The Vanishing****

Last night's dvd was The Vanishing, not the 1993 Jeff Bridges, Keiffer Sutherland remake but the original 1988 one. I have seen it twice before and despite the fact that it is one of those films that you watch in anticipation of finding out what happens at the end, I still enjoyed it. The baddy is perfectly creepy in a "Harry, he's here to help" kind of way and the goody himself becomes slightly unhinged in the persuit of an understanding of the destiny of his vanished girlfriend. At 107 mins it has a perfect pace (and is a shocker the first time you see it).

Not one to watch with someone who is paranoid about being abducted.

Grattis på födelsedagen

All of us at Cloud Hands would like to wish the Yorkshire (and some time Sweden) readership, happy birthday.

Belleville Rendez-vous****

This is a 70 minute French cartoon about an old lady and her dog, on a mission to find the lady's son who has been kidnapped and taken to the States whilst taking part in the Tour de France.

Are you still there? The creator has not allowed himself to be burdened by too much reality and consequentially this is a really fantastic little film. It has a quirky style, full of beautifully realised, funny references to real life. Worth watching just to witness Bruno the dog going about his business.

(If you are thinking about watching it with a youngster, don't worry about the subtitles because there is very little dialogue).

One to watch with all sorts of folk.

Ladri di biciclette****

On Sunday I watched the famous Bicycle Thieves on DVD. The whole 90 or so minutes are taken up with the business of the main character's bike and how its theft affects him and his family. How could something so futile become the premise for what is considered by many to be an all time great film? For me it would have to be the allegorical nature of the thing as much of what goes on can be viewed as a metaphor for some of the rediculous things that go on in life. Although I also enjoyed the look of it, it's not exactly 21st Century stuff. Not one to watch with someone who has Attention Deficit Disorder.