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Welcome to Cinema Banana. Peel a banana and watch a film. See banana ratings below for maximum satisfaction.

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Review: The Avengers (2012)

May 10th 2012 09:46
The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon.

If there was ever a film that needed little introduction then this is probably it, but for those not in the loop (and who evidently having been either living under a cinematic rock or in some high-art zone of snobbery) The Avengers kicks off when the rogue Asgardian Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes to earth with intention of global domination. Government agency S.H.I.E.L.D. – led by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – must gather together earth’s mightiest heroes to combat this menace, and that means not only getting the likes of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, in his Marvel movie debut), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to appear in the same room, but somehow getting these somewhat conflicting personalities to work as a team.



Expectation can be difficult burden when working on a creative endeavour like this, and there have obviously been huge expectations about The Avengers – after all, this is what all these Marvel films have been leading up to since the end of the first Iron Man movie. Could Marvel pull it off and not disappoint? The masterstroke was hiring Joss Whedon, and he manages to not only strike a balance between character development and action sequences, but meet expectations and raise the bar that little bit higher for all Marvel films that follow.

Downey Jnr. is always a delight as Tony Stark, and Evans and Hemsworth continue their fine work as Cap and Thor. Johansson and Renner get their roles expanded greatly and they bring them to life as interesting individuals that you’ll want to see more off. Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner / Hulk is my favourite cinematic interpretation yet. Ruffalo has always had an interesting presence, and Banner as a character has progressed nicely since his last appearance on screen. Using the Hulk sparingly (and to great anticipatory effect for the audience) leaves you wanting more of this version of the jade giant. Jackson makes the most of finally getting to do more substantial work as Nick Fury, adding that special element Jackson brings to all of his work. A special mention must go to Clark Gregg, who gets to shine once again as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson, and it’s a fine reward for all his work in the previous Marvel films laying the groundwork for this superhero epic.



One of the big achievements of The Avengers (and one that will certainly pay dividends in the future) is the way it brings together these disparate characters and not only tells a highly entertaining story but greatly enhances the shared cinematic universe they all inhabit. And that’s something that will please all who see this film, and not just Marvel nerds from way back like myself.

The Avengers may clock-in at over two hours, but I could have gladly sat through another two hours easily. The way these characters interact will leave you yearning to follow them on their next adventure. The Avengers not only met any expectations I had, but surpassed them and left me wanting more.

Four and a half Assembled Bananas out of Five.

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Review: Air America (1990)

April 26th 2012 12:37
Air America
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode.


Air America, or as I call it “Fun with Aircraft”, stars Robert Downey Jr. as Billy Covington, a bored and restless young pilot who takes a job with the CIA-run private airline working out of Laos during the Vietnam War. His new mentor, Gene Ryack (Mel Gibson), shows him the ropes while also revealing the hidden purposes of their supply missions. But soon Billy and Gene finds themselves caught between a rock and a hard place.

The premise of the film, based on accounts of former pilot with the real Air America, has a lot of great potential – but the problem with the execution is that the film itself seem to still be working-out what type of film it wants to be. At times quite funny, the filmmakers try to add the kind of absurdist humour found in M*A*S*H or Catch-22, but sadly it comes across as forced when compared to the more dramatic sections of the film. This comes down to problems with the story; when you try to service disparate elements the film as a whole suffers. An example of this is the AmericAid character played by Nancy Travis. She has just enough of a presence in the film to make the tail-end of the plot work, but not enough development to give that part of the story the full dynamic impact it could have had.


Despite these issues, the film is still very enjoyable. Both Gibson and Downey display the charm and innate likeability that made them stars, and it is fun to step back to a time when Gibson was at the height of the first stage of his Hollywood career (pre-Oscar), and Downey still in his intial ascendancy. They have the kind of easy chemistry that captures your attention. They would team-up once again in the 2003 adaptation of The Singing Detective. The supporting players, such as Ken Jenkins and Lane Smith, add some nice flavours to the film. Special praise must also be given to Cinematographer Roger Deakins and Aerial Unit Director Marc Wolff – their work is visually stunning and a highlight of the film.

Ultimately the blend of comedy and drama doesn’t quite find the right balance, leaving the film lightweight but none-the-less enjoyable, helped by the likeable work of Downey and Gibson.

Two-and-a-half Airborne Bananas out of Five.

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Review: Murder By Decree (1979)

April 12th 2012 21:25
Murder By Decree
Directed by Bob Clark.

When you hear the concept of this film, you should know straight away if you want to see it or not. It’s Sherlock Holmes and his trusty comrade Dr. John Watson investigating the Jack the Ripper crimes. If that’s not enough to convince you, how about this for a cast list: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Anthony Quayle, John Gielgud, Frank Finlay and Donald Sutherland. If you’re not interested by now then there is just no pleasing some people.



Bob Clark was mostly known to me for his work on Porky’s (1982) and the Yuletide favourite A Christmas Story (1983), so it was fun to see the range of work he was capable off in Murder By Decree. The well-crafted atmosphere grabs you right from the beginning – a misty night in London, the worn cobblestone streets of Whitechapel, the chimes of Big Ben a distant siren song in the night air. A spectre of death rides the streets in a black hansom cab. We then cut to the Royal Opera House in another part of the city, and it may as well be in another world for it truly is another England – one of light and sound and life, and it is here that we find Holmes and Watson and follow them through this investigation.

The story is well put together, and if things do slow down a little towards the end you won’t mind because by that point you are some invested in the characters. The cast delivers all-round, and with names like those mentioned above you would expect to see some great work. Some portrayals of Holmes tend to have a narrow emotional spectrum, but this interpretation gives Plummer more room to move and the film is much richer for it, with Plummer owning the role. James Mason plays a slightly older Watson than we usually see, but it is a warm and intelligent performance and his chemistry with Plummer is superb – and as any Conan Doyle fan would know that chemistry is the key element. David Hemmings, Anthony Quayle and Frank Finlay are especially good in their supporting roles – but lets face it, some actors can add class and x-factor to a film just by being there. And you can never have too much Frank Finlay. A special mention must be made for Genevieve Bujold in a small but key role - she really hits a home run.



Of course the idea of having Sherlock Holmes investigate the Ripper case has been done before – it’s too good an idea for it not to have been explored several times. What you might be interested to learn is that just such a film, A Study in Terror from 1965, also happened to featured Anthony Quayle in a supporting role and Frank Finlay playing the same character he plays here.

Great atmosphere and some very fine performances make Murder By Decree a highly enjoyable film.

Three Elementary Bananas out of Five.

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Movies about the Movies – Volume 1

March 26th 2012 10:37
As you’re probably aware by now, this year’s winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture was The Artist – a film that is a celebration of the movies and an affectionate love-letter to the end of the silent film period. The Artist is by no means the first film to centre on filmmakers and the filmmaking process – that type of story has been around almost as long as the medium itself. So here at Cinema Banana we’ll be taking an occasional look at some of the other memorable ‘Movies about the Movies’.

To kick things off our first two selections just happen to be comedies by well known Writer/Directors


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The Collaborators:
Billy Wilder (Writer/Director) & I.A.L. Diamond (Writer)

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2011 Top 10 List With A Twist

December 15th 2011 08:46
So we've well and truly arrived in December here at Cinema Banana, and around this time of year critics generally reveal their Top 10 list for the year. Whether they review films, television, music, or geometric shapes, you can expect to see some sort of year-ending list of the best (or worst) of whatever the given subject may be.

But I'm going to take a different look back on the year that was, and list the Top 10 films that I haven't yet seen from 2011 that I'm looking forward to catching-up on during the festive season


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Film is an inherently collaborative medium. It takes a team of professionals (or passionate amateurs) working in a range of roles to put together the finished product you seen on cinema screens. And like life in general, when you find someone with whom you can combine your efforts and make something greater than the sum of its parts, then you’ll want to continue finding ways to collaborate on future projects.

It also helps if you genuinely like the other person


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Memorable Movie MacGuffins: Ronin

September 16th 2011 03:07
MacGuffin = a plot device that catches the viewers attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction. The MacGuffin must be of vital importance to the major players in the story, but its exact nature may be ambiguous, undefined, generic, left open to interpretation or otherwise ultimately unimportant to the true meaning of the story.


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Review: The Guard (2011)

August 30th 2011 03:52
The Guard (2011)
Written and Directed by John Michael McDonagh.

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Review: The Other Guys (2010)

August 15th 2011 10:28
Directed by Adam McKay.

In The Other Guys, desk-jockey detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and his tough-talking partner Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) suddenly get their big chance to tackle a high-profile case – and escape from working in the shadows of the super-confident and high-profile detectives Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) – when they encounter a corrupt investor (Steve Coogan


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