy with fantasy elements.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars (4½ Stars)

The third film in the Lucky Stars series is the best. There's still plenty of comedy, but there's more emphasis on action this time around. The fight scenes are plentiful, beautifully choreographed and thoroughly entertaining. Jackie Chan gets more opportunities to show off his fighting skills, while Yuen Biao is particularly well served, with more fight scenes showcasing his incredible agility and acrobatics.

Sammo Hung is on fine form too, both in the comedy department and in the action. His tennis racket fight is an absolute delight!

The chemistry between the three martial arts stars remains excellent, and the film strikes a better balance between comedy and action than its predecessors. Great fun, and my favourite of the trilogy.

My Lucky Stars (4 Stars)

I enjoyed this film more than "Winners & Sinners". The earlier film began with some confusing scenes and didn't make the best use of Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, but this sequel gets things right with more action and better opportunities to show off their martial arts skills. This time, Jackie gets to fight as well!

The comedy works well, although the running gag of the five men taking turns being tied up with Sibelle Hu gets tiresome after a while. Nevertheless, with Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao together again, this is a very entertaining mix of comedy and action, and an improvement on its predecessor.

Winners and Sinners (4 Stars)

Made in 1983, "Winners and Sinners" was originally called "Five Lucky Stars". It's a misadventure about five petty criminals who meet in jail and found a cleaning company when they're released. Sammo Hung is the real star of this entertaining Hong Kong comedy, demonstrating that he's just as talented as a comedian as he is a martial artist. His comic timing is superb, and when he finally unleashes himself in a fight, he's spectacular. It's a shame there aren't more action scenes, but the comedy is great fun.

Jackie Chan plays an incompetent police officer, but he has surprisingly little screen time and no fights. However, his spectacular freeway stunts are worth the price of admission alone. He roller-skates under a speeding truck and then lies flat on the road while a car drives over him. Only Jackie is crazy enough to perform stunts like that.

The Best of the Martial Arts Films (5 Stars)

The name of this documentary, made in 1990, sounds like a big hype. Fortunately, it lives up to its title. It features excerpts from films that every martial arts fan should know. In alphabetical order:

Above the Law

Armour of God

The Big Boss

Broken Oath

China O'Brien

China O'Brien 2

Dragons Forever

Dreadnaught

Duel to the Death

Eastern Condors

Enter the Dragon

Fist of Fury

Hand of Death

Hapkido

Lady Whirlwind

The Magnificent Butcher

The Master

My Lucky Stars

No Retreat, No Surrender

Project A

Project A Part 2

Return of the Dragon

Shanghai Express

Spooky Encounters

Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars

Wheels on Meals

When Taikwondo Strikes

Winners and Sinners

The Young Master

Zu

I've added links to the films I already own. After watching the documentary I ordered three films that I'm missing. A few are not currently available on Blu-ray.

There are interviews with Sammo Hung. I've been watching a lot of his films lately, and I'm growing to apricate him.

There are interviews with Jackie Chan. Was this really filmed in 1990? He was 35 at the time, but he looks like a teenager.

There are interviews with Cynthia Rothrock. She spends a lot of time talking about her work with Sammo Hung.

Sadly, there are no interviews with Angela Mao. She was the greatest female martial artist in cinema.

John Saxon proceeds to show film clips and describes the principal actors.

Bruce Lee. The documentary would have been pointless without him.

Joyce Godenzi.

Sibelle Hu.

Michiko Nishiwaki. Wow! I'd never heard of her, but she's made more than 20 films.

John Saxon calls the fight between Jackie Chan and Benny Urquidez in "Wheels on Meals" one of the best ever fights in a film.

Here's Sammo Hung being attacked by five beautiful women, all skilled fighters. Sammo isn't a gentleman. He shouldn't have fought back. I would have raised my hands and surrendered. Maybe they would have killed me, but I would have died with a smile on my face.

Jackie Chan has to fight these four beautiful women. They don't fight fair. Almost all their kicks are aimed at the place where it hurts most. This must have been the only time Jackie regretted that he always does his own stunts.