The Watchers' Feelgood Films (Part 6) - 1980s Special

Welcome to this sixth instalment of The Watchers' Feelgood Films, where the three of us discuss films that might help cheer you in these trying times. 

As you'll know if you watched our Moviemind Lockdown Special, our next Special is going to be one of our "decades" chats (where the three of us discuss our favourite films of a given decade). This next chat- which will be released next week- takes us up to the 1980s. It was lovely spending time together, reminiscing about the movies that made us into film fans, and highlighting some of our favourites. 

So, we therefore thought, as a prelude (or a taster) to this chat, we'd also look at three of our 1980s "Feelgood" movies. So here we go...

Rhys recommends...

Cocoon (1985)

Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Jack Gilford, Maureen Stapleton, Steve Guttenberg, and Jessica Tandy

From the opening shot of a young boy using a telescope to look up to the stars, to shots of the universe and then dolphins singing to the visitors to our world, you know this is a very rare special film: a film where the aliens have not come to conquer or to destroy. This is where the film starts and what follows if a truly masterful piece of film story telling. 

Ron Howard directs and you can tell: tender, heartfelt and beautiful. The films main cast of characters are all senior citizens who all live in a retirement village - which is hardly ever seen in film, even still today. Within the first few scenes, we see the characters going about their daily lives and suddenly we see a person dying and nursing staff rush to help, but within the same frame are another two nurses drinking water- casual, but daily assurance for the young and all too much of a reminder of where our cast of characters are in life. 

The films centres around the characters at the retirement village and a local boat owner, Jack. 10,000 years ago Atlantis sinks and aliens are left there; now their people return to get them home safe. The aliens rent a house next door to the retirement village and the two worlds collide...

The cast is insane: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Brian Dennehy and Steve Guttenburg. Ameche received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role of Art Selwyn.

The film is poetic, beautiful and asks the questions: what is life, how do we live, and what is important to us in life. It also is a load of fun and feel good in droves.

If you’ve not seen it- shame on you! I massively recommend you check out this classic, and if you love it as much as I do, then watch Cocoon: The Return.

* * *

Matt recommends...

The Goonies (1985)

Dir: Richard Donner
Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Ke Huy Quan, Martha Plimpton, John Matuszak, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, and Anne Ramsey

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the greatest treasure hunt in the history of cinema!

Richard Donner’s The Goonies is such a great film because, in these safe bet, Marvel and DC-saturated times, you will never see the likes of it again. Few of today’s directors would have the luxury to film on the sets that J. Michael Riva came up with, the scale and the imagination is ridiculous.

The Goonies is one of those rare family-friendly films in the sense that it has an enormous child cast and none of them even start to grate (yes, the female cast provide the screams and go stumbling into trouble, but hey, this is the eighties!). You have classic characters that survive endless re-watches: the scene-stealing Chunk (Jeff Cohen), James Bond in the making, Data (Ke Huy Quan) with his chatterbox teeth on a rope, and the lewd, rude, riotous Mouth (Cory Feldman) to name just a few.

Most films are lucky to have one quotable line, Chris Columbus’s script has dozens. “Hey you guys!” might be the most over quoted dialogue in any film ever, but let’s not forget Brand (Josh Brolin, a.k.a. Thanos) threatening Mikey with, “I’m going to hit you so hard that when you wake up, your clothes will be out of style!”. Or Mouth’s best line, when Chunk breaks Mrs Walsh’s statue of Michelangelo’s David, Mikey yelling, “Oh my God, that’s my mom’s favourite piece!” and Mouth retorts, “You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t”.

You can’t blame Chunk for reeling off each and every one of his sins (“And I never felt so bad in my entire life!”) when the Fratellis interrogate him, Mama Fratelli (the late Anne Ramsey) is the stuff of nightmares. Mama Fratelli could have been a camp, over-the-top panto villain. Ramsey knew that children enjoy being scared and gives us a frightening antagonist straight out of one of Roald Dahl’s stories.

The hair and the costumes are dated, but The Goonies is as stylish and emotional as any of today’s family films.

* * *

Tez recommends...

Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988)

Dir: James Signorelli
Starring: Cassandra Peterson, W. Morgan Sheppard, Daniel Greene, Susan Kellermann, Jeff Conaway, and Edie McClurg

When horror hostess with the most-est Elvira is left a bequest from her late great-aunt Morgana, she must travel to the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts, where her outrageous persona is very much at odds with the conservative, uptight townsfolk. Inheriting Morgana's rundown mansion, her poodle (now nicknamed Gonk after a punk makeover), and Morgana's old recipe book, Elvira begins to settle into her new life. But sinister forces in the town threaten her very existence- and that's not just the puritanical town council... 

Hilarious, trashy, and unapologetically camp, the film- much like its utterly captivating lead- never takes itself too seriously. The script is chockfull of saucy quips and one-liners (one of my favourites being Elvira's response to being asked if she wants a Virgin Mary: "Maybe, but, ah... I'll have a couple of drinks first") and there's fantastic support by W. Morgan Sheppard as Elvira's scheming great uncle Vincent Talbot and Edie McClurg as the fabulously-named Chastity Pariah, town busybody whose unhinged rant about Elvira contains some of the best euphemisms for someone you consider to be "easy"; I particularly like "one-woman Sodom and Gomorrah"

You'll be on Elvira's side from start to finish as she battles intolerance, bigotry, hatred, and an eventual attempt to burn her at the stake, all in the pursuit of her goals. The end is a pure punch-the-air moment. Not as child-friendly as some of the other entries on the list, but well worth a watch if you've never seen it. And as Elvira says as she signs off her show.... unpleasant dreams...

* * * 

Our previous "decades" chats can be found by clicking the links below:

Our favourite films of the 1930s

Our favourite films of the 1940s

Our favourite films of the 1950s

Our favourite films of the 1960s

Our favourite films of the 1970s

We look forward to sharing our picks of the 1980s with you shortly!

Review: Avengers: Endgame (UK Cert 12A)

Five years after the devastation wrought by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, the survivors of the Snap must find their way in this new world. However, the reappearance of Scott Lang from the Quantum Realm (where he got stuck at the end of Ant-Man And The Wasp) provides the Avengers with an opportunity to reverse Thanos' handiwork and bring back those who were lost...

Do you know, I've started this review three times. Hopefully, fourth time will be the charm. I am going to try and do this spoiler-free because of two reasons: a) #DontSpoilTheEndgame (as if we would!) and b) I know that, once all three of us have seen it, we'll be recording a spoileriffic no-holds-barred discussion, so I'll leave the finer points of my thoughts until then. 

So, I'm going to try and discuss the film in general terms.

There was a lot I liked. Some lovely character moments, some great one-liners, and several strong performances (in particular from Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and Karen Gillan). There's also several surprise returns from previous MCU films which I liked (and most of them didn't feel like fan-service, although inevitably some did). There are several parts of the film that are visually stunning (as you can imagine) and the score by Alan Silvestri is superb. There are a couple of moments of real emotion- I cried twice in the film, and both moments were courtesy of the same character. 

That said, I did have a couple of issues with the film. 

The run-time of 3 hours 2 minutes is far too long. There's a good 30-40 minutes that could be lost with very little impact. In fact, if you check out any of the non-spoilery 'when can I go to the toilet during Endgame?' articles, you'll get a good general consensus on which bits aren't strictly necessary. One of my biggest niggles with the film comes with a pivotal moment which- although it makes narrative sense- was, for me, the wrong move. 

Something I have praised the MCU for in the past is their general coherence during big fight scenes: no matter how crowded the battlefield, you always know who you're meant to be following at any point and who they're up against. Sadly, this goes right out the window here. The final battle is SO big, SO epic (and rightly so), that it gets a bit muddy- dare I say, even a bit DC?- and the impact is lost. There's also several unnecessary uses of shakycam which annoys me greatly (although that's a personal thing) 

Part of me feels a bit bad for bringing up these criticisms. Anthony and Joe Russo have had an absolutely gargantuan task on their hands, marshalling this utter behemoth, and having to contend with the expectations of some of the most committed and passionate fans in the whole of geekdom. With a task that huge, you're never going to please everyone, and people will find different things they like and don't: several of my criticisms won't even occur to others and vice versa. 

I've discussed the film with several people since I saw it, and I think my overall opinion is this: for the most part, it's an enjoyable tribute to the MCU and a decent conclusion to the Infinity Saga; however, for me, it lacks the focus and the punch that made Avengers: Infinity War such an amazing film. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: Deadpool 2 (UK Cert 15)

2016's Deadpool introduced a different way of doing comic book movies. It was bloody, violent, vulgar and a welcome antidote to the anodyne actioners flooding the box office- and whilst it certainly wasn't the first comic book film to do that (hello, The Crow and Blade), it felt like a shot in the arm. Two years later, Deadpool 2 offers the same raucous, anarchic fun. 

This time round, the Merc with the Mouth forms a team of mutants- known as X-Force- to help protect a young mutant boy from the killer clutches of time-travelling cyborg Cable. 

If you've seen the first film, then you'll know what to expect from the second. It's more of the same. More inventive cursing, more eye-watering violence, more digs at current superhero franchises (especially Wolverine). All present and correct. It felt familiar and welcoming, you know what you're going to get and- considering I went to see it after a crappy day to cheer myself up- it did what I needed it to do. Some people may be disappointed that it's all a bit samey, but for me that wasn't a bad thing. 

Ryan Reynolds brings the same charm and wit as he did in the first one (he's also credited as one of the writers on this). Other cast members returning from the first film fit right back into their roles. Stefan Kapicic is great as the voice of Colossus,  whilst Brianna Hildebrand is strong as the fantastically-named Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Leslie Uggams is a particular standout as Blind Al and Karan Soni and TJ Miller provide able support as cab driver Dopinder and Deadpool's associate Weasel respectively. Whilst Morena Baccarin has less to do this time round, her role is perhaps more important here. To say any more would be to cross into spoiler territory, so I'll leave it there.

As for the new cast members, Zazie Beetz threatens to steal the second half of the film as mutant Domino, whose superpower is luck. Despite claims that luck isn't cinematic, we get some pretty cool sequences where Domino's luck comes into play. Josh Brolin gives a serious and stoic performance as Cable, a lot darker than some of the turns around him, but that works. You'll also probably really like Rob Delaney's turn as Peter, who just saw the advert and ends up as part of X-Force. Julian Dennison is also strong as the abused young mutant Russell (aka Firefist) who ends up in Cable's sights and who Deadpool finds himself reluctantly protecting.  

Original director Tim Miller left the project early on and is replaced by David Leitch (who directed John Wick, and Atomic Blonde). There are some great action set-pieces. X-Force's 'auditions' and introduction are particularly good, as is the final showdown as Firefist returns to exact revenge on those who have wronged him. There's also a particularly good CGI fight between Colossus and another character whose appearance in the film is particularly welcome. Again, spoilers. 

Like the first film, there's an eclectic soundtrack, taking in everything from Celine Dion (with the incredibly Bond-esque opening song 'Ashes' which was accompanied by a very Bond-esque opening sequence) through to Enya and Cher, via Dolly Parton, DMX, and Skrillex. It's a soundtrack that sums up the film: frenetic, a bit all over the place, and full of hidden gems. 

Deadpool 2 might not win any awards for originality, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Tez

Review: Avengers: Infinity War (UK Cert 12A)

SPOILER WARNING! This review discusses and/or mentions a few important plot points. If you would prefer not to have these spoiled, please stop reading now and come back once you've seen the film.

An epic cinematic event that's ten years in the making, Avengers: Infinity War pits the Earth's (and the galaxy's) greatest heroes against the Mad Titan Thanos who is in search of the six Infinity Gems which will give him power over all creation.  

Whilst #ThanosDemandsYourSilence (and for several very good reasons), there are some points about the film that can't really be discussed without spoilers. So, if you didn't notice the bold, italiced and underlined warning at the start of the article, here's your last chance to turn back. 

...

Still with us? OK. 

So directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War) ramp things up to eleven with the action sequences: the battles are epic, befitting a film of this magnitude. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Thor: The Dark World) deserve massive praise for delivering such a tightly-plotted, well-balanced script. Make no mistake, this film is packed. With over 30 main characters spanning the universe (literally and metaphorically), so much plate-spinning going on, it's a testament that no character feels short-changed or shoe-horned in. Every character on screen has a purpose: they're not just there for the 'hey guys, remember this one?' (which could easily have happened). There are a couple of notable omissions, but these are explained well. Each character also has their moment, which is also good. The humour of characters like Rocket, Thor, and Drax is there and is allowed to flow naturally, which is great. These moments of levity are needed as the drama- and there's a lot of it- unfolds. And not just drama- tragedy, too. 

In the first ten minutes of the film, two main characters are killed off, brutally, with no mercy. Thanos and the Black Order aren't messing around. There is a real sense of jeopardy in the film: no character is truly safe, and as things progress, the death toll starts to rise. And you care. You care about who lives and who dies. Marvel have taken the time to build these characters up, over multiple films spanning the last decade, so you have that emotional bond. There were more than a few gasps and sniffles as one particular character died. I even had a lump in my throat. 

If I were to discuss the performances, frankly, we'd be here until Avengers 4 came out. All performances across the board are great- some of the actors have been playing these roles for 10 years, so they know the characters inside out; others, such as Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland, have only played them for a short time, but they have struck upon the essence of their characters straight away-  but there is one performance that I do want to highlight in particular: Josh Brolin. 

Thanos is dangerously close to being the best villain MCU have put out. That's been a major criticism of the Marvel movies: the villains have sometimes just been caricatures or archetypes. The last few films have shown villains with nuance and with an understandable motive (Killmonger in Black Panther, for instance). Thanos continues that trend: his desire for balance- given what he saw on Titan- is understandable, although taken to extremis by the idea of being able to get rid of 50% of the population of the galaxy with a snap of his gauntleted fingers. He's not just mad; there's a recognisable (albeit twisted) logic to his plan. And whilst you don't sympathise or agree with him, you can at least see where he's coming from. This is paired by some absolutely sterling CG work (not just on Thanos but on all of the Black Order) and a dignified, stoic performance by Josh Brolin.  

Honestly, I could discuss and dissect the film for hours. This is a truly brilliant film. See it. See it again. See it on a big screen. It's just superb. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Countdown: 10 Actors Who Have Played Multiple Comic Book Characters On Screen

It was announced yesterday that Josh Brolin has been cast as Cable in the upcoming Deadpool 2 movie. Comic book movie fans will know that Brolin also plays Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Before he played Captain America, Chris Evans also appeared as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies. Brolin's Deadpool co-star Ryan Reynolds was also Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern movie, while Halle Berry has played both hero and villain as Storm and Catwoman respectively.

So here are ten more actors who have played different comic book characters on screen.

1. Ben Affleck

Before he was the Dark Knight, Affleck was Daredevil in the 2003 big screen version.

2. Angela Bassett

Appearing in Green Lantern as Amanda Waller, Bassett is taking the role of Queen Mother Ramonda in the upcoming Black Panther film.

3. Willem Dafoe

Dafoe played Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films; he will be playing Atlantean advisor Nuidis Vulko in Justice League and Aquaman

4. Laurence Fishburne

Known for playing Perry White in the DC Extended Universe films, Fishburne provides the voice of the titular character in  Fantastic Four: Rise Of The SIlver Surfer.

5. Tommy Lee Jones

From villain to hero: Jones played Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Joel Schumacher's camptastic Batman Forever, before taking the role of Colonel Chester Phillips in Captain America: The First Avenger

6. Michael B. Jordan

Jordan is one of the few bearable things in Josh Trank's disastrous Fantastic Four reboot; he will appear in Black Panther as the wonderfully named Erik Killmonger.

7. Michael Keaton

From hero to villain: Keaton played the lead role in Tim Burton's two Batman movies, and will play Adrian Toomes/The Vulture in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming

8. Nicole Kidman

Kidman appeared with Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever as Dr. Chase Meridian; she will also play Queen Atlanna in the upcoming Aquaman film.

9. J.K. Simmons

Oscar-winner Simmons will be swapping The Daily Bugle for the Gotham City Police Department, going from playing J. Jonah Jameson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films to Commissioner Gordon in Justice League.

10. Terence Stamp

Stamp played General Zod in Superman and Superman II (and also went on to be the voice of Jor-El in Smallville). He also played Elektra's mentor Stick in the 2005 Daredevil spin-off.

Bonus: Sylvester Stallone

Stallone played Judge Dredd in the 1995 film version of the 2000AD comic; he has a small role in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (but the character has not yet been revealed)

Review: Hail, Caesar! (UK Cert 12A)

Twenty-five years after Barton Fink, the Coen Brothers return to the world of the movies for their latest film Hail, Caesar!

Hollywood in the 1950s. Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is a fixer for Capitol Pictures studios, keeping any scandalous stories about the stars out of the press. However, when Baird Whitlock (George Clooney)- star of Capitol's latest prestige picture Hail, Caesar! A Tale Of The Christ- is kidnapped, Mannix must try and get the actor back before the press find out. 

There are a lot of competing storylines throughout the film- as well as trying to find a kidnapped star, Mannix has to deal with an unmarried pregnant ingenue (Scarlett Johannson), an actor best known for Western pictures suddenly placed in a period drama (Alden Ehrenreich) as well as fielding off twin gossip columnists Thora and Thessaly Thacker (Tilda Swinton) whilst on the hunt for Whitlock. He also has to deal with a job offer from aerospace company Lockheed which would give stability but take him away from the movie business. 

Because there's so much going on, several of the roles amount to little more than glorified cameos, with Jonah Hill and frequent Coen collaborator Frances McDormand particularly shortchanged. That said, performances are generally solid across the board, with a strong and stoic performance by Brolin in the lead. Mannix is a tough guy, determined to keep his stars in line and not afraid to let them know their place and their responsibilities, but there's more to him than that and Brolin gives an affable and very real performance. Interestingly, Mannix was a real-life person, who worked as a fixer for MGM. This is a heavily fictionalised version of his life and career.

Clooney is great as Whitlock, a bit of a lunkheaded star who starts to come round to his kidnappers' way of thinking. Ehrenreich is incredibly likeable as young Western star Hobie, struggling with his new role in a period drama and who becomes involved in the kidnapping plot. Johannson is wonderfully spiky as the pregnant ingenue, whilst Swinton gives brilliantly broad performances as the rival gossip columnists. I particularly liked Ralph Fiennes as the effete director of the period drama and Michael Gambon who adds an air of arch knowingness as an omniscient narrator. 

There are some real standout sequences - the aquatic ballet sequence where Johansson channels Esther Williams is particularly well done, as is a Gene Kelly style dance routine featuring Channing Tatum in a sailor outfit. One of the funniest sections comes when Mannix chairs a meeting with a rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Protestant priest and an Eastern Orthodox patrician over the representation of Christ in the Hail, Caesar! script. 

Hail, Caesar! is certainly more coherent than some other Coen Brothers movies, and whilst it is a lot of fun, it ultimately feels quite insubstantial.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Programme 27: Les Miserables, Django Unchained, Gangster Squad and Musicals

The Watchers Film Show: Ep 27 from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.

Programme 27 is our first show of 2013... and it's a giant!

With the release of Les Miserables, Tez and Rhys discuss their favourite big-screen musicals and also cast their eye over Les Mis itself. 

To balance things out, there's also reviews of Gangster Squad and Django Unchained; plus Tez talks Oscars and there's the usual round-up of movie news.

Enjoy!

Programme 15 - Men In Black 3, The Raid and The Dictator

Programme 15 is here (click here to view on VideoMajic.tv)!


We take a look at Indonesian action movie The Raid, summer blockbuster Men In Black 3 and outrageous comedy The Dictator. 


In the news, there's casting information for Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and the RoboCop remake.


Podcasts can be found here and here


Enjoy!