de_niro_2001

C S Lewis died the day before the first ever episode of Dr Who was broadcast and like Dr Who this version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has excellent production values but low budget special effects. I think the animatronic of Aslan must have absorbed quite a lot of the special effects budget. The two-dimensional animations of the various creatures contrasting with the three-dimensional Aslan mar the impact of an otherwise good production as do the rather humanoid beavers and wolves. But Barbara Kellerman is every bit as good as Tilda Swinton and the four child actors playing the Pevensie children are excellent. Thanks to the films of more recent years and a DVD promotion by the Daily Mail this BBC version of the second Narnia book will have gained a new following. It might lack the special effects and spectacular New Zealand locations of the 2005 film but I still recommend it highly.

This film features characters and a plot which one would normally expect to be located in the east end of London. Or if it was about gangsters hiding out in a continental city one would expect it to be Amsterdam. But no, it's Bruges. The plot may seem relatively simple but there are a lot of deeper meanings in the film in the imagery of Bosch paintings and references to religious relics. Bruges is a city well worth visiting which I have been to a couple of times before but for me the city will never be the same again after seeing this film. The film is an 18 certificate and one can see why. Kids who may want to see it because it features four moonlighters from the Harry Potter films should not be allowed to. There is a lot of swearing in it and the scenes where people get shot are quite grisly. There is also one scene which is not for people who suffer from vertigo. Very good and Clemence Poesy also looks hot in a slip!