Justin Bateman's blog

Justin Bateman's Top 10 films of 2011

Justin Bateman — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:50:42 +0000

Thanks to the awards season, four of my top 10 are from all the way back in January. I made sure I noted this at the time as it's all too easy to fall into the 'recentism' trap and lean towards the films at the back end of the year.

Anyway, after much head scratching here it is (followed by the ones that were great but didn't quite make the grade).

1. The Artist
If you'd told me at the start of 2011 that a silent, black and white film would be my favourite of the year I'd have laughed. But laugh is what I did a lot of during this homage to and excellent example of the silent era. A simple story about an actor coming to terms with the advent of the talkies, this is funny, moving and beautiful.

2. 127 Hours
In 2003, Aron Ralston went canyoneering in Utah but didn't tell anyone where he'd gone. It was a decision he'd come to regret when he got trapped under a boulder and had to cut off his own arm to escape. Danny Boyle's brilliant telling of this incredible true story is far more cinematic and emotional than it has any right to be.

3. Black Swan
It's not often a film gives me goosebumps but Black Swan did - both times I saw it. Darren Aronofsky's story about a dancer played by Natalie Portman is as far as you can imagine from a 'ballet film'. This dark look at obsession and repressed sexuality is a thrilling and atmospheric tale which is over the top in all sorts of wonderful ways.

4. The Guard
Brendan Gleason is the titular 'guard', a local policeman in this comedy crime caper set in Ireland. In his own quiet way he sets about solving a major drug smuggling ring whether Don Cheadle's FBI agent cares for this help or not. John McDonagh's original, touching but mainly hilarious film is the funniest I've seen all year.

5. 13 Assassins
A Japanese samurai film set in the 1840s won't be to everyone's taste but I found Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins to be a wonderful piece of filmmaking. With themes such as loyalty and pride, dignity and death, this is also a terrific action thriller with some of the best fight sequences ever committed to celluloid. Swordsational.

6. Senna
Even if you're not a fan of Formula 1 (and I'm not), this documentary about Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna is an engrossing, moving delve into modern history. Using only archive footage, Asaf Kapadia's film tells this powerful story of a truly driven (sorry) man with finesse and skill. Riveting stuff.

7. We Need To Talk About Kevin
A horror film without any of the usual horror traits, this Lynne Ramsay film is a masterclass in building suspense and atmosphere. Tilda Swinton is in award-winning form as the mother of a child she cannot connect with - and in the end this is so horrific partly because this is about parenting as much as anything else. Creepy as hell.

8. The King's Speech
Colin Firth is the stuttering regent, Geoffrey Rush his Australian speech therapist. This multiple Oscar-winning period drama is a great story essentially about friendship. Hell, it's a bromance! It's also very funny indeed and not only because of Firth's potty-mouthed outbursts.

9. Moneyball
What could be less enticing to a Brit than a film about baseball? Why, a film about baseball statistics, of course. But with the help of a cracking script by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, this drama about Oakland Athletics' and their rise to prominence is terrific from start to finish. It's also Brad Pitt's best ever performance.

10. Tangled
Based on Rapunzel, this Disney animation is a real treat. It's got a feisty female in the lead role, some memorable songs, great action set pieces and the best comedy horse of the year. Sweet, funny and charming in equal measure.

Also recommended
50/50, Arthur Christmas, Everything Must Go, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, Fast and Furious 5: Rio Heist, Julia's Eyes, The Lincoln Lawyer, Source Code, Submarine, X-Men: First Class

LFF day 8: Hawaii, Mexico and China

Justin Bateman — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:31:19 +0000

As cinema reflects life, it's perhaps no surprise that death is still a prominent feature of my London Film Festival experience, although today's screenings did come with a healthy dose of humour to counteract it.

First up was part two of Clooneywatch with George this time only on acting duty following yesterday's directorial effort The Ides of March. The Descendants is the latest feature from Alexander Payne, best known for Sideways and Election. Clooney stars as Matt King, a lawyer living in Hawaii, trustee of a large and potentially profitable area of land on Kuai. Even more pressing an issue though is the fact that his wife has had a boating accident and is in a coma, leaving him to look after his two daughters. This drama plays to Clooney's strengths as a comic actor but also his ability to show emotion and it's a terrific performance and film overall. The supporting cast (which includes Beau Bridges and Matthew Lillard) is excellent and it's funny and touching throughout. Oh, and either Clooney can do a funny run very well, or just plain runs funny. That notwithstanding, Oscar nominations perchance?

LFF days 4&5: War, death and Kevin

Justin Bateman — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:02:39 +0000

It's quickly becoming apparent that all of the most anticipated films at this year's LFF (and most festivals?) are the gritty, realistic ones with doom and gloom high on the agenda. It's also becoming apparent that I'm in desperate need of some levity before I collapse under the weight of my own melancholy. I even watched The Jungle Book last night to cheer me up. (It worked. Baloo is awesome.)

LFF day #2: Sex addiction and serious illness

Justin Bateman — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:42:19 +0000

By Justin Bateman

Yesterday morning's press screening of Shame was a busy one. It could have been because Steve (Hunger, not Bullitt) McQueen's film wowed the critics at this year's Venice Film Festival or it could have been because Michael Fassbender appears naked in it. I'm sure it wasn't the latter though. It's not like there were loads of women at the screening. Oh, hang on a minute...

But if we can put Fassbender's impressive appendage aside for a moment, this is a terrific film. The Irishman plays Brandon, a successful man living in New York and enjoying the easy access and easier excess of internet porn, prostitutes and one-night stands. When his sister (played by Carey Mulligan) comes to stay his life is disrupted and he's forced to take a look at himself and his behaviour. It's a very honest look at an interesting subject and the powerful performances from the two leads make this an intense experience. Highly recommended.

Next up was 50/50 with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a clean-living and an apparently healthy 27-year-old called Adam suddenly being diagnosed with cancer. Promoted as a comedy I had my reservations about how this would work but I needn't have worried. The balance between the serious nature of the disease and how people handle it, and the comedy (which largely comes via Seth Rogen's character - yep, he's playing the same one as usual but that's a good thing) is neatly and sensitively done.

The script by Will Reiser is genuinely funny and is helped enormously by Rogen, JGL and especially Anna Kendrick who plays Adam's inexperienced therapist. Anjelica Huston provides excellent support as Adam's over-protective mother and tops off what is an entertaining and funny film.

LFF day 1: Suicide, teenage pregnancies and horse sex

Justin Bateman — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:42:11 +0000

Having already missed out on several weeks' worth of press screenings for the 55th London Film Festival, I was determined to make the most of my first day.

And what better way to start my festival than with a film ostensibly about suicide. Takashi Miike's Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai appealed to me not least because of the impression 13 Assassins made on me earlier this year. And not just the impressive swordsmanship but also the notion of honour that comes with the life of the samurai. Also set in 17th century Japan, Death of a Samurai is a very different beast, slow and emotive, and focused very much on poverty, vengeance although again honour. It's a tough watch but if you're in the mood for something grim and moving, this might just be for you.

17 Girls is a French film based on a true story which took place in Massachusetts, USA, in 2008. A teenage high school girl accidentally becomes pregnant which, partly of her own making, sets in place a ripple effect. One by one all of her friends and many others at her school decide that having a baby is the thing to do, much to the confusion of the boys and the annoyance and distress of their parents and teachers. It's an odd trend, to say the least, but it's well constructed, atmospherically shot and beautifully performed by the young cast.

With Australian serial killer drama Snowtown moved to Monday at the last minute, I instead saw She Monkeys, a Swedish coming of age drama. When teenager Emma joins an equestrian acrobat troupe (yeah, yet another one of those films) she is drawn to an older girl called Cassandra. The film concentrates on their relationship but at least as interesting is Emma's pre-pubescent sister Sara, a precocious young thing who has a crush on her older cousin and something of an obsession with horses. There's even an unexpected not to say bizarre scene of horse jiggy which certinaly had me baffled. Overall though, it's an intruiguing take on a fairly standard story.

• The 55th BFI London Film Festival runs until Thursday 27 October 2011

I spy a disappointment

Justin Bateman — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:48:27 +0000

When it emerged that John Le Carre's cold war spy novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (henceforth TTSS) was being adapted for the big screen I can't honestly say I was massively enthused. I'd never read any of his books or even seen Smiley's People, the BBC production starring Alec Guinness so it had nothing to live up to.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and critics fell over themselves to praise it. Words like 'atmospheric' and 'gripping' were being bandied around. As well as a starring a veritable who's who of modern British cinema, it was directed by Tomas Alfredsson who had made the Swedish vampire tale Let The Right One In. I'd loved that and he could certainly do atmosphere so that was promising.

After weeks of further acclaim I finally saw TTSS at the weekend and was rather underwhelmed and disappointed. The acting is great, no doubt about that. Gary Oldman as George Smiley underplays it marvellously and he's supported by Cumberland Bandersnatch - that's his name, right? You know, BBC's Sherlock Holmes - Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Mark Strong et al. As promised, Alfredsson delivers on atmosphere. It's all smoky and muffled and most of all beige. This is that 70s, not the lurid disco version.

Where it fails for me is in any sense of drama. The characters are, by and large, so withdrawn and secretive that it's virtually impossible to feel any empathy or sympathy for them. The plot hinges on finding the mole in the British secret service and yet we're given minimal information by way of clues. Unable to join in with the game of whodunit but even if I wanted to, the big reveal ends up being a bit 'so what?' because a) I didn't care about any of them and b) I couldn't see the long or even short term ramifications. Perhaps the idea that in the end it doesn't matter what people do is realistic but if the outcome is that the viewer isn't engaged then that's a problem.

Critics will doubtless claim that the ponderous pace, lack of information and emphasis on furtive glances rather than actions represents spying accurately. Well, that's as maybe but six hours of a man on a riverbank reading a book may well represent the reality of fishing but it doesn't make it entertaining.

I think another reason critics are all over it is because it's different. Very few filmmakers have the balls to make a film as long and slow as this, focusing on subtlety and nuance - there's almost no money to be made from it. Like them or not, the Transformers films made billions and so films like TTSS are a welcome respite for the hardened film reviewer. Probably the vast majority of films a critic see in any given year will be rubbish so anything showing a bit of skill and, dare I say, art, is universally applauded.

There is a lot to admire in TTSS but given the hype I was hoping for something a lot more engaging, moving even. Alfredsson knows what he's doing behind the camera, that's for sure and I'm keen to see what he does next.

As an alternative to TTSS I'd like to recommend two films which have a similar feel but which I feel deliver on intrigue and emotion a lot more successfully. Interestingly, both won Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. First, there's The Lives of Others, set in 1980s East Germany and centres on surveillance in the Cold War. It's necessarily quiet, slow moving and unflashy but manages to be a taut thriller and a devastating piece of cinema.

The second film is The Secret in Their Eyes, a mystery-drama-thriller from Argentina. Spanning several decades it follows an investigation into a murder of a young woman by a police detective who becomes obsessed with the case. It's wonderfully shot and although long provides a terrific conclusion, just when you think you have it sussed.

Armchair Viewing: V for Vendetta (2005)

Justin Bateman — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:07:56 +0000

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

What's it about?
A mysterious masked man, calling himself V, is terrorising London for reasons which become clearer as the bodies of various government types begin to pile up...

Armchair Viewing: The Game (1997)

Justin Bateman — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:19:03 +0000

"Discovering the object of the game *is* the object of the game."

What's it about?
Nicholas van Orton (Michael Douglas) is an investment banker approaching his 48th birthday. It’s especially significant as this was the age his father committed suicide. For despite his huge wealth, Van Orton lives alone in his San Francisco mansion, divorced from his wife and with little but his work to occupy him.

On his birthday his brother Conrad (Penn) meets him for lunch and gives him a gift. It’s an invitation to a game run by a company called Consumer Recreation Services who provide an ongoing vacation tailored individually to each person. “Think of it as an experiential book of the month club,” says CRS salesman Jim Feingold (James Rebhorn). Somewhat unwillingly, Van Orton decides to take part but it soon seems that far from being a game, his life is in very real danger.

Armchair Viewing: Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Justin Bateman — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:47:37 +0000

"I bet you're the kind of guy that would fuck a person in the ass and not even have the goddamn common courtesy to give him a reach-around. I'll be watching you."

What's it about?
A bunch of new recruits sign up to the US Marine Corps during the Vietnam war, go through an extremely tough training programme with a psychotic drill instructor and then out to 'Nam.

Armchair Viewing: Falling Down (1993)

Justin Bateman — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:25:22 +0000

"I'm the bad guy? How did that happen?"

What's it about?
William 'D-Fens' Foster (Michael Douglas) is trying to get across a gridlocked LA to visit his estranged family on the birthday of his daughter. Unable to do so, he violently takes his frustrations out on the unsuspecting people of the city.

Armchair Viewing: The Wedding Singer (1998)

Justin Bateman — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:33:09 +0000

[at a job interview for a bank]
Mr. Simms: Do you have any experience?
Robbie: No, sir, I have no experience but I'm a big fan of money. I like it, I use it, I have a little. I keep it in a jar on top of my refrigerator. I'd like to put more in that jar. That's where you come in.

What’s it about?
Dumped at the altar by his fiancée Linda, Robbie (Adam Sandler) is in emotional meltdown. Ironically, he's also a wedding singer and at one such wedding he meets waitress Julia (Drew Barrymore) with whom he bonds. She is engaged to be married but it soon becomes apparent that her fiancé is not quite the man he claims to be.

Armchair Viewing: The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Justin Bateman — Tue, 24 May 2011 11:36:30 +0000

By Guy Clapperton

"I am the King of Scotland."

What's it about?
Biopic/study of Idi Amin and a doctor who becomes at first his fascinated friend and later horrified at the events surrounding him.

Armchair Viewing: The Shining (1980)

Justin Bateman — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:55:07 +0000

"Heeeeeere's Johnny!"

What's it about?
Writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes his family to the Overlook Hotel, a remote outpost which closes down for the winter months and needs a caretaker. Jack's there to get some peace and quiet and write his book but a combination of isolation, a malevolent force and his young apparently psychic son having horrific visions results in a terrifying stay for all involved.

Why watch it?
Based on the Stephen King novel on the same name, this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece is disturbing, chilling horror at its very best. Nicholson is in prime form as the increasingly strung out writer while Shelley Duval is perfect as the wife on the edge of a nervous breakdown. But it's Kubrick's use of sound, music, light and stark, forbidding sets that makes this as unsettling as it is memorable.

One of the most genuinely frightening films of all time. FACT.

Win a Stanley Kubrick Blu-ray boxset, including The Shining, on our competitions page.

When's it on?
Monday 23 May
10.10pm – 12.35pm
ITV4

The Shining at IMDb

Armchair Viewing: Tin Cup (1996)

Justin Bateman — Sun, 22 May 2011 16:43:09 +0000

"Now THAT was a defining moment. And the definition was 'shit'."

What's it about?
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy (Kevin Costner) is a former golf pro who now runs a driving range. Directionless and often drunk he is charged with teaching psychologist Molly (Rene Russo) how to play the game. But not only is she attractive, she's also the girlfriend of Tin Cup's former golfing nemesis David Simms (Don Johnson). This situation (not to mention his burgeoning feelings for her) reignites his love for the game and he enters the US Open for one final shot at beating Simms and hopefully, glory.

Armchair Viewing: Rear Window (1954)

Justin Bateman — Sat, 21 May 2011 10:48:25 +0000

Stella: We've become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change. Yes sir. How's that for a bit of homespun philosophy?
Jeff: Readers Digest, April 1939.
Stella: Well, I only quote from the best.

What's it about?
L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies (James Stewart) is a photographer with an eye for the spectacular, Unfortunately, his disregard for personal safety has landed him with a broken leg and eight weeks confined to his Greenwich Village apartment. It's a sweltering summer in New York City and with little to occupy him beyond the visits of his beautiful socialite girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) - although quite why that isn't sufficient I'll never understand - Jeff has taken to watching his neighbours. One man in particular has caught his eye because one rainy night his wife disappears and he is seen shortly afterwards with knives and a saw. But is Jeff watching a murderer or is it simply a figment of his fevered imagination?

Armchair Viewing: Judge Dredd (1995)

Justin Bateman — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:43:55 +0000

"Eat recycled food. It's good for the environment and okay for you."

What's it about?
In a dystopian future, Judge Dredd (Sylvester Stallone) is the most notorious lawman in the land. The legal system has evolved such that he is cop, judge and executioner all rolled into one. Then one day he is framed for a crime he did not commit and is sentenced to prison. The race is on to stop the real perpetrator before lawlessness takes over.

Armchair Viewing: Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Justin Bateman — Mon, 16 May 2011 11:04:18 +0000

"I need my drinky."

What's it about?
A failed screenwriter goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death.

Armchair Viewing: Hush (2009)

Justin Bateman — Thu, 12 May 2011 11:37:44 +0000

Only you saw it. Only you can save them.

What's it about?
A young couple are driving up the motorway when he thinks he sees a woman in a cage in the back of the truck in front. He has an argument with his girlfriend and she decides to make her own way home at the next service station. He then realises that she has disappeared and the race is on to rescue her from the truck - if indeed that's where she is.

Not reality, barely TV

Justin Bateman — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:31:17 +0000

"I'd hire Melody for her bone structure. Is that so wrong?"

That was the text message I received on my way home this evening.

"I literally have no idea what you're talking about" was my response. Turns out that tonight is the return of The Apprentice, BBC1's flagship reality TV programme in which aspiring bzznzz people at first work together but ultimately against each other in order to win a job as an apprentice for Sir Lord Sir Alan Lord Sugar. I've never seen an entire episode (are they episodes? that makes it sound like real television, more of which later) so how do I know all this? Well, you'd have to be quite the recluse to know nothing about it because SO many people watch it and write about it and now tweet every single sodding word that's uttered on it over the course of the hour that it's on.

Armchair Viewing: Collateral (2004)

Justin Bateman — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:23:20 +0000

Max: "What did he do to you?"
Vincent: "Nothing. I only met him tonight."
Max: "You just met him once and you killed him like that?"
Vincent: "What? I should only kill people after I get to know them?”

What’s it about?
Max, a cabbie (Jamie Foxx), accepts a lucrative offer to be on call for 'businessman' Vincent (Tom Cruise) for one whole night. Too late, it transpires that Vincent is a hitman and so the challenge begins for Max to escape or failing that, simply survive the night.

Armchair Viewing: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Justin Bateman — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:36:26 +0000

"I must admit I didn't think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man."

What's it about?

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is wrongly convicted of his wife's murder and sent to Shawshank State Prison to serve two consecutive life sentences. Dufresne uses his background as a banker to get through life in prison, with the help of fellow inmate Red (Morgan Freeman), a man who can "get things" to improve their lives on the inside.

Armchair Viewing: Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff (2010)

Justin Bateman — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:40:57 +0000

Dustin Hoffman: For those of us who are 70 years old or younger, Jack Cardiff was shooting film before we were born.

What’s it about?
Jack Cardiff’s film career began in 1918 and he was still in the industry some nine decades later. True, that early involvement was as a child actor but even so, what a career span that is. And if you’ve never heard of him, you will undoubtedly know of his work. This film documents that extraordinary life.

Armchair Viewing: Trainspotting (1996)

Justin Bateman — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:39:45 +0000

“Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?”

What’s it about?
Mark Renton is a heroin addict living in Edinburgh. He wants to get clean and start his life again. But most of his friends are also drug addicts or criminals or both, which makes life very challenging indeed.

Armchair Viewing: The Godfather Part II (1974)

Justin Bateman — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:44:00 +0000

By Cate McVeigh

“There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

What’s it about?
We see two stories unfold throughout the course of the movie. We see flashbacks of Vito Corleone’s (Robert De Niro) emigration from Sicily after his parents and brother are killed by a local mafia boss, and his eventual rise to power. We also see how Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), son of Vito and head of the largest New York Mafia family, has decided to branch out into other lucrative areas of business in Nevada and Cuba. We see the Corleone family face other families for control over the top Las Vegas casinos and face fierce opposition from Senator Geary, who loathes the Corleones’ control over so many powerful politicians in the state. Senator Geary leads an investigation on the Corleone family. There is an assassination attempt on Michael in his home; Michael and adopted brother Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) come to the conclusion that the attempt on Michael’s life had to have been aided by someone close to them. Michael seeks the traitor out from his Las Vegas contacts and orchestrates revenge on each Mafioso in connection with the assassination attempt; only to realise that the traitor was even closer than he expected. Michael’s wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), reveals that she has had an abortion; as she feared bringing another child into the world that would join the family business.

Armchair Viewing: The Godfather (1972)

Justin Bateman — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:27:09 +0000

By Lizzie Husher

"Some day – and that day may never come – I’ll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day accept this justice as a gift on my daughter’s wedding day."

What's it about?
When the ageing head of a New York crime family is gunned down by rival mobsters, it falls on the youngest and most unlikely of his sons to avenge the attack and secure the family’s position, setting him up for the kind of criminal future that the young war hero had previously planned to evade.

Armchair Viewing: Apocalypto (2006)

Justin Bateman — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 19:36:25 +0000

"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."

What's it about?
The Mayan civilisation in Mexico is on the verge of imploding, with people being sold into slavery and human sacrifices being made to satisfy the gods. As a jungle village is razed to the ground by the dominant local tribe, one young man manages to hide his wife and child but is captured. The race is on to escape his captors, avoid death and rescue his family.

Armchair Viewing: First Blood (1982)

Justin Bateman — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:09:24 +0000

"Let's do some huntin'!"
"Hunting? We ain't huntin' him, he's huntin' us!"

What's it about?
Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) goes to a small town Colorado in the hope of finding a former friend from the Special Forces. Rambo discovers his friend has died and is leaving when vindictive local Sheriff Teasle (Brian Dennehy) at first drives him out of town and then arrests him. Once in custody, he suffers from a flashback from the war and under harassment from the police retaliates, beating up most of the officers and escaping. Sheriff Teasle leads the hunt to capture the prisoner.

Armchair Viewing: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)

Justin Bateman — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:27:50 +0000

By Guy Clapperton

"Think of it. On the surface there is hunger and fear. Men still exercise unjust laws. They fight, tear one another to pieces. A mere few feet beneath the waves their reign ceases, their evil drowns. Here on the ocean floor is the only independence. Here I am free! Imagine what would happen if they controlled machines such as this submarine boat. Far better that they think there's a monster and hunt me with harpoons."

What's it about?
It’s 1860. Sailors have been going missing so Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) goes to find out what it’s all about. He and Professor Pierre Arronax (Peter Lorre) find not the monster which has been reported but a submarine piloted by the amoral Captain Nemo (James Mason). His character grows darker and less conventional with every scene.

Armchair Viewing: Dune (1984)

Justin Bateman — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:21:16 +0000

By Toby Weidmann

"He who controls the Spice, controls the universe."

What's it about?
Although it's practically impossible to do the storyline justice in just a few lines, at its most basic level this film is about two warring families fighting over control of the desert planet Dune which is the source of an all-powerful drug, known as Spice. With the House of Atreides all but destroyed, its young prince uses the Spice and the planet's downtrodden people to revolt against the corrupt Harkonnen family and seize control of the galactic empire.

Armchair Viewing: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Justin Bateman — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:06:34 +0000

"Issue a standing kill order on Jason Bourne, effective immediately."

What's it about?
Jason Bourne is back once again as the trained assassin who simply will not go away. With Treadstone, the agency who made him seemingly gone, another organisation known as Blackbriar are now out to stop him from digging up the past or causing any more trouble in the here and now.