Movies Watched In 2013

Director Robert Bresson tells the story of a handful of people who are manipulated by greed for the key component of capitalism: money (originating in the form of a counterfeit bill) in this fascinating French movie. A disturbing series of events change the lives of a few individuals and signifies how such a system can rot a human being to their core. The movie's key message is money is the root of all evil and a character study of an innocent man who turns into a mass murderer. Well worth seeing.

An American adventurer and a scientist head to the Himalayas in search of the Yeti. This Hammer title is rather slow going and the creature is only very briefly glimpsed in full right at the end. The movie tries to rely on atmosphere and tension instead of outright horror. Peter Cushing turns in a great performance as the scientist. In the end the story is filled with thought-provoking theories, moral speeches and criticism towards typically human greed. A good solid movie but not the best I've seen from Hammer.

Classic Hammer horror movie. Christopher Lee is little short of brilliant in the thankless title role, actually managing to giving a compelling and at times touching performance through only his eyes and body language. Peter Cushing is superb as always. Director Terrence Fisher contributes many memorable touches such as when the Mummy slowly rises from the swamp. Everything in this movie works, and some elements, such as the photography and the excellent music score, exceed even Hammer's usually high standards. It is certainly one of their best.

Regan and Carter from Scotland Yard's Flying Squad are back in the 2nd spin-off movie from the popular British police drama The Sweeney. This time they're investigating a series of bank robberies in London. The difference between the two movies and the TV series is in the gorier violence and the swearing. It's got a good intelligent plot with some great action sequences. Sweeney 2 sticks two fingers firmly up at the politically correct brigade, and that's still very refreshing to see in this day and age. This is an enjoyable movie for those with fond memories of a golden age in British television and 70s nostalgics in general.

Hammer Studios first and only foray into the swashbuckling genre finds Christopher Lee as the captain of the ship Diablo, part of the Spanish Armada which is defeated by the English. He takes the ship for repairs to a remote harbour in Cornwall where his crew terrorise the locals. Even though the acting is competent enough by the cast, there isn't enough action to keep the story moving. Christopher Lee excels in the role of the nasty Captain Robeles. He looks magnificent in the red uniform and moves with incredible authority at all times. There just about enough here to pass away an hour-and-a-half on a Sunday afternoon.

Take 3 of the most recognisable horror icons of the 20th century in Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, throw in a silly plot about a writer coming to an old mansion to write a novel in 24 hours for a bet and you have this movie. This is not a horror movie to be taken seriously at all, it's more tongue-in-cheek than anything else. A shame the story is rather ponderous and dull along with Desi Arnaz Jr's awful acting. Most viewers will see the crappy twist coming a mile away. This should have been a hell of a lot better than it was.

This was Hammer Studios' first in the series of Frankenstein tales they filmed and apparently the first horror movie they shot in colour. It's an important landmark as this was the beginning of the second golden age of horror movies. Dr. Victor Frankenstein is portrayed brilliantly by the incomparable Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as the creature. Director Terence Fisher makes another fine job here. The gothic atmosphere he creates is nothing short of fantastic. Though the movie looks a bit aged today, the movie has lost none of its charm and is a great horror classic.

Alec Guinness leads a strong cast in this movie about the siege of the mediterranean island of Malta during WWII. He plays a reconnaissance air photographer stranded on Malta en route to Egypt. While on the island he romances a local girl in between hazardous flying missions. The rest of the cast all do a sterling job in their roles. The air and sea battles are great to see although nearly all of it is stock footage. Overall although not one of the best war movies you'll see, it's still entertaining.

Notable for having Meg Ryan in one of her earliest roles, this 2nd Amityville sequel is fairly dull and predictable. It is saved from total mediocrity by the amazing last 10 mins when the house begins to go nuts and a fire breathing demon emerges from a dried up well in the basement. Then the house blows itself up which was pretty cool! You'd think with that happening that would be the end for the Amityville franchise......sadly it wasn't!! You're not missing out on anything if you skip this movie.

Frank Capra's masterpiece about a simple man inheriting $20m dollars and trying to give it away to people who really deserve it is perhaps one of the most popular movies from the 30's. Gary Cooper is fantastic and has never been as charming as the tuba playing, country bumpkin whose life is changed dramatically when he has to go to Manhattan to claim his inheritance. The rest of the cast including Jean Arthur as the reporter Babe Bennett is wonderful. The morality of the tale is you don't really need money to be happy in your life. This movie is truly one of the greats. It will bring tears to your eyes and make you laugh.It will inspire you and make you realise what the important things in life are. Do not miss out on this superb movie.

A great kids movie from Dreamworks about a snail that gets doused in nitrous oxide which transforms him into a super speed snail which just might help him achieve his dream of winning the Indy 500. Although it has a rather predictable story, it is a lot of fun to watch. It's well animated, the racing scenes are exciting and there's laughs galore. Kids will surely enjoy this cute little movie and find it delightful.

Chuck Norris is back as Colonel Scott McCoy in this action packed sequel which finds him heading to the tiny republic of San Carlos to take out a vicious drugs lord. It's a bit slow to get going but once the story relocates to San Carlos the action is fast and furious. Make no mistake about it, this is a strictly by the numbers b-movie but it's still entertaining. Chuck Norris is such a bad ass and Billy Drago is a nasty piece of work as the villain Ramon Cota. If you enjoy watching Chuck Norris you'll definitely get a kick out of this actioner.

An Italian variant on The Terminator story as a cyborg goes against his programming to kill a priest and go on the run from his creators. The plot might be weak but the action will keep most people entertained with plenty of shootouts, explosions and fights with even a one-on-one encounter with a sexy female cyborg. Daniel Greene makes a good hero roaming the well-photographed wasteland wasting the sleazy corporate villains. A likable enough cheapo Italian action adventure.

Quite a dull vampire movie with no gore or anything exciting happening. It started out promisingly enough and it's atmospheric with a gothic flavour to it but then it goes flat. It's uninteresting and forgettable and is never frightening. The only people that might want to see this movie is British horror completists otherwise go and see other better horror movies from the period.

A cool skateboarding movie from the 80's featuring a young Josh Brolin as teenager Corey Webster who gets involved in a fight with the leader of the gang The Daggers when he starts to date his sister. It's a great feel-good movie with shades of Romeo & Juliet in the storyline and a lot of brilliant skateboarding action. This movie might seem very comical watching it in present day, but it actually serves as a time capsule for the 80's. Watch out for an appearance by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers playing the song Blackeyed Blonde. Josh Brolin is decent as the skateboarding hero and Pamela Gidley is beautiful as Chrissy, his girlfriend. It's a fun movie for skateboarding fans and people who love the 80's.

A fairly good action/western movie about a town where the residents go nuts and ooze green blood after a mad scientist poisons the water supply for an experiment. There's action galore with shootings, plenty of explosions and a helicopter chase through canyons. Director Nico Mastorakis keeps things moving at a great pace so much so that viewers might initially overlook the huge plots holes! It's got a good cast in Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins and George Kennedy as a sheriff. Some of the dialogue is hilarious. Overall it was an entertaining b-movie.

Officer Matt Cordell, the demon cop that can't be killed is back in this sequel. It is just as good as the original. Bruce Campbell who played the hero who was after Cordell in the original is bumped off by him pretty early on to leave Robert Davi as a detective going after him. This is a fast paced sequel with great car crashes and plenty of intensive action sequences! The shoot-out at the police station is a highlight with lots of mayhem and the climax at Sing Sing prison is undoubtedly exciting and nail-biting. A worthy sequel.

A fascinating documentary about a despicable individual who took the identity of a missing American teenager and played with the emotions of the teens family to convince them he was their son. The story is build up like in a thriller, it is very well told and it will keep you glued to the screen, wanting to know what is going to happen next. You just cannot believe what goes down, it feels like a plot in a Hollywood movie. It's an incredible story where doubt is cast over the sanity and honesty of those at the heart of it. Overall this is a bizarre, chilling, surprising and thoroughly enthralling 99-minute eye-opener.

This is the spin-off movie from the popular 70's TV sitcom about a man sharing a flat with 2 women. The plot has an unscrupulous businessman trying to buy off properties in order to build an office block. The story is fairly amusing and even has cameos by Spike Milligan and the lead male stars from another sitcom Love Thy Neighbour. It doesn't really feel like a movie but more like an extended episode. Thankfully the somewhat bawdy humour from the series remains in the movie.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson join the police in hunting down Jack The Ripper in this very good thriller. Having seen a similar kind of movie (Murder by Decree) recently, it's hard to choose which of the two is better. This is certainly more nastier showing the Ripper's gruesome work first hand (a knife through the throat of one unfortunate victim). John Neville as Holmes gives a very human portrait of a man of both mind and action, doing what ever it is to get the case solved. His relationship with Watson is pretty much as equals unlike other movies featuring the great detective. Whilst no classic, the movie still ranks as one of the best to feature Conan Doyle's master detective.

Marc Singer is back as Dar the Beastmaster in this lively romp. This time the action is transported to 1990 L.A when his evil brother and a witch open a portal in time in order to steal a deadly nuclear weapon. It's a silly plot and very much played tongue-in-cheek. I found it a lot of fun. Sarah Douglas as the witch Lyranna gets all the best lines. Wings Hauser looks very much like The Phantom Of The Opera as the villain Arklon. I actually preferred this one to the first.

A good children's movie about two teenage boys trying to help a tiny spherical alien get back to its mothership, while the RAF and a devious petty crook pursue the sphere for its wonderful powers. Despite the low budget for the movie, the special effects are pretty good. A shame though that the production is rather sloppy in that a boom mic is clearly visible in many scenes. As the movie only runs for 55 mins the story whizzes by very quickly and I'm sure it could have been developed a bit more. The cast are great in their roles. An entertaining movie which kids and adults alike should enjoy.

This is the dramatic recreation of the daring and bold raid by Israeli commandos on Uganda's Entebbe airport in July 1976 after an Air France jet was hijacked by terrorists and the Israeli/Jew passengers were held as hostages. It's exciting, gripping and historically accurate. The cast is led by Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning as 2 German terrorists. The movie is an amazing adrenaline rush, tightly edited and always moving at a frantic pace, shifting between the Israeli forces and the terrorists, keeping the viewer glued to the screen for the spectacular climax. All in all, a great movie to watch.

An Italian actioner about a former policeman who sets out to unleash violent vengeance upon deer poachers when they rape and kill his long lost daughter. It's like a mix of Deliverance and First Blood with the hero Tiger Sharp taking out the local rednecks. If it's tons of action you want you get it in droves in this movie with some added gore as well. I was however, disappointed in the limp ending. Michael Sopkiw gives probably his best performance and makes for a very sympathetic hero. This is a solid movie which serious action fans will thoroughly enjoy.

This is a low budget sci-fi spoof with many references to Star Wars and Star Trek. It's not as bad as many people make it out to be and it did make me laugh. The title refers to the android Galaxina played by the late Dorothy Stratten (who was murdered shortly after finishing this movie). She is absolutely stunning in a body hugging silver cat suit. OK, so it's silly at times and I've seen much worse movies, and after all Galaxina isn't taking itself seriously either so give it a whirl and see what you think.

Richard Burton, Roger Moore & Richard Harris lead a mercenary force into Africa to rescue a leader who's been captured only to find they've been double crossed by their employers. This is a great movie with plenty of action and a laundry list of politically incorrect overtones. Even though many people might comment that the cast would be too old to be mercenaries but ironically the movie does not hide the fact that this was a last hurrah for some of the aging former soldiers. With a top-notch leading cast, a good supporting cast, a good script and spectacular action sequences, The Wild Geese is one of the better action movies you can see. Despite being somewhat dated the movie still packs quite a punch and could easily go up against any recent actioner.

Werner Herzog's documentaries are always fascinating and this one is just as good as the others I've seen from him. It concerns an aeronautical engineer Graham Dorrington who builds a small airship and sets about testing it in the jungles of Guyana so that he can explore the canopies of the rainforest. Herzog likes to target visionary people for his documentaries and Dorrington is one such person. We go through the high and lows of what takes places in Guyana but it ultimately ends in triumph. This is simply one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. The shots of the airship in flight, the waterfall, the birds that live by the falls and the life in the canopy make this the first time I ever wanted to own the biggest and best TV ever made just so I could see these images. I doubt that other than on a rare occasion you'll ever have seen anything as beautiful. It's a documentary that's well worth seeing.

A compelling Cold War tale. When a nuclear missile is launched by presumably Soviet forces toward Turkey, the beginning of the ultimate war to end all wars is started. It's a very suspenseful movie and one that makes you really think about our leaders and what type of decisions they would make in regards to our nations defense in time of war. The acting in this movie is excellent. It's got a nice story, good pace and a strong finish. Quite enjoyable.

4 of the surviving demon imps from the first movie stowaway on a carnival truck and make their home in the Satan's Den attraction where they continue their killing spree. It's only slightly better than the first movie. A weak plot with hardly any scares or suspense but the effects are OK with some good kills. The cast do what they can with the script. The demon imps are so poorly made its actually laughable. It's watchable enough for a movie of its kind but let's not get carried away and say it's anything better than that!

This modern reimagining of the classic horror Carrie is OK, though it never tops the original. To be honest remaking the movie was unnecessaary. Chloe Grace Moretz was fine as the title character. She had some big shoes to fill with Sissy Spacek being so brilliant in the original. Chloe did deliver a chilling performance during the scenes where Carrie is exacting her revenge. As for the movie itself, I would describe it as a remake of the 1976 film sprinkled with some additional elements from the Stephen King novel. You have to go into this movie with an open mind and not with the mind set of comparing it to the original otherwise you will hate it. Overall it was a good horror movie.

A gripping character driven urban drama about two Egyptian brothers living in London who are caught up in gang violence. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just another low budget London gangs movie. It is much more than that and the quality of the cast and crew shines through in the final product. The cinematography gives the film a truly authentic feel, giving it firmer foundations than many others of its kind. The performances of the cast is great. A fantastic debut from talented director Sally El Hosaini and is well worth checking out.

A very well made action thriller set in a maximum security prison that's supposed to inescapable. If you think this is a simple movie with the usual script as in guy in jail, struggles to escape, then escapes think again! It dives straight into the action from the onset and has many twists and new plots and ideas. The chemistry between Stallone and Schwarzenegger was excellent and believable. They make for a good pairing together. If you loved 80s and 90s action films by them both you will love this...its like those movies but up to date, clever, witty and very fast moving!

This isn't a patch on the original Hidden movie. Kyle McLachlan who starred in that as an alien bounty hunter is only onscreen for the first 10 mins then the movie goes downhill fast. The plot that unfolds is basically a rehash of the original - just that it's a lot worse! New Line Cinema probably did this sequel quickly to cash in on how popular the original was. Do yourself a favour and forget this was made. Enjoy the original and pretend this turkey was never made. Trust me you are not missing anything!

Filmed at London's Hammersmith Odeon, this features David Bowie in his final concert as his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. Hits such as Changes, Space Oddity and covers of All The Young Dudes are played in this great gig. It's also a chance to see the wild costumes that Bowie wore as Ziggy Stardust. If you're a Bowie fan, this is a must to see him at his very best.

One of the greatest bands ever which had a bitter breakup in the 90's decided to reform in 2011 and director Shane Meadows (one of the biggest Roses fans) was on hand to record this fantastic documentary about the band leading up to the Heaton Park gigs in the Summer of 2012. He restricts himself to filming the band rehearse, play a warm-up gig in Warrington and then on tour across the world before finishing with a recording of the extended version of Fools Gold at Heaton Park. I love the Stone Roses and enjoyed every single minute of this documentary.

This movie is sure to satisfy those who thought the first installment dragged its feet. From the first frame to the last, the movie is exciting and thrilling. The visual effects are much improved, the pace is seamless, and the danger is ever more present. Yet through it all, Bilbo and the company's journey to reclaim the Lonely Mountain is not forgotten as the driving force of this tale. The story does deviate a lot from the actual book. The cast are excellent. Smaug The Dragon was magnificent and Benedict Cumberbatch did a fine job voice acting the dragon. Looking forward for the final chapter in the trilogy next year.

Yet another gothic horror movie to be based on the graverobbing activities of Burke and Hare. Director Freddie Francis competently illustrates the picture with great aplomb and creates a solid period setting that resembles something out of Hammer studios.19th century Edinburgh has been recreated extremely well. The cast is excellent. The fourth James Bond, Timothy Dalton, takes the central role of the doctor and delivers a marvellous performance. This is a great and genuinely chilling movie that urgently deserves to be catapulted out of oblivion.

The 2nd Machete movie is every bit as fun as the first. The movie once again stars Danny Trejo, in the title role, as a former Mexican Federal turned unstoppable spy. This time he's on a mission to stop a crazy revolutionary and a dangerous arms dealer from blowing up Washington, D.C. with a missile attack. The movie is even more crazy than the original and plays more like a spoof than an actual B-movie grindhouse action movie and there are numerous Star Wars references dotted around. The cast are fantastic with Mel Gibson as a Bond style megalomaniac. This movie has plenty of laughs and is absolutely crazy, well worth a watch. I really hope Machete Kills Again......In Space is made.

Some have called this movie as a bit of a masterpiece. Whoever said that is deluded as this is an awful movie. It's basically the title character Sweetback on the run from some cops after saving a Black Panther member and having lots of sex with various women. The photography in this movie is terrible. A number of scenes are shot at night without lighting, basically making the action invisible. There is very little dialogue and Sweetback almost never speaks. When people are talking, they are badly miked and their acting doesn't help matters. The chase scenes are done in psychedelic montage which is both ugly and confusing. I can't tell why this mess is called such a great piece of work. It fails in every technical aspect. This is the worst blaxploitation movie I've ever seen and easily one of the hundred worst movies ever made. Avoid.

A brilliant British drama by director Lindsay Anderson. Frank Machin is a brutal, young miner in a city in northern England. Hoping for fame and fortune, he becomes a successful Rugby League football player. He uses his fame and fortune, along with physical violence, to try to force his widowed landlady to fall for him. Photographed in bleak black-and-white, the film's scenes of emotional and physical domestic violence are still shocking today. Also notable are the violent, stylishly-shot rugby matches. The cast are excellent without exception, especially Richard Harris who manages to invest even his totally unsympathetic character with some degree of humanity. Definitely one to watch.

The spinoff movie from the controversial 70's sitcom about a bigoted white man and his wife who live next door to a West Indian couple. This is a product of it's time which would never be made these days due to it being so politically incorrect. There isn't that much of a plot and the comedy is so-so but I still enjoyed it. Jack Smethurst and Rudolph Walker make one hell of a team, playing off each other in a oneupmanship kind of way. If hearing insults like 'sambo' or 'white honky' offend you in any way it's best you don't watch this movie.

A fairly good sci-fi movie about a young prodigy, chosen as a sole commander of the Earth's battle forces against an alien insect army. Young Ender Wiggin is Earth's last hope in defeating the enemy. It is based on a novel which I had no knowledge about. The movie will appeal more to young people and fans of the novel rather than adults. The visuals are fantastic but ultimately the story itself is disappointing. Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford are good in their roles. This movie is entertaining but I doubt I'll watch it again.

A fun parody of slasher movies. The acting is painful and the plot is thinner than paper but it is marvelously entertaining and succeeds as a wonderful parody of Halloween, Friday the 13th and many other horror slasher flicks in the late 70's. The jokes are funny although towards the end some of them were a little lame but on the whole they do hit the right spot. A more than decent little slasher parody.

This is essentially a parody of Ultraman. From the opening credits to this TV movie you can see instantly that it's not to be taken seriously. It is basically clips from 2 Ultraman movies from the 70's dubbed with some ridiculous dialogue. Whilst it was midly amusing at first, it got quickly tiresome. None of it makes any kind of sense. A rather silly and pointless TV movie.

This Italian action movie seems to me like a complete rip-off of Predator, in fact many scenes are exactly the same. The only difference with this movie is it isn't an alien stalking the soldiers in the jungle but a rogue weapons cyborg. What it may lack in originality, it does deliver in a lot of gunplay and explosions. It's fairly enjoyable and the cast are good in their roles led by Reb Brown as the leader of the soldiers. It's a movie worth seeking out for it's entertainment value.

A charming British comedy from Ealing Studios about a village that comes together to run their own railway line and the unscrupulous bus company that tries to sabotage their venture for their own gains. It features beautiful locations (around Bath in Somerset) and a stereotypical village of characters which must have seemed very normal in 1953, but which hardly exist today. It is a portrait of a lost world, where people greeted each other in the street, where trains ran (on time) through villages, where cars did not rule every road. A great cast make this a wonderful movie. Watch this movie as a window on that lost world, but don't forget to laugh!

This was a decent movie but it really had nothing on The Prestige and I don't know how the two can be compared apart from the fact they're in the same 'magic' genre (and both star Michael Caine!). The plot revolves around a group of magicians called The Horsemen who wow audiences with their tricks which they use as a diversion for stealing money. The Horsemen include Jesse Eisenberg as a snarky card shark; Isla Fisher as a risk taking performance artist; Dave Franco as the group's physically-charged street fighting freshman trying to prove his worth; and scene stealer Woody Harrelson as a charming comic relief mentalist creeping into everyone's minds. The story is pretty entertaining and unpredictable with some good chases, cop banter and cool magic. It just lacks depth and was too self-indulgent and clumsy for my liking. Worth a watch but not amazing.

An absolutely hilarious hidden camera movie from the makers of MTV's Jackass. Johnny Knoxville plays an old guy Irving Zisman who takes his young grandson to his father in Raleigh, North Carolina by car as his mother is in jail. Along the way they get up to all sort of funny scrapes. There are numerous highlights which will make you laugh. This is definitely the funniest movie of 2013 and I suggest you all go out there and see this one.

This is the original Little Shop of Horrors movie. It's a great little dark comedy about the plant Audrey who has to be fed human blood every night. It's a lot of fun and there's even a small role for Jack Nicholson as a nerd who enjoys the pain of the dentist's drill. I would say though that I still prefer the 80's musical version instead to this one but it's still an enjoyable watch.

Alec Guinness is excellent in this Ealing comedy as a textile industry scientist who invents a fabric that is dirt-resistant and is indestructible. This does not go down well with his boss and his fellow workers who think they will go out of work because of his invention. This is a very funny movie, in that particularly witty, intelligent, satirical, slightly evil style found in the best post-war British movies. A brilliant performance from Alec Guinness - a man who was on top of his game at the time. A first-rate movie all around.