What classics did you see last week? (3 Dec to 9 Dec 2017)
Dec 11, 2017 2:19:30 GMT
spiderwort likes this
Post by morrisondylanfan on Dec 11, 2017 2:19:30 GMT
Hi all,this week I ticked off one of the main things that has been on my movie "wishlist" for over a year,I visited the oldest working cinema in the UK:
The Electric Cinema in Birmingham has been opened since 1909,and for any movie fans who visit the UK,this is definitely a place you should check out.
Along with the Electric visit,I saw:
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017) 8 (At the Electric)
Walking down the cobbled streets of late 70's/early 80's Liverpool, director Paul McGuigan (former bass player with Oasis!) & cinematographer Urszula Pontikos grab handfuls of grit from the British New Wave/ Kitchen Sink works of the era, with dour browns covering the rising damp of the Turner household, and thick smog on the streets casting an earthy drama atmosphere. Going with Grahame back to Hollywood, McGuigan sharply contrasts the humble time in Liverpool with stylised glamour of excellent camera tricks that bring to life a dream factory version of Hollywood-complete with colourful overlaps and fade ins/fade outs,that keep Grahame's past of her name up on billboards flickering.The first non-Bond movie produced by Eon since 1963's Call Me Bwana, the screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh brilliantly keeps this adaptation of Peter Turner's book as far removed from 007 as possible.
Greenhalgh gives the May-December romance between Turner and Grahame a passionate rawness, (cleverly expressed by events being played out twice,from Turner and Grahame's perspectives)where their moments of breezy romance can turn with ease into abrasive doubt. Reunited with a very good Julie Walters as his mum Bella, Jamie Bell gives an excellent performance as Peter Turner, lit by Bell taping into the Angry Young Man of the British New Wave, that Bell keeps from becoming overpowering,by neatly softening the edges of Turner's frustrations with a romantic warmth. Bringing the bad and the beautiful sides of the Hollywood icon to Liverpool, Annette Bening gives an incredible performance as Grahame, thanks to Bening crossing a feisty determination over how Grahame wants to live her life, with a delicate touch that makes the romance between her and Turner sparkle,in the place where film stars don't die.
Travis (1997) 10
Going in a similar vein to Anna Procházková's fascinating 1971 Czech TV movie of Dracula, co-writer/(with Jirí Hanák) director Václav Postránecký & cinematographer Vladimír Opletal play within the limitations of a TV film budget via boiling up an incredibly eerie atmosphere, lit by tightly coiled shots scanning each room for a jump-scare shock. Mostly taking place in one (very large) room, Postránecký makes every inch of the place feel filled with mystery via elegant voice-overs uncovering the horrors of the house, that build up tension to each time Heartley goes outside to the fog covered grounds.
Unofficially adapting Susan Hill's book The Woman in Black,the screenplay by Jirí Hanák and Václav Postránecký display the strength Hill's creation has in its flexibility for different interpretations,with the sight of a ghostly figure by the graves,the unidentified sound of steps around the house, and the enticing mystery of a locked room all brimming with the Gothic Horror roots of its origins. Taking the death of children curse of the book into an unsettling, optimistic direction, the writers superbly thread the ghostly haunting from the boy in black with creepy psychological drama,that becomes unveiled with each passing letter Heartley finds of Rebecca,as the boy in black stands by the grave awaiting the next unlucky soul.
Gunpowder (2017) 6
Bringing three Game of Thrones cast members along to this bonfire night, director J Blakeson (who did the very good 2009 Thriller film The Disappearance of Alice Creed) & cinematographer Philipp Blaubach give the show some of GoT grit,with musk and layers of fog covering the screen as Catesby plans the attack. Moving away from the "class" the Costume Drama is usually known for, Blakeson unexpectedly drills into the Historical Horror genre,with Blakeson expanding on his past Thriller work with blistering,bloody stylisation nailing the horrors inflicted on the Catholics.
Setting out the plan over the three eps, the scripts by co- writer/(with Ronan Bennett and Daniel West) lead actor Kit Harington (who is actually related to Catesby) never let the gunpowder get fired up,due to a focus on the melodrama state of Catesby,which causes any other interesting-looking character to largely be pushed to the side, and the political situation behind the attack to be left in muddy waters,that only spark during a tense escape/chase that stands as the set-piece of the series. Fighting against a hissing Mark Gatiss as Lord Robert Cecil, Harington gives a penny for the guy with a great performance as Catesby,with each murder Catesby witnesses,Harington uses the anger to light the fuse in his heart.
Private Parts (1997) 8
Going between hosting his radio show in the morning and shooting this movie the rest of the day, Howard Stern actually gives a very good performance as himself! Re-enacting some of his most taboo- breaking moments, Stern captures the ruckus energy of each broadcast pushing the lines of decency in mainstream radio. Whilst it is all about him, Stern surprisingly does not shy away from really bringing out the neurotic side of the "character", with Stern's inability to handle extremely emotional moments, leading to snappy exchanges between Stern (who was originally going to be played by Jeff Goldblum) and his wife Alison, (played by the charming Mary McCormack.) with Paul Giamatti also biting everyone's arm off as irritated radio manager Kenny (talk about this being a challenging role for Giamatti!)
Bringing Stern's show from the airwaves to the screen, director Betty Thomas & cinematographer Walt Lloyd give each broadcast a flight of fantasy atmosphere,where each sex act is heightened to the most fantastical level. Adapting Stern's book and radio show, the screenplay by Lee Blum and Michael Kalesniko criss-cross raunchy sex comedy set-pieces with a playfully quirky wit,that is hilariously undressed in Stern never finding a station where he fits in,and the private parts get exposed.
Fifth Element (1997) 8
Going to space as the (at the time) most expensive European film ever made, director Luc Besson & cinematographer Thierry Arbogast take their Cinéma du look stylisation to a galactic level,with Besson leaving out any hint of darkness with a Pop Art vibrancy of Comic- Book coloured reds,yellows and blues giving the adventure a pristine shine. Planning the film since his teens,Besson (and costume designer Jean-Paul Gaultier-who personally checked the costumes of five hundred extras used in one scene!) lovingly pay attention to detail in every scene, from the unique appearance of each monstrous alien,to all the items in Dallas's run-down cab.Mixing three separate screenplays together to form one movie, the screenplay by Besson and Kamen rolls out a thrilling Sci-Fi adventure,where the threat of the world going dark keeps the live wires lit,as Dallas follows Leeloo's search across the galaxies.
Whilst Ruby Rhod is a bit on the "loud" side, (played by a jiving Chris Tucker) the writers paint the five elements with a refreshing level of humour,that bubbles up from Leeloo's funny fish out of water experience.While stating that his feelings on the flick were "Oh no. I can't bear it." (he made it due to Besson helping to fund Nil by Mouth) Gary Oldman gives a wonderfully wacky performance as baddie Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, (who uniquely,never comes face to face with the goodies)who Oldman turns into a loose cannon that can go off any moment. Creating an alien language with Besson (who she would later get married to) for the film, Milla Jovovich casts an otherworldly atmosphere on the movie in her great performance as Leeloo,thanks to Jovovich having to making Leeloo come out of her alien,fish out of water state,in order to complete the five elements.
The Electric Cinema in Birmingham has been opened since 1909,and for any movie fans who visit the UK,this is definitely a place you should check out.
Along with the Electric visit,I saw:
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017) 8 (At the Electric)
Walking down the cobbled streets of late 70's/early 80's Liverpool, director Paul McGuigan (former bass player with Oasis!) & cinematographer Urszula Pontikos grab handfuls of grit from the British New Wave/ Kitchen Sink works of the era, with dour browns covering the rising damp of the Turner household, and thick smog on the streets casting an earthy drama atmosphere. Going with Grahame back to Hollywood, McGuigan sharply contrasts the humble time in Liverpool with stylised glamour of excellent camera tricks that bring to life a dream factory version of Hollywood-complete with colourful overlaps and fade ins/fade outs,that keep Grahame's past of her name up on billboards flickering.The first non-Bond movie produced by Eon since 1963's Call Me Bwana, the screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh brilliantly keeps this adaptation of Peter Turner's book as far removed from 007 as possible.
Greenhalgh gives the May-December romance between Turner and Grahame a passionate rawness, (cleverly expressed by events being played out twice,from Turner and Grahame's perspectives)where their moments of breezy romance can turn with ease into abrasive doubt. Reunited with a very good Julie Walters as his mum Bella, Jamie Bell gives an excellent performance as Peter Turner, lit by Bell taping into the Angry Young Man of the British New Wave, that Bell keeps from becoming overpowering,by neatly softening the edges of Turner's frustrations with a romantic warmth. Bringing the bad and the beautiful sides of the Hollywood icon to Liverpool, Annette Bening gives an incredible performance as Grahame, thanks to Bening crossing a feisty determination over how Grahame wants to live her life, with a delicate touch that makes the romance between her and Turner sparkle,in the place where film stars don't die.
Travis (1997) 10
Going in a similar vein to Anna Procházková's fascinating 1971 Czech TV movie of Dracula, co-writer/(with Jirí Hanák) director Václav Postránecký & cinematographer Vladimír Opletal play within the limitations of a TV film budget via boiling up an incredibly eerie atmosphere, lit by tightly coiled shots scanning each room for a jump-scare shock. Mostly taking place in one (very large) room, Postránecký makes every inch of the place feel filled with mystery via elegant voice-overs uncovering the horrors of the house, that build up tension to each time Heartley goes outside to the fog covered grounds.
Unofficially adapting Susan Hill's book The Woman in Black,the screenplay by Jirí Hanák and Václav Postránecký display the strength Hill's creation has in its flexibility for different interpretations,with the sight of a ghostly figure by the graves,the unidentified sound of steps around the house, and the enticing mystery of a locked room all brimming with the Gothic Horror roots of its origins. Taking the death of children curse of the book into an unsettling, optimistic direction, the writers superbly thread the ghostly haunting from the boy in black with creepy psychological drama,that becomes unveiled with each passing letter Heartley finds of Rebecca,as the boy in black stands by the grave awaiting the next unlucky soul.
Gunpowder (2017) 6
Bringing three Game of Thrones cast members along to this bonfire night, director J Blakeson (who did the very good 2009 Thriller film The Disappearance of Alice Creed) & cinematographer Philipp Blaubach give the show some of GoT grit,with musk and layers of fog covering the screen as Catesby plans the attack. Moving away from the "class" the Costume Drama is usually known for, Blakeson unexpectedly drills into the Historical Horror genre,with Blakeson expanding on his past Thriller work with blistering,bloody stylisation nailing the horrors inflicted on the Catholics.
Setting out the plan over the three eps, the scripts by co- writer/(with Ronan Bennett and Daniel West) lead actor Kit Harington (who is actually related to Catesby) never let the gunpowder get fired up,due to a focus on the melodrama state of Catesby,which causes any other interesting-looking character to largely be pushed to the side, and the political situation behind the attack to be left in muddy waters,that only spark during a tense escape/chase that stands as the set-piece of the series. Fighting against a hissing Mark Gatiss as Lord Robert Cecil, Harington gives a penny for the guy with a great performance as Catesby,with each murder Catesby witnesses,Harington uses the anger to light the fuse in his heart.
Private Parts (1997) 8
Going between hosting his radio show in the morning and shooting this movie the rest of the day, Howard Stern actually gives a very good performance as himself! Re-enacting some of his most taboo- breaking moments, Stern captures the ruckus energy of each broadcast pushing the lines of decency in mainstream radio. Whilst it is all about him, Stern surprisingly does not shy away from really bringing out the neurotic side of the "character", with Stern's inability to handle extremely emotional moments, leading to snappy exchanges between Stern (who was originally going to be played by Jeff Goldblum) and his wife Alison, (played by the charming Mary McCormack.) with Paul Giamatti also biting everyone's arm off as irritated radio manager Kenny (talk about this being a challenging role for Giamatti!)
Bringing Stern's show from the airwaves to the screen, director Betty Thomas & cinematographer Walt Lloyd give each broadcast a flight of fantasy atmosphere,where each sex act is heightened to the most fantastical level. Adapting Stern's book and radio show, the screenplay by Lee Blum and Michael Kalesniko criss-cross raunchy sex comedy set-pieces with a playfully quirky wit,that is hilariously undressed in Stern never finding a station where he fits in,and the private parts get exposed.
Fifth Element (1997) 8
Going to space as the (at the time) most expensive European film ever made, director Luc Besson & cinematographer Thierry Arbogast take their Cinéma du look stylisation to a galactic level,with Besson leaving out any hint of darkness with a Pop Art vibrancy of Comic- Book coloured reds,yellows and blues giving the adventure a pristine shine. Planning the film since his teens,Besson (and costume designer Jean-Paul Gaultier-who personally checked the costumes of five hundred extras used in one scene!) lovingly pay attention to detail in every scene, from the unique appearance of each monstrous alien,to all the items in Dallas's run-down cab.Mixing three separate screenplays together to form one movie, the screenplay by Besson and Kamen rolls out a thrilling Sci-Fi adventure,where the threat of the world going dark keeps the live wires lit,as Dallas follows Leeloo's search across the galaxies.
Whilst Ruby Rhod is a bit on the "loud" side, (played by a jiving Chris Tucker) the writers paint the five elements with a refreshing level of humour,that bubbles up from Leeloo's funny fish out of water experience.While stating that his feelings on the flick were "Oh no. I can't bear it." (he made it due to Besson helping to fund Nil by Mouth) Gary Oldman gives a wonderfully wacky performance as baddie Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, (who uniquely,never comes face to face with the goodies)who Oldman turns into a loose cannon that can go off any moment. Creating an alien language with Besson (who she would later get married to) for the film, Milla Jovovich casts an otherworldly atmosphere on the movie in her great performance as Leeloo,thanks to Jovovich having to making Leeloo come out of her alien,fish out of water state,in order to complete the five elements.