Film Reviews by None

Charlie is bored. Nothing much happens in her small town. Then Uncle Charlie arrives. Suddenly life isn’t so bad. But someone should have cautioned her to ‘be careful what you wish for’. Niece and uncle, heroine and villain, are linked by name and blood. And thus are their mutual fates entwined.

Alec Guinness was made to play the part of George Smiley. And the rest of the performances are rock-solid - to mention one actor and omit others would be shameful, so just check the cast list, tell yourself 'they don't make them like that any more' and click on the 'add' button.

Once you’ve seen this, you’ll be looking to beg, borrow or steal series two. As Jim Bowen might say, “You can’t beat a bit of Phoenix Nights!” (How’s that for a review? Shabbah!)

Regarding his recent output, perhaps Mr Allen finds life less amusing now. I sympathise. But there is solace in the many pleasures Sleeper has to offer. After 32 years, not only does it still look good, but the music is also great, and the gags are a perfect highbrow/lowbrow mixture, meaning that the kids and I can be equally entertained.

The performances are fine. The maguffin that drives the hero is a simple one but much flows from it. My only criticism (without wishing to spoil the plot) is that the market scene really really drags – and it requires some goodwill on the viewer’s part to recover from this downturn. But your perseverance would be rewarded.

GOTG is undemanding fare. It’s stupid fun. Brendan Fraser is charming as always, John Cleese is ridiculous (in a good way) as the voice of George’s erudite gorilla companion and Leslie Mann is really quite cute. So, if you’re ready, sing along with me - ‘George, George, George of the Jungle . . . ‘

Kill Bill is larger than life - just like the genre to which it pays overt homage. Recognise this and you won’t go wrong. But if you’re the kind of person who thinks that generations of kids watching Tom & Jerry cartoons is the reason the world’s in such a mess, then give it a miss.