An oldie, from 1980, but still a good film that has aged pretty well. There are obvious parallels between this film and The Wild Geese, with this one having a more serious edge, much of that down to Christopher Walken in the lead role. Yet again we have Winston Ntshona, here reprising his role as the wronged and incarcerated President in waiting. If, like me , you haven’t watched this film in a good many years, and have forgotten most of it, then it’s well worth a re-watch.
The R2 DVD is in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and anamorphically encoded. Somewhat perversely, in the UK we get the shorter US theatrical cut, whereas in the US you get the longer UK theatrical cut - how odd!
A bit late for my usual Christmas catch-up… I re-watched Godfather and Godfather II during the break, but didn’t watch Lord of the Rings until now… Fellowship yesterday, Two Towers today. Nice balance, as I also splurged on a new 50th Anniversary printing of the books, which I did start reading but have yet to finish. Fun.
I remember reading Dogs of War, a great read in the “how to” style first launched by Forsyth in Day of the Jackal… also a superb film!
That was a copy-paste image from the web, testing beta forum functionality… it shows as a link to an external site, with a preview on the right side of the edit box.
First time I’ve watched this. Not for the faint-hearted or if you want cheering up. Not seen Cameron Diaz in ‘frightening-mode’ before. Kept me entertaining though.
As I was losing the will to live as I scrolled through Netflix to find a recommended comedy, I came accross the recently released film Roma by director Alfonso Cuaron. It is a wonderful film. It is in black and white and is what I would call a ‘quiet’ or ‘small’ film, very much in the european tradition. It focuses on a maid to an upper middle class family in Mexico City in 1970. it follows a year of her life and that of the family as both their worlds fall apart, and while the film moves at its own unhurried pace, it is full of drama, detail and emotion.
After watching Amazon’s excellent Man City doc, I thought I’d binge on Netflix’s series about Sunderland.
It’s even better, partly because it’s about crushing failure rather than easy and dazzling success (the former always being more interesting than the latter); and partly because of the long-suffering and touchingly loyal fans and the likeable behind-the-scenes staff.
Isn’t it just James. I saw it at the pictures and for me it was the film of 2018. Touching story, wonderful acting and sumptuous black and white cinematography. It reminded me a bit of an Ozu picture.
Have been viewing the re-run of The Sopranos on Sky which has prompted me to look-out the DVD box-set I have - basically, I’ve been re-hooked by this tremendous series. The box-set was purchased many years ago as I couldn’t wait for the next episode via TV.
Each time I view it, I take away new things, whether it be a greater appreciation of the writing, camerawork and editing or simply the way exchanges between Tony and Dr.Melfi are played out
Made in 1964, I’m not sure why I have not come across this film before, but discovered it the other day on the Mubi streaming site.
I thought it quite wonderful. It’s a musical, but unlike those in the Holllywood mould, it is just normal (but often very funny) dialogue put to music rather than trying to craft ‘songs’ and a great score by Michel Legrand. Almost like an opera I guess, but without the shrill voices! (I do actually like some operas, incidentally!)
Great mise-en-scene with vivid colours. The other thing I loved was the realism and honesty of the story line.
Two films on DVD thanks to Cinema Paradiso. The first on Friday evening - a good choice when you have all the family together of all ages; Finding Your Feet.
I was expecting the worst with this one, but it actually surprised me. I really enjoyed it in spite of the many cliches, tropes, and that little cynic in me trying to do his worst to ruin it. Ultimately I deem it a fairly good success, perfect for a cold January evening.
And then last night, same crowd, this one; On Chesil Beach
I had read the book so story-wise I did know what to expect . As for the film; Beautifully shot, very well acted, and a story so agonisingly awkward and so terribly sad. Did it succeed? Partially, but ultimately no, it failed to convince. Unfortunately it had an impossible task, set against the book. Lovely cinematography though…
