Talented Mr Ripley, The
***1/2
Set in the 1950s, The Talented Mr Ripley stars Matt Damon as a fraudster who swindles his way to an all expenses paid holiday to Europe to try to retrieve the errant playboy son of a rich US businessman.  Ripley cons the father that he knows the son (Dickie Greenleaf, played by Jude Law) who can’t recall him though it doesn’t matter as the two men get on well.  Everything is fine till Greenleaf begins to tire of the penniless Ripley who loses his temper with terrible results then has to play a much more sinister game of adopting a false identity.  The boyish, innocent-looking Damon and Law are as usual excellent in a film which doesn’t hide the homosexual undertones between Ripley, Greenleaf and his wealthy young friends.  The film’s main flaw is that it’s at least 20 minutes too long.  Otherwise, The Talented Mr Ripley is a good film and well worth seeing.
Released – 2000
Seen by me:  26.12.04 (with Naomi)

Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny
*1/2
Juvenile comedy co-written and starring Jack Black as a wannabe rock star who tries to steal a supposedly magical guitar plectrum.  Full of swearing and gonzoid childish humour with very little subtlety or real wit, TDATPOD is a shamefully infantile joke bag made by a usually talented man approaching 40.  School Of Rock is a far more successful example of Black combining his comedy with his love of rock than this rubbish.  Recommended for adolescents of all ages only.
Released:  2006
Seen by me:  2.8.07 – with Naomi and Amy

Terminal, The
*****
Brilliant film starring Tom Hanks as Victor Navorski, a visitor to the US from a former Soviet state.  Whilst in the air, there is a coup in his home country resulting in him not being able to go into the US nor return home. 
Victor is therefore stuck in the airport terminal as the film develops into a survival guide.  He resourcefully manages to find ways to get enough money to eat then becomes a hero and friend to the airport cleaning staff and shop workers after skilfully helping another CIS immigrant about to be deported by the evil airport manager (Stanley Tucci).  There is even an air of romance with a cabin stewardess (Catherine Zeta Jones) before everything turns sour.  No need to worry though as the coup is quashed and there is a happy if slightly bittersweet ending.
The Terminal is a superb film with an excellent performance by Hanks whose bemused Victor is at times reminiscent of Forest Gump, one of his most famous roles.  The supporting cast is also excellent in what is essentially a story of resourcefulness and survival (Victor lives in the airport for nine months!) with some additional sub-plots involving the terminal’s maintenance staff.  The Terminal offers a fascinating insight into life in a terminal and is a superb film pretty much suitable for all the family.
Released:  2004
Seen by me:  3.6.05 and 10.9.05 (with Naomi)

Throw Momma From The Train
***¾
My first viewing for years of a comedy which my then flatmate Dylan and I found hilarious in the early 90s. This was mainly due to Anne Ramsey playing the "mother from hell" who is still funny and stars alongside Danny De Vito and Billy Crystal in this affectionate comic tribute to Hitchcocks Strangers On A Train.  Not quite as funny as I remembered but still worth seeing with a fantastic performance by Ramsey as De Vitos grotesque, domineering mother.
Released - 1988
Seen by me: 8.4.02

Tommy
****
With its typically over –the-top production by Ken Russell and big musical arrangements of the originally sparse songs, Tommy is something of a decadent 70s interpretation of Pete Townsend’s’ rock opera.  Despite this, it is still excellent and thought provoking, mainly due to Townsend’s superb songs and mind-blowing story as well as a fine, often unheralded lead performance by Roger Daltrey. 
Tommy tells the story of a traumatised “death, dumb and blind kid” who is horrifically abused by various family members and supposed cure healers.  He is then amazingly cured as an adult and is elevated to something of a Messiah figure, a role he ultimately, spectacularly rejects.
Russell’s film looks at the themes of religion, the exploitation of Tommy as a product and so much more with one-song cameos by many of the stars of the day such as Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson and Paul Nicholas.  All of this adds to the sense of decadence to the movie which, although a period piece, is still powerful today due to Townsend’s amazing vision and Daltrey’s believable performance.

Released;  1975
Seen by me:  14.8.07