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The Last Samurai (2003)
The Last Samurai (2003)
2003 | Action, Drama, War
Who is The Last Samurai?
In the early noughties, following the success of Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator', there was a rash of historical epic films - 'Alexander', 'Troy', 'Kingdom of Heaven'.

And this.


Which is a strong contender for one of the best of those films.

The film stars Tom Cruise (who, for once, is not playing Tom Cruise) and Ken Wattanabe, with the former a world weary US Civil War veteran (suffering from PTSD?) who is hired to train the modernising Japanese army, and the latter a Samurai leader who thinks Japan is losing its identity; moving too fast into the future.

Captured by that Samurai leader following an early battle, Algren (Cruise's character) soon finds himself beginning to wonder is he fighting in the right side...

Yes, the plot is somewhat akin to 'Dances with Wolves' (or even 'Avatar'), and I've heard the charge of the film being a White Saviour story - a charge, I have to say, that I do NOT find any merit in: indeed, I would argue the opposite (that Cruise's character is saved rather than the one doing the saving) is more true.
  
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
1984 | Comedy

"Along with Airplane, An American Werewolf in London, and Raising Arizona, this film is one that I can silently mouth along with every single line of. I don’t know if Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer could have ever known back in 1984 quite how far-reaching the influence of this movie would be. As a British director who made his start in TV comedy, I can vouch for the fact that this film is one of the key texts for every single UK comedy writer, actor, and director of my generation. The fact that it was performed by American actors doing killer English accents just makes that all the more impressive and ironic. So I cannot overestimate its position as an unassailable comedy classic. Along with Monty Python’s Life of Brian (also on Criterion) and Mike Leigh’s 1976 TV movie Nuts in May, it really became one of those movies that create strong bonds in creative partnerships. You either liked Spinal Tap or you were not worth talking to; it became that simple. And quite right too. It’s eighty-four minutes of comedy heaven."

Source
  
Yesterday (2019)
Yesterday (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Fantasy, Music
Enjoyable to a point
I love Danny Boyle, he's one of my favourite directors (and he's a local lad) although I have to admit this is probably one of my least favourite films of his so far.

Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle working on the same film should be a match made in heaven. However the result is this enjoyable but sadly rather predictable romcom. Himesh Patel is a likeable lead, but I found the romance aspect with him and Lily James entirely corny and completely predictable, even for Richard Curtis. The music is good, it would be seen as it's the Beatles, however I did find it odd that in the story Himesh finds out about a number of bands and things that no longer exist (some are quite funny), yet only decides to choose the songs from the Beatles. Could they not get the rights for anything else?

There's a few laughs in this although not as many as I'd expected, and I loved the nod to Love Actually. Overall the film is enjoyable and your typical feel good Brit flick, however I don't think it's particularly memorable or exceptional.
  
No Lawyers in Heaven [Audiobook]
No Lawyers in Heaven [Audiobook]
Henry Milner | 2022 | Biography, Crime, Law
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read and listen a lot of crime books and I thought it would be interesting to listen to something a bit different and I wasn't disappointed.

This is a glimpse into the life of a criminal defence lawyer and whilst this might sound a bit heavy going, let me reassure you it is not. It's an interesting insight into side of the defence with lots of humour thrown in. The cases discussed might be familiar to some, especially if you're in the UK, and some of the alleged criminals defended by Mr Milner are 'household names'.

This is not a sensationalised or in depth look into the alleged crimes committed but rather an account of a man who clearly cares about the law and everyone's right to be represented regardless of their guilt or innocence.

Mr Milner made what could have a been a very dry subject come to life all helped by the excellent narration of Mark Elstob whose voice was absolutely perfect for this book and my thanks must go to W.F. Howes Ltd and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to No Lawyers in Heaven and share my thoughts.