Slings and Arrows Season 3 - the final season of the show continues the excellent blend of drama and comedy and actually manages to avoid the pitfall of season 2 where the format followed was identical to that of season 1.

It seems as the makers were aware that this was going to be the final season quite early on, and as such, the show focuses on different themes than previous seasons (also reflected in the play being mounted in this season, King Lear).

The writing is still top notch and the performances are consistently impressive across the board (sarah polley also guest stars).

7.5/10



A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) - one of sergio leone's unsung films, coming in between his Dollars trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West, probably not surprising given that it's unlike most of his other westerns.

The focus is very much on character and not on atmosphere as is usually the case. That focus is the key to the film's success because otherwise it's a bit of a mess, a film that constantly feels like its struggling to find the right tone throughout its overlong running time.

Rod Steiger and James Coburn provide engaging performances though, and coupled with the interesting character development, make the whole experience worthwhile.

6.5/10


Hud (1963) - Great film, pretty much faultless in all departments. Its one of those movies which you can tell will be great within the first five minutes when elmer bernstein's score gels with the cinematography so well. And once the actors get on screen, its hard to take your eyes off them.

Of all the great Paul Newman performances, I have always thought Cool Hand Luke and The Hustler to be the most definitive. However, his work here is quite possibly even better. And it's matched by equally brilliant work by Melvyn Douglas and Patrcial Neal.

On top of all that, the script is great, one of those works where the dialgoue is able to give voice and articulate its themes without sounding phoney, preachy or overwritten.

9/10