The Handmaid's Tale

 The Handmaid’s Tale 1990

• Director: Volker Schlöndorff
• Seen by the director: The Tin Drum
• Based on the book by Margaret Atwood
• Cast: Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, Aiden Quinn, Elizabeth McGovern, Victoria Tennant, Blanche Baker
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Natasha Richardson – Maid in Manhattan, Nell
• Faye Dunaway – Arizona Dream, China Town, Little Big Man, The Thomas Crown Affair, Bonnie and Clyde
• Robert Duvall – The Road, Sling Blade, The Stars Fell on Henrietta, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather etc, M*A*S*H, Bullit, To Kill a Mockingbird
• Aiden Quinn – Elle s’appelle Sarah, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Music of the Heart, Practical Magic, Michael Collins, Looking for Richard, The Stars Fell on Henrietta, Frankenstein, Benny & Joon, Desperately Seeking Susan
• Elizabeth McGovern – Downton Abbey, Woman in Gold, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, Angels Crest, If Not for You, Racing with the Moon
• Why? The book.
• Seen: 26 June 2022      

       Considering the recent and horrendous decision of the US Supreme Court, this story no longer seems like a distant dystopia. If you don’t know the story, read the book or see the TV series (which I haven’t yet, but I will when the series is complete).

       Kate is well-played by Natasha Richardson and Faye Dunaway is excellent as Serena. The acting is good throughout.

       The book was chilling when I read it in the 70s. The film is even more appalling to watch with its ultra-Christian, ultra-right militaristic Fascist rhetoric that we hear daily in reality today. If you think people are over-reacting today, see this film.      

4 * of 5   

The Call

 The Call 2013

• Director: Brad Anderson
• Seen by the director: Fringe, The Wire, Homicide Life on the Streets
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Michael Imperioli
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Halle Berry – X-Men etc, Cloud Atlas, Frankie & Alice, Things We Lost in the Fire, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Jungle Fever
• Abigail Breslin – Zombieland 1&2, Ender’s Game, August Osage County, Little Miss Sunshine
• Michael Imperioli – The Sopranos, Dead Presidents, Clockers, Jungle Fever
• Why? Halle Berry
• Seen: 25 June 2022           

       Jordan (Berry) works in an emergency call centre. She makes a mistake, and a girl is kidnapped during the call and later found murdered.

       Six months later she’s still on anti-depressants and another teen, Casey, (Breslin) is kidnapped from a car park, thrown in the boot of a car, and driven off. She has a disposable mobile phone, so she calls 911. Jordan gets the call, panics then deals with it.

       It’s exciting and Berry is as good as always, but it’s not very credible.      

2 ½ * of 5   

 

 

The Grass Harp

 The Grass Harp 1995

• Director: Charles Matthau
• Based on the book by Truman Capote
• Cast: Piper Laurie, Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, Edward Furlong, Nell Carter, Jack Lemmon, Mary Steenburgen, Sean Patrick Flannery, Roddy McDowell
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Piper Laurie – The Dead Girl, Dead Like Me, Twin Peaks, Carrie
• Sissy Spacek – The Help, North Country, Nine Lives, JFK, Carrie
• Walter Matthau – the usual older films
• Edward Furlong – Terminator etc
• Nell Carter – Hair
• Jack Lemmon – the usual older films
• Mary Steenburgen – Song One, The Help, Honeydripper, The Dead Girl, I Am Sam, Philadelphia, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, Back to the Future III
• Sean Patrick Flannery -
• Roddy McDowell – Planet of the Apes etc, Inside Daisy Clover, Cleopatra, TV series
• Why? I don’t really know why.  
• Seen: 24 June 2022      

       Truman Capote has certainly written a variety of stories. In this somewhat autobiographical story, Colin (Furlong) is orphaned and raised by cousins of his dad’s, flighty Dolly (Laurie) and rich cold Verena (Spacek).

       This is pure sugar-coated nostalgia. Is it even watchable?

       Well, I’m still watching but a stiff drink is helping. It’s almost admirable how bad this is. I’m also in awe of those many IMDb viewers who have given it 9 or 10*. I must be a real curmudgeon.      

1* of 5   

 

 

Perrier's Bounty

 Perrier’s Bounty

• Director: Ian Fitzgibbon
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Cillian Murphy, Jodie Whittaker, Michael McElhatton, Don Wycherley, Brendan Coyle, Conleth Hill, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Liam Cunningham, Brendan Gleeson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Cillian Murphy – Dunkirk, Transcendence, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, The Dark Knight, Sunshine, Batman Begins, Cold Mountain, Girl with Pearl Earring, Intermission, 28 Days Later, Breakfast on Pluto
• Jodie Whittaker – Doctor Who, Broadchurch, Adult Life Skills, Black Sea, Good Vibrations, Attack the Block, Marshland, Cranford, Kick Ass St Trinian’s
• Michael McElhatton – The Fall, Parked, Intermission
• Don Wycherley – Sing Street
• Brendan Coyle – Downton Abbey, The Raven
• Domhnall Gleeson – Star Wars, The Revenant, Brooklyn, Ex Machina, About Time, Harry Potter, Never Let Me Go
• Jim Broadbent – London Spy, The Lady in the Van, Brooklyn, Filth, Cloud Atlas, Harry Potter, Another Year, Young Victoria, Hot Fuzz, Vera Drake, Bright Young Things, Moulin Rouge, Topsy-Turvy, Little Voice, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, Richard III, Life Is Sweet, Black Adder
• Liam Cunningham - Doctor Who, Merlin, Good Vibrations, Camelot, Hunger, Breakfast on Pluto, Jude
• Brendan Gleeson – Alone in Berlin, Suffragette, Edge of Tomorrow, Harry Potter, In Bruges, Kingdom of Heaven, Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later, AI, My Life So Far, The Butcher Boy, Michael Collins, Breakfast on Pluto
• Why? The cast
• Seen: 23 June 2022      

       Gangster films are not usually my first choice but with this cast it’s promising.

       Michael (Murphy) owes a lot of money to Perrier (B Gleeson). Time is running out before bones start getting broken. While he desperately tries to hustle up the money his father (Broadbent) arrives after a long estrangement to tell him that he’s dying. Michael also catches the boyfriend of his friend and neighbour Brenda (Whittaker) with another woman. And he’s offered a job doing a heist with a loan shark (Cunningham).

       It’s not quite as good as In Bruges but it has the same quirky and melancholy humour. The cast lives up to expectations. 

4* of 5   

 

 

ABBA the movie

 ABBA the movie 1977

• Director: Lasse Hallström
• Seen by this director: The Hundred-Foot Journey, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Shipping News, Chocolat, Cider House Rules, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, Mitt liv som hund
• Based on book: no
• Cast: ABBA, Robert Hughes
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• ABBA videos
• Why? Well ABBA, of course.
• Seen: 22 June 2022      

       The Beatles did it first with A Hard Day’s Night, a silly story based on crazed fans and a chase to get to the studio on time. First and still best.

       Here reporter Ashley Wallace (Hughes) is told to get an in-depth interview with ABBA while they’re in Australia. I don’t expect a cinematic masterpiece, but the music will be good.

       The problem is that the film doesn’t know if it’s a comedy, a documentary, a story, all of the above or none of the above.

       Documentary: 5* for the great concert clips.

       Story: 0*. Come on, this is so lame.      

       Comedy: I haven’t laughed yet.

       As many have noted, it’s the only way we’ll see ABBA in concert, but I saw Benny in a Stockholm park once.

       So, you are good in maths – what’s the average of 5* and 0*?      

 

5*/0* of 5   

 

 

Still Life

 Still Life 2013

• Director: Ulberto Pasolini
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Andrew Buchan, Hebe Beardsall
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Eddie Marsan The Gentlemen, Atomic Blonde, Their Finest, River, God’s Pocket, Filth, The World’s End, Jack the Giant Slayer, Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows, Tyrannosaur, Sherlock Holmes, Happy-Go-Lucky, V for Vendetta, Vera Drake, 21 Grams
• Joanne Froggatt – Downton Abbey, A Street Cat Called Bob, Filth
• Andrew Buchan – Broadchurch, The Fades, Cranford, Nowhere Boy
• Hebe Beardsall – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2
• Why? Eddie Marsan
• Seen: 21 June 2022      

       John May (Marsan) is a council case worker whose job it is to find relatives of people who have died alone. If there is no one, he arranges and attends the funeral, having given the attending priest a eulogy he has written based on personal belongings he has found in the homes of the deceased. He lives alone and keeps a scrapbook with photos of his late clients. He’s meticulous in his work and deeply respectful of each departed individual.

       Marsan is perfect as the melancholy, kind, and profoundly humane Mr May. He’s a lovely man and it’s a lovely film, a small film with enormous feelings.

       Do not miss this one. 

5* of 5   

 

 

Four White Shirts

 Four White Shirts 1987 (originally in the 60s)

• Director: Rolands Kalnins
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Uldis Pukitis, Dina Kuple, Liga Liepina
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? Gift from my friend Antra
• Seen: 20 June 2022      

       The victim of censorship, this film has been described as New Wave, which usually leaves me cold. This one is interesting from the historical perspective. It’s about a Latvian band in the 60’s, popular in underground clubs, but disapproved of by the Culture Committee, whose discussion is actually the most interesting part of the film. Reasonable, serious people who are on the wrong track. Censorship is against basic democratic principles whether it’s practiced by Soviet committees, TV networks and record companies, or right-wing Christians.

       The film is chaotic, but the music is pleasant. 

2 ½ * of 5   

 

 

Hacksaw Ridge

 Hacksaw Ridge 2016

• Director: Mel Gibson
• Seen by this director: Braveheart
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Theresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Andrew Garfield – Under the Silver Lake, Breathe, Social Network, Never Let Me Go, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Boy A, Doctor Who
• Sam Worthington – Terminator Salvation, Macbeth
• Theresa Palmer – Warm Bodies, I Am Number Four, December Boys
• Hugo Weaving – Mortal Engines, Strangerland, The Hobbit etc, Cloud Atlas, V for Vendetta, Little Fish, Matrix etc, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Rachel Griffiths – Six Feet Under, Ned Kelly, Very Annie Mary, Blow, Hilary & Jackie, Amy, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Jude, Muriel’s Wedding
• Why? Andrew Garfield
• Seen: 19 June 2022      

       If I had noticed that this was directed by Mel Gibson, I would not have bought it. I am not a fan. Braveheart is one of the worst films I have ever seen. He’s known for his love of violence, macho heroism and his religion. I’m not a fan of them either. Here he mixes them unembarrassedly.

       This is in no way an anti-war film, as some enthusiasts claim. It is the opposite. The message is that war is fine as long as the heroic pacifist (Garfield) doesn’t have to do the killing, as long as everyone else does. The film revels in war and religion. Gibson twists things around to make it seem acceptable.

       It’s not.

       For the sincere if misguided performances of Garfield, Griffiths and Weaving 

2* of 5   

 

 

 

Va, vis et deviens

 Va, vis, deviens 2005

• Director: Radu Mihaileaunu
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Yaël Abicassis, Roschdy Zem, Moshe Agazai, Moshe Abebe, Sirak M Sabahat, Yitzhak Edgar, Roni Hadar, Rami Danon
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Sadly, none of them. The three actors playing Solomon have only been in this film.
• Why? It sounded good.
• Seen: 18 June 2022     

       Solomon, born to a Christian mother in a refugee camp, is smuggled into a convoy of Ethiopian Jews being transported to Jerusalem. Solomon is devastated. He is adopted by a French family, émigrés in Israel, and they give him a good life. He grows up struggling with his memories and his confused identity.

       We see glimpses of the complexity of Israeli politics and society, although unfortunately too little of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. It’s a bit too long and the drama has a tendency to slide into melodrama but the three actors, Agazi, Abebe and Sabahat, playing Solomon are tremendous. It’s an unusual and gripping film. 

4* of 5   

 

 

What about Bob?

 

What about Bob? 1991

• Director: Frank Oz
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Bill Murray – Zombieland Double Tap, Moonrise Kingdom, Zombieland, Darjeeling Ltd, Broken Flowers, Coffee & Cigarettes, Lost in Translation, The Royal Tenenbaums, Hamlet, Cradle Will Rock, Rushmore, Ed Wood, Ground Hog Day, Ghostbusters, Tootsie
• Richard Dreyfuss – Postcards from the Edge, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Stand by Me, Close Encounter of the Third Kind, Jaws, American Graffiti, The Good-bye Girl
• Why? I liked it before. Do I still?
• Seen: Twice before. Now 17 June 2022      

       Bob (Murray) is neurotic with a multitude of phobias. He’s referred to Dr Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) who has just written a popular book and he considers himself famous. They have an introductory session, then Leo goes on holiday for a month with his family.

       Bob pursues him, stalks him, and shows up at his summer retreat. Always with a cheerful smile.

       Why in the world I liked this before – twice! - I have no idea. Murray is irritating even at the best of times – the only film with him that I like is Zombieland – and as Bob he is extremely annoying. As is Dreyfuss as Leo. And everybody in the whole film.

       I can’t take it. It’s time to fast forward.

       This isn’t humorous. It’s offensive to the mentally ill and those who try to help them. What took me so long to realise that this is a dreadful film?      

0 * of 5   

 

 

 

 

EDtv

 EDtv 1999

• Director: Ron Howard
• Seen by the director: Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code, A Beautiful Mind
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Martin Landau, Adam Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Rob Reiner, Dennis Hopper
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Matthew McConaughey – The Gentlemen, The Dark Tower, Interstellar, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Lincoln Lawyer, Amistad, Contact
• Jenna Elfman – Dharma and Greg, Gross Pointe Blank
• Woody Harrelson – Zombieland Double Tap, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Glass Castle, The Hunger Games, 2012, Zombieland, Battle in Seattle, No Country for Old Men, A Scanner Darkly, North Country, A Prairie Home Companion, White Neb Can’t Jump
• Martin Landau – X File Fight the Future, Ed Wood, Mission Impossible
• Adam Goldberg – Zodiac, A Beautiful Mind, Saving Private Ryan, Friends
• Ellen DeGeneres – TV series
• Rob Reiner – The Wolf of Wall Street, First Wives Club, Sleepless in Seattle, Misery, Postcards from the Edge, Spinal Tap, All in the Family
• Dennis Hopper – Swing Vote, Waterworld, Speed, True Romance, Red Rock West, The Indian Runner, Rumble Fish, Easy Rider
• Why? Good film
• Seen: Once before. Now 28 April 2022      

       A TV company is having trouble with its ratings. Cynthia (DeGeneres) presents a new idea – to film an ordinary guy 24/7.

       Enter Ed (McConaughey). He’s a bit of a loser, 31 years old, working in a video shop. He’s cute but not real bright. He hams it up on camera and generally makes a fool of himself. His obnoxious brother Ray (Harrelson) hogs the camera and even cheats on his girlfriend Shari (Elfman) in direct sending. Ed and Shari fall in love on TV and the program becomes a huge hit. Ed becomes a superstar, but Shari is not happy conducting her love life on TV, especially when viewers hate her and protest that she’s not pretty and hot enough for Ed. Meanwhile, other family drama takes place on camera.

       It’s funny, but it’s sad too. And it shows the cruelty of fame and fans. And the absurdity.

       The cast is terrific. Did you ever notice that McConaughey and Harrelson actually look like brothers? At least in this film. That’s how good they are.      

4 * of 5   

 

 

 

Clockers

 Clockers 1995

• Director: Spike Lee
• Seen by the director: BlacKkKlansman, Miracle at St Ana, Malcolm X, Jungle Fever, Mo’ Better Blues, Do the Right Thing, She’s Gotta Have It
• Based on book by Richard Price
• Cast: Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Pfeifer, Isiah Washington, Regina Taylor
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Harvey Keitel – Moonrise Kingdom, Be Cool, Wanted, Lulu on the Bridge, Cop Land, Smoke, Pulp Fiction, The Piano, Reservoir Dogs, Sister Act, Thelma and Louise, The January Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
• John Turturro – God’s Pocket, Miracle at St Ana, Margo at the Wedding, Flight of the Conchords, Romance & Cigarettes, Secret Window, The Man Who Cried, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Cradle Will Rock, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, Jungle Fever, Miller’s Crossing, Mo’ Better Blues, Do the Right Thing, Desperately Seeking Susan
• Delroy Lindo - Cymbeline, Romeo Must Die, Cider House Rules, A Life Less Ordinary, Feeling Minnesota, Get Shorty, Malcolm X
• Mekhi Pfeifer – Dawn of the Dead, 8 Mile, O
• Isiah Washington – Romeo Must Die, Bulworth, Dead Presidents
• Regina Taylor – I’ll Fly Away
• Why? Spike Lee
• Seen: Once before. Now 15June 2022      

       This is so depressing. Drugs, murder, jocular white cops, strutting macho dudes both black and white, hit jobs, stuck-in-this-shit-life despair. One black cop who tries to talk the homies into getting themselves out of this shit life. Mothers and wives desperate to keep their men out of this shit life.

       Oddly, it doesn’t hold my attention. It’s realistic and tragic but all their male posturing just irritates me.

       Has this film convinced a single drug dealer, drug abuser, or gun-toting killer to leave this shit life? If so, OK, good, it has a purpose. But has the system changed? Is drug dealing less? Do black lives matter more now? I think we all know the answer.

       The acting is good though.

       The film is probably worth 5* but I’m just so depressed from watching it. 

3 * of 5   

 

 

 

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

 Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017)

• Director: James Gunn
• Seen by the director: The Suicide Squad
• Based on the Marvel Comic
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki, Sean Gunn
• Chris Pratt – Zero Dark Thirty, Wanted
• Zoe Saldana – Pirates of the Caribbean Black Pearl
• Karen Gillan – The Circle, Doctor Who
• Sylvester Stallone – Rambo, I suppose
• Kurt Russell – The Hateful Eight, Once upon a Time in Hollywood, Overboard, Escape from New York, Silkwood, various series from the 60’s
• Elizaebth Debicki – Tenet, Widows, The Cloverfield Paradox, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, The Night Manager, Macbeth, The Great Gatsby
• Sean Gunn – Suicide Squad, Third Rock from the Sun
• Why? Confused it with Galaxy Quest
• Seen: 14 June 2022      

       This is Volume 2. I haven’t seen Volume 1, but I’ll give it a try.

       A cute little Groot, a talking fox, a green human, a white human, a funny-coloured Hulk, a many tenacled monster with a lot of teeth which the others kill. The others are, I guess, the anti-hero good guys and they’re all good friends (see, no doubt, Volume 1). The green woman has a blue sister, and they hate each other. The fox – or maybe it’s a raccoon, steals some super valuable batteries so the Golden High Princess is peeved and sends a lot of rockets after them, so they fly through an asteroid belt and joke about turds, and then the white human’s long-lost father shows up and he’s a god so…

       Do you really need to know more? There is a story of sorts but it’s not very interesting. There is some humour which brings a smile or two, there are some pretty effects, and the racoon is convincing, but I don’t think I need to see Volume 1. I’m not sure I need to see the rest of this one.

       Well, I did, sort of. I paid some bills and checked my mail. But a few touching family moments and the good music raise it to      

2 * of 5   

 

 

 

 

Impromptu

 Impromptu 1991

• Director: James Lapine
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Julian Sands, Ralph Brown, George Corraface, Anton Rodgers, Emma Thompson, Anna Massey
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Judy Davis – Barton Fink, Passage to India
• Hugh Grant – The Gentlemen, Cloud Atlas, Music and Lyrics, American Dreamz, Love Actually, About a Boy, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Notting Hill, Sense and Sensibility, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Remains of the Day
• Mandy Patinkin – Dead Like Me, Lulu on the Bridge, Men with Guns, Dick Tracy, Ragtime
• Emma Thompson – Last Christmas, Years and Years, The Children’s Act, Alone in Berlin, Effie Gray, The Love Punch, Beautiful Creatures, Harry Potter, The Boat that Rocked, An Education, Last Chance Harvey, Stranger than Fiction, Nanny McPhee, Angels in America, Love Actually, Wit, The Winter Guest, Sense and Sensibility, In the Name of the Father, Remains of the Day, Much Ado about Nothing, Peter’s Friends, Howards End, Dead Again, Henry V, Tutti Frutti
• Anna Massey – Angels and Insects, The Mayor of Casterbridge
• Why? Emma Thompson and the music
• Seen: Once before. Now 13 June 2022      

       George Sand (Davis) is scandalous but also a famous author who has trouble with her lovers, past and present. She hears Chopin’s (Grant) music and falls in love, first with the music, then with the man. He’s timid, proper, sickly, and dismayed at her aggressive wooing but we all know he falls for it eventually.

       It’s described as a romantic comedy and it’s unbearable. Hugh Grant is absolutely wrong as Chopin and his Polish accent is ludicrous. The whole cast is wasted on this drivel. Even Emma Thompson playing, skilfully as always, a flighty shallow aristocrat.

       Poor George Sand. Poor Frederic Chopin. They must be turning in their graves.

       Yet another film that has been given many rave reviews. Alas, not from me. But because it gets a bit serious towards the end, and for the music      

2* of 5   

 

Hope and Glory

 Hope and Glory 1987

• Director: John Boorman
• Seen by the director: Ex Calibur, Deliverance
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Sebastian Rice-Edwards, Sarah Miles, David Hayman, Sammi Davis, Derrick O’Connor
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Sarah Miles – Blow-Up, The Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
• David Hayman – Fisherman’s Friends, Blinded by the Light, London Spy, Macbeth, The Hollow Crown, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, My Name Is Joe, The Boxer, Regeneration, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, Rob Roy, Sid and Nancy
• Why? A kind of modern classic
• Seen: 12 June 2022      

       London 1939. War breaks out. Life goes on.

       Billy (Rice-Edwards) tells the story based on the director’s own childhood experience of the war). He just thinks the war is fun and exciting. He plays in the ruins, he observes the small dramas of the adults, he learns to say, ‘bugger off, you bloody sod.’ That was sort of the highlight of the film. Mostly it feels like a farce.

       Many viewers love it. I was disappointed. I’d looked forward to something deeper and more interesting. 

2½ * of 5   

 

 

 

Get Shorty

 Get Shorty 1995

• Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
• Seen by this director: Men in Black
• Based on the book by Elmore Leonard
• Cast: John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini, Jon Gries
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• John Travolta – Hairspray, Be Cool, A Love Song for Bobby Long, The Thin Red Line, Face/Off, Pulp Fiction, Urban Cowboy, Grease, Saturday Night Fever
• Gene Hackman – The Royal Tenenbaums, Class Action, Postcards from the Edge, Mississippi Burning, Reds, Superman, The Coversation, The Poseidon Adventure, Bonnie and Clyde, Hawaii
• Rene Russo – Thor
• Danny DeVito – Big Fish, Virgin Suicides, Mars Attacks, Twins, maybe others
• Dennis Farina – Saving Private Ryan
• Delroy Lindo – Cymbeline, Romeo Must Die, Cider House Rules, A Life Less Ordinary, Feeling Minnesota, Clockers, Malcolm X
• James Gandolfini – Enough Said, Not Fade Away, Zero Dark Thirty, Welcome to the Riles, In the Loop, The Sopranos, Romance & Cigarettes, True Romance
• John Gries – Endgame, Lost, Napoleon Dynamite, Men in Black, The Grifters
• Why? I enjoyed the book back when
• Seen: Once before. Now 11 June 2022      

       Why in the world did I like this book? Maybe it’s better than the film. After only five minutes, before the opening credits even, I’m bored. If I remember correctly though, Gandolfini is good and he had a long ponytail. That must be worth a *.

       Oh, I see, it’s not just mafia gangster stuff, it’s about making Hollywood films. Chili Palmer (Travolta) wants to make movies.

       Slightly better. Very slightly. It has its amusing moment and the actors are good at hamming it up but it really is a nothing story. Many love it. I don’t. Not even Gandolfini’s ponytail helps much. And I gave away all my Elmore Leonard books a long time ago. 

2* of 5   

 

 

All That Jazz

 All That Jazz 1979

• Director: Bob Fosse
• Seen by the director: Lenny, Cabaret, Sweet Charity
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer, Max Wright, Erszebet Foldi
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Roy Scheider – Romeo Is Bleeding, Jaws, Klute
• Jessica Lange – Broken Flowers, Big Fish, Titus, A Thousand Acres, Rob Roy, Frances, Tootsie, The Postman Always Rings Twice
• Max Wright – The Norm Show, Snow Falling on Cedars, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alf and other series
• Why? It’s a musical
• Seen: Once before. Now 10 June 2022      

       Not so much a musical as a song-and-dance film about choreographer Bob Fosse himself. Evidently, he was a hard-driving boss, arrogant womaniser, chain-smoking pill-popping heart attack waiting to happen, with a deep sense of inadequacy.

       Some have described it as self-indulgent, others as brilliant. It’s a bit of both. I don’t like the narration frame of him telling his story to a kind of bride/angel/vamp figure (Lange) and the film comes nowhere near two of my all-time favourites, his Cabaret and Sweet Charity.

       Still, it’s interesting to see into the head of the great showman and you must admire the guts it took him to present this less than flattering picture of himself.      

3 ½ * of 5   

 

Frozen River

 Frozen River 2008

• Director: Courtney Hunt
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Melissa Leo, Misty Upman, Charlie McDermott
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Melissa Leo – Oblivion, The Space Between, Welcome to the Rileys, Veronica Mars, 21 Grams, Homicide Life on the Streets, The Ballad of Little Jo
• Misty Upman – August Osage County, Django Unchained, Skins
• Melissa Leo
• Seen: Once before. Now 9 June 2022      

       Desperately in need of money to support herself and her two kids, Ray (Leo) becomes involved with Lila (Upman), a young woman of the Mohawk nation, in smuggling immigrants across the border. The route is a frozen river between Canada and northern New York where US customs has no jurisdiction. According to Lila the Mohawk nation extends to both sides of the river and has its own laws.

       Both women are bitter over the losses and disappointments in their lives.

       It’s a grim story, a depressing look at how poverty and dreams force people into desperate situations.

       Melissa Leo is sensational. Misty Upman is good too, as is Charlie McDermott as Ray’s troubled, rebellious but loving fifteen-year-old son.      

4 * of 5   

 

 

Melanijas Hronika (The Chronicles of Melanie)

 Melanijas Hronika (The Chronicles of Melanie) 2016

• Director: Viesturs Kariss
• Based on book by Melanija Vanagas
• Cast: Sabine Timoteo, Edvins Mekks
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? It was a gift from my friend Antra
• Seen: 8 June 2022      

       It could be any war. Soldiers are brutal. Civilians are deported. Men are killed, women and children herded into camps. Some survive, some don’t.

       1941. Latvians are deported to Siberia. Melanija (Timoteo) and her son (Mekks) are among them. She survived to write about it. Though IMDb doesn’t give her credit, the film is based on her memoirs.

       Filmed in black and white, there is little dialogue but many facial close-ups, birdsong, rustling leaves, snowy mountain panoramas, memories, death. It’s slow, often dreamlike, almost romanticised, if one can use the word in this context.

       I hate to say it, but it drags. It’s interesting but not as gripping as it should be. Still, it’s worth seeing. What will stay with me is the story of the women’s strength and will to survive. 

3 ½ * of 5  

PS It’s a very Russian film. Sorry, Latvia.

Factory Girl

 Factory Girl 2006

• Director: George Hickenlooper
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Fallon
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Sienna Miller – High-Rise, Stardust, Alfie
• Guy Pearce – Genius, The King’s Speech, The Road, A Slipping Down Life, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Hayden Christensen – Star Wars et al, Jumper, Virgin Suicides
• Jimmy Fallon – Almost Famous
• Why? I can’t remember if I liked it.
• Seen: Once before. Now 7 June 2022      

       Andy Warhol (Pearce). An icon to be sure, an important superstar in pop culture. The Factory, his temple. Edie Sedgwick (Miller) his main Factory Girl. For a while.

       Edie is a poor little rich girl (they even make a film with the name) with a history of mental hospitals and paternal abuse. Andy is a spacey professional media weirdo. They feed each other’s neurotic egos and take themselves and their ultra-coolness very seriously. And somehow convince everyone also to do so too.

       Yes, it’s all very ultra-cool but being an uncool nerd myself I find it irritating and pretentious. Even the super-cool unnamed Rock Star (read: Bob Dylan.) (Christensen).

       Maybe that’s the whole point. The film doesn’t shy away from the nasty and cruel and tragic. Of course, Edie Sedgwick is a tragic figure. I find that I care in only the most abstract distant way. I don’t like these people. I don’t like the film. It’s so depressing. Maybe that’s the point too. Maybe it’s a brilliant film. Some people think so. Many do not.

       I’m weeding out my DVD shelves. There’s no room. This one will go to the used DVD shop. I hope someone will like it more than I do.      

2 ½ * of 5   

 

 

Union Square

 Union Square 2011

• Director: Nancy Savoca
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Tammy Blanchard, Mira Sorvino, Mike Doyle, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Michael Rispoli, Patti Lupone
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Tammy Blanchard – Into the Woods, Rabbit Hole, Cadillac Records
• Mira Sorvino – Angels Crest, Reservation Road, Lulu on the Bridge, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Beautiful Girls
• Bill Doyle – Jersey Boys, Rabbit Hole
• Daphne Rubin-Vega – In the Heights, Rachel Getting Married, Flawless
• Michael Rispoli – The Rum Diary, Yonkers Joe, The Sopranos, Feeling Minnesota
• Patti Lupone – Last Christmas, Driving Miss Daisy, Witness
• Why? Possibly good
• Seen: 6 June 2022      

       Lucy (Sorvino) and Jen (Blanchard) are sisters. They haven’t seen each other for three years. Jen and her fiancé Bill (Doyle) run a health food web shop. Lucy is a neurotic egocentric drama queen. Jen is dismayed when Lucy invades her home out of the blue.

       They have had a rough childhood with a suicidal mother (Lupone). Jen has tried to detach herself from her background. Lucy has become a selfish screw-up.

       The film gives me angst. I would really hate to have Lucy as a sister. I would also hate to have Jen’s future mother-in-law (though we never see her).

       There’s a twist or two and it turns into a tear fest. I’m not sure how to react.      

2 ½ * of 5