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2036 Origin Unknown (2018)
Got bored quickly
Interesting premise but rapidly bored me. I thought it would be about alien life but it just gets boring very quickly
Crystal Tipps and Alistair (1971)
One of the best from my childhood
This was probably the best Children's programmes along with Mr Benn, Mary mungo and midge bagpuss Very funny and educational in their own quite different ways. Crystal tips was different in that it relied entirely on music and vision. A bit of a hangover from the sixties. Very flower power and a bit psychedelic. Some thought wrongly the producers were inebriated. Just enjoy them for what they were and still are. British classics from yesteryear. 10 stars. No contest
Airplane vs. Volcano (2014)
Highly amusing comedy
Oh was this not supposed to be a comedy? I found it a highly amusing distraction on a Sunday afternoon. Utterly unbelievable and dreadful acting but will make you laugh if you want to see real crap.
Doctor Who: Time and the Rani: Part Four (1987)
silly but enjoyable
I watched this, expecting it to be rubbish. The plot is lightweight and Mel does not compare to other assistants. But Sylvester and Kate o'Mara add some substance to the acting. The visual effects are good and the monsters good. I agree with the other reviewer that this has been unreasonably panned. The amoral and callous Rani has kidnapped the cream of the world's brains in order to gain the power to manipulate time and re-order the universe. She has subjugated the decent inhabitants to effect her wicked master plan. The doctor has just regenerated and is susceptible to her tricks. Of course her plans are thwarted. Yes it's not the plot that makes this story but the catty remarks of the Rani and the malapropisms of Mr McCoy that make you laugh at this enjoyable yarn.
Bagpuss (1974)
Priceless 70s children's educational entertainment
Whenever I see these wonderful programmes it takes me back to childhood and watching them. They really are beautifully done and like the other children's series "Mary Mungo and Midge" wholly educational without over-stretching the attention span of its young audience. And yet they are educational without being patronising. Well informed and informative while entertaining to both the children and the adults who are lucky enough to watch with them. There were 13 episodes and each one has an informative story. The story revolves around a little shop where a little girl brings in a thing (an item that is indeterminate at the beginning of each tale but forms the basis for the episode), utters some magic words that wake up her cloth cat and the other animals in the shop, each of whom is a great character. Bagpuss the old cloth cat (with a beautiful mellifluous voice), the rag doll, the toad, the magical mice and not forgetting Professor Yaffle- a wooden woodpecker who does patronise the other animals and is occasionally caught out. Each of them is a character we know from life and all talk to the subject matter intelligently and even weave in some small tales of morality. Only the BBC could produce something of this quality. Priceless and not surpassed since.
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
"A woman is only beautiful"
Another great movie combining the talents of Bette Davis and Claude Rains. After the triumph of Now, Voyager two years before they reunite in a slight reversing of the roles. Then we had the ugly duckling becoming the swan. This time we have the swan who takes it all for granted- vain, unappreciative and dismissive. It takes the loss of this beauty to make her unselfish and appreciate the only true love she has been shown. And it isn't taken away just like that- she is steadily stripped of her dignity and fair weather friends. This is the role Davis plays so well consistently. And it is all done steadily over 2 1/2 hours with some wonderful cameo roles and excellent photography- witness the lock of hair scene. A tour de force.
Now, Voyager (1942)
Classic rendition of ugly duckling story
A true black and white classic. It succeeds on so many levels. First and foremost, the superbly deployed actors. Claude Rains excels as the quiet sympathetic therapist who brings the bullied daughter out of her shell. Gladys Cooper as the harsh, unsympathetic bullying mother with a snobbish disdain for those around her is wonderful- especially when she is on the boat and sneers at the commercial travellers. Paul Henreid fits the bill of the suitor in an understated and sympathetic manner. And of course Bette Davis in one of her best roles as the ugly duckling. She becomes stunning, embodying a beautiful femininity. She plays the oppressed daughter and the swan with equal verve, demonstrating why she is one of the best actresses of all time. Secondly the film moves at a beautiful pace- in some ways it ought to feel too slow but it works. You won't be bored watching this classic, possibly the best screen romance in cinematic history.