16. When Harry Met Sally

So here it is, the only out and out film I own in the 'Romantic Comedy' genre. Of course, as we delve further into the collection, it may be revealed that a few films I had under the 'Comedy' banner may spill into 'Romantic Comedy' but for now, this is the only one I consider a 'pure romantic comedy.'

In an aside note I also realize that this is the first of five Rob Reiner films I own in this collection, four of which are his output from the '80s. Considering Rob only made five films during this period and the only one I'm missing is a fairly obscure (at least in the UK) teen comedy starring a young John Cusack called 'The Sure Thing' (although reading up about it, not only does it contain Mr Cusack but also Anthony Edwards, Tim Robbins and Nicollette Sheridan which now makes me want to check it out).

So without further procrastination, here's today's film:

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989 dir. Rob Reiner)

The lovely autumnal backdrop is superimposed as inexplicably the original theatrical poster had them as two towering giants overlooking a New York skyline...

Why I bought it/Why I liked it:

By the turn of the millennium, a young teenage Matt was beginning to take movie watching a tad more seriously. Swayed by the prospects of college and an upcoming Film Studies class, the slow realization that I hadn't really watched enough 'classic' films was beginning to bug me. Sure, I'd watched enough action films by then to easily boast about who would win in a fight between Bruce, Arnie and Sly but I needed to broaden my horizons.

In the early 2000s, Channel 4 was still a respectable channel. Despite reality tv beginning to creep in with the advent of 'Big Brother', Channel 4 weren't above still showing some classic films on mainstream tv. It's how I filled in a lot of gaps in my Hong Kong cinema finally being able to watch "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer" but they wouldn't shy away from showing the greatest hits of the past two decades.

As a keen fanatic of movies, I also happened to read Empire a fair bit too and occasionally they would wax melodic about "When Harry Met Sally". Feeling that I should give it a go and conveniently being screened on the aforementioned Channel 4, I taped it and sat down to watch it at a decent time.

And I was pleasantly surprised.

I think the main reason for this is, it doesn't play up to the tropes that romantic comedies are for women. In due time this sort of became the case, especially heading into the 90s into the 00s. The action films were for gents, the romantic comedies for the ladies. This primarily had to do with the majority of romantic comedies being told from the female viewpoint and thus not giving the male (who was most likely forced to watch along with their partner) any strong male character to support.
It didn't help that further writing would have the male essentially be weakly written as this was mainly a vehicle for the female character to explore her arc.

"When Harry Met Sally" doesn't play up to these tropes. Both the male and female characters are represented fairly and supported by friends. There is no side heavily in favour of the other. The collaborative efforts of Nora Ephron, Rob Reiner and Billy Crystal help make the male viewer actually relate to occurrences on screen.

Beautifully acted by Billy Crystal (who is a firm favourite of mine and always elicits a smile) and the perfectly balanced performance of Meg Ryan, this was a heart warmer and somehow made enough of an impression on me that during a 'Cheap CEX raid' to bulk out the collection in numbers, I didn't turn down the £1 price tag for it.

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

It depends on my mood honestly. Back in the 00's young Matt was still filled with the hope of romantic relationships and the like. Fast forward to the 20s and I'm a lot more bitter and jaded so maybe its magic spell won't be weaved another time.
On the other hand, the soft opening piano chords of 'It Had To Be You' might just sweep me away and back into the collection it'll go. It's genuinely a 50/50 chance here.

The review:

"When Harry Met Sally" is just as charming as it was when I first watched it. As expected the performances are wonderful. Meg Ryan is still cute as she still has the ability to move her facial muscles and make expressions, something ill-advised plastic surgery would prevent in the years to come.

Likewise, Billy Crystal is on excellent form with his wisecracks but believable everyman routine, you can see why a character of his would be easy to get along with, he nervously makes jokes to fill in the silence and is persistent in making things right when things go south between the two friends.

I've heard the pastrami sandwiches at Katz's are really THAT good too...

Ultimately that's where this movie delivers, you feel that it's an organic relationship between two people who initially don't like each other but through repeated meeting gradually become good friends and even more. Throw in solid performances from both Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby also rounding out each friend and you have a prototype here that David Crane and Marta Kauffman must have had in mind slightly when pitching 'Friends' to various networks.

The aesthetic is pleasing, the late end of the 80s into the early 90s, we were enjoying a 20s/30s revival with soft jazz crooning in the background, the camera work is excellent thanks to cinematographer and later director Barry Sonnenfeld also capturing New York and all its seasons in visual glory.

The most complimentary thing I can say about this film is that is still fresh despite being made in 1989 and the ending scene during New Year's Eve is still as memorable (Even to the point where I unwittingly pilfered the structure for scripts and stories I wrote in the past) as it was the first time I saw it.

Should it stay or should it go?

"When Harry Met Sally" is still a breeze of a movie to watch portraying love for character work as much as a postcard to New York. It's an easy 90-minute watch and might still be the best movie to agree on between couple if a romantic comedy simply has to be watched. It gets a respectable 7.5 out of 10 from me.

Brucie Bonus time next time but not the Clint boxset again. A late entry into the collection when I restructured it which I still need to watch for the first time.

So until next time, I remain,

Matt Major.






 

Brucie Bonus - CLINT2 - 15.5 - Where Eagles Dare

Nazis, eh? Who doesn't hate those guys? Well, we know Indiana Jones has an issue with them. Wolfenstein 3D hero BJ Blaszkowitz had no time for them as he merrily mowed them down and they're the bad guy of choice for our second trip down Clint Eastwood Lane. Yup it's early Clint and he's not alone this time, bring along ACTOR Richard Burton along for the ride in today's movie. Why?

Tell 'em Monty. Yup today sees that perennial Bank Holiday or Sunday afternoon favourite, the wartime movie romp in which Richard and Clint essentially go on a mission which wouldn't seem out of place in a video game, for today we watch:

WHERE EAGLES DARE (1968 dir. Brian G. Hutton)

Hmmm...jaunty angled. Also, Mary Ure is clearly represented by an exploding building.

Why I watched it/Why I liked it:

So going back to the fact we're into the Clint Eastwood boxset, this is actually the first film in the said boxset. You see, it goes chronologically through Clint's selection of movies and this box is doubled with another fairly famous Clint war movie.

I do like a good war film but obviously, you sort of need to be in the mood to watch them. Unlike say the easier light-hearted war action romps where the allies look every bit the hero and the axis look like incompetent boobs.

This is more of a war espionage thriller, written by Alistair MacLean, of just two men, Rich and Clint sent to infiltrate the evil Nazi castle and get their man out before he can be interrogated by the devils.

A constant favourite of my best buddy, Ross, the boxset was my first endeavour into this film and it was a hell of a way to kick off the boxset. It's one of those great movies where the action never lets up and you get that suck your breath in craziness when mental stuntmen of the time do crazy stunts during the film.

Oh and there's a mental scene where Clint just keeps shooting Nazis until they actually pile one on top of the other. It's quite cathartic in a way.

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

Again, not taking into account that this is a giant Clint boxset and it's pretty impossible to resell the thing with films missing in it, "Where Eagles Dare" is a cracking little war film that clearly sets out who the bad guys and good guys are from the off and it tells a clear story with lashings of action and spent bullet casings.

The review:

Well, that certainly was a non-stop thrill ride, I'd certainly forgotten a lot of elements within it.

For one, one of the main plot points is the fact a suspected mole is within the mission so it isn't just Dick and Clint going at it but a small team of men. I just obviously remembered Mr Eastwood and Mr Burton being some of the last men standing.

The plot is fantastic, it twists and turns and I'm not kidding when I feel it would have made for a perfect video game. The stunt sequence are insane in some instances. I actually suffer from acrophobia, the fear of heights, so my heart rate starts racing when some of those cable car scenes get going, with subsequent shots showing how far down it is.

There's little bonus things that I got out of it too like the mission being given to them by PADDINGTON BEAR no less. Well the voice of Paddington, from the original British shorts, not Ben Whishaw, that would be bending time and space.

It is absolutely gripping to watch Burton and Eastwood plot their route, plan their hopeful escape and tackle any German that gets in their way. For any action junkie, this ticks the right boxes, explosions galore and a body count that would probably make a Schwarzenegger film blush.

Clint vs. a group of Nazis, no contest really.  Heyyyyy wait a minute...

Well, I'll be darned...

If there are any faults with the film, they are as follows. You do need to be paying attention at times. I remember the first time I watched this, I got a bit lost during the interrogation scene, this time it all made sense as I didn't have a wandering eye. Also personally, I would have switched Mary Ure's imaginatively named Mary, with Ingrid Pitt's Heidi, just as I found Heidi a bit easier on the eyes and buxomer.

Should it stay or should it go?

Despite a weighty 155 minute run time, "Where Eagles Dare" doesn't feel that lengthy at all. For those looking for a great piece of WWII thriller, this is a nice piece of cinema to unwind with. Fully enjoyed revisiting this one and it gets a tasty 8.5 out of 10 from me.

Next time we change the pace a little bit with one of the few romantic comedies I own.

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major.


 

15. White Heat

Contrary to popular belief, in this instance, it isn't screaming in the jungle and you don't have to complete the motion if you stumble...

Bit of a distance to go to slip in a Red Hot Chili Peppers gag but today's film brings me to another genre that so far we've only barely scraped. The crime/gangster genre. Sure we sort of touched upon it with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" but that's playing up to the tropes of it. Outside of "Zodiac" which is more of a true-crime story retold, this deals with another genre that's quite close to my heart and of course, features one of the best stars of said genre.

For today, we come across a Warner Brothers classic, starring none other than Mr James Francis Cagney Jr himself. Today we re-watch:

WHITE HEAT (1949 dir. Raoul Walsh)

 Virginia Mayo being far more palatable than Carolina Mayo for example...

Why I bought it/Why I liked it:

I mentioned this in a previous review but working in CEX, you'd often come across the same movies time after time, sifting through enough "American Pie"'s, "Die Another Day"'s and "S.W.A.T."'s to last a lifetime.

Once in a blue moon, you'd hit the motherload. Obviously, movies of prestige and rarity would often be kept by the collectors themselves but sadly perhaps, an old boy would pass on, leaving their films to their loved ones and not knowing what to do with them, would trade them in.  It's how I managed to garner some classic westerns but also stumble across a wealth of classic Warner Brother gangster films.

Cagney had always been the actor that had remained a blank slate for me. I was familiar with the man through countless pop culture references but had never sat down to watch any. Suddenly three had landed in my lap, "The Public Enemy", "The Roaring Twenties" and today's film, "White Heat". "The Public Enemy" was the first film and we'll be revisiting that later on so I won't say too much. Needless to say, it blew me away despite its age and Cagney was every bit the screen presence that had often been talked about.

"The Roaring Twenties" wasn't my cup of tea, I wasn't too keen of Cagney's gangster with a heart of gold, but "White Heat" was a great return to form I felt. Playing an unhinged Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett (that's J-A-Double R - E - Double T, ha ha ha), this was classic Cagney and the performance was mesmerizing and therefore remained in the collection.

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

Yeah, I'm pretty confident that it will do. Cagney's performance is one of the all-time greats in this film and Virginia Mayo plays a great moll too. I'm pretty sure that the film's duration should be a pretty enjoyable one.

The review:

Holy Crap. I remember the film being good but I forgot HOW good it really is.

As we'll progress through these films, you'll begin to see something of a pattern and I'm a self-confessed action movie junkie. Against better taste there's always a part of me that'll enjoy an over the top, bombastic action movie.

In 1949 Raoul Walsh essentially directed what would become the modern-day equivalent of the action movie. This film doesn't let up for a second and has you gasping for air all throughout the film.
Starting with a gripping train heist and then twisting and turning, incorporating betrayal among thieves, undercover police until it culminates in one final heist. It's like Grand Theft Auto 1949!

Cagney is just wonderful throughout the film, ruthless, psychotic, his portrayal of Cody Jarrett is just fantastic. He'll coldly shoot down his men without a second thought and he only cares about himself. No tears should be shed for Virginia Mayo's Verna either, who's just as calculating and ruthless as Cody and is ready to sell him up the river just to better her life.

The Monopoly guy was tired of people collecting £200 but not passing 'Go'...

The pacing is just non stop, the plot is clever, you admire the tenacity of the police just as much as you respect the planning of the gangsters. This is a tremendous piece of cinema and was a terrific way to spend a Friday evening.

To add the cherry on top, the DVD (and I believe the Blu-Ray) features a night at the movies, recreating the experience of going to the pictures back then complete with newsreels, comedy shorts and a cartoon. The cartoon is 'Homeless Hare.' A classic slice of Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny action directed by Chuck Jones. My god, I love this DVD.

Should it stay or should it go?

Try taking it from my cold dead hands. What an absolute cracker! Upon the second review, this may actually start creeping up into my favourite movies of all-time list. If I was reviewing the DVD as a whole, complete with Chuck Jones short, 10 out of 10, easy. The film I'm giving a 9 out of 10, this may go up on repeated viewings but it's definitely getting watched again.

Indeed, Jimmy, you made it, Top of the world buddy...

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major

Brucie Bonus - CLINT1 - 14.5 White Hunter Black Heart

So we reach the point where I need to tackle another boxset but I'm integrating it into this wacky backwards alphabetizing gimmick I'm running. Something that in hindsight I should've probably implemented with the Sam Peckinpah set.

In this instance, it's a whopping 35 disc set featuring the films of Clint Eastwood. More specifically the ones released by Warner Bros. Now I've actually worked my way through this set close to 7-6 years ago and I can confirm that there are some all-time classics in here, some hidden gems, some solid efforts and some absolute stinkers. We'll get through all of these in due course.

For those curious the box set looks like this:

It's a bulky thing which I ummed and ahhed upon purchasing back when I was working for CEX. The selection of films contained some absolute rarities though and my love of Clint films sort of cinched the deal. I think it cost in the range of £30 which for me was a chunk of change at the time.

Frustratingly, they then re-released said boxset with a smaller box, much to my chagrin.

Regardless, it's now time to crack open the back and re-watch the films when it's their turn to come up and our first foray into this is:

WHITE HUNTER BLACK HEART (1990 dir. Clint Eastwood)

 Clint calmly smokes a cigarette as an elephant slowly creeps upon him as he reminisces about Proud Mary and how she keeps on burning...

Why I bought it/Why I liked it:

The bought: We already covered that in the introduction. The liked: Well this turned out to be one of those little gems I came in knowing nothing about.

The reason I like Clint Eastwood is his presence on screen, he always delivers a great performance and for me, he just airs that aura of coolness, sort of like how James Dean or Steve McQueen would have for a different generation. In terms of his directing, that's when it takes an even more interesting
turn.

Having fallen in love with his ability to direct in "Unforgiven", as a film student I went back and watched a series of Clint film as a director. The interesting thing is, he'll always cover a broad range of subjects. Be it lighthearted capers about circus folk, troubled jazz musicians, extra-marital affairs or even the 1995 South African Rugby World Cup winners, if the story interests Clint, he'll give it a go.

Case in point with this film released the same year as his last dumb action film "The Rookie", which obviously got more coverage, here is a loose retelling of one man's first-hand encounter of John Huston's time in Africa filming "The African Queen."

For the purposes of the film, all the real-life names have been altered but who they represent is pretty clear as we witness Clint's director, John Wilson (clever), looking to hunt an elephant for the sport of it. What starts off as a mild diversion soon twists itself into an obsession to kill one of these noble creatures and the internal feelings that go alongside it.

As always with most Clint films, it's extremely well-acted and I'm looking forward to revisiting this one, it's a good starting point.  I may have been a bit more wearing if we were in the Sondra Locke period...

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

Obviously not discounting that this is part of a boxset and I couldn't remove it this time even if I wanted to, I know that this is a very good movie and am very confident that I'll enjoy it the second time around as much as I did the first time, so let's fire her up...

The review:

It's still a very interesting film to watch.

Clint's portrayal of Wilson/Huston doesn't at all portray him as an evil man. Instead, he is a dry-witted thrill seeker knowing that ultimately that the pursuit of this elephant is wrong, a 'sin', in fact in an excellently delivered piece of the script by Eastwood himself. We see through the course of the film that he stands up for his friend, a Jewish screenwriter when a vile woman begins spouting her racist beliefs. We see him stand up to the hired help when bullied by the white owners in Africa. He even ingratiates himself with the locals.

However, his obsession for hunting the elephant, just so he can do this in his life begins to eat him up, it affects the shooting of the film and many question if he's still fit to deliver what could be considered a masterpiece if just committed to film.

I can see why he wasn't good at hunting down this elephant...

A special mention needs to go out to Jeff Fahey, playing Pete Verrill. He plays the screenwriter and friend of Wilson who witnesses his friend slowly descend into 'madness' over this issue. I always felt bad for Fahey who was a good actor in his own right but seemed to be destined to straight to DVD town following the misstep that was "The Lawnmower Man". I mean Pierce Brosnan came out unscathed and he made two woeful Bond movies.

We see how Wilson's character changes through the course of the film and how his obsession ultimately costs him a friend. Its message is poignant, Wilson is certainly a changed man by the film's end.

The location shooting in Zimbabwe is excellent and there's also some fun to be had by spotting the English actors too. Alun Armstrong! Tim Spall! Ed Tudor-Pole! J.R. Hartley!

Should it stay or should it go?

"White Hunter Black Heart" is a fine example of Eastwood's film making. It pays homage to the creation of "The African Queen" and the characters it represents. It isn't the easiest of films to watch but it does reward the viewer with fine performances and the classic Eastwood touches such as slick editing and cinematography.

All in all I would give this film a solid 7.5 out of 10.

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major.

14. Who Framed Roger Rabbit

There were always going to be days like these when the film of the day was going to be one of my all-time favourites.

Today is certainly one of those days as we approach the subject of one of the films that pretty much moulded my childhood. A beloved film that has stayed with me for years, fueling and furthering not only my love for cartoons but would help plant seeds for my love of the film noir/detective genre.

Long time readers of this blog may be relieved that it also marks the actual return to reverse alphabetized normality although ultimately may be dismayed as this is a great film and I may not be as animated in my review as I was for "Cable Hogue" or "X2" for example.

We have reached that point where it is time to rewatch and review:

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988 dir. Robert Zemeckis)

I don't even have anything clever to say about the cover, other than there were better movie posters for this film and it's the German cover because the Amazon UK image was blurry as hell.

Why I bought it/Why I liked it:

Grab a cushion, old man Major's going to reminisce here.

Back when I was a child, if one of the main channels needed to fill a space to fill up the time between programmes, they would put on a cartoon. Ranging between 5 to 15 minutes for the space of either 1 to 3 cartoons, the BBC or ITV would actually list it simply as "Cartoon Time". BBC would often plum for either a Looney Tunes, Tex Avery, Tom & Jerry or Paramount era Popeye and ITV would usually show a classic Disney short ranging from Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck or if we got really lucky, Goofy.

I mention this because sadly this isn't a thing anymore. The major channels in the UK now fill in this dead air by either putting on a party political broadcast, a charity pledge or just advertising for future programming in the week or even later in the evening. It sucks. It deprives this generation of getting to watch and ultimately fall in love with these cartoons as I did as a child. In fact, I have no idea how you even get a chance to watch these cartoons anymore. Are they still on 'Boomerang'? Digital media is sadly the only way I know how to watch them and you have to know about them beforehand.

But I fell in love with Looney Tunes, Tex Avery, Goofy, Tom & Jerry so much that I now have extensive box sets containing them. I own all six Looney Tunes Golden Collections. I can still put these on and they will have my rolling in laughter, that's how good these were.

At the same time, I was a child just as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" had come out. UK merchandise was swamped and it was everywhere at the time, much like "Batman" would be the year after. As a result when it finally hit terrestrial TV, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" was a staple of fixtures for years to come. It also was a guaranteed way for my parents not to have to worry about me for at least two hours.

To this day, it's the magical unity of Disney cartoons, Warner Bros cartoons and Tex Avery Cartoons as well as some Kings' Feature characters like Betty Boop. For a child who loved cartoons, this was the holy grail, a gorgeous visual feast filled with all my favourite characters with a plotline within to boot.

And what a plot-line, I LOVED Bob Hoskins' Eddie Valiant in this film. He was the everyman private detective, playing straight man to wacky Roger Rabbit but you felt for him. How he became bitter after the death of his brother but how he begrudgingly helps Roger.

And you have Christopher Lloyd's Judge Doom. An actor I absolutely love yet a role that scared the FUCK out of me as a child and whose big reveal at the end would give me nightmares and still puts the shit up me to this day.

For a lot of kids, this would be their first taste of the film noir genre and honestly, I fell in hard too, loving the dynamic and aesthetic of it and I would often really pay attention to subsequent examples of this down the line.

And of course, it'd be the first time a bunch of boys would fall in love with a cartoon. Sadly in my case, this wasn't the last time...

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

Geez, after that testimonial, you think it won't? It's a perennial favourite and I can see it staying there for some time until I finally get off my ass and upgrade it to Blu-Ray, maybe even getting that anniversary edition finally. 

The review:

Wow. Just wow.

I haven't actually sat down and watched it in some time but upon watching it, it whisked me back to being that little kid who used to watch this film over and over like 20 times.

Just the joy of watching live-action acting combine with animation is a joy to watch. Zemeckis films the live-action parts with all the glorious tropes I've come to love in the film noir genre, from Eddie Valiant's dependence on the bottle to shadows being cast through slatted blinds. It pays homage to classic Warner Brothers movies of the time.

I knew when I saw that first glimpse of Dumbo peeking through the window of Maroon Studios that I was hooked in for the duration of the film. It also occurs to me, this must have been a big influence for the creation of Kingdom Hearts right?

Hoskins nails the hard-boiled attitude of Valiant yet delivers emotion with just a few movements of his face, proving what a wonderful actor he was and why his mainstream career was cut so tragically short thanks to the bomb that was "Super Mario Brothers". Christopher Lloyd plays arguably his most chilling role, a fair cry considering he was still filming for Zemeckis as the lovable Doc Brown around this time too.

The fact that he doesn't blink just makes the role that much scarier and when the big reveal kicks in, hoo boy. I'm a big boy now at the age of 35 but memories of young Matt cowering in fear as Judge Doom's reveal kicks into play still rattles around in my head.

There...you can have nightmares now too.

A special mention should also go to Joanna Cassidy, who plays Dolores, who provides the perfect foil for Eddie Valiant as the love interest that hates to see Eddie destroy himself. That beautiful swelling Alan Silvestri score that actually got me choked up upon hearing it again. Finally, the animators and voice artists who made the magical moments of the toons combining to come true. Watch the 'Toontown' sequences again and just try to clock all the easter eggs in one go.

Should it stay or should it go?

I'd be hard-pressed to think of another instance when 100 minutes fly by as quickly. Still, a joy to watch today as the first time I watched it. It garners the perfect 10 out 10 score, as if you didn't all see this coming.

Next time we dip into another boxset temporarily in what could technically be called a Brucie Bonus but is in effect just me trying not to make the same mistakes I did with the Peckinpah boxset.

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major

 

13. Ride The High Country

And we finally wrap up the Sam Peckinpah foray with today's film. After yesterday's session with "The Battle Of Cable Hogue" a film that my troll brain decided to make me forget only to endure it all over again, today's entry is a lot more gentle but still delivers an impressive punch.

I've always liked to think that I have a slightly above average knowledge of westerns but as I'd wager that if you know the back catalogue of our two main stars today, your western knowledge far outweighs mine and I bow in your presence.

This was actually a film that I did a mini-review for WhatCulture (ohh as if I knew better), an article about underrated westerns that netted me a cool £30 in views back in the day. The experience was a pleasurable one until a new editor who well, didn't edit, kept getting in my way and I grew frustrated with the experience.

But that memorable experience that I stumbled upon a little gem upon purchasing this set forever stuck with me. At a breezy 90 mins too, hopefully, the experience should be as fondly remembered as the last. So let's get into it with:

RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY  (1962 dir. Sam Peckinpah)

Mariette Hartley gets no billing despite taking up half the DVD cover. Mariette Hartley's horse gets no love ether

Why I watched it/Why I liked it:

Retreading the same ground, Sam Peckinpah set, yadda yadda, you know the situation as I've covered it over three blog posts already. Much like the previous film, I had no previous knowledge of this film and I was probably jaded from the first time from watching "Cable Hogue" that my expectations for this film were low.

I couldn't have been further from the truth. Peckinpah, still cutting his teeth in the industry constructed a tight western featuring two legends of the western genre who at the time declared this to be their last film (Scott kept his promise, McCrea was tempted by the sirens' call of Hollywood a couple more times). Watching this, I was heavily impressed, knowing I'd watched something a bit special and wanting to discover more of each's back catalogue. To this day, I've still not actually done that (admittedly both's backlog hasn't really been released easily in the UK), but the fact remains, this is a damn good film and was a then easy keeper.

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

I'm pretty confident that it will do. This film sort of falls in the period where the squeaky clean western was waning and more serious themes had started to creep in yet the classic stars of Hollywood would always try to end on a high.

There are a few films that fall into this category, some of which we'll actually be visiting, but you can't fault the acting and as I recall, a lot of character actors in this would become stalwarts of Peckinpah's films.

The review:

As suspected, this was a really easy watch.

The plot is simple enough, Joel McCrea plays Steve Judd, once a distinguished sheriff now ageing and ashamed to show his age. Desperate to reclaim some of the pride that his old position held, he's now reduced to doing bank runs for the local towns and hides the fact that his eyesight's failing him by reading contracts privately with his eyeglasses.

Here in town, he meets up with old deputy Gil Westrum (Randolph Scott) who's working a carny hustle with his young ward Heck Longtree, (no, really), played Ron Starr. Realizing he'll need help with the bank run from the mining town back to the bank, he enlists the help of Gil and Heck who've fallen on hard times, despite their hustle and aim to swindle the bank from the money either with Judd's help or without.

They rest at a ranch house, run by a rather religious farmer and her tomboyish daughter, Elsa (played by Mariette Hartley in her debut). Elsa, tired of being under her father's thumb and preaching longs to go to the ranch where she's been proposed to by Billy Hammond up in the mining town, one of five brothers. Heck, has a thing for her, but is reigned in by Steve and Gil and when she escapes her father, they begrudgingly agree for her to accompany them up in the mountains.

Of course, it turns out that the Hammond Overallboys are all pretty much deviants who want a 'turn' with Elsa after Billy and Elsa soon finds herself in a situation she needs to get out of. Steve and Gil help but they've now crossed the Hammonds and still waiting to make his own move against Steve is Gil...

That sets the pieces for a really tight 90 minutes of well crafted, gorgeous to look at, western action. Both McCrea and Scott are fantastic, the plot undergoing two-character redemption arcs and a genuinely moving final 10 minutes. The lush location shooting in California is staggeringly beautiful, filling the screen up.

I'd be remiss in not mentioning that Mariette Hartley is certainly easy on the eyes, delivering an excellent performance. Her tomboyish good looks help not to date the piece so much too (a trait due to the fact she'd played Joan of Arc on stage before shooting). Fun fact, she later went on to create the American Suicide Prevention foundation so she's pretty bloody awesome.

There's a hole, in my shoe, that's been killing me forever, it's a place where a garden never grows...

Praise should also be given to the scoring, another thing I forgot to bitch about in "Cable Hogue", whose soundtrack was just as sodding bad as the film. Here it hits all the right notes, providing pathos when needed but swelling in times of triumph.

Overall, "Ride The High Country" presents a sober Peckinpah, presenting a classic western but exploring themes that would be more representative of his later works and even those within later westerns. It really is a great watch and deserves to be picked up by anyone with a passing fancy for the western.

Should it stay or should it go?


Oh yeah, it's an easy keeper, "Ride The High Country" is a perfect example of a tea-time western with strong acting and fine action throughout. It gets a respectable 8 out 10 from me and can now find a place in the DVD wall outside of its boxed brothers.

Next time, a stone-cold classic and one of my favourite films of all time. So no problems there then.

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major.


 

12. The Ballad Of Cable Hogue

So here it is, the film I alluded to in the last post where I know I've watched this film. I've watched all the films in this Sam Peckinpah boxset we're still working our way through and yet my mind draws a complete blank.

Considering my brain's usually good at remembering useless facts, why at the drop of a hat, I can still recite you the first verse of the theme tune of  'Around The World With Willy Fogg'. This doesn't help me in everyday life but it's a fascinating skill to have. Of course half the time I can't remember why I'm in the kitchen so the gift giveth and taketh away.

We've got two films left in the boxset before we resume back to normally backwards alphabetized goodness and I know the last film in the set is actually a bit of a hidden gem. This film though. It's like I've either been mind-wiped a la Arnie in "Total Recall" so either watching this will be a wholly fresh experience or like the Winter Soldier, all the bad stuff will come flooding back and I'll need to kill Captain America or something.

I'm padding this intro, aren't I? Ok, let's get to it:

THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE (1970 dir. Sam Peckinpah)

 Contrary to popular belief, this isn't about a guy using up all the internet bandwidth...I'll let myself out.

Why I watched it/Why I liked it:

Well, I bought it as it's part of a Sam Peckinpah boxset. I needed to upscale my vanilla copy of "The Wild Bunch" and it had "Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid" in it too so I thought for £5 at CEX, the other two films must be up to scratch. Considering I know three of the four films are good, this one got a bye in the collection because it's nestled amongst the others.

The only vague recollection, like a hazy memory, is that I know David Warner was quite good in this. This might be due to my bias of liking David Warner, to this date he still voiced one of my fav characters as 'The Lobe' in "Freakazoid!". He also wore a bowler in the film.

*Shrug*

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

Yes but most likely only by default. Who knows? Watching this might unlock previous delightful memories of the film and I'll ponder to myself why I'd left such a gaping hole in my memory.
That being said if it angers me, flimsy cardboard wraparound be damned, it's going on the trade pile.
These are high stakes people, I'm willing to destroy cardboard here!

The review:

What the fucking hell did I just watch? Also, David Warner didn't wear a bowler in the film.

So I clearly forgot every little aspect of this film. Did this make for a refreshing watch? No, it's bloody awful.

OK, awful is a little bit overdramatic as I've seen far worse, but good Christ, this is not a good film. Evidently, my brain had created some kind of defence mechanism for its tediousness. I don't know why alarm bells didn't ring. I've watched some truly awful stuff, including Zack Snyder films, and I at least remember SOMETHING about them. My troll brain decided to make me watch this pile of rubbish again for a second time. Hey, at least this time I'll have documented proof I watched it.

So Jason Robards, Hollywood journeyman who went from playing cranky old cowboys in westerns to cranky (and in some cases bigoted in "Magnolia") grandfathers, is left for dead in the desert by his two companions. They keep referring him to 'Yella Cable' which to be fair just conjured up images of somebody needing a piss.

He somehow survives in the desert for 4 days without water, apparently being some unheard of man-camel hybrid considering Clint Eastwood looks like shit after a few hours in the desert without water in "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly". He keeps cursing God, or Crom, or whoever and he strikes it lucky and finds water in the desert.

What follows is an agonizing near two hours of how he essentially builds a watering hole between towns in the desert, meets David Warner's lecherous (but not in a charming way) preacher, fall in love with a prostitute and seeks vengeance on the men who left him for dead.

I've just typed that and made it sound WAY more exciting than it actually is. Make no mistake people, this is not exciting. It's a western 'comedy' (I didn't laugh once) in where our two male leads are essential pervs and not in the charming Benny Hill fashion. Oh sure we get sped up, running away sequences but at least Benny knew what he was doing, these guys just come across as assholes.

Stella Stevens plays Hildy, the prostitute. She's there for Peckinpah to use as the male gaze as she wriggles her assets and bosom to the screaming point of PG. Did I mention this was a PG because I'm pretty sure the BBFC forgot? There's at least half a dozen 'son of a bitches', a definite nipple slip by Stevens and at least one classic Peckinpah squib shot towards the end. Evidently, the board got bored of watching this too it seems.

Oh Sam Peckinpah, ho ho, will you ever learn? Well no, because he's dead.

This might have been more bearable if the runtime was much, much, shorter but a two-hour-long Western comedy didn't work for "A Million Ways To Die In The West" and it sure as hell didn't work back in 1970.

Positives, it's competently acted, Robards carries the film with his performance (when he's not perving over Stevens) and everyone puts in a good shift. But some scenes just feel seedy to watch and I was screaming for this film to end 15 minutes before it actually did.

If you want a prostitute to fall in love with you though, apparently all you need to do is not pay her and replace the broken chamberpot she throws at you when you duck out. The more you know...

Should it stay or should it go?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well you can't fool that person another time...Fool me thrice? Ohh not this time my friend. If I could fling it to the outer reaches of the galaxy, I would. As it stands, it's going on the trade pile, SCREW THE CARDBOARD COLLECTOR!
I can't in good conscience give this a better rating than even "Captain Marvel" so congrats "The Battle Of Cable Hogue", join "Young Guns" with 4 out of 10 and never darken my doors again!

Next time, we wrap this set up with an actual gem from the Peckinpah collection.

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major









 

11. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid

Hello there!

I know, I know, it's been a while. The problem was I suffered from burnout a while back coincidentally while watching today's very film and despite encouragement for those who read this blog too many things got in the way.

Let me break it down quickly for you, I first started writing the review back in September of last year. However with only having one eye on the screen (damn modern technology and the ability to instant-message at your fingertips...) I drifted off and in my opinion, didn't give the movie a fair enough shake.

In the interim, I watched a whole batch of Netflix movies, recent cinema releases, played video games, read comics and graphic novels, added to my music library and month upon month, the poor blog got left by the wayside. There's far too much content to go back and review (an attempt to do a Brucie bonus review was attempted and abandoned on Christmas Eve last year also). But I can try to get back on the horse with Too Many DVDs.

As I write this, it's April 2020 and well, as you know, COVID-19's done a number on us. As a result, I certainly have free time on my hands so there's little excuse not to delve back into the library again. So 'Pat Garett And Billy The Kid' take 2 it is then.

Yes, I'm aware 'Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid' doesn't start with a 'W' but it is part of the Sam Peckinpah Western Collection I'm working my way through which so happened to contain 'The Wild Bunch', our last reviewed film that DID start with a 'W'.  Look, it makes sense in my world.

Interestingly enough, I can't seem to remember all that much about today's film so let's get to it and revisit and review:

PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (1973 dir. Sam Peckinpah)

The Kid had subtly disguised himself to look like a country music singer...

Why I watched it/Why I liked it:

This fell under the umbrella of Westerns you really oughtta see, back when I was on my big western kick, or should that be trail?

Regardless some kind soul (and this rarely occurred during my stay in CEX) had traded in a bunch of his westerns at the time giving me the ripe opportunity to procure them for myself and catch up with a bunch of classics.

I was familiar with Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid mainly due to its soundtrack from one of the film's co-stars Bob Dylan and to date, the only scene I can remember is the 'Knocking On Heaven's Door' scene.

But I vaguely remember enjoying its stark bleakness and overall tone of the movie. It somehow had enough of an impact on me that I clearly wanted to keep the movie thereafter and yet while I must have only first watched it during my living with Ross and Jo days, I can hardly remember a bloody thing about it, which in a way is good, it gives me an opportunity to revisit the film with fresh eyes once again.

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

I'm sure I'm going to enjoy this all over again honestly. I have my frappé at the ready and might cue up a bit of One Foot In The Grave afterwards to wash away the bleakness afterwards. But hey, it's got my boys James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson in it and it's a Sam Peckinpah movie, all should be well, right? Right?

The review:

So I left the previous two sections from the first attempt of the blog post. Obviously as previously stated, the first time around, I had little patience for the film and found myself easily distracted throughout.

I'm pleased to say that I found the patience this time around and certainly found the film much more enjoyable. It's an interesting thought-provoking piece which explores the tropes of not only the western but also the law and who's really on the right side of it.

It's interesting to see James Coburn's, Pat Garrett, our sheriff, our lawman, clad entirely in black, a trope often reserved for the villain of the piece. We witness his obsession with bringing his one-time friend down, how he ropes in innocents ultimately bringing them to his doom and his once clean reputation as law abider and a family man brought down by adultery and greed.

Kristofferson's Billy The Kid, on the other hand, is beloved, killing only those who seek to bring him in but beloved by the locals wherever he goes, causing them no quarrel. It's the men who work for the land owner's who are portrayed as evil here with Pat Garrett roped in amongst them.

It is of course far from the truth, picking up any factual account of William H. Bonney will reveal that the man was quite the shit and it's surprising how he's sort of been recast as this western equivalent of Robin Hood. That being said both leads play their parts excellently and the whole thing ties together with that nice Bob Dylan soundtrack. His performance in it is far less memorable, throwing in the odd line here and there and nodding a lot.

There are of course some nice gunfights and some really solid character actor turns here too but the film noticeably starts running out of steam by act 3.

Billy the...ermm... Man. Proof that Kris Kristofferson should never be without facial hair.

It is slow. Lacking the pace of the previous Peckinpah film, 'The Wild Bunch', those without patience (like I was back in September) will find the movie lags a little. There are some gorgeous shots but this feels like a slow ambling Peckinpah. Much like one of his characters that have been gutshot, he staggers towards the finish line.

And dear god, the amount of breasts in this movie. Had there been another five minutes of breast shots, this film might actually be classified as pornography with a hint of western. Hey, I don't mind seeing a breast in a film but there's gratuitous and then there's this...

If you have the time, this can be a rewarding film but as I said, it isn't without its flaws and you need to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it.

Should it stay or should it go?

It stays. For now. It's a bit difficult to throw it on the trade pile when it's part of a boxset. Removing it would leave a weird game in the box leaving it prone to get squashed. Ask me again in five years time and my answer might be different. As it stands it gets a respectable 7 out of 10 this time around.

And with that, the albatross around my neck for this review is done! Normal service can now be resumed, sadly with another Peckinpah film that I remember watching but can genuinely remember nothing about. This bodes well...

Until next time, but hopefully not as long as last time, I remain,

Matt Major.

Brucie Bonus - BR3 - John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum

Or indeed John Wick Chapter 3: Procrastination.

I sheepishly admit that I actually watched today's reviewed film back on Wednesday and it's taken me up until now, the Monday, to actually get up off my lazy ass and finally write the review for John Wick 3. Again blame a variety of different sources but sometimes you just want to watch the damn film and not have to think about writing it up afterwards.  Still, we're in for a doozy, so sit back and enjoy as I share my thoughts about:

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3: PARABELLUM (2019 dir. Chad Stahelski)

Apparently, his expert killing skills couldn't ward off catching a cold in the rain...

 
Why I watched it:

Because it's John Wick 3.

Ok, you need more reason than that, but if you're late to the party with John Wick, let me bring you up to speed as quickly as I can.

John Wick was essentially the world's greatest hitman/assassin but got out when he married. Sadly his wife dies of a terminal illness but in order to cope with his grief before she dies, she gifts him a puppy. He bumps into resident Russian gangster shithead Theon Greyjoy in a gas station, refuses to sell his classic car to him so in vengeance they break into his home, destroy his place, steal his car and kill the puppy.

It's a fucking cute puppy. Those shitheads deserve to die.

The body count builds up as the legend of John Wick builds, from there we get introduced into the world of hitmen, they have a code, they have rules, it's all super cool. The second film essentially builds on the background of the world of assassins and gangsters which essentially builds to this third film, have killed on neutral ground, Wick is excommunicated from the world of hitmen and assassins and a $14 million bounty is placed on his head. It's John Wick again a bevvy of colourful assassins! How could I not be along for the ride?

These films are essentially grown-up, stylish 80's action films. The thrill is just watching how different people get killed and how many stylish shots can get slotted in the course of two hours. I highly recommend seeking out the first two films if possible if you love your 'leave your brain at the door' action films. So how did the third one match up with a series that progressively got better?

The review:

Answer: It's the best of the lot.  The simple plot essentially lets the action shine. I always feel you can't go wrong with a bunch of characters go after lead protagonist trope and this film serves said trope exceedingly well. Like a batch of Mr Kipling cakes.

Keanu Reeves proves that much like the proverbial Love & Marriage and the subsequent Horse & Carriage 'Ol' Blue Eyes' sings about, Keanu and action movies go together hand in hand. As long as said action film doesn't have a subtitle after the words: 'The Matrix'. Quite impressive for a man who technically is in the autumn of his career (or should that be late summer, dude just never ages).

You can tell he's having fun in these films, a welcome return to the popcorn flicks of old delivered by helmsman Chad Stahelski, a former stuntman alongside David Leitch, who helped shape the world of John Wick and are no delivering fun action film after fun action film.

And my god, some of the action sequences in the film are spectacular. At one point audible sounds of disbelief and whooping from my end as John worked his way through a series of would-be killers. He even uses horses as guns. HORSES AS GUNS at one point. How can you not love this franchise?

Despite the action sequences which are the meat and potatoes of this film, can we talk about the fantastic accompanying vegetables that comprise of the films acting quota featuring some of the finest supporting actors and actresses in the industry...and Halle Berry.

Johnathan Harker attempts to repel Morticia Addams back from the forces of darkness where she once came...

Reading like a who's who of Matt's favourite supporting characters, we've got Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne all making their returns. We've got my boy Bronn, Jerome Flynn, playing one of the High Table's top men. We've got Billions' Asia Kate Dillon essentially bringing their cold calculating mind as Taylor playing the adjudicator for the High Table. We've got Academy Award Winner Anjelica Huston. We've got half of the cast of 'The Raid' turning up in various roles and we've got the Mr Iron Chef America, Wo-Fat himself, Marc Dacascos as the top rung of John Wick's 'Game Of Death' excursion.


Marc Dacascos should always be in more things, we should start a #MarcDacascosinmorethings chain...

If I have one gripe the movie almost feels like it peaks too early in an absolutely incredible fight in an antique store with a series of deaths and the like that leave the viewer breathless. This is a scene that should have been saved for later in the film, not within the first half hour.  This shouldn't distract from your enjoyment however, it certainly didn't for me.

Adding to the collection?

It already has. Thanks to the generosity of a customer at Forbidden Planet, John Wick 3 has a place amongst my Blu-Rays so that I may relieve it's over the top kills in all its HD glory. That and wince as a ballerina casually peels off the nail from her big toe that had me squealing more so than a 7ft tall bloke getting his neck broken with the edge of a book. John Wick 3, much like Shazam! is perfect, enjoyable film fare and gets a tasty 8 out of 10 from me.

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major

10. The Wild Bunch

Ah heck, it's been a while hasn't it?

So what went wrong? I was making such good progress. Well as you well know the mind is a fickle thing and sometimes you just don't have the stamina to sit in front of a movie. Sometimes you just want to veg out and watch a video game (a revisit to Batman: Arkham Asylum has been guilty of this), a tv series (step right up Bake Off and One Foot In The Grave) or a comic series (I can confirm that Superior Spider-Man, Symbiote Spider-Man, The Punisher and Amazing Spider-Man from Marvel are all good reads).

And that's not even mentioning YouTube...

But with a day off looming tomorrow and my stubbornness, we shall progress, I warn you though, if you've had your fill of Lil' Nas X and Red Dead 2, you might want to give the old blog a miss at least for the next four movies as we crack open the Sam Peckinpah western collection and watch:

THE WILD BUNCH (1969 dir. Sam Peckinpah)

 
I can assure you, no one gets engulfed by the sun as implied by the box art...

Why I bought it/Why I liked it:

It should be made clear that this is the first film of a four-film Sam Peckinpah collection.  Logically I should have just filed it under 'S' or 'P' depending on which way the wind blows especially considering I do something similar in later entries.

I had owned the Wild Bunch before on the standard vanilla edition first released through Warner Bros. It was, of course, the dreaded flip DVD and so needed to go post-haste. During my trials at CEX, this rather interesting box set fell into my lap and while it asked a high price for Mr Cheapskate over here, I was willing to part with it for this deluxe version of this and our next film alone.

Not much can be said that hasn't been said in past entries about my love of Westerns. The Wild Bunch is often one of the big important ones that often pop up on '10 Westerns you need to watch before you die' lists. With good reason, it is indeed an excellent western that effectively has no heroes in it.

I personally love a film where there's no clear cut good guys and the heroes are essentially less nasty people than the other antagonists, that's essentially what The Wild Bunch is. Lashings of grimy, dusty Western action with a good smattering of violence and character development in it too. It also features my boy, Ernest Borgnine...

I know I do Ernest.

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

A pretty comfortable yes. I'm a bit of a sucker for Peckinpah films, owning the majority of them (Although Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia is a slog and was traded in).  There's only one let- down in this set and it's the third film, so, let's sit back and enjoy some gory Western action.

The review:

Well, I certainly forgot the body count in this movie.

Truth be told, I'd forgotten most of the plot as I haven't watched the film since my days of living with my best bud Ross. Part of me does sort of want to revisit the original theatrical cut merely to make notes of how it differs but regardless, this is still a tasty slice of western pie.

It kicks off with a fantastic bank heist leading into our first shoot out. When happens next is a blur of quick cuts and gunshots as the audience is hit with a barrage of different camera shots, leaving them breathless when the smoke clears and the bodies start piling.

William Holden is brilliant as Pike (he told them his name), an ageing outlaw in a changing world, realizing that he needs that one last score in order to get free of his life. Beside him are his loyal comrade Dutch, the aforementioned Borgnine and the Gortch brothers played by Peckinpah stalwart Warren Oates and Ben Johnson,

Here they all are, walking side by side as gangs are often prone to do in these films...

As previously stated, these are not nice men, but they're nicer than the Mexican Generalé they run into who they agree to secure arms and ammo for. What proceeds is a daring train heist, all the while being hunted down by former crew member Deke Thornton while aiding revolutionary ally Angel. As their unit bonds, the promise of gold seems to mean less to them than loyalty and friendship ultimately leading to the breathtaking finalé.

If there are faults in the movie, it slows down a little in between the big action scenes, there's a bathroom scene that goes on for perhaps a little TOO long and there are some gratuitous shots of ladies breasts that just sort of comes out of nowhere.

Overall this is still a thrill ride of a movie and even more so when you consider the year it was made. Had Peckinpah strayed from the bottle, we could have had far more great movies from the man.

Should it stay or should it go?

It is indeed an easy keeper.  While there are other westerns in my collection that I enjoy more than The Wild Bunch, it's still an excellent example of the western genre and gets a solid 8 out of 10 from me.

It also managed to conjure up images of the unrelated ZX Spectrum game too:

Don't laugh, that was cutting edge back then. Also, who bets just $2 on 4 of a kind?

Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things with the next few reviews.

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major.

9. The Wolf Of Wall Street

A series of events chopped and changed around me today, leading me in front of the keyboard yet again. After a cancelled car boot due to unsavoury weather, I traversed the local charity shops in the neighbouring area. After getting a call from my father saying plans needed to be changed, it seemed as good a time as any to settle down with our first stone-cold classic.

Perhaps quite appropriately considering its run-time, although the beauty is, I'll never feel it. For today I review:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013 dir. Martin Scorsese)

Just another day at the office...

Why I bought it/Why I liked it:

Martin Scorsese is responsible for one of my all-time favourite movies in Goodfellas.  The man's body of work is wonderfully impressive with a diverse number of subjects. But it's when he deals with the crime genre, he shines the most.

The Wolf Of Wall Street for me harks back to the double impacts that both Goodfellas and Casino delivered.  Sweeping arcs, never letting you come up for air, beautifully edited so everything feels like it's coming at you at 90 m.p.h. Often it's said that some of the best movies are the long ones that don't make you realize its run time and The Wolf Of Wall Street fits comfortably in that category.

It's also noticeably the movie that made me love Leonardo DiCaprio finally. I'd enjoyed some of his films prior to the albatross that was Titanic (or even Lurhmann's Romeo and Juliet) which made him the pretty boy teen idol he didn't want to be. Regrettably, follow up appearances did little to dissuade my opinion of him. I felt he was the weakest thing in the all-star adaptation of Man In The Iron Mask and it wasn't until Christopher Nolan's wonderful Inception that I actually started giving a damn about Leo.

Scorsese obviously saw something in him to keep casting him in his movies and other respectable actors followed suit. Then much like Matthew McConaughey fought his way out from being 'the rom-com' guy, Leo had shown everyone what many in the know already knew, he was a hell of an actor.

I'm not going to say I was one of those guys, much like McConaughey, it took a while for me to warm up to Leo and following this masterpiece, I become more interested in his output afterwards.

Oh and this was this film I was screaming at him to win the Oscar for. Mainly for The Popeye/car sequence alone.

If I think it'll stay in the collection:

Not only am I confident that it'll stay in the collection and be a fun watch but I'm also under the firm belief this will the first film in the collection to grab a perfect score, such is my love for this film.

So without further ado, let's fire up the PS4 and learn of the exploits of Jordan Belfort...

The review:

As expected it's a masterclass in filmmaking from one of the old masters and an absolute joy to watch.

In hindsight, it's always a bit boring doing reviewing a movie I really like as they don't seem like fun to read back and it's difficult using too many positive words in a short paragraph as they don't come as naturally to me being the pessimist that I am.

As such, it's a tour de force performance from DiCaprio. It's a movie about a horrible man, he pretty much turns to the camera, breaking the fourth wall, informing us all that he's a terrible man and yet we still have a connection to him, we still will him on because he's so fucking charming and charismatic.  This is the power of DiCaprio's performance and a wonderful showcase of his abilities.

That's not to downplay the supporting actors and actresses that this film provides again. Dependable hand Jonah Hill has some absolutely astounding moments as best friend Donnie and once again shows he's much more than a simple comic actor. Margot Robbie made her name in this film and makes quite the impact as Jordan's long-suffering wife. A peach of a role to land, she knocks it out of the park in this.

Other great turns from Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner and Jon Bernthal are peppered throughout the movie and of course, the dialogue takes centre stage here, a blizzard of swear words that just leave the audience breathless and wanting more.  Scorsese weaves a beautiful tapestry of images and the editing is sublime.

Leo really wanted to help fund Jackass 4...

The Wolf Of Wall Street is a supremely enjoyable way to kill near three hours of your time and is a fine example of where others have stumbled, Scorsese's quality keeps coming through.

Should it stay or should it go?

Of course, it's an easy keep in the collection and it gets the distinction of getting the perfect score of 10 out of 10.  There will be others in my collection I know that'll get the perfect score but they will be revealed in due time.

As such we're turning the clock back again with a lengthy trip to the wild west and a quartet of movies by a certain director. All shall be revealed next time...

Until next time, I remain,

Matt Major