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steve-mayall
Reviews
Bobby Bumps' Night Out with Some Night Owls (1919)
black and white and boring all over
I watched this one frosty evening recently on satellite telly when there was little else on. I imagine it was cutting edge in its day, with an interesting title and lots of artistic scenes of owls, but to me in the twenty first century it was like the worst bits of history class mixed with the worst bits of owl study. Not only was there no real story line, but the whole film was clearly based on an animal version of Dickens' Great Expectations. It was a shambles from beginning to end.
I have to say that I much prefer films with sound. I don't have a problem with black and white films but the combination of the two can become somewhat tiresome.
So imagine watching over an hour of forced owl acting with no colour and frankly no talent. The scene when pip finally confronts miss haversham in the restaurant isn't interpreted well by the owls.
In all, a misguided, out dated and slightly daft arty take on a classic story which should only be viewed by the very devoted maniac.
Puss in Boots (1999)
If you're 'feline' in the mood for fun, this is the movie for you!
Everybody knows the story of Puss in Boots - where the downtrodden and neglected farmers cat leaves home in search of fame and riches in ancient london town, only to discover that there is actually nothing better than a saucer of milk by a warm fire. Well thats this film in a nutshell. But Judge Reinhold brings a warmth and charisma to the whole tale that's unique. Fans that were a bit surprised to see him take on a more cut-throat persona in the Beverly Hills Cop series of films will take heart from the return to form which we saw in such films as Vice-Versa and Ping!
The moment Reinhold, as Gunther. realises that he has been milking his cat for all its worth just to please the Princess is pure magic. Michael York is ok as the cat but for me, this is Reinhold's film. A perfect Christmas Day treat.
Excuse Me, But There's a Computer Asking for You (1983)
thought provoking and stupid at the same time
This film's got a dopey name but it's actually quite clever. It stars Robert A Duncan who isn't exactly a household name but his acting credits read like a superhero's resume - 'The Strongest Man in the World', 'The First Emperor of China' and even 'Canada's First Woman MP' (I Don't think he played the lead in that one!!!)
In this film Duncan plays a scientist who invents a computer which can talk. Not exactly new, but this computer is programmed to learn from other people and is taught to talk by Duncan. The film starts quite slowly but its necessary to build up the plot as Duncan is actually teaching it not only language but also to feel the emotions of the words. Then - inevitably the machine is stolen and ends up in the hands of criminals.
This is where the philosophy comes in - the crims not only have fun teaching it bad words (you have to accept that in 1983 getting a machine to swear was pretty funny) but also that with this comes bad feelings. I won''t spoil the ending but the machine kills someone as a result and towards the finale the philosophical nature of language as well as questions about the morality of playing god come into play.
Ultimately this film is a black comedy. The darnkness seems a little tame by todays standards and the comedy is a bit geeky but i really liked it and urge anyone with an interest in thought provoking sci-fi to give it a go.