If you’re looking for something deep and important about the human condition, then Greenmantle is probably not for you. This is ‘Ripping Yarns’ for grown ups, and it’s ripping stuff.

Greenmantle was John Buchan’s second novel to feature Richard Hannay, who first appeared in The Thirty-Nine Steps. In Greenmantle, Hannay is undercover behind-enemy-lines during the Great War. If you like old black and white war movies and want to read a similar kind of story, you’ll enjoy it.

Films like Hitchcock’s North by Northwest were innovative in their time and set the benchmark for future action and suspense films to follow, but films of this quality are rarely made today.

People these days expect films to move at a frenetic pace with no more than 5 minutes between ‘action’ scenes. action plots and characters are almost always the same: a down on his luck hero (a cop with a drink problem perhaps), an evil bad guy, and an independent sassy love interest (an ex-wife perhaps). As the plot and characters are almost always the same, films don’t need to waste time developing them. We already know how it goes.

We don’t even need convincing actors or good dialogue. The “actors” only need to deliver sound bites and look good while they do it. At some point the hero will make an intolerable speech about goodness, truth or justice, and will be involved in a chase of some kind (car chase if possible). Otherwise, the stunt double spends more time on camera than the lead actors do.

For the penultimate action scenes, the make-up department smear some dirt and blood on the lead actors and his love interest, carefully done to ensure they still look alluring. There might even be wet T-shirts. The supporting cast should include at least one sleazy female and a mutilated corpse. The overall effect is often is so slickly produced, it’s hard not to be impressed.

If North by Northwest seems, by comparison, dated and slow with an insufficient number of explosions, it’s because nobody makes this kind of film any more. There are no sleazy females or dismembered bodies. There is only one explosion. The love scenes are tame. Cary Grant isn’t a maverick cop and he doesn’t
make speeches about truth, or justice. The dialogue is excellent.

Although it may be a little dated, North by Northwest is still a pleasurable viewing experience that doesn’t assault your senses and insult your intelligence.

This isn’t the best written book I’ve read. It isn’t even Agatha Christie’s best. But the story has all the necessary elements of a ripping yarn. I picked up a second hand copy for 50 cents and thoroughly enjoyed the read.

It makes a nice change from all the serious, miserable fiction written that seems to be the prevailing taste these days.

A small dose of singing and schmaltz is offset by a little light serial killing and black humour – all in perfect harmony. Like prosciutto with melon – it sounds odd, but you’ll be glad you tried it.

Watching the film a second and third time, it remains engaging and even adds to the experience. Tom Cruise is good in the kind of role he is well suited to. The supporting cast is excellent, excellent, excellent! The film is well paced. Locations, cinematography and soundtrack combine to create a film that looks and sounds good.

Sneakers is fun; an all-star suspense caper with an interesting plot you can get engaged in, but without thinking too seriously. I have watched it several times and keep enjoying it.

I can see how this film might appeal to audiences unfamiliar with Jane Austen’s original novel or the 1995 BBC adaptation. As a fan of both, I found this film difficult to watch.

The opening music and cinematography were lovely, but otherwise I was disappointed. Most characters were miscast, especially Keira Knightley whose mumbled dialogue was barely audible at times.

It is difficult to understand how filmmakers using Austen’s original material could have ever produced a movie so lacking in warmth and wit.

This is simply the best adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Everything about it is superb: casting, performances, setting, cinematography, costume design, music, etc. All further versions will find it difficult to match.

The 2005 film adaptation (with Keira Knightley) was, frankly, unwatchable in comparison. Even Dame Judi Dench could not improve on Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.