Stylish, glamorous and cool is how I remember the “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” when growing up in the 60’s, with the incomparable Robert Vaughn playing the titular “Man” (Napoleon Solo, famously named by Ian Fleming no less) and with David McCallum having a rapidly increasing presence as his Russian colleague Illya Kuryakin. I must have … Read more
As befits a film that could be subtitled “MI-5”, much of the action that underlies Tom Cruise’s latest outing as IMF agent Ethan Hunt is set in London and concerns shady goings on at British Intelligence. After ruthlessly gunning down a fellow agent in a record shot (the delectable fashion model Hermione Corfield) Ethan Hunt is … Read more
Pixar have always specialised in making multi-layered films that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults in equal measure. They have also developed a truly astonishing ability to tap into a parent’s deepest emotions, such that while their kids were quietly enjoying the animation of the first few minutes of “Up”; Jessie’s song from … Read more
OK, so I will probably target the wrath of a legion of fanboys but as a PhD Physicist I will categorically state that much of the science in the Marvel universe is total nonsense. For example, it requires a certain suspension of belief that whole cities can be levitated. But it’s called “Science Fiction” for … Read more
During “Love and Mercy”, the new biopic on the life of Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame, the words of my old maths teacher Mr Green came wafting through the years to me – “An idiosyncrasy is a little madness”, he used to say, “and I have so many they’ve made me what I am … Read more