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seen any good flicks lately?
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Here’s a question for all you film buffs.
I once either saw a film or a trailer for a film at my local arthouse cinema. The story was along the lines of Battle Royale – stalking and killing each other until one person’s left.The name of it included a number – eg: Birmingham127 or Killzone239. I don’t know what language the film was in.
Anyone? Anyone?RS - I saw an odd film with them all in a circle and pulling the trigger on the person in front like russian roulette. It was a foreign language film but can't remember what it was called, but I know someone who would know. Or is it something different?
Just asked - it was called 13 Tzameti
Is this it?
Hello Soupy
No, it wasn't that one and I think that number was at the end and 3 digits; I can't be sure though. I've normally got a good memory re: films I've seen, but I've seen a lot now and maybe I only saw the trailer for this one. Hmmm.
I saw Bridesmaids on DVD at the weekend. Not something I'd normally watch, but someone at worked pressed it on me.
I thought it was well-done, not too schmaltzy and I laughed a bit. So watchable for me but not amazing.
@Squawk. Have you seen the BBC series of 'Tinker Tailor etc...'? If you've not, try and catch it - Sir Alex Guinness is masterful as Smiley. Though, I really enjoyed the Oldman performance in the film. The BBC also pretty recently had the 'Karla Trilogy' and other Le Carre stories on Radio 4 - Simon Russell Beale was Smiley and did an excellent job... made for a dozen or so interesting hours whilst working.
Am off to see 'Thatcher' tonight. It'll be interesting to me whether I'll be able to be objective or not...
Oo... I like a nice puzzle... hmmm
You've got me stumped then Squirrel. Let us know when you find out won't you.
Anyways, I've been to see The Artist. Me and Mr SD are divided on this one. I thought it was great. Very clever use of music/silence/sound. The plot is a bit corny and could almost be an alternative remake of Singing in the Rain (without the rain). Acting is first class and its certainly worthy of an oscar or two. Mr SD was disappointed but maybe its more of a girlie film? My verdict - well worth seeing (8/10) if only for the dog. I want the dog.
Went to see The Iron Lady last night, very good film and rather moving. Meryl Streep awesome acting, Oscar deserving
War Horse next
@Booey - have you seen War Horse, the play? I'd be amazed if the film is half as good.
Did some Googling and found it!
Series 7: The Contenders
Way back in the mists of time when this reviewer was a callow youth, he looked around and saw grave injustice in the World. This injustice was deep, it was callous and it seemed to be deliberately cruel. It’s not the time nor the place to discuss this injustice nor the manner in which the cruelty was gratuitously inflicted - but we are all products of our environment and history, and therefore I’d be grateful if the reader of this review bears in mind the inherent political bias that might just creep into the tone of the next 500 words.??
The Iron Lady isn’t an awful film by any means but from the outset make no mistake about it- it is a bad film. The purpose of this review is to explore why.
Well, from the start I was dreading a ‘Thatcher’ Hagiography - the sort of film that would have glossed over her many flaws and concentrated upon ‘Thatcher as icon’ and force for good (or bad); a sort of ‘Ali’ without boxing gloves or ‘Cash’ without his guitar. This film doesn’t do this - in fact, it might have been a better film if it had, as the end product is so insipid it doesn’t do that much at all! I blame this plot flimsiness firmly on the screenplay - if you cannot write a film about a subject as complex and controversial as Mrs T and make it interesting, let alone moving - it’s time to give up screen writing and move over for someone with talent.
I felt as if the writer and director had been given the vivid and exciting pallet of Vincent Van Gogh to paint their portrait of Maggie and had chosen only to use light blue and pink - it didn’t work. It ignored political controversy like my dog avoids baths - I’d liken it to making a film about the Titanic and leaving out ‘the bit in the middle with the iceberg’. Turning the film into a small scale character study of a character as huge and as fresh in recent memory as Mrs Thatcher was a blatant cop out and to be quite blunt - film making cowardice in the face of the enemy.
The best thing in the film is Meryl Streep in the lead role: Streep marinates herself in the essence of Thatcher. Her portrayal of her looks eerily accurate: she’s an astonishing mimic - but I’m left with a question - is effective mimicry good acting? I feel as if Streep carries this film from complete rubbish to just about tolerable; though Jim Broadbent provides a good foil as Dennis and several character roles were well played.
The early feminists used to say that ‘the personal is political‘ and I get the feeling that the screen writer was trying to play on this theme and use the narrative of the deeply personal proto-feminist struggle of Mrs Thatcher from grocer’s daughter to Number 10 as a focal point - and this could have worked with a stronger script. Instead, we’re left with a hollow film which fails to resonate any of Thatcher’s quarrelsome and some would say, domineering personality.
The film also manages to get several events spectacularly wrong; including Mrs Thatcher’s supposed feminism, the timing of certain well known events and the completely invented political stance of Thatcher not dealing with despots - (Oh yeah? tell that to Pinochet and the 1980s government of South Africa) ??
So, if you remove the blatantly Oscar hunting Streep from this film and what are you left with? Hardly anything that would qualify as coherent plot and virtually nothing interesting.
A film about Mrs Thatcher that becomes tedious and uninteresting - how the devil did they manage that...?
4/10 - take a good book
I'd narrowed it down to Route666!
I'm not sure if I want to see War Horse. I've a bit of a problem with the whole thing.
The play is very good, brilliantly staged as you'd expect from the NT. The horses are fantastic, the acting very good, but the play does sag a bit in the second half and is probably 20 minutes too long. My beef with it is that a lot of the audience are there to see a play about a bloody horse. Millions of innocent people died in the conflict of WWI, and people are left weeping at the horse. Of course, the horse is the everyman, a character for kids to identify with and try understand the horror of war and how the decisions of stupid politicians effect the innocent. But for grown ups, there are better plays about war. Puppetry is even done better, or at least on a grander scale elsewhere too.
I generally feel that animal films are a cheap shot - an easy grab of the heart strings when real human emotion is lacking. I could be wrong. War Horse seems to have good reviews so I could do worse with my £10 on an Orange Wednesday I suppose.
Having seen the play from Row A,centre-stage, at the NLT, I can say that War Horse is phenomenal.
The relationship is the primary device, yes and I am aware that it is a children's book, which is why I have my beef with so many adults going to see the horsey play/film.
As I said, I think the play is good and that staging is excellent. Just didn't ring my bell as loudly as it does others. At least it's not Mamma Mia.
Agree Inter; I don't think I've seen anything so spectacularly crap and I only watched 20 mins to see what all the fuss was about. What was Streep thinking of?
The In-Betweeners Movie
Took kazillions at the box office and I can see why. Extremely coarse, rude and sexist (although there were some redemptive "teen learns to treat women as people rather than as erm, "clunge"*-type resolutions for the pc crowd.)
I watched it with my two lads and we all laughed like drains. Mrs B left the room as she felt the attitudes on screen were quite extreme - I felt they were fairly typical of 18 year old lads.
Started to run out of steam after an hour and the "pairing up" of the speccie one with the gorgeous blonde was highly unlikely but it definitely gave me a lot of laughs - the dance scene in the nightclub was priceless.
definitely 8.5/10 if judged as a no-brain comedy.
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Saw 'Anvil: The Story of Anvil' last night on DVD. For those not familiar with it, it's a documentary about a Canadian heavy metal band who had minor success in the 80s but keep plodding on, working routine day jobs to fund their dream of maybe making it big again one day. In many ways it's a buddy film, focussing on the complex and co-dependent relationship between the lead singer and drummer. It's also about dreams, and the refusal to let them go despite no real promise of success.
But let's deal with the obvious point: it's Spinal Tap. The band have had various line-up changes (but no exploding drummers). They were once succesful, sharing the bill and paving the way for the heavyweights of 80s thrash metal. They're not really very good. They play to disappointingly small crowds in big venues. They argue a lot. They acquire a hopeless female manager who is attached to the guitarist. Their music sounds uncannily like Tap. They have inexplicable success in Japan. The drummer is called Robb Reiner. They argue a lot but love each other really. They come out with statements of unbelievable yet believable stupidity.
All the above make it difficult to believe this is a real documentary and I think the Spinal Tap comparisons are played up to, deliberately setting out to confuse the viewer as to whether this a spoof. Like Tap, it's very funny and yet has moments of deep poignancy. I was reminded also of The Wrestler, in the protrayal of people whose best days were brief and long behind them but they just can't let go. The ultimate triumph of this film is that, despite all their flaws (the quality of the music being the biggest one), you can't help but wish the band the success that eludes them for so long.
11/10
Soup Dragon - I'm off to see The Artist on Friday, I can't wait!
Saw the second Sherlock Holmes film the other day, really enjoyed it - a fun actioney film to watch over the xmas hols. I liked the nod to characters and plot devices in the Arthur Conan Doyle stories as well, the Reichenbach Falls incident and Colonel Moran.
I laughed myself hoarse at 'The In-betweeners' ... The missus thought it was tripe - liking it must be a bloke thing. (She laughs at stuff like Ab Fab and Vicar of Dibley - weirdo)
Not seen the 'Anvil' film - but it sounds interesting
Corinth - at 70 minutes it's worth watching, without taking up too much of your life if you don't enjoy. It's at the very least interesting in subverting the whole mockumentary genre and filming real subjects in a way that feels like it could well be fake.