More 'Merica!

White House Down (2013)

 Directed by Roland Emmerich this film stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Wood. A police officer takes his daughter to the White House for a job interview with the Secret Service on the day it gets taken over by bad guys.

 If Olympus Has Fallen (2013) was a right wing paranoid fantasy then this is the left wing (or what passes for left wing in the US) paranoid fantasy counter point. While this film may not hammer home rampant patriotism as much as it's counter point it is still lacking in subtlety and has plenty of clichés as well as ridiculousness along the way. This film may not be as stupid as Olympus Has Fallen but that is scant praise and it is not a huge amount better really.

 2/5

Above it all

Wings (1927)

Directed by William A. Wellman this film stars Clara Bow, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Richard Arlen. In 1917 two men join the US army air corps and a woman joins the war effort as an ambulance driver.

The plot of this film is a fairly average melodrama with unrequited love and misunderstandings against the back drop of WW1. It would have been an improvement if we saw some of the psychological effects of war on the main characters but as an action piece the story works well. Where the film is strongest is in the excellent flying sequences that not only really put you inside the plane but also have plenty of great external shots too.

4/5

Evil engine

Christine (1983)

Directed by John Carpenter this film based on the novel of the same name stars Keith Gordon, Dennis Stockwell, Alexandra Paul and Robert Prosky. A high school boy buys a damaged old car that seems to have a dark will of it's own.

It would be easy to say that this is a male version of Carrie (1976) as both films are based on novels by Stephen King but I think this film lacks the thematic depth of Carrie. There is one major change between the novel and the film but I do not think it changes anything substantially. The film is well made but not especially scary or spooky, there is some tension towards the end but not a huge amount.

3/5

A small problem

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Directed by Joe Johnston this film stars Rick Moranis, Amy O'Neill, Thomas Wilson Brown and Matt Frewer. An inventor creates a shrink ray but his children and the children of the neighbours end up getting shrunk by accident.

At the time of release this film was a massive hit at the box office and had two sequels as well as a spin off television series but to modern viewers the plot is fairly basic. There is an interesting metaphor for kids feeling like they have been miniaturised in an adult world but this is never really explored to any degree. Some of the sets for the shrunk down sequences in the garden are not of a very high standard but the film just about gets by for the most part.

3/5

Sir, yes Sir!

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick this film based on the novel “The Short-Timers” stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey and Arliss Howard. New recruits join the Marine Corp during the Vietnam war.

This film focuses on how the military turns a man into a killing machine and the consequences that has, in this regard it works really well putting it in stark contrast to all the recruitment films of the 50s and 60s. What I like most is that despite the attempts by the powers that be to dehumanise the protagonist when he finally does kill at the end of the film it is the most humane of actions. As with any Kubrick film the direction is good and it is no mean feat to manage to pull off a film set in Vietnam but film in London.

5/5

The dream is not real

Eight and a half (1963)

Directed by Federico Fellini this film stars Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee, Sandra Milo and Claudia Cardinale. A famous director struggles with fatigue, his personal life and his latest film.

This film does a really good job of mixing fantasy and reality as the central character struggles over the relationship between the two both in his relationship with women and his job (making fantasy from reality). Thematically the film works really well and is one of the best films on the film making process. There is some good use of classical music and while this film is designed to encourage thought in the viewer it never leaves you confused due to the complex execution of mixing reality and fantasy.

5/5

Join the air force!

The McConnell Story (1955)

Directed by George Douglas this film based on a true story stars Alan Ladd, June Allyson and James Whitmore. A young man who dreams of flying joins the US military during WW2 hoping to become a pilot.

It seems that the plot of this film at least keeps true to the broad strokes of the real story it is based on. Sadly the film is more interested in being a recruiting advert for the Air Force rather than actually exploring the characters involved in any depth. The action sequences are not too bad for the era the film was made in but are not that impressive to modern viewers.

2/5