Once Upon a Time In Tinseltown

Two films of their particular times fall to be considered. The earlier of the two brought down the curtain on the swords and sandals school of epics. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) is massive in scale and conception - filmed in Spain it must have set some sort of record for the number of horses deployed as extras. Alec Guinness is good but dead by half-time, Sophia Loren is alluring, James Mason dignified, Stephen Boyd a little wooden, Christopher Plummer a little over the top perhaps but you might argue that the character demands it. The three hour duration does not drag. Films don't get made this way any more (the epic may be back in fashion but CGI has changed the game) and that very fact gives it an attraction. Not good for my street-cred but I rather enjoyed it. 62/100. 

Maybe I'm getting soft but I didn't much like John Wick (2014). It is slickly delivered and the violence is beautifully (seriously) choreographed. I'm also perfectly happy with watching Keanu Reeves - he has presence. But, really what is the point of the wall-to-wall killing? And I ask that as a man who is an unapologetic enthusiast for Titus Andronicus. 59/100. Hey ho.