FilmClub

With the help of his dutiful assistant Angus Bough (Miller), Johnny must navigate the complex machinations of the political world to prove to everyone he truly is the agent Britain needs. This spy spoof unsurprisingly saw mixed reactions from critics but audiences loved it. It’s perfect family entertainment and a popular guilty pleasure viewing. Two sequels were subsequently released, Johnny English Reborn (2011) and Johnny English Strikes Again (2018), while a fourth entry is in development. You can loan the start of the franchise now on DVD. Plus, click the link below to get a glimpse of the laughs, by watching the clip of Johnny being assigned his first mission:

 

The second British entry, is the much more old-fashioned drama – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011). An adaptation of the 1974 John le Carré novel, it is directed by Tomas Alfredson and features an ensemble cast including: Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, Harry Potter), Colin Firth (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Kingsman), Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) and Toby Jones (The Hunger Games). Oldman portrays British intelligence agent George Smiley, who is forcibly retired alongside his boss “Control” after an operation gone wrong. In the aftermath, Sir Percy Alleline (Jones) aka the “Tinker” becomes the new boss, hiring Bill Haydon (Firth) and Roy Bland (Hinds) aka the “Tailor & “Soldier” as his deputies.

 

After discovering a mole within the agency however, the undersecretary of state recruits Smiley to covertly investigate and find them. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was a massive success, winning BAFTA’s Outstanding British Film award, while Oldman was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In terms of the critics, David Gritten [The Daily Telegraph] labelled it “a triumph” and rated it a full five stars, while Peter Travers [Rolling Stone] praised it as – “easily one of the year’s best films”. The quintessential espionage thriller is available on both & e-stream and you can view the trailer by clicking the link below:

 

Travelling ‘across the pond’, the first American entry is Burn After Reading (2008), directed by The Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men). The impressive cast for this black comedy includes – Brad Pitt (Troy, Moneyball), Frances McDormand (Fargo, Nomadland), George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven 2001, Gravity), John Malkovich (The Man in The Iron Mask) and Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia). The plot begins with CIA analyst Osborne Cox quitting his job when faced with demotion. Having learned of this, his wife Katie (Swinton) begins to divorce him and hopes to turn her affair with U.S. Marshal Harry (Clooney) into a proper relationship. Osborne meanwhile, decides to write a memoir to fill his time; though unbeknownst to him a draft is copied by Katie along with files for her divorce lawyer.

 

By a series of unfortunate events, a disk with the copied files is accidently left at a local gym. It is found by trainer Chad (Pitt) and his co-worker Linda (McDormand), who proceed to blackmail Osborne over what they think to be highly sensitive information contained within his memoir. This does not go as planned however, especially when the increasingly paranoid Harry gets involved. Described as “a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy” by Andrew Pulver [The Guardian], it both intrigues and entertains in abundance, due to a stylish script and a fabulous cast. This underrated gem is available only on e-stream and you can a catch a glimpse of the hilarity by watching the clip in the link below:

 

Lastly, we have Peter Segal’s Get Smart (2008). Though a remake of a 1960s U.S. TV series of the same name, it is also pretty much the American version of Johnny English. Comedic giant Steve Carrell is in the lead role (Anchorman, Despicable Me), supported by the likes of: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables, The Devil Wears Prada), Dwayne Johnson (Moana, Jumanji: The Next Level), Alan Arkin (Argo, Little Miss Sunshine) and Terence Stamp (Superman II). Carrell plays Maxwell Smart, an analyst for the spy agency CONTROL, while he dreams of being a field agent but is constantly rejected by the Chief (Arkin).

 

When CONTROL headquarters is attacked by rival organisation KAOS, who obtain all the identities of active field agents, the unknown Max is promoted to the rank of field Agent 86. He is partnered with Agent 99 (Hathaway) and tasked with uncovering and stopping KAOS plan, while retrieving the list of agents before more harm can be done to them. The two face friction along the way however, from veteran Agent 23 (Johnson). It’s funny, thrilling and enjoyable – Steve Carrell is at his comedic best with a stellar supporting cast. Richard Roeper [Chicago Sun-Times] labelled it as – “one of the more pleasant films of the year”. Loan it now only on DVD and view a clip of Max’s mishaps on a plane by clicking the link below:

 

Here’s to another year almost done, the summer break on the horizon. When you get the chance, why not have a rest and watch one of these highly entertaining movies, they’ll improve your holidays I have no doubt. Have a happy and safe Summer everyone! And I’ll see you in September where satire awaits…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure how to access e-stream? Then simply click on the link below…

 

We begin in the late noughties, with the motor racing inspired Speed Racer (2008). Directed by Lana & Lilly Wachowski, it is based on the Japanese manga series of the same name by Tatsuo Yoshida. The cast features the likes of Emile Hirsch (Lone Survivor), Christina Ricci (The Addams Family, Casper) and Roger Allam (V for Vendetta). Hirsch portrays the title character, a young man with a passion for automobile racing, working for his family’s company Racer Motors. 

 

One day, the CEO of the Racers’ rivals – Royalton Industries – EP. Arnold Royalton (Allam) tries unsuccessfully to poach Speed. Royalton does not take kindly to rejection, mistakenly revealing corruption throughout the racing circuit that has allowed him to continue dominating over the years. After another offer, Speed joins a new team alongside the mysterious Racer X, determined to end the corruption for his family’s sake.

 

While it received a poor reception initially, Speed Racer has since gained a cult following. The action, special effects and cast have all been heavily praised, whereas criticism has been levied towards the predictable story and limited marketing towards non-fans of the source product and non-gamers as a whole. Todd Gilchrist [IGN] gave it a positive review, stating: “it’s pretty much exactly what it should be: full of exciting, brilliantly-conceived races…and an irresistible sense of fun. Click the link below to see a clip of Speed racing:

 

From motor racing to the world’s biggest sport – Football! Our second entry is the animated family film Early Man (2018). It’s a stop-motion animation set in the Stone Age, and directed by the stop-motion pioneer himself Nick Park (Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit). Like most animated films, it has an impressive voice-over ensemble, such as: Eddie Redmayne (Fantastic Beasts, The Theory of Everything), Tom Hiddleston (Avengers Assemble) and Maisie Williams (The New Mutants). When an asteroid collides with the Earth in 2million BC – causing the dinosaurs extinction – a tribe of cavemen living close by somehow survive. Finding a spherical chunk of debris, the cavemen kick it around (as it is still too hot to handle), thereby inventing football.

 

Generations later, by the Stone Age, the game has continued to flourish and the impact site has transcended into an opulent green valley perfect for playing on. One day, after a Bronze Age army led by Lord Nooth (Hiddleston) invades and takes over the valley, a young caveman named Dug (Redmayne) tries and failed to attack them in retaliation. As a result, an unfortunate mishap sees him end up in their city instead. To escape, Dug challenges Nooth’s’ superior football team to a match for the rights to the valley. Dug must build a team worthy of taking on and beating the Bronze Agers’, with the help of local footballer Goona (Williams). Early Man is an enjoyable family romp, combining abundant fun & humour with exquisite animation. It does this all while showing why football is a sport that is so beloved by the British people in particular to this day. See how the cavemen invented football by clicking the link below:

 

Next, we traverse back in time to one of the all-time classic sports movies, Rocky (1976), directed by John G. Avildsen (The Karate Kid 1984). Sylvester Stallone (Rambo, The Expendables) occupies the title role while he also wrote the story, and he’s joined by Talia Shire (The Godfather) and Carl Weathers (Predator, Happy Gilmore). Beginning in 1975, the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Apollo Creed (Weathers), hopes to hold a title fight in Philadelphia (USA). However, just over a month before the fight, his opponent is injured. With all back up options exhausted, he decides to give a local contender the change to fight, stumbling upon Italian-American gym boxer Rocky Balboa (Stallone). Initially hesitant, Rocky eventually agrees to the fight due to the pay-out and to prove himself.

 

With his experience and training very different to Creed’s, the odds are stacked against him. But things start to look up when he is approached by Mickey Goldmill to be his official coach. Rocky even starts to find love with pet store worker Adrian (Shire). Given a 4 out of 4 rating from Roger Ebert himself, it received rapturous praise and won 3 of 9 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The success of the first film helped garner no less than 5 sequels [1979-2006] and a spin-off trilogy [2015-2023]. To this day, Rocky is still seen by many as the ultimate sports film. Get a look at one of the most iconic scenes in the franchise’s history and Rocky’s unorthodox training by clicking the link below:

 

Lastly, in celebration of the upcoming release of the newest entry in the franchise, we have The Karate Kid (2010), directed by Haral Zwart (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones). Original conceived as a remake of the classic 1984 film, it is the fifth film in the Karate Kid franchise and a a spiritual sequel to the previous entries, though it focuses on the martial art of Kung-Fu instead of Karate. The main cast comprises of Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon), Jaden Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness) and Taraji P Henson (Hidden Figures). Smith plays 12-year-old Dre Parker, who moves with his mum Sherry (Henson) from Detroit [USA] to Beijing [China] because of her job transfer.

 

He soon meets young violinist Meiying and becomes smitten with her. But the rebellious Cheng (a talented mender of a kung-fu dojo) becomes jealous and bullies Dre into staying away from her. One day, after taking a savage beating by Cheng & his friends, Dre is found and defended by Mr. Han (Chan), his building’s maintenance man and a secret kung-fu master. After failed attempts to talk to Cheng’s own master about the bullying, Mr. Han resorts to teach Dre the art of kung-fu to defend himself and practice for an upcoming tournament.

 

While not as good as the original, The Karate Kid is still a very entertaining watch in its own right, in special part to its main cast. Claudia Puig [USA Today] observed – “the chemistry between Smith and Chan grounds the movie, imbuing it with sincerity and poignance”. The performances and believability of the story were seen as high points. A direct sequel was cancelled; however, Chan will reprise his role in Karate Kid: Legends, releasing at the end of this month! View the coolest scene in the whole movie here, as Mr. Han saves Dre, by clicking the link below:

 

I fully recommend releasing your exam stress, in between revision sessions, by watching one of these awesome sports movies! You can watch them anytime, anywhere and any way you like with e-stream. They may even inspire you to pick up a sport yourselves, who knows?

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure how to access e-stream? Then simply click on the link below…