Returning to the realm of cinematic consideration — as it’s been a bit and I let Commentary Conundra languish some time back. I may yet revive that on a very irregular basis but encouraged by a good friend, I shall retake the plunge into[…]

IT TELLS IT LIKE IT IS!!
my mum took me to see thunderbirds are go! when i wz eight, and says she sat rigid w.boredom thru the entire thing – i can’t see why!! it wz on c5 this afternoon, and i watched it avidly: it is a searing michael […]

Go to bed, Mr Swygart
It’s bizarre what manner of shit the crap-telly-enthusiast can persuade themselves to stay up and watch, sometimes. Last night, for instance, it got to about quarter to two. I found myself sat in front of ever-dire cop ser[…]

FT Top 100 Films
56: THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL
So if The Dark Crystal is The Muppet Movie without the laffs, what is this? The Muppet Movie with Michael Caine as Scrooge? Pretty much. It keeps in the laffs, but it is also a pretty straight adaptati[…]

Hiroshi Teshigahara
I’ve been to see two films by this old Japanese director at the NFT this week. He’s an interesting figure – I only knew Woman Of The Dunes before, but he was also a painter, sculptor, garden designer and director[…]

Sky Travel
This channel is back on track. It really lost its way for a while. I’m not sure if the concept of travel was misunderstood, but three months ago that indispensable guide to Florida, Baywatch: Miami was on every night.
If you were aft[…]

Is it a criticism to say that Spider-Man 2 had the same plot as Superman 2? Probably not, one way or another the film was going to be based on something, and rather another relatively successful film than some untried comics. Whilst not a direct reha[…]

The documentary revival continues apace. I can only respond to this shower of neo-Griersonian glibness with a point of fact — ‘The Sorrow and the Pity’ was made for TV — and await next year’s leader on how fantasy c[…]

FT Top 100 Films
57: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
Why did they drop the word Incredible from the title of the Hulk movie last year? Did they feel pointing out the lack of credibility in a tale of a man who gets angry and turns into a nine foot two year old[…]

Do not base your knowledge of 19th century travel on the Jackie Chan/ Steve Coogan Around The World In 80 Days. Its setting at the turn of the twentieth century gives it a number of problems, not least that the route taken by Fogg is frankly lud[…]