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Batman
Begins
****
Excellent very dark prequel-of-sorts which shows how Bruce Wayne
becomes Batman. Losing his parents at an early age, Wayne (Christian Bale) is brought up by his faithful
butler Alfred (Michael Caine). After seeing his parents' killer get off lightly, the angry young Bruce
becomes fascinated with the sick minds of criminals and immerses himself in the underworld. He ends up
in prison but is released and rather peculiarly ends up in a mountain retreat where he is taught the art of combat by a sort
of Ninja Warlord. But the Warlord’s intentions are not all they seem and Wayne dramatically escapes
and returns to ordinary society whereupon he gradually gets the tools to become Batman and spectacularly tries to rid Gotham
City of the crime and corruption engulfing it. The film climaxes with an incredible fight sequence against…guess
who?
Batman Begins is a very dark and quite violent film but is a good, powerful spectacle with virtually all of the loose
ends tied together by the climax. It has a fine brooding performance by Bale and is well worth seeing.
Released:
2005
Seen by me: 26.6.05 (with Naomi)
Beautiful Mind, A
****½
Superb true story film about the brilliant mathematician John Nash's battle
with schizophrenia. Russell Crowe is superb in an uncharacteristic, non-macho lead role and is supported brilliantly throughout
with some other superb performances. The film develops very cleverly and it's quite a while till one realises
the true nature of Nash's illness and who is real and who can only be seen by Nash. It also has a moving and positive ending
with Nash winning the Nobel prize for his academic achievements and deciding to live with his schizophrenia and try to ignore
the visions he sees rather than having his mind numbed by drugs. A moving, brilliant film full of superb performances.
Released
- 2001
Seen by me: 24.11.03 (with Naomi)
Beavis &
Butthead Do America
***
The Beavis & Butthead TV episodes in the early-mid
90s were a guilty pleasure – the sort of juvenile smut most adults are ashamed to laugh at but find hilariously funny
anyway. The creators of the series don’t do a bad job in translating it
to a film though predictably, find it difficult to sustain such basic humour over a long period.
Beavis & Butthead’s road trip is worth seeing, especially if you like the TV series, though
the shorter instalments of the latter are more likely to be remembered with fondness.
Released: 1997
Seen by me:
20.1.06
Bend It Like Beckham
****
Contemporary British film starring Parminder K Nagra as Jess Bhamra an Asian
teenager who is determined to play professional football despite the cultural disapproval of her traditional Sikh parents.
Bend It like Beckham also includes subplots involving Jess’ relationships with her best friend in the team and
her male coach. Ultimately it’s a feel-good comedy-drama which could be accused of being predictable
but that’s missing the point. It both shows the tensions of a multicultural society and celebrates
cultural diversity. An excellent film highlighting Britain today and well worth seeing.
Released –
2002
Seen by me: 3.1.05 (with Naomi)
Best
In Show
****1/4
Hilarious satire of a
best-of-breed dog show and the eccentric, obsessive owners showing their pets from the team which brought us Spinal Tap. Like The Tap, Best In Show is made in a mockumentary style. It contains a strong set of characters who, though satirised, are often portrayed with some affection. Especially hilarious is the tactless TV anchorman - the one non-canine obsessive
in the cast. Best In Show is a superb, very well observed satire. Hilarious.
Released - 2000
Seen by me: 15.3.04 (with Naomi)
Blair Witch Project
****¼
A triumph for imaginative film-making over big business, the Blair Witch Project cost about $40,000 to make and
was largely promoted by word-of-mouth over the internet but still became a massive hit. The film is a video made
by 3 US students of their project trip to a large forest to seek the legend of the Blair Witch. The trip, which starts as
a ruse, ends as a horrific nightmare as the students get lost, are haunted by an evil presence and disappear one by one -
the video documenting their trip is found years later. Very imaginatively filmed with fine performances by the 3 unknown actors
as they get more and more frightened. A chilling, open-ended triumph.
Released - 1999
Seen by me: 20.10.02
Bridget
Jones's Diary
****
A film version of the phenomenonally
successful genre-defining book by Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones's Diary is the story of a modern thirty-something who makes
amusing gaffes and can't keep hold of a man. The then not very well known Renee Zellweger is excellent as the squinting
Bridget with the dastardley Hugh Grant and good guy Colin Firth as the rival love intersts. Very much a London film,
Bridget Jones's Diary is an excellent romantic comedy with one of the best (and funniest) fight scenes ever.
Released
- 2001
Seen by me: 12.04 (with Naomi)
Bridget Jones
2: The Edge Of Reason
***1/2
Entertaining
film version of Helen Fielding’s second BJ novel where Bridget (Renee Zellweger) loses the kind but emotionally repressed
Mr Darcy (Colin Firth) and almost succumbs once again to the lecherous charms of the evil Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). More mishaps abound, including a stay in a Thai prison though it all turns out happily
in the end.
Although Zellweger is once again excellent as the frowning, faltering
but fundamentally decent Bridget, her blunders are often predictable – even to those of us who haven’t read the
book. Furthermore this film’s story doesn’t hold together as well
as its predecessor, Bridget Jones’ Diary. An inferior sequel but still
funny, life affirming and well worth seeing.
Released: 2004
Seen by me: 26.11.05 (with Naomi)
Brokeback
Mountain
****1/2
Oscar-winning cowboy romance starring Heath Ledger as Ennis
Del Mar and Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack Twist. Brought together to look after a remote
mountainous herd in the early 60s, Ennis and Jack gradually can’t hide their feelings for each other. Fearful in their deeply homophobic society, they go their separate ways after the placement and both get
married but manage to meet for supposed weekend fishing trips a few times each year.
Brokeback Mountain beautifully tells their story over the next 20 years.
Both
men of few worlds, the film starts with quick silent scenes reminiscent of Lost In Translation as Ennis and Jack gradually
realise their feelings in their remote outpost. Very effectively shot, though
difficult to sustain over a whole film so it’s good that there is more dialogue as the picture progresses. The tragic, doomed love story is very sensitively portrayed and maybe some of the film’s homophobic
critics would change their mind if they actually watched the movie…
Ledger and Gyllenhaal are excellent as is Michelle
Williams as Ennis’ tragic wife. Even greater praise still should (and has
rightly been) heaped on Ang Lee for his brilliant direction and the film’s effective, hypnotic musical score. A beautifully made and moving spectacle.
Released: 2005
Seen
by me: 24.1.06 (with Naomi)
Bruce Almighty
***
Light comedy starring Jim Carey as a frustrated news presenter who meets God in the form of
an everyday guy played by Morgan Freeman and becomes The Almighty. Not the sort
of film I usually watch but itss funny and entertaining enough with a typically madcap performance by Carey.
Released –
2003
Seen by me: 2.7.04 (with Naomi, Trevor, Caroline and Amy)
Bug’s
Life, A
***1/2
Pixar cartoon film which rather unfortunately came out at almost exactly the same
time as Dreamworks’ animated Antz. A Bug’s Life stars Flick as a
likeable but clumsy ant who wrecks the harvest prepared by his colony over several weeks for the bullying grasshoppers and
is banished. During his time away, he comes across a varied insect group of aspiring
actors who he recruits to fight the enemy on the false premise that he will find them adoring audiences and fame. A Bug’s Life is a good film with some strong characters and inventive touches – not as good
as its Pixar predecessor Toy Story or some other recently viewed animations like Shrek and Magic Roundabout but still very
much worth seeing.
Released: 1999
Seen by me: 3.3.05 (with Naomi)
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