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brettmcbain-1
Reviews
My Family and Other Animals (2005)
The first book we had to read at school that I enjoyed!
I recall being "forced" to read this book in a cold Winter in London in about 1978. The magic of the book is effortlessly transfered to this screen version. The only fly-in-the-ointment is that the book chronicles several seasons on Corfu, rather than the screen version with its perpetual Summer. That aside, it remains a solid piece of film-making and Mr Americanos (who is actually an Iranian comedian) shines as the families taxi driver. He would HAVE to have visited Greece to know that his character is perfect! Believe me, I lived in Greece for six years and people like him still exist. I lived in Crete rather than Corfu but, hey, it's a beautiful part of the world expertly shown in this film.
Silent Running (1972)
One of the finest endings...
The planet Earth has a constant temperature of 75f. The last remaining flora and fauna are dispatched off into space (their destination is never actually discussed) and several huge spacecraft wend their merry way as far as Saturn. Much to the delight of the ship's crews, the craft are ordered to return to Earth, and their precious cargo destroyed. While this is cause for celebration for most of the jaded crew members, Bruce Dern's character rebels. What is more important? The last remaining micro-forests or his crew-mates.. This is an intelligent and beautifully filmed near-future drama with a haunting soundtrack and an end scene that I defy ANYONE not to be moved by. You will never look at a robot with a watering can the same way again!