Film Reviews by Big Bob

Some historical dramas really do play havoc with historical detail in order to make good viewing. This one isn't as bad as some, and the historical back story and fears of the establishment and the population in the aftermath of the Civil War are reasonably welll handled. The hanging-drawing-and-quartering scenes are of course not accurately depicted. That would be extremely difficult to do given the brutality and detail of what is involved in that type of execution, so why bother? What we have is a rather curious invention by the director/writers which is rather horrible but gives a false impression. It would have been better to have the sentences read out in court and leave the rest to the imagination. However, if you want to reflect on the precarious state of Britain post-Civil War, and how this might have led to the supplanting of the Stuart monarchy with what was a Dutch takeover by any other name, then it is an entertaining series peppered with the odd bit of salaciousness.

You can see so many influences in this film that were borrowed in later productions. Yul Brynner is fabulous as the robot gunslinger. Some of the story is a little disjointed, and the effects are of their time, but this is top notch 1970s sci-fi. If you like films such as The Stepford Wives (original), Soylent Green, et al. then you will probably enjoy this too.

This is a simple tale of vampires. It has Peter Cushing, George Cole, Kate O'Mara, Ingrid Pitt and a young Madeline Smith. What's not to like if you want something uncomplicated. It is a feast of neck chomping and half naked women. This is ideal watching for an adult Hallowe'en Night. Trying to over-analyse this film is really pointless. It is what it is, pure entertainment.

This is quite simply fabulous. It has clues running through it but the end still catches you out the first time you see it. One of the better Hitchcocks and really worth watching.

Danny Boyle rarely disappoints, and this is a good quality character led plot with Timothy Spall really letting rip. Deeply darkly black and comedic, this is a classic clash of personalities type story. What really lets the DVD down is the abysmal picture quality, but this appears to be how it was filmed. If you can get past that, then it's quite watchable.