Titanic (1997)

I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. I have always found disaster stories fascinating, and this one is especially well done. The slow build is effective, setting up the theme of class inequality that is just as relevant now as it was in 1912. The scenes of the ship filling up with water are heartbreaking. James Cameron truly understands how to convey scale and spectacle.

I could have done without the “old lady looking back” aspect, which adds little and could have been cut entirely, but I suppose they wanted to make it a century-spanning epic.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo diCaprio are fantastic as the doomed young lovers.

Splash (1984)

Hugely entertaining film about a mermaid and a young New Yorker who fall in love. There’s lots of comedy value in the “life viewed through the eyes of an alien” aspect. There’s also a surprisingly poignant element: the “message” that you should be with the one you love, however “different” they might be. Being a 1984 film, it has the same look, feel, New York setting and music styles as other feel-good films from this time – such as Ghostbusters. In fact, you can almost imagine Bill Murray acting the Tom Hanks part. Best of all is the wide-eyed innocence of Daryl Hannah as the beautiful mermaid with the unpronounceable name (she speaks it once and the high-pitched noise she makes shatters the glass of all the TV screens in the department store). This film is a lot of fun, but it makes you think too. I enjoyed it even more on DVD today than I did at the cinema when it first came out. Plus, the ending is superb.

Aliens (1986)

Ridley Scott’s original 1979 Alien film managed to be amazingly subtle for a space-monster horror film. It was built on excellent pacing, characterisation and suspense. For some reason, James Cameron’s 1986 sequel is like a Vietnam war parody with the emphasis on more monsters, more action and a lot more shooting. The section showing the marines getting ready – accompanied by clichéd “military drumming” – is almost like an episode of The A-Team. This film is in love with weaponry – there are long, lingering shots of machine guns, etc. The supporting characters are poor and the dialogue is weak, with important moments given clunky lines such as “Die, you bitch!” The cry-baby character (who loses it completely) is particularly unconvincing: could they really not find a better actor? The young girl, “Newt”, adds cutesy sentimental value. Sigourney Weaver has huge presence, as always, but the material just isn’t up to her talents. It’s surprising that this very disappointing film is rated so highly when it lacks all the qualities that made the original so compelling.

Your Sister’s Sister (2011)

Memorable comedy-drama that wisely explores the sister–sister relationship rather than go down more standard “rom-com” routes. Some very funny lines, and much poignancy too – along with quite a lot of swearing. It deals with bereavement and loss, but in unexpected ways. Emily Blunt is charming and convincing as Iris, and Rosemarie DeWitt is equally impressive – if not more so – as her sister Hannah. A refreshing film.