BEARS IN HOLLYWOOD

I caught a flick I've been meaning to see for years the other day: Grizzly. It was on the best side on UK TV, The Horror Chanel.

An obvious member of that hairy sub-genre of movies, which we might call Bear Films, part of a larger Animal Films genre, Grizzly was essentially a vehicle for chiseled rangers to look chiseled in the pine forest. There was lots of drinking coffee and every time a rifle needed to fire it conveniently jammed. There were more faulty rifles in Grizzly than the local summer fairground.

Grizzly will have seemed menacing at the time - I may even have it in my VHS collection somewhere and possibly the tie-in paperback - but we have come to expect much more realism in our Bear movies, especially when old Yogi comes in to attack.

One particularly gruesome fray was in the wilderness thriller, The Edge, starring Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins. Just when you thought the mauling was over the bear came back for afters wrapped in a sleeping bag. Sleeping outdoors in bags seems to be a truly hazardous form of slumber.

However, I would say that its The Revenant that takes the biscuit for bear realism. This year's Oscar-winning epic contains a truly leg-crossing attack on the protagonist of the flick, one bearded Leo DiCaprio. I believe Andy Surkis of Gollum fame was underneath the bearskin. It really has to be seen to be believed, that's if you can actually bare to watch!

Bill B was telling me about another film called Roar, which is about big cats I think. I've never seen it and its on the list of creature features for me to check out this Easter break. Anyone know anything about Roar?

Have you a favourite bear or animal film or have any merchandise from any readers?