Shameless Self Expression

In the early 1900s, American businessman Fred Clark finances an expedition to Egypt where the tomb of a pharaoh is uncovered. Clark, being shameless, plans to show off the finding across the globe and make millions. Unfortunately, something gets lost before Clark can do that. Namely that the damn mummy disappears. Then members of the expedition party start turning up rather dead. Ronald Howard and Jack Gwillim play Egyptologists, with Jeanne Roland playing Howard’s fiancé. Hammer good luck charm Michael Ripper is uncomfortably cast as an Egyptian servant named Achmed, whilst George Pastell plays an Egyptian official who is totally not going to side with the mummy. Terence Morgan turns up as a rich guy crucial to the plot at some point.   One of the lowest points in Hammer Films history, this stuffy 1964 mummy film was written and directed by Hammer producer Michael Carreras. Carreras also directed the mostly dull “Maniac” , and partially directed “Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb” ...

Set in a place called Megasaki City, the place has been ravaged with a supposed dog flu. The city’s mayor Kobayashi Kunichi Nomura) declares all dogs be banished to Trash Island. Some time in the future we are introduced to dogs like Chief (voiced by Bryan Cranston), Rex (voiced Edward Norton), King (voiced by Bob Balaban), Boss (voiced by a wasted Bill Murray), and Duke (voiced by Jeff Goldblum). We follow them on their day-to-day struggle to survive on Trash Island, when all of a sudden a small aircraft arrives out of nowhere on Trash Island.   I just can’t get onto the Wes Anderson ( “Rushmore” , “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou” ) vibe, I’m afraid. The one Anderson film I did like was his gorgeous-looking stop-motion “Fantastic Mr. Fox” , based on one of my favourite books as a kid by Roald Dahl. I was hoping this 2018 animated film was gonna be another winner. Sadly, despite some fine elements, this one comes up a bit short for me. Scripted by Anderson, the first act ...