Non-Fortean Films

[ramonmercado]

OK, I might give it a go, though it might remind me of when Little and Large did their Stan and Ollie impressions.

These two look so like the real Laurel and Hardy, especially when they perform On The trail Of The Lonesome Pine.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Stan & Ollie: In 1953 when Laurel and Hardy arrived in Cobh to begin their tour of Ireland and Britain they were overwhelmed by the reception they received: hundreds of boats blew whistles and foghorns, thousands lined the docks, the bells of St Colman's Cathedral played the Laurel and Hardy theme, The Cuckoo Song. This film has the duo arriving in Britain first where things were not quite as bright, early performances had poor attendances and they had resort to publicity stunts to whip up attention. The once famous act was down in the world and they stayed in third rate hotels until the houses improved but ended up in the Savoy Hotel by the time they arrived in London.

This is the story of an act in it's twilight tears, when Hardy's (John C. Reilly) health and gambling problems was taking a toll on the partnership. But Laurel's (Steve Coogan) is unable to accept that the glory days are over and continues with the forlorn hope of making a new film, he also holds a grudge against Hardy stretching back sixteen years. Flashbacks to 1937 when they were at the peak of their fame show Laurel's impatience to make independent films and Hardy'd need for a regular income leading to decisions, Hardy went on to make a film without Laurel as he was still under contract.

Great performances by Reilly and Coogan aided and abetted by Shirley Henderson as Lucy Hardy and Nina Arianda as Ida Kitaeva Laurel, with a great turn by Rufus Jones as Bernard Delfont, as their sleazy English agent. Director Jon S. Baird with a screenplay by Jeff Pope delivers a poignant memoir of a short period in the sunset days of Stan and Laurel with some great set-pieces double act's favourite routines. Including of course On The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine. 8.5/10.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. A very well-constructed movie that knows when to make you laugh and when to leave you with a tear in your eye. Coogan played a blinder and has proved once and for all that he's far more than just Alan Partridge. The wives were great too and, to echo one of the lines of dialogue, we get two double acts for the price of one!

 

[Swifty]

We've just watched Ralph Breaks The Internet and I'd give it a 9 out of 10, it only loses a point because the story is too similar to Ready Player One.

RBTI is a sequel to Wreck It Ralph. At the start of the story, Vanelope's (an in game character) gaming machine is broken. Her machine is so old, the arcade owner can't afford to replace the broken steering wheel so Vanelope, although starting to get bored with her life in her game is still devastated.

Fortunately, the arcade owner has just installed the internet so Vanelope travels with her best friend Ralph inside the internet which is portrayed as a glistening Blade Runner sized city. They visit the ebay building, spot the vintage arcade steering wheel they need but accidently bid ridiculously highly for it. The rest of the film deals with their adventures as they try to raise the cash to pay ebay so they can go back home and Vanelope can get her old job back inside her arcade machine.

There's so many visual in jokes in this film, it will need a few viewings to spot them all (again, just like Ready Player One), I think I even spotted a Stan Lee walking across a street at one point. The storyline is about trust, friendship, letting go and all the stuff Disney and Pixar do so well .. one of the subplots is aimed at children and deals with hitting the like button and not taking to heart peoples comments on your youtube videos (called buzztube in this film), another more modern twist subplot is a suggested lesbian subplot between Vanelope and Shank, I wasn't sure if I was projecting this onto the film so I've read a few other reviews before writing this one and quite a few other people have spotted this. All in all, a great feel good film crammed with geek gamer references.

 

[Yithian]

I hadn't heard anything about this:

The Day Shall Come coming soon​

​

As Chortle broke the news in 2017, initial shooting on Morris's second feature took place that summer in the Dominican Republic and Florida. Focusing on an FBI operation gone awry, it stars the relatively unknown Marchant Davis alongside Anna Kendrick, Kayvan Novak, Jim Gaffigan, Rupert Friend, True Blood's Denis O'Hare and Orange Is The New Black's Danielle Brooks.​

​

Davis plays Moses, an impoverished preacher in Miami offered cash to save his family from eviction. He has no idea that his sponsor works for the FBI, who plan to turn him into a criminal by fuelling his madcap revolutionary dreams.​

​

The film is in post-production, reportedly nearing completion. Chortle understands that it was delayed for reshoots and additional photography, which took place in the Dominican Republic in March.​

​

Continued With Synopsis:​

https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2019...s_returns_to_satirising_the_war_on_terror?rss​

 

[ramonmercado]

Saw Bande à part again tonight, it was screened at the Alliance Francaise. A joy to watch as always, running through the Louvre, the Madison dance scene in the café, the sleazy Arthur, the beautiful young Odile, the slightly hapless Franz who loves Odile but is being bested by Arthur, the plan to rob the money in her aunt's house. The brilliant score by Legrand and the voiceover by Godard himself. Very much a French New Wave film but also a Film Noir which pays homage to B Movies.

Imho it's Godard's best or at least most accessible film.

 

[Swifty]

Saw Bande à part again tonight, it was screened at the Alliance Francaise. A joy to watch as always, running through the Louvre, the Madison dance scene in the café, the sleazy Arthur, the beautiful young Odile, the slightly hapless Franz who loves Odile but is being bested by Arthur, the plan to rob the money in her aunt's house. The brilliant score by Legrand and the voiceover by Godard himself. Very much a French New Wave film but also a Film Noir which pays homage to B Movies.

Imho it's Godard's best or at least most accessible film.

I've only ever seen one of Goddard's film, A bout de soufflé .. someone influential without name dropping showed it to a few of us at college, he was keen to emphasise that Goddard invented the editing style of jump cuts, A bout de soufflé being the first time this was ever done, he also pointed out that that film made a point of also using film noir and B movie techniques .. we were told that this was a reaction against Cinema de papa, a slur against earlier 'Cinema of your father' stuff. I haven't seen Bande a part.

 

[ramonmercado]

I've only ever seen one of Goddard's film, A bout de soufflé .. someone influential without name dropping showed it to a few of us at college, he was keen to emphasise that Goddard invented the editing style of jump cuts, A bout de soufflé being the first time this was ever done, he also pointed out that that film made a point of also using film noir and B movie techniques .. we were told that this was a reaction against Cinema de papa, a slur against earlier 'Cinema of your father' stuff. I haven't seen Bande a part.

I also love A bout de soufflé, see Bande, I know you'll like it. Tarantino named his production company after it.

 

[skinny]

mid90s is a refreshingly simple film which succeeds largely on the performances of the young unknown cast. Minimal plot, some catchy dialogue, nostalgia to burn. Set in LA in the mid 90s, it explores the coming of age of the adolescent lead character, Sunburn, out of his unsatisfactory dysfunctional family and into a group of older teens who hang out at the local skate shop and get up to mischief. Billed as a comedy (?), this is pretty straightforward coming-of-age drama. No frills. Just really engaging. Soundtrack by 80s and 90s groups, and original score by Trent Reznor.
4/5

Reminded me a bit of our local film, Samson and Delilah (Warwick Thornton 2009). Also very worthy viewing.

 

[GNC]

Saw Bande à part again tonight, it was screened at the Alliance Francaise. A joy to watch as always, running through the Louvre, the Madison dance scene in the café, the sleazy Arthur, the beautiful young Odile, the slightly hapless Franz who loves Odile but is being bested by Arthur, the plan to rob the money in her aunt's house. The brilliant score by Legrand and the voiceover by Godard himself. Very much a French New Wave film but also a Film Noir which pays homage to B Movies.

Imho it's Godard's best or at least most accessible film.

Great choice! The Madison scene - sublime. Weekend is Godard's most Fortean film, give that one a go if you haven't already, it's also fantastic. Pierrot le Fou is another gem. Jean-Paul Belmondo had such a great career, like Jackie Chan if he also appeared in Terrence Malick movies.

 

[ramonmercado]

Great choice! The Madison scene - sublime. Weekend is Godard's most Fortean film, give that one a go if you haven't already, it's also fantastic. Pierrot le Fou is another gem. Jean-Paul Belmondo had such a great career, like Jackie Chan if he also appeared in Terrence Malick movies.

Saw Weekend and Pierrot, liked both but not as much as Bande and Soufflé.

 

[titch]

The pirates! an adventure with scientists,it be right good fun, even that scurvy dog hugh grant couldn't spoil it. arrrggghhhh i gave it 8 pieces of 8 out of ten.

 

[GNC]

Saw Weekend and Pierrot, liked both but not as much as Bande and Soufflé.

I was listening to this week's Trailer's from Hell podcast with one of the Spider-verse guys, and he said Bergman's Persona was one of his favourites, fair enough, it is superb, but I was reminded of Godard's pisstake of the "erotic" (i.e. pornographic) speech in it from Weekend - and here we are discussing Godard. Who says he doesn't have a sense of humour? Oh, sure, he doesn't have a sense of humour now...

 

[GNC]

The pirates! an adventure with scientists,it be right good fun, even that scurvy dog hugh grant couldn't spoil it. arrrggghhhh i gave it 8 pieces of 8 out of ten.

That is such a good fun film, even if Charles Darwin is treated with ludicrous lack of respect, but do yourself a favour and avoid Park's Early Man - so disappointing, I hope it doesn't turn out to be his last film, knowing how long it takes to make these things. "Just a tiny amount…" "Anyone fancy a pint?!"

 

[titch]

That is such a good fun film, even if Charles Darwin is treated with ludicrous lack of respect, but do yourself a favour and avoid Park's Early Man - so disappointing, I hope it doesn't turn out to be his last film, knowing how long it takes to make these things. "Just a tiny amount…" "Anyone fancy a pint?!"

I enjoyed early man, not as much as pirates but it was good, I loved the crap at football cave paintings and the primordial soup joke is still making me laugh.

 

[maximus otter]

...do yourself a favour and avoid Park's Early Man - so disappointing...

I’m glad it wasn’t just me.

From The Wrong Trousers and Were-Rabbit to dross like Early Man? What a comedown.

maximus otter

 

[ramonmercado]

Mary Queen Of Scots: Two Queens, many men wishing to marry them, to usurp their thrones and rule in their stead. Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) squares the circle by remaining unmarried, even referring to her sidekick, Lord Cecil (Guy Pearce), as her wife. Mary (Saoirse Ronan) has a harder task holding on to her throne, her half-brother (James McArdle) had ruled as Regent until she returned to Scotland (from France) and many want a King to rule. John Knox (David Tennant) the leader of the Church of Scotland portrays her as a a scarlet lady who wants to impose Rome Rule on Scotland. A truly storming performance by Tennant and his time on screen is too short.

Mary's suitors are legion, even including Dudley (Joe Alwyn) Elizabeth's counsellor and "secret" lover. She goes for Darnley (Jack Lowden) but that settles little. Scotland is torn by Civil War and Mary's champion Bothwell (Martin Compston) has his own agenda. Mary's Court was indeed a gay place with her confidant, court jester and friend, the gender-bending Rizzio (Ismael Cruz Cordova), at the centre of many a caper. Mary herself enjoyed pranks, dressing identically as her Ladies In Waiting so Darnley has to guess which is her at their first meeting.

A film which opens and closes with Marys execution but concentrates mainly on the five years after she arrived in Scotland. Elizabeth consolidates her power, Mary fails to do so and must seek protection (which turns out to be imprisonment) from Elizabeth. The Scottish countryside is also a star of this film as is Holyrood Castle with rooms literally carved out the living rock. A convincing ensemble cast with outstanding performances by Ronan, Robbie and Tennant. Director Josie Rourke( working from a screenplay by Beau Williamson) is at the helm of a vast crew of costumers, set designers and artisans (as there are few special effects in this film) delivers a new and involving narrative of Mary's struggles. 8.5/10

 

[Rerenny]

Picked up a couple of Amazon Prime recommendations from Den of Geek...Last Passenger, a low budget British thriller starring Dougray Scott, and Road Kill, a JJ Abrams movie starring Paul Walker. Both well worth watching if you haven't seen them. Road Kill is especially entertaining in the tradition of Duel.

 

[ramonmercado]

Destroyer: Nicole Kidman goes very much against type in this film. She plays Erin Bell, an LAPD detective who is not old but is old before her time. She wakes in a car with hangover, shambles over to detectives who are examining a body, they don't want her assistance. Her hands liver-spotted though she is only in her 40s, she looks broken down, now an old case comes back to haunt her. Seventeen years ago she had gone undercover with a partner and infiltrated a gang of bank robbers, the outcome of that mission has preyed on her mind ever since.

The action cuts between the present day and the time when she was undercover where Kidman convincingly portrays Bell in her 20s. Bell wreaks a trail of havoc as she tries to find the leader of the gang who escaped her all of those years ago, he has let her know that he is back. Her obsession makes her go rogue, after she has beaten information from a crooked lawyer she tells him that she is doing it for his good as well. When her wayward daughter ends up in hospital she demands to know why no one is accountable. Totally misjudging a situation as she trails suspects she puts civilians, herself and other cops in danger. This very much Kidman's film.

Some savage scenes of violence and two bank robberies involving fatalities. A funny scene where a dying ex-con bemoans the fact that everyone has sent him owl statuettes because he said he liked owls. Director Karyn Kusama has delivered a good thriller with convincing action sequences and a great performance from Kidman. The film is let down somewhat by a coupe of plot holes and the unlikely motivation of one character. 7.5/10.

 

[Yithian]

As ever, I've let the filter of time do its work and watched Mulholland Drive for the first time last night. I thought it was excellent, compulsive and trance-like, but with the pill sugared to the extent that there is a single intelligible narrative to construct--albeit a hidden one.

I recall watching Lost Highway back when it was released and thinking that if I have to either have a complete understanding of Lynch's mind or the patience to just make up my own interpretation from visual and audible scraps, I may as well cut a library into elemental sentences and construct a new book for my own entertainment.

No such frustrations here.

 

[GNC]

How Naomi Watts wasn't nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for Mullholland Drive is another mystery about the film. Oh, maybe I know the answer, same reason Rachel McAdams wasn't nominated for her brilliance in Game Night last year: a lot of superb female performances don't officially fit with narrow conventions of "greatness".

 

[ramonmercado]

Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) is down in the dumps, her writing style is out of favour, her last biography (Estée lauder) has flopped, her agent Marjorie (Jane Curtin) can't get her an advance for her proposed Fanny Brice biography. Her cat is ill and she loses her job, in desperation she sells a letter sent to her by Katherine Hepburn, then finding two letters by Brice (in an archive book) she sells one and adds a PS to the other increasing it's value. This inspires her to take up a career of forgorging celebrity letters, perhaps a total of 400 before she is rumbled. Meanwhile she has run into the dissolute small time drug dealer Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant) and they become firm drinking buddies.

McCarthy portrays Lee as grumpy, misanthropic, alcoholic, lacking in the social graces. She finds a kindred spirit in Jack who despite his flamboyance is also basically friendless. She cannot keep a relationship going and prefers the company of her cat. Indeed they are both drinking alone in a gay bar when they bump into each other. Grant is wonderful as Jack, literally an aged Withnail who snorts coke, drinks and picks up younger men with gay abandon. They both keep secrets but Lee can confide in Jack about her forgeries and when she runs into problems enlists him as an accomplice. The chemistry between McCarthy and Grant is a joy to observe, especially when they play pranks on Lee Israel's enemies. Even when they are at loggerheads they are a double act.

A bittersweet serious comedy directed by Marielle Heller, the film is based on Israel's 2008 memoir. A story of friendship, betrayal and a lot of drinking. 9/10.

 

[henry]

has anyone seen alita battle angel yet ? i kept asking myself why we keep seeing this identical future vision year on year for more or less the last three decades, and especially the last ten years ... hunger games, ready player one, robots, maze runner, divergent 2049 etc etc ... rosa salazar was great though

 

[ramonmercado]

has anyone seen alita battle angel yet ? i kept asking myself why we keep seeing this identical future vision year on year for more or less the last three decades, and especially the last ten years ... hunger games, ready player one, robots, maze runner, divergent 2049 etc etc ... rosa salazar was great though

A friend saw it last night, she gave it 7 or 8/10. I'm seeing it on Tuesday, I'll do a review.

 

[GNC]

I think if I saw the Alita film all I'd be able to think was "Stop staring at me!!!"

 

[ramonmercado]

I think if I saw the Alita film all I'd be able to think was "Stop staring at me!!!"

It's good fun if a bit teenagery, maybe I was expecting more from Cameron and Rodriguez.

 

[henry]

you mean from rodriguez

 

[ramonmercado]

If Beale Street Could Talk: Although set in the 1970s this film has more of a 1950s feel to it at times. The uniforms worn by the police and indeed some of the characters seem anachronistic; the stained glass camera filters add to a feeling of an earlier time . Perhaps these are devices to show that there is nothing new about the injustices, oppression and racism suffered by the main characters in the film. This is also illustrated by still photographs taken during the Civil Rights era.

Fonny (Stephen James) has been wrongly accused of rape and is being framed by a racist cop, his girlfriend Tishie (Kiki Layne) is doing everything she can to help him. As are their respective families apart from Fonny's mother (Aunjanue Ellis) who comes across as a Cynthia Bucket/Christian Fundamentalist hybrid. Her outbursts cause an intra and inter family fight of Eastenders proportions with threats, insults and even punches thrown.

This film is about institutional racism but also about how the establishment will close ranks even when it is obvious the accused could not have committed the crime. It comes as a shock to Fonny's young white lawyer (Finn Wittrock) when he is pressed to drop the case or to get Fonny to accept a plea deal. A touching story, brilliantly brought to life by director Barry Jenkins who also wrote the screenplay based on the novel by James Baldwin. 9/10.

 

[ramonmercado]

you mean from rodriguez

Cameron wrote the screenplay and produced Alita, I also reckon he had a lot to do with the feel of the film, especially with some Avatar influences.

 

[henry]

my remark was, hes yet to make a complex, grown-up movie ... so why expect more from cameron

 

[ramonmercado]

my remark was, hes yet to make a complex, grown-up movie ... so why expect more from cameron

Unlike.