powderblue

This Japanese animated film directed by Gisaburo Sugii was released originally in 1974, and although the animation has aged over the years it still manages to be genuinely sinister and rather unsettling for young children. Personally, my overly-active imagination ran riot with fear after watching this when i was little. I recently came across a VHS copy of it in a second hand shop and after watching it again, i realized that it still manages to give me shudders now. The plot is relatively the same as the original story, however at the top of the beanstalk Jack encounters an enchanted castle inhabited the Princess Margaret, who is betrothed to the giant, Prince Tulip the son of the most frightening witch since the wicked witch of the West, the evil sorceress Hecuba ( who has a penchant for eating children!)and who has placed Margaret under a powerful spell. Jack is aided by his pet dog Crosby and a gaggle of enchanted mice who were former courtiers of the castle,to break the spell placed upon the castle and Margaret, whilst still finding time to find the goose that lays the golden eggs, and talking harp and as well as other castle riches! There are a number of songs scattered throughout the film too, including Margarets ballad " Nobody's happier than i". It features some classic Japanese animation and some truly sinister set-pieces, the scene in the wedding chapel in which Hecuba makes guests out of paper gave me chills when i was little as did her original entrance. Its creepy and worth seeking out.

I was lucky enough to see The Neverending Story on the cinema was i was 9 years old in April 1985. I remember to this day being completely over-awed by the sheer beauty of the film. From the gray and dull scenes of reality in comparison to the magic and splendor of the fantasy sequences, the first time we see The Ivory Tower is particularly breathtaking. A young boy, bullied at school and still coming to terms with the death of his mother finds a book called The Neverending Story, and upon reading it finds himself drawn into the story and penultimately becomes part of the story. As he reads the book in the solitude of the school attic, it reveals that the world of Fantasia, the place where dreams and stories exist is disappearing due to an unforeseen force known as The Nothing, a collective term for mankind's trend to lose hope and forget childhood dreams. As a result of this apparition, the keeper of the Ivory Tower, The Childlike Empress is dying. A warrior is summoned to find a cure for the Empress and therefore bring hope to Fantasia. The Neverending Story carries a beautiful message that its important to dream and to let your creative imagination run wild. All three lead actors, at the time of filming were under the age of 12,and are very good in their roles. Noah Hathaway had been previously seen in Battlestar Galactica as Boxey and Barret Oliver would go on to star in D.A.R.Y.L and Coccon. Tami Stronach would make her one and only film appearance in The Neverending Story but would go onto have her own Dance Company based in New York.

Directed by Jonathan Lynn, CLUE is based on the board game of the same name ( called Cluedo here in the U.K ). An assortment of guests arrive for a dinner party, each given a pseudonym, and it soon becomes apparent that they are there on matters a bit more serious than a simple dinner and a brandy. During the evening, secrets are revealed, people are murdered, lights go on and off and the lines come thick and fast " well it's a matter of life after death. Now that he's dead i have a life." The cast are clearly having a complete riot with Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan and the late, great Madeline Kahn coming off with particular sparks. The look of the film is wonderful. Set in 1954, the attention to detail in the set design and costumes are spot-on. The lighting and feel is not too dis-similar to the 1976 murder-spoof Murder by Death, incidentally also starring Eileen Brennan. Despite being a minor hit on it's initial theatrical release Clue has since become something of a cult hit, and for good reason, as its great fun and whilst certain plot-holes may have you scratching your head, it's best that you leave your brain at the door and enjoy it for what it is. Great fun. The home-DVD/video version comes with all three endings. A fourth was filmed but edited out of the final film. Stills from it can be found in a hard to find book " Clue: The Storybook". Now can i interest anybody in fruit or dessert?