Oliver Battershall

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) 4/5
I’ve never been a Harry Potter guy, was never bothered about the films or the books as a kid. In fact its only presence in my childhood was when I got a vaguely lightning shaped scar on my head in primary school and so for a week I was appointed the main character in some elaborate Harry Potter related playground game. I felt like a million dollars. Anyway! I was immediately charmed by this. The time flew by due to the great pacing and variety of extracurricular hijinks. The CGI and quality of child acting were mehhhhhhhh but that doesn’t matter when the film as a whole is this entertaining. I’m afraid that friend we all have who never managed to move on from these films well into adulthood might have been onto something.

Starter for 10 (2006) 3/5
Starts off formulaic but comes into its own eventually and manages to feel heartfelt and memorable as the stock characters get more development. Also the soundtrack was fun! Do beware of James Corden though. As a University Challenge fan (euphamism for Billy No Mates) I would’ve liked a bit more of it to be centred around the show. Actually maybe I should’ve just watched University Challenge instead.

I Origins (2014) 4/5
I love modern sci-fi that contrasts a rational scientific narrative with a fantastical, unexplainable, spiritual one that’s eery in its sheer scale. I also love when a mystery unfolds, so time flew by here. Some of the dialogue isn’t great, there’s a moment where someone says “what if eyes really are…” and I was like don’t say windows to the soul don’t say windows to the soul, “…windows to the soul” and I audibly sighed. Motion Picture Soundtrack by Radiohead being used in a motion picture soundtrack was not only a laugh but very emotionally devastating! This is one that would certainly warrant a rewatch in the future.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 3.5/5
Develops on the first film well but you feel the runtime more with this since it can’t be padded out with introducing as much stuff to the viewer. Suffers the same pitfalls as the first, as well as a seemingly worse reliance on exposition and characters over-explaining things, but it’s a kids film so I’ll allow it. I like that this introduces more threads that can be tied up in the later films while also having a satisfying climax as a film within its own right. I was so scared Dobby was gonna be around the whole time and be some Jar Jar esque comic relief but thankfully he wasn’t! I don’t dispute Dumbledore’s wisdom but it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to hire a health and safety officer, or perhaps create some wizard-proof polygraph or invisible CCTV. Deaths within school grounds would plummet. Food for thought.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) 4/5
There’s something I’ve always found quite evocative about small American towns as settings in film. Little pockets of life dotted along thousand-mile stretches of greenery and desert. A far cry from an outsider’s typical perspective of such a cultural and economic behemoth as the USA. Such a contrast always provides ample opportunity for socially stunted, kooky yet lovable characters and this is no different. It grew on me as it went on, through the great character interactions plus the soundtrack and wardrobe. (I have the same watch as Uncle Rico!) It was a joy to watch our title character groove to Jamiroquai, a band that I will unashamedly adore until my dying breath. That beautifully simple final scene got one last chuckle out of me and bumped this up to four stars.

Caddyshack (1980) 3/5
Has its moments (particularly when Rodney Dangerfield shows up and just plays Rodney Dangerfield) but I think it’s fair to say the film as a whole didn’t live up to the dizzying heights of its own original theme by the great Kenny Loggins. There’s a few too many characters, and scenes often felt tonally disjointed. The whole thing definitely felt longer than 100 minutes.

Lake Placid (1999) 3/5
A fairly fun horror with a comforting 90s sense of humour and a very watchable cast of characters. Absolutely needed more casualties though, for a killer croc movie not much havoc was actually wreaked. Wrack? Wruck? Another film I’ve watched while at work, I promise it’s part of the job and not a dereliction of duty!

The Great Escape (1963) 4.5/5
Five minutes into this three-hour movie, our characters are already planning an escape. Big fan of that. This movie manages to be so much, partly due to the stark yet successful vibe switch in the middle. This starts out as a rousing, heartwarming tale of triumph over adversity, ingenuity and caring for your fellow man. The portrayal of the Nazis in this first half is a bit of an eyebrow raiser since they’re more or less shown as “noble savage” type characters. But as the film injects more thrills, stakes and brutality we see the Nazis for what they really are, and it just adds to the pathos we feel while seeing these unique and lovable characters get put through the ringer. All in all a very bold film that you could take many meanings out of and they’d all be valid.