'Election' (1999) starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon.
I'm not sure how I've previously missed this film as Reese Witherspoon is one of my favourite modern actresses and she's in great form in this clever comedy playing Tracy Flick a preppy, swatty overachiever determined to win her high-school's election to become student body president. Matthew Broderick plays a teacher who intervenes when it appears that Tracy Flick will win unopposed by convincing a dim but popular high-school jock to campaign. There are some lovely spin-off character plotlines weaving around but overall this is quite watchable but far from a classic. BTW cover Grandma and the budgie as the C-word gets an unexpected singular outing. Now on BBC iPlayer. 6/10.
Reese Witherspoon hmm. Her nice un affected girl image was tarnished some what some time ago when she was pulled up for speeding I think it was and she delcared to the the cop " Dont you know who I am? " They are all the same once they become a celeb?
'Jane Eyre' (2011) starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender
I'll not outline the plot but this has the look and the feel of something halfway between a TV adaption and a full-on big screen film. I still think that the 1943 (Robert Stevenson) version is the classic and definitive version but there's much to admire here. This version uses it's additional run time to cover Jane's time with the Rivers family at Moor House (not covered in the 1943 film) and indeed, the film starts with an exhausted Jane crossing the moors and seeking shelter there before going into the main story through flashback. Mia Wasikowska is simply perfect as Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender is every bit as rude and abrupt as Orson Welles' portrayal of Mr. Rochester. 8/10.
Last edited by Spinners on 23 Nov 2019, 4:59pm, edited 1 time in total.
'Soldier Of Orange' (1977) starring Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbé.
Produced by Peter Verhoeven this was a hugely succesful film in The Netherlands and is based on the autobiographical book 'Soldaat van Oranje' by Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema. It tells the story of a group of Dutch students from the late 1930's through to the end of WW2 with strong focus of Rutger Hauer (handsome devil as he was). Apart from covering the stories of the students it shows the country during WW2 from the start of the war through to the invasion by German forces, the Dutch capitulation (following the bombing of Rotterdam) and then touches upon the plight of the Dutch Jews. It bravely pulls no punches in showing how some Dutch people welcomed and supported the German invaders (one student is shown fighting for them on the Eastern Front) but the main story is about the Dutch resistance. The film is cleverly book-ended by newsreel clips of Queen Wilhelmina arriving back on Dutch soil in May 1945. As a history lesson it didn't really add anything to my limited knowledge of the Netherlands during WW2 (gained from watching the episode of 'World at War' that focused on Holland or 'The Diary of Anne Frank') but it was quite watchable so 6/10. Edward Fox pops up in this film and he was also in 'A Bridge Too Far' that was released in the same year - now that was an epic war film.
Mrs 100%JR and I watched The Highwaymen last night on Netflix.It's a 2019 film based on the true story of two ex-Texas Rangers,Kevin Costner and Woody Harreleson who are recruited to catch Bonnie and Clyde.
The Highwaymen is a 2019 American period crime drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by John Fusco. The film stars Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, two former Texas Rangers who attempt to track down and apprehend notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde in the 1930s. Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch, Kim Dickens, Thomas Mann and William Sadler also star.
We quite enjoyed it and thought it did a good job of portraying the era.
100%JR wrote:Mrs 100%JR and I watched The Highwaymen last night on Netflix.It's a 2019 film based on the true story of two ex-Texas Rangers,Kevin Costner and Woody Harreleson who are recruited to catch Bonnie and Clyde.
The Highwaymen is a 2019 American period crime drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by John Fusco. The film stars Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, two former Texas Rangers who attempt to track down and apprehend notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde in the 1930s. Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch, Kim Dickens, Thomas Mann and William Sadler also star.
We quite enjoyed it and thought it did a good job of portraying the era.
How many guns and car chases were in it? This is how the Yank weighs a filum for good or bad. If a sly fellow gets the loadsamoney by being sly, this adds 3 points. There must also be lots of drawling of pithy lines by hard-faced stand-your-grounders that mean little more than, "I'll get you!"
Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
Went to see it last night, great little film about a fictional character Amelia combined with a real life character James Glaisher, an attempt was made on the height record for a balloon.
I've been following a chap on YouTube for a while now bikepacking down the Americas sometimes he travels with other adventurers along the way. He makes some truly breathtaking films, usually they range from 30mins to an hour long and tell the story of his travels. This is a beautiful short 7minute film to music which IMO is one of his best yet:- https://youtu.be/jJgoOHv8tTk
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Filmed over a period of six years this award-winning documentary film explores the struggle of the 'silenced' opponents (and their families) of the Franco regime in Spain from the Spanish Civil War right through to the present day. Some were silenced by execution during the SCW and the plight of their families to have their bodies recovered from mass graves is covered but many have been silenced by Spain's 1977 Amnesty Law intended to draw a line under Franco's regime that continued until 1975. Compelling. 9/10.
Shown on BBC 4 this week and currently on BBC iPlayer (on TiVo go Films>Storyville>Facing Franco's Crimes: The Silence of Others)
'Volver' (2006) staring Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas and Carmen Maura.
A tender Pedro Almodóvar comedy drama and easily the best thing I've seen Penélope Cruz in. Raimunda (Cruz) is a hard-working wife to a bit of a dead-beat husband who is murdered by their daughter after she defends herself from his sudden sexual advance (tastefully not shown). Raimunda explains to her daughter that her 'father' is not actually her biological father and she sets about disposing of the body amidst parallel plotlines of the death of her aunt, her sister seeing the ghost of their mother, a friend with terminal cancer and taking over a vacant restaurant to feed a film crew that has descended on the village where they live. It's all linked and you'll spot where the story is heading early enough to just sit back and enjoy the acting, see Cruz in a most vivacious mood and Almodóvar's sublime story-telling and colour palette. 8/10.
Petrol heads film but all the same brilliant if you like motor racing (wrong forum I Know) Le Mans 66 Its about Fords attempt to steal the Le Mans crown from Ferrari in the 60s. Matt Damon plays Shelby and Christian Bale as Ken Miles there is some edge of the seat racing, against a backdrop of the American cooperate trying to control the little guy.
Don't wait for it to come out on DVD this really is a cimena film for the full effect.
" They are all the same once they become a celeb?
I almost fell for that. Then I crosschecked it before going for a full-blown panic attack.
