Ferris-26

One of the hardest things for writer/director Hanks whilst making this movie, must have been creating a nostalgic, brilliant, original song to base around the movie. He did just that. The title song could easily have fitted in place in the 60`s charts. Featuring a starring cast of relative unknowns, it charts the rise and fall of "one hit wonder" pop band, "The Wonders", on their quest for global domination in 1964. The bands music takes a new direction when drummer Guy (Tom Everett Scott) joins the band, to fill in for the previous "guy" who managed to break his arm. Guy`s upbeat attitude provides the spark they need, giving them a #7 hit single, television and radio recognition, adoring girls, and a trustworthy manager in the form of Tom Hanks. Relationships in the a band deteriorate, and so the story goes.

Backed up by some great music, and featuring all those 60`s cliches, its a sensitive and enjoyable look at life through the eyes of an up and coming pop band in the 60`s.

Winner of 2 Oscars (best original sceenplay, best actress for Frances McDormand), this has to be cult film makers, The Coen Brothers (Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller`s Crossing, The Big Lebowski), best film to date.

Set in a snowy Fargo, North Dakota, and based on a true story which happened in 1987, its the tale of a kidnapping plot, that doesn`t go exactly to plan. Jerry Lundegaard (the brilliant William H. Macy) is losing money fast as a car salesman, his wannabe quick cash schemes catch up on him, forcing him to hire two criminals, Carl and Gaear (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife, allowing him to collect the ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. The bumbling pair are forced to kill a road cop and two civillians along the way (one of those those civvies is actually that artist formerly known as Prince, check the end credits for the "symbol"), provoking a murder enquiry by Marge Gunderson, a dizzy but law abiding cop-ette (McDormand). The plot thickens, twists and turns, in the Coen`s inimitable way.

My favourite film of the 90`s so far, Fargo is a black comedy "stroke" thriller, which is hard to dismiss. Its true to life story, beautiful photography (thanks to Roger Deakins), wonderful characters, melancholy music, vivid script, and the way it captures the Minnesota way of life, is pure brilliance. A complete story, a complete movie, which never needs a sequel. The language has to be noted, as its one of the key points that binds the movie perfectly, and eases the thriller instinct. "Oh you betcha!"

Easily the best of the Trilogy, this latest addition sees New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis), once again finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, being singled out by the mysterious mad bomber Simon (Jeremy Irons), in revenge for the death of his brother Hans (Alan Rickman) from the first the movie. Along the way, he picks up Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson), a racist shop owner from the Bronx, in a game of cat and mouse through the streets of New York. Its the excellent Jackson`s foul mouthed character which makes this film so easy to watch, and contributed so much to its success. I don`t know how many times i`ve seen this movie, but never too many. In a way, its reminiscent of the way the characters in a movie like Jaws, catch your attention, and stick in your memory, wanting to see them again and again. A welcome return to form for director John McTiernan who made the first installment, and let Renny Harlin have a stab at #2.

A cool script, perfectly made for Jackson`s turn of phrase, a tie-in story, and the ever bankable Bruce Willis, ensured this movie had "big hit" stamped all over it.