FILMS

Film Reviews by Jordan Adcock

OPERATION MINCEMEAT

FILM OF THE MONTH - Star Rating: 3/5

Operation Mincemeat, where the dead body of Glyndwr Michael was used to smuggle fake documents to mislead Nazi Germany, is perhaps the most extraordinary act of deception in the history of warfare. However, this film manages to make the extraordinary, well, more ordinary, if still well-acted and directed on its own more modest terms. Colin Firth dependably plays Ewen Montagu, the naval intelligence officer increasingly distant from his wife and who settles into creating “William Martin” with Jean Leslie (Kelly Macdonald) who provides the photo of “Martin’s lover”. Matthew Macfadyen is perhaps the strongest of the cast in playing the uptight, unlucky-in-love RAF officer Charles Cholmondeley who helps refine the “Trojan Horse” plan originally thought up partly by Ian Fleming of all people (it’s a shame Johnny Flynn’s suave portrayal of Fleming is absent from the film for long stretches).

There’s a stuffy admiral (played by Jason Isaacs of course), Winston Churchill, gloomy wartime London interiors, a brief battle scene: This war film has it all, apart from really exploring the story’s most unique, fascinating aspect. I really recommend reading Ben Macintyre’s account of the deception, on which this film was based. It captures how odd the story was, including the full cast of characters and their nuances plus the surrealism of constructing a man that never was. Who was Glyndwr Michael? He lived a sadly curtailed, unremarkable life but you won’t get much impression from the film of that or the quandary of erasing his identity, which apart from one very disposable scene otherwise treats the hunt for a body as a tame comedic montage. ✪

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 THE NAN MOVIE FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE

Star Rating: 2.5/5 Star Rating: 2/5 Star Rating: 2/5

The first Sonic film from 2020 was most famous for hastily redesigning its CGI version of the iconic video game character to look much more accurate and appealing. If only its sequel had greater finesse but it’s more sluggish than sonic. It not only brings back Jim Carrey as the wacky evil scientist Robotnik, hurling out one-liners no matter how silly, or introducing more game characters in the red echidna Knuckles and the plucky Tails as a sidekick for Sonic, it weighs itself down with dragged-out filler sequences. They include a Siberian dance-off and a crashed Hawaiian wedding and like most of the film are distracting enough, though it’s hard not to notice the obligatory human supporting actors trying in vain to be as animated as their digital counterparts. ✪ Leaving it late doesn’t quite cover comedian Catherine Tate bringing her cantankerous Nan character to the big screen, over 15 years after the comedian’s sketch show ended. And while Nan certainly delivers the swears and insults she’s known (and loved?) for, the obligation to provide a filmic narrative where she and grandson Jamie (Matthew Horne) travel to see her dying sister means lots of more drama-based flashbacks to World War II. Basically, anyone hoping to relive the show’s comedic heights will be disappointed. Ah well, at least there’s still some decent exchanges between Nan and Jamie while on the road to Northern Ireland, where the film most resembles the original show’s dynamics. Diversions involving an animal rights extremist and garish collage animation to shift the plot along are less welcome. ✪ Think Extraneous Beasts more than Fantastic. These Harry Potter prequel films, despite their main title, aren’t really about Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) protecting magical beasts, and they definitely aren’t as magical as the boy wizard’s story. That The Secrets of Dumbledore improves over the last film, the baffling and infuriating Crimes of Grindelwald, isn’t high praise. It has a good main cast, especially Jude Law as young Dumbledore; Mads Mikkelsen is a decent replacement for scandal-hit Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, the would-be wizard dictator who shares a secret bond with Dumbledore. But they’re all left wandering from place to place, casting lots of magic spells but without any meaningful journeys or arcs happening. There’s only the promise of an overarching story that’s barely even started three films in. ✪

MORBIUS

Star Rating: 1/5

Jared Leto tries playing a tortured soul in Morbius but only audiences will be tortured by this abysmal comic book adaptation. The film’s a product of Sony Pictures racing to adapt all the Marvel comics characters they’ve got the rights for (apart from Spider-Man). In fairness, Leto is working with a rubbish script as Doctor Morbius, who experiments with vampire bat blood to cure his crippling ailments. The CGI-heavy results are cringeworthy and not helped by the actor’s laughably poor attempts at charisma and gravitas. Throw in Matt Smith trying to outdo him for sheer awkwardness and the result is trashy, even strangely watchable like a train wreck can be watchable: a “morbid” curiosity, perhaps? ✪

FUEL EFFICIENT DRIVING

Following on from last month’s piece ADAM TUDOR-LANE offers some simple driving tips that will further improve the fuel economy of your vehicle.

Last month we went through a few tips to try and eke out some more miles per gallon; they ranged from ditching excess weight to making sure your tyres are properly inflated.

Each one gave a small, maybe marginal amount of improvement, but add them all together, and you could save a fair few quid over a year. But where it counts is how you drive, so let’s see if you can save even more money on every fill-up.

Speed

It might seem obvious, but the quicker you drive, the more fuel you’ll use. For example, driving at 70 MPH you’ll use 9% more fuel than at 60 MPH and up to 15% more than if you were to drive at 50.

Driving on the motorway at 80 can use up to 25% more fuel than if you were to cruise along at the 70 MPH speed limit – think about that next time you want to keep up with everyone else.

Smoothness

Accelerating gently and progressively keeps the revs down, the engine doesn’t have to work as hard, so it uses less fuel. Read the road ahead and decelerate by lifting off the pedal and letting the car slow down on its own rather than braking.

Stopping and starting uses more fuel than rolling, so slow yourself down early at roundabouts or traffic lights, then you don’t have to come to a complete stop.

Gears

You’ve got gears for a reason, and changing up early keeps your revs down. Try to change up at 2,500 RPM in a petrol or 2,000 RPM in a diesel; this will make sure the engine isn’t put under strain; it’s just above tick over, so you’ll be sipping fuel.

Some small adjustments to your driving habbits could save you money

If you drive a modern automatic, you’ll usually find an ‘Eco’ friendly gearing option buried in the menus. Additionally, every car from 2014 onward has a gear shift notification to tell you when you should change up for best efficiency.

Maintenance

A well-maintained car will achieve higher MPG regardless of any driving habit changes. The oil will be thinner; it can breathe freer through a clean air filter, and the spark plugs will be working at their optimum.

While main dealer servicing can be incredibly pricey, an interim service at a third-party garage can cost as little as £80, while a full service will be around £140. If you aren’t sure which local garage you can trust, sites like - goodgaragescheme.com are worth a look; failing that, word of mouth is a great way to find a reliable garage.

See how much you can save

While crawling along below the speed limit may not appeal to many, changing your habits for just a week may be the jolt you need to make a longer-lasting change.

Take a note of your current MPG and reset the trip computer on your car. Then, drive as economically as you can for the next week and see how your MPG differs.

Using the Which? ‘Annual fuel cost calculator’ - shorturl.at/hmyC6 will allow you to see the difference your new-found zen will bring.

Driving 6,000 miles per year with a fuel cost of 160p per litre at 30 MPG equals £1,454 in fuel. Up that MPG by just 2, and you could save £91 a year. 34 MPG saves £171.

Jumping from 30 MPG to 38 (probably a tall ask) and you’ll have an extra £306 in your pocket.

While these may seem like small numbers, every little bit of money saved right now counts; a £300 fuel-saving this year could be money towards your insurance costs, home energy bills or simply an extra three tanks of fuel.