My A to Z of DVDs - C

So I have finally finished watching the Cs. Yet again there has been a trilogy and several true stories thrown in for good measure.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - 7/10 
Not to be confused with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory which is the original, this is the Tim Burton remake. As with any Tim Burton film it's a bit odd, Johnny Depp is in the main role and Helena Bonham-Carter has a role. This is watchable, it's not as good as the original but the story means you do enjoy it. I do have some gripes with it though, the main one being the Oompa-Loompas. They have some great songs, but it is just one actor that's replicated. In the original it's fun due to how they look and how you can tell everyone is slightly different, this just seems a cheap alternative!! I guess this version is a bit of a love or hate for most people, for me it was ok but not a patch on the original

Child's Play - 5/10
So the Child's Play trilogy kicks off with a film that isn't actually very scary and more amusing than anything else. The story is poor but then the film is about a GoodGuy doll that has the soul of an evil murderer and is Ginger. He terrorises Andy his owner and tries to get into his body leading to lots of weird situations. Not very good

Child's Play 2 - 5.5/10
So the evil ginger Chucky is back - after being destroyed last time around. This time Andy is in a foster home and guess what Chucky has tracked him down. Chucky goes all out on the foster family killing both the parents, gets his teacher at school as well and in the end Andy again with some help kills off Chucky. Yet again it's a poor film it's not that scary and the formula is already a little tired

Child's Play 3 - 5.5/10 
So it's about 8 years later and Chucky is yet again magically re-created. This time Andy is at Military school so Chucky goes to track him down - though ends up with a new victim - little Tyler - to try and get his soul into his body. This is slightly more gruesome but stops being scary as the formula is exactly the same. Not really much more to it

**A word on the Trilogy** - This is a poor Horror trilogy I think you could easily condense it down into one proper horror film. There is also Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky - thank god I don't own them therefore don't have to watch them

Clerks - 5/10 
So I love Kevin Smith and his films - they make you laugh, have memorable characters and actually a strong social message behind them. Clerks however doesn't really follow the formula. The concentration on Dante and Randall is fine but there just isn't really much character to them. The film itself doesn't really go anywhere - maybe that's the point highlighting their mundane lives but it isn't really very watchable and misses the usual Kevin Smith humour. Maybe I lost concentration because the film is in black and white I don't know but Clerks misses the mark for me

Coach Carter - 8/10
Basketball coach comes in, takes a bunch of dropout misfits who aways lose and makes them into a successful team. Sounds like a tried and tested formula, but this is based on a true story and has a twist to it. The Coach does it through instilling the team with a work ethic, making them realise the importance of education and locking them out of the gym and not letting them play when they are undefeated because they haven't kept their end of the bargain in attending classes. It is a powerful film and the best I have seen Samuel L Jackson in for a long time. Most importantly you can't help but feel bought into the film and wanting something good to happen at the end of it and see what the kids made of themselves in the future. Really good and highly recommend it if you haven't seen it

Cool Runnings - 7.5/10
"I see pride, I see power..." Find me someone who doesn't love this film or find it highly amusing. "Jamaica we have a bobsleigh team" The film itself tracking the journey of Jamaica to the Winter Olympics is funny, feel good and at the end after they crash out really quite powerful. Now the film is said to be based on a true story but actually the only truth is that Jamaica took part out of nowhere in the Winter Olympics and did crash out. In real life teams accepted them and helped them out, there was no coach that cheated before. But this shouldn't take away from a funny and heart-warming film which has excellent performances in as well as some classic lines. If you want a smile put on your face then watch this

Cry Freedom - 7.5/10
Focusing on the story of the friendship between Steve Biko and a white Liberal journalist Donald Woods in a time of Apartheid in South Africa this film is a true story that never got told. Biko suffers police intimidation, brutality and 'banning' orders that prevent him from being with more than one person at a time yet still manages to inspire other Black South Africans around him to fight for equality. Woods, played excellently by Kevin Kline suffers the same treatment when trying to tell people about Bikos plight. After Biko is murdered by the police (passed off as him going on hunger strike) Woods also recieves a banning order and then the film focuses on his fight to escape South Africa to be able to tell Bikos story of his murder to the wider world. This is a good film but not a great film. It is very slow at the start and I personally would have liked to see more on how Biko came to his position as an inspirational leader of a people - however it really takes off after Biko is murdered and you do find yourself emotionally attached to the film hoping that the story gets told. I already am looking at buying Donald Woods book on Biko as you do find yourself really wanting to know that much more

So that is the Cs over and done with - hopefully I won't take as long to get through the Ds and as always if you agree or disagree with my views on the films then let me know...also if you feel there are any classics that I don't own that I should have (I'm already awaiting the Citizen Kane messages) then let me know

Cheers

My A to Z of DVDs - B

So we are onto and have finished the Bs - this has covered a trilogy, some history and some Disney


So here's what I thought:


Back to the Future - 6.5/10
Ok so this is where everyone starts hating me but I didn't really enjoy this - I have seen it several times and I guess now it's just a little bit boring! I love Doc Brown as a character but I'm afraid this film is a little over-hyped and for me isn't as good as everyone makes out. It's watchable don't get me wrong but not really much more


Back to the Future 2 - 5/10
Easily the worst of the Trilogy this sequel is actually just a muddled rehash of number 1 and does very little by way of story development - it's a bit like the TV remake of a classic film - just doesn't quite work! I found it frustrating and actually just quite annoying and a lazy way to make a film last. Deffo not a fan of this one


Back to the Future 3 - 7/10
This instalment of the Trilogy is good fun and it's different enough that it actually can stand alone as opposed to number 2. The Wild West theme is good as well as the end swerve with Doc and I have to say my favourite instalment of the Trilogy overall because you can see the changes actually occuring in the film


**A word on the Trilogy** - Everyone owns the Back to the Future Trilogy they don't know why but they do they are just films people have and they are classics from that era but as a whole the Trilogy isn't actually that good (maybe it was watching all 3 across 3 nights that did it)


Bad Santa - 6/10
Criminals, midgets, grandmas, department stores, weird kid and a sex scene with thephrase 'Fu*k me Santa'. Yep this film is warped in a big way!! I don't really know how to describe it - 2 criminals rob department stores every Christmas by being Santa and his Elf, one gets a mini-crisis of conscience but only after taking advantage of a weird kid who it's really hard not to feel so sorry for!! It is watchable - it makes very little sense but you do find yourself really hoping things turn out good for the strange kid and that keeps you watching. It is worth watching just to think what the hell was the writer on when putting this together


Baseketball - 6/10
I remember the first time I watched this film I thought it was well funny - Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the South Park creators, generally being themselves in a film about a strange game. The next time I watched it I realised that actually this film is a little stupid, not that funny really and is only watchable if you want to see something you don't have to concentrate on at all - very much a kind of Chewing Gum for the eyes film.


Beauty and the Beast - 9/10
I love this film - it is Disney at it's finest. The story, the characters, the songs and one of it's strengths is the depth of characters (you find yourself wanting to know what Mrs Potts; Chip; and Maurice are doing as well as the main characters). I also will admit this DVD cost me £40. It was one of those that you could only buy on Ebay and I got a bit carried away, Disney had deleted it from their library - they are re-releasing it this November. The soundtrack features on my Ipod and I haven't yet met anyone that dislikes the whole story. A Disney classic and one of my favourites


Bedknobs and Broomsticks - 7.5/10
In my opinion this is one of Disneys most under-rated films. It is really good fun youfind yourself singing along to the songs (though there are a few that are quite annoying and don't need to be in there). Angela Lansbury plays her role excellently as the not-so talented witch but my favourite character is little Paul who is the youngest and has some classic lines especially when no-one listens to him about his book containing the words 'traguna macoities tracorum satis de' (bet you havethe song in your head now). There are similarities to Mary Poppins - same father character etc, but it is a good well put together film and the backdrop of the War gives it that grounded feel of real-life combining with fantasy


Beyond the Mat - 8/10
This Wrestling Documentary is very well done. It focuses not only on the big WWF but also ECW and follows old wrestlers around the Independent circuit. It shows you both character development and the human side to wrestlers as well as some of the darker sides to the personal lives of wrestlers like Jake the Snake! The features on Mick Foley and Terry Funk are excellent and this DVD is definately reccomended even if you aren't a wrestling fan


Big Daddy - 8.5/10
"But after my nap I always watch the Kangaroo song" "No sit still, LAY" Big Daddy is quality - no it doesn't have the most dynamic plot but it is a feel-good film that also manages to make you feel quite upset, with some awesome activities thrown into the film itself. It is a typical Adam Sandler film with some quality one-liners, and the way that Julian/Frankenstein is portrayed puts a smile on your face. I overwatched this film in my first year of Uni but it remains really good fun. If you haven't seen it you really should


Big Momma's House - 6.5/10
I used to like this film and there are glimpses of fun in it but the more I see it the less I like it. It is a stupid concept and whilst meant to be a comedy too much of the film remains unamusing and just a little bit stuoid. It's another that falls into the Chewing Gum for the eyes category you can watch it when you want to go to sleep because you just don't need to concentrate


Boyz N the Hood - 9.5/10
Increase the Peace!! This film has it all - the real life drama, the transition from youth to adult; and the gritty way it approaches it. I challenge anyone not to cry during it but the story represents what for many is real life. It pulls no punches in apporaching it showing the different way that people react comparing the lives of Trey, Ricky and Doughboy. I think this is Cuba Gooding Jr's best film by far and also shows Ice Cubes acting ability. The star though is Laurence Fishbourne and his portrayal of Furious Styles is inspiring and should have warranted an Oscar nomination. When you finish watching this film you do get that WOW feeling and this remains one of my favourite movies of all time


Brother Bear - 7.5/10
So yeah another Disney film. Brother Bear is one of the lesser known films and the story is a bit bizarre - man ignores totem, spirits turn him into a bear, finds a little bear who it turns out he killed the little bears mother, the day is saved at the end. It sounds naff and it is a little but it also has some really good songs from Tina Turner and Phil Collins and follows the classic Disney formula which is what I love


Brotherhood of Murder - 6.5/10
I bought this from the Poundshop, don't know why but it looked interesting. It's based on a true story about The Order, a White Supremacist group in America. The story is fu*ked up there's no other way to describe it. The film isn't put together very well and it is quite bitty, it actually was a drama made for TV in America. I found myself doing more reading after watching it about The Order and what they and their leader Bob Mathews were all about and carried out. Murders, robberies and a fanatic cult. It does make you wonder what the hell goes on in some people's heads but there you go. Not a great film but it did leave you thinking about some of the problems in society with people like this roaming the earth


Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - 7/10
Based on the the last 2 chapters of the book by Dee Brown about an Indian History of the American West, which is a bestseller, this is an HBO adaptation. The film itself is a really interesting insight into what happened to the American Indians and the way they were screwed over by the US Government and how they were manipulated. The film is good in places and drags in other places and I would have liked more on Chief Sitting Bull and a closer look at his story but it is watchable and a good introduction for people to start learning the history and abuses that the American Indians faced.


So that's the Bs done! Two of my favourite films featured in this and it's going to be a nightmae waiting so long to watch them again but staying true to it I am now moving onto the Cs which also encompasses a trilogy and a Disney film thrown in a well


Hope you enjoyed the A to Z of DVDs beginning with B (and I am sure many of you will disagree about Back to the Future)

The Labour Leadership Race

So I have finally decided to say what I think on the Leadership race that I would love to say has been active; intriguing and about the challenges we face in the Labour party.

Realistically it's been a bit boring; quite predictable and gone on for too long.

So let's get straight to it - the main thing the contest has lacked is an alternative viewpoint, Diane Abbott has tried and thrown out the same few lines each time but the contest would have been better had John McDonnell been on the ballot paper. He wouldn't have won but his presence would have made the contest far more honest!

Ed Balls has, well, just started bothering now and looked quite disinterested early on - had he made more of an effort I think he would have done better, some of his housing policies are good but too little too late

Andy Burnham - well there's not really much to say. I like his policy against parachuting candidates in to safe-seats it has always annoyed me when people with no link to an area are suddenly given the MP role there, but that's about all I do agree with Burnham on

Diane Abbott - I was going to vote for her when all the candidates declared, and then she has failed to do that much. She can be proud of the fact she has stood by her principles but hasn't really shown anything else that would make her right to be Labour leader

And so onto the 2 main contenders:

Those who know me know that I cannot stand David Milband - when I joined the Labour party it was to be a member of the Labour party not a Central party. His agenda is one of win the centre, and everything that comes out of his mouth just irritates me. The best way to describe him is 'Diet-Blair'. He is the closest to Blair and Mandleson and the New Labour rhetoric and that's not why I am a member of Labour. I have said it before if he wins I will leave the party because it will be a clear sign that the direction and agenda of the party is not one that I can support. Today summed it up for me when he spoke of how he was pleased to have the endorsment of The Times - proud to have the support of an anti-Union paper?? That is not the kind of person I want to lead my party!!

And so Ed Miliband...now I'm not stupid enough to believe the way he has tried to wash his hands of every decision the party has taken in recent years, because he was makin some of those. But what I have seen is someone willing to admit the mistakes and also set out policies that I think the Labour party should be following. The Living Wage being the main one.

As someone who believes in Trade Unionism, and a member of the GMB I did vote for Ed Miliband because I can see him leading a party with Trade Unions at the centre of it - not sitting on the sidelines! A party that actually fights on beliefs rather than concentrating on winning over middle-England and screwing those that created it! And a party that concentrates less on the 'in-crowd' and more on people!

So that's it my ballot paper was #1 Ed Miliband #2 Ed Balls # 3 Diane Abbott and #4 Andy Burnham

But what I have seen hasn't been the most exciting or dynamic leadership contest in years - and also hasn't had much disagreement amongst candidates (except the odd twitter sniping amongst campaign teams...but it is an election and I'd have been worried if supporters weren't going at each other)

So that's it - I would have liked some bigger idealogical debates but I hope to be a Labour party member after the result is announced...if I'm not then you know the wrong (or should I say right) candidate has been elected