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VENOM (Dir: Ruben Fleischer, 2018).

VENOM (Dir: Ruben Fleischer, 2018).
It is rare for a superhero villain to have the lead in a superhero movie. The disastrous Catwoman (Pitof, 2014) is one example, the upcoming Joker (Todd Phillips, 2019) is another. Then we have Venom.
You may recall Venom as Spider-Man’s nemesis, portrayed on screen by Topher Grace in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. In this latest adaptation Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock, the investigative journalist who, while attempting to take down corrupt scientist Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), is infected by an alien symbiote transforming him into super-strong, super-hungry super-villain Venom.
However, Venom isn’t really the bad guy here. Perhaps sensing that audiences would have trouble identifying with a baddie, the character is more ambiguous here, an anti-hero rather than an all out no-good. Gone is the white Spidey logo emblazoned across his chest and indeed any obvious connection to the world of the friendly neighbourhood arachnid. Although a future onscreen hook-up is said to be in the works.
As a Marvel character to which Disney does not hold the movie rights, Venom is not destined to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in spite of the fact that Spider-Man is now part of the MCU. What this means for future films in the series is uncertain. What is certain is that Venom as a stand-alone movie is a lot of fun. Granted it is not particularly original or groundbreaking. This may account for its lukewarm critical reception. It is certainly no Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018). However, the effects are top notch, the action set pieces are thrilling and the movie is genuinely funny, reminiscent of a somewhat moodier The Mask (Charles Russell, 1994). Tom Hardy is also great in the title role.
While the movie does not rank among the greatest superhero titles neither is it one of the worst. Its relatively short runtime (90 odd minutes if you discount the title sequences) means Venom is a fun, exciting action movie which never gets too dark and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.
With a positive audience response and a worldwide box office exceeding $850 million a sequel is guaranteed. Venom 2 is set for release in Autumn 2020.
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Happy birthday Audrey Hepburn!

WINNIE THE POOH: SPRINGTIME WITH ROO (Dir: Saul Blinkoff & Elliot M Bour, 2004).
A A Milne meets Charles Dickens in a weird hybrid from a time when Disney’s Pooh franchise had seemingly lost both direction and appeal. At least for anyone above pre-school age. Yes, this is Dickens’ A Christmas Carol re-told for Easter with, despite Roo’s billing, Rabbit as an Easter banning Scrooge.
Walt Disney first filmed Pooh in the animated featurette Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1966). Two more featurettes followed and were combined in the movie length compilation The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Reitherman & John Lounsbery, 1977). While some bemoaned the Americanization of Pooh and the replacing of Pooh’s hums with songs by Mary Poppins’ tunesmiths Richard and Robert Sherman, the original shorts were praised for their charming, whimsical nature, delicate storybook-esq animation and general faithfulness to Milne’s text. The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, an animated TV series not directly based on Milne, debuted in 1988. While a success, The New Adventures... marked a distinct change of tone for Pooh. Gone is the innocent charm of the featurettes and of Milne’s tales upon which they were based. Insecurity and doubt have crept into The Hundred Acre Wood. This is a new neurotic Pooh for the modern age. Sadly this mood continued through a series of theatrical and straight-to-video features, most notably the dark and downbeat Pooh’s Grand Adventure (Karl Geurs, 1997). Most of the latter Pooh movies are surprisingly melancholic as is this feature in which, after cancelling Easter, Rabbit is shown, via some heavy handed moralising, the negative impact his actions have on his friends.
At 65 minutes Springtime with Roo is mercifully short. The animation by DisneyToon Studios, while not up to the standard of the theatrical product, is bright and colourful but on the whole this movie is a rather joyless affair. Those wishing to indulge in Pooh would be best advised seeking out The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or, better still, reading A A Milne’s original literary classics ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner’.
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THE LOVE BUG (Robert Stevenson, 1969).
Released three years after the death of the its founder, Walt Disney Productions’ The Love Bug continued the tradition of fantasy comedies established by the studio a decade earlier with The Shaggy Dog (Charles Barton, 1959). It introduced Herbie, the anthropomorphic VW Beetle, to cinema audiences and would prove a massive hit for Disney, spawning a franchise which would include four theatrical sequels, a TV series and a made for TV movie.
The movie stars Dean Jones as washed up racing driver Jim Douglas whose fortunes are reversed thanks to the lovable VW Bug. He is pitted against arch rival David Thorndyke, who uses every dirty trick in the book to defeat Douglas in a cross-country race, the stakes of which are ownership of Herbie.
Disney regular Jones and love interest Michelle Lee make for attractive leads and prove themselves adept at light comedy. Less subtle, but just as effective are Buddy Hackett as a kooky new age mechanic and Joe Flynn as Thorndyke’s long suffering assistant. Best of all is the magnificent David Tomlinson as the comically villainous Thorndyke.
Ultimately the star is, of course, the car; brought to life through a combination of impressive stunt work and pre-CGI effects that hold up fine 50 years after release. Herbie has an endearing puppy dog charm and more personality than most humans!
Bill Walsh and Don Da Gradi’s screenplay mixes slapstick humour with some genuinely witty dialogue while Robert Stevenson, arguably the greatest director on the Disney roster, brings his flair for whimsical fantasy to what might be his best work after Mary Poppins (1964).
The Love Bug was to become the highest grossing movie of 1969 and one of the highest earners of all time. It’s easy to see why. With its winning mix of racetrack thrills and good natured laughs, it is a deftly performed, expertly crafted gem.
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RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (Dir: Peter Ramsey, 2012).
What would get if you crossed Marvel’s Avengers with a 1970s Rankin/Bass holiday special? Probably something not too dissimilar to DreamWorks Animation’s Rise of the Guardians as Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Toothfairy, the Sandman and new recruit Jack Frost assemble Avengers-style to defeat evil Pitch Black, aka The Boogeyman, as he attempts to take over the world by filling children’s heads with nightmares and suppressing their belief in the ‘Guardians’, threatening the imminent Easter celebrations to boot.
Director Peter Ramsey’s movie is action adventure on an epic scale rarely seen in animation. The glib humour and pop culture references that often mired DreamWorks’ early features is thankfully absent here. Certainly there is humour, yet there is also pathos, as when Jack learns of his forgotten past and why he was chosen as a Guardian.
With genuinely exciting action set pieces and excellent voice work from a star studded line up including Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law, it is difficult to see how Rise of the Guardians could fail at the box office. But fail it did. Much to the detriment of cinema audiences who possibly found the Christmas/Easter mash-up aspect unappealing. Perhaps its winter release date was also misjudged, although it is certainly the most Christmassy of Easter movies.
While perhaps not quite in the same league as their ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and ‘Kung Fu Panda’ franchises, Rise of the Guardians is still one of DreamWorks’s best movies to date. Its visuals are often breathtaking and its nod to vintage Rankin/Bass shows, where Santa is as likely to crop up in an Easter or a Groundhog Day special as he is a Christmas one, gives it a nice nostalgic feel befitting of a movie which deals with childhood and tradition. While this movie was designed as a franchise opener, Rise of the Guardians was destined to remain a one off. As a stand-alone feature film it is an often exciting, warm-hearted treat and is highly recommend viewing at Easter, Christmas or any other time of year.
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Movie number 37: That Touch of Mink (Delbert Mann, 1962). In 1959 Universal cast Doris Day opposite Rock Hudson in the risqué romcom Pillow Talk (Michael Gordon). It was a deserved huge critical and commercial success, such that Universal looked to recreate the ol’ Doris-Rock magic with other leading men, casting her alongside James Garner in The Thrill of it All (Norman Jewison, 1963) and less successfully, Cary Grant in That Touch of Mink.
Grant is once again in ageing playboy mode, attempting to woo Miss Day to the chagrin of his neurotic pal, a miscast Gig Young. The movie looks wonderful. With it’s mid-century interior stylings and its fabulous gowns - Day has countless costume changes, it is kind of the filmic equivalent of flicking through an early 60s lifestyle magazine. But really nothing else about the movie works.
At age 58 Grant was far too old for this sort of thing. As too was Miss Day who is filmed through a hazy soft lens to make her appear more youthful (in actuality this was unnecessary - at 40 Doris still looks great). Worse than this is a woefully unfunny screenplay, littered with dated , sexist ‘humour’. Doris’ career girl roles in the 60s often seemed quietly progressive; here it is anything but, as Day goes doe-eyed whenever Grant is in her sights, whilst modelling pretty outfit after pretty outfit. There is also an unforgivable wife-beating gag.
Of course a film with Doris Day and Cary Grant is not a total loss, it’s just that both have been much better in many other movies and have little chemistry together here. That Touch of Mink is worth a watch for Baseball aficionados with appearances from New York Yankees legends Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. It also has an excellent, though underused supporting cast featuring John Fiedler, 2nd Darrin Dick Sargent and best of all TV’s Gomez and occasional Batman baddie ‘The Riddler’ John Astin; as a sleazy potential suitor of Day he is easily the highlight of the movie.
If, like me, you have watched all of Doris Day’s movies at least once you will want to see this for completist purposes. If not you are best seeking out the excellent Pillow Talk, or indeed any of her 39 other movies.