UK Strangeness

THE WHITE BUS-1967-A woman (Patricia Healy) who may be suicidal (or dead?) leaves her boyfriend (“I'll write”) and takes a train ride full of football fans to an unnamed city (some say it's Manchester). She joins a double decker tour bus after witnessing what seems like a kidnapping. On the bus she meets the Mayor (Arthur Lowe) and the Macebearer (John Sharp). They go by factories and apartment complexes and listen to a guy (Anthony Hopkins in his film debut) sing in German. They also see people doing Kendo and a fire fighting demonstration. The film changes from black and white to color and back again several times. It ends with the woman eating in a cafe' while a waitress complains about her work. A good double feature with DILLINGER IS DEAD..

.https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2018/10/are-you-sure.html

Director Lindsey Anderson made this freaky short film (46 minutes) a year before IF... for a trilogy that was never finished. Based on a story by Shelagh Delaney. Also known as RED WHITE AND ZERO.

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Hitch Tac Toe

 

 

 

HITCHCOCK-2012-The genesis of the movie PYSCHO and it's controversial road from book to screen is basically the plot of this film bio of the great director (Anthony Hopkins never out of his suit and tie). Despite the success of his previous film (the classic NORTH BY NORTHWEST) no studio would touch the new project. It also practically says that wife Alma (Helen Mirren) salvaged the whole picture after Hitchcock had filmed it. The director comes across as a bit of a loony, insulting everyone and imaging his wife is having an affair but Hopkins portrayal is admirable and mostly the film is a positive look at his career to that point. However the film really insults Anthony Perkins (played by James D'Arcy) and his contribution. Instead of showing him and his portrayal as the focal point of PYSCHO, his character is brushed off as being nothing but a homo mama's boy who understood nothing that was going on. But of course Janet Leigh's role was played by film darling Scarlett Johansson so the director Sacha Gervasi was probably so enamored of her he focused everything on her character (not that that Janet Leigh's role wasn't crucial to the original story; it was). I wonder if the future Sir Alfred really did talk to Ed Gein (Michael Wincott)?

Despite it's faults I like HITCHCOCK better than most Hollywood bios I've seen recently. It could be because although Hopkins and Mirren are fine Academy Award winner actors they are also both hacks who would do anything for money and there for having them both in the same film made me wary, yet it wasn't as bad I thought it could have been.
 
It also features Danny Huston as screenwriter Whitfield Cook, Ralph Macchio as Joseph Stefano and Jessica Biel as Vera Miles. It's based on a book by Stephen Rebello with a screenplay by John McLaughlin (THE BLACK SWAN). Director Gervasi's claim to fame before this was his screenplay for the Tom Hanks flop THE TERMINAL.

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Better Thor

THOR-2011-I really wasn't prepared to enjoy this movie and so maybe I liked it a little more than some. There were a 1000 ways for the filmmakers to screw it up but instead they did a pretty good "Hollywood job" with it.

Chris Hemsworth is the hammer yielding Norse god from the Marvel comic book. In Asgard he's a very arrogant thunder god who starts a new war with the frost giants and is banished by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) to Earth. But the real culprit behind it all is his jealous half brother Loki (Tim Hiddleston).

Natalie Portman is kind of miscast as Jane Foster, a scientist who becomes his love interest and Rene Russo is Thor's mom Frigga. Stellan Skarsgard is an archeologist who eventually figures in the future AVENGERS movie (a post end credits scene also features Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury). Even the Warriors Three are featured. Ray Stevenson is Volstag, Tadanobu Asano is Hogun and Josh Daniels is Fandril. Of course Stan Lee has a cameo as does J. Michael Straczynski who developed the story.

Actor-director Kenneth Branagh did a better job adapting this than he did Frankenstein.

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Even A Man Who Is Pure In Heart (even in a remake!)

THE WOLFMAN-2010-This big budget gory over acted horror story is actually a kind of homage to the 1941 Universal original. (It gives credit to being "based" on the motion picture screenplay by Curt Siodmak!)

Lawrence Talbott (Benicio Del Toro with a Moe Howard haircut) returns to his native England (after living in America for many years) to investigate the disappearance of his brother at the request of said brother's fiancée (Emily Blunt). He's haunted by the memory of seeing mother's bloody corpse right after she committed suicide. His father Sir Henry (Anthony Hopkins) seems like a nice bloke but may harbor s secret. Meanwhile a werewolf terrorizes the countryside and during an attack on a gypsy camp Lawrence is bitten and "cursed". He wastes no time changing into a wolf and graphically kills lots of people. Hugh Weaving is a Scotland Yard police officer tracking him down. Rick Baker did the special make-up effects and is a victim. Also with Art Malik, Anthony Sher and Geraldine Chaplin. Del Toro was also one of the producers and the score is by Danny Elfman.

Director Joe Johnston previously made HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, THE ROCKETEER, JUMANJI and JURASSIC PARK 3.

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