ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas (2019)

A documentary about the Texan trio that begins the story in the pre-ZZ days, delving into each band member's musical history before moving onto ZZ Top's actual formation and their slow rise to stardom. At time of writing, the band are still touring and recording, but the film's focus comes to an end around the hugely successful Eliminator (1983) era, with its stylised music videos.
In addition to the interviews and archive footage there's live recording studio stuff that in all likelihood was as easy as pie for the artists but nevertheless sounds like ZZ on top form. Directed by Sam Dunn, it's an interesting account in all respects, but the studio sessions are worth the price of admission alone.

3½ shuffles in C out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)

In the last (and best) of the W+G shorts man and pooch are running a bakery business from their home. A safer profession than window cleaning, one might think, but there's a serial killer doing the rounds – one that kills bakers.
Being a murder-mystery means there are sinister tones throughout, but the story doesn't skimp on laughs and inventiveness because of it, although some of the jokes will require a certain level of movie knowledge. On the opposite side tonally, romance is in the air once again for Wallace, who's madly in love with an ideal - while Gromit has to endure the sickening pet-names. It's a good thing the dog's dedication and loyalty are unwavering.
Animation is masterful, and sets are beautiful and wonderfully detailed. All in all, it's a fitting farewell to the short film format for the beloved characters.

5 butterings out of 5

Breakdown (1997)

The breakdown of the title is of the car variety, not the emotional kind. A swanky new jeep belonging to Jeff and Amy Taylor (Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan), in the desert, to be exact; but that's only the beginning of their problems. He gets taken for something he isn't, and his wife gets used as leverage. It's about the lengths someone will go to in order to save the one they love. The more desperate the protagonist gets, the more desperate and ruthless the antagonists grow. It doesn’t break the mold of the genre, and it stretches believability a little as it gets nearer the ending, but Russell is good and the music does its job admirably (courtesy of Basil Poledouris).

3 donut dollars out of 5

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)

An adaptation of H. G. Wells' 1896 novel of the same name, this version of the story stars Michael York as unlucky sailor Andrew Braddock, who ends up on the titular island after a shipwreck somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. The island is home to many types of animal and many secrets, overseen by the studious Dr. Moreau, a man driven by his obsession with biology and science.
We're supposed to sympathise with York's character the most, but it's Burt Lancaster as Moreau that dominates. The actor's performance communicates the scientist's ability to weigh his wickedness against his ultimate goal and come up with an imbalance on the side that's favourable to him. It feeds into musings on things such as morality, society, theocracy and law, but the film lost my attentions more than once, which is never a good sign.

2½ cell instructions out of 5

Bloodsport (1988)

VD travels to HK for a three-day illegal martial arts tournament known as the Kumite. Between bouts the script has him stumble through clichéd flashbacks and musical montages. He befriends a fellow fighter (Donald Gibb) and gets involved in a passionless relationship (Leah Ayres) that's as dull as twitter.
The action star's speed and physicality is impressive, especially the eye-watering splits, but the more important aspect — by that I mean the acting — is pathetic. He's not alone in that, however, because about 90% of the (English language) cast are as bad. Often the editing isn't much better.
The main villain is the most memorable character. Played by Bolo Yeung, his two-dimensionality works in his favour; well, until he gets dialogue.

1 nut punch out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)

In the dead of night a sinister truck stops outside the duo's house. W+G are tucked in their respective beds (the latter doing some studious knitting), unprepared for what's happening outside. Naturally, it spells trouble for the dedicated pooch, but there's more than just Wallace's safety to worry over.
Yet again the set-ups are pitch perfect, and there's more inventive daredevil manoeuvres that prove Aardman's mastery of the stop-motion format. There's a few subtle in-jokes for those that watched the previous shorts, and even a romance sub-plot for the Wensleydale cheese-eating inventor.
Notably, A Close Shave has the first appearance of another Nick Park created character, a sheep who got a spin-off TV show and movie all of his own.

4 rustling yarns out of 5

Arena (1989)

Cheapo sci-fi about a popular wrestling/boxing match between alien species. There's not been a human champion for decades, so step up Steve Armstrong (Paul Satterfield), all-round good guy. Semi-reluctant to take up the challenge, the poor man's Flash Gordon nevertheless becomes a model of hope for the underprivileged "star station" residents who live in the Tubes.
As a fan of TV sci-fi I enjoyed seeing B5's Claudia Christian and DS9's Marc Alaimo and Armin Shimerman outside of their most famous roles, but the film itself is merely passable, at best. I can't comment on the longer 115 mins German version, but as far as the 97 mins American version goes there's nothing in the plot that long-time film fans won't have seen before. In fact, if not for one PG love scene, it'd pass for a non-challenging kid's movie.

1½ falls out of 5

Paths of Glory (1957)

Stanley Kubrick's powerful anti-war film takes place in France, 1916. To the military higher-ups the lives of men in the trenches mean less to them than their own career. To Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), an officer and liaison between the two parties, the lives of his men are everything. When an order is given for the soldiers to traverse a no mans land for a suicidal attack on the enemy, Dax is forced to pick sides at the expense of his own career.
The contrast between cowardly desk-sitters and men with boots in mud and blood is both shown and felt, thanks to Kubrick's dynamic composition. When later those same cowards hide truths behind formal language, ascribing notions of innocence and guilt to subjectivity (affected, it seems, by rank) we can choose to experience the struggle as onlooker or sympathiser, but an unwavering performance by Kirk makes it feel uncompromisingly real.

4 battle lines out of 5

Malone (1987)

Car trouble leaves ex-hit-man Malone (Burt Reynolds) in a small valley town, paddling around in an A-Team plot scenario that's equal parts reliant on the Western genre. The local villain is a ruthless land-buyer named Delaney (Cliff Robertson), a man who considers himself a true "patriot" of America. If that wasn't enough cliché for military-trained Malone to contend with, his former employees aren't happy to see him leave. There's a mechanic (Scott Wilson) with a teenage daughter (Cynthia Gibb), both of whom have a role to play, but it's Burt that carries it mostly, with a low-key performance that makes up for some pretty standard characterisation and mundane directing.

2½ stable jobs out of 5

Miss Hokusai (2015)

Set in Edo during the first quarter of the 19th Century, it tells the story of O-Ei, a daughter of renowned ukiyo-e painter Katsushika Hokusai, who is herself accomplished with the brush. She assists her father when his stubbornness (or general laziness) takes him elsewhere for a time. Their relationship is often strained, in part due to various unique frustrations on both sides. O-Ei's reserved attitude to male attentions and her general lack of life experience can be seen in her work by a trained eye; if she's to evolve, to ignite the indefinable spark of genius, she'll need to step outside her boundaries.
The supernatural/folkloric side of Japanese period art isn't ignored, bringing a distinctive beauty to the work, but it's the simplicity of the quieter scenes, some without any dialogue, that really raise the drama up.

4 bridge sounds out of 5

Tomb Raider (2018)

A reboot of the TR licence inspired by the events of the 2013 video game, that was itself a reboot of the franchise. It has a younger, less experienced Lara (Alicia Vikander) setting out on her first real adventure, in search of her missing father (Dominic West). It attempts to make her more relatable than the upper-class lass with the bottomless bank-balance that we had before, but the 'working girl' scenes that open the film are genuinely awful. Thereafter it's as bland and workmanlike as the reboot of the game was. In fact, it's measurably worse because the game at least had a level of interactivity to detract from the uninspired storytelling and prosaic personality of its leading lady.

1½ colourful stones out of 5