Chi-Raq (2015)

An uneven blend of serious drama, comedy and musical set pieces from director Spike Lee that's based on the ancient Greek Lysistrata, in which the women of warring men withheld sex in the hope of achieving peace. In Spike's hands it's the gang violence of 'Chi-raq' (a portmanteau of Chicago and Iraq), utilising both the language and music of the era and culture.
The chastity-belted ladies (led by Teyonah Parris) carry the narrative forward, while Sam Jackson pops up occasionally to speak directly to the viewer. John Cusak gives support as a white preacher in one of the film's best scenes. But it's Angela Bassett that kept me watching; when the stylised nonsense threatened to sink the whole affair, she was on hand to save it from itself.

2½ locked gates out of 5

Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956)

Newlyweds Russell (Hugh Marlowe) and Carol Marvin (Joan Taylor) work together putting artificial satellites into space for scientific reasons, but each time communication with the rocket is lost. It's gotta be aliens! The US military typically shoot first and ask questions later, putting the entire world in peril.
It has its fair share of corny 1950s dialogue, clichés, pseudoscience, and stock footage, but I'm a big fan of the film, nevertheless. I adore the classic design of the flying saucers and how they're brought to life by Ray Harryhausen.
The only thing that I'm not keen on is the suited alien design, which lacks the childlike wow factor that the better aspects of the FX have.

3½ clay pigeons out of 5

The Studio Ghibli Collection (UK)

This Collection post will be most useful to folks that are resident in the UK, so apologies to anyone who isn't. It's because the numbering on the spine of the UK (R2) DVD editions of the films causes problems when lined up numerically. Anyone viewing the features in that given order will discover that The Cat Returns (2002) comes before Whisper of the Heart (1995), which is the reverse of how they should be seen. Perhaps the distributor (Optimum) numbered them in the order they licensed them? I don't know, but the errors and occasional duplicate numbering for subsequent Blu-ray editions drove many collectors with OCD slightly barmy. If you live in the UK and want to watch the films in the order they were released by Studio Ghibli, then ignore the actual DVD spine numbers [in brackets]. The correct production order is as follows:

Agent Vinod (2012)

Vinod is a continent-hopping suave agent who does the same kind of things that you've probably seen dozens of other movie secret agents do.
Given that the poster art montage suggests an Indian cousin of James Bond in a Fast + Furious crossover directed by Michael Bay, it's fair to say that I was less than optimistic about seeing the film. Mercifully, it isn't as bad as all that, but nor is it anything worth singing many praises about, because when I watch a Bollywood movie I want something that only India can give. What I don't want is the same kind of boring polish that Hollywood action movies favour.
Much of AV is the latter. It's only when it tries to be slick and fails — making the ridiculous OTT action scenes seem as comical as they are fantastical — that it manages to produce any kind of unique appeal.

2½ life-changing poems out of 5

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (1996)

TLSoK is the first three episodes of Superman TAS put together into a one-hour TV Movie. The join could've been better, but the pacing is pretty good. It's the now-familiar origin story of Krypton's finest son, but familiarity doesn't dull it. In fact, the scenes on the doomed planet are the best part. So too is the voice work; the Earth cast are good, too, but not as impressive as Krypton's.
Clark/Superman's (Tim Daly) adolescence is a little hurried, but the key players do each get time in the spotlight, as does the series main villain, the follically-challenged billionaire Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown).
Being sold as a pick-up-and-watch movie makes the open ending feel a little awkward, so you might want to get TAS afterwards for the rest.

3 special deliveries out of 5

One Million Years B.C. (1966)

Instead of simply dipping a toe in the cave-girl genre, Hammer dipped an entire lady, Raquel Welch, and created something iconic in the process.
It's a story of early humans (after they'd learned sewing and modesty) with very little dialogue, most of which is Prehistoric language. Despite that, it does manage to be entertaining, least of all in its good girl falls for bad boy scenario; i.e. Loana (Welsh) for the savage Tumak (John Richardson).
Lovers of 'fur' bikinis should enjoy the scenery, while kids and fans of stop-motion can appreciate the wonderful Ray Harryhausen creature effects. Beyond that, there's character growth, some righting of wrongs, and enough tragedy to enable anyone who's seeking an actual story to leave satisfied.

3 skulls on sticks out of 5

Ruined Heart: Another Lovestory Between a Criminal and a Whore (2014)

I don't know how it is for other folks, whether they be professional, amateur, hobbyist or otherwise, but, speaking for myself, when it comes to putting together words to describe a viewing some are easy, some are challenging, and a special few, like Ruined Heart, are damn near impossible.
It has a dreamlike quality; not in a colourful and floaty way, but in how it moves from scene to scene, from emotive event to artistic intent. With almost no dialogue to aid comprehension it relies on feelings, delivered primarily via a combination of imagery (cinematography by Christopher Doyle) and peculiar music courtesy of Dir. Khavn and bizarre duo Stereo Total, amongst others.

3½ conceptual lines out of 5

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

The thought of Brian Blessed in an adapted-for-film Shakespeare tale is an exciting prospect for me, but, alas, Blessed's character (Antonio) is merely a supporting one. To the fore (eventually) are the bickering duo of Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson as Benedick and Beatrice, respectively, both of whom liven up the material, particularly Branagh's soliloquies, such as the one during the eavesdropping moments that give the story its best scene(s).
The playful matchmaking and wilful deceptions that skilfully upend the narrative are easy to follow, moving it along at a delightful pace. If you're a fan of Much Ado and prefer the bard's works in a faithful setting with the original language, then you'll maybe enjoy it as much as I did.

3½ hey nonny nonnies out of 5

City on Fire (1987)

Chow Yun-fat plays Ko Chow, an undercover cop in a violent Hong Kong setting. He's tired of the work and wants to retire, but his superior, inspector Lau (Sun Yueh), wants one last job from him: infiltrate and help bring down a gang of jewellery thieves, one of whom killed a fellow cop.
Ko is, it must be said, a bit of an ass-hole who's difficult to sympathise with, despite much of the running time given over to characterisation. But he gets a little less unlikable as the story progresses.
The closing act is fantastic — it also happens to be the part that QT ripped off for Reservoir Dogs (1992) — but overall the film is too uneven for my tastes.

2½ bleeding heads out of 5

Legend of a Fighter (1982)

Considered by his controlling father to be too weak to inherit the secret Huo family kung fu style teachings, fourth son Huo Yuan Chia (Leung Kar-yan) nevertheless secretly watches and learns what he needs to. Naturally, because he's the hero of the story, he grows to be shit-hot at martial arts.
It starts out a little ropey and the comedic (perhaps even political?) mocking of stereotypes do it no favours, but Dir. Yuen Woo-ping's Legend of a Fighter gets better and better as it goes on, giving Leung Kar-yan (aka Bryan Leun) ample opportunity to demonstrate remarkable skills. It's very much in the spirit of a Bruce Lee movie, so fans of his may want to check it out.

3½ defenceless eggs out of 5

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

The unusual lack of music in Mr. Vengeance, which is the first film in Dir. Park Chan-wook's 'Vengeance' trilogy, is as requisite to the feelings that the work engenders as much as the wonderful use of music is to the two subsequent films. While having such a traditional element of the viewing experience absent helps viewers achieve a measure of 'sympathy' for the key players, the tragic events and grim humour that colour the story (of a brother's well-meaning attempt to ensure that his terminally ill sister receives a replacement kidney) can be tough going at times. In addition, the absence makes the violence feel all the more real, some of which is truly unforgettable stuff.

4 skimming stones out of 5