Directed by Icelander Baltasar Kormákur, Everest is the account of the 1996 disaster on the world’s highest mountain. Based on Jon Krakauer’s book “Into Thin Air” the film is a faithful interpretation, thankfully never straying into either Cliffhanger or Vertical Limit territory.
So, I haven’t seen movies 2 and 3 of the franchise, but I figured I probably wasn’t missing huge plot points given the nature of the films. I could always say that I just want to see all the Paul W. S. Anderson iterations.
Afterlife starts off with lots of Paul Anderson’s visual flair, which I happen to quite like (Three Musketeers notwithstanding). It’s all quite silly, but looks quite cool. The problem is this only lasts for about five minutes, the film soon degenerates into a derivative action zombie thriller with some fancy tech.
![prime_of_miss_jean_brodie_xlg%25255B1%25255D[1]](https://filmsrruss.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/prime_of_miss_jean_brodie_xlg25255b125255d1.jpg)
“She’s trying to intimidate me with quarter hours!”
So says Maggie Smith’s Jean Brodie, a teacher in an Edinburgh girls’ school in the 1930s. Miss Brodie isn’t really a loose cannon, but she doesn’t really stick to the curriculum either. As such, Maggie Smith is perfect.
Oh dear. I watched this back in March (when I wrote the above intro); pretty shocking that I didn’t get round to reviewing this film at the time. I do remember that Maggie Smith’s performance was tremendous; as the dynamic, romantic young teacher who could influence her girls, she is mesmerising. As a support, Gordon Jackson’s music teacher managed to hold his own against Smith’s vivacious character, but it is the girls who are the focus rather than the potential love interest.
The girls in Miss Brodie’s class, particularly the main four who make up the “Brodie set”, are all very good. Pamela Franklin who plays Sandy gives a very measured performance, and arguably has more of a story arc than anyone else, as her impressionable school girl matures and sees Miss Brodie for who she really is.
A grand little film with a towering performance from Maggie Smith. I just wish I could remember more of it without plagiarising IMDb or Wikipedia! But, you know, that’s just, like, my opinion man.
This is an idea that’s been brewing for some time now. I listen to soundtracks more than anything else, and I’d noticed how quite a few of the ones I really like are from films that aren’t considered that great. I couldn’t initially think of 10 movies, I think I only got as far as 8; but thanks to the wonders of social media I was helped by others. So, many thanks to +Steve Nixon +Jaina Mistry +Daniel Silva +Josh Murphy +Valerie J +Benjamin L. Harris and +Alain Kemp for their help, ideas and discussion.
So here is my final list. Maybe you agree with me, maybe you think I’ve missed some howlers, or (more likely) you think I’m being unduly harsh on Up! But, well, you know, that’s just, like, er, my opinion, man.
For those on Spotify, the playlist of all these scores is here.
It would almost seem an obvious thing to say the The Raid heavily influenced Dredd (which I saw at the cinema upon release in 2012; only just seen The Raid), but it seems that principal photography started on Dredd before The Raid was released, so similarities are pure chance, presumably. You just can’t help the comparison though, even the Dredd music is reminiscent of The Raid.
filmsRruss 