Oliver Battershall

Open Season (2006) 3/5
There’s never a whole lot I can say about the kids’ films I watch while at work, but this was pretty fun and Martin Lawrence is a good voice actor. Made during the era when computer animation had almost surmounted the uncanny valley, but not quite!

The Dictator (2012) 3/5
Typical SBC silly dark humour, I always struggle to get through a movie where the main comedic tactic is making you cringe but this was decent enough.

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) 4/5
It’s always nice to tick off another Best Picture winner. This was a massive hit when it came out and Spielberg lauds it as a big inspiration, being the first movie he ever saw. The modern consensus is less kind though, it seems this is deemed one of the weakest Best Picture winners by most. I certainly see the flaws, it’s packed with clichés, Betty Hutton overacts, it’s a bit too long and you could call the documentary-style segments that are just filming the actual circus then cutting to crowd shots a bit lazy. But despite all that I still enjoyed this! The sheer scale of it is the biggest draw, you can tell DeMille just loves the grandiosity and wonderment of the circus and I found that infectious. Jimmy Stewart’s character is cool too. I’m fighting the urge to gaslight myself into giving a lower rating because I didn’t realise this many people don’t like it, I’m standing strong!

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) 4/5
A minute in I said to myself “oh god it’s a musical”. A few minutes in I said to myself “oh god it’s one of those musicals where they just sing and never talk”. That aspect was certainly a little grating at times, especially due to all the high-pitched female singing voices and the fact that most of my favourite moments were where characters just did something in silence for a moment. A big chunk of the movie is just simple melodrama presented through song that begins to get monotonous just as the third act starts where things really pick up. The songs get a welcome energetic boost and things are wrapped up very simply but well. I found this less heart-breaking than most seem to, maybe this would leave a pit in my stomach if I was younger and in love, but alas I am neither! I think ultimately it shows that people can change and move on after young love and still live fruitful and happy lives. Also the colours are just gorgeous! Give it a watch, I reckon.

Taipei Suicide Story (2020) 4/5
Definite shades of Lanthimos with the darkly surreal premise and some characters treating the heavy subject matter with a glib, matter-of-fact attitude for comedic effect. However the end product is something so much more tender. The short runtime accentuates the heartbreak, something deep within me wanted to spend more time with these characters but only being given a narrow window to look into made this so much more effective. This has left a real fingerprint in my mind, so simple yet so impactful.

The Pirate Movie (1982) 4/5
I’m very glad I stumbled on this lovely little oddity, a reimagining of The Pirates of Penzance with hilarious Mel Brooks/Monty Python style humour and gloriously naff original songs. Critics panned this on release and it was nominated for EIGHT Razzies, but what do they know? This is a really fun time for those of us civilised enough to enjoy a hefty slice of camp. It’s on YouTube, watch it!

Super Mario Bros. (1993) 3/5
Engrossingly bizarre filmmaking. There were several points throughout where I just burst out laughing thinking about how utterly bewildered the kids of 1993 must’ve been, expecting a simple animated tale with characters they recognise from their SNES and getting Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo navigating a Gilliamian underground hellscape instead. Mario and Luigi don’t even wear red and green until an hour in hahaha! The joy that thought brought me is enough to warrant a decent rating I think. That and the fact that plumbing is more present in this than probably all other Mario media put together. For what it’s worth, beyond the camp aspect I thought there was some real merit to the environment design in this, as incongruous as it may be. I do really think there would be a lot more unashamed goodwill towards this movie if it wasn’t burdened with the Super Mario label. A fun time!