Leofwine_draca

The 1954 version of AN INSPECTOR CALLS, the play by J. B. Priestley, is a fine version that I would imagine takes some beating, although I haven't seen any of the other screen versions. This one features Alistair Sim at the peak of his career as the titular character, carefully questioning family members who are all linked to the suicide of a tragic young woman. This one features strong scripting and performances from the cast, Bryan Forbes among them, and a twist ending that stays with you. AN INSPECTOR CALLS is one of those stage adaptations that successfully transcends the source material to become just as effective on screen.

Another absurdist comedy from Taika Waititi and I did enjoy this one, although perhaps not as much as some others. I do think it's a little bit over the top throughout and Waititi himself can't help mugging in his supporting role as an imaginary character who just happens to take the form of Adolf Hitler. The rest is a usual mix of anti-Nazi tropes and satire, and truth be told there are very few laughs that I haven't seen done before, and better. But the cast is a good one and the performances generally work well (Rockwell in particular), with the exception of Rebel Wilson. It's not what I'd call unmissable cinema but fans of the director will enjoy themselves.

Ten years on from the fine original, DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN offers viewers a mixed bag. Sad to say this one can't replicate the success of the original Netflix series, which was so impressive that it spawned a couple of seasons of THE PUNISHER, which I felt was even better. Nowadays it's all been moved to Disney and the end result is watchable but somewhat anaemic. This first season takes a long time to set up the plots, splitting the running time between Fisk and Daredevil, but the plotting is merely adequate here and the action scenes disappoint consider what came before (and the inclusion of CGI figures in the opening fight scene reveal that they've learnt nothing since BLADE II made the same mistake). There are promising moments throughout, including every scene featuring Jon Bernthal, but the end result is adequate rather than great.