Oliver Battershall

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1989) 3.5/5
From the first 10 minutes I had a feeling this guy’s voice and mannerisms were going to make me gouge my eyes out but thankfully it didn’t ever get quite that bad. It’s a fairly pleasant kids movie with a playful soundtrack that everyone knows about. I’d rather watch Mr. Bean’s Holiday though.

Hellzapoppin’ (1941) 5/5
Complete and utter cinematic anarchy. Constant fourth wall breaks, middle fingers to the very concept of having a plot, impromptu song and dance numbers, and just about anything else you can imagine (e.g. a talking bear). One of the funniest films I’ve ever seen, I could list some of my favourite quotes and moments but there’d be too many to count. You won’t believe it’s actually from 1941 and not something a modern person with ADHD went back in time to make. I found a decent quality version on YouTube. Watch it!

Persona (1966) 3.5/5
Very beautifully shot and well acted, but can’t say I was able to parse this well enough to find it as compelling as everyone else does.

Death Line (1972) 4/5
Do you fancy watching a horror movie featuring an American in London and some evil that lurks in a tube station, but you’re allergic to 1981 John Landis masterpieces? Watch (the Not As Good But Still Quite Good) Death Line! It’s got a very British vibe, with Donald Pleasence (later of Halloween franchise fame) embodying this the most with a very fun show-stealing performance. The soundtrack is minimal and fairly good, though for just one intense scene it changes to these discordant synths that sound like an 80s Atari game glitching out and I loved it, then they never used it again! Some very nice shots in here, and I liked the set design of the spooky dungeon thing.

All Night Long (1962) 4/5
A slick, sly Othello adaptation by way of the 60s London jazz scene. A well-executed real-time drama with an intense atmosphere and a fun diegetic jazz soundtrack. There are a lot of characters to keep up with for a film of this length, but Patrick McGoohan and Paul Harris are great in the roles representing Iago and Othello. Had a little fanboy moment for the Mingus and Brubeck cameos.

Body Double (1984) 4.5/5
God I love De Palma so much. Just a little voyeuristic genius who loves da movies, and it shines through in everything he makes. This is almost as good as Blow Out, real neo-noir excellence.

A Hard Day’s Night (1964) 4/5
Much more charming and bizarre than I’d anticipated. Not just a sanitised music video with a storyline half-heartedly cobbled together like I was half-expecting. Lets all four Beatles show their personalities and very British wit in a way I wouldn’t have expected for a film made at the peak of their mainstream fandom. Wouldn’t get something like this for the hip new bands the kids are into nowadays. S Club 7 and such.

The Invisible Man (1933) 4/5
Universal were really cooking with the horror films that became their staple in the 30s. Claude Rains brings a brilliant theatrical edge to the title character and the invisibility effect is completely seamless. There’s a real humour to the film, often at the expense of the hysterical locals and bumbling policemen, but it was surprisingly gritty for its time too with a lot of death. Part of me wishes it was longer, though it was a very fun 70 minutes.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) 3.5/5
At its heart, a hearty swashbuckling adventure in brilliant technicolour, though it does drag a tad and there’s a bit too much barely necessary talking in-between the triumphant hijinks I came for. But overall a worthwhile watch. I had planned to watch every film set in Nottingham but I hadn’t quite anticipated how many other Robin Hood movies there are…

Godzilla Minus One (2023) 5/5
Didn’t catch this when it first came out and was very annoyed at myself. Luckily I held out from watching it at home and lo and behold the ever-reliable Broadway Cinema are now screening the black and white version that’s finally come to the UK (officially called ‘Godzilla Minus One Minus Colour’). This really lived up to the hype. Human drama in disaster movies is abysmal 90% of the time but here it ties in perfectly with the collective post-war trauma that shook Japan and was the lifeblood of the original Godzilla. I think the black and white helped with instilling that post-war atmosphere and adds yet more beauty to certain seascapes and shots of Godzilla itself. A defiant and triumphant rejection of nationalism, and a celebration of human life and dignity. Plus a massive lizard bloke with a vengeance.