n-raby Reviews

War of the Worlds (2005)

In my humble opinion this was very good.

[9/10 · 8 August 2005]

I have read with interest the first few dozen or so comments on this film and I was amazed that the majority were so negative. It was a brilliant piece of film making. Tom Cruise, never my favorite actor, played the part of the father trying to keep his kids alive and everything together very well.

I read comments about the heat ray, not an efficient method of genocide, and the aliens suddenly becoming vampires, well if anyone had read the story it would have been obvious that the aliens were not out to commit genocide, they had specializes machines to capture humans and they intended from the start to use us as a snack. They only started to use the black smoke in the book after a hidden gun battery wiped out a fighting machine. So I have no problem with the way they behaved. As with the awful 1950's version the aliens had some sort of force field to protect themselves, which I don't like but hey, can't have everything. The end did seem a bit rushed, and as for the untouched street in Boston, well there were plenty of untouched towns/cities in England when London, Coventry, Birmingham and the rest were being flattened in the Blitz, so that's being a little over critical I think.

It would have been nice for Mr Spielberg to have made the film as close to the original story as possible, but I suppose that everything has to be set in the US if they want to attract an American audience, so as I said you can't have everything. All in all a great film and another to add to my collection when the DVD comes out.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

I cannot begin to say how much I despise this travesty

[1/10 · 1 August 2005]

This was a loving tribute to Douglas Adams? It was absolute garbage, even if a viewer had not read the book, listened to the radio series, saw the TV series it was a rubbish film.

The plot was very loosely based on the book, the film was totally disjointed, there were hardly any references to the Guide itself, Ford Prefect acted like he was stoned for all the film. The Vogons became the Galactic police force it seems, Deep Thought changed into a woman, Arthur Dent became a babe magnet, Zaphod Beeblebrox was in reality a very clever person who had to divide his brain to become the President? To cap it all they remade the Earth exactly as it was before the Vogons destroyed it, why? Where was all the wonderful dialog? Half the characters were missing, the rest were mere shadows of what they should have been. The whole thing shows that the people who wrote the screenplay, and directed it have not got a clue what Douglas Adams wrote or what he would have wanted. I would imagine he is spinning in his grave now!

Laughter in Paradise (1951)

British Comedy at its best

[10/10 · 25 June 2003]

This is a most excellent example of the comic talents of Alistair Sim. His bungling attempts to get himself arrested had me in stitches. Particularly trying to get the store detective, or indeed anyone, to notice he was trying his hand at shoplifting. And of course finding a crime that would only get him the 30 days in jail as stipulated in the will.

As someone else has mentioned he did have all the best lines, but the remainder of the cast did a great job, the mild mannered clerk who had to rob the bank where he worked, the overbearing snob who had to be a maid, the womaniser who had to marry the first woman he spoke to, all made for the usual mix of farce and comedy.

It was also notable for an early appearance of Audrey Hepburn as the cigarette girl.

Zulu (1964)

Marvelous film

[17 June 2003]

I have read many of the previous comments and done a little research of my own. The defenders of Rourkes Drift were not the South Wales Borderers but were in fact a Warwickshire regiment, they became the SWB about two years after the battle. They were not predominantly Welsh, only about 15% were. Hook was a career soldier, I could go on and on.

That aside I rate this as one of the best 'anti-war' films ever, senseless slaughter first of the British at Isandlwhana (sp) then the Zulu's at the Drift. This is not to distract from the courage of all concerned. I do not see that Stanley Baker showed any bias towards anyone apart from over epmhasising the Welsh contribution. I also do not see this site as a forum for any political ranting from whatever side.

The movie was and is a masterpeice, yes there are errors, and continuity mistakes galore (see the bloke who Chard gets the rifle from as the Zulu's attack him) this does not spoil it in any way for me, brilliant acting, good direction and fantastic scenery all make an enjoyable and gripping film.