#1 - VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Stars - Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall
Director - Woody Allen
Memorable Quote - "Maria Elena used to say that only unfulfilled love could be romantic."
Review - A lot of this movie passes by without much seeming to happen, although undoubtedly it does; there is just such a weird sense of calm emanating from the voice of the narrator that it is difficult to feel moved or rushed by the events of the plot. The storyline itself is, I suppose quite interesting; Bardem and Cruz steal the entire show, unfortunately, leaving Johansson looking like a stroppy nobody and letting Hall fade into the background as they simmer with Spanish passion. I'm more interested in their story than in the story of the two women on holiday, and this I feel is where the film falls down. It was not necessary to go for Johansson - I don't think I've ever watched a film starring her where she didn't distract me by being the same character as always and a terrible actress to boot - but Allen seems to be a little in love with her, and I suppose that's why she was there. Had potential, but did not reach it. 2.5/5
#2 - ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ
Stars - Clint Eastwood, Paul Benjamin, Larry Hankin
Director - Don Seigel
Memorable Quote - "No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz. And no one ever will!"
Review - Hmm, films based on true events are actually a bit less exciting when you already know the ending. Still, this is an interesting look at the way the real escape from Alcatraz was engineered, with, of course, a few Hollywood licenses. Eastwood is as glower-y as ever, pulling off quite well the image of the convict you don't want to mess with, and you can't help but feel the tension rise as they carry out their escape attempt, narrowly avoiding discovery by guards throughout. I can't say really very much about it, to be honest; it was there, I watched it, it was neither devastatingly terrible nor astoundingly good. It introduced no new ideas but did put action to a well-known story, allowing you to see how it all played out. A bit of a strange one, really. 3/5
#3 - BILL AND TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY
Stars - Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Joss Ackland
Director - Stephen Herek
Memorable Quote - "You might be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later you dance with the reaper."
Review - Ha, I love Bill and Ted. If you're a teenager you need look no further for some good entertainment, and I dare say it still appeals as you get older too. The caricatures painted by Reeves and Winter are excellent (see what I did there), and the Grim Reaper is just hilarious in every way. Though the special effects have aged, the stupid humour has not, and if you're like me you can't help but giggle in anticipation of your favourite bits from childhood coming up. Highlights include playing games to get out of dying, appearing on stage as part of a rock band, mugging people of their clothes in order to get into heaven... I'm not going to review this any further, just go watch it and enjoy it and thank me later. 5/5
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