Mission Impossible 3 (2006)

It’s been a long time since I had seen the last Mission Impossible film which I have to admit was rubbish. People complained that the first one was too difficult but then they went totally the other way for number two. This one seemed a lot better partly because it was co-written and directed by JJ Abrams who has done stuff like Lost and was involved in Cloverfield. The fourth film is currently out in cinemas and I may watch it soon.

The baddie in this is Philip Seymour Hoffman who is a very good actor but remarkably I haven’t seen him in a movie to my knowledge since Twister. The scenes that he and Tom Cruise have together are very good and the best was the very first one that turned out to be towards the end was the biggest reminder of the difference between film 2 and 3. The only problem that I had with the film was how they ended Hoffman’s character. It just seemed like a tag on at the very end and wasn’t worthy of the actor or character. It’s good to see Tom Cruise on good form again. I haven’t seen a lot of the films that he has been in recently because they just look terrible but this was different and some of the stunts he did looked truly spectacular and the one where he bounces onto the car looked painful.

I liked the film so much that at one point I turned to my friend and said that the second half of the film would have to be spectacularly bad to make this worse that number two. Even the introduction of the wife didn’t do anything to dapen my enjoyment of the story. The story was straight forward and it looked like they had found a suitable middle ground between the previous films and remembered that it wasn’t or shouldn’t try and compete with the Bond films or the Bourne one and in this film despite a few moments it remembered what it was.

Mission Impossible 3 is a very good film and I feel a lot more positively about number four than I did previously.

Uncle Buck (1989)

Uncle Buck is a film that I had seen on TV for years but always seemed to miss the first 20 minutes or so. I always seem to join it when Buck is actually looking after the kids. So whilst I was shopping I decided the buy Uncle Buck for the princely sum of £3. The film sees John Candy as the formentioned Buck who has to take care of his nieces and nephews during a family crisis. What follows is a story that is centered around Buck’s frosty relationship with the eldest child. Over the course of the film their relationship eases and the film moves along at a lovely pace.

There are funny moments throughout the film (usually involving Candy) such as making a massive amount of large pancakes. Also when he goes after the elder nieces boyfriend in the house and uses a drill into the lock bursts through only for the boyfriend to be cheating with someone else leading to the boyfriend being in the boot. I could go on but you would get bored very quickly. Surficed to say that there are many moments to enjoy.

It’s a John Hughes film so it shouldn’t be surprising that it holds up well. It’s very rare that films hold up like this and that partly due to Hughes’ writing but also because of the fantastic John Candy. He is truly great and it’s a shame that he died so young because every film he has been in he has always been one of the reasons why it is so good. This movie also feature Macauly Culkin who at this time was a very big name. It’s hard to imagine that there was a time when he was so. I cant recall the last thing that he had been in but it’s fair to say he will never appear in such great collection of films again.

Uncle Buck still stands up well and it’s a film that I would be happy to pay £13 for rather than £3.

The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)

Remarkably I have never seen The Muppets Christmas Carol. I’m ashamed to admit it but its just one of those films that I was aware of but never got the opportunity to watch so whilst I was browsing in HMV I bought it for £5 which I thought was a bargain. The film stars Sir Michael Caine who isnt the sort of person I would have thought of to appear in this film. The new Muppets film is due to appear in cinemas in 2012 and it seems like a good opportunity to watch it. Especially at this time of year.

The only issue I have with this film is that there isnt anywhere near enough Fozzie Bear. I think that Fozzie is the bear of the Muppets and quite why he reduced to effectively a cameo role is beyond me. Apart from that the film is very good and does a great job of making the story fit the franchise.

Occasionally there are films that don’t quite live up to expectations but I’m glad to say that The Muppets Christmas Carol isnt one of those. It’s as good as I hoped it would be. Michael Caine is very good as Scrooge and all the muppets are as funny as they should be.

Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale is the first Bond film to feature Daniel Craig as the secret agent. It had been four years since the travesty of Die Another Day which was truly awful. Since then the world has seen Jack Bauer in the 24 series and then there was Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in the Bourne films. There was another Bond film with this title but it wasn’t official and had David Niven and was god awful.

This film does a fantastic job of blending between the classic Bond films and the Bauer/Bourne era. There is a slight continuity error in that M is played by Judi Dench and in Goldeneye she is suppose to be the first female M in the service and considering the Casino Royale is the first story for Bond it does create a problem. That aside its still a great Bond film and Daniel Craig is a great Bond which wasn’t clear when he was revealed as the new 007 at the Thames and looked miserable.

The best part was at the Casino. It’s unheard of for a poker game to be exciting but somehow its achieved in this film. It’s perhaps helped by the brief interruptions which see Bond in various states of unease and as a Bond villain, Le Chiffe isnt the best baddie that James Bond has ever seen but its still a good attempt and there is something slightly uneasy about someone who cries blood. Very well played.

It’s just a shame that the next Bond film isnt as good.

Home Alone 2 (1992)

The sequel might not be as good as the first film but its still another good adventure from John Hughes. It has pretty much the same cast as the first one except in this second film there is a bizarre cameo from Donald Trump.

It sees Kevin (Macauly Culkin) get on the wrong plane to arrive in New York whilst the family arrive in Florida. It seems like a lucky accident as Kevin is enjoying lovely winter weather whilst the family are in rain soaked Florida. The problem is that the film stretches believeability. With the first one its ok because it must happen all the time when a kid is forgotten in such a big family however for it to happen again is something that can be seen as a stretch.

Don’t get me wrong but there is a lot to like and there is pretty much the same sort of thing in HA2 than in HA1. There is the funny OTT mother who is trying to get to her son who the night before they depart have a massive row. You would have thought that during row number two that they would have stopped for a moment and realised what was going on but no they don’t and thus leads to the convoluted reason why Kevin is in New York.

HA 2 is an enjoyable film and whilst it lives in the shadow of the first one its still a good effort even if it does stretch things a bit. It’s quite right that this cast didn’t appear in the other two HA films because it would have ruined things.

Home Alone (1990)

Well tis the season to be jolly. The first christmas of the film club and again I am at home and so I have decided it will be christmas films during December and the first one is going to be Home Alone. I still think that after 21 years it is still a very good film.

I think that despite the soppy end its still a funny film and reminds me when films could do that and not have irritating little t***ts in the lead role. Great to have John Candy and Joe Pesci in the film, though I could have done with more Candy in the film. Might order Uncle Buck to make up for it.

Home Alone 2 next week I think.

In The Loop (2009)

After missing film night last week due to a christmas party its a partial return with me watching a film at my house. This week is In The Loop which is a movie version of 'The Thick of It'. I'm a big fan of The Thick of It but whilst the film has its moments its not as good as it could have been. Peter Capaldi is very funny as Malcolm Tucker and Tom Hollander and Chris Addison are also on good form.