Two-lane Blacktop
From 1971 James Taylor and Dennis Wilson could have made it as actors if they didn’t have other things to do.
With the beautiful and tragic Laurie Bird.
A classic.
2 Likes
An Officer and a Gentleman
An annual repeat.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
M
2 Likes
Driving Miss Daisy.
Gentle, insightful, loving, and pointed.
M
2 Likes
We watched The Greatest Beer Run on Apple + yesterday, I’d give it 2 out of 5. He was meant to be carrying a bag full of beer but it appeared so light that it just didn’t make any sense. Also the beer in the bag seemed to be a never ending supply. It bugs that directors are so stupid not to put more thought into simple stuff.
Apparently based on a true story.
1 Like
Free on Amazon Prime UK/Freevee.
Story of Chet Baker’s attempts to steer clear of heroin addiction.
It offers reasons and decisions that the trumpeter made about the direction in which his life would travel.
Ethan Hawke always gets tucked into the seamier side of life.
Probably more entertaining for a jazzer but best described as a romance with jazz and substance abuse.
2 Likes
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Been a while since I watched this, and I had forgotten rather more than I thought.
This is an interesting Wes Anderson film woven around the story of the hotel manager, Gustave. We are introduced to Ms Gustave through the person of Zero, the now hotel owner and once lobby boy. Zero views Gustave as a hero and it is in that light we are invited to view him; and there are definite heroic attributes. However, other attributes include: Louch; snob; civilised; sophisticated; and, gigolo.
The milieu within which Gustave swims is one of societal breakdown, where war is breaking social norms and thuggery and coarseness are gaining an upper hand, something that is happening in our own age I would argue. This lends a familiarity to the films setting, despite the historic Eastern European 1930s backdrop.
Despite the picture I have painted above Anderson manages to handle the narrative in a remarkably light handed and amusing way that makes the viewing far more enjoyable than the parts would suggest. As with Woody Allen there is a stream of major talent in minor roles.
I will repeat the viewing far sooner next time. A well picked film by the missus.
M
7 Likes
Just been reading about Korngold after seeing his winning opera in Gramophone awards. Led me to these. Sea Hawks next.
6 Likes
On YT you can find Santa Fe Trail. Good western and it taught me about some US history of which I was ignorant; I now know who John Brown was, excellent performance by Raymond Massey. As well as Errol in the lead.
Also on YT is John Huston’s Roots of Heaven, SUPERB. Although, despite Flynn headlining, the true star is Trevor Howard.
The circumstances of Flynn’s early death are rather sad.
1 Like
The latest collection of old friends and pastel colours.
Amazon Prime … £3.49.
6 Likes
Haven’t seen it yet, but will on your recommendation.
It is free to those who subscribe to Disney+, enjoyable film.
2 Likes
I recently gave my thoughts on the Chet Baker Born to be Blue album.
Most of Chet’s life was shadowed by heroin addiction.
Now we have gambling addiction. As always,difficult for the unpossessed to understand the rush that addicts must feel.
Mississippi Grind.
Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Renolds.
A sorta road/ buddy movie with gambling at its heart.
Well told,acted,photographed and directed.
Real(ish) people.
Much critical praise heaped.
Free on Amazon Prime.
2 Likes
A gem for no cost if you are an Amazon Prime member.
A party of intellectually disadvantaged ( I hate that phrase) head out from the care home for an afternoon at the Cinema. Two,however,have a different plan.
It goes hopelessly wrong in all manner of ways.
Although shepherded by one or two professional actors the rest are a collection of untrained characters who draw on their afflictions to make us laugh,cry and show that even if they twitch a bit (my wife was badly epileptic …her description ) their lives are just as real and important as others.
Perhaps not one for the 007Topgunners
3 Likes
Started to watch DVD set of Twin Peaks. I have a writing group who will use this as a stimulus for our own writing. It has been many years since I saw season 1. Last saw Mulholland Drive and a documentary on David Lynch’s painting and sculpture, The Art Life
Colour on Blue Ray and definition is superb.
6 Likes
More dramatic scenes and sound affects but nothing like the original German film. Quite disappointing.
For Halloween we watched a double bill:
The Ninth Gate; followed by
Constantine.
Obviously Reeve as Constantine has little resemblance to the Gaiman character, but it is still a well written and acted film. Glad to see with the change of guard at Warner Brothers there it would appear that we will be getting a sequel.
2 Likes
The Ninth Gate is a much underrated film .
3 Likes
Yes. I love the ending. A big contrast to the Devil in The Ninth Gate 
@MrUnderhill Agree, my teenage son and I watched it quite recently and despite the budget and era restricted visual FX, it still stands up very well. Yes, I’d read there was a sequel coming soon, with the same team back on board - fingers crossed it’ll be good.
@Ian2001 The 9th Gate is an interesting film. Flawed (ending and FX), but a clever premise, filled with creeping dread - a rather underrated supernatural movie.
@TOBYJUG Peter Stormare is brilliant, and enriches everything he’s in! Tilda Swinton also having a blast in Constantine too.
2 Likes