SHUT-IN MOVIE #5: THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)

Not seen this for a while, and boy was it fun to revisit. My daughter asked me what it was about as it started and I told her it was all about a man and his stolen rug. She looked at me bemused but stayed the distance. Jeff Bridges turns in a career defining role as The Dude and is amply supported by the likes of John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. And let's not forget Sam Elliot. With a mellow soundtrack and some lovely Roger Deakins cinematography this really is one of the Coen Brother's best films. It's a slacker crime noir and features kidnapping, porn stars, nihilistic gangsters and copious amounts of White Russians. A joy from beginning to end. 10/10

SHUT-IN MOVIE #4: DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)

This film is so British if it was cut it would bleed red white and blue. The framing concept sees Mervyn Jones's character - an architect - arrive at a crowded country house filled with a dreadful premonition of impending doom, death and murder. The other gathered guests try to break him out of his dread by sharing ghost stories including a psychiatrist, Dr. Van Straaten as played by Frederick Valk who ends up sharing the most terrifying story of them all. This anthology features five ghost stories in total and there's not really a duff one among any of them. Two of the tales truly stick out as the pick of the crop. The first is a comical story of two friends, both golf fanatics, who battle over the affections of a woman, which ends with one of the men committing suicide only to come back to haunt the other leading to a very surprising and funny ending. However the true highlight of Dead of Night is The Ventriloquist's Dummy segment. It features ventriloquist, Michael Redgrave, and his domineering dummy, Hugo who wants out of their partnership. Although this segment is the most successful, it's what happens next to Jones's character that's the most unsettling of all, especially when Hugo does something most unexpected. The film finally and very cleverly links all the separate chapters together and in doing so delivers a lovely and deeply satisfying ending. A brisk 99 minutes long and not a wasted second. A most satisfying movie and well worth a visit if you're bored of binging on boxsets or yet another bloated Marvel slugfest. I'm really enjoying revisiting these old classics, they have a quality that gets better with age, theirs and mine. 10/10

SHUT IN-MOVIES - #3: THREE CASES OF MURDER (1955)

You won't find this on Netflix or Amazon Prime, which is a shame because it's an absolute tour-de-force and delight. Described on the back cover of the dvd as a 'lost classic', this 1955 film is a portmanteau collection of three short films, The Picture, You Killed Elizabeth and Lord Mountdrago. Each has a different director, David Eady, George more O'Ferrall and Wendy Toye, but it's worth noting that Orson Welles obvioulsy directed his instalment, although uncredited. The film is bookended by a young Eamon Holmes, who introduces each segment. The first, The Painting is my favourite of the three and tells the tale of a haunted painting in a museum, it's sinister but oh so utterly British in its politeness. The second, the weakest of the three is a murder mystery about a doomed love triangle, that just plays it as a straight murder. The third stars Orson Welles as the pompous and arrogant Lord Mountdrago - the Foreign Secretary of an obvious Tory Government who utterly humiliates a Welsh MP, Alan Badel, during a debate in the House of Commons. Badel swears revenge and stalks Mountdrago's dreams leading to a series of nightmares all directed by Orson Welles. Charming, delightful and extremely enjoyable. Only the second film fails to deliver, but that's mostly down to the fact it lacks the fantastical elements of the other two. There's a great bonus on this DVD called: Return to Glennascaul, which also stars Orson Welles. It's a 20 minute ghost story, with a very funny punchline. Great fun. A throughly enjoyable film it offers a glimpse into a long lost Britain. 9/10

SHUT IN-MOVIES - #2: BURN AFTER READING (2008)

Next up was Burn After Reading - the Coen brothers 2008 movie starring John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, George Clooney, Francis MacDormand and Richard Jenkins.  

This is a brisk 90 odd minute comedy, which is still very funny thanks to some great acting against type from the stella cast. Fun to see Brad Pitt playing such a dim character, George Clooney playing an utterly unloveable creep, Francis MacDormand playing the body obsessed gym trainer who inadvertently becomes the lynchpin to the madness about to unfold and John Malkovich just going bat shit crazy. I loved every minute of his breakdown, and he's the nicest character in this whole farce. This was a breezy, slight and very silly Coen brother film, which definitely ranks as a level two Coen Bros movie. The humour and the mania building nicely but always with that strange edge that Coen brothers films have, the edge that can at any second suddenly spiral into dark and nasty territories. 8/10

SHUT-IN MOVIES #1 - ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959)

Since I can't get to the cinema at present, like everyone else obviously, I thought I'd work my way through my film library. I saw a review for this first film in Empire magazine, it's just been re-released on Blu-ray and I remember I had it on DVD and not watched it in years, so I thought I'd start off my SHUT-IN MOVIES with: ANATOMY OF A MURDER.
BLOODY WOW! What a superb film. Directed by Otto Preminger and starring James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara and George C. Scott, with music by Duke Ellington. First time in ages I've watched a 2 and a half hour film and it didn't feel too long and or dragged out. Plus not a single explosion, car chase, or special effect (obviously). This seems like a strange thing to pick out, but I was delighted by a lovely camera cut early on in the film when Stewart, in mid sentence, stands up in his chair and the camera cuts and the line continues fluidly. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I loved it. Later there's a great scene where George C. Scott is questioning a witness and in the background we can see James Stewart watching from his seat. Repeatedly and with his back to Stewart, Scott takes a step to one side to block Stewart's view, so Stewart is forced to move to the other side to get a view and Scott steps again to block Stewart. It's so superbly timed and feels utterly natural, particularly because Scott is facing us the whole time. I was also amazed by the dialogue and the language in the film it sounds, at times, quite shocking and there's an astonishing moment when Lee Remick admits to sometimes walking around not wearing panties! James Stewart, as ever, sucks your attention, he is so effortlessly charming and manages to imbue his characters with such believability. Similarly, George C. Scott brings a real sense of contempt for Stewart and their chemistry is a delight to watch. Plus! There's the superb soundtrack by Duke Ellington, who also cameos and let's not forget the credits and poster by Saul Bass. Nor the skill of Otto Preminger as director and producer. The trailer for this is a delight too. Just fantastic! If you've not seen it, give it a go. 10/10

X-MEN DARK PHOENIX

Starring Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbinder, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and Jessica Chastain. Written and directed by Simon Kinberg. 114 minutes long. Budget $200 million.

Another week, another dull super blockbuster.

This one sees Jean Grey become imbued with the spark of the universe transforming her into the Dark Phoenix, although at no point in the film is she ever called that. Obvs cos she can't control her powers, she kills one much loved member of the X-Men sparking a man hunt, or should that be mutant hunt with both sides of the divide, Prof X, Cyclops, Storm and Nightcrawler (although he's never called that) on one side and Magneto, Hank Marvin and a couple other no-named mutants on the other, oh and a race of alien beings who take the form of humans for no discernible reason who also want Grey. So, one side want to help her, one side want to kill her and one side want her to cater their son's 8th birthday party. Only one will succeed.

After that there's a couple of rather dreary battles, lots of earnest mutterings in EXTREME CLOSE UP, lots of angst before the obligatory final punch up and showdown.

The effects are middling in the extreme, particularly the very bad arial view of the Winchester School for Gifted Mutants.

This has been a mixed franchise. The first two movies were great. The third was dreadful infact that also had Phoenix, the fourth even worse, perhaps the worst of the whole series. Then there was a gap and the X-men blasted back with the excellent First Class, (i might have deliberately blocked a couple of films there) then dropped the pooch for the one with Apocalypse, before nailing it with Logan and now fumbling the ball at the goal line for this full stop to the whole sorry mess of a thing.

My interest in this film started well, but slowly waned and by the time the characters have moped up to their first fight and then Grey had whinged off to mope about with Magento my enthusiasm finally, withered on the vine and died, its tortured breathe slowly escaping from its gaping maw in utter disinterest, "Don't bother saving me," it whispered, "I'm far happier dead."

Too much wrong to be arsed to name it all. There's one funny bit and it's right at the end. But I'm fairly sure that if you look very closely you can see Alfred, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle at two of the other tables.

4/10

BOOKSMART

Starring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis. Written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman. Directed by Olivia Wilde. 105 minutes running time. Budget $6 million. Cert: 15.

Thank you sweet, sweet blessed god of cinema. I thought you had forsaken me but praise be to the flickering light of your screen for this film, for restoring my faith in the immutable power of the movie.

A funny, entertaining and deeply satisfying coming of age comedy, with a glorious sound track and some superb performances from Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. Their chemistry together is the glue that bonds this film.

The plot sees the two nerdist girls in their high school realise they're only got one night left to let rip before them embark on their college careers. To do so, they set out to attend the party of the year.

Fantastically funny, and utterly enjoyable. 9/10