Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 children's musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill, James Robertson Justice, Robert Helpmann, Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall. The film is based on the 1964 children's novel Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming, with a screenplay co-written by Hughes and Roald Dahl.

Basically it consists of Caracatus Potts (Van Dyke) telling his children a story when they go for a picnic with Truly Scrumptious (Howes) about the adventures of the Baron Bomburst, ruler of the land of Vulgaria and his attempts to steal Chitty-Chitty and take it to Vulgaria.  He instead kidnaps Grandpa Potts (Jefferies).   Caracatus follows in Chitty.  There they have various adventures which sees the Baron overthrown.  We also see the Child Catcher played by Robert Helpmann in a delightful role.  It is a little dated now but still a fine film.  8 out of 10.   

A Boy Called Christmas is a 2021 British Christmas fantasy film directed by Gil Kenan from a screenplay by Ol Parker and Kenan, based on the 2015 book of the same name by Matt Haig, and starring Henry Lawfull, Toby Jones, Sally Hawkins, Kristen Wiig, Michiel Huisman, Zoe Colletti, Stephen Merchant, Jim Broadbent, and Maggie Smith. It tells the story of a boy who travels to a land of elves with the mouse that he trained to speak as he ends up coming to their aid when people sent by the king, which his father is part of, make off with one of the elves. The story is told by an old woman to her grand-niece and grand-nephews.

This was Maggie Smith's last movie and as usual, she plays it well, playing the elderly Aunt who is called in at the last moment to babysit her grand niece and nephews.  The story is the usual Christmasy one about the origins of Christmas in Finland with Jim Broadbent the elderly king.  Henry Lawfull plays the hero of the story, as Nicolas the boy named Christmas.  Worth a watch for Christmas. 8 out of 10.   

Brian Ross wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2024 at 9:09pm:


I was going to watch that last night, but watched something else instead.

I'll check it out during the week.

It was over 40 degrees in Perth today, so I stayed inside and binged on Dune, Parts 1 and 2.

Quite impressive - well worth a look.

8/10

Alien Trespass. a joint US and Canadian production, it is billed as a Comedy Sci-Fi movie wasn't all that funny to start with.  Set in a typical Western small town in the US it follows the efforts if Urp, a galactic police officer who is trying to apprehend a  Goata a ravenous creature from outer-space.  He is helped by Tammy a smart waitress and the sheriff Chief Dawson.  Mildly worth watching.  6 out of 10, 

The Order

One of the best movies to be released in 2024.  I highly recommend it.    The plotline revolves around a FBI Detective who is tasked to investigate a rogue white supremacist  movement who have split from a religious sect that has it’s beliefs centred around Nazi and White Only thinking

One of the interesting facts in this true story is “The Turner Diaries” which lays out in what is basically a Children’s bedtime story, how this splinter group will take power in the US.  Apparently, this publication was part of the thinking that went into planning the insurrection attempt in the US when Trump lost.

A great movie - 5 stars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Order_(2024_film)

The Lost Boys is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremias. The film's ensemble cast includes Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Corey Haim, Edward Herrmann, Barnard Hughes, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jamison Newlander and Dianne Wiest.

It centres around the mythical town of Santa Clara in southern California and is a classic of the 1980s Vampire mythos that inspired Buffy and similar programmes.  It is about a small family who moves to town to live with Dianne Wiest's father from Phoenix Arizona.  They arrive and immediately come to the notice of the local chapter of Vampires.  Well worth watching.  9 out of 10.

The Return

"After 20 years Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held prisoner by suitors vying to be king and his son facing death at their hands. To win back his family and all he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength.”

A good movie starring Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus who has lost all his Army in the war on  Troy.   Some parts of the movie are very slow and the story stumbles a little bit in the middle but a strong ending makes up for it.    I would wait for one of the streaming services to pick it up - although if you can get cheap cinema tickets it is well worth a couple of hours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_(2024_film)