DVD Collectors Online

Hue and Cry, a review by Jon

Hue and Cry
5 out of 5


A group of boys discover the local villains are using a comic to secretly pass plans hidden in the stories...

Ealing’s first comedy is also one of its least well-known films, but for my money, this gem is one of the best children’s films of all time and so well made and watchable, anyone can enjoy it, especially considering when it was made and what it stood for.

It’s fantastic, riotous fun with an infectious plot that kids would (or should) dream of being involved in. A group of friends of various ages realise their favourite comic, full of thrilling stories about ruthless villains, is being used by actual villains to plan robberies! Led by Harry Fowler’s Joe, they of course just dive in to get one step ahead and apprehend the criminals themselves. Damn the danger!

The story is just the sort of boys own stuff Enid Blyton built a career on (Famous Five books) and what might one day become elements of Stand By Me or even The Goonies, though played lighter in general, yet more honest, with a healthy dose of realism. That said there are extraordinary scenes that play as traditional thriller.  The moment two of the boys visit Alastair Sim’s wonderful author is nail biting, with gothic shadows and Sim’s voice booming out threats (turns out to be a recording and he’s actually the complete opposite!). In the final act, there are moments of true peril in a scene reminiscent of The Man With The Golden Gun, of all things (Joe, in a ruined building, tries to find the leader who remains unseen to us for some time and his laugh, echoing all over, is very unsettling).

The fantastic cast bring the film to life, especially the sparky kids and the banter is great (love the "torture" scene!), similar to a St. Trinian’s (especially the final wonderful scenes with kids swarming through the capital after one sneakily gets a call out on the BBC for “boys looking for adventure!”). They’re supported (not the other way around) by reliable character actors like Jack’s Lambert and Warner, as well as the before mentioned Sim. The plot bats along at a tremendous pace and the production occasionally borders on epic in a way that puts modern equivalents to shame. Each scene and character is treated as genuine. So the villains could be so in any film. There’s a huge fight scene late on and punches are not pulled by anyone. Whistle Down The Wind or Night of the Hunter are other good examples of this realistic style, albeit more serious, that trusts children to understand what they're watching without being spoon-fed and protected by cartoonish contrivance.
 
Back then, British film had an identity, purpose, style and conscience and the story is set in a fascinating time. Britain was just pulling itself back together following the war, the Empire was all but over along with the outdated class structure. It was a country in limbo and the London of 1947 is a shattered place with entire sections still in rubble. Writer T.E.B. Clarke and director Charles Crichton offer no commentary on the location and turn it into a playground instead, which for children of a certain age is exactly what it was. Whether the film-makers could be so perceptive in 1947, I’m not sure, but it naturally stands for an interesting metaphor. How the kids play in the rubble would be a health and safety nightmare these days though! And we are so much poorer for it. The very last shot sums up the film perfectly for me.



” Oh, how I loathe adventurous-minded boys.”


(From A Feeling for Ealing... on March 3rd, 2010)

The World is Not Enough, a review by Tom

Title: The World Is Not Enough
Year: 1999
Director: Michael Apted
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 123 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: Danish, English, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Stars:
Pierce Brosnan
Sophie Marceau
Robert Carlyle
Denise Richards
Robbie Coltrane

Extras:
Commentary
Featurettes
Music Videos
Scene Access
Trailers

Never one of my favorite Bond movies. After "Tomorrow Never Dies" a real disappointment for me. And Denise Richard as nuclear physicist is really ridiculous. At the time this movie bragged that it had the longest pre-opening title sequence of all Bond movies. It was nice, but nothing special.
The highlight for me in this movie was the introduction of John Cleese as Q's successor ("a young fellow" ). At the time I thought they knew that Desmond Llewelyn will die before the next Bond, with all the hints they did here. It was a good passing of the torch here. I was surprised to learn later, that it was a car accident, of which the actor died. So they made this "exit strategy" simply because of the advanced age of the actor and not because he was ill.

Rating:

(From James Bond Marathon on June 6th, 2009)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

24



What's the show about?
Jack Bauer works for the CTU, the Counter Terrorist Unit. He saves the United States more than once but he has only 24 hours to do so and not a minute more. And for this job he has to sacrifice everything: his family life, his health, his career and even his life.

"12:00a.m. - 01:00a.m."
Today is the day of the California presidential primary. Jack Bauer's unit has to prevent an attack on the black senator Palmer, a likely candidate for becoming the next president of the United States. Meanwhile Jack's daughter has sneaked out of the house and has disappeared.

My Opinion
24 is a great show even if the stories have become absurd lateley. They are fast running out of threats they didn't fight before. After watching the trailer of the seventh season I had the feeling it will be a mix of Die Hard 2 and 4, but I am willing to tune in.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 6th, 2008)