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Frank Borzage was Hollywood's great romantic and History is Made at Midnight is one of his very best films. The luminous chemistry between Charles Boyer and the incomparable Jean Arthur (in one of her very best roles) lights up the screen. Borzage's direction is always delicate, elegant and brings the film a mystical quality from luminous nighttime Paris to the fog swept decks of the SS Princess Irene. The plot is excellent and takes a truly unexpected turn in the final third but it's the character moments like Boyer and Arthur's first night in Paris or their reunion in New York that entrance and linger the most. This was Frankenstein's actor Colin Clive's penultimate film before his untimely death to alcoholism at the mere age of thirty-seven. Made only seven years after his screams of "It's alive!" sent shivers down the halls of cinema history, his role here is far cry from that energetic performance and he is perfect as the lonely, desperate and bitter husband of Jean Arthur as sad as that seems. A true masterpiece that has been criminally neglected and forgotten by the populous and by critics who really should know better.

Let it be etched on stone: Since HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX was released American comedy cinema has been in a steep decline. Part of the reason for this is that HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX is an Everest of film-making that has yet to been scaled since. And once you reach the peak the only way is down. HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX has everything. It is the most consistently side-splittingly funny film since Chaplin and Keaton at their peak. It is the most devastating and uplifting story of love, war and sacrifice since CASABLANCA and it has rip-roaring action scenes (Die! Energizer! Bunny! Die!) on par with the mighty movies it is (lovingly) parodying. Charlie Sheen, despite his off-screen propensities, has always been an agreeable screen presence and here he delivers his performances for the ages. Valeria Golino is a goddess for all the ages and also displays impeccable comedic skills. She also kicks a considerable amount of butt without ever losing her grace and femininity. This is quite possibly the last great American female role with substance to it and sadly none have close since.

When people consider the great sequels of all time, usually they pick THE GODFATHER PART II. Then I think to myself - Why pick the three-hour plus GODFATHER PART II when a hundred times more out of the 90 minute HOT SHOTS PART DEUX? Does THE GODFATHER PART II have Al Pacino using a chicken as an arrow? No! So when you are looking at your shiny DVD collection and thinking "I think I'll watch a GODFATHER movie" my advise is to pick up HOT SHOTS PART DEUX and watch it... twice. The only way this film could be any better is if Miguel Ferrer had more screen time. That guy is a Plato of modern times. "War. It's fantastic!" Even Rowan Atkinson is funny in this film. Let's see Ingmar Bergman pull that feat off!

FLAVOUR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE is a couple of notches below Ozu's best but it is still a fantastic film. Many Ozu films centred around a marriage to be, and while that is a subplot here, the main story (once Ozu gets around to it) is about a marriage that already is and how poorly it is doing. What I mainly enjoy from Ozu isn't the plot but the great characters and their interaction and relationships. The wife in this film does walk a fine line of annoyance but in the end redeems herself. The film strolls to a wonderful climax where the estranged husband and wife realise how much they miss each other and after a talk begin love a new over a meal of tea over rice.

WINTER LIGHT is a comparatively weak Bergman film. It is a testament to Bergman's craft that even a weak film of his contains excellent acting and photography. However the characters in this film are not as well drawn or sympathetic as Bergman's better films and the plot feels stretched and sparse even at a meagre eighty minute runtime. There is also a distinct feeling of "be here, done that", if you have seen other Bergman films from this period. In fact it almost feels like a parody of Bergman's public persona - slow, unrelentingly grim and Max von Sydow. Max von Sydow is an exceptional actor but his role here is a mere extended cameo in a role that Bergman must have written as a self-parody - a fisherman on the brink of suicide because he believes the Chinese will bring about a nuclear apocalypse. If not, WTF Ingmar? WINTER LIGHT is for Bergman completists and Criterion toadies only. The next best reason to watch is is Ingrid Thulin's excellent performance.

SPOILERS --- But if you don't know the story of MACBETH yet - what's your problem?

In its own right THRONE OF BLOOD is a great film – drenched in a palatable atmosphere, filled with terrific performances and unforgettable scenes. However, claims that is it is a faithful adaptation (in some cases the most faithful[!]) of MACBETH, despite its resetting to Japan, are so misguided you'd wonder if the philistines commenting on this film had ever read the play. For starters, any adaptation of MACBETH that doesn't begin with the big M kicking ass and taking names inherently loses points in my book, as the great tragedy of Macbeth is that he was a great warrior who was corrupted and destroyed by this own ambition. The opening battle of MACBETH is the only chance we get to see the great man in all his glory. The lack of this diminishes the following tragedy because rather than being the great warrior corrupted by his towering ambition Mifune's Washizu comes off as a bit of a weenie who is pushed around by his wife. Kurosawa's decision to remove most of the tragedies and predictions (Lady Macbeth's death, "For none of woman borne", the entire character of Macduff) that befall Macbeth and leaving in just the moving forest makes light of Macbeth's character and plight. By the pen of The Baird, Macbeth slowly loses his grip as events conspiring against him build up. And despite this, he continues to fight as the great warrior he is. In THRONE OF BLOOD, he sees trees moving and loses the plot completely before being shot by his own army. What the hell? How do any of these changes improve the story or character of Macbeth?

Stories must be adapted to bring them to the screen and if the changes improve a film (ie, FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING) those changes can be welcomed with open arms. But in the case of THRONE OF BLOOD someone should have asked Kurosawa "Dude, what makes you think you can improve upon Shakespeare?"

Forever to be known as the film to win the Best Picture Oscar in the year of CITIZEN KANE, Ford's film is itself truly great and more than worthy of sitting beside Welles' masterpiece. A human drama that presents a community on the verge of death, living and fighting against an uncertain future the only way they know. The film strikingly shows the line between the value of tradition, the need for progress and how society handles it. It is an epic but intimate tale of love, life, death, family, religion and society. The film crams a vast and rich thematic palette into its absorbing two hour runtime. Not a scene is wasted or uninspired. John Ford's masterful direction and Arthur Miller's beautiful cinematography create a perfectly stark, and frequently beautiful, representation of a Welsh village at the turn of the century. Ford's affection towards the dying culture is clearly evident. A haunting, inspiring and beautiful film. Do see it.

LATE SPRING is another insightful look at 20th century Japanese life by master film-maker Yasujiro Ozu. A really perfect film. A great script that centres around a wonderful father/daughter dynamic as it probes into generational gaps, tradition, marriage and life during the reconstruction of post-war Japan. Beautiful acting by Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara bring to life screenwriter Kôgo Noda's realistically written characters. As always Ozu threats both his audience and characters with the respect they deserve. The image of Setsuko Hara in her wedding clothes is certainly one of cinema's most beautiful and touching moments. A genuine masterpiece!

HEROES OF THE EAST is most probably the greatest martial arts film I have seen. A terrific story of marital dysfunctional and rivalry between nations plays host to some of the most vivid, thrilling fight scenes ever filmed. Amazingly every fight scene in this film is on par with the others. Usually martial art films will have one or two stand out set pieces and smaller scenes peppered about, but in Heroes of the East each fight scene is handled with the same amount of care and attention, which is no small deal as the majority of the film is the fight scenes. For a film that is mostly action scenes, amazingly no one dies or gets seriously injured in the entire movie. This film is about two nation's warriors learning to respect each other's technique and culture not about striking down the opponent. The marital dysfunction scenes that set the film in motion are also hugely entertaining. One scene in particular in which husband and wive throw down their country's hidden weapons on a table recalls the great Hollywood comedies of the 30s and 40s. Combining the best of both worlds Heroes of the East becomes a relentlessly entertaining, inventive masterpiece.

Damn right he's not. Rambo is the man you want with you when all hope is seemingly lost. He'd never leave you behind. He is a one of a kind hero. The man every other man should aspire to be. I suspect that people who award this film with two stars have failed in this regard and are taking out their insecurities on this superior slice of cinema. With this film Stallone created a trend-setting genre masterpiece. It was ALIENS before ALIENS - a sequel that upped the ante on the sparse original and brought all-out war to the table. It is also the film that is definitive proof that Sly was the victor over Arnie in the battle of the 80s action hero. If not for RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II Schwarzenegger probably would not have had two of his biggest action hits - COMMANDO and PREDATOR - as both borrow heavily from this film (neither are as good). When discussing RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II one must also mention (the legend that is) Jack Cardiff's cinematography which captures the awesome action in all its glory and Jerry Goldsmith's pumping, majestic score. A class of its own.