Oliver Battershall

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) 4/5
It’s been quite some time since I laughed out loud this much at a movie. Chevy Chase gives one of my favourite comedic performances ever, contrasting a deadpan tone with wacky and pathetically optimistic antics in a uniquely brilliant way. For a movie where virtually everything goes comically wrong, the tone remains upbeat throughout and the family dynamic is really infectiously engaging in a way that never downplays the comedy. Also John Candy shows up and lights up all his scenes as you’d expect him to. I’m left with a big grin on my face after a long week at work.

National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985) 2/5
A common ailment of comedy sequels is that with a desperation to recreate the appeal of the original comes a bigger budget, bigger stakes and crazier antics, negating the modest charm that made its predecessor special. It’s sad that they recast the kids because I really liked Rusty and Audrey before, now they’re both annoying and Rusty is inexplicably a chicken magnet despite looking like a gormless goat. The memorable sense of humour of the original is displaced by generic wacky screwball comedy with big set pieces which all feels a bit outdated. Eric Idle popping up and saying “it’s just a flesh wound!” was fun though, I still have faith in this franchise! (Though I’ll maybe wait until the festive season for the next one).

The Piano (1993) 2/5
Didn’t connect with this at all beyond some nice costume design and a few good shots. It’s a story of a woman being repeatedly exploited through physical and sexual abuse by two men, and the audience are supposed to root for the man who’s only marginally better. Ada is given no positive character development, she’s just a victim who gets Stockholm Syndromed into associating the only thing in life that gives her joy with a creepy guy who controls her access to it. Can’t be called a love story and without genuine romance the drama falls flat. A frustrating watch.

On Friday at Eleven (1961) 3.5/5
Today I was out in Sneinton Market and picked up a gorgeous movie poster that’d caught my eye in a rack. It took me a while to track down the movie since it’s extremely obscure and there’s only one image of my poster online (here, isn’t it gorgeous?) which has way better art and the alternate French title, but I managed to find one singular site to stream it on in glorious 720p with subtitles shoddily translated from French. This is an international co-production between France, Italy and West Germany, with actors of many different nationalities dubbed into German. Speaking of Germany, that lot probably have a word for the disappointment of a movie not being quite as good as its poster. This is still a fun time though, it feels oddly laid back despite the tense antics (in a good way, I think) and the music is a nice sweetener. I love it when plans go awry in a film, though I also love it when plans are executed perfectly and everything falls into place pleasingly. Maybe I just love…plans?

The Saint of Second Chances (2023) 4.5/5
Films that are simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming always stick with me, and this being a documentary makes it hit so much more. Such a touching story with so many great tangents. I’ve always believed in the emotional power of sports and this is a true underdog story in every sense of the term. I cried! I thought the dramatic recreation bits with Charlie Day were a bit incongruous (still love him though) but overall I was just so swept away with the sheer charm of this fascinating guy’s life story. Sometimes you need to rate a film not on cinematic merit but purely on how it made you feel and this really moved me.

This Is Not a Film (2011) 3/5
The context is undeniably fascinating and makes this film’s sheer existence an important piece of protest cinema, it’s just when it comes to the contents of the film itself I thought it could’ve had more substance to it. A lot of it is just Panahi talking about his previous work, there are some interesting moments but I thought this could’ve been more hard hitting for what it is.

Opening Night (1977) 4.5/5
Haunting. Between this and A Woman Under the Influence I just want to give Gena Rowlands the biggest hug. Such a unique performer. I love movies about performance in any capacity and HEY WAIT THERE’S PETER FALK THERE HE IS ON THE STAIRS BEFORE THE OPENING NIGHT IN A CAMEO HEY EVERYONE LOOK IT’S HIM IT’S PETER FALK HE’S HERE.

Unforgettable (2017) 3/5
A would-be forgettable (ha) erotic thriller is elevated to (in)decent levels by the skills of its leading actresses, especially Katherine Heigl, whose wonderfully conniving performance is a great benchmark for anyone thinking about going on about how crazy their ex is. Predictable but fun enough!