Rewatching Hello, Dolly! (1969): A Misunderstood Roadshow Gem
On my recent rewatch of Hello, Dolly! I was struck by how much more alive and charming it feels than its reputation suggests. For years it has been filed away…
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Blu-ray
Inland Empire
I was going to get around to reviewing Inland Empire on Blu-ray at some point but have been inspired to do so with a little more urgency by some surprisingly…
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
It's surprisingly reassuring when a recent mainstream movie release based on source material from yesteryear actually transpires successfully to capture the original’s essence and intent without being reduced or reworked…
The Social Network
As a devotee of the landmark American serial drama The West Wing which ran for 7 years and focused on the day to day activities of the Oval Office and…
Frost/Nixon
Director Ron Howard's film version of Peter Morgan's play Frost/Nixon effectively captures the original stage performances of both Michael Sheen, as maverick reporter David Frost and Frank Langella, as ostracised…
Alice in Wonderland
I think Disney's 1951 version of Alice in Wonderland is not only my preferred adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories but probably my favourite cartoon from the studio’s "Golden Age" of colour animation feature…
Mr. Nice
The rights to make a film of Mr. Nice were sold to the BBC by Howard Marks when the landmark autobiography of perhaps the most sophisticated drug baron of all…
It’s A Wonderful Life
Director Frank Capra explored the theme of the innate goodness of the young at heart, as personified by James Stewart, overcoming the evil schemes of black-hearted older men once before in…
Disney’s A Christmas Carol
Disney's A Christmas Carol might have been better titled Dickens' A Christmas Carol as screenwriter/director Robert Zemeckis has very faithfully adapted the classic short story by blending the original text,…
Poirot: Murder On The Orient Express
David Suchet has been playing Hercule Poirot on television for 20 years, almost every story has been filmed and finally one of the most anticipated has marked Poirot's debut on…
Monty Python’s Life of Brian
I was first exposed to Monty Python whilst I was at school; I got one of their albums, Monty Python's Previous Record, out of the local library, and was instantly…
Sondheim! The Birthday Concert
So, I turned 40 in 2011! I wasn't alone in this, among the luminaries joining me were Ewan McGregor, Mark Wahlberg, Winona Ryder, Mariah Carey and Sacha Baron Cohen, not that it…