Is Sleeping Beauty a scathing look at human nature?

This may just be me trying to be overly pretentious but philosophically, Sleeping Beauty could be more than just a film about a princess who find "twoo loove".

Sleeping Beauty is the story of a princess who is cursed by a wicked witch to die on her sixteenth birthday after she pricks her finger on a spindling wheel. However, her fairy godmothers change the spell so that she just sleeps for a bit until some bloke kisses her and everything returns to normal.

However, you could see it like this...

A girl is just living her life normally, originally and happily, until somebody (the witch) says something scathing about her. To stop herself getting hurt more she tries to be more like everybody else, creating a barrier (evil plant things) that make it harder for people to become close to her and find the real person.

It's just a thought...

The Expendables (2010)

Director: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Steve Austin, Randy Couture, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis
Certificate: 12
Genre: Action
Awards: None

The Expendables in Sylvester Stallone's homage to 80's action films and he seems to have most of the leads collected. The plot is minimalistic: Barney Ross (Stallone) and his chums go off to rescue a woman from a dictator.

Maybe it's because I don't have fond memories of the actors but I didn't really enjoy The Expendables. The only stars that I was looking forward to seeing (Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger) only turning up in one very short scene. The rest is just explosions and a body count that gets a bit boring. Apparently the sequel's better but we would have to see.

****Good

'The Expendables Trailer

American Beauty (1999)

Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper
Certificate: 18
Genre: Drama
Awards: Best Actor (Spacey), Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay

It is hard to describe what American Beauty really is. You could see it as a deeply philosophical film or a mundane tragedy. I like to see it as a dark comedy.

In a suburban town, The Burnham family live an unhappy life. None of the family particularly like each other any more and are living life as a chore. We see mostly from the father's, Lester (Spacey)'s, viewpoint. Lester is in a loveless marriage, a dead end job and his daughter hates him. He starts to form what seems to be a midlife crisis with a crush on his daughter's friend and a weed addiction.

This film is unique in how upbeat it seems when the contents is so depressing. Spacey shines out as always, but he is surrounded by a very talented cast. Bentley's strange next door neighbour just has to be applauded. The style is fantastic while the soundtrack is able to sit next to Watchmen and the Tarantino's as one of the best.

*****Brilliant

The Quick And The Dead (1995)

Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russel Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio
Certificate: 15
Genre: Western
Awards: None

This western shows a shooting contest set up by the ruthless sheriff Herod (Hackman).  Ellen (Stone) is an outsider who wants to join in order to kill Herod and anybody else who gets in her way. Other competitors include a killer turned priest Cort (Crowe) and Herod's own son (DiCaprio).

Sam Raimi's style is as present as ever with canted angles and an almost cartoon feel to the violence. The story may be one we have heard before, but the film is able to take away our gripes by it's stylistic approach to the whole thing.

****Good

The Man In The White Suit (1951)

Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Starring: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker
Certificate: U
Genre: Comedy
Awards: None

The Man In The White Suit is an Ealing comedy about how greed will consume the growth of human invention. Sidney Stratton (Guinness) is a genius who has created a fabric that will never get dirty. Unfortunately, neither the owners of the fabric factory or the workers want this to go public due to the fact that fabric will no longer be needed.

The comedy works well as a satire on how neither Communism or capitalism will ever really be looking out for the public. Everybody looks out for themselves. It's just human nature. The comedy also includes a few bouts of slapstick that will put a smile on your face. It's a low key comedy that feels very British

****Good

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Director: Charles Crichton
Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Tom Georgeson
Certificate: 15
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Kline)

Charles Crichton - Known for Ealing Comedies such as The Lavender Hill Mob - and John Cleese - Known for the silly Monty Python and Fawlty Towers Series' - came together in 1988 to make what can arguably be the last Ealing comedy. It follows a bank heist for diamonds, which will become what drives all of the characters against each other.

Both sides of the Atlantic are present in the battle. The brits are represented by a surprisingly straight John Cleese as a barrister, the brains behind the crime Georges Thomason (Georgeson) and Michael Palin as Stuttering animal lover Ken. Cleese isn't as compelling as Basil Fawlty or his other silly characters here and seeing him as a romantic lead is almost frightening. Palin's journey is a lot more funny as he faces his fears and does terrible things that changes his character

But the Americans have brought stiff competition. Jamie Lee Curtis's Wanda is compelling as the sneaky thief whose loyalties don't seem to lie with anyone. But it's Kevin Kline's performance as the dim-witted arrogant Otto that brings the film together. His sneery remarks and slow mind create a character that is laughable but also dangerous.

For most of the film, the humour is kept rather low key with just a few “laugh out loud” moments on the journey. Then we reach the climax where things get out of control. You can see John Cleese's crazy sense of humour leaking out for all to see.

A Fish Called Wanda is perhaps for a different audience than the Monty Python films but it gives the right amount of comedy for it to succeed.  The English vs. American clash will give everybody a side to root for as we see the best and worst of both.

****Good

Wreck It Ralph (2012)

Director: Rich Moore
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch
Certificate: PG
Genre: Animation, comedy, adventure
Awards: None

Ralph (C. Reilly) has been the bad guy in his arcade game for 30 years. He has never been accepted by his fellow game characters and is therefore very lonely. After a large argument, Ralph decides to go to another game and become the hero.

Wreck It Ralph is a love letter to arcade games and is full of cameos from famous characters players will remember. There's enough humour to keep both adults and kids amused. It would have been nice to see inside more of the game worlds - the plot only takes us to three - but keeping it simple may have been the best choice. You've got to save something for the sequel!

****Good

Braindead (1992)

Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Timothy Balme, Diana Penalver, Ian Watkin
Certificate: 18
Genre: Horror
Awards: None

Like many successful directors, Peter Jackson started with horror films. His debut being Braindead - a highly imaginative, gory Zombie film with a range of surprises that become immensely entertaining. The main character is Lionel (Balme). He lives with his mother in a big house. When his mother is bitten by a strange creature in the zoo, he and love interest Paquita (Penalver) have to stop a zombie infestation.

As said before, this is a zombie film with a difference. There are Kong Fu priests, zombie babies and a terrific scene with a lawnmower that give the film a feeling of tongue in cheek. This is New Zealand's original Shaun Of The Dead. Zombie films now are played very serious. But it's films like this that make you remember how fun they can be. After all, even George  A. Romero made a slapstick version with the original Dawn Of The Dead and it seems that these, almost silly, horror films are getting a lot more love.

*****Brilliant

Braindead Trailer