Classic Reviews (2026)

Happy Feet (2006)

Directed by: George Miller

Written by: George Miller, John Collee, Judy Morris and Warren Coleman

Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Magda Szubanski and Steve Irwin

Music by: John Powell

Rated: U

All emperor penguins in Antarctica are expected to win their mates over with a “love song”. Mumble (Elijah Wood), the chick of the best singing penguins in Emperor Land, Memphis (Hugh Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman), however, has a horrible singing voice, but can instead tap-dance his way to happiness. After being thrown out of his colony when the bigoted Elder, Noah (Hugo Weaving), blames him for the fish disappearing, Mumble and his Adele penguin companions, led by the suave Ramón (Robin Williams), must journey across the snowy wastelands to find the reason of the lack of food..

Notable throughout the animation community as one of the few animated films in 2006 that was actually better than average throughout that terrible year for animation, Happy Feet may not have aged well in terms of predictably and originality, but the outstanding animation and huge musical set-pieces make this penguin tale worth re-releasing in IMAX 3D (even if Over the Hedge and Flushed Away also deserved the nomination.)

While the jukebox musical format can get really annoying, especially with some really awkward innuendos (that infamous gif of Mumble and Gloria’s “positions” on the ice says it all), the realism in the animation is absolutely stunning on the big screen. However, Miller could have made each penguin look a bit different as nearly every emperor penguin apart from Mumble and the bigoted Noah, looks too identical, especially the love-interest, Gloria (Brittany Murphy) and Mumble’s mother, Norma Jean, looking like two identical twins. 

Overall, there is not much else to say about George Miller’s first foray into animation. Happy Feet may feel like a overblown extended music video at times, but it’s clear that his iconic style of directing and cinematography did manage to make this film stand out in such a weak year, despite it’s predictability and the questionable voice-acting.

Rating: 3.5/5

Labyrinth (1986)

Directed by: Jim Henson

Written by: Terry Jones

Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Brian Henson, Ron Mueck, David Shaughnessy, Michael Hordern, Denise Bryer, Timothy Bateson and Toby Froud

Music by: Trevor Jones

Rated: PG

Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly) is a teenage girl who loves fantasy stories, but hates looking after her new baby stepbrother, Toby (Toby Froud). After she wishes that Toby would be taken away by the main antagonist of her favourite book The Labyrinth, Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie), the seductive ruler ends up granting her wish. Instantly regretting what she said, Sarah is given only thirteen hours to escape from Jareth’s labyrinth along with a grumpy dwarf named Hoggle (Brian Henson), a massive hairy creature named Ludo (Ron Mueck), and a small fox-like knight named Sir Didymus (David Shaughnessy) before the Goblin King can turn Toby into a goblin…

Despite having a slightly clumsy narrative, and some out of place sequences such as the infamous Chilly Down and ballroom scenes , the final film directed by Muppets creator, Jim Henson, mostly works thanks to his amazing creature and production design of the world of Jareth’s Labyrinth, from a cave full of interactive hands to the incredible final sequence that takes inspiration from Salvador Dali paintings.

The characters of Hoggle, Ludo, the talking snail, the Banjo-Kazooie-like messenger, the pit of Hands and the rest are extremely well designed thanks to the efforts of Jim’s puppeteering skills and Trevor Jone’s score manages to give the Labyrinth a good sense of dread and wackiness.

Overall, as well as featuring a wild performance from the late great David Bowie and an incredible skill at world-building from the trio of Henson, George Lucas and even Monty Python’s Terry Jones,  Labyrinth is a fitting send-off for one of the greatest entertainers in the world and an incredible celebration of the talents of the late David Bowie.

Rating: 4.5/5

Blue Velvet (1986)

Directed by: David Lynch

Written by: David Lynch

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange, George Dickerson and Dean Stockwell

Music by: Angelo Badalamenti

Rated: 18

While caring for his recently injured father in his suburban hometown of Lumberton, North Carolina, college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) discovers a severed human ear in a field. After learning from the police that the ear may have something to do with a lounge singer named Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), Jeffrey, along with his girlfriend, Sandy Williams (Laura Dern), discover that the singer has connections to a dark criminal underworld, led by the psychotic gangster and drug lord, Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). However, things get even more complicated when Dorothy starts falling for Jeffrey…

Despite his recent passing, David Lynch’s legacy as one of the best modern auteur British directors, will never be forgotten. Although he had made a large impact early on his career with Eraserhead and The Elephant Man, Lynch’s ill-fated 1984 adaptation of Dune, had been a complete disaster both at the box office and critically. Thankfully, his fourth film, Blue Velvet, despite being very divisive when originally released, put him back onto the map and set the stage for his skill at mystery stories when Twin Peaks came along.

While the mystery presented in Blue Velvet, on paper, is quite easy to understand, this film thrives on Lynch’s skill at thematically dark imagery, underlying themes about the darkness of small town secrets and complex characterisation of its inhabitants, to tell this interesting film noir tale.

While much has already been said about Isabella Rossellini and the late Dennis Hopper’s iconic performances in documentaries, books and essays about this film’s impact on popular culture and Lynch’s filmography, Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern in one of her first movies, also manage to give their young protagonists, a lot of depth and character development, especially with the former’s Oedipus-like arc with Rossellini’s character. 

Overall, Blue Velvet is a fantastic and unique piece of cinema that, along with Twin Peaks, shows why David Lynch was such a unique voice of cinema history, even during a time period where New Hollywood cinema, was going out of fashion.

Rating: 4.5/5

Wild at Heart (1990)

Directed by: David Lynch

Written by: David Lynch

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rossellini and Harry Dean Stanton

Music by: Angelo Badalamenti

Rated: 18

A year after being jailed for manslaughter, Elvis Presley fan Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage), is reunited with his beloved girlfriend, Lula Fortune (Laura Dern). Setting off on a roadtrip to California, despite the fact that it will break Sailor’s parole, they both set out on a wild adventure of sex, fights and strange characters, while Lula’s deranged mother, Marietta (Diane Ladd), sets out to bring Sailor down, without thinking of nasty consequences…

Along with his ill-fated adaptation of Dune, Wild at Heart, also based on pre-existing material, is often regarded as one of the late David Lynch’s weakest films. However, while Dune has remained quite divisive, especially with the newer film adaptations getting more attention, Wild at Heart has gotten more popular over the years, even if the story is a lot wackier, even by Lynch standards.

Even if the shocking violent incidents in this film are remarkably tame by today’s standards, a few issues with Wild at Heart do remain, such as not having as much surprises or interesting characters than in some of Lynch’s other projects. However, both Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern have fantastic chemistry and their wild twisted Wizard of Oz-style arcs, do get some of the film’s best moments, especially with a much more satisfying ending than what the original book provided. While some of them lack enough screen-time to make them memorable, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Harry Dean Stanton and especially the Oscar nominated Diane Ladd (who, ironically, is Laura Dern’s mother in real life), all get fantastic supporting roles.

Overall, while not as trippy or as unconventional as his other works, Wild at Heart is another memorable ride as only David Lynch can provide!

Rating: 3.5/5

A Knight’s Tale (2001)

Directed by: Brian Helgeland

Written by: Brian Helgeland

Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Laura Fraser, James Purefoy and Alan Tudyk

Music by: Carter Burwell

Rated: 12A

Set in fourteenth century Europe, three peasant squires named William Thatcher (Heath Ledger), Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), are forced to act quickly, and dress the former in a knights’s costume to participate in a jousting match, after their master, Sir Ector (Nick Brimble), is killed during the sport. After winning, William decides to become a professional knight and jouster under the name of “Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein”. With the help of Roland and Wat, as well as a disgraced poet named Chaucer (Paul Bettany), a female blacksmith named Kate (Laura Fraser), and even an undercover prince (James Purefoy), William sets out to be the best jouster in history, while avoiding the attention of his jealous rival, Count Adhemar of Anjou (Rufus Sewell)…

The fact that Shrek was released one week after this film, may have buried this take on a medieval tale that also uses modern pop songs in its soundtrack into obscurity until a decade ago. However,  A Knight’s Tale, rather than be a parody of English mythology about knights, is a clever take on what a sports movie would be like, if the setting was changed to medieval Europe, and the sport was jousting, leading to some very funny and entertaining moments, that blend both these aspects together.

However, despite having a predictable plot, A Knight’s Tale is not  without its charms, which mostly consist of supporting actors like Paul Bettany and Alan Tudyk stealing the show, with the former playing a fictional version of Geoffrey Chaucer (the author of the story that this film loosely adapts from his Canterbury Tales), getting the biggest laughs.

The impressive production design of Medieval Europe and the jousting looks fantastic, despite the fact that this film was shot entirely in the Czech Republic, and Carter Burwell’s pop soundtrack, although distracting at times due to the amount of Queen songs used when compared to the other featured artists like David Bowie , is fun to listen to. 

Overall, it’s a shame that Heath Ledger was taken away from the world so soon, because A Knight’s Tale, along with 10 Things I Hate About You, was a great showcase in his skills in comedy, and is overall, a feel-good ride on whatever horse you ride on!

Rating: 3.5/5

The Revenant (2015)

Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Written by: Mark L. Smith and Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter

Music by: Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto

Rated: 15

During the Arikara War of 1823, fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), along with his half-Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), lead a group of fellow fur trappers to safety after they are attacked by an Arikara tribe. However, after Hugh is unexpectedly mauled by a bear, one of the group, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), betrays him by murdering Hawk after he objects to mercy killing his father. Hugh then sets out to cross the wilderness of Dakotas, to seek vengeance on Fitzgerald…

Regarded in popular culture as the film that finally gave Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Academy Award for Best Actor, The Revenant, a story based on the trek of fur trapper Hugh Glass after 1954’s Lord Grizzly noveland 1971’s Man in the Wilderness film, is a very well done example of how mainstream culture could make a slow paced autobiographical Western, one of the biggest original box office successes of the 2010s decade.

Despite its tendency to loose focus on its main revenge story, The Revenant is one of director Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s best films, alongside Birdman. While Leonardo gives his all as a traumatised soldier surviving numerous situations, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter, all give great performances as well, with Hardy’s full commitment to making his character as despicable as ever, setting up his future career for these types of roles, very successfully.

Overall, despite being as slow paced as a horse pulling a train at times, The Revenant’s great cinematography of the American wilderness, fantastic characters and in showing off the brutality of nature, does make it a must watch for anyone interested in this period of American history, or for DiCaprio fans in general.

Rating: 4.5/5

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Written by: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, Jacek Koman and Caroline O’Connor

Music by: Craig Armstrong

Rated: 15

In 1899 Paris, a young British playwright named Christian (Ewan McGregor) manages to complete a script for a group of eccentric performers, the Bohemians, and is assigned to present it to Satine (Nicole Kidman), the most popular actress working in Harold Zidler’s (Jim Broadbent) Moulin Rouge theatre. While Satine is currently being forced to sleep with the selfish Duke of Monroth (Richard Roxburgh) in order to support the theatre, she decides to help Christian and the Bohemians green-light Spectacular Spectacular, an epic Bollywood musical and soon, both Christian and Satine start falling in love…

Quite possibly the most insane film musical ever made, Baz Luhrmann’s magnum opus, Moulin Rouge, takes elements from Greek tragedy, vaudeville, Bollywood, Broadway and MTV music videos, in order to make it a film that one definitely has to be in the right mindset, in order to fully enjoy.

While not the first jukebox musical to exist, nor the first one to be adapted to film, Moulin Rouge! takes Baz Luhrmann’s auteur showmanship and pushes it to its highest level, even if it does result in the first act to be very rushed. Both Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman do have a sweet romantic arc, Jim Broadbent is lovable as always and while the tolerance of numerous clichés will be pushed to the absolute limit, the utter confidence of everyone involved will make these problems slip away.

Overall, Moulin Rouge! is a fantastic conclusion to Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain trilogy and while it may be too annoying for some people, the show must always go on!

Rating: 4.5/5

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Written by: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke and Elizabeth Debicki

Music by: Craig Armstrong

Rated: 12

Set during the Roaring Twenties, a young writer named Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) moves to New York City, to live more closely with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her grumpy husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton). When he ends up befriending his mysterious neighbour, a handsome billionaire named Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), Nick ends up falling in love with his lifestyle. But things start going downhill when Gatsby reveals that he once dated Daisy and asks Nick to help him get back together with her, with tragic consequences…

Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby had already been adapted into an opera and three previous film adaptations in 1926, 1949 and 1974, Baz Luhrmann’s love of the theatrical and artistic flair, would make him the perfect choice in depicting the colours and life of 1920s New York. However, this adaptation does completely miss the point of the source material, which was to critically point out the flaws of living with wealth.

The acting is fantastic, with Leonardo DiCaprio stealing every scene he is in as the charming, sneaky and tragically obsessed Gatsby, Carey Mulligan making an interesting Daisy and the likes of Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke and Isla Fisher, all giving memorable performances. Although Tobey Maguire’s take on Nick is way too similar to his Spider-Man performance, he does manage to get some emotional moments as well.

Overall, Baz Luhrmann’s take on The Great Gatsby lacks the subtlety and complexity of the novel. However, the fantastic acting, terrific production design and incredible costumes make this adaptation one of the best in visual terms!

Rating: 3/5

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Directed by: John Hughes

Written by: John Hughes

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Cindy Pickett, Edie McClurg, Lyman Ward and Charlie Sheen

Music by: Ira Newman

Rated: 12A

One sunny day in Chicago, is enough for the most popular student in school, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), to plan the best day off ever. After successfully faking an illness, Ferris, along with his hypochondriac best friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck) and girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara), head out to the big city to enjoy the day, much to the annoyance of Ferris’s sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) and the Dean of Students, Ed R. Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), who plans to catch him in the act..

Regarded as one of the best films ever made by the late John Hughes along with The Breakfast Club and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off may have different meanings depending on the perspective of certain characters or viewpoints, but while some of them, including the darker ones about Ferris’s personality, may be valid, it also does its job at being a moving reminder of how important good days of fun can be in life.

While still being utterly hilarious (especially with added context regarding Jeffrey Jones’s character’s constant pratfalls, being either even funnier or funnier in a twisted way regarding the actor’s fall from grace), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off also manages to be both a loving tribute to Hughes’s love of Chicago and very emotional at times, especially with Cameron and Jeanie’s character arcs. 

Overall, while some of Matthew Broderick’s acting can get a bit flat, almost everything about Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is absolutely perfect, in. comedy, soundtrack, and having a sheer sense of fun, much like the titular day!

Rating: 5/5

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Written by: Craig Pearce and Baz Luhrmann

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlewaite, Paul Sorvino, Paul Rudd, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau and Diane Venora

Music by: Nellee Hooper, Marius de Vries and Craig Armstrong

Rated: 12A

Set in modern day Verona Beach, the Montagues and the Capulets are two warring mafia empires and are constantly terrifying the residents with their violent fights. When Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes), the only children of the heads of the families, Ted (Brian Dennehy) and Fulgencio (Paul Sorvino), fall in love, Father Laurence (Pete Postlethwaite) hopes that their love will unite the families. However, a tragic event caused by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt (John Leguizamo), soon puts those plans in jeopardy…

Although there have been even weirder adaptations of William Shakespeare’s romance tragedy, Romeo and Juliet with seals, garden gnomes and lions, this 1996 modern take on the tale really takes the biscuit here. 

Fresh off his success with Strictly Ballroom, Baz Luhrmann’s infamous directing style of fast editing, extreme close-ups and completely crazy tones, might have been a complete disaster for the most famous tragic romance story of all time. However, despite numerous unintentionally funny moments, Romeo + Juliet does manage to keep the message of the play intact and Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are acceptable versions of these characters, even if more could have been done with other characters, aside from the late Pete Postlethwaite.

Overall, Romeo + Juliet does have a very  divisive presentation that not everyone will get, especially with the decision to keep the original dialogue of the play, despite the modern setting and replacing swords with guns, while the characters keep calling them swords or daggers . However, the acting, the score, the wacky presentation and great performances from the leads and Pete, does make this one of the most interesting Shakespeare adaptations out there.

Rating: 3.5/5

Elvis (2022)

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Written by: Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner

Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Luke Bracey

Music by: Elliott Wheeler

Rated: 12

Lying on his deathbed in 1997, disgraced music producer Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) thinks about the life of his greatest success, Elvis Presley (Austin Butler). Spanning from their first meeting in 1955 during his early career, the creation of his songs, his army deployment, the death of his mother, his marriage to Priscilla Bealieu (Olivia DeJonge), to his American tours during the final decade of his life, a once close relationship between Elvis and Tom soon starts to fall apart, when the latter’s dark secrets are exposed…

As one of the trends of the modern film industry right now is turning the lives of famous singers such as Freddie Mercury, Elton John and even the Cornwall-based Fisherman’s Friends into the hit films; Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman and Fisherman’s Friends, it was only a matter of time before the King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley, would get his time to shine in a biopic.

Although Elvis has been the subject of hundreds of films such as Viva Las Vegas, Jailhouse Rock and Blue Hawaii, and his music has been featured in thousands of more examples such as Lilo & Stitch and even the 2014 Godzilla film, this film is a biopic covering his entire life,rather than certain random events such as John Carpenter’s 1979 television film or the likes of Elvis and Nixon. 

Choosing to tell his life from the perspective of one of the most controversial figures in the King’s career, Colonel Tom Parker, is an interesting direction for Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby’s director, Baz Luhrmann. Both Tom Hanks and Austin Butler have excellent chemistry together, with the former going from warm and grandfatherly, to the abusive bully with perfection, and the latter doing a fantastic job in portraying the King’s movements and singing voice.

As expected from a Baz Luhrmann film, Elvis looks incredibly colourful and cinematic in terms of production and costume design and Austin Butler’s  performances, despite being rushed at times, are all great versions of classic Elvis songs! 

Overall, Elvis is a fantastic and lively celebration of the man’s career, for visual style and ambition alone!

Rating: 4.5/5