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garethcrook's rating
Why I'm rewatching this I can't recall, but it's probably not important anyway. This isn't a film to think too hard about. I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I always loved Spaceballs. That said I've not seen it in over 30+ years, is it still funny? The bad guys lead by Dark Helmet (Rick Moronis) and President Skroob (Mel Brooks, also directing) have a problem, their planet is running out of air. They look to their neighbour Druidia to steal theirs. Plotting to kidnap the Kings daughter Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) and forcing him to hand over the air, or give her back her old pre-cosmetic surgery nose. Daft. Brilliantly daft. We need a hero, two heroes. Enter Lonestar (Bill Pullman) and his dogman, Barf (John Candy). They've got an issue too, they owe a million space bucks to Pizza-the-Hut. Bonkers. Brilliantly bonkers. They take their space Winnebago and rescue the princess and her C3PO ripoff friend Dot (voice by Joan Rivers), after jamming the Spaceballs radar... with, raspberry jam. Ridiculous. Brilliant ridiculous. Flying at ludicrous speed, combing the desert with giant combs, the awesome power of... The Schwartz! It's a crazy parody adventure that's much better than it has any right to be. Sure there's a few 80s gags that haven't aged brilliantly. Is it still funny? A resounding yes from me, but I've no idea what someone coming fresh to it would make of it. Aliens, Planet of the Apes, the VHS rental market, the silly jokes come thick and fast. Nothing is safe. Where can I get a tshirt!
Wallace & Gromit are back... and so is Feathers McGraw. That's probably enough for any viewer. Many might wonder is this going to be as good as The Wrong Trousers. The answer is no, but it's not far off and really only falls short because it's a sequel. It's near impossible to capture the magic of anything as much loved as The Wrong Trousers, even though that was a sequel of sorts. The pairs house has had some upgrades. Wallace's new wake up routine is genius. Not that long suffering Gromit is impressed. He's happy with the simple life. The Pat-o-Matic for instance isn't to his taste. He'd much rather have a nice pat on the head from Wallace. Wallace's latest invention though is for Gromit, to help him in the garden. A smart gnome called Norbot, who instead of helping, ruins Gromit's garden, invading his only sanctuary. The neighbours though are impressed and this kicks off Wallaces scheme to solve their money troubles, Gnome Improvements. What about the penguin you may ask? Well he's doing time at the zoo, but upon hearing of his foe's latest invention. He finds a way to hack Norbot, change his settings to 'Evil' and have him create an army of evil gnome clones. They first terrorise the neighbourhood, besmirch Wallace's good name, help Feathers break out of the zoo and steal the blue diamond that alludes him in The Wring Trousers. The details are delightful. The animation is beautiful. The story first class and the action both gripping and wonderfully cinematic. So no it's not as jaw dropping and perfect as The Wrong Trousers, but it doesn't need to be. It's just as much fun and it's a joy to have a new adventure to enjoy over and over again.
After Howard's End, a year later Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins returned for The Remains of the Day. This happens a lot in the world of Merchant Ivory films. Here Lord Darlington (James Fox) dies leaving a big country house, another Merchant Ivory mainstay. Hopkins is Stevens, the butler at said house, that's bought by a rich American named Lewis (Christopher Reeve). Thompson is Miss Kenton, the old housekeeper. Stevens clearly misses her and sets about on a task to return her to Darlington Hall. Through letters and narration to start, we reminisce of days gone by, days that preceded Lord Darlington being disgraced. We're taken back to that timeline and Miss Kenton's first days on the job. Youthful and capable, she's a tricky proposition for the somewhat stuffy Stevens. He questions her professionalism but discovers she does know best. There's a lot going on at Darlington Hall in the pre-war era, not least meetings regarding what's happening in Germany and France. It's felt that the house needs to be running as smoothly as possible, giving Stevens a difficult call to make. He has a lot on his plate does Stevens, from dealing with the failing health of his aging father, to giving awkward advice to the young soon to marry Mr Cardinal (Hugh Grant). Cardinal is hanging around the hall to help out with the meeting about Germany, which is not going as you might expect. It's certainly not what attendee and future hall owner, Mr Lewis was expecting and he's not afraid to call it out. Stevens is pulled in more directions than he can handle and finds its Miss Kenton that's there when he needs help most. There are things beyond their control as it becomes apparent as to why Lord Darlington is to be soon disgraced. He's a antisemitic Nazi sympathiser, but Stevens has his blinkers on. He's there to serve, nothing more. Miss Stevens though, she's different, uncomfortable about her bosses politics. She falls for Mr Benn (Tim Pigott-Smith) who's on the same page and whisks her away. Stevens although likeable is often infuriating, but it's impossible not to see this as one of Hopkins most brilliant performances. He pulls everyone up with him. Not Thompson, she's magnificent on her own, but Hugh Grant in particular shines in the small part he's given. It's a slow burning gripping foiled love story with some real substance, fantastic characters and dual timelines that pace perfectly. For something that's so dark and soulful, it really is wonderful.