tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9350178644187727822024-03-29T07:27:39.875+00:00'EVERY FILM'One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.comBlogger6743125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-1712862864677384132024-03-28T23:20:00.002+00:002024-03-28T23:20:27.840+00:00109. Biala Odwaga; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEtaNtqCjWeFME0de_JswxnWysvITtCOEcYFbrJ7RIEEqqxoBs8RMEZP8JzqUKWkpYd7wn2wvWf7JcTL63RATrr3_s4qt-MJR8NYcviCYFXc5dyyryjtxNHyuVkYMLB08igA7qygaS3lbs3Zea6qPiD34dlmqZh6yNyQ7gTt1S9uwGrHGyxog9Yi03Cbi/s848/MPL20240055_82888.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="589" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEtaNtqCjWeFME0de_JswxnWysvITtCOEcYFbrJ7RIEEqqxoBs8RMEZP8JzqUKWkpYd7wn2wvWf7JcTL63RATrr3_s4qt-MJR8NYcviCYFXc5dyyryjtxNHyuVkYMLB08igA7qygaS3lbs3Zea6qPiD34dlmqZh6yNyQ7gTt1S9uwGrHGyxog9Yi03Cbi/w278-h400/MPL20240055_82888.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BIALA ODWAGA</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">115 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, injury detail, sex, sexual threat, domestic abuse</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Watching European movies has taught me more about the Second World War than I learned at school or university.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The lid has been especially lifted on what happened behind what became the Iron Curtain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For example, I had no idea of the Gorals - people who lived in the highlands of Poland and who the Nazis attempted to Germanize.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Their racial theorists saw the Goral population as having Aryan features and being part of the wider Germanic race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is the subject of Marcin Koszalka's Biala Odwaga, which begins in the 1930s, before the German invasion of Poland.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It focuses on two very different brothers, Jędrek (Filip Plawiak) and Maciek (Julian Swiezewski), raised in a traditional Highlander family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Their father demands that Maciek marry a rival family's daughter (Sandra Drzymalska) despite her love for Jędrek.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The latter, a keen mountaineer, is outraged by the injustice of the decision and leaves to make his own way in Krakow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is when loyalties become stretched... does he play ball with the Germans who want to enlist him and even allow him to compete in mountain expeditions?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Or does he rebel in the light of their cruelty and his estranged brother's one-man stand against the Nazis?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I found Biala Odwaga enlightening and engaging, with impressive performances from all the leads.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Is it historically accurate? There has been significant debate about that, but it is nonetheless a gripping thriller.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Gripping Second World War thriller</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Some background knowledge needed</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 7.5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3sM-IkNuiG4" width="320" youtube-src-id="3sM-IkNuiG4"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> T</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">here are an estimated 600,000 Górale, whose origins can be traced back to wandering 15th-century Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Slovak and Vlach shepherds.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Marcin Koszałka: "I'm constantly being assessed, which is extremely stressful. I know it's impossible to make a movie that will please everyone. We'll see what the viewers think." <a href="https://film.interia.pl/wywiady/news-marcin-koszalka-wiem-ze-nie-da-sie-zrobic-filmu-ktory-zadowo,nId,7376049#:~:text=%2D%20Liczę%2C%20że%20po%20filmie%20rozpocznie,Koszałka%20o%20swojej%20najnowszej%20produkcji.">Interia Film</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-88539900559562776622024-03-28T22:26:00.003+00:002024-03-28T22:26:59.550+00:00108. Exhuma; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8XCTqyfpTAAjrhpUTdESZ2JudKIfg5PWUQHx4AgVfV3XVjA-ji5cNTXJ6QGGqtth3knMSRd74Xv6Np7rAfdW5YmarX01JHmh6RWcxxTYvceHEXaDF9qMmchaQ8jZDA_icQ_utZSOuUEEpt9vLXZhgdlhBT7L3or_alT81LYdoUgWMrIScpKqBK3xBdJL/s442/3118a8b351ab7ca03eadfea331a3648b_300x442.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8XCTqyfpTAAjrhpUTdESZ2JudKIfg5PWUQHx4AgVfV3XVjA-ji5cNTXJ6QGGqtth3knMSRd74Xv6Np7rAfdW5YmarX01JHmh6RWcxxTYvceHEXaDF9qMmchaQ8jZDA_icQ_utZSOuUEEpt9vLXZhgdlhBT7L3or_alT81LYdoUgWMrIScpKqBK3xBdJL/w271-h400/3118a8b351ab7ca03eadfea331a3648b_300x442.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">EXHUMA</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">133 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, bloody images, horror</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's been the supernatural hit of the year and Exhuma is exhausting from its first minute.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jang Jae-hyun's movie delves into myriad elements of South Korean culture and history, so the viewer needs to have their wits about them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Although it is fantasy, it is so well executed that it even had me wondering whether there is a strain of truth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are echoes of The Da Vinci Code in Exhuma as a team led by Choi Min-sik finds themselves up against mysterious and sinister forces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The springboard for Exhuma is the call from a desperate Korean American family plagued by a curse that seems to have attached itself to a baby.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They hire a shaman (Kim Go-eun) and her apprentice (Lee Do-hyun) to carry out rituals to save the child but she detects the presence of a vengeful ancestor's spirit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The feng shui master and his undertaker friend (Yoo Hae-jin) join them in locating the ancestor's grave to move the body to appease the spirit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, they find a site of unfathomable evil and the exhumation could threaten them all and even their country.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The race to devise and execute the plan to contain the evil spirit is very fast and a lot of the action happens in dark surroundings, so concentration is demanded.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But thanks to the quality of the cast, I was fully invested in the team with stand-out performances by Choi and Kim.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I also love the respect that Koreans give to each other. Everyone knows each other's specialism and only teamwork will defeat evil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then there are the special effects, vats of blood and a thick seam of history.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It all adds up to an intoxicating mix which has understandably gone down well with audiences worldwide.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Tense supernatural thriller</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Rituals are a tad confusing</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: Yes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 7.5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_6_wLF1pDg" width="320" youtube-src-id="j_6_wLF1pDg"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span>There are around 200,000 practitioners of Korean shamanism and they can also be found around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Jang Jae-hyun: "I honestly enjoy the attention the movie has received. Topics on shamanism, feng shui and funerals are getting public attention and being talked around because they are deeply attached to the Korean culture." <a href="https://m.koreaherald.com/amp/view.php?ud=20240322050402">Korean Herald</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-6324853932542930372024-03-28T19:38:00.000+00:002024-03-28T19:38:07.646+00:00107. The Delinquents (Los delincuentes); movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt8gTkDdUhUl76VNPp07k09wvWKStbTl_gIYFMd-dtkwMoAT4AhU2fHP_wjFupBomuiO1GBbhjWMtZyvYB09oQhaWu-VUPkosc5VzMHLT8ltnR4FaI1WKaHSYRa2v4_5pO4b66r2zJ4RxFgRFXNSLz33WM1JBwv6RozNQJDpoYk4IP6SCbVolM1XR8KrD/s3000/images-original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt8gTkDdUhUl76VNPp07k09wvWKStbTl_gIYFMd-dtkwMoAT4AhU2fHP_wjFupBomuiO1GBbhjWMtZyvYB09oQhaWu-VUPkosc5VzMHLT8ltnR4FaI1WKaHSYRa2v4_5pO4b66r2zJ4RxFgRFXNSLz33WM1JBwv6RozNQJDpoYk4IP6SCbVolM1XR8KrD/w266-h400/images-original.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THE DELINQUENTS (LOS DELINCUENTES)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">190 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate sex references, nudity, brief violence</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I understand epics such as Gone With The Wind stretching to more than three hours - it did have to fit in the American Civil War and America's reconstruction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But it is way too long for a movie with a limited plotline and a cast so small that the same man plays two key parts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Delinquents would have been a very good movie if it had been half as long.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But, for me, its intriguing premise and empathy with its characters were lost because I could not maintain concentration.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rodrigo Moreno's film poses an enticing question - what is the value of freedom?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">His film stars Daniel Elías as Morán, a bored bank official who deposits large sums in the vault daily with a colleague.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Circumstances then dictate that he has to do the job alone and temptation suddenly stands before him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So, having calculated that the theft would cost him three and a half years in jail, he decides to steal the money.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For him, it is a simple equation - the relatively short stretch behind bars against 20 years working in a job that leaves him unfulfilled.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He then tells a colleague (Esteban Bigliardi) with a perfect alibi to hide the money in return for a substantial cut.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The latter accepts but has not reckoned on the pressure a bag of cash, hidden in his wardrobe, would exert.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The dilemmas facing the pair are compelling, and Moreno also brings in captivating romantic aspects.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are some high-quality moments during The Delinquents, and the strands are pulled together but not tight enough for a satisfying conclusion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It left me frustrated that I had spent so long on a movie that felt either needed severe editing or was self-indulgent by its makers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Off-beat heist</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Far too long</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: A few chuckles</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KacoBtvgcT0" width="320" youtube-src-id="KacoBtvgcT0"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Delinquents was the o</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">fficial submission of Argentina for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Rodrigo Moreno: "I was interested in creating a dialogue between my generation and classic cinema from the 1940s and ‘50s. It was supposedly the Golden Era of cinema, but it is not reflected in the cinema that we make today." <a href="https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/interview-rodrigo-moreno-on-the-delinquents-nyff61/">Film Comment</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-80292101341714068772024-03-28T10:12:00.006+00:002024-03-28T10:12:52.001+00:00106. Aattam; movie review <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02bzfNStsPVRPveQliUuq_nXe2A9ykBYmnawNhRi9hkcL0ZTe9JM0M0revzQw9SZ2Xk7y5WfQQrykeGRDd84u53yTtLu-khqtxM-ec7Buzq73V950veaaDbqRrph4P1KJJQDsvxu-HvTnRKyfdBKNXqB72013lbCdGrjnkKFxDtjqU6vG5t4fT_0RbKuo/s712/Poster-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="487" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02bzfNStsPVRPveQliUuq_nXe2A9ykBYmnawNhRi9hkcL0ZTe9JM0M0revzQw9SZ2Xk7y5WfQQrykeGRDd84u53yTtLu-khqtxM-ec7Buzq73V950veaaDbqRrph4P1KJJQDsvxu-HvTnRKyfdBKNXqB72013lbCdGrjnkKFxDtjqU6vG5t4fT_0RbKuo/w274-h400/Poster-2.jpeg" width="274" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">AATTAM</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">139 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains sexual assault references, strong language, moderate sex references</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's early in the year, but Aattam could go on to be one of my favourite Indian movies for 2024.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This high praise is earned by Anand Ekarshi's admirably tight writing and direction, executed by a cast he knows so well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This passion project arose from his theatre background and the concept of creating a film where his pals would take centre stage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The result is startlingly good. Indeed, rarely have I seen theatre-style movies work out so well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The premise centres on a group of semi-professional actors who gather a few times yearly to perform on stage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Aattam begins with preparations and briefly glimpses the production, which stars 12 men and one woman but concentrates mainly on the aftermath.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The cast is lauded by two foreign guests who invite them to party at their mansion in celebration.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Drink flows and inhibitions are lowered, but nothing untoward appears to have happened until a phone call is made a few days later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is followed by a jury-like scenario in which group members must decide their verdict on a serious allegation against one of them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Zarin Shihab plays Anjali, who has made the accusation of sexual assault.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She says she is sure of the culprit but had been drinking and did not see her assailant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The plot then revolves around the relationships in the group and who believes her without question and who is less easily convinced.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As secrets emerge, each player could have their own motivation for favouring or going against Anjali.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This means the ensemble all have a chance to come to the fore as their characters come under the microscope.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Despite its lack of conventional action and limited locations, I found Aattam gripping and intelligent. Its finale is also surprising, if not entirely satisfying. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is a cracking debut by director Ekarshi and I look forward to more of his work.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Unusual drama</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Lacks much action</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8.5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2UczdNpVB1I" width="320" youtube-src-id="2UczdNpVB1I"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span>Attaam won the 2023 Grand Jury Award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. It was also chosen as the opening feature film at the 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Anand Ekarshi: "The people that you saw in the movie are my friends. We all came from a theatre background and we used to work for a theatre group, except the actress and the actor who plays Hari’s character — Kalabhavan Shajohn. So in this film, the story was written for the cast." <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/exclusive-aattam-explores-if-truth-is-a-pursuit-of-an-individual-or-a-group-director-anand-ekarshi-13398542.html">First Post</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-31970311886874748632024-03-28T09:40:00.000+00:002024-03-28T09:40:37.494+00:00105. The Lavender Hill Mob; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5nh8WRdosVhHWBCt7688f8JxvoFcY8ym-0pW3yKkQZ9LsNc7EmOqNNVhE9pHGEb2ODZ5jZ-pubdd71EpeL1rgG7HteHGS5C3fRFPeRrs5T2daZDWadSvHe7kXuIBZkuUr5h6f91zTu6wh6vQuUTcgMwFiMoTo6AxvAWPc2UGO4zDlskwkZ9zxQ6zgzoI/s1133/088bb005-f2ee-45b3-a2e2-bbd150defee9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="787" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5nh8WRdosVhHWBCt7688f8JxvoFcY8ym-0pW3yKkQZ9LsNc7EmOqNNVhE9pHGEb2ODZ5jZ-pubdd71EpeL1rgG7HteHGS5C3fRFPeRrs5T2daZDWadSvHe7kXuIBZkuUr5h6f91zTu6wh6vQuUTcgMwFiMoTo6AxvAWPc2UGO4zDlskwkZ9zxQ6zgzoI/w278-h400/088bb005-f2ee-45b3-a2e2-bbd150defee9.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THE LAVENDER HILL MOB</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert U</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">81 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains no material likely to harm or offend</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Lavender Hill Mob is one of the Ealing Studios classics and was last re-released 13 years ago - so it was a pleasure to become re-acquainted with it ahead of its return to the cinema.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Charles Crichton's movie reminds us of a very different time with its backdrop of London being rebuilt after the war.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They were also the days of police boxes, whistles, and streets that were neither crowded with vehicles nor people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There were also boarding houses, such as where bank clerk Holland (Alec Guinness) lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He has been a trustworthy, even pedantic employee for 20 years but dreams of stealing the gold bullion he babysits on daily deliveries. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, he enlists his housemate (Stanley Holloway) and career criminals (Sid James and Alfie Bass) to help him in his daring scheme.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For its first half, The Lavender Hill Mob is breathless, the storyline moving like a forest fire, but it shows its age in the second 40 minutes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The thieves, so fussy in their preparations, suddenly become lax, causing scenes of virtual farce that are out of place with what has gone before. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The chase scenes are also more Benny Hill than The Sweeney. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nevertheless, it was still a splendid way to spend 77 minutes.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Classic 1950s movie</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Seems very gentle by today's standards</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: One</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 7/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-_wbootYMio" width="320" youtube-src-id="-_wbootYMio"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did you know?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Audrey Hepburn (Chiquita) was considered for a large role but stage work made her unavailable. However, Alec Guinness was so impressed with the young actress, he arranged for her to appear in a bit part which is considered to be her first appearance in a major movie.</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The final word. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charles Crichton: "It rescued me I think because Dance Hall (his previous film) didn't do too well." <a href="https://historyproject.org.uk/sites/default/files/HP0072%20Charles%20Crichton%20-%20Transcript.pdf">BECTU History Project</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-25813245956544429522024-03-27T21:10:00.000+00:002024-03-27T21:10:27.530+00:00104. The Origin Of Evil (L'origine du mal); movie review <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9U3OmKkATa3up4lqOdy8GQr-Uwt2PrpjBB0-cwrQ3Fp2qevHA5RriY2xvoAj7qui8FA9k9g7B6hTqRNw-gFI5oqUiue1pTP_v5-IzpFrN5RL2TCKlRCB2kBisax2tJJUSGWPFNVBFO1sLE1YhMKZA9F_5vCIBh8mBcIFCgQ0ob5rqKgpA_zAbEAB8kWq/s594/The%20Origin%20Of%20Evil%20(Blue%20Finch%20Film%20Releasing)%20One%20Sheet.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9U3OmKkATa3up4lqOdy8GQr-Uwt2PrpjBB0-cwrQ3Fp2qevHA5RriY2xvoAj7qui8FA9k9g7B6hTqRNw-gFI5oqUiue1pTP_v5-IzpFrN5RL2TCKlRCB2kBisax2tJJUSGWPFNVBFO1sLE1YhMKZA9F_5vCIBh8mBcIFCgQ0ob5rqKgpA_zAbEAB8kWq/w269-h400/The%20Origin%20Of%20Evil%20(Blue%20Finch%20Film%20Releasing)%20One%20Sheet.png" width="269" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THE ORIGIN OF EVIL (L'ORIGINE DU MAL)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">123 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, strong sex, sexual threat, domestic abuse</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The title The Origin Of Evil and its Addams Family-style poster led me to anticipate a horror spoof, but this is a cleverly constructed thriller with many twists and a terrific performance by Laure Calamy at its heart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She stars as Stéphane, a fish factory packer who makes contact with a father, Serge (Jacques Weber), following her mother's death.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Serge is a megarich businessman who lives in a mansion on a picturesque Mediterranean island.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He is surrounded by what he describes as the witches who are determined to have him deemed legally unfit to grab control of his businesses and, therefore, seize control of his fortune.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Doria Tillier plays Serge's ruthless daughter, who would rather see her father die than miss out on running his firm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Her sense of entitlement is matched by his current wife (Dominique Blanc) who buys thousands of euros worth of shopping channel tat daily.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Both are furious at the sudden appearance of Stéphane and Serge's red carpet treatment for her despite not checking out whether she is who she says she is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, mystery surrounds Stéphane's secret lover (Suzanne Clément), who is serving time in jail.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I had not previously seen any of director and writer Sébastien Marnier's work but I thought his writing and direction in The Origin Of Evil were terrific.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Every time I believed I had worked out the direction of the film, there were twists which shocked and often delighted me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The cast supporting Calamy is terrific, with entrancing Machiavellian traits borne out of extreme selfishness.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was hooked throughout and give Marnier's film a hearty recommendation.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Twisting thriller</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Exaggerated characters</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: Yes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8.5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Gw4T4a06fE" width="320" youtube-src-id="6Gw4T4a06fE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Did you know? </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Sébastien Marnier, the film was initially inspired by his own mother's story of having never known her biological father and meeting him only as an adult.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">The final word. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sébastien Marnier: "I felt there was enough material in this confrontation between a poor woman and this wealthy family to make a genre film, verging on a fairy tale, rather than naturalism, or realism." <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/08/sebastian-marnier-laure-calamy-venice-origin-of-evil-1235104198/">Deadline</a></span></div><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-72726995355407545402024-03-27T20:34:00.000+00:002024-03-27T20:34:38.348+00:00103. Hanu-Man; movie review <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJVqdjqKZVQ-ojofKhmGWD2I_lBVY2MCZhVfjdYUaNGMamjjkera9PJrNrlrKpNVIM7KvnTBAA9H70ZlRy7xT6KMO9_3Flv9CPjxF1PILVb8BV-V1KIGM3ZCYs-eZmwqTIcTfPP1Nixp37dmDw_Swmy9yXCD57wSUlGNf3zmTWNfoKGDPsQahADo9p3aJ/s600/ANI-20230701100643.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJVqdjqKZVQ-ojofKhmGWD2I_lBVY2MCZhVfjdYUaNGMamjjkera9PJrNrlrKpNVIM7KvnTBAA9H70ZlRy7xT6KMO9_3Flv9CPjxF1PILVb8BV-V1KIGM3ZCYs-eZmwqTIcTfPP1Nixp37dmDw_Swmy9yXCD57wSUlGNf3zmTWNfoKGDPsQahADo9p3aJ/w400-h300/ANI-20230701100643.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">HANU-MAN</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">158 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat, injury detail</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Is it a spoof of superhero movies or just a different angle on them? Or does it matter?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The foundation of Prasanth Varma's film is a revered Hindu God but its hero begins the movie as a workshy thief (Teja Sajja).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Saijja's character, Hanumanthu, is desperate to impress the eloquent doctor Meenakshi (Amritha Aiyer), whom he has loved from afar since their school days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When he is blessed with possession of a stone which bestows superpowers, he seizes on the chance to impress her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, he takes on the muscular tyrant Gajapathi (Raj Deepak Shetty), who heads his village and maims or even kills any opponents in the wrestling ring.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, in Mumbai, a wealthy businessman (Vinay Rai) is fulfilling his childhood dream of being a superhero.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, this supposed saviour has a very vicious streak, taking pleasure in killing those who stand in his way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And, after seeing Hanumanthu in a social media video, he wants his powers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, most of the movie centres on the battle between the supervillain and the superhero.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sajja impresses as the flawed title character who will be embraced by audiences as his conscience develops.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rai is the usual one-dimensional villain, greedy for power, riling us up enough for us to want to see his comeuppance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was also taken by the feisty contributions of Aiyer and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Hanu-man's sister.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Overall, it doesn't have the same special effects of a Marvel or DC film but there is enough for young cinema fans to enjoy and relish 2025's sequel.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: New take on superhero movies</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Too long</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: Chuckles rather than laughs</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 7/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oqvly3MvlXA" width="320" youtube-src-id="Oqvly3MvlXA"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span>Hanuman, also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism. Hanuman is the patron of martial arts and an example of courage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Prasanth Varma: "Teja’s image is perfect for this role, and I thought it would be more interesting if he got powers. For this role, Teja did a hundred per cent justice, and he got a special makeover for this." <a href="https://www.123telugu.com/interviews/interview-prasanth-varma-hanu-man-has-the-potential-to-reach-great-heights.html">123 Telugu</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-48269169320102296052024-03-26T22:31:00.006+00:002024-03-26T22:32:02.232+00:00102. Robot Dreams; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchjMi1ff8WL7wsHEzOoVF1qmvGkFM7mwvdmERe-6Zmxo1oG5XvSJ_G4hq09RQczu0852neceSlIRNyTi8grq84J1xvawrcSEe4uUZ_njlKvwHRqUlujNdF1bNv-W0BIlFqpERcEWEYcc-lV3L-RRQLXFP1xK9r5DDYSa_Ay6biU1v4oj24LOwYzc9ifqL/s2048/GFwHV7PXAAA5sy9.jpg-large.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchjMi1ff8WL7wsHEzOoVF1qmvGkFM7mwvdmERe-6Zmxo1oG5XvSJ_G4hq09RQczu0852neceSlIRNyTi8grq84J1xvawrcSEe4uUZ_njlKvwHRqUlujNdF1bNv-W0BIlFqpERcEWEYcc-lV3L-RRQLXFP1xK9r5DDYSa_Ay6biU1v4oj24LOwYzc9ifqL/w400-h300/GFwHV7PXAAA5sy9.jpg-large.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">ROBOT DREAMS</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert PG</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">102 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains mild rude humour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Who knew an animation without any dialogue would work quite as well as Pablo Berger's Robot Dreams?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is the occasionally amusing, occasionally sad story of a lonely dog and his loving relationship with a robot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is set in 1984 in New York, where the friendless dog is seen playing the very early game of computer tennis and heating a macaroni cheese microwave meal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So he takes delivery of parts for a make-it-yourself robot and the two become best friends.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a New York community where everyone, from the barber to layabout punks and a busking octopus, is a cartoon animal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, the robot marvels at simple activities with the dog, such as holding hands, and his excitement ratchets up as he roller-skates to Earth Wind & Fire's September.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It becomes the pair's theme tune.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But after a happy day sunbathing on the last day of summer, the robot becomes marooned on the beach, stuck in the sand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dog tries everything to rescue him and becomes increasingly desperate, but months pass and he has to face a bleak winter alone as robot dreams of an escape from the beach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Robot Dreams benefits from some super observations by Berger, who also wrote the screenplay. His characters are so finely drawn that we feel great empathy for them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I can certainly see why it is Oscar-nominated.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Amiable animation</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: No speech</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RXFvGsNm6ac" width="320" youtube-src-id="RXFvGsNm6ac"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span>The film is based on the comic of the same name by Sara Varon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Pablo Berger: "I had never imagined making an animated movie but the story of the book left an impression on me. It made me laugh and dream. It surprised me and made me reflect on friendship and its fragility, on how to overcome the end of a relationship. The soul of this story pushed me to make Robot Dreams." <a href="https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2023/robot-dreams-an-interview-with-the-director-pablo-berger/">Festival de Cannes</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Nottingham, UK52.9540223 -1.154989224.643788463821153 -36.3112392 81.264256136178844 34.0012608tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-42249052077585697842024-03-25T20:46:00.000+00:002024-03-25T20:46:52.279+00:00101. Vadakkupatti Ramasamy ; movie review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyp3uIJUpxUu22fHQlWRJ2a14FLdauYA0kzkG3A6vrXKgtk7IM2P7Tvt5-8x3TpiUaXKFCvyO-1u5UZavFnxPozYDNlNPl1zLAeylJwZ5Ww4shTD_8a9yCLN7vUgUGshXQRWLGSSSqC_u9ItEBokQF43gl8yW7cyIFuAFEFsn2su7CBp4hS8JCd_vT5e_/s712/Poster.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="475" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyp3uIJUpxUu22fHQlWRJ2a14FLdauYA0kzkG3A6vrXKgtk7IM2P7Tvt5-8x3TpiUaXKFCvyO-1u5UZavFnxPozYDNlNPl1zLAeylJwZ5Ww4shTD_8a9yCLN7vUgUGshXQRWLGSSSqC_u9ItEBokQF43gl8yW7cyIFuAFEFsn2su7CBp4hS8JCd_vT5e_/w266-h400/Poster.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">VADAKKUPATTI RAMASAMY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">144 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I have always struggled with comedies since I began watching Indian movies more than a decade ago.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is partly down to missing the meaning of gags centred on dialogue which would only be understood by a native or fluent speaker.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In addition, shouty slapstick favoured by many studios is not my bag.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, I am aware of positive reviews for Vadakkupatti Ramasamy, but I didn't get it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Karthik Yogi's film centres on a conman (Santhanam) who makes a living off the superstitions of villagers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Many of these surround their local temple and the goddess who they believe can either bring good fortune or bad luck.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, his income stream disappears when a riot prompts the closing of the temple and leads him to think creatively about how to ensure its reopening.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">His master plan, which I found unfathomable, involves persuading the villagers that the goddess could send them blind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, an army major (Nizhalgal Ravi) goes crazy and lays down landmines.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And then there is the almost inevitable comedy movie appearance of Rajendran as the leader of a rabble of clueless thugs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are Keystone Cops-style elements and lots of loud voices, but try as I might, Vadakkupatti Ramasamy went over my head. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: If you are a native speaker</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Misfiring gags</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None for me</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 4/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1iCJ4N35Ouo" width="320" youtube-src-id="1iCJ4N35Ouo"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span>Hindus worship three main female deities. They are called Saraswati, Lakshmi and Shakti.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span> Karthik Yogi: "The film deals with a real-life incident that happened in a village in the 1960s-70s. Also, Ramaswamy is an iconic Tamil name that continues to create waves and we have explored layers and meanings behind that name." <a href="https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2024/Jan/07/santhanams-vadakkupatti-ramasamy-gets-release-date-51030.html">Cinema Express</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div> <p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-32112639729288442482024-03-25T19:04:00.003+00:002024-03-25T19:05:04.664+00:00100. Bachelor Party; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMudzburnHOAbFiKp70d4TuKYJzbyWcsTmmLk8pOLyUh6uga3c9c51SzffcKZM2YWU3Spsr8FDJUa7xY1iNc_bJUWImIOiadrf7uwXberi1G735WoUhqst2McW-aUKzvT3_8uUOltb09RsXmEhIhI8S09Z42KsHgUuPb4MqAuINaxZ7v0PHPZLtu-169K/s712/Poster-1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="487" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMudzburnHOAbFiKp70d4TuKYJzbyWcsTmmLk8pOLyUh6uga3c9c51SzffcKZM2YWU3Spsr8FDJUa7xY1iNc_bJUWImIOiadrf7uwXberi1G735WoUhqst2McW-aUKzvT3_8uUOltb09RsXmEhIhI8S09Z42KsHgUuPb4MqAuINaxZ7v0PHPZLtu-169K/w274-h400/Poster-1.jpeg" width="274" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BACHELOR PARTY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">143 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, domestic abuse, drug misuse, sex references, language</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Hangover was one of the funniest movies I have ever seen and was the last word in bachelor party films.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Even its own sequels failed to lick the boots of the original and every picture of the genre comes up short of the Todd Phillips classic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For example, Abhijit Mahesh's Kannada-language Bachelor Party, which takes a few leads from The Hangover's franchise.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It stars Diganth as Santosh, a hardworking software engineer whose lack of gumption means that he is overlooked for promotion at work and dominated by his manipulative wife (Siri Ravikumar) at home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He is so unhappy in his marriage that he even pays to go to a seminar led by a self-acclaimed relationship guru endorsed by Johnny Depp.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then, out of character, he is persuaded to go to the bachelor party of a close friend, drinks an unfeasibly large amount and begins a wild adventure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Alongside him are his reckless childhood pal (Yogesh) and their school PT teacher (Achyuth Kumar) who sees a good time through the bottom of a glass.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On the plus side, Santosh is a likeable lead character. The audience can empathise with his plight and would be willing for him to have a bit of backbone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And this isn't one of those Indian comedies overwhelmed by shouting and slapstick.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, its gags miss their mark too often and it does build into a ridiculously over-the-top ending.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Likeable lead character</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: A bit too daft</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: Chuckles</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: Retching</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 6/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XvAzpUDkkwo" width="320" youtube-src-id="XvAzpUDkkwo"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">bachelor-type party dates back to the 5th Century BC, where Spartans would celebrate a groom's good fortune the night before the wedding with a large feast.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">The final word. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diganth: "I’m confident that Bachelor Party will strike a chord with the audience. Yogi and I share a longstanding camaraderie, and working with him was a joy." <a href="https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/interviews/2024/Jan/18/bachelor-party-all-set-to-take-audience-on-a-hilarious-ride-into-chaos-and-laughter-51322.html">Cinema Express</a></span></div><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-66173931959930643992024-03-22T19:45:00.001+00:002024-03-22T19:45:21.658+00:00 99. Anweshippin Kandethum; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBXApnLcKxqgsXOTYSfgPHuJYEjanUIEaK53gi5w5WTl7sKjcTMJdPAe3gsv-gzJy5QAm9MvXD4ckYIXVliWQ0K07TP_1FozpQ8c6CiPDjdHvPO9YKEUeaq_aBb2QT_snnto3aAeIi8Sk0xxtZ-FKsXve02Kp8nbh-MvSTThFBh1iogpgozz-Rv3HxmlP/s251/Unknown.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBXApnLcKxqgsXOTYSfgPHuJYEjanUIEaK53gi5w5WTl7sKjcTMJdPAe3gsv-gzJy5QAm9MvXD4ckYIXVliWQ0K07TP_1FozpQ8c6CiPDjdHvPO9YKEUeaq_aBb2QT_snnto3aAeIi8Sk0xxtZ-FKsXve02Kp8nbh-MvSTThFBh1iogpgozz-Rv3HxmlP/w320-h400/Unknown.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ANWESHIPPIN KANDETHUM</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">143 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">BBFC advice: Contains injury detail, suicide, sexual threat, violence</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tovino Thomas is a name I look forward to seeing because it usually means I am in for an exciting thriller.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, I am pleased to report that Darwin Kuriakos's Anweshippin Kandethum follows an impressive trend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, perseverance is needed to see how its strands finally pull together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thomas plays Anand Narayanan, a cop who handles his investigations by the book despite the corruption around him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He is initially part of a team to examine the murder of a young woman who had disappeared on her way home from college.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are some obvious paths of inquiry but Anand is frustrated because his seniors refuse to follow his more offbeat lead because it might upset local sensitivities.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anweshippin Kandethum's action then switches to a cold murder case outside our hero's usual jurisdiction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The local politicians and villagers are hostile to being under the microscope but Anand is quietly forensic in his approach and will not be swayed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thomas is terrific, playing a cop who gradually gathers evidence to produce startling results.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">His character contrasts significantly with many police heroes in Indian films but I found the movie grabbed all the more because of its lack of cliches.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Indeed, it reminded me of the old-fashioned British detective thrillers we loved so much in the 1970s and 1980s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The difference is that this is set in rural India, where political and social sensitivities are key.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And just as I wanted to see more of Anand and his team, the movie's end sets up a sequel.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Tense detective thriller</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Jumps about too much</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OfMHapiPEnM" width="320" youtube-src-id="OfMHapiPEnM"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Before acting, Tovino Thomas</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> worked for Cognizant Technologies as a software engineer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Darwin Kuriakose: "Jinu guided me to this script. He said it was different because it dealt with two varied types of investigations and the characters’ mindsets cannot be the same for the two cases. That I thought was challenging and was also the reason I wanted to do Anweshippin Kandethum." <a href="https://www.ottplay.com/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-director-when-people-recall-february-2024-of-malayalam-cinema-they-will-also-talk-about-my-film/4534898c0c315">OTT Play</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-62510407383459405872024-03-18T08:13:00.000+00:002024-03-18T08:13:39.745+00:0098. Late Night With The Devil; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmEw6B-VqdOnlazHxh2fDEyIZCmIwEN6EjQhwRpHEcDJQN3gGdpArUweZe1oT_le0C1DtDqYdUTFQqj3quc1G7sBRWajM626yePJ5SHKrkqgvfe8Wy5oTKb11AfhEHEPEOoPVX_upENM0rY2C5t_SP9TQS9EvYl9mcmo8ubaZSgykcuoIJW6lGxIDCuxe/s901/latenightwithDevilPostermainRls592.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="599" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmEw6B-VqdOnlazHxh2fDEyIZCmIwEN6EjQhwRpHEcDJQN3gGdpArUweZe1oT_le0C1DtDqYdUTFQqj3quc1G7sBRWajM626yePJ5SHKrkqgvfe8Wy5oTKb11AfhEHEPEOoPVX_upENM0rY2C5t_SP9TQS9EvYl9mcmo8ubaZSgykcuoIJW6lGxIDCuxe/w266-h400/latenightwithDevilPostermainRls592.jpg.webp" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 18</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">93 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains strong horror, violence, gore, language</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Any movie with Devil in the title immediately makes me think of cliched horror - the type of film I have seen scores of times before.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The artwork associated with Late Night For The Devil also prompted fears of the worst B movies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Therefore, I was surprised to be enthralled by the picture, which combines horror with a dig at late-night American chat shows and their thirst for ratings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It stars David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, the host of Night Owls, a show which has tried and struggled to take away the audience of interview king Johnny Carson.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This movie by Cameron and Colin Caines purports to be the master tape of the final programme - on Halloween 1977.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Delroy is portrayed as a bit of an Alan Patridge figure with a series of lame jokes and links while desperate to hang on to his slot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, he presents an episode intended to shock America and draw a huge audience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It begins benignly enough with the introduction of a psychic (Fayssal Bazzi) who tries to prove a link with the spirit world and a cynic (Ian Bliss) who sets to prove it is hokum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It progresses to the star guest, a teenager (Ingrid Torelli) who was the sole survivor of mass suicide at a Satanic church.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Her chaperone is a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon) who has written a book about her and, against her better judgment, is persuaded to put her into a trance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A gripping and gory horror ensues, alongside the fevered attempt to create a show worthy of sponsors' backing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And, for once, the found footage elements worked - with no obvious continuity gaffes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Gripping horror</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Soke might see it as too daft</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: Yes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 7/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hGpGpJigb5Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="hGpGpJigb5Y"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Night Owls is loosely based on Australia's </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244339/?ref_=tttrv_tr" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Don Lane Show</a> and episodes<span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> that featured </span><a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0312414/?ref_=tttrv_tr" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Uri Geller</a><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> and </span><a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5177963/?ref_=tttrv_tr" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Doris Stokes</a><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><b style="font-family: verdana;">The final word. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cameron Cairnes: "The Exorcist was obviously at the forefront of our minds making this film, and I feel like it’s at the forefront of our characters’ minds as well." <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/late-night-with-the-devil-interview-1970s-horror-film-david-dastmalchian-afm-1235633832/">Hollywood Reporter</a></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-45856995559078970922024-03-15T21:01:00.000+00:002024-03-15T21:01:12.478+00:0097. Christspiracy; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpRpTY8Ydw4dZONxzMa5s8qGY_j54RoQlakzn0Y1tAsGzS6Tj9PXZUos3eprDhonlf8ZhjngJfZXCRhYxRtJ0QIU-XZ0fCxNPPnaX-vb_Fp26KRhRfIPWZasxp1EUiSUF-PDvOwEt6-nuDzb33Wb7oXwSBOgv0tNoARNvohDGv54YJ0DWq0zkZaJOIfbo/s1920/HO00005402.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1297" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpRpTY8Ydw4dZONxzMa5s8qGY_j54RoQlakzn0Y1tAsGzS6Tj9PXZUos3eprDhonlf8ZhjngJfZXCRhYxRtJ0QIU-XZ0fCxNPPnaX-vb_Fp26KRhRfIPWZasxp1EUiSUF-PDvOwEt6-nuDzb33Wb7oXwSBOgv0tNoARNvohDGv54YJ0DWq0zkZaJOIfbo/w270-h400/HO00005402.jpeg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">CHRISTSPIRACY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">111 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains disturbing images</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">How would Jesus have killed an animal?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mainstream religious leaders, especially in the United States, state unequivocally that there is no sin in eating the beasts that God has provided us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, Kip Andersen's documentary Christspiracy finds theologians who dispute teachings that date back 2,000 years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Andersen, who has created previous movies about animal exploitation, was inspired to explore the historical connection between religion and meat eating by former Christian singer Kameron Waters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The latter turned his back on the church because he could not square the circle of a peace-loving doctrine advocating animal slaughter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Many television evangelists support the claim that animals have been put on the earth by God to sustain humans.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Other religions have rituals around meat but only some Indian religions support total vegetarianism.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The filmmakers believe in Christ and set out to uncover evidence that he would either eat meat or refuse to.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They speak to experts in theology who give fascinating academic insights, and they delve into the link between the modern-day church and the huge corporations involved in the meat industry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Christspiracy also explores the connection between meat, festivals, and special days such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Simply asking pointed questions becomes dangerous because the stakeholders in billion-dollar businesses do not want their investments threatened.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This may all sound a trifle dull, but trust me, the deeper the filmmakers dig, the more shocking the revelations.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Fascinating link between religion and vegetarianism</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Distressing scenes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yOzQs4JZTGc" width="320" youtube-src-id="yOzQs4JZTGc"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span>According to a recent study, 22% of the global population is vegetarian.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Kip Andersen: "We’re not pointing fingers, we’re asking questions, It’s a very full spectrum discussion and exploration of this subject. What’s been really fun is that from atheists to hardcore conservative Christians, any walk of life, they love this film." <a href="https://plantbasednews.org/culture/film/what-is-christspiracy/">Plant Based News</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-72426254691695916122024-03-12T16:50:00.000+00:002024-03-12T16:50:21.789+00:0096. The Lyricist Wannabe; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlApTaaLiGRrdNiNg1d1pOZhT1LLERqJ3dMI2IKHk0dRAkY5CyqNUM_zYSdOpo79IEA46Y6qG0kQha7odlraKIXi7oInSCasTbJttedPDwPoHowRD2RhQicYbbMTiIEC5wT35cxXumjmrmUDWgOeVd0VemrU-wWwAhDWJTCsjeVGvE4fE2K7aX7ouq1PVL/s1687/GH5awlYbAAAhpgZ.jpg-large.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1687" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlApTaaLiGRrdNiNg1d1pOZhT1LLERqJ3dMI2IKHk0dRAkY5CyqNUM_zYSdOpo79IEA46Y6qG0kQha7odlraKIXi7oInSCasTbJttedPDwPoHowRD2RhQicYbbMTiIEC5wT35cxXumjmrmUDWgOeVd0VemrU-wWwAhDWJTCsjeVGvE4fE2K7aX7ouq1PVL/w256-h400/GH5awlYbAAAhpgZ.jpg-large.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THE LYRICIST WANNABE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">110 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In the thousands of movies I have seen since the beginning of 2011, I cannot recall any about the challenging path to becoming a pop lyricist.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So, plaudits to Norris Wong for balancing the dreams of a young woman (Chung Suet Ying) against the cynicism of the pop music industry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">His guns are aimed at Cantopop, a phenomenon that emerged in Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ying's character Sze's love for songwriting emerges in school, where she writes for her pals and enters public contests.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Undaunted by setbacks, she tries many avenues to hone her skills and offers to help myriad studios and singers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In between, there are flickers of romance, mini-dramas with her friends and clashes with her parents and brother.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But the Lyricist Wannabe's main focus is Sze and her belief that her talent for writing will eventually be recognised.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Wong's movie maintains interest because its premise is so different. It delves into song composition and emphasises how tough it is to break into the music industry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sze's naivety becomes a repeated theme as she tries to swim in shark-infested waters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nevertheless, her battle to fulfil her ambition is engaging and the audience is not soft-soaped.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Unusual premise</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Goes often same ground too often</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 6/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IVe3eOIf4c8" width="320" youtube-src-id="IVe3eOIf4c8"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Did you know? </b></span>Cantopop reached its zenith in the 1980s with a fanbase and concerts all over the world, especially in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Cedric Behrel, managing director Trinity CineAsia: "The unique phenomenon that is Cantopop, and the lyric-writing craft that lies at the heart of it, hasn’t been committed to film often enough. The Lyricist Wannabe aims to redress that and serves as a heartfelt tribute to the timeless musicality of Hong Kong, whilst offering universal insights into the pursuit of one’s dreams during youth."</div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-80418483976561050842024-03-12T14:42:00.000+00:002024-03-12T14:42:59.711+00:0095. Janey; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEYM7_vX1yc1ekU2nYznnFbh3SsH_n-O84ufR095OZh5I6UynheAfti4375gdQPSHnrKu0NK1NNnK8yO69QxCYramK14Jp-Pny_mx9Ph3tldDIMPCK61p7uA16iE6vrAGzFTvqMvcM6hTbaawv7ENYIiNf8RWzajmbojb2-SscZzjZepde89AmeatWVat/s3508/hippodrome-one-sheet.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="2480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEYM7_vX1yc1ekU2nYznnFbh3SsH_n-O84ufR095OZh5I6UynheAfti4375gdQPSHnrKu0NK1NNnK8yO69QxCYramK14Jp-Pny_mx9Ph3tldDIMPCK61p7uA16iE6vrAGzFTvqMvcM6hTbaawv7ENYIiNf8RWzajmbojb2-SscZzjZepde89AmeatWVat/w283-h400/hippodrome-one-sheet.png" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">JANEY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert TBA</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">78 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: TBA</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"Are you ok watching this?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I thought that seeing Janey might be a bit much for Mrs W so soon after her own cancer treatment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But she wanted to watch it, and we agreed that, despite Janey Godley's awful prognosis, this documentary about her life was uplifting rather than gloomy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Godley endured a tempestuous life before dedicating herself full-time to comedy in the 1990s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She became hugely successful, but her career nosedived after appalling old tweets were brought into public view.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, she was on the road to redemption when cancer struck - and, after hoping she was in remission, it has returned with a vengeance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nevertheless, she has embarked on a "Not Dead Yet" tour, and John Archer's film captures her on stage and away from it, weaving in details of her tumultuous life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The latter include being sexually abused as a child by her uncle, the suspected murder of her mother, being forced to leave the family pub by her husband's bullying brothers and going on the comedy circuit because of the need to bring in money.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Supporting her is her fantastic daughter Ashley, who is autistic and also a stand-up comic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, Janey is undergoing chemotherapy, knowing that it is still unlikely that she will survive this latest cancer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She faces it stoically and jokes about what has happened to her during her on-stage performance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This movie could have been difficult to endure because it contains upsetting scenes. (My heart was breaking for Janey's daughter.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But there are plenty of giggles, even a few belly laughs and who knew that Nicola Sturgeon could be self-deprecating and funny?</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Funny and real</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: Four</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: Yes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 7.5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/82lOFf57-gs" width="320" youtube-src-id="82lOFf57-gs"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Did you know? </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2006, Janey was nominated and was close runner-up for the annual Scotswoman of the Year title as ‘the most inspirational woman in Scotland.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">The final word.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Janey Godley: "After all I’ve been through these past two years, the film has been the energy boost I needed to pick me up. I hope everyone enjoys the highs and lows. "</span></div><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-15489078082069086272024-03-12T11:31:00.000+00:002024-03-12T11:31:03.976+00:0094. Merry Christmas; movie review <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoYdz4mKJw9NsTdndCUguVppnOj_eQZ0DnZYn-3inZjIAJA08HpVspHzgjPg7bGH3iTfrAeIwHA6G-K0wGc3jmmNFMCI9PATP0-iIBtqUZTGJ_n__97LkKeFg5jHGfcY5auDNX_EVsc8FgnbSNTo7iIuNtv4rtb7_VswO8ClCRLGk29V9Lza8m9TcjqLL/s275/Merry_Christmas_film_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoYdz4mKJw9NsTdndCUguVppnOj_eQZ0DnZYn-3inZjIAJA08HpVspHzgjPg7bGH3iTfrAeIwHA6G-K0wGc3jmmNFMCI9PATP0-iIBtqUZTGJ_n__97LkKeFg5jHGfcY5auDNX_EVsc8FgnbSNTo7iIuNtv4rtb7_VswO8ClCRLGk29V9Lza8m9TcjqLL/w320-h400/Merry_Christmas_film_poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">MERRY CHRISTMAS</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">144 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains moderate bloody images, threat, sex references, domestic abuse references</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">An old-fashioned murder mystery, Bollywood-style, starring three of India's most acclaimed actors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The omens were good, and after a methodical if slow beginning, Sriram Raghavan's Merry Christmas largely delivers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is one of Katrina Kaif's finest performances as a mother whose husband is away with his mistress on Christmas Eve.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Her character, Maria, is left with her young daughter (Pari Maheshwari Sharma) in a restaurant and bumps into Albert (Vijay Sethupathi), who has just returned to his hometown after the death of his mother.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There is an uncanny magnetism between them, so despite her being married, they spend a romantic few hours together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, tragedy strikes and Albert is forced to make an earth-shattering confession.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Merry Christmas has shades of Knives Out with Sanjay Kapoor and Vinay Pathak among those either facing suspicion or trying to work our whodunnit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It also feels like a theatre piece, as most of the action is in four or five rooms, and much of the emphasis is on clever dialogue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I particularly enjoyed what is effectively an invitation to the audience to decide between clues and red herrings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And I was taken back to my childhood when I was bamboozled by an origami show on TV.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Merry Christmas has style and substance and is quite different from any Bollywood movie I have seen.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: A smartly executed thriller</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Takes too long in the set-up</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EK4o81P5Lrc" width="320" youtube-src-id="EK4o81P5Lrc"></iframe></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Did you know? </b></span>Merry Christmas is based on Frédéric Dard's French novel Le Monte-charge (Bird in a Cage).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Sriram Raghavan: "The biggest enjoyment for me was the way it shifted while scripting to editing, slowly from that hard-nosed thriller to this romance. I thought it would be a 90-minute thriller with no interval. But as we fleshed it out, it changed for the better and the best." <a href="https://news.abplive.com/entertainment/movies/merry-christmas-director-sriram-raghavan-interview-about-the-film-katrina-kaif-vijay-sethupathi-love-story-1657562#">ABP</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-53064138225296409732024-03-11T23:29:00.000+00:002024-03-11T23:29:40.557+00:0093. Banel & Adama; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEH2uORk6PY_v-9PMuWqvahU34NP0A3yLueoU0eEKTlgI0v8i6lfTlnph7u7xiwmHikToEVa_0KbKFLl4500hnTO8TVGotDoTksZWh-dGkoSUdORuzqknOksvIZLfPrgoHx1QoP-noGWQb7V1lAyjNmJuR0ocWCE4mvLwIo7XjBHBmA60HHGbHJnMrLlc/s712/Poster-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="475" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEH2uORk6PY_v-9PMuWqvahU34NP0A3yLueoU0eEKTlgI0v8i6lfTlnph7u7xiwmHikToEVa_0KbKFLl4500hnTO8TVGotDoTksZWh-dGkoSUdORuzqknOksvIZLfPrgoHx1QoP-noGWQb7V1lAyjNmJuR0ocWCE4mvLwIo7XjBHBmA60HHGbHJnMrLlc/w266-h400/Poster-2.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BANEL & ADAMA</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">87 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains moderate bloody images</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sitting in our comfortable living room, surrounded by high technology with as much food and drink as we want, conjuring thoughts of life in a poor African village isn't easy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nevertheless, I was immersed in the story of Banel & Adama in their Senegalese village, where time seems to have stood still for hundreds of years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In their community, tradition is as important as the need to eat and drink.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, Banel (Khady Mane) wants to break away from what is expected of her because of her overwhelming love for Adama (Mamadou Diallo).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ramata-Toulaye Sy's movie begins with a slow romance between two head-over-heels young people as they try to plough their own furrow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But pressure soon mounts on Adama because he is the next in line to be the village chief.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Initially, he rejects the concept of duty, but tragedy strikes the village, and he has to decide between his promise to his wife and his responsibilities to the wider community.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Banel & Adama was an unexpected pleasure because it gives insight into a different culture and is also surprisingly dramatic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mane has great verve as a girl whose selfishness may have a more sinister side than the audience may expect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, Diallo is compelling as a profoundly conflicted husband.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The director adds surreal tangents, but they add to the narrative rather than detract, and I was left wanting to see more of her work.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch Insightful and dramatic</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Slow build up</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0BZYsTvV9VE" width="320" youtube-src-id="0BZYsTvV9VE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> International, Senegal is one of the most stable countries in West Africa but more than half of its 16.8 million inhabitants live below the poverty line.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">The final word. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ramata-Toulaye Sy: "Banel & Adama was my graduation script. My first three scripts were set in the French suburbs, which is where I was born and grew up, but I felt I was pigeonholing myself, doing these very realistic suburban films. For my final year, I wanted to try something else. Not just geographically, setting the film in Senegal, but also stylistically." <a href="https://www.123telugu.com/interviews/interview-suhas-believing-in-ambajipeta-marriage-bands-story-i-agreed-to-shave-my-head.html#google_vignette">123telugu</a></span></div><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-219968714922883252024-03-11T22:45:00.000+00:002024-03-11T22:45:27.163+00:0092. Monster (Kaibutsu); movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EYsYijF7cgikNaEQoYO_df5_d-UGJuQnCbeaeG2icb159ZrKMzC22Y_a0agCEaWy2maL-k6rTY-8hRw0wTuO7HbXYcIsPeFUKGmWbveF6bZyAVSQLTiDXDUcHZh8V8g0y1-IVdJrALhh4hFyzmAVvNt46UwEhZk-AZT7L6XwW4FkK8Ih9zy2RWEvyX4B/s2000/MONSTER_1sht_AW_UK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1328" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EYsYijF7cgikNaEQoYO_df5_d-UGJuQnCbeaeG2icb159ZrKMzC22Y_a0agCEaWy2maL-k6rTY-8hRw0wTuO7HbXYcIsPeFUKGmWbveF6bZyAVSQLTiDXDUcHZh8V8g0y1-IVdJrALhh4hFyzmAVvNt46UwEhZk-AZT7L6XwW4FkK8Ih9zy2RWEvyX4B/w265-h400/MONSTER_1sht_AW_UK.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">MONSTER (KAIBUTSU)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">127 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains discrimination, domestic abuse, suicide references, sex references</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He's done it again! How Hirokazu Kore-eda maintains such a dazzlingly high standard while being so prolific must be a mystery to other film directors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Since I began the quest to watch every UK movie release in 2011, I have seen more of his work than anyone else.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I have endorsed each one and he is still on an upward trajectory.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">His latest picture, Monster, is wonderfully crafted. He examines what appears to be an open-and-shut case of abuse from myriad angles and arrives at surprising and satisfying conclusions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The picture stars Sakura Andō as a single mother who struggles to understand the strange behaviour of her fifth-grade son, Minato (Sōya Kurokawa).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She fears he is being bullied at school, and at a meeting with the principal, it emerges that Minato has been struck by a teacher (Eita Nagayama).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Her frustration is exacerbated because, while the staff apologise profusely, they don't seem willing to take further action.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">At this stage, Mrs W and I were entirely on her side, unable to comprehend how lawyers and the police do not become involved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, in Rashomon-style, the same scenario is played out from different points of view and the fall-out is seen through the eyes of the various protagonists.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The results are remarkable because nothing is quite what it seems.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kore-eda proves again that he is a master storyteller but could never achieve such complete brilliance without excellent actors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Andō is terrific as the mum worried for her vulnerable son, while Nagayama equals her as the accused teacher.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But most memorable are Kurokawa and Hinata Hiiragi, who plays Minato's classmate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Both give touching portrayals of isolated youngsters in desperate need of a best friend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It all adds up to a classical Kore-eda and probably one of the films of 2024.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Superb Rashomon-style drama</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 9/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e5Dt4O952iE" width="320" youtube-src-id="e5Dt4O952iE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Did you know? </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kore-eda's father was born in Taiwan before being conscripted into the Japanese military during World War II and detained in Siberia for three years after the end of the war. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">The final word. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sakura Ando: "I found my emotional and mental level declining because I wasn't able to work (because of the Covid pandemic). I saw this as a challenge to make myself rise up from where I was and an opportunity to participate in Mr. Kore-eda’s project with his crew." <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2023/11/24/interview-sakura-ando-on-the-making-of-monster/">Forbes</a></span></div><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-82093099778871608952024-03-11T11:33:00.000+00:002024-03-11T11:33:35.973+00:0091. The Trust Fall; Julian Assange; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31hlpiNsvYXXcXKdCJX4sjWLuqyf4BO6E4P3pwuJMshyKKy2nSIAT9a8epomtCKlAXJgwNtVG4yVtXiUrRsSKxyj1ZhBD8IZ-aNgDeJwUOWwjsIWQt6OVVPqHDdLcyrxjlajd1gRVwYJ0qPvoD588qlDzTG-wyxIJO_VK9VX7kz5cIJW4Z49hbm1fCN-f/s744/1820140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="508" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31hlpiNsvYXXcXKdCJX4sjWLuqyf4BO6E4P3pwuJMshyKKy2nSIAT9a8epomtCKlAXJgwNtVG4yVtXiUrRsSKxyj1ZhBD8IZ-aNgDeJwUOWwjsIWQt6OVVPqHDdLcyrxjlajd1gRVwYJ0qPvoD588qlDzTG-wyxIJO_VK9VX7kz5cIJW4Z49hbm1fCN-f/w273-h400/1820140.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THE TRUST FALL: JULIAN ASSANGE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">129 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains images of real violence and dead bodies</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When did telling the telling the truth become a crime?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And when did investigative journalism lose its importance in the public psyche?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When I was growing up, reporters who uncovered wrongdoing were lauded. Indeed, Woodward and Bernstein became American heroes for their work on Watergate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sadly, their equivalents in the 21st century are more likely to be pursued, locked up and tortured.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anyone who believes I am exaggerating must watch The Trust Fall: Julian Assange - a shocking and vitally important film.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am ashamed to admit that I had swallowed the deception that Assange was a crank and likely to be a criminal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is because the mainstream media has backed the US government-led campaign to have him discredited.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kym Staton's film is a mind-changer, laying out the facts and showing that Assange has been incarcerated for more than a decade because the authorities couldn't handle the truth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It carefully picks through the history of Assange and Wikileaks, where he posted thousands of pages of leaked intelligence information.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Among them was a video of the shooting dead of innocent people in Iraq by the laughing crew of an American army helicopter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After publication, successive US governments have demanded his extradition because they claim he has endangered the life of service personnel by exposing state secrets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Trust Fall shows that the truth was Assange's motivation and preventing wars was his endgame.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, he knew that he would be chased to the ends of the earth by those who feared that he might loosen their grip on power.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And so it has proved. Assange was trapped in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London before being arrested and incarcerated in Belmarsh Prison.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, he has undergone psychological torture that one would not have thought possible in the UK.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Contributors to the Trust Fall include eminent voices from journalism, politics and his immediate circle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These include John Pilger, one of the most acclaimed journalists of his era, and Vietnam whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Governments have claimed that Assange endangered service personnel through his publications but the film reveals why that isn't the case.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It also reflects what many of us fear - that the truth no longer matters to politicians who are determined to maintain power whatever the means.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Shockingly, it shows how millions of civilians have become dehumanised in the world's many wars, especially by the United States, the supposed leader of the free world.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">America claims it is the planet's protector and defender of free speech.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This movie proves the opposite and demands action if we believe in democracy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was stirred and shocked.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Vitally important documentary </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Doesn't have a response</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 9.5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wcYOv2SorgY" width="320" youtube-src-id="wcYOv2SorgY"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span> If Julian Assange loses his latest appeal, the only remaining block to his extradition would lie with the European Court of Human Rights. It has already dismissed two applications from him in 2015 and 2022.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Kym Staton: "The deeper I delved into these issues, and the more interviews that I conducted, the clearer my sense of injustice and my disgust with those responsible became."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-6205261369036260092024-03-10T22:12:00.000+00:002024-03-10T22:12:13.827+00:0090. Jackdaw; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiD1J369zUYgYYgvyFeoa0R1brlfkhyphenhyphenenMMuLfaHn0ZqYwEqCRjawXA1YSbrrEgo1Z_j8Zu0fkyfI9CFrm2lR8nXNbnk3ooK8jhekZXJSB0iwcpuSRjrzjA10ThsvQuX5kshiOHb3SvfqO91BNUuD129IThKPiKgq-ShtR6U3FnMBmSHmy55zYtAKB3uR/s2362/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJzdGF0aWMudXNoZXJ1LmNvbSIsImtleSI6ImltZy9jaGFubmVscy93d3cudmVydGlnb3JlbGVhc2luZy5jb20vbW92aWUtY3VzdG9tL2phY2tkYXdfMzRkMjc1OWYtYTUxNC00OTRjLTljN2QtZWVkYmZmYjIwMmQ4anBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7ImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2362" data-original-width="1594" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiD1J369zUYgYYgvyFeoa0R1brlfkhyphenhyphenenMMuLfaHn0ZqYwEqCRjawXA1YSbrrEgo1Z_j8Zu0fkyfI9CFrm2lR8nXNbnk3ooK8jhekZXJSB0iwcpuSRjrzjA10ThsvQuX5kshiOHb3SvfqO91BNUuD129IThKPiKgq-ShtR6U3FnMBmSHmy55zYtAKB3uR/w270-h400/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJzdGF0aWMudXNoZXJ1LmNvbSIsImtleSI6ImltZy9jaGFubmVscy93d3cudmVydGlnb3JlbGVhc2luZy5jb20vbW92aWUtY3VzdG9tL2phY2tkYXdfMzRkMjc1OWYtYTUxNC00OTRjLTljN2QtZWVkYmZmYjIwMmQ4anBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7ImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==.webp" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">JACKDAW</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">97 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains strong language, violence, drug misuse</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Too many filmmakers prioritise the look of their movie over character exploration and storytelling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jackdaw is a prime example: its emphasis on style over substance meant that neither Mrs W nor I cared what happened to the key players.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jamie Childs' film is set in the North East and focuses on Jack Dawson (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), who is seen retrieving a package from the North Sea in its early scenes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We don't know the contents, why two men on jet skis are chasing him, or anything about Silas, who ordered the job.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jack hasn't been paid for risking his life, so he hunts for money and retribution.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Along the way, we touch on some late 1980s/early 1990s culture with references to raves and the associated music and drug-taking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are myriad motorbike chase scenes and lots of brutal violence with an assortment of deadly weapons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thomas Turgoose plays one of the peripheral gangland figures, reminding us of his breakout movie, This Is England. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jackdaw is dark and grim, with style echoes of Shane Meadows' movie, but it lacks humour and doesn't elicit empathy for its characters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, we will likely have forgotten it by next week.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Dark and mysterious</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Skinny storyline</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 4/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1gC1ILhIkJI" width="320" youtube-src-id="1gC1ILhIkJI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Did you know? </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">In June 2023, more than 200 people were arrested after a major crackdown on gang related activity by Northumbria Police.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Oliver Jackson-Cohen: "I think Jamie is such a fascinating person and I think the way his mind works, his film references, they’re so mental and brilliant. And so I think everyone just jumped on board because of their belief in Jamie." <a href="https://filmstories.co.uk/features/jackdaw-interview-oliver-jackson-cohen-on-taking-on-a-new-kind-of-role/">Film Stories</a><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;"> </b></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-46679809597788261652024-03-07T23:09:00.001+00:002024-03-07T23:09:53.965+00:0089. Argylle; movie review <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKjAFAI-1haxo8qJF0kPeDbhb7u-ieds8bNFaD4wZi5-_qr_o0fLfZERniZZpM8eHufNtjaRGEFrAgcf68zZfI36tSOvdweGaCFJCEfCe2d1-PQhgMEgFWySZ91lUDMtdtkm65rJKGm-vRwXwjacbYqBpgb4M-JoOHvbPeASGgUMLHp7YJDaFgxYatsrA/s712/Poster.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="449" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKjAFAI-1haxo8qJF0kPeDbhb7u-ieds8bNFaD4wZi5-_qr_o0fLfZERniZZpM8eHufNtjaRGEFrAgcf68zZfI36tSOvdweGaCFJCEfCe2d1-PQhgMEgFWySZ91lUDMtdtkm65rJKGm-vRwXwjacbYqBpgb4M-JoOHvbPeASGgUMLHp7YJDaFgxYatsrA/w253-h400/Poster.jpeg" width="253" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">ARGYLLE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">139 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, infrequent strong language</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The first significant action picture of the year is a giant jumble of a film.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On the plus side, good job to Bryce Dallas Howard. She carries off the reluctant heroine role with great style and conviction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And while the fight scenes are bloated, they do show considerable imagination.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On the downside, Argylle's plot is almost impossible to follow, and the villains are so stereotypical that I was left wondering whether the movie was a spoof.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Howard plays Elly Conway, author of the Argylle spy novels, in which she imagines Henry Cavill and John Cena as the leads.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Indeed, Cavill's Argylle is akin to an imaginary friend, encouraging her when times become challenging.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She is having writer's block while putting together the final chapter of her fifth novel when she encounters an unlikely real-life spy (Sam Rockwell) on a train.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This meeting is the spark for adventures which are fast-paced and explosive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, the pair are being tracked down by the mysterious directorate, led by an unhinged leader (Bryan Cranston) with a seemingly endless number of useless troops at his disposal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are many mind-bending and often confusing tangents during Matthew Vaughn's film and going any more into the plot would give away some of the surprises.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But I can report there are bit parts for Samuel L. Jackson and Dua Lipa as well as a more substantial one for Catherine O'Hara.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There is also a rather catchy soundtrack, including The Beatles' most recent hit, Now & Then, which I can't get out of my head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, none of this can overcome the stilted dialogue and an almost unfathomable storyline.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Fast-moving action</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Plot is bonkers</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 5.5/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kOQ1TCW4RVQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="kOQ1TCW4RVQ"></iframe></div><br /><b>Did you know? </b></span>Argylle is named after the limo driver from the first Die Hard movie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Matthew Vaughn: "A good spy should be the person you least expect the spy to be and that’s what this movie is all about. It’s like Roger Moore said about James Bond—what sort of spy walks into a room and everyone knows his name and what he likes to drink? It’s ridiculous. We’re having fun destroying these tropes." <a href="https://www.cbr.com/argylle-director-reveals-inspirations-henry-cavill/">CBR</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Derby, UK52.9225301 -1.474618624.612296263821158 -36.6308686 81.232763936178856 33.6816314tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-24629423305135823192024-03-07T18:11:00.000+00:002024-03-07T18:11:50.674+00:0088. Spaceman; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BNjPfdVmI-UAqVkQ7ujjjApDzgluB7umwFWpm87ycs3MOiR4OzNmxudMr84iQTYaQaic80oyJuaxa25LAv_yA476WDiqv6AhG2Pt8T1zRdyAx7nG65vL9Bqf3Pbn66ZliBS-25cuxugZmAeRWsIA7s80oT5dALq9STtY6h6ktGM_oRQOwnC_F_ql9qNo/s1500/AAAAQSwXAgiDLYrqflrvPCQezMOtuQe_uR-h3L4KUPcIVp9Vhnac3F7WCOwEGwUDMU7NVlpZKGTfssbBBgkryl3sjqHS5cdwJtFRfUYICmn6FZz5tpMZnMEa5H1jhOKWXKlh68h1CLBRL7azychFCPt8LyX8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BNjPfdVmI-UAqVkQ7ujjjApDzgluB7umwFWpm87ycs3MOiR4OzNmxudMr84iQTYaQaic80oyJuaxa25LAv_yA476WDiqv6AhG2Pt8T1zRdyAx7nG65vL9Bqf3Pbn66ZliBS-25cuxugZmAeRWsIA7s80oT5dALq9STtY6h6ktGM_oRQOwnC_F_ql9qNo/w320-h400/AAAAQSwXAgiDLYrqflrvPCQezMOtuQe_uR-h3L4KUPcIVp9Vhnac3F7WCOwEGwUDMU7NVlpZKGTfssbBBgkryl3sjqHS5cdwJtFRfUYICmn6FZz5tpMZnMEa5H1jhOKWXKlh68h1CLBRL7azychFCPt8LyX8.jpg" width="320" /></a>\</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">SPACEMAN</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">107 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains strong language</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"I would give it 8.5/10 because it was so different."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mrs W's enthusiastic endorsement of Johan Renck's Spaceman surprised me, given her intense fears of spiders.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Arachnophobes should be aware that a giant, eight-legged, multi-eyed monster occupies quite a lot of screen time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Indeed, it could be said it is the co-star of Adam Sandler, who plays Jakub, a Czech astronaut investigating mysterious purple clouds around Jupiter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jakub is a national hero for leading a solo mission further than anyone has ever been but the claustrophia and isolation are taking its toll.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He becomes particularly jittery when his cyberlink to his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), appears to break down. Then, the spider appears, speaking English and taking on the role of a very insightful therapist.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is never clear whether the spider (voiced by Paul Dano) is a figment of his imagination or an alien traveller.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Either way, it prompts reflections on his life mistakes, including the reasons for his failing marriage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, mission control plays lip service to their astronaut's mental health needs because they are wrapped up in a battle with South Korea to be first to reach the Jupiter clouds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Initially, it seems strange not to have the USA and Russia as the main protagonists in the space race, but presumably, writer Colby Day thought that would be a distraction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It leaves the viewer to concentrate on Jakub and Lenka, floating between the past and the present as Jakub weighs up what is most important to him - the mission and worldwide celebrity or his wife and their unborn child.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The contradiction between exploring a faraway planet and being unable to see what is closest is intriguing and well-executed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Meanwhile, there are surreal elements that have echoes of 2001: A Space Odyssey.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And Spaceman provides more evidence that Sandler's serious movies are much better than his comedies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nevertheless, I would give it 7.5 so the compromise mark is 8/10.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Surreal but enlightening.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Too weird at times</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rNZ0xKaCdus" width="320" youtube-src-id="rNZ0xKaCdus"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Galileo craft dropped a probe into Jupiter's atmosphere; it broadcast for about 45 minutes before being crushed by the thick atmosphere.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">The final word. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Johan Renck: "He (Adam Sandler) can be anything all the way from really stupid dumb humor all the way into sophisticated, great humor and everything in between. And then, obviously, when he's playing more dramatic roles, like in Punch-Drunk Love or the Safdie brothers movie and things like that, you see his technical skills." <a href="https://screenrant.com/spaceman-johan-renck-interview/">Screen Rant</a></span></div><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-83594205126653037632024-03-06T22:52:00.000+00:002024-03-06T22:52:03.373+00:0087. Sami Swoi. Poczatek; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OCAUpfE_JscLfWK8QgQDqRPMEh-YVZp3DAfaVA4zWW3FSF5dpUZ84KZOCJzlMUusjoAHYxHpCbqV9jLVNqmoqZFGAlRh1UX07gBIqa_MTPyq0aVdHVUWlSFRG7MvsrhkUWjl5s9QxIe7sDn5JBx7fWtRkSb-Y09EwBZQnjV8LIqnUQP0X23CQHRW44E9/s672/380928-202402221301-lg.png.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OCAUpfE_JscLfWK8QgQDqRPMEh-YVZp3DAfaVA4zWW3FSF5dpUZ84KZOCJzlMUusjoAHYxHpCbqV9jLVNqmoqZFGAlRh1UX07gBIqa_MTPyq0aVdHVUWlSFRG7MvsrhkUWjl5s9QxIe7sDn5JBx7fWtRkSb-Y09EwBZQnjV8LIqnUQP0X23CQHRW44E9/w286-h400/380928-202402221301-lg.png.webp" width="286" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">SAMI SWOI. POCZATEK</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cert 12A</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">118 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, language, violence, suicide attempt, sexual threat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"What happened next... you already know."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The final words might have bemused me if I had not done preliminary reading before watching Sami Swoi. Poczatek.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a prequel to a beloved trilogy of Polish movies from the 1960s and 1970s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nearly 50 years later, Artur Zmijewski's movie risks tarnishing the reputation passed down generations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I can't comment on what native speakers might think, but I enjoyed it even without the background knowledge or the nuances of language, which might have prompted belly laughs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sami Swoi. Poczatek runs from 1913 to the end of the Second World War and stars Adam Bobik as Kazimierz Pawlak, a farm labourer who loves horses.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kazimierz is a daft lad who feuds with his next-door neighbour (Karol Dziuba) and loves the beautiful but poor Nechajka (Paulina Galazka).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, against his will, his family line him up with the surly Mania (Weronika Humaj) because her dad is slightly wealthier.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">His marriage reflects Kazimierz's life, which is packed with misunderstandings and the occasional unexpected act of strength or even heroism.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sami Swoi. Poczatek moves quickly past the First World War and when the Bolsheviks grabbed power in Eastern Europe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Later, there is drama at the beginning of the Second World War with the rounding up of Jewish people and the invasion and occupation by the Nazis.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These are seismic changes, but there is a reassuring consistency to Kazimierz's reaction to it all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bobik gives a winning performance as the flawed hero, cleverly combining a naive enthusiast with thin-skinned aggressor.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is largely down to him that I fell for Zmijewski's movie without knowing its illustrious predecessors.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Likeable period comedy drama</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: A bit too daft iun parts</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: Chuckles rather than laughs</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: Bare bums</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 7/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LAJVg38ckeE" width="320" youtube-src-id="LAJVg38ckeE"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The original Sami Swoi movie was filmed in black and white but was colorised by a digital specialist in 2000.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Adam Bobik: "While preparing for the shooting, we talked to the film crew about the fact that our intention was not to copy Chęciński's trilogy. We are not those actors and there is a different director behind the camera." <a href="https://kultura.onet.pl/film/wywiady-i-artykuly/sami-swoi-poczatek-adam-bobik-zagral-kazimierza-pawlaka-co-mowi-o-roli/85mlw4g">Onet Film</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-43192830220574355182024-03-06T19:02:00.001+00:002024-03-06T19:08:30.751+00:0086. The Persian Version; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHpAQ1cq8kIzg38DvaKF_LqdIiGRzqcAoj6E9tTJGa3hs6CE2IrpK9MYo-heyR0imwD3sZF_92r63_3aORMsMXTq8I9K4Clh4Vo0sY-4xhQVF4zLljif3LOTAfxTvk4A8jY3nUsnRZ6t8IXstH0uwuVrJXbY8ZagUXT22haA2plzyxBxXNTPGZ6K-pNXF/s712/Poster-1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHpAQ1cq8kIzg38DvaKF_LqdIiGRzqcAoj6E9tTJGa3hs6CE2IrpK9MYo-heyR0imwD3sZF_92r63_3aORMsMXTq8I9K4Clh4Vo0sY-4xhQVF4zLljif3LOTAfxTvk4A8jY3nUsnRZ6t8IXstH0uwuVrJXbY8ZagUXT22haA2plzyxBxXNTPGZ6K-pNXF/w270-h400/Poster-1.jpeg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THE PERSIAN VERSION</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">107 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There have been many culture crossover movies but few have handled the nuances with the distinction of The Persian Version.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is down to the deft handling of writer and director Maryam Keshavarz, who leans heavily on her life experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It centres on Leila (Layla Mohammadi), a young Brooklyn woman born into a demanding Iranian family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The likelihood of a clash with conservative parents is apparent from the opening scenes when she has sex during a party with an actor (Tom Byrne) dressed as a woman while being estranged from her gay wife.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And that is just the beginning of the complications.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The first half of Keshavarz's picture concentrates on Leila and her life woes, starting with her Iranian heritage and upbringing in America at a time when relations between the countries were so fractious.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A key element is also her relationship with her mother (Niousha Noor) who constantly carps at her life choices.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The movie's first half is set in America before it pivots to Iran in the late 1960s when Leila's mum (played by Kamand Shafieisabet) was a 13-year-old girl and married her dad in his 20s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a very different but revelatory segment and delves deep into Iranian village culture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Interestingly, despite their very different upbringing, mother and daughter have more in common than they would admit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They both demonstrate incredible strength and a dash of self-loathing and are unwavering in their beliefs. Most importantly, their hearts are in a similar place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">How they find each other is central to a film with great pathos and a few chuckles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mohammadi, Noor and Shafieisabet are all excellent.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Pleasing culture clash movie</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: A tad too earnest</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: Chuckles rather than laughs</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: Yes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 8/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PDrlpcv4vXE" width="320" youtube-src-id="PDrlpcv4vXE"></iframe></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Did you know? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2021, more than £1.5m Iranian diaspora were living in the United States.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final word. </b></span>Maryam Keshavarz: "Having people connect with it from all different backgrounds and really seeing that that really was one of my big reasons of making it. (I wanted) people to feel like, “Oh, I know this family” and having people laugh and cry at the end." <a href="https://moveablefest.com/maryam-keshavarz-persian-version/">The Moveable Fest</a></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-935017864418772782.post-6038826242097040562024-03-06T09:39:00.001+00:002024-03-06T09:46:09.816+00:0085. The New Boy; movie review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb9b5iw-t870iYliVyOGhqAACdm1xy2PNpE9ewPMAfR5IQoNDxhRlAfzFzuCiwuI6x0BY1HH3a1_SCDiIZKlyJwY5gOzoVtjkQF7dhD62j9PtVy9WZsNYZylv-oidd3y8dBG4o3yhzdAXQogBd-AaAhUrDI9UrsUaifoQQwB23PfLUigA5exAbdPyoY2L/s1440/The%20New%20Boy%20Theatrical%20Quad%20Poster%20(Signature%20Entertainment).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb9b5iw-t870iYliVyOGhqAACdm1xy2PNpE9ewPMAfR5IQoNDxhRlAfzFzuCiwuI6x0BY1HH3a1_SCDiIZKlyJwY5gOzoVtjkQF7dhD62j9PtVy9WZsNYZylv-oidd3y8dBG4o3yhzdAXQogBd-AaAhUrDI9UrsUaifoQQwB23PfLUigA5exAbdPyoY2L/w400-h300/The%20New%20Boy%20Theatrical%20Quad%20Poster%20(Signature%20Entertainment).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THE NEW BOY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cert 15</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">116 mins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BBFC advice: Contains infrequent very strong language</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What must it be like to be a foreigner in your own country?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I hear this phrase misused by right-wing white people in Britain who perceive that the state has been overrun by immigrants.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In fact, around 14.8 per cent of the UK population are immigrants - as opposed to Australia, where the figure is between 85 and 90 per cent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Indeed, white immigrant descendants Down Under have long considered the indigenous people as outsiders.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Europeans brought religion to inflict upon the Aboriginal people and that is the foundation of Warwick Thornton's The New Boy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This surreal movie is set in the Outback during the Second World War at a monastery run by a renegade nun (Cate Blanchett).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After the unannounced death of its priest, she is effectively the head teacher of a boarding school for orphans who are being prepared for the outside world.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The most recent arrival is a nine-year-old Aboriginal boy (Aswan Reid) who is dropped there in the middle of the night by a police officer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He is welcomed but at odds with the other boys on the most basic levels - he sleeps on the floor, doesn't speak English and finds it impossible to master cutlery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But he also has unfathomable spiritual abilities which he takes for granted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thus, we see an attempt to impose religion on the boy despite no way it can improve his life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thornton was inspired to create The New Boy by his experience of growing up as an Aboriginal child in a Christian boarding school.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It attacks issues similar to his previous movie, the excellent Sweet Country, which was bleak, moving, and important.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The New Boy is more whimsical, occasionally amusing but also brutal in parts. Consequently, its message is not so clear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It looks good, Reid excels and Blanchett is a treasure but falls below Sweet Country for us.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to watch: Unusual and intriguing</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reasons to avoid: Not easy to follow</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laughs: One</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jumps: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Vomit: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nudity: None</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Overall rating: 6/10</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BNT-jpoo9KU" width="320" youtube-src-id="BNT-jpoo9KU"></iframe></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Did you know? </b></span>To displace Indigenous peoples from their lands is a grievous sin against them, their lands, their ancestors, and God, accoring to the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The final word. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Warwick Thornton: </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I'm Aboriginal — every day is survival for us. And I've got a voice. I get money off the government to tell the government they're terrible. That's bizarre — that happens, and that's what I do." <a href="https://concreteplayground.com/brisbane/arts-entertainment/warwick-thornton-interview-the-new-boy">Concrete Playground</a></span></div><br /><p></p>Every film One man's quest to watch and review every film released in the UK.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16732896124039895273noreply@blogger.com0Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK52.92392 -1.21239424.613686163821157 -36.368644 81.234153836178848 33.943856