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Cabrini (2024)
Awesome, Sumptous, Award candidate, but where is God?
Cabrini
This picture lacks spiritual authenticity, but I truly love this movie, as a drama.
The cinematography was fantastic, and the acting was nothing short of superb.
The storyboards, screenplay, direction, production, casting and acting were imho superb.
(i.e. IMHO all as good as and better than Oppenheimer).
The best production of its type I have ever seen, it kept my full attention throughout it's 2 hour 45 minute length.
Angel Studios should definitely submit this movie to film festivals such as Toronto and Cannes.
IMHO It will stand a great chance of serious artistic accolades.
It should even be an Academy Award Winner.
But, if you go to hear the authentic story of Saint Cabrini, or go seeking inspiration for your Christian Faith, you will likely be sorely disappointed.
The only direct reference to holiness and prayer was one, very much shortened, grace before meals in latin, perhaps largely unintelligible to a secular audience?
Are there are better ways of implying Faith, than largely ignoring it, (e.g. Such as employed in "A Man for All Seasons") ?
The absence of spirituality, especially the role of prayer and the almost totally secular, approach, beyond the sumptuous church backgrounds and characters, was clearly deliberately intended.
Were the silent returns to her near drowning experience as a child put in place of her exchanges and responses in prayer?
Was the figure and the arm reaching out to her supposed to represent Jesus Christ reaching out to her in response to her spiritual crises?
IMHO The production has everything artistic, but lacks spiritual courage.
Yes, true, we live in different times these days, but St. Cabrini was so much more than the empire building, ambitious, politician depicted here.
Achievements shown are inspirational and momentous, but her motivations came over as solely ambition and egotistical. They could easily have been from an incredibly devoted non believer. Mother would likely not have approved of her portrayal here!
The movie is very powerful and yet not authentic. Was there more about God in "Oppenheimer"?
IMHO I think they went too far to avoid the movie of being dismissed as christian propaganda.
Looks to me that the aim of the film was intended to get the audience to address the needs of the world we live in today, but only our material needs...
Nevertheless, folks should go and enjoy anyway.
Enjoy the awesome, sumptuous, cinematography and superb acting but, please pay proper tribute to Saint Cabrini by making up for the lack of prayer and spirituality in this movie, even if privately, by yourself, afterwards.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (1999)
Great fun.
Good Sunday afternoon entertainment but not a classic movie in any sense of the word LOL!.
Takes itself, and the actors take themselves just enough tongue in cheek, and with just enough comedy.
Some of the accents are truly (deliberately?) chronically bad!
Some clever unique dramatic content.
(e.g. Love the way CIA bosses conversation with his deputy was split and misunderstood as they climbed the stairs and his deputy did not understand).
Relax and watch it.
Ed Bishopand plays very straight and well while Angela Lansberry also carries the movie well...
Easy to follow the characters. Not read the book which is apparemtly very different. The rewrite seems very creditable to me!
No Time to Die (2021)
Good but just good?
Looked forward to seeing this movie for a long time.
Really like Daniel in the role of James and enjoyed the pairing of Ana and Daniel in this movie too.
No quibble with the acting, but disappointed with the writers.
Disappointed too with the gratuitous blood and gore, often in my view without any real need for it in this storyline?
To be honest I disliked the storyline anyway and found the plot very superficical, and it was just not different enough from other Bond movies for me..
Action sequences were great, but this movie could have been the same 10 or more years ago?
I know James Bond movies are not supposed to be that psychological or require to much thinking about but imho the film needed more depth, and perhaps that IS the direction Bond needs to go now?
I was quite diappointed to see Daniel leave the role on this lack lustre note. Hoped for a better exit...
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Recommended - Great entertainment.
How many like me, rewatched the original Top Gun before seeing the sequel?
That is often the way to kill enthusiasm for a sequel, but I think this productionprobably anticipated that happening?
Quite something to successfully make a movie that captures the original genre, while being sufficiently different, and modern at the same time, and after so many years!
It does work. So does Tom Cruise and the new cast.
More modern technology, and actor's hands on, make the flying sequences excellent if course. The storyline a little cliched with his relationships but that is also part of the continuing genre..
For me there was a little sometbing missing though and to be honest I can't quite put my finger on it!
Highly entertaining though and presumably deservedly popular.
Darkest Hour (2017)
Terrific. They took me there...
There comes a time, albeit rarely, that I am lost for words. They all simply took me there. I was there. Churchill, indeed all of the characters, together with the presentation were simply perfect. I was simply there, and totally absorbed. I was with Churchill. Incredible performances from Churchill, his secretary and, (perhaps easily understimated in comparable awesome acting), wife Clementine were simply fantastically captured.
Seamlessly moved from one aspect of the time to the next. Just the right time spent in each. You feel the worry and anxiety of the time. Particularly lived Churchill's trip to France. The naivity of the British at the time regarding the French and the situation of the BEF at Dunkirk.
Nothing of any consequence to find fault with, and just for once not much out of period either!
Simply an awesome film that I cannot recommend highly enough.
Belfast (2021)
Great acting. Hard to follow for some.
Not a documentary.
What I presume to be a very personal, but not fully autographical, viewpoint from Kenneth Brannagh's 8/9 year old childhood in Belfast.
It could be a difficult movie to watch if you dont know 1960's Northern Irish history:
The movie starts in 1969 which is already well into "The Troubles" from the "Catholic" perspective. This start coincides with the arrival of the British Army in Belfast.
As such it omits the long period of extreme situations and violence that resulted in that unprecedented government intervention.
Although I believe there is truth in the brutishness and frustration of the British Army later on in Northern Ireland, my understanding is that to start with in 1969 they often did not even carry weapons or show much muscle at all.
Mostly they simply accompanied the Royal Ulster Constabulary side by side in their duties, but things did deteriorate over time.
The movie correctly shows well that the initial violence was mainly against the "Catholic" community.
This could be confusing for some viewers who do not understand this to be true. It was the Catholic Community, who, under economic and social siege by 1968/9, wanted protection from the "Protestant" gangs and predominantly "Protestant" police from the British Government back then.
A fact overshadowed by subsequent conflicts between the British Army and the IRA.
This is why I did not like the opening crushing scene of the Army's arrival. I do not believe they went in like a bull in a china shop initially, like the "B Specials" had been doing in The Catholic communites beforehand.
The "Protestant" community were certainly more hostile to the Army at the beginning though. I believe it was widely believed by the government in Whitehall that the Irish "protestants" were the biggest problem at that time.
The RUC police, and the tough "B Specials" were nearly all "Protestant" and prejudiced.
I suspect several whole streets, where the communities had co-existed very well, were raised to the ground before the Army's arrival, and the communities did retreat into barracaded areas such as The Shankill, and Falls Road.
The film:
Even with a somewhat informed background, and usually being able to distinguish between the two communities different accents, it was not easy to see who belonged to who...
Foreign audiences, perhaps being primed to think of The Troubles from a southern "Catholic" point of view may find this film difficult to follow too.
Protestant terrorists are rarely portrayed in the media, and never without their IRA counterparts.
High praise is due to Kenneth for having the courage to portray The Troubles from a unique non-violent "Protestant" family point of view, and for including sympathy for non-violent "Catholics" too.
It is truly quite remarkable that the IRA did not seem to get a mention at all.
Is that a good thing?
I am not sure.
The result is certainly a very unusual film which portrays a comparitively less violent view of The Troubles, and mostly from one communities dimension only.
There is a good story and some superb directing and acting, especially by the youngest actors.
The more experienced and famous senior cast are excellent too. The acting stands out in this movie for me. The family, social and community portrayal is awesome. The kids have it. Is there a steeliness missing there for true authenticity. Parents on both sides were heavily abusive of each other and the children in many cases. It was a very hard life still in the 1960s.
The home displayed was more middle class for me, with very expensive "Thunderbird" sets and "Subbuteo" toys. The decoration, fitted carpets and radiogram etc. Would have been scarce. Some very good attention to detail though, such as the TVs, TV news and shows which I mostly liked, and the Matchbox toys (but did I glimpse a modern Oxford Diecast in there too ;-)
The fact that the buses shown, although carefully revamped were exLondon RFs speaks volumes for the absence today of NI vehicles of the period, hundreds of which were destroyed.
They were replaced by English provincial cast offs, so no need for London vehicles yet again in a movie. At least one was very well finished though.
Liked the focus on Australia and Canada shifting to the more achievable solution of a move to the mainland.
Interestingly he did not elaborate on the severe unemployment which was actually nearly entirely '"Catholic".
It was suggested that his father was an employee, but had serious tax debt which would be unlikely under employers PAYE direct deduction.
He did subtly suggest that the RUC etc.. had a very, very friendly relationship with fellow Protestant community. They were well known for treating Catholics with much more hostility.
Bus to the airport? I doubt if a working class commuter could have afforded to fly in and out of Belfast back then. It would have been a bus to the Holyhead ferry.
The presence of a Calvinist Minister at a disco tapping to the music did not sit well with me, and the surrealistic climax of showing a line of RUC on one side of a tiny street with the army on the other side slowly walking towards and past each other, was completely lost on me I'm afraid.
I was pleased that Kenneth Branagh made a 90 minute movie. Not too long at all, and yet despite such great acting on all levels and some excellent imagery, including successful use of, even mixed, monochrome, the film still seemed to drag a little.
Yet it is too his great credit that he did not allow himself to be sucked into over dramatisation at the conclusion, or at any point in the film.
I was left wondering what his aim was. If it was to simply tell a a story of a "Protestant" family in Belfast during The Troubles, then he may have succeeded, but sad "Belfast" in The Troubles is much more than this single perspective..
Golden Years (2016)
Superb entertainment with social commentary
Just loved this movie. So entertaining with .great humour and superb experienced cast. The social commentary is perhaps less percepible with US audience but it is great. Very well written, directed, filmed and edited. Shame Tom Jones did not appear in person..
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
Awesome presentation, but not for everyone..
I am 63 and, from starting school at age 6, a survivor of The Somme frequently visiting our playground from next door and the ever lessening "Old Contemptables" parading every year on Rememberance Sunday", the impact of World War one was ever present, but largely silent and always in black and white.
No more. This is a truly remarkable technical achievement. Real footage in full, sound added, some colorized and many other layers of precise enhancement and augmentation.
Fully impressionable on those of us interested in real history, but not entertaining, or intended to be stimulating, in the same way as "Dunkirk". Real faces and real horror lingers on.
Stay after the titles to see how it was all done. Having edited myself, I found the details of how it was done as absorbing as the product itself. A New Zealand production, it may not get an Oscar but in my humble opinion this production should receive at least one!
Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer (2018)
Truly Excellent and Thought Provoking Journalistic Approach!
Firstly, in my humble opinion, the screen play was nothing short of superb. This movie was totally absorbing from the very beginning right through to the final Epilogue information in the very end titles. Especially worrying as this is virtually entirely fact based with very little dramatic license!
The sensitive strictly legal approach to the real court case is followed in the same matter of fact approach by the director.
The Prosecuting Attorney was really good, and that is quite something because in my opinion she wss actually the weakest portrayal of what I consider to be the main three characters; (the other two being the defendant and his attorney).
The police officers and The Blogger were very well portrayed and directed too.
The Grand Jury was an interesting aspect to include.
So many other scenes too, but I really wanted to see something of the jury choosing process and the impact the case had on the Jury and Judge.
Really superb movie. No laboring of the subject. Have the courage to go and see this. Make up your own mind...
I, Daniel Blake (2016)
Really good and unique drama documentary..
Firstly I should declare that I worked in this area of government (Not "Social Services" by the way) for 23 years to what may be a unique level of knowledge, including production of an official Tribunal documentary/training video back in 1989, of which I may have the only remaining copy.
How I wish I could have contributed to the script here too, even though I have been out of this work for over 20 years now.
This film is really good, highly realistic and long, long overdue. Great Job.
Nevertheless the one parent family circumstances were not realistic, unless she very naively moved to the north east for a job that fell through. In any case, with children involved, a Social worker should have put in an appearance.
When he tried to sign unemployed and said his Dr. Would not certify him fit for work he would likely have been declined there too! By the time he got his Appeal he might well have been fit for work, and would then have struggled to get arrears without intervention. Yes this would be realistic!
The loss of the local offices means that all he can do is attend counter receptions. 20 years ago his claim would have been determined behind reception and often by the person who interviewed him. (29 years ago as a Decision Maker myself I would sometimes see people myself. An appeal could of course be accepted back then in writing at any time after the decision).
Nevertheless the courage to tackle this subject is unprecedented. The techniques used are extraordinary and the acting is excellent.
I even wonder if some scenes were filmed with natural reactions from people who did not have a script, or prior knowledge of the scenes. This is apparently the case with The Food Pantry scene, and I wonder if true when he asks for help with his PC and the reactions in the street at the end. Terrific spontaneity.
Dunkirk (2017)
Awesome
In my humble opinion, near perfect. Brilliant script, cinematography, soundtracks and acting. Mark Rylance in particular was in my humble opinion absolutely brilliant in his portrayal (based on a number of real incidents from a variety of vessels but using Titanic 2nd Officer Lightoller's role in Dunkirk as a foundation. Superb. Kenneth Branagh was notable too and not too dominant. Even Michael Caine's voice use on the radio was carefully done. My only content gripe was the unnecessary use of a 1950s railway carriage. The overall result a brilliantly directed, balanced and unromanticized war record including an incredible amount of subtlety (e.g. through the background to each and every single notable quote listed here) from a brilliant script right through to the order of titles at the end. Probably the most unique and best war film I have ever seen.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Entertaining Movie - Good Fun
Certainly a fun and entertaining movie. I particularly enjoyed the performances of the two leading actors. Some of the script is a bit of an ouch. The way that Princess Diana says "Excuse Me" to her mother The Queen being one example early on. There was an over extended sexual undertone that I disliked in two parts of the movie. No bad language that I noticed, but one (unnecessary?) extremely sudden violent assassination of a German Officer shot in the head that had our audience gasping. Yes focus on "Love" being good is there, but could probably write an essay on the anti-Christian aspects of this movie. Generally liked the CGI effects but the opening shots from a cliff of an island covered sea looked very unconvincing. A lot of trouble has been taken with WW1 period artifacts, costume and atmosphere. Some incredulity included as one would expect, such as the tiny WW1 bomb dropped by hand is not likely to result in an entire factory exploding instantaneously. Pretty sure there are a few continuity errors to. Is the pilot shown in flashback stealing aircraft without cap/goggles, pushing pilot with items on to the ground, only to crash in the sea with them on? "Southern Railway (1923) carriage was clearly shown in 1918, yet some nice period props were made, including a Foden Steam Lorry which was destroyed later on in the film. Personally found the very sudden changes in period a bit tough to take. Movie seemed to want to cover enormous scope, but it really was entertaining.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Good but not great entertainment.
Clearly the Director Guy Ritchie wanted to create something very different in this rendition. It is hard to escape the influences of Lord of The Rings though. The influence of the Merlin TV series is acknowledged briefly at the start with a short cameo from Katie McGrath (Morgana), just before launching into a very high speed story line taking Arthur from a child to adulthood, and bringing him to the realization that he was the true King. David Beckham's cameo was fun I suspect the money might have been better spent elsewhere? As a result of this vari-speed cinematic approach it is certainly "very modern" and very different. Although the movie kept our full attention, our small USA audience did not seem too impressed with the manipulation. I have to question whether, especially given that there are supposed to be five more of these movies, that this approach was necessary? There were a lot of heavy regional British accents, and at least one great (over?) extended scene of British rapid fire humor which as a Brit I loved, but the American audience seemed, to me, to be totally thrown by the language and the pantomime-style sequence. Thankfully I heard only one F-Bomb and saw and heard very little objectionable material in the movie which was a good thing. The special effects were absolutely outstanding. I particularly loved the treatment of the sword thrown into the lake. I loved Arthur's Muse "Nimue" played by Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and all of the other supporting characters, but I am afraid I kept wanting to see a stronger performance from Charlie Hunnam in the lead. I even kept wanting to cast Kenneth Brannagh in that role! Planned to be the first of six movies, in my humble opinion it lacks something and I think it needs to get a good deal better with a more consistent approach to be successful.
Mörkret faller (2016)
Very clever & engaging
This movie is a short at 15 minutes long but is nevertheless fully engaging. The titles however do not finish until four whole minutes into this work and this is unnecessarily distracting in my view for such a short movie. The intervening landscape cinematography was really nice and fully engaging on its own in my view. The titles should finish at 1:14 with the film title. A small point perhaps but the actress Joanna opens her eyes quite quickly and then flutters her eyes a little. Not sure if that was a deliberate intention/direction but I would personally have preferred to see the title followed by her eyes opening very slowly and staying open for more dramatic effect. Once the titles are done with though the movie really takes off with even more outstanding photography and editing. Totally absorbing. Superb acting in all roles. Lighting and atmosphere, even timing is all perfect from that point on. For USA/UK? audiences there is a shade of Scandinavia/Wallander about the director's treatment using suspense which is not unexpected. Loved it. Congratulations on Cannes! Highly recommended and can't wait for your feature length Jarno!
Passengers (2016)
Very entertaining.
Surprisingly entertaining, despite what seemed to be, (even to the lead actors being interviewed on Graham Norton's show), a restricted idea, environment, basic story line and plot. It was though all kept simple and effective. What was written was used to the full and not overwhelmed by the excellent special effects. Leading actors were surprisingly good in my view, while Arthur the Android barman was in danger of stealing the show and some nice twists and turns. Ending could in my view have been developed a little more. The concept of infallible technology seemed to have some unlikely holes in it and as a result one or two parts were just a bit too fantastic. A really good family movie with a tiny amount of nudity. Highly recommended.
Spectre (2015)
Loved it..
Hard to write about this movie. On the face of it there was nothing special about it at all. Yet I still found the constant level of action truly absorbing and entertaining, even though nothing much stood out. The acting was good and convincing in the traditional James Bond tongue in cheek way. Perhaps I am biased in loving to see so much of London too but I loved the locations and the lighting treatments too. Yet I have to return to the point that I really cannot point to any one thing that stood out as being extraordinary in this movie! Not one incident, stunt or chase. Hard not to compare with the latest Mission Impossible movie with its extraordinary stunts pushing the boundaries in very visual ways. In explicably I was more consistently absorbed by Spectre than MI. Somehow though I was totally absorbed in the escapism of it all, and recommend this movie without hesitation.
The Lady in the Van (2015)
Memorizing...
I can't stand Alan Bennett's work I am sorry to say. Add to that the idea of a pair of "Bennetts" ever present in this movie talking to each other and the combination was very intimidating for me indeed to be honest.
No need to worry though as this movie is nothing short of superb! The combination of cast, Director Nicholas Hytner and of course the outstanding performance of Dame Maggie Smith made for a sensationally entertaining movie told about several genuinely absorbing, albeit unglamorous, characters.
Dame Maggie's performance speaks for itself. You will hear a lot about Dame Maggie for sure.
For me though it is Nicholas Hytner's role that I found equally if not even more fascinating. He somehow managed to temper, what I find to be, the acidic sarcastic self-analytical Bennett style, to the extent that even the dramatic device of having two "Bennetts" did not overwhelm the production.
This production was for me astonishingly well balanced; between the unwilling carer, his other self, the social worker, the neighbors and Miss Shepherd. So much so that I could not take my eyes off the screen from beginning to end.
To some extent I can personally speak to the fact, that the whole presentation was entirely authentic. It would even still have been so had they not used the original settings and location because of the cast. (Presumably was very good on stage too?) Some people have commented on the ending but for me it was as near perfection as it could be.
Well done everyone and err... yes even you Mr. Bennett, both of you.. sigh.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
Very good - Recommended
Really liked most of this film but left with the feeling that it was perhaps too long for the written material. Character portrayal and acting was very good indeed. Special effects very good. Plenty of action all round. Certainly a different feelform the previous two movies too. One especially notable scene was the most amazing bombing sequence I have ever seen in any movie. You really felt you were in the shelter with them! Certainly left wanting to see again and to see more. Probably my favorite of the three so far, although I found the plot to be a little unconvincing. I think they could have got to Peter sooner...
Cinderella (2015)
Wonderful Production.
Had I known beforehand that Kenneth Brannagh was the Director I might have needed a lot more convincing about suitability of this movie for young people. As it is I need not have worried as the rendition could not really have been much better. The classic way of updating a family standard I loved the way it was put together and the sheer polished professionalism of the end result. My only very minor gripe was the use of CGI which, while although overall superb, was in my opinion weak when used for the crowd scenes and the ships in the harbor, where object copying seemed a little too obvious for me at least. Really good cinematography and incredibly smooth direction coupled with excellent sound effects too made this a delight to see.
Bataan (1943)
A mixture but characters way ahead of their time...
The "War Double Feature" DVD copy I saw was of good quality. As indicated elsewhere the choice, scope and portrayal of different ethnic background to characters was way, way ahead of it's time and a remarkable achievement, but not without cost to the studio at the time. Nevertheless the portrayals still seem a little stereotypical i.e. the Filipino shown as rather superficial, unreliable, undisciplined and perhaps not courageous as they likely really were? The African American was played well but the script called for him to regularly burst into song as if he was on the banks of the Mississippi. There was zero insight into the Japanese who were simply portrayed as blindly charging cannon fodder/bodies with no personalities and little or no battle skills at all. Far from the truth. This may have been deliberate though to avoid panic at home? The hand to hand choreography and fight scenes were very poor, unconvincing and the worst part of the movie for me I'm afraid. The trailer advertises that this was based on true authentic story/stories but I haven't found any corroboration. Of course there is no mention of the USA having to leave all of the islands or of the Bataan March and yet there is a, what for the time must have been an exceedingly optimistic, promise that the US would return to Bataan. Which of course they did God Bless them! All in all still well worth watching even 70 years later!
Lewis: The Ramblin' Boy: Part 1 (2013)
Well I am still loving the Lewis series
*Warning Spoiler included - Inspector Lewis is still my number 1. Also saw Parts 1 and 2 combined and found Babou Ceesay's performance as D.C. Grey particularly refreshing. Can we please have an explanation of how they met up when he was a kid? Was it supposed to be a flashback to a particular Morse episode? Certainly feel there is room for more exploration of a relationship there and will be very sad to see the series go if that is indeed the intention. This series must be about the more complex plots, and I for one find this series a lot more difficult to guess out than even Morse was! Nevertheless there is an enormous amount of competition out there. Bound to say that, although I do also like Midsomer Murders a little, the Midsomer Murder plots, body count, restricted locale and John Nettles (Bring back Bergerac) are nothing short of incredible in comparison to Inspector Lewis.
The Iron Lady (2011)
A Movie about aging and dementia or about a stateswoman?
I am not a fan of Margaret Thatcher but I do believe she should have had more respectful treatment than shown by this movie, especially as it has been released during her lifetime. Somewhat familiar with the Thatcher Story, I was left with the overwhelming impression that this movie was almost entirely about age and the sad decline of one's (anyone's) faculties into dementia and with Margaret Thatcher's life almost as a backdrop. The movie did leave a lasting impression on leaving the theater but not of Margaret Thatcher, only of how sad aging, grieving and dementia really is. This was caused by a (for me at least) awfully destructive screenplay sequence, seemingly obsessed with her natural decline in later life. For me this was a serious opportunity lost. Whatever we may think of Margaret Thatcher's policies she is a great stateswoman and should be respected as such. I did like that events were presented dramatically but allowing the audience to make their own judgments. I liked too the choice and approach to national events (apart from the totally unnecessary artistic/dramatic license with certain events i.e Airy Neave) but can't help but wonder what a great movie this could have been if the attention to her aging had been cut back to a more realistic amount of screen time and perhaps left towards the last 25% of the movie and only then slowly introduced with at first shorter then longer flashbacks? Personally liked Meryl Streep's very considered and convincing performance, but not for an Oscar, which she nonetheless has deserved for other roles. Don't know the shooting sequence but there seemed to me to be at least one important scene at the height of Margaret's power and capability where Meryl Streep/Director seems to suggest Margaret was already showing signs of illness but this was not in fact the case. I can't recall wanting to re-edit a movie so much before. The performances are there and much more probably in the rushes too I'm sure but this final result is really too obscure and believe me Margaret Thatcher is a lot of things to a lot of people but certainly never ever "obscure"!
Christabel (1988)
Astonishing..
This is a 1988 BBC TV Movie, and a rendition of 1930's Germany, the like of which I have never seen before.
Although brilliantly written by Dennis Potter our own late mother, (although not involved in The German resistance or with the Holocaust), could have written this and better based on her own incredible day to day wartime experiences.
The setting is simply outstanding. The attention to detail such as the trains, trams and even household items such as the coffee grinder are amazing.
There are several actual very similar parallels with events experienced by Mum, and even some identical dialogue in this movie.
Given our family connection to this era, I found myself spellbound and deeply moved by it tonight.
Never thought I could ever equate my Mum with Liz Hurley though LOL!
The King's Speech (2010)
Truly remarkable movie,,,
If you are looking for sheer excitement, battle sequences or car chases, than this movie may not be for you.
Of on the other hand you are looking for thoughtful drama, fantastic acting and historical insight this movie is IMHO without equal.
Certainly helps if you know something of the history here, but I loved the audience knowledge assumptions made which meant that the audience does not feel patronized by the content.
A little slow to start with, and perhaps very slightly long? IMHO It is one of those movies you need to allow yourself to be immersed in. Not simple entertainment but a highly skilled and very courageous and capable portrayal of an unprecedented, and largely secret, real life astonishing drama (British Succession), behind another astonishing drama on a worldwide scale(British leadership in WW2).
The casting, screenplay, camera-work, prop/set detail and acting are simply extraordinary.
My wife asked if this movie cried out for a sequel? My feeling is I would not have though it was intended, but if it did happen, and with this cast, than several ought to have an even better chance of an Oscar.
Too many brilliant performances to mention.
Sadly I do wonder however how much of a future in this industry lies with such wonderful full feature film works of art, as this movie was only viewed here by four people tonight!
The Train (1964)
How did I miss this movie...
Truly extraordinary in it's use of authentic railway rolling stock, (although sad at it's destruction in retrospect), and also the aircraft this story, and acting, are very compelling indeed. The feeling of war-time France is only spoiled by the accents. Camera work and locations great too. The dilemma of still being occupied by the Germans.. but not for long.. was conveyed too in one or two of the more mercenary characters who it seemed to me suddenly found the courage to help the resistance realizing that it was all going to be over soon.. I have no idea how I missed this old movie but it kept me up until 1am this morning. Astonishingly entertaining. Thank God with all the bloodshed it was not a true story though!