I like it when I buy something and I'm told it comes with a free salad, or money off my next purchase (providing I was going to make a next purchase - a voucher for money off cosmetics when I buy my lunch at Boots doesn't really do anyone any favours - not me, not Boots the Chemist, which is paying for the money and ink, and not the poor tree whose life was given in order that I can have a useless coupon).
So, when I turned up a few minutes early to see A Life in Waves, a film that I'd chosen to see on the strength of the trailer alone, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a couple of people making arrangements for a Q&A session after what I presumed to be my film.
For those who've never heard of it, A Life in Waves is a documentary about the work of Susanne Ciani.
For those who've never heard of her, Susane Ciani is a musician and composer. who was a pioneer in the field of electronic music in the 1970s, and who was responsible for the sounds of a number of commercials from the end of that decade - including the Coca Cola pop-and-pour sound effect.
Anyway, back to the film. I'm sitting in a packed screen - apparently everyone else got the memo that I missed - and the woman who is going to be the facilitator for the Q&A gives us the brief rundown before the start of the film. I was expecting someone like the boom operator, or if we were lucky, the director to be the subject of the Q&A.
I wasn't lucky.
So the film itself is the story of a fascinating personality. Susanne Ciani comes across one of those people with whom you think you could spend hours chatting. I won't go into much in the way of detail - I knew nothing about this woman's life or career before I went in, so I had the pleasure of experiencing her story as an unfolding surprise. I wouldn't want to deny anyone else that pleasure.
The film itself is nicely told. It's interesting, moving, thought-provoking, and it's completely reliant on its subject, who fortunately is worth making a film about.
As for the subject of the Q&A, it turned out to be Susana Ciani herself, speaking over Skype - so in addition to the film, that was an extra half an hour spent in the company of a very interesting woman.
Better than lucky.
Monday 31 July 2017
Saturday 29 July 2017
The Big Sick (2017)
Based on a true story, The Big Sick is a romantic comedy telling the classic story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy puts girl into medically-induced coma.
The film has something of the structure of an independent film - although unlike too many independent comedies, The Big Sick is actually laugh-out-loud funny rather than occasional wry smiles.
Aside from being funny, it's a very sweet story with likeable performances from most of the cast members. It's not the sort of movie that's going to rewrite Hollywood history, and it doesn't bring anything groundbreaking to the rom-com genre, but it manages to do what it does very effectively. It's certainly one of the better examples of its genre.
The film has something of the structure of an independent film - although unlike too many independent comedies, The Big Sick is actually laugh-out-loud funny rather than occasional wry smiles.
Aside from being funny, it's a very sweet story with likeable performances from most of the cast members. It's not the sort of movie that's going to rewrite Hollywood history, and it doesn't bring anything groundbreaking to the rom-com genre, but it manages to do what it does very effectively. It's certainly one of the better examples of its genre.
Friday 28 July 2017
La mécanique de l'ombre aka Scribe aka The Eavesdropper aka The Mechanic of the Shadow (2016)
I was a bit confused about which of the two English titles to use for this film with Google insisting that it was called The Eavesdropper - but the subtitle of the film's title card disagrees, so it appears that I watched something called Scribe instead. Although the literal translation of the French title should be something like The Mechanics of the Shadow/Shade (or possibly, to use what I imagine the closest UK-English equivalent to be, The Mechanics of the Spook (i.e. spy for American-English readers)).
Having seen the movie, I'm not entirely sure what the point of it was. The basic plot is that an accountant, (presumably) fired from his job because he has a drinking problem, is given a job transcribing tapes of various wiretaps. One thing leads to another and he's trying to extricate himself from a situation where he's being played by two different sides, while falling in love with a woman he's helping from his AA (the alcohol one, not the motoring organisation) support group.
As the title suggests, this is a French film.
The Americans do this so much better. As do the Brits.
To be fair, so do the French.
For what purports to be a political thriller, it doesn't feel very political or very thrilling. There's a neat little turn in the final act, which sort of plays in with the whole listening-in theme, but I'm not sure if that was intentional or accidental. Generally the story feels a little cobbled together, the moments of it quite insignificant, and the final denouement is something of a 'So what?'
Perhaps being French would have helped. But somehow I doubt it.
What the film did remind me as I was watching it were that there are plenty of other eavesdropping thrillers that deal with their subject matter so much better - The Secret Lives of Others, The Conversation, Enemy of the State - and I think I'd have found more value in watching one of those again instead.
Having seen the movie, I'm not entirely sure what the point of it was. The basic plot is that an accountant, (presumably) fired from his job because he has a drinking problem, is given a job transcribing tapes of various wiretaps. One thing leads to another and he's trying to extricate himself from a situation where he's being played by two different sides, while falling in love with a woman he's helping from his AA (the alcohol one, not the motoring organisation) support group.
As the title suggests, this is a French film.
The Americans do this so much better. As do the Brits.
To be fair, so do the French.
For what purports to be a political thriller, it doesn't feel very political or very thrilling. There's a neat little turn in the final act, which sort of plays in with the whole listening-in theme, but I'm not sure if that was intentional or accidental. Generally the story feels a little cobbled together, the moments of it quite insignificant, and the final denouement is something of a 'So what?'
Perhaps being French would have helped. But somehow I doubt it.
What the film did remind me as I was watching it were that there are plenty of other eavesdropping thrillers that deal with their subject matter so much better - The Secret Lives of Others, The Conversation, Enemy of the State - and I think I'd have found more value in watching one of those again instead.
Thursday 27 July 2017
Best Films of 2017 (So Far)
If it's good enough for Mark Kermode, it's good enough for me to offer my top ten favourite films of 2017. It isn't a halfway through the year list, as I have a couple of July releases on the list.
Starting off in January with the first film I saw in 2017 is A Monster Calls. Adapted from his own novel by Patrick Ness, it's a story about a boy coming to terms with his mother's cancer through the stories that are told to him by a giant tree monster (voiced by Liam Neeson). It's a wonderfully told story and when viewing, a large box of hankies is strongly recommended.
Hidden Figures, which was my favourite of the Oscar Best Picture nominees, is about the contribution of African-American women to the space race. As well as covering an important issue, it's also a fun, entertaining movie.
Beauty and the Beast for my money was a much better musical than La La Land. Some outstanding performances from the likes of Kevin Kline, Luke Evans and Josh Gad - and decent enough jobs done by most of the others. It's difficult to see past the animated version, but there are some nice additions song-wise, a decent expansion of the Belle-Beast love story with a subplot side trip to a Parisian windmill, and I watched it seven times at the cinema, so I must have liked it.
The Handmaiden was a Korean retelling of Sarah Waters' novel The Fingersmith. A very cleverly mounted production with a nice twisty plot and some gorgeous design. Erotic scenes mean that it's probably one that you don't want to watch in the company of elderly relatives.
Their Finest - a Second World War dramedy set around the production of propaganda films by the British Ministry of Information. Funny and moving with Bill Nighy chewing the scenery like the professional scenery-chewer he is.
Wonder Woman - aside from the climactic battle, one of the best superhero movies made. Can hold its head up with the likes of Superman the Movies (which also has a bit of a ropy ending).
A Man Called Ove - if you still have that box of tissues from watching A Monster Calls, you might need it for this. Very funny and touching film.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - the Spider-Man remake that no one thought we wanted. Only it turned out (in my book) to be one of the best of the Spider-Man films, and certainly the best Spider-Man actor we've ever had (and I'm including Nicholas Hammond).
War for the Planet of the Apes - Andy Serkis is brilliant. The film is great. That's all I think I need to say.
Dunkirk - pure cinematic joy.
Starting off in January with the first film I saw in 2017 is A Monster Calls. Adapted from his own novel by Patrick Ness, it's a story about a boy coming to terms with his mother's cancer through the stories that are told to him by a giant tree monster (voiced by Liam Neeson). It's a wonderfully told story and when viewing, a large box of hankies is strongly recommended.
Hidden Figures, which was my favourite of the Oscar Best Picture nominees, is about the contribution of African-American women to the space race. As well as covering an important issue, it's also a fun, entertaining movie.
Beauty and the Beast for my money was a much better musical than La La Land. Some outstanding performances from the likes of Kevin Kline, Luke Evans and Josh Gad - and decent enough jobs done by most of the others. It's difficult to see past the animated version, but there are some nice additions song-wise, a decent expansion of the Belle-Beast love story with a subplot side trip to a Parisian windmill, and I watched it seven times at the cinema, so I must have liked it.
The Handmaiden was a Korean retelling of Sarah Waters' novel The Fingersmith. A very cleverly mounted production with a nice twisty plot and some gorgeous design. Erotic scenes mean that it's probably one that you don't want to watch in the company of elderly relatives.
Their Finest - a Second World War dramedy set around the production of propaganda films by the British Ministry of Information. Funny and moving with Bill Nighy chewing the scenery like the professional scenery-chewer he is.
Wonder Woman - aside from the climactic battle, one of the best superhero movies made. Can hold its head up with the likes of Superman the Movies (which also has a bit of a ropy ending).
A Man Called Ove - if you still have that box of tissues from watching A Monster Calls, you might need it for this. Very funny and touching film.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - the Spider-Man remake that no one thought we wanted. Only it turned out (in my book) to be one of the best of the Spider-Man films, and certainly the best Spider-Man actor we've ever had (and I'm including Nicholas Hammond).
War for the Planet of the Apes - Andy Serkis is brilliant. The film is great. That's all I think I need to say.
Dunkirk - pure cinematic joy.
Sunday 23 July 2017
City of Ghosts (2017)
I have to confess to swearing (quietly, I was in the cinema) several times when watching City of Ghosts. If this movie doesn't elicit some sort of reaction from you, then you must be dead inside.
It's not a pleasant film, but then it's not about pleasant events. Some of the atrocities perpetuated in the film are shown in screen. It's not voyeuristic, in fact it feels very necessary, but it is horrific.
The film for those who don't want to have to check out the cinema listings, is a documentary about Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, a group of civilian journalists reporting on the events occurring in the Syrian City of Raqqa under Isis occupation.
If your knowledge of Syria, the Arab Spring, the Western response to events, the refugee situation, or the true Moslem response to Isis is something that's a bit patchy for yiu, then this is the film to see. In fact, see it anyway, because it'll still reach you something.
Be prepared to be horrified though. But don't avoid it because you're squeamish - the people in the film didn't have that luxury.
It's not a pleasant film, but then it's not about pleasant events. Some of the atrocities perpetuated in the film are shown in screen. It's not voyeuristic, in fact it feels very necessary, but it is horrific.
The film for those who don't want to have to check out the cinema listings, is a documentary about Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, a group of civilian journalists reporting on the events occurring in the Syrian City of Raqqa under Isis occupation.
If your knowledge of Syria, the Arab Spring, the Western response to events, the refugee situation, or the true Moslem response to Isis is something that's a bit patchy for yiu, then this is the film to see. In fact, see it anyway, because it'll still reach you something.
Be prepared to be horrified though. But don't avoid it because you're squeamish - the people in the film didn't have that luxury.
Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains Exhibition (runs until October 2017)
I have to confess that I was only peripherally aware of Pink Floyd. I knew they were the creators of Dark Side of the Moon, although I had never listened to it. The only one of their songs I could named was The Wall (or the Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone song as I knew it when growing up).
The notion of an exhibition dedicated to them didn't exactly fill me with much excitement. Some album art and maybe a bit of pop memorabilia for a band in which I had no personal interest. However, I'd recently bought membership at the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum to the culturally unaware), so I didn't have anything to lose, except an hour out of my day.
The first clue to the nature of the exhibition was the headset and attached metal box-with-LEDs-thing provided at the entrance to the exhibition. My immediate thought that this was some plan to turn us all into Cybermen - but I was assured that this was a location-based audio guide. Sennheiser headphones, so presumably they were serious about the quality of the sound.
The first indication that the exhibition was more than a few album covers was provided immediately inside the entrance to the exhibition as a giant black cab led through into the first room where we were treated to a multimedia experience of music, interview videos and a psychedelic, moving ceiling.
The layout in the first couple of rooms doesn't work particularly well with the crowds that a weekend visit attracts. Video interviews attract circles of people, which makes it difficult to get close enough to the exhibits. For those who can manage to squeeze past the crowds, the amount there is to see and read also slows the movement of traffic. With less people, there would be content to spend hours going over - as it was, I found myself skipping some parts, promising that I would come back another time.
Further into the exhibition, the crowds thinned out - possibly because they were all bottle-necked in the first two rooms. The layout further on make better use of the space - necessitated in part by the need for enough space to show off some of the Pink Floyd inflatables that were used in their stage shows.
Traffic management issues aside - and really the only way of preventing them would have been to have created a less compelling exhibition - Their Mortal Remains is a fascinating exhibition. Aside from presenting the album covers (and there is an entire room dedicated to the photography for the cover of Wish You Were Here), it provides a multi-media tour of Pink Floyd's history that gave me an understanding of the sheer scale of the influence that the band had and continues to have. It's also turned me from someone who didn't really care about Pink Floyd to someone who downloaded Dark Side of the Moon immediately after leaving the exhibition.
And despite only giving parts of the exhibition a cursory look, I still managed to spend two hours wandering through.
The notion of an exhibition dedicated to them didn't exactly fill me with much excitement. Some album art and maybe a bit of pop memorabilia for a band in which I had no personal interest. However, I'd recently bought membership at the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum to the culturally unaware), so I didn't have anything to lose, except an hour out of my day.
The first clue to the nature of the exhibition was the headset and attached metal box-with-LEDs-thing provided at the entrance to the exhibition. My immediate thought that this was some plan to turn us all into Cybermen - but I was assured that this was a location-based audio guide. Sennheiser headphones, so presumably they were serious about the quality of the sound.
The first indication that the exhibition was more than a few album covers was provided immediately inside the entrance to the exhibition as a giant black cab led through into the first room where we were treated to a multimedia experience of music, interview videos and a psychedelic, moving ceiling.
The layout in the first couple of rooms doesn't work particularly well with the crowds that a weekend visit attracts. Video interviews attract circles of people, which makes it difficult to get close enough to the exhibits. For those who can manage to squeeze past the crowds, the amount there is to see and read also slows the movement of traffic. With less people, there would be content to spend hours going over - as it was, I found myself skipping some parts, promising that I would come back another time.
Further into the exhibition, the crowds thinned out - possibly because they were all bottle-necked in the first two rooms. The layout further on make better use of the space - necessitated in part by the need for enough space to show off some of the Pink Floyd inflatables that were used in their stage shows.
Traffic management issues aside - and really the only way of preventing them would have been to have created a less compelling exhibition - Their Mortal Remains is a fascinating exhibition. Aside from presenting the album covers (and there is an entire room dedicated to the photography for the cover of Wish You Were Here), it provides a multi-media tour of Pink Floyd's history that gave me an understanding of the sheer scale of the influence that the band had and continues to have. It's also turned me from someone who didn't really care about Pink Floyd to someone who downloaded Dark Side of the Moon immediately after leaving the exhibition.
And despite only giving parts of the exhibition a cursory look, I still managed to spend two hours wandering through.
Friday 21 July 2017
Dunkirk (2017)
About a year ago,I was thinking about Dunkirk, as you do.
It probably had something to do with the war movie exhibition running at the Imperial War Museum. One of the films covered by the exhibition was Atonement - specifically the Dunkirk beach scene from the . It only touched briefly on that event though - Dunkirk seemed to be fairly absent from the recent cinematic narrative of the Second World War.
And then I heard the news that Christopher Nolan was making a movie about Dunkirk. Considering he"s one of my favourite directors, that should have been the perfect match.
The reviews this week have also been remarkably positive. Surely nothing could go wrong?
Well, yes, it could, but it didn't.
Dunkirk is a practically flawless piece of cinema. The scenes on the beaches are the best depiction of warfare since the Omaha Beach sequence in Saving Private Ryan. But unlike Ryan, at no point does Dunkirk fail to live up to its initial promise. It builds, and it builds, and it builds.
Like most of Nolan's films, it employs an unconventional narrative structure, which works incredibly well. The film is intelligent, visceral, and emotional in a beautifully understated way. There's no selfishness in the emotional moments - they're earned and never feel manipulative.
See this film in a cinema with a decent sound system. The sound plays as important a part as the stunning visuals. Acting is too notch too, with Tom Hardy and Kenneth Branagh the standout parts for my money.
There's so much else I could mention, but I think I'll by saying this is probably my film of the year (so far at least). Don't wait to see this one on the small screen if you can help it.
It probably had something to do with the war movie exhibition running at the Imperial War Museum. One of the films covered by the exhibition was Atonement - specifically the Dunkirk beach scene from the . It only touched briefly on that event though - Dunkirk seemed to be fairly absent from the recent cinematic narrative of the Second World War.
And then I heard the news that Christopher Nolan was making a movie about Dunkirk. Considering he"s one of my favourite directors, that should have been the perfect match.
The reviews this week have also been remarkably positive. Surely nothing could go wrong?
Well, yes, it could, but it didn't.
Dunkirk is a practically flawless piece of cinema. The scenes on the beaches are the best depiction of warfare since the Omaha Beach sequence in Saving Private Ryan. But unlike Ryan, at no point does Dunkirk fail to live up to its initial promise. It builds, and it builds, and it builds.
Like most of Nolan's films, it employs an unconventional narrative structure, which works incredibly well. The film is intelligent, visceral, and emotional in a beautifully understated way. There's no selfishness in the emotional moments - they're earned and never feel manipulative.
See this film in a cinema with a decent sound system. The sound plays as important a part as the stunning visuals. Acting is too notch too, with Tom Hardy and Kenneth Branagh the standout parts for my money.
There's so much else I could mention, but I think I'll by saying this is probably my film of the year (so far at least). Don't wait to see this one on the small screen if you can help it.
Thursday 20 July 2017
Chasing Coral (2017)
Chasing Coral is a Netflix documentary, so it's available on that platform, but it's also had a limited theatrical release. As I have a cinema pass and it was showing at my local Curzon, I opted for a big screen viewing of it.
I'm not a climate change denier, the current evidence (and in science it's always current evidence - that's no indication that I expect someone to come along and change their mind because they find DNA under the fingernails of the polar bears) points convincingly to human activities having a marked impact on the climate. However, it wasn't until I saw Chasing Coral that the actual impact really hit me.
Sure you can point to all the extreme weather as evidence of climate change - but we've always had bad weather and even though we've been getting more of it lately, it's hard to point to one storm and accuse climate change of responsibility.
Watching the bleaching (and death) of coral though is eye-opening. Particularly when the devastation is so immediate and so wide-spread. There's also an emotional impact watching this through the eyes of some of the crew filming one of these mass-bleaching events. At first the enthusiasm for coral, and the emotional response of the crew seems a bit overblown, but by the end of it I was fully engaged with their mission.
If you have a Netflix account, this is worth a watch.
I'm not a climate change denier, the current evidence (and in science it's always current evidence - that's no indication that I expect someone to come along and change their mind because they find DNA under the fingernails of the polar bears) points convincingly to human activities having a marked impact on the climate. However, it wasn't until I saw Chasing Coral that the actual impact really hit me.
Sure you can point to all the extreme weather as evidence of climate change - but we've always had bad weather and even though we've been getting more of it lately, it's hard to point to one storm and accuse climate change of responsibility.
Watching the bleaching (and death) of coral though is eye-opening. Particularly when the devastation is so immediate and so wide-spread. There's also an emotional impact watching this through the eyes of some of the crew filming one of these mass-bleaching events. At first the enthusiasm for coral, and the emotional response of the crew seems a bit overblown, but by the end of it I was fully engaged with their mission.
If you have a Netflix account, this is worth a watch.
Monday 17 July 2017
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
I like to watch films without too many distractions. Unfortunately, when War for the Planet of the Apes (pithy title) started, I had a couple behind me who thought they were on Gogglebox, a man setting next to me who had boundary issues, and then to top it all off the guy sitting across from me decided to start rustling and eating very loudly.
So about twenty minutes into the film, I decided to move - the front row (where my seat was located) was empty aside from Boundary Man and Rustling Guy.
Despite the distractions, the film still managed to sweep me up (at least once I didn't have everything else competing for my attention. Its central performance by Andy Serkis (playing Caesar) is possibly one of the best pieces of acting that I've seen this year - and that's from a CGI chimpanzee. Not that you could tell - the CGI seemed to be flawlessly integrated into the film to the extent that if I didn't know that apes couldn't talk, I would have sworn they were physically on the set with the human actors.
The story is solidly constructed. It feels like a bit of a throwback to older films - a mix of Vietnam War movie meets Biblical epic - and there's some influences from classic Westerns thrown in for good mix. It's a worthy follow-up to the previous film and in keeping with the shifting balance from the human story to the ape story, this one is told almost completely from Caesar's point of view.
I'm not sure if it's better than the second entry in the trilogy (and this film gives us a clear ending - at least of this chapter of the story) - I'll probably have to rewatch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to make that decision - but it certainly holds up well as a worthy successor to it.
Now I need to go back and see this again - hopefully without the distractions this time.
So about twenty minutes into the film, I decided to move - the front row (where my seat was located) was empty aside from Boundary Man and Rustling Guy.
Despite the distractions, the film still managed to sweep me up (at least once I didn't have everything else competing for my attention. Its central performance by Andy Serkis (playing Caesar) is possibly one of the best pieces of acting that I've seen this year - and that's from a CGI chimpanzee. Not that you could tell - the CGI seemed to be flawlessly integrated into the film to the extent that if I didn't know that apes couldn't talk, I would have sworn they were physically on the set with the human actors.
The story is solidly constructed. It feels like a bit of a throwback to older films - a mix of Vietnam War movie meets Biblical epic - and there's some influences from classic Westerns thrown in for good mix. It's a worthy follow-up to the previous film and in keeping with the shifting balance from the human story to the ape story, this one is told almost completely from Caesar's point of view.
I'm not sure if it's better than the second entry in the trilogy (and this film gives us a clear ending - at least of this chapter of the story) - I'll probably have to rewatch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to make that decision - but it certainly holds up well as a worthy successor to it.
Now I need to go back and see this again - hopefully without the distractions this time.
Thursday 13 July 2017
It Comes At Night (2017)
It Comes At Night is a subversively effective thriller. I don't know that I personally would want to see it again, but it's the type of film that I can imagine film students going to town on as they discuss what it's really about.
Set in a single location, it's the tale of a family who have fortified themselves in a house in the woods in an attempt to survive an apocalyptic plague.
It's an adult tale. The gruesome nature of some of the events is not dwelt on, but the themes are serious, as are the questions it asks.
The remainder of this post offers potential spoilers (although fairly obscure ones), but if you want to go into the film with no preconceptions then stop reading.
Its outlook on human nature, or at least the nature of the humans in the film, is a cynical one. Paramount to the characters is the family unit, and the film explores the lengths to which people will take this.
At times it also reads as a ghost story. It uses the language of haunted house movies at time, and the dreams of one of the characters could be read purely as visualisations of his inner worries, or they could be indicative of something else. It's a film that allows space for interpretation, although it can be read as a completely straightforward, realistic piece.
Set in a single location, it's the tale of a family who have fortified themselves in a house in the woods in an attempt to survive an apocalyptic plague.
It's an adult tale. The gruesome nature of some of the events is not dwelt on, but the themes are serious, as are the questions it asks.
The remainder of this post offers potential spoilers (although fairly obscure ones), but if you want to go into the film with no preconceptions then stop reading.
Its outlook on human nature, or at least the nature of the humans in the film, is a cynical one. Paramount to the characters is the family unit, and the film explores the lengths to which people will take this.
At times it also reads as a ghost story. It uses the language of haunted house movies at time, and the dreams of one of the characters could be read purely as visualisations of his inner worries, or they could be indicative of something else. It's a film that allows space for interpretation, although it can be read as a completely straightforward, realistic piece.
Wednesday 12 July 2017
Alone in Berlin (2017)
There have been a few World War II dramas in recent months. Another Mother's Son was released in March, Their Finest and The Zookeeper's Wife both had their UK release in April, and then we had Churchill in June.
What's notable about all these films is that they take place away from the front line. Another Mother's Son takes place in Nazi-occupied Jersey, The Zookeeper's Wife in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, and Their Finest and Churchill show the war from the perspective respectively of propaganda filmmakers and the allied war leaders.
Alone in Berlin continues this theme, showing the activities of a German couple and their small acts of resistance after their son dies fighting Hitler's war.
Based on a true story, the film serves more as a curiosity than anything deeper. It provides a peek at the life being led on the German home front, but its focus is narrow, so we don't see much beyond the scope of the couple's activities and the resulting police investigation (the lead investigator played by Daniel Bruhl, who also featured in The Zookeeper's Wife). There are moments where it shows something wider - the treatment of a Jewish woman living in the couple's apartment block, the preferential treatment given to the German elite, but generally it doesn't stray far.
Overall an interesting footnote to the war that shows not all Germans were fans of Hitler, but then to any student of human behaviour, that should come as no surprise. There are also a few interesting parallels to the current political situation in America, but I think that any time I see a film with Nazis, so that's probably just me.
The film itself is decently enough put together with some good performances from most of the cast (a couple of the minor characters engage in a bit of scenery nibbling though), but ultimately feels slight.
What's notable about all these films is that they take place away from the front line. Another Mother's Son takes place in Nazi-occupied Jersey, The Zookeeper's Wife in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, and Their Finest and Churchill show the war from the perspective respectively of propaganda filmmakers and the allied war leaders.
Alone in Berlin continues this theme, showing the activities of a German couple and their small acts of resistance after their son dies fighting Hitler's war.
Based on a true story, the film serves more as a curiosity than anything deeper. It provides a peek at the life being led on the German home front, but its focus is narrow, so we don't see much beyond the scope of the couple's activities and the resulting police investigation (the lead investigator played by Daniel Bruhl, who also featured in The Zookeeper's Wife). There are moments where it shows something wider - the treatment of a Jewish woman living in the couple's apartment block, the preferential treatment given to the German elite, but generally it doesn't stray far.
Overall an interesting footnote to the war that shows not all Germans were fans of Hitler, but then to any student of human behaviour, that should come as no surprise. There are also a few interesting parallels to the current political situation in America, but I think that any time I see a film with Nazis, so that's probably just me.
The film itself is decently enough put together with some good performances from most of the cast (a couple of the minor characters engage in a bit of scenery nibbling though), but ultimately feels slight.
Monday 10 July 2017
Song to Song (2017)
Snore to Snore is perhaps more appropriate in my case as I was struggling to stay conscious throughout this.
Beautifully shot, its script and editing are a stream-of-consciousness approach that relies on the viewer to piece together what's happening rather than providing a straightforward narrative. The editing approach is along the same lines of The Limey, although rather than the non-linear approach, this one appears to be linear (at least as far as I could make out), but fragmentary so that it will randomly jump forward in time. Dialogue is sparse, the narrative heavy lifting is provided by alternating narration from the main cast members - although it's a narration that remains elusive - a vague recollection of past events constructed like a bad attempt at poetry.
I suppose there might have been something interesting about the director's intent - but to me this comes across as a piece of self-indulgent 'Art'. It certainly wasn't enough to sustain its 2 hours running time - if you're going to be that experimental, please, please make something much, much shorter.
The Limey did it better too.
Beautifully shot, its script and editing are a stream-of-consciousness approach that relies on the viewer to piece together what's happening rather than providing a straightforward narrative. The editing approach is along the same lines of The Limey, although rather than the non-linear approach, this one appears to be linear (at least as far as I could make out), but fragmentary so that it will randomly jump forward in time. Dialogue is sparse, the narrative heavy lifting is provided by alternating narration from the main cast members - although it's a narration that remains elusive - a vague recollection of past events constructed like a bad attempt at poetry.
I suppose there might have been something interesting about the director's intent - but to me this comes across as a piece of self-indulgent 'Art'. It certainly wasn't enough to sustain its 2 hours running time - if you're going to be that experimental, please, please make something much, much shorter.
The Limey did it better too.
Saturday 8 July 2017
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
The question that you no doubt want answering most about the new Spider-Man film is - should you wait until the end credits have finished rolling - and the answer is: yes, yes you should.
And that's probably all you need to about the film.
Homecoming is the Spider-Man reboot that no one thought we needed. It's also the best Spider-Man film we've been given. It's the first Spider-Man film that feels as if it's populated by teenagers rather than thirty-year-olds trying to pass for 16.
The story is fun. The humour works. The high school scenes work. Peter's teenage frustrations work. In short, it works.
It's also very much a Marvel Studios movie. The best decision Sony made was to do their real with Disney. Hopefully they won't now make the mistake of thinking they can do this on their own and ruin the good thing they have going with this interpretation of Spider-Man.
And that's probably all you need to about the film.
Homecoming is the Spider-Man reboot that no one thought we needed. It's also the best Spider-Man film we've been given. It's the first Spider-Man film that feels as if it's populated by teenagers rather than thirty-year-olds trying to pass for 16.
The story is fun. The humour works. The high school scenes work. Peter's teenage frustrations work. In short, it works.
It's also very much a Marvel Studios movie. The best decision Sony made was to do their real with Disney. Hopefully they won't now make the mistake of thinking they can do this on their own and ruin the good thing they have going with this interpretation of Spider-Man.
Tuesday 4 July 2017
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
I really enjoyed Despicable Me - the original film.
However, I absolutely loved Despicable Me 2, which I put alongside Godfather Part 2, Toy Story 2, and Aliens as sequels that improve upon the first film.
Then there came Minions, which while watchable seemed like a step down from the previous two films. It was enjoyable, but in their own movie, the Minions were a lot less interesting.
For me, Despicable Me 3 falls somewhere between Minions and Despicable Me. The franchise is still far superior to most other non-Disney animations (and it's sequels are far superior to many Disney and Pixar sequels (Cars 2, Monsters' University - yes, I'm talking about you)). It still has it's funny moments (although some of them had been spoiled for me by seeing the trailer too many times), but it felt like a frozen moment in time. Despicable Me 2 worked on so many levels - character, humour, music.
DM3 on the other hand doesn't have much in the way of new character growth - although it has new characters. It has new Pharrell songs, but nothing on a par with Happy - or even Fun, Fun, Fun and Prettiest Girls from the first film. It's funny, but much more sporadically than the first film.
I still enjoyed it. We get some fun set pieces, some reasonably decent Minions slapstick, and it doesn't ruin anything. But it's no Despicable Me 2.
However, I absolutely loved Despicable Me 2, which I put alongside Godfather Part 2, Toy Story 2, and Aliens as sequels that improve upon the first film.
Then there came Minions, which while watchable seemed like a step down from the previous two films. It was enjoyable, but in their own movie, the Minions were a lot less interesting.
For me, Despicable Me 3 falls somewhere between Minions and Despicable Me. The franchise is still far superior to most other non-Disney animations (and it's sequels are far superior to many Disney and Pixar sequels (Cars 2, Monsters' University - yes, I'm talking about you)). It still has it's funny moments (although some of them had been spoiled for me by seeing the trailer too many times), but it felt like a frozen moment in time. Despicable Me 2 worked on so many levels - character, humour, music.
DM3 on the other hand doesn't have much in the way of new character growth - although it has new characters. It has new Pharrell songs, but nothing on a par with Happy - or even Fun, Fun, Fun and Prettiest Girls from the first film. It's funny, but much more sporadically than the first film.
I still enjoyed it. We get some fun set pieces, some reasonably decent Minions slapstick, and it doesn't ruin anything. But it's no Despicable Me 2.
 |
| Still the best |
Monday 3 July 2017
The Midwife (2017)
One of the advantages to Curzon membership is that it offers members-only previews of some films - usually something either a bit arty or not in the English language. So if being the first to see something that no one else has probably heard about floats your boat, then membership is well worth it.
My reasons for going to the preview showing of The Midwife were slightly less artistically-minded - it was showing at the right time, and it was also in the Renoir at Curzon's Bloomsbury cinema, which is the nicest of all their screens (and the only one where the projector isn't angled so that people at the back can cast their shadow across the screen when they arrive after the film has started).
The film itself stars Catherines Deneuve and Frot, and for anyone familiar with either of those two actresses is unsurprisingly in French. It's the story of a midwife (Frot) who has to deal with the arrival back in her life after 30 years of her father's ex-girlfriend (whose leaving contributed to her father's suicide), her clinic closing down, and as a third subplot, the visit of her college student son and his girlfriend. Plus there's a romantic bit with a truck driver.
It's a bit lacking in focus, and overstays its welcome by a saggy 20 minutes or so. The acting is great from Frot, who is incredibly watchable in her performance. I was slightly less taken with Deneuve - but that may have been more about her character, which seemed to be oddly muted. The part seemed to call for a more flamboyant character than we actually received - and as such wasn't as compelling as I would have liked.
Overall it was a watchable enough film, with some lovely camerawork and a nice pace to it - a little more focus, a bit of work on Deneuve's character and it could have really been something great.
My reasons for going to the preview showing of The Midwife were slightly less artistically-minded - it was showing at the right time, and it was also in the Renoir at Curzon's Bloomsbury cinema, which is the nicest of all their screens (and the only one where the projector isn't angled so that people at the back can cast their shadow across the screen when they arrive after the film has started).
The film itself stars Catherines Deneuve and Frot, and for anyone familiar with either of those two actresses is unsurprisingly in French. It's the story of a midwife (Frot) who has to deal with the arrival back in her life after 30 years of her father's ex-girlfriend (whose leaving contributed to her father's suicide), her clinic closing down, and as a third subplot, the visit of her college student son and his girlfriend. Plus there's a romantic bit with a truck driver.
It's a bit lacking in focus, and overstays its welcome by a saggy 20 minutes or so. The acting is great from Frot, who is incredibly watchable in her performance. I was slightly less taken with Deneuve - but that may have been more about her character, which seemed to be oddly muted. The part seemed to call for a more flamboyant character than we actually received - and as such wasn't as compelling as I would have liked.
Overall it was a watchable enough film, with some lovely camerawork and a nice pace to it - a little more focus, a bit of work on Deneuve's character and it could have really been something great.
Saturday 1 July 2017
A Man Called Ove (2015)
A Man Called Ove was originally released in Sweden in 2015 and it's only just made its way over to the UK this week. For selfish reasons, that's worked out well for me, as it's very unlikely I would have bothered to watch it back in 2015.
I don't want to say very much about this - except out of all the films I've seen this year, this is is one of my favourites. Funny, sad, uplifting - I spent twenty minutes after watching it recovering from the emotional rollercoaster ride it took me on. The cast are brilliant too - particulalry Rolf Lassgard who is note perfect as Ove, and Ida Engvoll who is absolutely luminescent in her role as Sonja.
Have to confess that I haven't read the book on which it is based, so I have no idea of how faithful an adaptation it is, but I found the film immensely charming.
Highly recommended.
I don't want to say very much about this - except out of all the films I've seen this year, this is is one of my favourites. Funny, sad, uplifting - I spent twenty minutes after watching it recovering from the emotional rollercoaster ride it took me on. The cast are brilliant too - particulalry Rolf Lassgard who is note perfect as Ove, and Ida Engvoll who is absolutely luminescent in her role as Sonja.
Have to confess that I haven't read the book on which it is based, so I have no idea of how faithful an adaptation it is, but I found the film immensely charming.
Highly recommended.
Risk (2017)
Risk provides an interesting portrait of Julian Assange - generally sides with the principles of Wikileaks (although doesn't shy away from implying that Wikileaks was tricked into doing Russian biding), but presents a view of Assange which is misogynistic, narcissistic, and controlling. It creates the sense that although Assange is providing a necessary check against those in power, his position as fox could have easily been that of foxcatcher had the circumstances of his life been different.
However, despite the interesting material contained within the documentary, as a film it falls flat. The storytelling in the film is confused, perhaps due to the shifting nature of the tale that the director originally thought she was making. The evolution of the film is really about the journey that the director is taking as she tries to reconcile the difference between her expectation of Assange with the unfolding reality. However, there is a timidity in inserting herself into the narrative, which means the story is lacking any real structure and becomes more a scrapbook of moments rather than a cohesive film.
However, despite the interesting material contained within the documentary, as a film it falls flat. The storytelling in the film is confused, perhaps due to the shifting nature of the tale that the director originally thought she was making. The evolution of the film is really about the journey that the director is taking as she tries to reconcile the difference between her expectation of Assange with the unfolding reality. However, there is a timidity in inserting herself into the narrative, which means the story is lacking any real structure and becomes more a scrapbook of moments rather than a cohesive film.
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Hong Kong Railway Museum
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