PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES (1987)

Advantages: Highly enjoyable, good acting
Disadvantages: A thin script, light on ideas, too many inappropiate 80s pop songs

...John Hughes' PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES was released in 1987, the decade of Hughes' moviemaking heyday. After a stew of poptastic teen films such as SIXTEEN CANDLES, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF and THE BREAKFAST CLUB, this film would mark his first foray into adult territory; but is it any good? Neal is an upright and stiff marketing consultant in New York, a couple of days before Thanksgiving. All he wants to do is go home. So after his flight has been delayed due to bad weather, Neal, easily badgered, is nothing if not a little grumpy as he waits in the crammed airport. Here, in his misery, he briefly meets a happy-go-lucky big fat slob of a man who when onboard the delayed plane he finds to be no other than his seating neighbour. His name is Del, a shower curtain ring salesman, and if Neal's demoted first-class ticket to coach wasn...

Charles_Strickland 01.01.1970 · Read review
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Review of Planes, Trains And Automobiles (DVD)

Chariots of Ire

Advantages: Great film
Disadvantages: Poor sound and vision quality, no extras

...Chariots of Fire (a plot synopsis is to follow in another review ? and before anyone accuses me of going to regurgitate this op ? this op is solely about the DVD and which will be clear from the rating of the DVD as opposed to the rating that the film will receive) has a place in cinematographic history, having won four Oscars in 1981, including the Oscar for best film. The title though is a deliberate pun, the quality of this DVD angering me due to its inadequacy, when the film is a great film. In April 2001, a DVD version of the film was released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the film, and I bought this DVD from the Virgin Megastore on Vienna?s Mariahilferstraße for EUR 29 (that?s approx £18), although it is available at amazon.co.uk for £14.99 (reduced from £15.99) plus postage and packing at the moment. I bought it...

Morgenhund 01.01.1970 · Read review
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Review of Chariots Of Fire (+CD) (DVD)

Virgin Trains

Advantages: Good service
Disadvantages: None

...I recently took a Virgin Train (and have used them a fair few times in the past) to go up to Manchester so I though I would write about my experience. National Rail was privatized back in the 90's and as such different companies bidded on different routes that they wanted to operate separately and hopefully profitably. Virgin trains successfully bid for the West Coast Main Line which covers over 401 miles through Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, North Wales and Glasgow. As I was going to Manchester this was therefore the train company I had to take. Virgin Trains are part of the Virgin Group which of course is a Richard Branson enterprise. The Virgin Group's share of the company is 51% and the remaining 49% is held by the Stagecoach Group. Virgin trains are very easy to spot as they have the familiar Virgin written across...

Spottydog11 01.01.1970 · Read review
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Review of Virgin Trains