Gorky Park (1983)

When three unknown bodies are discovered frozen in the snow in Moscow's Gorky Park, officer Arkady Renko (William Hurt) of the Soviet police force gets himself deep in danger while trying to get to the bottom if it. The KGB casually hand him the case, even though he suspects they may be involved.
Based on a novel of the same name by Martin Cruz Smith (I've not read it), it's a political thriller with a script that doesn't waste words, but to sustain its realism a film that's set in Russia and is about Russian citizens ought to be in the Russian language, not littered with American and British accents, even if they are fine actors at home. The love subplot that develops is rushed and unconvincing, but the level of intrigue compensates well enough.

3 cold reconstructions out of 5

Quigley Down Under (1990)

A skilled marksman from Wyoming travels to Western Australia to seek work from a man that he's not met. The man with the modified rifle is Tom Selleck. The prospective employer is Alan Rickman, One of them is noble and guided by morals; the other definitely isn't. A third player, a woman (Laura San Giacomo) who's a little crazy gives the stranger in a strange land scenario a welcome level of pathos that it might not have had otherwise.
Along the way we meet Australia's Indigenous people and the British army; the former group do a much more convincing job than the latter, who are used mostly to flesh out the political climate of the era (the 1860s). The film is generally high-spirited, but has a few serious themes from time to time.

3 thunderous returns out of 5

Lemmy (2010)

A documentary about the inimitable Lemmy Kilmister, who was Motörhead’s only constant member. It shows him giving radio interviews, supping beverages at home and on the road, with some live performances thrown in to keep the pace going, although it's still perhaps a little too long and there's a fair amount of footage that feels either wasteful or surplus to requirements.
It seems to be a universal truth that pointing a movie camera at some ardent music fans for a documentary often results in idiotic tendencies, and that's no exception here, but those moments aside it does an okay job at capturing a less publicised view of its main subject. I used to joke that if whisky had a voice, then it'd sound like Lemmy. I believe that even more now.

3 bandit spins out of 5

Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)

The entire Godzilla Reiwa era thus far (four films) has been utterly dire. It's a mix of stubbornness and hope that's got me through it. The conclusion of the animated trilogy is perhaps the worst of the trio, precisely because it had the potential to be the best of them but cocked it up in every conceivable way: its core theme is needlessly convoluted, when heartfelt simplicity would've been more meaningful; the twins and the egg scenario amounted to nothing but disappointment; and the showdown between Godzilla and Ghidorah is a lifeless bore with yet more tiresome commentary from the spectators.
The story's attempts at turning such notions as belief, Godhood, and gematria into a binding philosophy are laudable but altogether laughable. In each case, the poster art of the anime films are better than the films themselves.

1½ wings of death out of 5

Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)

While the mothership searches the battlefield for survivors after the first battle, Sakaki discovers something unexpected on the planet's surface. His plans to take the world for humanity aren't completely beaten yet.

Visually it's as bland as before, with 30 shades of blue and not much else, but for a time the story is more interesting - if you can cope with all the made up science. Alas, once thunder-thighs comes on the scene it all falls apart. Too often we learn about what's happening from prosaic people talking about a situation, instead of showing us what's actually happening. Godzilla is rarely seen, and when it is onscreen it's lumbering and lacks any kind of wow factor. The commentary on evolution and degeneration had potential, but ultimately anything interesting gets pushed aside so that a CGI battle can happen.

2 passing crows out of 5

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)

The first part in Toho's CGI animated Godzilla trilogy follows a group of uninspiring survivors on a spacefaring vessel that's running low on resources after twenty years of travel. In desperation, they plan to confront Godzilla, hoping to destroy it and take the planet it resides on for their own.
It's a grim story with dull colours and equally dull dialogue. The Godzilla design resembles the US version, with the stupidly thick wrestler neck and gargantuan size. The 'threat' does very little other than take a few steps and shoot some atomic breath; mostly the creature is little more than a boring target for the humans to shoot at and comment upon. The planet has no buildings or man-made structures, no unlucky civilians, there's nothing interesting for Godzilla to destroy and, by extension, very little for a viewer to sympathise with or even relate to. It's a joyless start to the trilogy.

2 electromagnetic waves out of 5

A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman (2015)

Narrated by Julie Walters, it's a brief look into the history and works of Aardman Animations Ltd, makers of the Creature Comforts and Wallace and Gromit stop-motion animations, among others. They've been responsible for a surprisingly large number of UK television adverts, most of which I recognised but prior to watching the doc had been unaware of Aardman's involvement.
It mentions the studio's collaboration with a US company to make Chicken Run (2000), and touches on their subsequent (unwise) use of CGI. The exclusive W+G interludes will please fans of the duo, but lovers of any kind of stop-motion will likely find something of interest. But be warned, there are some very large spoilers for many of the studio's major works. Boo!

3½ fingerprints out of 5

Into the Inferno (2016)

I've never been close to an active volcano, but they terrify me, nonetheless. Dir. Werner Herzog's documentary explores the dangers, beliefs and mindsets of people that choose to live near them. He's aided by volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer, whom he met during his Encounters at the End of the World (2007). They meet people who put their life on the line in order to observe and measure the phenomena, and villagers who believe that demons and/or gods reside in the craters, from Indonesia to Ethiopia, Iceland, and even North Korea; it drifts off topic a little in the latter location, but the insights gained by Herzog about the secretive country's shared ideology are as scary as the unpredictable magma, albeit in a wholly different, uncomfortable way.
Note: there’s some brief but upsetting imagery involving volcano victims.

3½ seismic heartbeats out of 5

Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

Texas Ranger J.J. McQuade (Chuck Norris) is as skilled in weaponry as he is in hand-to-hand ass-kicking (but he's not so proficient in housekeeping). The so-called 'lone wolf' gets partnered with a state trooper that he doesn't want (Robert Beltran) and together the duo track down an illegal arms trader.
It begins and ends like a Western, with music to match, but in-between there's a bevy of 80s action, with plenty of gun-play. The actual story isn't a shining example of the form, but it's fun seeing Norris take on David Carradine. There's also a love interest (Barbara Carrera); the relationship is rushed and weak but it gives each of the two men something else to fight for.

3 on duty beers out of 5

Buster (1988)

Kicking off in London, 1963, it tells the story of Buster Edwards, one of the fifteen men involved in the Great Train Robbery, something that still gets spoken about in Britain today. For the benefit of anyone not familiar with the incident, it involved a Royal Mail train carrying a HUGE amount of cash.
Musician Phil Collins stars as the titular crook. The script presents him as a lovable rogue, as a "lucky" petty thief, which is a characteristic trait that Collins chennels successfully. His wife is played by Julie Walters.
The planning phase of the story goes by fast, as does the robbery, meaning a large portion of the film focuses on life on the run and, sadly, that part can feel a little dull at times. But if you're a fan of the one-time Genesis front-man, then there's certainly enough Phil to keep you entertained.

2½ monopoly rolls out of 5