National Lampoons Vacation

Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron.

Director: Harold Ramis

Release Date: 1983

Genre: Family/Comedy

Running Time: 1hr 38 minutes

Rating: R

Synopsis: 

The Griswolds are at it again, this time they have planned a great Summer vacation, or have they? This time on their way to Wally World Fun Park in California, everything has been planned perfectly...apart from you know a few...minor distractions.

Firstly, if you have never seen a National Lampoon movie, you are seriously missing out! You may have seen National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, seriously one of the best Christmas movies ever! This one being just as good, only set in the Summer! We've got a fantastic cast here, unfortunately you don't really see any of them in anything anymore, Chevy Chase, made a brief comeback for the latest "Vacation" film, but let's talk about this one first!

Secondly, do you wanna know something that I seriously never really knew? Harold Ramis star of "Ghostbusters" directed this beauty of a movie! He's clearly a talented actor and a director, because this movie is fantastic, full of fun and humour! This is a great family film, it's one of those movies, that you can have on in the background, watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon or purely snuggle up on the sofa and watch with your loved ones! They don't make movies like this anymore and to be honest that's probably why they go down as classic 80's movies!

One of the things I love about this movie is how stupid it is, don't get me wrong, this isn't an awful movie, it's supposed to be stupid, the characters are mad as box of cats and they all work perfectly together! Clark (Chevy Chase) is obsessed with doing everything by the book, nothing is ever simple with him, you've got his wife (Ellen), she's a good mum, and sometimes she gives in to Clark one too many times, before she's had enough. Then of course you've got Eddie (Randy Quaid) Ellen's cousin's husband, sorry, but of a mouthful there, honestly he's just the best character in this movie, some of the lines he comes out with are absolutely hilarious! Don't go expecting Oscar winning performances, it's supposed to be a bit of fun and that's comes out through their performances. There are some more great characters in this movie, I'm not going to discuss them, purely because I don't want to ruin it for you!

Harold Ramis has done a fantastic job directing, this is honestly a very very funny movie, and not to mention a fantastic screenplay from John Hughes who also wrote the likes of "Home Alone" and "Miracle on 34th Street", so we've automatically got a fantastic writer here! A lot of movies can be let down, purely because of the script, some are just shockingly awful and boring and ruin the whole movie! This film does have a brilliant script, and I guarantee some moments will make you laugh out loud...rollercoaster scene.

The set design is pretty typical 80's, good old 80's fashion (it's definitely made a comeback, that's for sure), we see some gorgeous shots of Mississippi, Kansas, Arizona and of course California. Wally World it absolutely fantastic, I mean who doesn't love a great theme park? Overall the cinematography is really good, there's a few editing issues that I've noticed personally, particularly with the soundtrack, instead of fading a song out, just sort of cutting it off, to the point it sounds like someone shutting off a stereo mid song, as apposed to a nice fade.It's shot very well though, it's a simple film, but it's still very enjoyable.

The best thing about the National Lampoon movies are the classic soundtracks, it's a fun score with the likes of The Ramones, Lindsey Buckingham and The Pointer Sisters. There isn't a great deal I can say about this movie really, apart from it's a classic family film, and the National Lampoon movies are fantastic, seeing as we are close to December, I highly, highly recommend giving "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" a go. If you just want a bit of fun, this is the perfect movie for you!

5/5 stars

Alice in Wonderland '51

Cast: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Sterling Hollaway, Jerry Colana and Verna Felton.

Director: Wilfred Jackson

Release Date: 1951

Genre: Disney/animation

Running Time: 1hr 15 minutes

Rating: U

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) is a young girl who finds poems and learning literature rather boring. She loves stories with pictures and loves diving into her imagination. One day, whilst listening to her sister read some poetry, she spots a large white rabbit, dressed in a jacket, carrying a pocket watch. She follows him through the forest and down a very deep dark hole, that leads her to her biggest adventure yet!

This is Walt Disney's beautiful animated film adaption of Lewis Carroll's best selling book "Alice in Wonderland", can you believe this was only Walt Disney's 15th film at the time? This is definitely a classic and one your kids definitely aren't gonna want to miss! As always Disney has produced a stunning piece of animation. I think there's something very magical about a director if they can adapt a book into a piece of animation and make it very enjoyable. Disney actually took snippets from "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice through the looking glass" to create this unique story. I love that Disney was able to capture so many wonderful characters.

Wilfred Jackson also directed hit Disney films "Cinderella" and "Dumbo" too. At the time this was made, I'd definitely say this is the most stunning one. Kathryn Beaumont is definitely the star of the show, as the voice of Alice, Beaumont was also the voice of Wendy in Disney's hit film "Peter Pan" which went into production two years after the release of this film. I love the relationship she has with each character through out this film, each character helps to tell the story a little bit more each time, until finally she's face to face with the Red Queen who is absolutely terrifying. She's the ultimate bad guy. Verna Felton is absolutely fantastic as the voice of the Red Queen, her characterization is brilliant, you'll certainly love to hate her!

The animation is absolutely stunning, it's hard to believe this was actually made in 1951, I really love the use of colours,  I love how much detail there is in each and every scene, It really stands out on a Blu-Ray copy too. Alice's dress in particular really stands out from the standard DVD copy, on Blu-Ray, it's a gorgeous vibrant blue. I love the ideas that went into this movie, bread butterfly's, rocking horse fly's, I love how the flowers all have individual characters, some nice, some not so nice. Caterpillars and Dogapillars, it's brilliant. I love that Disney made up some characters too, for example the doorknob, who did not appear in the original books.

This movie is beautifully shot and you can clearly see that a lot of work went into it, it reportedly took 5 years to complete, It's not surprise when you can see how gorgeous it looks and the huge amount of detail that went into each and every scene to make it perfect. For a Disney film, it certainly has a dark side, which is much more rare these days with the likes of "Tangled" and "Frozen" being feel good films. I really appreciate how they were able to make the story dark, but not too dark, we are still able to see light at the end of the tunnel! It's hard to believe that when this was originally released it flopped at the box office, in recent years it's become a real cult classic and is a firm favourite among big Disney fans.

Of course it wouldn't be a Disney film without a brilliant score, Bill Hilliard got hold of this movie and produced a beautiful score for it, with popular songs like "The Unbrthday song" and "Painting the Roses Red" he really did do a fantastic job with the score, it's imaginative, magical and warm and explains the story perfectly. Beaumont proves she has a wonderful singing voice too as Alice. You'll find yourself getting emotional with the beautiful song "Very good advice" you'll find yourself feeling pretty sorry for Alice, I love that the film takes a sharp turn and we're introduced to the Queen of Hearts, through a secret tunnel. The film ends fantastically.

Creative, imaginative and magical! Perfect for those that want to get lost into a magical world!

5/5 stars

Ghostbusters "84

Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, William Atherton and Ernie Hudson.

Director: Ivan Reitman

Release Date: 1984

Genre: Adventure/Comedy

Running Time: 1hr 45 minutes

Rating: PG

Format: Blu-Ray 4K

Synopsis:

Parapsychology professors Peter, Ray and Egon set up a unique ghost removal service known to the public as Ghostbusters! 

Parapsychology professors Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler are failing to make ends meet when they are called to investigate an apparition at the New York Public Library in New York City. However before long, they find that their university will no longer fund them and are forced to move to new premises. Advertising themselves as Ghostbusters, their first customer is Dana Barrett (Weaver) who claims a ghost called Giza is hiding in her refrigerator. Will the Ghostbusters get there though before it's too late?

Directed by Ivan Reitman and brilliantly written by actors, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. The storyline will appear quite ludicrous to some, although it may first appear that way, it's wonderfully entertaining and very addictive. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray as the  Ghostbusters, each of them have very different personalities. Introducing Bill Murray as Dr Peter Venkman the ladies man of the group, is he in it just for the woman or does he really believe in ghosts? Dan Aykroyd stars as the ever so comedic Dr Raymond Stantz, an expert in paranormal activity, although ironically the scary cat of the group. Harold Ramis stars as the brains of the group Egon Spengler, a master of electronics as well as paranormal detection.

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis all deliver terrific performances, with impeccable comic timing. Dr Peter Venkman finds himself falling week at the knees for Dana Barrett after he investigates her fridge. Sigourney Weaver is excellent, her character is certainly full of surprises, as is Louis Tully who is played perfectly by Rick Moranis, who is hilariously funny. I really love the authenticity of the film, the creativity that has gone into creating the Ghostbusters, their uniform, the proton packs that they carry on their backs, Slimer who makes a terrific appearance as one of the spooky ghouls.

Although not a religious film, characters discuss Judgement Day and quote from the bible several times. Is it thought that director Ivan Reitman wanted to put a unique take on biblical implications? The soundtrack speaks volumes about the storyline and the characters, especially the song "Save the Day" performed by Alessi, that is used brilliantly in the city's time of need. Is the world coming to an end? Of course not, the Ghostbusters are here to save the day! The special effects are very impressive, although a little dated now, they look spectacular, particularly on the Blu-Ray transfer. Stunning cinematography that shows two sides to New York City, with a clever combination backgrounds painted by a matte artist and terrific special effects. Both really allow the story to come to life.

Besides the fantastically catchy theme tune by Ray Parker JR, Ghostbusters is a film that you will find yourself wanting to watch time and time again.

5/5 stars

The Shining

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Release Date: 1980

Genre: Horror

Running Time: 1hr 54 minutes

Rating: 18

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the Winter where an evil spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

Based on the novel of the same name by best-selling author Stephen King. Director Stanley Kubrick delivers one of the most terrifying horror films ever made. In 1974, author Stephen King and his wife Tabitha spent the night in The Stanley Hotel, they were the only guests as the hotel was closing for the season. One night after a terrifying dream that left him dripping with sweat, he woke up, lit a cigarette and began writing "The Shining" a story that would soon go onto be loved by millions around the world. Cabin Fever is a very real condition, a form of claustrophobia, it is thought it affects those most who are stuck inside solitary confinement or are isolated from people from long periods of time.

Recovering alcoholic and writer Jack Torrance is hired to look after The Overlook Hotel during the Winter months. Upon his arrival, he is given some very unexpected news about the previous owner Charles Grady. Back in 1970, he suffered a mental breakdown and murdered his whole family with an axe. After killing his family, he stacked up the bodies and put two barrels of a pistol in his mouth. Intrigued by the history of the hotel, Jack and his family agree to the job. Jack's son Danny, however has different ideas about the hotel, will he be able to warn his father just in time? Jack Nicholson delivers his most terrifying performance to date!

The story is very similar to that of "The Amityville Horror", in Amityville, George Lutz is possessed by a demonic spirit that tells him to kill his family. In "The Shining" Jack Torrance is haunted by the demonic and evil spirits at the hotel that tell him to murder his family. Is he really possessed? Or is it a very severe case of cabin fever? Jack Nicholson delivers one of the most amazing performances of his career. His character is absolutely terrifying. The emotion that Nicholson is able to portray on screen, just through his facial expressions is absolutely incredible. Nicholson has a frightening charm about him that makes his character very likable, despite the terror that is going on inside of him.

Child actor (although not so little anymore) Danny Lloyd delivers a remarkable performance as young Danny Torrance. Lloyd's performance is haunting, Danny has a little boy called Tony who lives in his mouth, he uses his finger to communicate with him. Children have a fantastic way of expressing themselves and coping with things in their own way. Is it thought that the only way Danny can deal with his psychic ability is to imagine that a little boy called Tony lives inside of him? Or, is it a way of dealing with a once abusive father? Is Tony a make believe friend? Are the images that Danny see's throughout the film his way of dealing with an alcoholic father, abuse, are they to be interpreted at something else?

Kubrick's masterpiece is one of very few films out there where continuous shots are consistently used throughout the course of the film. One of the many incredible shots in the film include a shot of Danny where he is riding about the hotel on a trike, one continuous shot, at the end of the shot he see's this terrifying image. Kubrick, very much like author Stephen King, intended the story to be thought provoking. It's not supposed to make sense, the images that you see on screen will mean something different to everyone. It depends on your interpretation. The fear doesn't necessarily come from what you see on screen, but more from what you don't see. It will mess with your mind from a psychological standpoint. One of the most spectacular looking horror movies you will ever see.

5/5 stars

The Sword in the Stone

Cast: Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorenson, Junius Matthews, Martha Wentworth and Norman Alden.

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Release Date: 1963

Genre: Animation/Family

Running Time: 1hr 16 minutes

Rating: U

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

A poor boy named Arthur learns the power of love, kindness, knowledge and bravery with the help of a wizard called Merlin, in the path to become one of the most beloved kings in England.

Disney's take on the story of King Arthur and his knights of the round table! There have been a few adaptions of the story over the years most recently "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword", Disney's adaption however is probably the most magical. Arthur or more commonly known in the movie as Wart, is Sir Ector's adoptive son, who is constantly overworked and humiliated by his adoptive brother into cleaning floors and scrubbing plates. What makes his character so lovable, is despite how he is treated he always remains optimistic, caring and kind. A free spirit. Whilst out hunting with his brother he finds himself at the feet of grumpy and zany wizard Merlin. Who intends on teaching him everything he knows, knowing he is destined for a very bright future! Before long, Wart finds himself wrapped up in all sorts of magical realms.

A forgotten classic in the world of Disney! One of their most hilarious and best animations! The storyline is far from perfect, however there is something so magical about it. A simple story at best! Karl Swensen is wonderfully hilarious as Merlin, he's inventive, zany and rather grumpy at times. I love the gorgeous animation that coincides with his character, always dressed in blue, whatever Merlin chooses to turn into remains blue. I thought that was a lovely little touch. Rickie Sorensen works well as young Arthur, he's very innocent and has next to no life lessons. The relationship that he shares with Merlin is great! Merlin really takes him under his wing. Disney certainly know how to pull on your heart strings don't they? Merlin and Arthur interact with some very interesting characters, one in particular may bring a slight tear to your eye!

Although the animation is very simple, it's remarkable for it's time. It's fascinating to see how far animation has come. It's quite dark at times, the story has it moments. I love how authentic the the sets look, being set in medieval times. The editing between scenes is very simple, however it looks nice none the less. Some scenes may be a little bit frightening for very young viewers, Madam Mim isn't the nicest of characters. Nor are the characters in which she turns into either! I can remember being quite frightened by Madam Mim as a young child. The most magical element of course is the fun and entertaining soundtrack to go with it! The songs are most certain to have you tapping your feet. Beautifully written, a must have for all beloved Disney fans!

5/5 stars

Jurassic Park 3

Cast: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Trevor Morgan, Alessandro Nivola, Laura Dern and Michael Jeter.

Director: Joe Johnston

Release Date: 2001

Genre: Action/Adventure Sci Fi

Running Time: 1hr 32 minutes

Format: Blu-Ray

Rating: 12

Synopsis: 

A decidedly odd couple with ulterior motives convince Dr Alan Grant to go to Isla Sorna, resulting in an unexpected landing. and unexpected new inhabitants on the Island.

Unlike the other two films, the third installment was not based on a book. Joe Johnston takes us through the next chapter in the ever so popular franchise. Paul Kirby (Macy) and his wife Amanda, convince Dr. Alan Grant to fly over Isla Sorna with them to be their guide, however there's a slight twist, their son Eric has gone missing, on the Island. Dr. Grant convinces paleontologist Billy to join him on the ride. Dr Grant however isn't aware that they want to land on the Island. Bad idea right? Very. Although Sam Neill didn't make an appearance in "The Lost World", we've gathered that perhaps a few years have passed since the events in that movie took place. Ellie is now married with children, Dr Grant finds himself at University's still discussing the events of Jurassic Park.

Sam Neil's performance is very good, sadly though he's the strongest out of all the actors. It's lovely to see how his character has progressed from a paleontologist on a dig site, to a best selling author, who's now known all around the world. Amanda (Tea Leoni) and Paul (Macy), just want to find their young son Eric, however they are rather ignorant in not understanding quite how dangerous Isla Sorna is. Tea' Leoni's performance unfortunately isn't one of her best, although it isn't awful, she does appear to be overacting in some scenes, sadly making them look cheesier then what they are. For a couple who are divorced there is quite a lot of chemistry between Amanda and Paul, was that intentional? Eric mentions at one point that his parents don't get on with one another. Could have fooled me. Trevor Morgan who plays Eric, delivers a good performance, I love the friendships that he builds with Dr Grant as the film progresses.

The storyline itself isn't too bad, essentially it follows on from "The Lost World" although it is not made clear what happened to the island between then and now. In the novel of "The Lost World" it is understood that people were aloud to visit the island, however is it not made clear at the end of the film that no one should return to the Island? How is it that Eric ended up even remotely close to Isla Sorna? Perhaps we are introduced to the action far too soon? The majority of the movie involves the characters just trying to get off the island, landing themselves in more and more trouble the more they continue.

Onto the positives. The use of animtronix are absolutely fantastic, there isn't a single scene in the film where you wouldn't be convinced the dinosaurs were real. They look fantastically realistic. Very well shot there are fantastic close ups of the actors and the dinosaurs together look excellent on screen. The cinematography sadly isn't at it's best, the production design being the most impressive out of the two. Mainly shot in Hawaii, the scenery is gorgeous, I love the use of production design to bring the two together perfectly. Sadly the same cannot be said about the Blu-Ray, unfortunately just like "The Lost World" the Blu-Ray quality is terrible. There is an awful lot of grain. This too was in the same box set as the first film. The first of which looked amazing on Blu-Ray. Were they lazy when it came to the last two movies? It's a shame the movie didn't look it's best.

2/5 stars out of 5

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Juliane Moore, Richard Attenborough, Vince Vaughn and Vanessa Lee Chester.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: 1997

Genre: Adventure Sc Fi

Running Time: 2hrs 9 minutes

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

A research team is sent to Jurassic Park site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Based on the popular novel of the same name. Four years have passed since the horrifying occurrences that took place in the first film. This time John Hammond is persuading Ian Malcolm (Goldbloom) to attend another island, Isla Sorna. Isla Sorna originally bread dinosaurs before bringing them over to Isla Nuba, Jurassic Park. John Hammond however still wants his dinosaurs to be seen in good light before they are exploited. Steven Spielberg makes a comeback once again with this sequel. Jeff Goldblum returns as mathematician Ian Malcolm, we find that  on returning back to America those who survived the tragic events of "Jurassic Park" were not believed. Malcolm being one of them. Once Malcolm finds his paleontologist girlfriend Sarah is on the island alone, and that his daughter is along for the ride, he decides he must go! Nick Van Owen (Vaughn) also joins them on the island as a field photographer. In all honesty this isn't one of Steven Spielberg's best movies.

Ian Malcolm's character is very toned down in comparison to the first, more down to earth. His daughter and his girlfriend are his priority, which makes for a pretty overwhelming experience on Isla Sorna. Ian, Sarah, Nick and Eddie must do everything they can to prevent the dinosaurs returning to America to be exposed. Can you imagine if dinosaurs still existed? We're at the bottom of the food chain, why would you introduce humans to them? A dinosaur zoo? Probably not the best of ideas? Julianne Moore delivers a good performance as Malcolm's love interest. Somewhat of a free spirit, her relationship with Ian is quite genuine. Again though, not one of her best performances. The characters don't really give a lot away! Although the storyline is entertaining, it's nowhere near as action packed as the first film. Has anyone else noticed an "Indiana Jones" reference half way through the movie? I believe there are a couple of them. Just like the first, it has it's bloodthirsty moments. The problem for me personally, was that they spent far too long on the island, scenes just dragged and dragged. A little bit of action, but not much. I won't lie, watching a dinosaur go through San Diego is pretty cool! It's a little bit like watching a scene from Godzilla.

Visually, it's not fantastic, however the cinematography for its' time was incredibly impressive. The use of animatronix is amazing. Just like "Jurassic Park" the dinosaurs look remarkably real. The special effects team deserve a lot of praise. Isla Sorna is a very impressive looking set, it certainly looks very genuine and real. The second installment to "Jurassic Park" certainly isn't a triumphant however it's not the worse film ever made either. I honestly don't think it has the same wonderful quality that the first film had. The pace is rather slow at times, which is a shame because the storyline really is on point! The most disappointing factor is the awful Blu-Ray transfer. After buying all three movies in a Blu-Ray box set I'm sorry to say the only impressive looking movie is the first film. There's an awful lot of grain which is a shame. It had the potential to look really good! John Williams returns once again, however I don't think his score has the same feel as the first film did. Sequels don't always work.

3/5 stars