Bullets 'n' Babes

The Inbetweeners 2 (2014) **½
If the first film suggested that the format worked better in 25-min episodes, this sequel proves it.
For fans only.

Alien: Covenant (2017) **½
Predictable, but OK horror prequel/sequel is closer to Alien: Resurrection than either Alien or Aliens, even with Ridley Scott's involvement.

The Birds (1963) **½
Second-tier Hitchcock.

Bombshell (2019) ***
Absorbing drama about sexual harassment at Fox News.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) **½
Arnold, Linda, and James (as writer-producer) reunite after 28 years (blimey), but this modestly entertaining action piece in the modern mould still isn't a patch on Parts 1 and 2. Enough now, please.

Corporate Animals (2019) **½
Minor black comedy has its moments.

Beast (2017) **
Low key psychological drama in which Jessie Buckley finds romance with the town loner, only for him to become prime suspect in a series of murders.
Buckley makes the most of this acting showcase, but the film itself is long on moody reflection (and pretence) and short on suspense and tension.

The Wraith (USA, 1986) [VoD] – 3.5/5
Amusingly ridiculous Charlie Sheen / revenge / car / sci-fi / 80s teen flick. A murdered teen returns to earth with a magic automobile to take revenge. Somehow they forgot to explain how the hell did he resurrect and where did the car come from. Instead they got the ridiculously cute Sherilyn Fenn go topless! And the ending WTF? Did he frame his brother for the murder of 5 kids? He just casually donated the car to him, the car that was used for killing 5 people and to crash through a police roadblock. I’m pretty sure the brother ended up in gas chamber

Three Days of the Condor (1975) ***
Smart political paranoia thriller, one of many from the era.

Kelly's Heroes (1970) **
Loud, big budget war-caper.
Some good action can't compensate for unappealing characters, silly anachronisms.

The Salesman (2016) ***
Good Iranian drama about the aftermath of an assault.
Feels a bit sanitised though.

K19: The Widowmaker (2002) ***
If you liked The Hunt for Red October...

Motherless Brooklyn (2019) ***
Edward Norton back at the top of his game in noirish thriller, which he also wrote and directed.

Charlie's Angels (2019) **½
Reboot is more enjoyable that I expected, even if the feminism is a tad on the nose.

Top Gun (1986) **½
Seminal 80s nostalgia piece for those that remember; cliched tripe for everyone else.

Don't Let Go (2019) **
A cop is contacted by his young niece (via mobile phone) after her murder.
Less good variation on Dennis Quaid thriller Frequency.
Not unwatchable, but hits many bum notes, and the final act's sudden shift into R-rated territory sits ill.

The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (2018) **½
One-set dramatic thriller in which a militia is suspected of a funeral massacre.
Doesn't truly work, but it's intelligent and thought-provoking.

Money Train (1995) **½
Wesley and Woody in dumb but fun action comedy.

Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) **
Some good action, but otherwise pretty rubbish.

Jack Reacher (2012) ***
Cruise may not resemble the literary character,
but he's on great form in solid thriller.

The Spy (2019) **½
Dry Scandanavian thriller about an actress spying on the Nazis.
Based on a true story, film is watchable, but lacks passion and flair.

Mission: Impossible III (2006) ***
Wasn't a fan of this one at first, but I've come to enjoy it a lot more in recent years.

Mission: Impossible - Rouge Nation (2015) ***
Not the best of the series, but still solid entertainment.

Borat 2 (2020) **½
Sharp, often funny satire has too many uneven stretches.

The Vanishing (2018) **½
Dour Scottish thriller about a trio of lighthouse keepers who discover a crate of gold.

The First Power (1990) **½
Pretty entertaining mix of cop action and serial killer horror with Lou Diamond Phillips.

Spartacus 4/5
First time i've seen this one, it looks glorious on 4k UHD, while it's a great piece of epic filmmaking with a fantastic cast (Charles Laughton is superb,as well as Peter Ustinov) at nearly 200 minutes it's a tad overlong.

Top Gun 2/5
Another first time viewing of this supposed 80's classic, i found it pretty boring to be honest and i didn't like Cruise character at all.Some good Aerial action.

Unhinged 2.5/5
A fat Russell Crowe goes after a woman and her family after an altercation in a traffic jam. Not bad, fast moving but a little far fetched.

The Car 2.5/5
James Brolin is a police captain after a driverless supernatural car in this 70's Jaws knock off. Good cast,great cinematography, dumb but fun movie.

Underneath (2020) **½
Claustrophobic mash-up of Alien and The Abyss.
OK time-killer.

Top Gun is one of those middling films that becomes an instant classic if you love the music...which I do!

Aquaman (2018) **
Stunning visuals in search of a script.

Nowhere to Run (1993) **½
The critics were snotty, but this Van Damme action drama is pretty decent.

Ivan Drago wrote: 27 Oct 2020, 17:17 Top Gun is one of those middling films that becomes an instant classic if you love the music...which I do!

I'm more a 70's film buff. I've just picked up Back To The Future 4K, not seen them in many years but i remember being underwhelmed.Don't think i've even seen the third one.

The Invisible Man (2020) **½
Reboot of H.G. Wells' classic takes virtually nothing from Wells and is more like Sleeping with the Invisible Enemy.
That said, it's pretty good... after a slow start.
Effects are used sparingly and the filmmakers allow Elizabeth Moss to carry the picture with her acting.

Knock Off (1998) **