Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (US, 2004)

This film takes the piss out of masculine self-aggrandisement; sometimes with hilarious results. The schoolboy behaviour of men when they are challenged professionally by a woman, and masculine posturing, when facing competitive men, offer ripe opportunities for puncturing ideas of masculinity. All good then but it is set in the ’70s, the era of transition [...]

Memento (US, 2000)

Christopher Nolan’s second feature was a sleeper hit on the independent circuit and brilliantly presents a decentred identity. Leonard Selby (Guy Pearce), has no long term memory and so has too he literally has to inscribe what he knows onto his body. Using the convoluted narrative of noir the film grips from its uncanny opening, [...]

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (US, 2009)

A Freudian approach to narrative emphasises the Oedipal trajectory of the story. Freud used the myth of Oedipus to explain the psychic processes necessary for a boy to become a man. This requires the boy to move his sexual fixation from his mother toward a mother substitute so he can become like his father. Raymond [...]

Stranger Than Fiction (US, 2006)

This mildly amusing postmodern piece of frippery, with a stellar cast, the posits mildly anarchic Maggie Gyllenhaal character falling for the totally anodyne IRS exec (Will Ferrell). Why!?! Readers please point me to a movie where an interesting man falls for a boring woman. That aside, this is barely a romcom as the laughs are [...]

The Children’s Hour (US, 1961)

After a fairly routine, and understandably dated, forty minutes this film gets into its stride as a portrayal of middle class prejudice and the damage it can do to people’s lives. Rarely have I seen a more convincing rendition of the destruction of lives through unsubstantiated gossip that is fed by prejudice, in this case, [...]

Inception (US-UK, 2010)

Christopher Nolan managed to make The Dark Knight (2008) an exciting roller coaster ride for both mind and body; the moral mazes adding heft to the visceral action. He’s clearly attempting the same with Inception, which he wrote, produced and directed. Imdb suggests the budget was $200m and with that sort of money on the [...]

Bechdel test

From the start of July I’ve been applying the Bechdel test (see above and below) to the films I’ve been watching. It would be good if readers could share films that actually pass this test as it seems, shockingly, that not many do. The test is: are there at least two named women who talk [...]

Liverpool to Leeds in a day… on a bike?!

If you would like to support my er… lunatic son (I am the support team) then the website is here. Thanks. 27th July update: successfully completed after 14 hours 45 minutes, two punctures and one sore arse.

The Killer Inside Me (US-UK-Sweden, 2010)

A faithful adaptation of a Jim Thompson novel, well shot with great performances; what’s not to like? I’m not sure but I didn’t like the film though it should be seen. To an extent I guess it’s ennui, having seen so many noir, however this movie does raise the stakes with its representation of violence. [...]