drummie Reviews

Carry on Jack (1964)

No, *I* am Ensign Albert Poopdecker, RN.......

[9/10 · 28 June 1999]

As a fan of the entire Carry On .... series, I was always disposed to like this movie. True, it had few regulars, but the script allowed the cast to shine. Kenneth Williams gives his usual over-the-top performance as the anything-but-fearless Captain Fearless, Juliet Mills gives the most amusingly unconvincing impersonation of a man since Some Like It Hot, and Bernard Cribbins is great as the good-hearted, but woefully naive Albert Poopdecker. Charlie Hawtrey plays his usual character as well as ever, and all in all the plot once more becomes just the backdrop for all the gags, double entendre, and slapstick we all expect and love from the movies we know so well.

Electric Dreams (1984)

It's as good as it ever was.....

[8/10 · 16 June 1999]

I first saw this movie back when it was first released, and for a movie without many top names, I thought it was surprisingly good. Probably the lack of any over-riding egos helped the movie along.

I then caught it again on cable a short while ago - only the second time I'd seen the movie. Suddenly I was back in the dark cinema in London in 1984. What a great movie. Virginia Madsen is a typical 'english rose' type, Lenny Von Dohlen is just about geeky enough to be convincing but not stupid, and I wanted a computer like Edgar to help me get the girls!

It's not on TV often, but if you find it, watch it!

Brush Strokes (1986–1991)

Well I'd drink there.....

[20 May 1999]

This show centred around Jacko, a self-professed ladies man, who as a builder and decorator worked in many a housewife's kitchen. However, the real strength of the show was in the supporting cast, especially Howard Lew Lewis as Elmo Putney, owner and manager of the worst pub in London. He would scare away the customers with his full-on attempts at friendliness and salesmanship, and his finest hour was when he refurbished the pub into a wine bar, resplendent in flamingo pink and lace curtains everywhere. pressed to come up with a stylish, continental-sounding name for the new bistro, he chose "Elmo Putney's Wine Bar". He made the show what it was, a great half-hour each week!

RoboCop 3 (1993)

Poor, but I managed to stay awake.....

[2/10 · 17 May 1999]

This movie was on TV over here this weekend. It ran after the original Robocop last weekend. Inevitable that we'll see comparisons made, so here goes. This movie has all the promise of the original, but never EVER delivers on anything. The fight scenes are less intense, there is a far smaller bodycount, the bad guy isn't at all believable, and the acting was very poor. All in all, if you have a choice whether to watch this movie or have root canal treatment, open wide and drill away. The only redeeming feature is that they left no realistic room for another sequel. Good judgement, guys.

Into the Night (1985)

Strange, interesting, fun....

[8/10 · 15 April 1999]

There's a point in this movie where I, sitting in a dark London Cinema in 1985, suddenly thought 'now what's going on?'. The movie covers comedy, action, romance, cop-flick, and most other genres without attempting to make any distinction between them all. You will probably be a little confused, you will definitely be a little amused, but really, any movie which has Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, and David Bowie in it can't fail to be worthwhile on some level.

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

You look good wearing my future.....

[10/10 · 13 April 1999]

There's someone and something for everyone in this movie. Geeky misfit guy, annoying sisters (preppy wannabe and know-it-all eight year old) well meaning, but bumbling father (very Homer-esque) gorgeously unattainable babe, equally beautiful misfit tomboy (why are the viewers the only ones who can see how good she looks), slimy rich kids, wonderful anti-hero skinhead, clique-ridden high school, love, betrayal, love again, all woven together masterfully by the #1 in the genre, John Hughes. This is just my all time favourite, way, way up there with The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Don't argue with me, watch it!!!

Bio-Dome (1996)

Only one redeeming feature

[1/10 · 12 April 1999]

This movie has to be one of the worst ever. It has bad acting, a poor plot, some abysmal lines, no humourous moments, is badly cast, badly filmed, and if it were a pet would have been put down. However, there is one redeeming feature which made me give it a 1/10 (apart from not being able to give it a zero) and that is the lovely Kylie. Anything she's in has something to recommend, 'cos she's a babe, and looks great in the movie. Can't act her way out of a wert paper bag, but looks great!

Bless This House (1972)

Fresh from the golden age of British Sitcoms

[7/10 · 24 March 1999]

The British TV Sitcoms of the seventies almost all had one thing in common: an inability to forecast changes in fashion and youth culture, and an instantly dated quality that created instant classics. Advice to all non-British surfers - catch this movie, it will give a better insight into life in the UK in the seventies than any more reputable source. Along with On The Buses, Porrige, and others, this movie stands out for great performances by Sid James (catch any Carry On.... movie he's in) , Diana Coupland, Sally Geeson and Robin Askwith as the disfunctional family that started it all!

Streets of Fire (1984)

Man, shoot them bikes some more!

[9/10 · 10 March 1999]

When was this movie set? There's a good mix of fifties fashions with eighties neon colours, great music from the Sorels (sixties motown) and Ellen Aim (Jim Steinbeck seventies/eighties), classic cars from the fifties, and with a dark, post-apocalyptic feel to the Battery area which could suggest early next century?

Don't let this confuse you. Sit back and enjoy the scenery, the music by Ry Cooder, and never mind that it's obvious who will win in the end, have fun seeing how they get there!

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Don't you wish you could......

[10/10 · 20 January 1999]

Do all of this and get away with it? Skip school with the most implausible of illnesses. Hack in and adjust your attendance records. Con your faithful, but weak-willed friend into driving you in his father's Ferrari. Collect your Girl (sxhwing-bada-bada) from school. Have a great day in the city. Sing to the entire north american continent. Humiliate the school Principal. Have everyone in the world wish you well. I want to be this guy. So will you.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

This is why I loved The Next Generation....

[8/10 · 7 January 1999]

This movie reminded me of how much I loved TNG, it was like being back on my sofa, watching the series for the first time. The interplay between the characters was great, the actors were obviously having so much fun. The lack of really expensive FX meant more focus on the acting, which was always one of TNG's strengths. The plot wasn't huge, the bad guys weren't really bad (save for one mad mother), but that isn't necessarily Trek.ST-FC was dark, moody, and probably still the best. This is TNG as Roddenberry wrote it. Most excellent.

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Best of its kind

[10/10 · 6 November 1998]

This is the best of the eighties 'US High School/Teen Angst' movies. There were loads, but none to match this one. There's a character in here for each of you to associate with, be it the nerdy Keith, with the bossy younger sister and the unattainable crush, or Duncan, the kind-hearted skinhead. If you only ever watch two of these movies again, make them 'The Breakfast Club' and this one.