Archive for the ‘Film’ Category

Missed it at the cinema, but picked up on blu ray. A powerful and well constructed drama, I don’t see why people would complain about a ‘bleak’ storyline. There’s a lot of heart here, and Olivia Coleman puts in a stunning performance. Emotive. Redemptive. Rewarding.

Yes, of course, you’ve probably seen this already, but if you haven’t then you should pick this up as soon as possible. The Blu Ray transfer is stunning, with great sound too. Gosling is on good form, and I didn’t even mind Mulligan’s performance…especially in light of her annoying presence in Shame. 

Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man.

This project dates back to 1964, with as many of the 14 original participants  interviewed on film every seven years. With individuals coming from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, the experiment throws out naturally unexpected results. By the time 49 Up comes around, it’s a little disheartening to see how the participants feel about participating, how guarded they have become of the process, how resentful they are of the intrusion into their lives. It all means that their dissatisfaction has a tendency to come flying destructively to the fore. And I can understand that the participants merely want to get on with their lives, but it feels like many of the group’s ambitions have evaporated by the time the viewer gets through the last DVD. But then how much of that comes down to editing, we’ll never know.

Irrespective of this final DVD, all the series from 7 – 42 Up are enthralling and entertaining. I can’t recommend this documentary enough: part historical document, part philosophical whimsy, full human experience. Apparently, 56 Up will be broadcast in May, 2012. With the exception of a couple of participants, I’m not sure I’m looking forward to watching it.

Watching this is an incredibly moving experience. Recommended.

Dark and unsettling, but essential viewing – even if you will only watch it once.

I’ll readily admit I shed more than a few tears watching this. A powerfully written drama, carefully constructed, and brilliantly performed.

A Satyajit Ray film in Hindi narrated by Amitabh Bachchan starring Saeed Jaffrey, Sanjeev Kumar and Richard Attenborough.  The Chess Players focuses on the British takeover of the city of Oudh while two resident noblemen obsess over chess, and neglect their wives.

Most interesting for me is how easily the Nawab (a poet, artist, and musician giften enough to be admired by a British officer) succumbed to the threat of British force. The distant, almost unfeeling nature of the film – so intrinsic to Ray’s output – is more tangible here, and its effects prove just as divisively destructive as his early work.

For me, the only reason Super 8 has garnered negative attention is simply because those particular viewers no longer understand the concept of fun.