The Devils takes place in 17th-century France. Father Urbain Grandier is trying to protect the city of Loudun from the evil Cardinal Richelieu but this is threatened by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft. The Devils is bonkers filmmaking, and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s frenetic, frenzied and hits a …
A sullen teenager, Tom, is upset about his family's move from London to rural Devon. But then a dark family secret is revealed, changing everything. The War Zone is actor Tim Roth’s directorial debut, and he does a great job directing it. The fact that he chose a story involving such a thorny issue as …
Continue reading Shocking Cinema- Day 38- The War Zone (1999)
John and Laura Baxter travel to Venice following the death of their daughter in a pond outside their home. John has taken a job there restoring a church. Whilst in a restaurant, Laura meets two sisters, one of whom is blind but has the gift of second sight and can speak with the dead. She …
Continue reading Shocking Cinema- Day 16- Don’t Look Now (1973)
Mark Lewis is a focus puller at a film studio who tops up his wages taking glamour photographs in a room above a newsagent. By night he films women as he kills them, chasing a look of pure fear. The habit comes from a childhood spent as his scientist father’s subject. Downstairs live Helen and …
Continue reading Shocking Cinema- Day 12- Peeping Tom (1960)
From IMDB- ‘Christopher Columbus believes he can find an alternative route to the Far East and persuades the King and Queen of Spain to finance his expedition. But the Sultan of Turkey, who makes a great deal of money through taxing the merchants who have to pass through his country on the current route, sends …
Continue reading What A Carry On!- Day 31- Carry On Columbus (1992)
Emmannuelle Prevert is the wife of French ambassador, Emile Prevert. As he has more interests in keeping fit, Emmannuelle seeks to satisfy her desires with lots of men across London. This was the Carry On I was most intrigued by and, perversely, the film from the series I wanted to investigate the most. Is it …
Continue reading What A Carry On!- Day 30- Carry On Emmannuelle (1978)
In this instalment the team take on the genre of…the recent That’s Entertainment compilation films of old Hollywood films as this is, erm, a compilation of clips from the Carry Ons. Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor introduce the clips and I really liked their chemistry (it reminded me of when Williams was presenting Wogan and …
Continue reading What A Carry On!- Day 29- That’s Carry On! (1977)
Captain S Melly is sent to a mixed battalion to sort them out and finally install some discipline into them. But when they’re more interested in other kinds of conquests, this will be far from easy. Yes, there are many absences from the cast with many of the regulars not appearing. But we do get …
Continue reading What A Carry On!- Day 28- Carry On England (1976)
Major Leep has purchased a campsite and on digging a new cesspit, discovers what he thinks are Roman remains. Cue Professor Crump and an expert on all things Roman, Professor Vrooshka. There is also a varied, colourful and entertaining array of campers on site. Even though we don’t get the writing of Talbot Rothwell or …
Continue reading What A Carry On!- Day 27- Carry On Behind (1975)
Richard ‘Dick’ Turpin (or ‘Big Dick’ to his mates) is robbing the wealthy in Upper Dencher. At a loss regarding how to remedy this, Captain Fancey and Sergeant Jock Strapp (!) employ the services of Reverend Flasher who can hopefully put a stop to Turpin’s thieving ways. Carry On Dick really is the end of …
Continue reading What A Carry On!- Day 26- Carry On Dick (1974)
