[Film] Film 2018

[Uncle Spielberg]

I managed to see the last showing at Brighton Odeon of The King of Thieves yesterday afternoon. It disappoints me how movies don't seem to stay on long these days, but with only 4 others at this screening I guess that explains why.

This film has a great cast and they put in great performances by and large. Some real laugh out loud lines as well as some sad moments and I always enjoy a British set movie which this does well.

I'm going to miss Michael Caine when he finally retires, and judging from this film, this can't be far off.

8/10

This is it's 4th week which is good, many films do not make it for longer than a week and it has taken over £ 5 000 000 at the uk box office which is a resounding success but I think it is a film that will do well here but not have broad appeal for much global success despite the cast

 

[Is it PotG?]

A true story from the war of bravery and courage.

One of only 12 Norwegian saboteurs to get away when sussed out, this bloke's route to survival whilst being pursued by a German with a point to prove is amazing, puts your modern day grumbles into perspective.

13.2 / 15

 

[Spicy]

On Chesil Beach:

The tale of a couple who love each other completely but for reasons best left for the film to explain, cannot be together. He spends the rest of his life unfulfilled and lonely. It really affected me this film. Not least because Chesil beach made up a huge part of my life and I scattered my Father’s ashes there. A brilliant adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novella. Stunningly shot.
8.5/10

I have read the book but felt the story was so sad I didn't want to see the film.

 

[The Clamp]

I managed to see the last showing at Brighton Odeon of The King of Thieves yesterday afternoon. It disappoints me how movies don't seem to stay on long these days, but with only 4 others at this screening I guess that explains why.

This film has a great cast and they put in great performances by and large. Some real laugh out loud lines as well as some sad moments and I always enjoy a British set movie which this does well.

I'm going to miss Michael Caine when he finally retires, and judging from this film, this can't be far off.

8/10

Was a very disappointing film. I gave it 1.5/10

 

[Spicy]

Nobody owning up to having seen the Mama Mia sequel that's shamefully been block booked for the DoY for the past month then?

I have seen it twice and will see it again if I get a chance.

 

[Meade's Ball]

The London Film Festival starts for me tomorrow with Widows, followed by a meagre 9 other films over a week or so, so i thought i would get in the mood for it by seeing a brace of flicks today. I'll speak of the second one first, as i suppose i want to forget it in a hurry. It was Venom, and there was me, and 2 other fellas in the cinema to see it. They didn't sound disappointed on departure, but maybe they had low expectations, which were ideally met. It is a shocker of a film. The trailer, i remember, had me feel strange, and a little sickened by the tone of Tom Hardy's voice. From when Hardy first appears i thought they had changed it a bit though, dubbing over with a deeper tone. Anywho, that mattered little overall really, as a tinpot anti-hero film ensued - in a Marvel-dominated universe (the trailer for DC's Aquaman looks shit) you can't put out rubbish like this and get away with it. It was like the 1990s, and the comicbook tripe that spilt out then, but with a third of it edited out. It was nonsense, and unfunny nonsense for the most part. Hardy couldn't make much of a go of it, and the odd colour of Michelle Williams - she was oranger than Gwyneth Paltrow - didn't fit the spectrum of any other character (if you can say that characters existed in this copped down bobbins). If there's a Venom 2 it cannot be as bad as this.

The other film i saw, though, which i rather liked, was The Wife. It can be difficult, though, to film a drama almost as if it is all in a theatre, and for the actors to perform in a cinematic way. Glenn Close does, as she's just excellent, but other actors can't match. My manager at work saw it and said that she wanted to see it again straight afterwards. I agree, but for 2 reasons. 1 to see all the little things that were said and done that fit with the dramatic conclusion, but also because i think it could have gone on a little more. A good watch, though, and a good story that you feel you know the end of as the resentment bubbles through engrossingly. I would think it's a Glenn Close Oscar performance, and the film is striking against lasting misogyny and what some over time forget. Glad i saw that.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Managed to book a couple of tickets for Though Shalt Not Grow Old. Not a fan of colour restoration but this does look very good. Only 4 tickets left at Duke Of York’s when I booked.

https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion...lff-62-peter-jacksons-they-shall-not-grow-old

 

[Is it PotG?]

Watched 22 July yesterday, the true story of the terrible Norway massacre by a right wing extremist in 2011.

Quite good, thought provoking.

9.6 / 12

Shall now move on to the probably superior U: JULY 22.

 

[Acker79]

My cinema going has been lax this year. Though I did go to the cineworld unlimited secret screening on Monday, which turned out to be The Hate U Give based on a wildly popular (in America) book about a teen girl who lives in a poor black area, but goes to a private school in a rich, mostly white area, and who witnesses her (unarmed) childhood friend being shot by the police during a frivolous traffic stop, and her two worlds start colliding as some people want her to testify to what she saw, and others want her to stay silent.

It was ok, but a little lightweight for the most part, then it seemed to force a happy ending to the story that made it feel like they solved the issue of young unarmed black men being killed by police. It felt like the text of the book was covered but not the subtext or the depth, and there was no flare or personalisation to the adaptation.

It felt like it was the secret cinema with the fewest walkouts (though I missed the last one, which was incredibles 2, I don't imagine many walked out of that). Part of me thought people didn't want to be accused of being racist.

 

[SpongebobSquarepants]

Saw A Star is Born last night. Not really my type of film but I loved it. Great performances from the 2 leads particularly Cooper
Live concert parts were very well done.
Gagas rise to the top seemed a bit rushed and unrealistic but that was my only gripe really

 

[piersa]

A true story from the war of bravery and courage.

One of only 12 Norwegian saboteurs to get away when sussed out, this bloke's route to survival whilst being pursued by a German with a point to prove is amazing, puts your modern day grumbles into perspective.

13.2 / 15

View attachment 101052

this is an very good film. 8/10. He's possibly the hardest man to have ever walked the earth!

 

[Meade's Ball]

So, I went to see Widows yesterday afternoon, and I thought was quite good. Not amazing, or endlessly thrilling, either socially, emotionally, or action-movie-ly, but reasonable. The film opens with a good car chase and action, and I suppose that is not what you are expecting from a Steve McQueen film, setting the tone for his capabilities. What follows that chase, in terms of sound, is a backing track free half of a film, with characters introduced and the time to mourn invaded by the debt left to the widows in question. Music appears in the second half of the film, when the heist is planned and the tension builds for the election that is going on at the same time, which some characters are also involved in.
I thought it had some good moments of action, and a well-acted lead in the form of Viola Davis, but didn't ripple with emotion, overall, to have me hugely feel, or be enthralled. A couple of reasonable twists, some horrible violence, and a cameo, I think, from one of the original ITV series cast members - I saw an Eastenders character at a funeral in the film and that must be one of the original widows - but the social commentary didn't feel potent and didn't strike like a Sydney Lumet film would with its human character - Steve McQueen, in my eyes, is a creator of rather cold cinema, and I wonder what it would give to the messages he wants to give by bringing a deeper element of human characteristics to his fare.
Anyway, I grumble, but it was a pretty good watch.

Today is a film in the arvo, followed by home to make dinner for mother and baby, and then down to the Secret Film.

 

[basque seagull]

I have read the book but felt the story was so sad I didn't want to see the film.

Great book but by Ian McEwan not Irvine Welsh...

 

[LlcoolJ]

So, I went to see Widows yesterday afternoon, and I thought was quite good. Not amazing, or endlessly thrilling, either socially, emotionally, or action-movie-ly, but reasonable. The film opens with a good car chase and action, and I suppose that is not what you are expecting from a Steve McQueen film, setting the tone for his capabilities. What follows that chase, in terms of sound, is a backing track free half of a film, with characters introduced and the time to mourn invaded by the debt left to the widows in question. Music appears in the second half of the film, when the heist is planned and the tension builds for the election that is going on at the same time, which some characters are also involved in.
I thought it had some good moments of action, and a well-acted lead in the form of Viola Davis, but didn't ripple with emotion, overall, to have me hugely feel, or be enthralled. A couple of reasonable twists, some horrible violence, and a cameo, I think, from one of the original ITV series cast members - I saw an Eastenders character at a funeral in the film and that must be one of the original widows - but the social commentary didn't feel potent and didn't strike like a Sydney Lumet film would with its human character - Steve McQueen, in my eyes, is a creator of rather cold cinema, and I wonder what it would give to the messages he wants to give by bringing a deeper element of human characteristics to his fare.
Anyway, I grumble, but it was a pretty good watch.

Today is a film in the arvo, followed by home to make dinner for mother and baby, and then down to the Secret Film.

I enjoy your posts very much Mr Ball but I do fear for your vitamin D levels when you spend so much time in darkened cinema rooms.

 

[Meade's Ball]

Often one learns of oneself through experience, whilst as age has it's glowering grip on one, i tend to experience less. This is a plateau, therefore, for myself and development. Although, i had a truth reinforced this evening, that i am not, and never will be, a whooper. Even a drunken whooper, no. Ok, i could easily be classed as a struggler to enthuse - or a miserable c*nt - but i prefer to think of myself as mildly against excessive cheer, and especially just for the sake of it. So, what i am on about really is that i know one thing of the future - I WILL NOT BUY A TICKET FOR THE SECRET FILM AT THE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL AGAIN. It's the second time it's happened - about 5 years ago i sat sour-faced for around 2 hours with my dislike for Greta Gerwig born in Damsels in Distress - and this time i saw The Green Book. You know, it didn't make me mad, even with myself entirely, but they obviously choose American films, and know that the ticket buyers will generally whoop, and rejoice at all comical moments that unfold with a mini-ripple of applause.

The film is based on a true story of a tough Italian guy in the early 1960s needing money and agreeing to drive Dr Jon Shirley, an acclaimed African American pianist, around the deep (racist) south. It's directed by Peter Farrelly of Dumb and Dumber To fame, so whilst the film is the first serious one he has directed, you get the sense of the lightheartedness he'll bring to proceedings. Some bits are amusing, and the story itself is worth knowing, but what carries it mostly is having Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. For all of that though, it wasn't for me, and i didn't stand to applaud at the end even when the big stars came out to talk about overthetoppishly.


The other film i saw today, Petra, was more to my liking. A cruel-hearted Greek tragedy type tale of a Spanish artist and what he does to his family. The narrative is juggled, each part revealing new truths that undermines the last, and delivers a couple of twists that only leave one bruised. Nicely acted and shot with a sort of pendulous and floating camera movement. Death and heartbreak. That's much more my bag.

 

[Spicy]

Great book but by Ian McEwan not Irvine Welsh...

I read the Ian McEwan book but still felt it sad that the marriage ended more or less before it had begun. Irvine Welsh didn't write "Chesil Beach".

 

[The Clamp]

I read the Ian McEwan book but still felt it sad that the marriage ended more or less before it had begun. Irvine Welsh didn't write "Chesil Beach".

It was originally my mistake. I knew it was Ian McEwan, it’s sitting on my bookshelf but for some reason I’m mybhead I get the two names muddled in my head .

The whole point of the film is that it is sad that the marriage ends on their wedding day. It’s the core of the story.

 

[dolphins]

Saw First Man yesterday, via 2D IMAX at Crawley. Thought it a wonderful film which really wasn't that much about the space race - and is really a film focused on the very human story of Armstrong coming to terms with grief. Would be interested to know how close to the real story it is; obviously they will have dramatised certain elements but feel that much is going to be true to how things were. It really reinforced just how brave/mad those involved were when you see the scenes of launches - that old thing about strapping yourself to a massive explosion has never felt more realistic to me than in this film. If you are seeing it, I would recommend IMAX - whilst a lot is focused on the characters' faces, certain scenes (on the moon, for example) look stunning with the added detail and size. Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy both turn in great performances, as do the supporting actors.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I saw First Man yesterday too, and thought it a quite moving drama. Part of the trick seemed to be detail in the dialogue that the average Joe wouldn't understand, and in doing so, these known legends sounded above us and realistic, even though they didn't look similar to the characters they played. The battle with Russia was a sometime element, but as Dolphins says this is about loss, and laying ghosts to rest. I wasn't blown away by the acting, but it played out well, and the technicalities were impressive, as well as the graphics.

This afternoon, though, I went to see Roma, the new film by Alfonso Cuaron. A black and white ode to Mexico City in the 1970s, and for all that it spoke of class and uprisings, the rich family that it concentrates on, and their relationship with the domestic workers, and in particular Cleo, was at its heart. The camera floated and drifted as it filmed them. Two scenes toward the end were just unbelievable. How they did one of them seemed impossibly real, and both scenes were shockingly upsetting and dramatic. Good heavens I had the wateriest eyes. Just amazing, and what a craftsman Cuaron is. Not sure I will be able to watch that again, but very glad I did the once. Festival cinema at its finest.

 

[Acker79]

I got around to watching A Star is Born this weekend. Eh. It was fine, but there were a few moments that felt like bad adlub taking me out of it, and it felt like Walk the Line did the self-destructive star better.