Yesterday

Yesterday 2019

• Director: Danny Boyle
• Also seen by this director: T2 Trainspotting, London Olympics Opening, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine, Millions, 28 Days Later, A Life Less Ordinary, Trainspotting, Shallow Grave
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Meera Syal, Joel Fry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Alexander Arnold, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon, Sarah Lancashire, Robert Carlyle (uncredited but I recognised him!)
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:

o   Himesh Patel – nothing yet but I see he’s in the series Station Eleven and that I must see

o   Lily James – Mamma Mia 2, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Downton Abbey, Cinderella,

o   Meera Syal – Curry Nam Nam, Absolutely Anything, Broadchurch, Doctor Who, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid

• Sanjeev Bhaskar – Unforgotten, Curry Nam Nam, Absolutely Anything, Doctor Who, The Zero Theorem, Notting Hill
• Sarah Lancashire – Last Tango in Halifax, Doctor Who
• Robert Carlyle – T2 Trainspotting, SGU Stargate Universe, Stone of Destiny, 28 Days Later, Flood, Hitler, Black and White, Once upon a Time in the Midlands, The World Is Not Enough, The Full Monty, Hamish Macbeth, Carla’s Song, Trainspotting, Go Now, Riff-Raff
• Why? Boyle, nostalgia

• Seen: 28 June 2020      

       Jack (Patel) works in a supermarket by day, plays his guitar and sings his own songs at poorly attended gigs on evenings and weekends. Until he tells his manager and friend Ellie (Jones) that he’s played his last gig. He gives up.

       Then there’s a strange global electrical surge, Jack is hit by a bus and everything changes.  For one thing, none of his friends have ever heard of the Beatles and don’t recognise ‘Yesterday’ when he sings it for them. He discovers to his horror that the world has never heard of the Beatles. Even his collection of their LPs don’t exist.

       Feverishly he tries to remember the lyrics to all their songs then he starts playing them at gigs, passing them off as his own.

       Patel is perfect, the story is clever and funny and heart-warming.

       What an absolute gem of a film.

5* of 5

Underworld

Underworld 2003

• Director: Len Wiseman
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Shane Brolly, Sophia Myles, Robbie Gee, Kevin Grevioux
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:

o   Kate Beckinsale – Absolutely Anything, Total Recall, The Aviator, Serendipity, The Last Days of Disco, Shooting Fish, Cold Comfort Farm, Prince of Jutland, Much Ado about Nothing

o   Scott Speedman – My Life without Me 

o   Michael Sheen – Passengers, Far from the Madding Crowd, Doctor Who, Frost/Nixon, Blood Diamond, The Queen, Kingdom of Heaven, Bright Young Things, Wilde, Mary Reilly

o   Bill Nighy – The Bookshop, Their Finest, Hotel Marigold 1&2, Pride, About Time, Jack the Giant Slayer, Total Recall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2, Doctor Who, Glorious 39, The Boat that Rocked, Valkyria, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hot Fuzz, Notes on a Scandal, Gideon’s Daughter, The Constant Gardener, The Girl in the Café, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Shaun of the Dead, Love Actually, Kiss Me Kate, Black Books, Longitude, Still Crazy

• Sophia Myles – Hallam Foe, Extras, Doctor Who, From Hell
• Robbie Gee – Pirates of the Caribbean

• Why? Bill Nighy
• Seen: 27 June 2020      

       Only vampire Selene (Beckinsale) understands the threat from the Lycans (werewolves) after a wild shootout in the London (or somewhere) underground.

       There is shooting, chasing, jumping off high buildings, family conflicts, romance, betrayal, treachery, heroics, secrets.

       Beckinsale is a bit too light-weight to carry the role as rebellious, kick-ass, gun-toting, form-fitting black leather clad, tyre squealing speeding hot chick but Nighy is perfectly bizarre (as only Nighy can be) in his role as ancient, powerful and more or less evil vampire.

       Can this ridiculous concept even work? Unexpectedly it can. The film is quite interesting with a racial conflict (i.e. vampires vs werewolves and never the twain shall interbreed) and the question of who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. There’s even a kind of warped anti-war (sort of) message. On the whole, quite entertaining.

3 ½ * of 5

The Godfather

The Godfather 1972

• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Also seen by this director: Peggy Sue Got Married, Rumble Fish, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, American Graffiti, Paper Moon
• Based on the book by Mario Puzo
• Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:

o   Marlon Brando – Don Juan DeMarco, Apocalypse Now, Superman, Candy, Reflections in a Golden Eye, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Young Lions, Teahouse of the August Moon, On the Waterfront, The Wild One, Julius Caesar, A Streetcar Named Desire

o   Al Pacino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Merchant of Venice, Insomnia, Donnie Brasco, Looking for Richard, Heat, Carlito’s Way, The Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross, Frankie and Johnny, Sea of Love, Author Author, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Panic in Needle Park

o   James Caan – Detachment, Dogville, Misery, Dick Tracy

• Robert Duvall – Widows, Sling Blade, The Stars Fell on Henrietta, M*A*S*H and many series
• Sterling Hayden – Doctor Strangelove
• Diane Keaton – Something’s Gotta Give, Marvin’s Room, First Wives’ Club, Reds, Looking for Mr Goodbar

·       Why? Group pressure (FB film group)

• Seen: 26 June 2020

      

       Believe it or not, we have never seen The Godfather. We’re not entirely sure that we want to. But here we sit.

       I assume you’ve seen it or at least know the story so I’ll skip the summary and just tell you what I think of it:

The good stuff

Ø  Brando is always good (but was this role worth an Oscar?)

Ø  Pacino is young!

Ø  The Sopranos is better but it does owe a lot to this film

Ø  The photography is good.

Ø  Pacino lifts it.

Ø  I remember the theme song. Quite nice.

The bad stuff

Ø  I don’t generally like Mafia films (although Donnie Brasco is excellent).

Ø  It’s very long.

Ø  Weddings are boring.

Ø  Family dramas are (usually) boring.

Ø  The padding in Brando’s mouth looks fake.

Ø  It’s tediously macho.

Ø  It’s boring.

This film is vastly overrated. It’s handsome enough and Pacino and Brando are good but it’s just not interesting.

2* of 5

Paul

Paul 2011

• Director: Greg Mottola
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice), Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, John Carroll Lynch, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Blythe Danner
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Simon Pegg– Ready Player One, Star Wars the Force Awakens, Absolutely Anything, The World’s End, Hot Fuzz, Doctor Who, Shaun of the Dead, Black Books, 24 Hour Party People
• Nick Frost – Fighting with My Family, Snow White Winter’s War, Doctor Who, The World’s End, Attack the Block, The Boat that Rocked, Hot Fuzz, Kinky Boots, Shaun of the Dead
• Jeffrey Tambor – The Invention of Lying, Pollock, Girl Interrupted, Meet Joe Black, Hill Street Blues
• Jason Bateman – The Invention of Lying, Juno
• Kristen Wiig – The Martian
• John Carrol Lynch – Things We Lost in the Fire, Zodiac, Waking the Dead, A Thousand Acres, Face/Off, Feeling Minnesota, Fargo
• Sigourney Weaver – Be Kind Rewind, Snow Cake, Holes, Galaxy Quest, A Map of the World, Alien 1-4, The Ice Storm, Death and the Maiden, Dave, Working Girl, Ghost Busters
• Blythe Danner – X-Files Fight the Future, M*A*S*H
• Why? Pegg and Frost
• Seen: 21 June 2020      

       Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) are at the San Diego Comic Con. They are super nerds. They rent an RV to take a tour of famous alien sites in the US Southwest and run into an alien named Paul who needs their help because he’s in a hell of a pickle.

       It’s Pegg and Frost. It’s an alien. I think you can guess. If you can’t, do see Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End. Only this one is gentler, more lightweight. Juvenile, almost. But clever and rather sweet and I’m kind of a nerd myself.

4 * of 5

 

Widows

Widows 2018

• Director: Steve McQueen
• Also seen by this director: Hunger
• Based on the book by Lynda LaPlante
• Cast: Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Molly Kunz, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Garret Dillahunt, Cynthia Erivo
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Viola Davis – Ender’s Game, Beautiful Creatures, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Solaris, Antwone Fisher, Far from Heaven, Kate & Leopold
• Liam Neeson – The Dark Knight Rises, Life’s Too Short, Seraphim Falls, Batman Begins, Kingdome of Heaven, Love Actually, Gangs of New York, Star Wars, Les Misérables, Michael Collins, Rob Roy, Nell, Schindler’s List, Ruby Cairo, Excalibur
• Michelle Rodriguez – Battle in Seattle
• Elizabeth Debicki – The Night Manager, Macbeth, The Great Gatsby
• Robert Duval – Sling Blade, The Stars Fell on Henrietta, M*A*S*H and many series
• Colin Farrell – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Winter’s Tale, Total Recall, Fright Night, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, In Bruges, Intermission, Daredevil
• Daniel Kaluuya – Black Panther, Doctor Who
• Garrett Dillahunt – Looper, Winter’s Bone, The Road, Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles, No Country for Old Men 
• Why? The cast
• Seen: 20 June 2020      

       Four criminals are killed in a heist. Their widows take over the business. Crooked politicians/thugs cause complications.

       There are many characters, many threads to the story, but that doesn’t make it more likely or interesting. I don’t usually like heist films or corrupt politician stories.

       The acting is good, of course and some of the characters are well developed. Twists turn it into more than a heist film. All in all, a solid well put together production.

3* of 5

 

Midsommar

Midsommar 2019

• Director: Ari Aster
• Others seen by this director: Hereditary
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe, Henrik Norlén, Gunnel Fred
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Florence Pugh – Fighting with My Family
• Jack Reynor – Sing Street, Macbeth
• Will Poulter – The Maze Runner, Son of Rambow
• Ellora Torchia – Broadchurch
• Gunnel Fred – Svensson Svensson, Snoken
• Why? Curious
• Seen: 19 June 2020      

       Happy Midsummer, everyone. Here in Sweden Midsummer Eve is as big as Christmas, only not this year because of Corona. So, for us, this film instead.

       Dani (Pugh) suffers a family tragedy. Her boyfriend Christian (Reynor), who has wanted to break up with her (his friends know, she doesn’t), goes to Sweden with his friends, including Pelle (Blomgren). Dani tags along.

       So. Välkomna till Sverige. To a sort of hippie commune in Hälsingland, a four-hour drive north of Stockholm (near where good friends of ours have a cottage). Pelle and his friends pass drugs around.

       Oh, this is creepy. We have had some strange Midsummer Eves but not like this. I promise you, this is not how Swedes celebrate Midsummer! Sweden isn’t really like this. Sweden is a good place to live. Swedes are (about 83 % anyway) kind and rational people. Honest!

       But oh, this film! Creepy, funny, well-acted, imaginative, clever, beautifully filmed, and absolutely riveting.

4 * of 5

Banlieu 13

Banlieu 13 (2004)

• Director: Pierre Morel
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Cyril Rafaelli, David Belle, Tony D’Amario, Bibi Naceri, Dany Verissimo-Petit
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? Besson (though he’s one of the writers, not the director). Dystopia.
• Seen: 15 June 2020      

       In the near future when District 13 is so filled with crime that the city of Paris walls it off. There is a drug war, a stolen nuclear bomb, corrupt politicians, a macho good-guy cop (Rafaelli) and a macho good-guy criminal (Belle).

       Hal wanted more action than in the last two films we’ve watched, Ad Astra and The Bookshop, and he got what he wanted. There’s a lot of parkour (Belle invented it according to IMDb) which means flipping and jumping and running and all kinds of acrobats on the roofs, as well as fist fights and shooting.

       It’s exciting and it has its heart in the right place – liberté, égalité, fraternité. Especially the fraternité – all these macho men and one tough chick macho sister Lola (Verissimo-Petit).

       Entertaining in its Besson wannabe way.

3½ * of 5 (Hal insists on 4 ½ *!)

The Bookshop

The Bookshop 2017

• Director: Isabel Coixet
• Other films seen by this director: Paris je t’aime, My Life without Me
• Based on the book by Penelope Fitzgerald
• Cast: Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Honor Kneafsey, Frances Barber, James Lance
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Emily Mortimer – Hugo, Shutter Island, Lars and the Real Girl, Paris je t’aime, Dear Frankie, Bright Young Things, Young Adam, The Kid, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Notting Hill, Elizabeth
• Bill Nighy – Their Finest, Hotel Marigold 1&2, Pride, About Time, Jack the Giant Slayer, Total Recall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2, Doctor Who, Glorious 39, The Boat that Rocked, Valkyria, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hot Fuzz, Notes on a Scandal, Gideon’s Daughter, The Constant Gardener, The Girl in the Café, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Shaun of the Dead, Love Actually, Kiss Me Kate, Black Books, Longitude, Still Crazy
• Patricia Clarkson – Maze Runner 1-3, Shutter Island, Elegy, Lars and the Real Girl, Good Night and Good Luck, Six Feet Under, Dogville, The Station Agent, Far from Heaven, The Pledge, The Green Mile, The Old Man and the Sea
• Honor Kneafsey – Sherlock, Friday Night Dinner
• Frances Barber – Vicious, Doctor Who, Friday Night Dinner, King Lear, Hustle, Still Crazy, Twelfth Night, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid
• James Lance – Late Night Shopping, Absolutely Fabulous
• Why? Bill Nighy
• Seen: 13 June 2020      

       Florence Green (Mortimer), who has been a war widow for sixteen years, decides to banish her grief by opening a bookshop in a small English village in which nobody reads books except Mr Brundish (Nighy), a reclusive, misanthropic book lover. She’s met with all kinds of intrigue and connivances to prevent her from opening the shop. But open it she does and it thrives.

       Which angers her main opponent, the richest and most powerful woman in the village, Mrs Gamart (Clarkson), who will stop at nothing to close her down.

       It’s not the feel-good film I had expected, quite the opposite. As always, Bill Nighy is perfect for his role.

3½ * of 5

Ad Astra

Ad Astra 2019

• Director: Gray, James
• Also seen by this director: Two Lovers
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Brad Pitt – Once upon a Time in Hollywood, World War Z, The Tree of Life, Inglourious Basterds, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, Babel, Troy, confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Friends, The Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, Meet Joe Black, Twelve Monkeys, Seven, True Romance, Thelma and Louise
• Tommy Lee Jones – No Country for Old Men, A Prairie Home Companion, Men in Black, Volcano, The Client, The Fugitive, JFK
• Ruth Negga – World War Z and soon to be seen in season 2 of Misfits (we’re now watching season 1)
• Donald Sutherland – The Hunger Games 1-4, The Eagle, The Pillars of the Earth, Cold Mountain, A Dry White Season, Klute, Johnny Got His Gun, M*A*S*H
• Why? Sci fi. Brad Pitt
• Seen: 12 June 2020      

       Roy (Pitt) is an astronaut and feels most comfortable alone in space. When he survives a disaster in space, he is sent on a mission to find his father (Jones) who had led a mission to Neptune before disappearing years before. It is now believed that he is alive, that he caused the disaster and that he is a threat to the entire solar system.

       There is no shortage of drama, suspense, mystery, introspective monologues, familial emotions, sci-fi excitement. It sometimes has the feel of 2001 A Space Odyssey, which I haven’t seen for a very long time but which I remember as being a bit boring the last time I saw it (and absolutely astounding the first time). This, in contrast, is interesting and gripping. Brad Pitt is good in this serious role.

3 ½ * of 5 (Hal says 2 ½ * - he wasn’t convinced.)

Battle in Seattle

Battle in Seattle 2007

• Director: Stuart Townsend
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: André Benjamin, Jennifer Carpenter, Isaach de Bankolé, Woody Harrelson, Martin Henderson, Ray Liotta, Ivana Milisevich, Connie Nielsen, Michelle Rodriguez, Rade Serbedzija, Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• André Benjamin – Be Cool
• Isaach de Bankolé – Black Panther, Casino Royale, Manderlay, Coffee and Cigarettes, Night on Earth, Chocolat
• Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Hunger Games, 2012, Battle in Seattle, No Country for Old Men, A Scanner Darkly, Prairie Home Companion, North Country, EDtv, The Thin Red Line, White Men Can’t Jump
• Martin Henderson – Little Fish
• Ray Liotta – Blow, Cop Land, Corrina Corrina, Field of Dreams
• Connie Nielsen – Wonder Woman, Gladiator, Rushmore
• Charlize Theron – Snow White Winter’s War, Mad Max Fury Road, Prometheus, The Road, North Country, Monster, The Cider House Rules, The Astronaut’s Wife
• Channing Tatum – Hail Caesar, Jupiter Ascending, The Eagle, Public Enemies
• Why? Good film
• Seen: Once before. Now 7 June 2020      

       The World Trade Organization meet in Seattle in 1999. Union members, environmental and human rights activists prepare to peacefully confront the police, who prepare to defend these global capitalists.

       Based on true events with real news footage, the film follows fictional protesters, police, delegates, politicians and individuals caught between.

       Broken windows and other property destruction lead to an attack by the police on the peaceful demonstrators. Extreme police brutality follows.

       The film is a strong indictment of the WTO and the reality of profits before people. Profits still go before people in the year 2020. The WTO, the IMF, the World Bank still rule. Racism and environmental disaster still kill. Protesters still protest. All over the world. Maybe, one day, we’ll win.

       ‘One down, a million more to go,’ says Django (Benjamin) after the WTO meeting in Seattle collapses.

5 * of 5

Le dernier combat

Le dernier combat

• Director: Luc Besson
• Other films seen by this director: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Lucy, The Fifth Element, Léon, La femme Nikita, Le grand bleu
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Pierre Jolivet, Jean Bouise, Jean Reno
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Jean Bouise – La femme Nikita, Le grand bleu
• Jean Reno – Léon, Les visiteurs, La femme Nikita, Le grand bleu
• Why? Besson
• Seen: 6 June 2020      

       There are only a handful of survivors, all men, after an unexplained apocalypse. There is no dialog, it seems they are unable to speak.  Mostly we follow a lone man (Jolivet) who comes to a city in ruins. He is attacked by a brute (Reno) who tries to kill him and helped by another (Bouise) who has a secret.

       It’s all very surrealistic and mysterious, almost whimsical in its absurd dreadfulness. The black and white filming is a plus and it’s fascinating in its way but what’s the point? And the really stupid ending just makes it worse.

       It’s Besson’s first film.

2* of 5

Pollyanna

Pollyanna 1960

• Director: David Swift
• Others seen by this director: The Parent Trap
• Based on the book by Eleanor H Porter
• Cast: Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Richard Egan, Karl Malden, Nancy Olson, Adolphe Menjou, Donald Crisp, Agnes Moorehead, Kevin Corcoran, James Drury, Reta Shaw, Anne Seymour, Edward Platt, Mary Grace Canfield
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Hayley Mills – The Family Way, The Trouble with Angels, The Truth about Spring, The Moon-spinners, The Chalk Garden, In Search of the Castaways, Whistle Down the Wind, The Parent Trap, Tiger Bay
• Jane Wyman – various series
• Nancy Olson – The Absent-Minded Professor
• Agnes Moorehead – Bewitched, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Raintree County
• Kevin Corcoran – Toby Tyler, Old Yeller
• James Drury – various series, especially The Virginian
• Reta Shaw – many series from the 60’s
• All the others – various series
• Why? A childhood favourite
• Seen: Once before in the 60’s. Now 5 June 2020      

       Oh, how I loved this film when I was little! What if I hate it now? When choosing a film for this evening, Hal sighed, ‘We might as well get this one over with.’

       Simple story. Newly orphaned Pollyanna (Mills) is taken in by rich, tyrannical, domineering, religious Aunt Polly (Wyman). Pollyanna is incurably mischievous, energetic, cheeky and optimistic making the lives of everyone in the small turn-of-the-century small American town cheerier. Disaster strikes. Happy ending, sort of.

       Well, well, what a surprise. A film about class conflict disguised as feel-good, with an absolutely outstanding Hayley Mills as Pollyanna. No wonder she got a special Oscar for this role.

       There are flaws, of course there are, but who cares. You’ve just got to love Pollyanna.

4 ½ * of 5 (Sceptical Hal gave it 5*!)

The March of the Penguins

The March of the Penguins 2005

• Director: Luc Jacquet
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Narrated by Morgan Freeman
• Why? I like penguins.
• Seen: 4 June 2020      

       An utterly fascinating documentary about what emperor penguins go through to reproduce. Long marches, starvation, extreme cold, darkness, violent storms, predators. Nature is truly astounding, harsh, beautiful, demanding, resilient, complex, seemingly irrational. How do they even film something like this? Many thanks to the photographers!

       Do not miss this film.

5 * of 5

PS If you do not fall in love with baby penguins watching this film, you are a dastardly curmudgeon.  

Edie & Pen

Edie & Pen 1996

• Director: Matthew Irmas
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Stockard Channing, Jennifer Tilly, Scott Glen, Stuart Wilson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Stockard Channing – Sparkle, Out of Practice, Bright Young Things, Practical Magic, First Wives’ Club, Moll Flanders, Smoke, Six Degrees of Separation, Grease
• Jennifer Tilly – Out of Practice, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Hill Street Blues
• Scott Glen – Freedom Writers, The Painted House, Shipping News, Virgin Suicides, Carla’s Song, Silence of the Lambs, Silverado, Urban Cowboy, Apocalypse Now, Nashville
• Stuart Wilson – Hot Fuzz, 9 Lives, Death and the Maiden, I Claudius
• Why? Stockard Channing
• Seen: Once before. Now 31 May 2020      

       Penelope (Channing) and Edie (Tilly) are in Reno to get quick divorces. Pen is serious and heart-broken. Edie is a fluff-headed, innocent, wise sexpot and seemingly as happy as can be. They meet in a bar and are accosted by three obnoxious male chauvinist cowboys. One of them is Harry (Glenn) bitter and misogynist because his wife has just left him.

       Long story short. The women become friends and Harry pursues Pen. It’s all quite sad really. It could be that we’re meant to find Harry charming but to me he’s an unsavoury sleaze.

       Minus 1* for the country music (I really dislike country music), another 1 ½ * for the dog and the confederate flag. As we watch, the US is once again being torn apart by racism.

       That leaves 2 ½ * for Channing and Tilly, who are very good, and their sisterly solidarity, which is quite touching. Or let’s say 0* because of the bad stuff, quite a lot of * for the good stuff. So

2 ½ * of 5 (Hal though the good outweighed the bad and gave it 3 ½ *)

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee 2007

• Director: Yves Simeneau
• Based on the book by Dee Brown
• Cast: Adam Beach, Aidan Quinn, August Schellenberg, Anna Paquin
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Adam Beach – Smoke Signals
• Aidan Quinn – Nine Lives, Music of the Heart, Practical Magic, The Stars Fell on Henrietta, Frankenstein, Benny and Joon, Desperately Seeking Susan
• August Schellenberg – SGU Stargate Universe, 45 RPM, Geronimo
• Anna Paquin – X-Men Days of Future Past, X-Men the Last Stand, The Squid and the Whale, X-Men 2, Almost Famous, X-Men, Amistad, The Piano
• Why? The subject. Adam Beach.
• Seen: 30 May 2020      

       Internal conflicts, inter-tribal conflicts, the ever-present threat of the American army, starvation, illness, hopelessness, this is the story of the defeat, humiliation and near-extinction of a whole people through massacres, lies, broken treaties and the grinding wheels of history.

       Based on Dee Brown’s ground-breaking book of the same name, the film is meticulous, earnestly made and gripping. The slight feeling of pedagogical important-film-of-the-week does not distract from the fact that it is important, and good. See it. Read the book. History is always with us. Never forget.

4 ½ * of 5