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Newark, Newark (2022)
Brilliant comedy - but to really enjoy it you'll have to leave your SE England snobbery at the door though
Brilliantly acted. So good to see families that are not the same old posh middle-class families from SE England in a comedy. There 60 million people in UK who don't live in SE England. Main character Morgana Robinson is brilliant in her role. And so is Saskia Chana. Really good script. Put on the subtitles if it helps. One of those silly funny comedies that doesn't take anything too seriously, should have more of these.
And Matthew Horne who used to play the grandson of Catherine Tate's character Nan is hilarious too.
And of course Jai Hollis who plays the classic little Britain character of the only gay in the village so well.
Beverley Callard play brilliantly plays the Mum that no one really wants to have.
But breakout star is Jessie Mae Alonzo who plays the best friend with the choice turn of phrase.
The Sea of Trees (2015)
Well-acted with a great story squandered by editor and/or director
Great story and well-acted but story's reveal is not brought out at all well by the director and or editor. Unless you pay attention to every word - or read all the subtitles - you won't experience the spiritual power of this movie. Ken Watanabe is good as usual and Matthew McConaughey matches him.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Painfully slow in places
There are some good bits in this movie and the trailer makes use of them. But then there are two bits which are just extremely slow and boring. Almost like they put in by the director to fill the time. Overall probably not worth investing 2 1/2 hours of your time.
Somm (2012)
Some good wine comment among the testosterone-fuelled wine bravado of sommelier candidates
Some good wine comment among the testosterone-fuelled wine bravado of sommelier candidates. It seems the only quality these candidates feel they need is to talk fast and with confidence - rule is just name any flavour that comes to your mind. So the aim is to convince the customer in the restaurant that you know exactly what you're talking about. And of course we know that the customer is always satisfied if they have been convinced by a sommelier that the wine they are having is wonderful and well worth the price. Consumer psychology 101.
Hold the Sunset (2018)
Watch just for Jason Watkins
Thank goodness for the wonderful acting and timing of Jason Watkins to make this sitcom watchable. First his delightful performance on W1A and now saving this.
Bicycle (2014)
The rise and fall of cycling in Britain
This film plots the rise and fall of cycling in Britain. From the penny farthing bike that only athletes could use, to the safety bicycle invented in Coventry by a car manufacturer, to the modern day passion and success of cycling amongst a wide variety of 2014 British society.
The bicycle was massively popular in the 1930's as a cheap and pleasant form of personal transport. It was still popular in the 1950's but then the economic boom from the 1960's and greater availability of cheap cars meant people switched from bike to car. This move was exacerbated by the Buchanan Report of transport planning, which ignored the needs of the cyclist in favour the motorist. From the crucial early 60's until the early 80's all town planning was devised based on the needs of the motorist, with no provision for cyclists, which meant cycling in cities became more risky and less attractive.
The film looks at the rise of the cyclist voluntary group, Sustrans, from building one off-road cycle route from Bristol to Bath along an old railway line with just a few tools and volunteers, to its £42m lottery funding to create a National Cycle Network in 1995.
It also charts the rise of competitive cycling in Britain. At one time British cyclists were only good at time-trialling (a timed race where you cycle alone) and no good at other cycle races. The film suggests this may be because all cycle races were banned by British authorities for being too dangerous.
Cycling's new life started with Chris Boardman's gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 on a bicycle designed in Britain with help from Lotus, the sports car manufacturer. Then came lottery funding to fund training for British cyclists and the construction of modern velodromes. Then came 8 gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics. (The total medals were 12, twice as high as the second country in the medal table.)
The Ramen Girl (2008)
If you like Ramen you'll love this movie.
Stick with it during the first 10 minutes which is incredibly similar to the opening of Lost in Translation. Then the movie is Lost in Translation meets Like Water for Chocolate meets original Karate Kid. Great acting from the Japanese cast. Amazing how native English-speaking director could get all these Japanese actors to act so well and naturally. He must be a big Japanophile. But unfortunately compared to them, the non-Japanese actors are amateurs. Maybe Brittany Murphy is passable. Nice that it is mostly in Japanese with English subtitles. So a big change from Lost in Translation that came out five years earlier. If you like Ramen you'll love this movie.
De rouille et d'os (2012)
great acting but unlovable film
Great acting from of course Cotilard but also the supporting actors Corinne Masiero and especially Matthias Schoenaerts. Sometimes uncomfortable to watch. But Schoenaerts gives a great exposition of a person destined to criminality; a man with moderate psychopathic tendencies. He lives his life oblivious of consequences of his actions. So he doesn't take care of his son, he forgets appointments that are important to others, he gets into illegal fights that could permanently disable him and he doesn't see the consequence of his actions on others' feelings. An unlovable character and yet for some reason Cotillard's character finds him attractive. Corinne Masiero gives an impressive performance of a downtrodden woman who no longer looks after herself and does not care about her appearance. She accepts her destiny as a cashier at a supermarket and believes it represents the full extent of her worth.
Get Him to the Greek (2010)
Funniest film ever, if you like Hill and Brand
I can't remember laughing so much at a film. I am a big fan of Russell Brand and Jonah Hill and to see them both play off each other so well was amazing. And Sean Combs adds to the mix brilliantly. Loads of drug and sex references so am really glad I watched it without my young family. Russell is in his element, so much better than his Forgetting Sarah Marshall. This is his height of playing fading rock stars with drug and relationship issues.
And I love the homage to the M&M scene from the cult film Withnail and I; spoiler the bit where he pick out certain colors of M&Ms when at the airport; a story recounted by one of the characters about a rock star who would only eat certain colors of M&M./spoiler
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Chief sound editor deserves a Razzie
Great film with some stunning effects and shots, such as the homage to King Kong with a 180 degree pan of Batman on top of Gotham building. Great actors, but what happened to the sound? Seems a lot of the dialogue is unintelligible to native English speakers over 45 years old. My kids could hear fine, but my wife and I and the press at the London screening couldn't decipher the dialogue at times. 'Most of us at the press show couldn't even hear the dialogue' said Nigel Andrews, the Financial Times reviewer on July 19th 2012.
I don't know about you, but I hate missing out on dialogue, especially in a Nolan film where there are bound to be great subtleties at play that will heighten the overall film experience. So the chief sound editor should certainly be up for a Razzie. Trouble is, there doesn't look in the crew list like there was a chief sound editor and perhaps that was the problem.
The Iron Lady (2011)
More about dementia than Mrs Thatcher
One of the great post-war prime ministers and this film focuses mostly on her dementia in old age and some regrets she may have had about not investing more time in her family.
So what this film is trying to do is 'cut the tall poppies' and bring her down to size as just a regular old lady with dementia and some life regrets. Are we meant to be inspired that there is no point trying to achieve anything great because we will have to sacrifice our family and will have some regrets in older life?
That said, Meryl Streep is phenomenal in this role. She just keeps getting better as she gets older herself!
Archipelago (2010)
Best parts of the film are the views of the Scilly Isles
It is as if these people were given no script but told to improvise the role of a dysfunctional family member. There is no resolution of the tensions or relationships at the end. The characters are not likable, nor can one feel empathy for them, so the film does not draw you in. There are, though some wonderful Ozu-like fixed camera shots, which the actors pass through rather than the camera follow the actors. But don't get me wrong, this is no Tokyo Story based in Scilly Isles. It is the kind of film to watch if you are very chilled and open to mild entertainment only.
To be honest if you want to see dysfunctional families in action you can just go to any shopping mall on a Saturday afternoon; why pay to see them on DVD/cinema? The highlights of the film are the views of the Scilly Isles, an unspoilt archipelago of islands off the coast South-West England.
Another Year (2010)
Stick with it for first 20 minutes
This is not a fast-moving action/drama. It is a real slow-burner. It starts very slow and then reels you in scene by scene by the sheer magnificence of the acting and the script.
We tried to watch this as a family, but our kids didn't appreciate it, so we switched off. But I put an evening aside and gave it another chance. I'm so glad I did.
The theme is the pleasure of strong relationships, loyal friendships, acceptance of other people, 'warts and all', and generally coming to terms with yourself in the autumn years.
This is definitely one of Mike Leigh's more optimistic films, so don't think it is Vera Drake part 2 just because he cast Imelda Staunton again.
Due Date (2010)
remake but good all the same
hey, this is clearly a remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It is very funny and has the same drive for 'wanting to get home' as PTA. At the end of the day is doesn't really have the redemption for the main character that PTA has. So let's call it 'PTA lite'. Worth watching all the same for the fantastic Zach Kalifianakis.
Glad that Zach had his chance to do his thing in the spotlight after his great Hangover performance. Robert Downey does a good neurotic male impression. But Jamie Foxx was not at all stretched in this movie; why ask him along when offering him so few lines? His whole section could be cut to 30 secs and keep the plot on track.