Before the Flood (2016)

It's been ten years since Al Gore delivered his inconvenient truth, since he used his public profile to educate and inspire us to acknowledge and work toward reversing the climate change that's having a devastating impact upon the conditions for life on Earth. But, alas, the world is still on the road to ruin.
Maybe Leo DiCaprio will have better luck. The actor isn't as well-educated as Gore was on the subject, meaning he's not able to present the hard questions, but he tries and that, as they say, is half the battle, so credit to him.
The documentary is focussed primarily on America, and a little too much on Leo at times, but as before the message is relevant to the world.
Hopefully people won't just watch it and then forget, but will instead become aware of the active role that they can play within the bigger picture.

3 weather patterns out of 5

Darr: A Violent Love Story (1993)

A Yash Chopra film in which Shah Rukh Khan plays a man named Rahul who is crazy in love with the beautiful Kiran (Juhi Chawla), but it's the kind of crazy that gets a guy arrested. When Kiran's actual partner, naval officer Sunil (Sunny Deol), gets involved, Rahul's affections turn ever more sinister.
The characterisation of the lovestruck stalker is interesting, extending even to the peculiar placement of items in his bedroom, but when it comes to developing the other characters the film is occasionally choppy and uneven. Still, there are no duff actors amongst the cast, so even the superfluous scenes have some merit. Regardless of what I think, it's well-loved by many people and is considered a classic in Chopra's filmography.

3½ projections out of 5

It Came from Outer Space (1953)

A perfectly devoted 1950s couple have a romantic moment shattered when something fiery from space lights up their sky and crashes in the desert. After an investigation the hero concludes that it wasn't just a regular meteor.
It's typical of 1950s alien invasion movies in many ways, but in at least one significant way it's atypical. I can't say more than that for fear of spoilers. The dialogue is a step up, too, because it was based on an original screenplay by Ray Bradbury; the main character (Richard Carlson) as written retains recognisable elements of the author's way of seeing the world.
The music is fantastic, frequently dramatic, eerie and spacey all at once.

I suspect some of the perspectives used were to benefit the awful anaglyph 3D version, but thankfully they work just fine in the standard 2D version.

3 borrowed faces out of 5

Barbarella (1968)

Jane Fonda is magnificent as the sexually liberated titular character, based on Jean-Claude Forest's comic book of the same name. Her innocence may be equal parts naïvety, but her sincerity balances it out beautifully. Her introduction is an unforgettable slice of 60s cinema. We're then invited into a fur-lined cockpit wherein she cements her place in counterculture history.
The psychedelic FX are often badly scaled and at times plot is almost non-existent, but the playful self-awareness that both mocks and celebrates its own cheapness seduces the part of me that can fully embrace that sense of fun; somehow it makes it all the more lovable.
It seems inappropriate to judge Barbarella by conventional criteria because it plays by its own rules from beginning to end, but I guess I should try:

4 exaltation transference pellets out of 5

13 (Tzameti) (2005)

While mending the roof of an old house, Sebastian overhears something intriguing from the residents that could lead him to some quick cash. He's not clear on what it entails, but neither are we, so it's a mysterious journey for both the protagonist and the audience. Where it leads is the kind of drama that works best the first time you see it and the less you know about it beforehand, but the beautiful B+W cinematography is such that subsequent viewings will no doubt offer their own rewards. The only telling aspect of the modest budget is during some of the FX shots, but the editing often masks them well.

4 eyes on the bulb out of 5

Kaante (2002)

A set in L.A. Hindi language rip-off of The Usual Suspects (1995), Heat (1995) and Reservoir Dogs (1992), mostly in that order.
Bachchan gets to play the best roles in each case, which is fitting. Also, the only worthwhile subplot outside of the core 'six men' scenario is given to him; it's as brief as the others but has some actual resonance outside of itself.
The addition of a club dancer (Malaika Arora) to the production is superfluous to the stitched together plots. In fact, ninety percent of the US pop video-esque dance scenes could be cut in their entirety and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference, they're there solely to add sex appeal.
I'm forced to score it well because the truth is it does a good job, all things considered, but there's no overlooking that HUGE plot error.

3 watch parts out of 5

The Visitor (1979)

It started life as a planned rip-off of The Exorcist (1973), but along the way it crashed into a WTF train and derailed everything in its path. The end result is closer to The Omen (1976) with added aliens (maybe?), bald disciples and a single blonde Jesus. It throws you in at the deep end from the very beginning so you don't have to wait to be bewildered. The story is confused, as are some of the cast. Characters disappear for long periods of time or disappear completely for no discernible reason. The camerawork and editing are either intentionally unconventional or the product of a deranged mind. The use and timing of music is reminiscent of Dario Argento, as are some of the spiralling narrative threads. Overall, it's a mostly incoherent mess of a film that somehow managed to hold my attention throughout.

3 angry birds out of 5

Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009)

The fourth of five TV Movies set after Johnnie To's PTU (2003). It starts out with a superb scene wherein the geography of the city itself sets the tone perfectly for a deeper exploration of the dangerous rivalry that exists between Sam and May and the men under their command.
They're later shipped out of the city, into the mountainous region on the trail of a gang of bank robbers, so even the locale tests them, forcing them to be ever-alert to the other's attempts at one-upmanship.
The individual parts of the story aren't complex, but they're nicely arranged and the way in which they all come together is extremely satisfying to watch. Indeed, it's not until that moment that the real power of the film hits.

3½ church windows out of 5

Romeo is Bleeding (1993)

Gary Oldman plays a police sergeant named Jack Grimaldi who has a sideline in corruption and infidelity. His vices inevitably land him in trouble, but the Noirish setting is only half of the story - it's the performances of the cast that make Romeo as good as it is. It goes without saying that Oldman can be fantastic, but just as good was Lena Olin, an actress who held her own as an over-the-top femme fatale with an edge more deadly and unpredictable than most. Annabella Sciorra got less screen time but was also on top form.
It loses some of its momentum in the last third, but there's more than enough threads and ambiguity left to keep fans of this kind of drama happy.

4 locker envelopes out of 5

Sunshine on Leith (2013)

An adaptation of a stage musical of the same name that, like its origin, uses songs by The Proclaimers as part of the narrative. It's a decent slice of musical drama, and most of the actors appear to be having a good time making it.
The actual songs are great, lively and catchy like many of Charlie and Craig's best works, and the cast perform their own vocals, dubbed in afterwards. That's all well and good, but the production isn't always complementary to the chosen locale. Many people won't mind that, but for me the end result is that, while the performers have the benefit of multiple takes, the ambience of many scenes feels wrong, particularly during the more fragile, heartfelt ones wherein the nakedness of the human voice in a non-studio setting would've been a more powerful and emotionally moving accompaniment.

2½ miles walked out of 5

Kids Return (1996)

Told mostly in flashback, it's the story of two high school friends, Shinji and Masaru (Masanobu Andô and Ken Kaneko, respectively), who occasionally go to school but spend very little time in actual class. The tutors have given up on them, seeing them as either directionless morons or little more than petty thieves in training. In time, the duo would probably agree. But a single event gives them a perspective that eventually leads to insight.
Often in Kitano films the secondary characters are just as interesting as the primaries, but in Kids Return some of the lesser characters actually stole the show, being arguably even more interesting than the two main ones and I'd love to have seen their substories expanded and further explored.
Oddly, even though it's but a tiny portion of the film insofar as running time goes, I was affected more by the scenes set in the present than in flashback.

3 dynamite blows out of 5

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Revellers on board the luxury liner Poseidon enjoy their New Year's Eve party oblivious to the giant wave that's thundering toward them... until it hits!
Produced by master of disaster flicks Irwin Allen, Poseidon is a thoroughly enjoyable but admittedly pretty awful journey from the bowels of hell to the light of day for a small and varied collection of individuals who realise that they must band together if they're to have any hope of escape.
With plenty of rationalising and moralising along the way the ensemble cast do their best with the material, and by the end we know exactly why each character was included and what basic emotion they were required to appeal to, a task that most of them do rather well, I'm happy to say. I know that it's basically trash given the big screen treatment, but damn me, I love it.

3½ tables turned (literally) out of 5

Guru (2007)

The story of Gurukant Desai, a villager with an ambitious dream and the voraciousness to actualise it. To achieve his goal of being the richest man in India Gurukant is willing to take whatever steps he deems necessary.
Abhishek received a wealth of praise for his portrayal. I'm going to add to it. I've never seen him better. Aishwarya, prominent on the cover, spends much of her time in the background, supportive in both character and role.
At times it's reminiscent of Welles' Citizen Kane (1941), and like it is based on the life of a real person (in Guru that's Indian tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani).
It's maybe uncommon to wish that a Bollywood film had an even longer running time than they typically have, but in Guru's case I think that it needed one because the years fly by too fast, leaving little time for important changes to be depicted as anything more than visual.

3 bogus truths out of 5

Dark Water (2002)

Often unfairly placed behind Ringu (1998) and Ju-on (2002) in importance, Hideo Nakata's DW is fully deserving of sharing space with either of them. It has chills, atmosphere in abundance, and some fantastic performances from its two female leads. It uses the horror elements in a more subtle manner, supportive of a structure that's more traditional in nature, while upfront is a story about a single mother who's struggling to keep custody of her daughter. She's a good mom at heart, but in order to afford a home for them both she must sometimes leave the child to fend for herself.
The water motif is everywhere, inescapable, a multifunctional device that holds a number of subtexts (eg. it's cleansing, harmful, isolating, etc).

4½ seeping shivers out of 5

Achilles and the Tortoise (2008)

The final film in Kitano’s surrealist autobiographical trilogy is my favourite of the three. It's less surreal than the other two, but does get more and more abstract as time goes on. It's split into three distinct phases of struggling artist Machisu's life. Each time period has its own deft focus, but all have identifiable hallmarks of a Kitano experience, with the third being perhaps the weirdest.
Like Achilles in Zeno's Paradox it seems like Machisu is always playing catch up. But the more advice he takes from experts the worse his work becomes. He just can't win, and his output grows less representative of his true self.
The fictional characters are merciless commentary on both the superficiality of the art world and Kitano's own works (he did all the original paintings).
There's tragedy, but it's wickedly funny, underpinned by a peculiar warmth.

4 accomplished Beats out of 5

Dune Warriors (1991)

In post-apocalyptic New California in the year 2040 AD a stereotypical villain in his de rigueur vehicle wants to rule the wasteland, but he's not in the film long enough to have any real impact. Nevertheless, the Dune Warriors will do their best to stop him and his small band of merry marauders.
David Carradine is the big name, the older, wiser hero, but he phones it in.
It's an odd fish. The film would've worked just as well (or probably even better) as a heroic fantasy flick, the swords are already present. The occasional Western elements and A-Team moments add little to the overall feeling that everything is a poor man's everything else, all of which is at the ass-end of the scale, especially those damn shacks.
Music is by The Score Warriors. I don't know which film they thought they were scoring, but it didn't seem to be this one.

1 hero exit out of 5