Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
More Annotations
![A complete backup of www.telemagazyn.pl/artykuly/malgorzata-walczak-partnerka-filipa-chajzera-odchodzi-z-tvp-po-skandalicznym-ma](https://www.archivebay.com/archive2/eb464945-4e87-44a8-9879-7d15bb6c198a.png)
A complete backup of www.telemagazyn.pl/artykuly/malgorzata-walczak-partnerka-filipa-chajzera-odchodzi-z-tvp-po-skandalicznym-ma
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of www.livehindustan.com/tags/tapas-pal-news](https://www.archivebay.com/archive2/349db264-0cc0-4460-acd1-a616e3228b8b.png)
A complete backup of www.livehindustan.com/tags/tapas-pal-news
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of ftw.usatoday.com/2020/02/how-to-watch-chelsea-vs-manchester-united-premier-league-live-stream-schedule-tv-c](https://www.archivebay.com/archive2/129d1774-1995-4573-a055-d0c6e581e505.png)
A complete backup of ftw.usatoday.com/2020/02/how-to-watch-chelsea-vs-manchester-united-premier-league-live-stream-schedule-tv-c
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of www.espn.in/football/report?gameId=541590](https://www.archivebay.com/archive2/d18c4717-37b8-45c0-8cac-9af76413c98b.png)
A complete backup of www.espn.in/football/report?gameId=541590
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
Favourite Annotations
![A complete backup of sergeychernyshev.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/490ce5f5-3fc4-47c7-abe2-96d2aea7be7c.png)
A complete backup of sergeychernyshev.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of recreatiewoning.nl](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/1a77e8ad-3e3a-4567-84c7-2ce69a458935.png)
A complete backup of recreatiewoning.nl
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of willamettedental.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/2d607b8e-6bb9-4ea9-83f1-9dafa4184168.png)
A complete backup of willamettedental.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of thinkprogress.org](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/92f21e42-c807-42d4-aab4-5b61c79f0e11.png)
A complete backup of thinkprogress.org
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of lemon-directory.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/649f37cc-4ca6-41f4-81ae-c30bb4e08c12.png)
A complete backup of lemon-directory.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
Text
MEANING IN MOVIES
reflections and theological musings. Sunday, 21 June 2020. DeepwaterHorizon
MEANING IN MOVIES: STRANGER THAN FICTION This is a film about life and death - and love and hope. It's also the first film I've seen Will Ferrell perform a role which I actually like, he's the character Harold Crick and not just Will Ferrell!This is a clever film - well conceived and exquisitely scripted. MEANING IN MOVIES: JANUARY 2012 The conceptualisation of this film is first class - as is the acting, lighting and the film's ability to transport the viewer back to the heyday of Hollywood when stars were stars and MEANING IN MOVIES: MARCH 2016 Parts of me are still numb more than 24 hours after watching the film. As a priest I have been bruised and battered by the story that thisfilm unfolds.
MEANING IN MOVIES: JULY 2017 I really like the stories told and through them the films made by Polish Director Krzysztof Kieślowski and have all his films that are available on disc.At our monthly gathering in the parish, friends randomly chose the number 7 without knowing why they were choosing and so elected to watch an hour long film loosely based on the 7th of the Ten Commandments - " You shall not commit adultery". MEANING IN MOVIES: JANUARY 2014 This is a disturbing drama about 'self' and identity. It is written and directed by Sean Durkin and establishes him as a major player in the vibrant American Independent Cinema genre. MEANING IN MOVIES: APRIL 2019 This is a Passion Play that attempts to bring the passion up to date. Set in the grounds of a catholic shrine in the city of Montreal, the shrine's guardian enlists a group of actors to modernise the jaded 40 year-old script that is used in the annual production of their PassionPlay.
MEANING IN MOVIES: NOVEMBER 2012 Director Michael Haneke (Hidden and White Ribbon) won the Palme D'Or at Cannes this year with this unusual and engaging film.The film features Georges and Anne, two retired music teachers living out their retirement in an a Parisian apartment. MEANING IN MOVIES: AUGUST 2015 reflections and theological musings MEANING IN MOVIES: SEPTEMBER 2012 Some films deal with deep issues in ways that don't help. Humour is often an effective device to deploy when dealing with things that are hard to be open about.MEANING IN MOVIES
reflections and theological musings. Sunday, 21 June 2020. DeepwaterHorizon
MEANING IN MOVIES: STRANGER THAN FICTION This is a film about life and death - and love and hope. It's also the first film I've seen Will Ferrell perform a role which I actually like, he's the character Harold Crick and not just Will Ferrell!This is a clever film - well conceived and exquisitely scripted. MEANING IN MOVIES: JANUARY 2012 The conceptualisation of this film is first class - as is the acting, lighting and the film's ability to transport the viewer back to the heyday of Hollywood when stars were stars and MEANING IN MOVIES: MARCH 2016 Parts of me are still numb more than 24 hours after watching the film. As a priest I have been bruised and battered by the story that thisfilm unfolds.
MEANING IN MOVIES: JULY 2017 I really like the stories told and through them the films made by Polish Director Krzysztof Kieślowski and have all his films that are available on disc.At our monthly gathering in the parish, friends randomly chose the number 7 without knowing why they were choosing and so elected to watch an hour long film loosely based on the 7th of the Ten Commandments - " You shall not commit adultery". MEANING IN MOVIES: JANUARY 2014 This is a disturbing drama about 'self' and identity. It is written and directed by Sean Durkin and establishes him as a major player in the vibrant American Independent Cinema genre. MEANING IN MOVIES: APRIL 2019 This is a Passion Play that attempts to bring the passion up to date. Set in the grounds of a catholic shrine in the city of Montreal, the shrine's guardian enlists a group of actors to modernise the jaded 40 year-old script that is used in the annual production of their PassionPlay.
MEANING IN MOVIES: NOVEMBER 2012 Director Michael Haneke (Hidden and White Ribbon) won the Palme D'Or at Cannes this year with this unusual and engaging film.The film features Georges and Anne, two retired music teachers living out their retirement in an a Parisian apartment. MEANING IN MOVIES: AUGUST 2015 reflections and theological musings MEANING IN MOVIES: SEPTEMBER 2012 Some films deal with deep issues in ways that don't help. Humour is often an effective device to deploy when dealing with things that are hard to be open about. MEANING IN MOVIES: JANUARY 2020 This is as close to war as I ever wish to get - and this film takes you very close. For its entire 2 hours run time this film propels the viewer through the trenches and no-man's land of Northern France inthe Spring of 1917.
MEANING IN MOVIES: ENCOUNTERING GOD THROUGH METAPHOR IN FILM But what is this stuff that enables us to see a meaning beyond what is physically and literally in front of us? What is the stuff of creativity and how is that linked to us being “made in MEANING IN MOVIES: LARS AND THE REAL GIRL This film can be watched on different levels (can't they all?) For those with eyes to see that enable them to get past an oddball goofy comedy, this film is a gift as it offers an invitation to reflect on why we have become the person we are - and what we might work at - ifwe feel the need.
MEANING IN MOVIES: THE APOCALYPTIC WORLDVIEW ON THE SILVER Francis Ford Coppola’s portrayal of the hell, pointlessness and meaninglessness of war in the movie Apocalypse Now is a classic of cinema. But as much as we might readily associate the word apocalypse with the end of the world, it actually has a subtlety different meaning. The English word apocalypse is a translation of the Greekword
MEANING IN MOVIES: JUNE 2019 I have been trying to catch this for a while - it was well worth the wait. This is an engaging film that draws the viewer in an and in my experience invites them to develop a heart-felt liking for MEANING IN MOVIES: JUNE 2017 Open Bethlehem. This 2014 documentary is written and Directed by Leila Sansour who left her home town of Bethlehem at the age of 14 because it was too small and a backwater in the shadow if its neighbour Jerusalem. When she learns that the city is about to encircled by a wall she returns and begins a fight to keep Bethlehem open. MEANING IN MOVIES: JUNE 2012 After two months of chasing this film on two continents - I finally made it! Okay, I'll admit upfront that I'm a fan of the franchise and really like the pairing of Will Smith as 'Agent J' and Tommy Lee Jones as 'Agent K' - a kind of alternative Shrek and Donkey if you like! MEANING IN MOVIES: APRIL 2019 This is a Passion Play that attempts to bring the passion up to date. Set in the grounds of a catholic shrine in the city of Montreal, the shrine's guardian enlists a group of actors to modernise the jaded 40 year-old script that is used in the annual production of their PassionPlay.
MEANING IN MOVIES: NOVEMBER 2018 This film presents Claire Foy as the titular character. It could have been written for her. The fourth novel written by David Lagerkrantz a decade after the the death of Steig Larsson, takes the central characters Lisbet Salander and Michael Blomqvist in a more human and in the case of Salander, a slightly less extreme and more accessibledirection.
MEANING IN MOVIES: SEPTEMBER 2014 This film is based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card. I haven't read the book, but the film seems to me to be an almost endless pastiche of images, ideas and dialogue from a long stream of near future, we're under alien attack threat movies thatMEANING IN MOVIES
reflections and theological musings. Sunday, 21 June 2020. DeepwaterHorizon
MEANING IN MOVIES: FEBRUARY 2020 Having marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz last week, I chose this film to watch with a group of friends form church. Like flat earthers, it's difficult to accept that there are some who deny that the Holocaust actually took place. MEANING IN MOVIES: STRANGER THAN FICTION This is a film about life and death - and love and hope. It's also the first film I've seen Will Ferrell perform a role which I actually like, he's the character Harold Crick and not just Will Ferrell!This is a clever film - well conceived and exquisitely scripted. MEANING IN MOVIES: PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER This disc has been sitting on my bought-but-not-yet-watched shelf for a number of years. Visiting friends spoke highly of the novel by Patrick Süskind and so we decided to watch the film.For those for whom it is important, the film for the most part stays true to thebook.
MEANING IN MOVIES: LARS AND THE REAL GIRL This film can be watched on different levels (can't they all?) For those with eyes to see that enable them to get past an oddball goofy comedy, this film is a gift as it offers an invitation to reflect on why we have become the person we are - and what we might work at - ifwe feel the need.
MEANING IN MOVIES: JUNE 2017 Open Bethlehem. This 2014 documentary is written and Directed by Leila Sansour who left her home town of Bethlehem at the age of 14 because it was too small and a backwater in the shadow if its neighbour Jerusalem. When she learns that the city is about to encircled by a wall she returns and begins a fight to keep Bethlehem open. MEANING IN MOVIES: JANUARY 2012 The conceptualisation of this film is first class - as is the acting, lighting and the film's ability to transport the viewer back to the heyday of Hollywood when stars were stars and MEANING IN MOVIES: FEBRUARY 2012 With a cast that includes Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, John Hurt, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel you know this film should be something special. MEANING IN MOVIES: SEPTEMBER 2012 Some films deal with deep issues in ways that don't help. Humour is often an effective device to deploy when dealing with things that are hard to be open about. MEANING IN MOVIES: MAY 2011 "Death is the road to awe". The problem is that this film about death and how we handle it is anything but awesome! Any film that chooses to explore death and howMEANING IN MOVIES
reflections and theological musings. Sunday, 21 June 2020. DeepwaterHorizon
MEANING IN MOVIES: STRANGER THAN FICTION This is a film about life and death - and love and hope. It's also the first film I've seen Will Ferrell perform a role which I actually like, he's the character Harold Crick and not just Will Ferrell!This is a clever film - well conceived and exquisitely scripted. MEANING IN MOVIES: LARS AND THE REAL GIRL This film can be watched on different levels (can't they all?) For those with eyes to see that enable them to get past an oddball goofy comedy, this film is a gift as it offers an invitation to reflect on why we have become the person we are - and what we might work at - ifwe feel the need.
MEANING IN MOVIES: FEBRUARY 2012 With a cast that includes Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, John Hurt, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel you know this film should be something special. MEANING IN MOVIES: SEPTEMBER 2012 Some films deal with deep issues in ways that don't help. Humour is often an effective device to deploy when dealing with things that are hard to be open about. MEANING IN MOVIES: FEBRUARY 2020 Having marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz last week, I chose this film to watch with a group of friends form church. Like flat earthers, it's difficult to accept that there are some who deny that the Holocaust actually took place. MEANING IN MOVIES: JANUARY 2012 The conceptualisation of this film is first class - as is the acting, lighting and the film's ability to transport the viewer back to the heyday of Hollywood when stars were stars and MEANING IN MOVIES: MAY 2011 "Death is the road to awe". The problem is that this film about death and how we handle it is anything but awesome! Any film that chooses to explore death and how MEANING IN MOVIES: JUNE 2017 Open Bethlehem. This 2014 documentary is written and Directed by Leila Sansour who left her home town of Bethlehem at the age of 14 because it was too small and a backwater in the shadow if its neighbour Jerusalem. When she learns that the city is about to encircled by a wall she returns and begins a fight to keep Bethlehem open. MEANING IN MOVIES: PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER This disc has been sitting on my bought-but-not-yet-watched shelf for a number of years. Visiting friends spoke highly of the novel by Patrick Süskind and so we decided to watch the film.For those for whom it is important, the film for the most part stays true to thebook.
MEANING IN MOVIES: NOVEMBER 2019 With a strong ensemble cast this gentle tale set in the rolling Umbrian hills is a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. What saves it from mediocrity are the performances of Maggie Smith as Emily Delahunty and Timothy Spall as hew 'manager' Quinty.Ronnie Barker plays a retired General whom I expected to break out into a stammer for comic effect at any moment. MEANING IN MOVIES: SEPTEMBER 2019 The film explores the paradox of who is condemned and who acts as saviour. It explores a myriad of other paradoxes as well. If you are prepared to watch a film that will get under your skin and messes with some of your more comfortable preconceptions, this might be for you. If you want to see people transfigured by an aura when they are having MEANING IN MOVIES: APRIL 2017 This was recommended to me by some dear friends and I am grateful to them for that. I can't remember the last U classification film I reflected on - no sex, don't remember any swearing and the only violence done is to a road kill deer and a lawn mower blasted with ashot gun!
MEANING IN MOVIES: NOVEMBER 2012 Director Michael Haneke (Hidden and White Ribbon) won the Palme D'Or at Cannes this year with this unusual and engaging film.The film features Georges and Anne, two retired music teachers living out their retirement in an a Parisian apartment. MEANING IN MOVIES: MAY 2011 "Death is the road to awe". The problem is that this film about death and how we handle it is anything but awesome! Any film that chooses to explore death and how we might prepare for it and embrace it iscourageous.
MEANING IN MOVIES: JUNE 2012 After two months of chasing this film on two continents - I finally made it! Okay, I'll admit upfront that I'm a fan of the franchise and really like the pairing of Will Smith as 'Agent J' and Tommy Lee Jones as 'Agent K' - a kind of alternative Shrek and Donkey if you like! MEANING IN MOVIES: SEPTEMBER 2014 This film is based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card. I haven't read the book, but the film seems to me to be an almost endless pastiche of images, ideas and dialogue from a long stream of near future, we're under alien attack threat movies that MEANING IN MOVIES: FEBRUARY 2014 For anyone who remembers the Iranian revolution and ensuing hostage crisis that dogged President Carter and hemorrhaged support for his presidency, this film will offer a valuable insight into the tensions and thinking that prevailed at the time. MEANING IN MOVIES: FEBRUARY 2011 I've had this on the shelf for a while and watched it yesterday. A Disney animation about a geeky kid who invents things and is an outcast at his local school. MEANING IN MOVIES: DECEMBER 2011 The film does provide a look into the world of BDSM (more here) and snuff movies (and here) and this provides the initial interest for the main character Max (James Woods) and is certainly what turns his girlfriend Nicki (Harry) on. However, it only ever serves as a hook and there is a real sense in which the film fails to explore andexamine
MEANING IN MOVIES
reflections and theological musings SATURDAY, 4 JANUARY 2020TWO POPES
This is a generous and gentle film. It is nevertheless intriguing and stands on the performances of the two lead actors - _Anthony Hopkins_ (Pope Benedict) and _Jonathan Pryce_ (Pope Francis). This is 100% a character driven film as the plot is fairly thin and is really only of interest to ecclesiastical geeks! When a film says in its opening credits 'Based on true events' it's a pretty meaningless thing as it could mean that this is anything between an accurate biopic and complete fantasy. There are doubtless plot devices inserted along the way to make the film more digestible, but these are not overshadowed by the personalities of Benedict and Francis who steal the show. Oscar nominations highly likely. Although the film is wholly about the Papacy, it is not a churchy film as such. It is more a film about how two men, seemingly with diametrically opposed views on many issues, come to an understanding that allows them to coexist peaceably. As the conclave of Cardinals meets to elect a new Pope, Cardinal Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires shuns any suggestion that he should become the next Bishop of Rome. Cardinal Ratzinger, Archbishop of Munich and Freising and Dean of the College of Cardinals openly campaigns for support amongst the Cardinals and is duly elected. Despite his protestations, Bergoglio is a clear second place choice. As Benedict XVI, Ratzinger uses his experience as an academic theologian to steer the Catholic Church back to a more conservative position where the traditional teaching of the church on a range of issues is reinforced. As someone with a strong preference for introversion and having a passion for high art, culture and the finer things in life, Ratzinger certainly enjoys the luxuries that life in the relative seclusion of the Vatican can offer. Over time, Benedict's health begins to fail and he considers stepping down before he becomes incapacitated. At the same time, Bergoglio becomes tired of the trappings that go with being a Cardinal Archbishop and seeks the Pope's permission to resign and return to parish ministry as a priest. Benedict refuses to agree and a series of conversations between the two produces a number of exchanges where respect is shown but agreement eludes. Like water dripping into a hot frying pan, the two spar using heir immense intellect and drastically varying church experience to debate points of doctrine. Historic sexual abuse by priests repeatedly bubbles to the surface in their exchanges and each, unsurprisingly, has a different way of viewingthe matter.
Generally, Bergoglio is more extraverted and has a passion for living a life more connected with the everyday person on the streets of Buenos Aires. He loves to Tango and is passionate about football. He knows what it is to love another and the cost of walking away from all that to follow the call of God. Bergoglio also carries a sense of guilt and shame from past episodes in his life. He struggles to cope with the lifestyle of Benedict as Pope - the summer palace, commuting by helicopter, Papal red slippers - seeing all of these things as imposing a distance between himself and 'the people'. Through the conversations, the two men's respect and friendship grows - although they still struggle to find agreement on most issues. Eventually Benedict confides in Bergoglio that he will resign - the first Pope to do so in nearly 700 years. Benedict wants Bergoglio to succeed him. The Conclave of Cardinals duly meets and rather than retiring to parish ministry, the Jesuit Bergoglio is duly elected asPope Francis.
Layering guilt and forgiveness throughout the conversations, this film delivers two stunning performances that embody grace and respect whilst maintaining opposing positions. The time simply flew by as I found myself totally drawn into and engrossed in this film. Few know about how life in the Vatican proceeds and whilst there is no widespread exposé, the film gives clues about how the character of successive Popes shapes the way in which the Papal household runs. This film is a generous gift - please do watch it. I'll start the yearwith a 9/10!
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 07:17No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
, theology
THURSDAY, 21 NOVEMBER 2019MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA
With a strong ensemble cast this gentle tale set in the rolling Umbrian hills is a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. What saves it from mediocrity are the performances of _Maggie Smith_ as Emily Delahunty and _Timothy Spall_ as hew 'manager' Quinty. _Ronnie Barker_ plays a retired General whom I expected to break out into a stammer for comic effect at any moment. I think you can watch this film on two levels. The easier, surface viewing, is to see a troubled older lady with an upbringing and early life filled with abuse finally attain her 'family' in the idyll of rural Umbria. Perhaps another way of viewing the film is to see the plot and dialogue as that of a unremarkable writer of romantic fiction which ultimately leaves a number of plot threads unresolved, thus inviting the viewer to construct their own conclusions and interpretation of how the narrative arc is resolved. Either way, the plot is too fanciful, the premise of how Mrs Delahunty came to be in Umbria too bizarre to be believable and the utopian existence she enjoys too perfect for someone with such deep-seated psychological needs. The fact that all of these dissonant points find reconciliation on the pages of her trashy novels does not, for this viewer, redeem them. The realism comes from her heavy consumption ofgin!
Having said all of this there are many things within this film to commend it. It is a film about guilt, loss, regret, hope and love. These emotions are played out and explored with empathy and the performances contain tangible pathos. I would imagine few people who watch this film who would be unable to develop a strong attachment to, or repulsion from, all of the main characters. Perhaps one of Delahunty's more memorable lines is "_I was the only one who had not lost a loved one, having none to lose_." This feels like the made-for-TV movie it is. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile and entertaining watch that will leave you considering the possibilities and trying to disentangle reality from fiction. I'llgive it 6/10.
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 08:09No comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
SATURDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2019THE IRISHMAN
Although _Robert De Niro_ is in the lead role, this film belongs to Al Pacino. His energy thrusts his character Jimmy Hoffa, into the centre of the screen for more than half this film's three and a half hour runtime! _Joe Pesci's_ Russell is also a strong performance and _Harvey Keitel_ reprises his Winston Wolf role from UK TV! This is an intense film that does not drag at all. Director, _Martin Scorsese_ knows how to wring all of the creative juice out of an ensemble cast of veteran actors that are unlikely to appear together again onscreen.
The characters are compellingly believable. Okay, so many of the actors are reprising roles they've played multiple times before but this film has an earnest freshness about it which makes the characters endearing. You can't say that about too many mob and gangster movies! The way the story is told uses multiple narrative devices which blend seamlessly together to tell a story spanning several decades. It is very clever story-telling and a masterful piece of cinematic art - at the pinnacle of the art form. It will do very well in the awards ceremonies over forthcoming months. The two main ways in which the story is told are in flashback and also through a road trip. These intertwine like the double helix to give the film its DNA. It begins in the here and now and the purpose of the flashbacks is to show how Frank Sheeran (_De Niro) - _the titular Irishman came to be in a nursing home in his final years. As the flash backs and Sheeran's narration build to the climax, so the road trip emerges from its routine pattern to deliver a twist at theend.
The story centres around mafia mobsters running their rackets and the powerful International Brotherhood of Teamsters - the truckers Trades Union in the USA and their charismatic leader Hoffa. In essence it is a morality tale told within an amoral world. The leading characters, being 'good Catholics', are often seen in church, usually for baptisms in their ever expanding families. That contrasts sharply with a lifestyle centred on extortion, theft, assassination, bribery and fraud. Within the 'family' of each gang, there is a strict morality code of honour which if betrayed means death. So many of the conversations in the film were nuanced and by necessity obscured their real meaning by using euphemisms to avoid incrimination as orders were given for arson attacks, bombings and assassinations. Had I been a part of this world, I'm sure I would have missed half the cues and euphemisms and ended up with several holes in my head as a consequence! Towards the end of the film some characters are seen with their priest as they seek to put their house in order but without feeling remorse or the need to confess their misdoings. They long for mercy from God in the life to come after living a life in the here and now in which no mercy was shown to those on the receiving end of their 'work'. If asked "do you paint houses?" you are really being asked "can you kill someone for me?" and the positive response is "yes and I do my own carpentry". The 'paint' is the blood that splatters the walls and covers the floors! _Do You Paint Houses?_ is the title of a 2004 work of narrative nonfiction written by former homicide prosecutor, investigator and defence attorney _Charles Brandt_ on which the screenplay is based. There are many wonderful one-liners such as, "A secret between three people is only safe if two of them are dead"! This is a very masculine and patriarchal film. Women feature often but are portrayed as being quiet and subservient passive accomplices to the crimes of their men folk. As you would expect in an Italian-American subculture, families are extremely important. Saying thank you and showing proper respect are sacrosanct. There is a strict morality and high expectations surrounding how children are expected to behave and relate within the extended mob family - but killingpeople is okay.
Of course there is a lot of violence in this film - there has to be given the subject matter. The violence is always swift and clinical. _Scorsese's_ Direction never lets the violent acts themselves become the focus of the story, they are simply nodes in a matrix of interwoven relationships that are unravelling. There is much to lament and to be sad about as the film, like its ageing stars, it stumbles on its zimmer frame towards its conclusion. We know that Sheeran survives as the film opens with him in a wheelchair, white hair flowing, sitting in a corner of a nursing home telling his story. How many of the other characters survive with him at the end? The use of CGI technology to make the main characters appear more youthful to play themselves in the 1950's and subsequent decades and then to appear older at the end is subtle and unobtrusive. The sets are wonderful period pieces and the lighting, especially of characters faces, is sublime. Despite the grim context of this film's story and the many splatters of paint, as you may have gathered, I really liked it. It is worth the investment of 3.5 hours of your life. You will enjoy great acting and an epic and engaging story. Do go and see it. I'll give it a 9/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 07:15No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
, theology
FRIDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2019TOY STORY 4
The power of story can be both amazing and enigmatic. How can a computer generated animation drive you to tears? We know the characters and even the actors voicing them. We know it's a children's story yet the Toy Story films (and much of Pixar Disney's production) communicate so much at both a deep and yet easily accessible level at the same time. Masterful filmmaking and storytelling. We know by now that the premise of the narrative will be about abandonment, adoption, sacrifice, redemption and salvation - recurring themes from this stable but also appearing in a Bible near you. These themes resonate with the human psyche because we all want to be loved, valued and have hope of an eternal future that is positive. That is why these films connect at such a deep level. The loyalty of the toys to their child is admirable. The lengths to which they go - especially Woody of course - are extreme. There is no guarantee of success or even that they will be wanted at the end of the escapade - but duty and hope spur them on. The subplot of this film is of course whether Woody and Bo will finally get it together - if you've not seen it, I'll leave you to find out for yourself. There is the inevitable road trip that serves as a metaphor for the larger story. Acts of daring against impossible odds are common. New characters - some of them dark and disturbingly menacing (I have always had a fear of ventriloquists dummies!). There's also a new superhero in the form of Duke Kaboom appropriately played by _KeanuReeves_.
This is a very enjoyable film but it's more of a Woody spin-off than a film giving fair exposure to the ensemble cast of toys. The plot of the main narrative is thin and any depth comes in the exchanges between some of the characters when they are one-to-one with eachother.
It is however, still a very enjoyable film with familiar characters, a plot you know you will understand and because it's Disney, a happy ending. It is the poorest of the four offerings, but nevertheless worth seeing. I'll give it 7/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 11:04No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
RED JOAN
I was grateful for the opportunity to catch this as I had missed it's theatrical release. This is a different kind of spy film but is based on a true story. In a world where people prefer things to be in black or white, this film drags the viewer into a world of murky greys. Morality seems more provisional and actions based on securing the 'greater good' can been seen as undermining one's home and nation. Told in flashback, this film explores the development work done by British scientists at Cambridge as the race to develop the Atomic Bomb during World War II gathers pace. The central character - Joan Stanley is played in the here and now by Judi Dench. The major question is why? Yes, she presents a bewildered older lady with consummate ease, but the role does not allow her to develop the character in any way or to shine in an otherwise dull and predictable film with a ploddingscript.
Directed by Trevor Nunn, a distinguish theatre director, the film almost feels like it is a stage play with the stage in two halves, then and now, with the lighting moving between each side as the story plods on. What the story does do, is highlight the impossible struggle between personal and professional ethics in a situation where millions could die - or be kept alive, because of the project you are working on - but only if all protagonists in the conflict have the same weapon! Where does corporate and national loyalty end and personal responsibility begin? What I found most interesting was that in the end Joan Stanley admitted passing secrets to the Russians but vehemently denied betraying her country. Stanley was not a Communist sympathiser but someone who wanted to level the playing field in an attempt to minimise deaths and casualties. In these days of grooming by extremists and sexual perverts, the means to which people will go to recruit newcomers is disturbing. I know it's nothing new, but for the naive and gullible like me it is worrying. There is a subplot that evolves around fidelity in relationships, marriage, affairs and divorce. Seduction is of course the oldest weapon in the spies arsenal, but this film treats the relationships of the people and the morality of Joan Stanley in a sensitive way. It is important that this story is told. I just wish it had been told in a more engaging way with a less predictable flash back routine.I'll give it 6/10.
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 10:24No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
, theology
MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL There are times when a franchise is milked dry and we have sadly reached that stage with this film. I am an MiB fan - the first two anyway, number four pushes things too far. Even the gravitas of Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson cannot save this film from mediocrity. Having said that, cruising at 36,000' it harmlessly passed a couple of hours and it felt nostalgic to re-engage with the universe of MiB. There are big set piece blaster battles, new aliens to marvel at, great CGI and a limp script that hamstrings the main actors into delivering well below what they are capable of. At times Chris Hemsworth's Agent H was wooden. The moral of the story is don't cheat. The locations look good - New York, Marrakech, London and a CGI Paris. Two new alien characters - assassins - looked and behaved very much like The Twins from _MatrixReloaded
_ - I
kept expecting Neo to appear! In reality, I found little to commend this film and will not be adding the disc to my collection. If you are stuck on a plane it will pass a couple of hours otherwise invest the time in something more life-giviing! I'll give it 4/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 09:49No comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: morals
, movies
FRIDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2019WAR SCHOOL
We screened this film in our parish church. It was introduced by Ellis Brooks from Quaker Peace and Social Witness and the Director of this film, Mic Dixon, joined him for a Q&A session afterwards. A year ago we screened Shadow World, a
film about the global arms trade and this was intended to be a followup.
The film explores the relentless targeting of school children in the UK by military recruiters as a means of sowing a seed that they hope will bear the fruit of someone joining the armed forces. Careers visits into schools, displays at county fairs, reenactment activities and military displays all seek to excite youngsters about the possibility of flying a jet, driving a tank, piloting a submarine or simply firing a gun. The film does not present a straightforward documentary. It begins at the Cenotaph on remembrance Day with all it's ceremony and marching. This gets twisted in a brave challenging of the received status quo. The film's viewpoint is elevated as the story unfolds from veterans who have been there and done that - and found it to be ultimately empty and painful in their experience. Former service personnel suffering from PTSD, coming to terms with injuries and suffering flashbacks of horrific events sometimes decades in the past, narrate this exposé of Britain's military recruiters. the film does include some graphic scenes of warfare from WWI through to present day day. Peace campaigners and pacifists will of course latch on to this film as an important way to spread the message. In the Q&A session afterwards it was stated that the term 'just war' is an oxymoron. It was also stated that we should have a military only for defending our own soil and not for overseas intervention. Nothing was said about how this military was to be recruited and trained. The film's message was thrown into razor sharpness for me the following day. Long ago I had agreed to lead a service to commemorate a local man who had died in the Gallipoli Campaign on the day of the service 104 years ago. Six other local men had fought at Gallipoli and died and these were also remembered. There were members of the Royal British Legion, the RNLI, the Warwickshire Regiment and the Gallipoli Association. More people attended the service than had been at the film the previous evening. Those at the service included the great grandchildren of one of the war dead. In addition to choosing the liturgy and hymns, I had to deliver a sermon and the intercessions. I found this particularly challenging, especially in the light of having seen War School in the same place only hours before. I had written the sermon before I saw the film and was happy that I did not need to revise it as a consequence. I had forgotten to bring the prayers with me so I had to extemporise the intercessions which was an extremely difficult task. Incorporating theological reflection on the hoof without compromising the integrity of either group, or myself, was a struggle. These things are notstraightforward.
Attending the service were two serving members of the Mercian Regiment. Their job? Going into schools and careers fairs to line uppotential recruits!
Info on Quaker Peace and Social Witness can be found here.
The War School website is here . I'm glad we showed the film but I need to do some more reflection and work to reconcile the two experiences. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 15:27No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, theology
THURSDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2019HADEWIJCH
What is the difference between a person of faith who is devout and a person of faith who is a fanatic? They could be two sides of the same coin - and that is exactly what this film spends 105 minutes doing, exploring paradoxes. The way the film is made and the way the story is told are almost of equal stature. The way the script explores and develops the thoughts within a 13th century poem by the Flemish mystic Hadewijch, is masterful. The techniques used when the film was shot to enhance the narrative in a way that strengthens the impact of the story - and this story has many points of impact. I also found the film frustrating. Sometimes what we were being told seemed so obvious as to be pedestrian. A jump-cut would then take me to another seemingly unrelated scene where I would be struggling to make any sense of what I was watching. There are long passages without dialogue which further enhances the visual storytelling. The added benefit is that the film is in French with good clear subtitles, so when there is little dialogue, it's easier to keep up! The central character Céline, at the same time feels overwhelmed by the immanent love of God and distressed by the absence of God's presence. For much of the film I asked myself "is she behaving like that because she is naive or because she is so sure of her place before God?". The casting of _Julie Sokolowski_ as the central character is a masterstroke. The way she presents herself and acts makes her character sexually attractive and in the very next frame androgynously asexual and not at all attractive. The film plays out exploring the paradox of the opulent and privileged central Parisian home life of Céline with the spartan and hopeless existence of Yassine (_Yassine Salime_) who lives with his brother in a project on the outskirts of the city. It explores the seeming paradox of Christian devotion and Islamic devotion but sadly the film gets sucked in to portraying Christianity with much more sympathetic stereotypes than it does Islam. It explores the paradox of those with faith having no experience of parental love with a convict whose mother believes in him unquestioningly. The film explores the paradox of who is condemned and who acts as saviour. It explores a myriad of other paradoxes as well. If you are prepared to watch a film that will get under your skin and messes with some of your more comfortable preconceptions, this might be for you. If you want to see people transfigured by an aura when they are having a deep and meaningful experience, this is definitely for you. If you like clever cinematic storytelling you'll love it. In the first scene when we see Céline praying, see what's outside her window. Also, when the convict is with his mother, see what's on the TV in the background - there are others - ikons into other worlds. Above all, if you enjoy exploring and reflecting on paradoxes, especially in a faith context and are open to discovering new things about yourself - this is definitely for you. Reading the poem written nearly 800 years will help with some of the interpretation. Whether you read it before you watch or afterwards, I will leave to you to decide. The rest is up to you. I'll give it 8/10. The poem can be found here.
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 16:38No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
, theology
MONDAY, 24 JUNE 2019GREEN BOOK
I have been trying to catch this for a while - it was well worth the wait. This is an engaging film that draws the viewer in an and in my experience invites them to develop a heart-felt liking for both the lead characters. It's period setting in 1962 New York and the Deep South on the cusp of the civil rights movement is both vibrant and resonant as it shows the best and worst that post-war USA had to offer. It is however a film with some issues. The credits make it clear that the film is "inspired by a true friendship". The script was part written by the son of central character Tony Vallelonga (_Viggo Mortensen_) based on interviews with his father and Dr Don Shirley who in the film is played by _Mahershala Ali. _There was no consultation with the Shirley family and they disagree with some of the ways their relative is represented. However, this is a drama based on true events and not a forensically researcheddocumentary.
The film also lays itself open to accusations of presenting viewers with a white saviour figure but I feel this is misplaced as it could easily be argued that both of the lead characters in fact save each other to some extent. At worst, this is a white reading of a black history and that will have to suffice as at the end of the day the people writing the script and making the film were largely white. That may be the larger problem. For me the story of the film centres on the developing relationship between Vallelonga and Shirley. It happens to play itself out within a context of racism - this is not primarily a film about racism. This goes deeper than skin colour, this is a film about humanity connectingat a deep level.
The two of them would never have ordinarily met as their worlds are so opposite. Shirley, the refined international pianist with several degrees and many languages. Vallelonga from immigrant stock living in the Bronx, trying to sustain his family amidst the boorish macho culture of testosterone fuelled Italian petty criminality. The film is more about a clash of cultures. Embedded in Vallelonga's is innate racism (I didn't know Italians referred to black people as Aubergines!). Shirley on the other hand attempts to rise above the overt racism by maintaining his dignity but is relentlessly undermined - especially the deeper into the South they travel. One thing that unites the two characters is that both have addictions. Vallelonga is engaged in a race to see if chain smoking or constantly stuffing himself on junk food will be the first to trigger a coronary. Shirley on the other hand gets through a bottle of whisky a night as he tries to kill off his liver. What is it that these behaviours aretrying to mask?
Once completed, the narrative arc can be seen to be wholly predictable having travelled its journey with a gentle and constant pace - although at times it does seem to become endangered! At just over 2 hours long, this film did not drag at all. The acting from the two leads is extremely strong and will give you much fertile soil for reflection on relationships, life goals, family, friendship, honour, integrity and love. I commend this film to you and am happy to give it8/10. Enjoy!
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 15:53No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, theology
SUNDAY, 19 MAY 2019
THE ESCAPE
I found this a hard, almost disturbing film to watch. It is intelligently written and exquisitely acted. To be honest I'm still not sure what to make of all of it. The film is about an all too common suburban malaise that afflicts too many couples. The challenge to be seen to be successful - a good job, stay at home mum, detached house in the Kentish suburbs, two cars, two kids. They have it all but life is all about work and providing for his family for husband Mark (_Dominic Cooper_) and for wife Tara (_Gemma Arterton_) life has lost its purpose and she has lost her sense of self and is depressed. The problem is that Mark is unable to see this and offer any empathy or compassion. His sex drive results at least a once-a-day uncontested rape of his wife. Her inability to articulate clearly how she feels - or more properly is unable to feel any more, simply feeds into the cycle of mismatched expectations about what life is about and how it should be lived. There is minimal dialogue, the story is driven by facial expressions, tears and body language. The film slowly and painfully trundles towards a breakdown in the marriage until Tara finally makes her escape. With extensive use of hand held cameras, it felt that perhaps 50% of the film featured a close up of _Arterton's_ beautiful face. She spends a lot of time looking at her emotionless reflection. Her mother is unsympathetic and unable to offer any support other than to say that it was just a 'phase' and that everyone faces it at some point or another. Tara clearly feels that she has no opportunity for creative output or self-expression and tries to find solace in an art class but Mark is dismissive. Tara struggles to find a way out of the trap of the daily, meaningless grind - she has even lost her love for herchildren.
In an attempt to find herself, she escapes. Her new found freedom even produces the odd smile on _Arterton's_ otherwise emotionless face. She hooks up with a Mark look-a-like which ends up in bed. She then chastises her new partner for lying about being married and a father - the very thing she has done to him. A bewildering double standard. The ending of the film is suggestive but ultimately leaves the story open. For me this was an unsatisfying conclusion. The film cries out for blame to be apportioned but both Mark and Tara are so unable to analyse what is actually going on, it is difficult to blame one more than the other. I wonder if, in general, men who watch this film would see a different film to women who watch it? I don't know if this film has a feminist agenda driving it to present Tara as a victim. We never get to see Mark's daily context - perhaps he is numbingly bored at work and simply goes through the motions each day to provide for his family or possibly he works so extremely hard he has little capacity to engage in a fuller home life. Overall, I found the narrative a painful thing to experience - I didn't want to engage with it. That in itself shows what good story-telling this film offers. Arterton's acting is mesmerising and shows the versatility that she possesses. I'm really not sure what score to give this film. It is an excellent film with _Arterton_ giving an extremely strong performance - but I didn't enjoy it all and I certainly don't want to see it again. Perhaps the film's intent is to vaccinate suburbia in the hope of preventing an epidemic. It offers plenty of scope for fruitful reflection and perhaps offers couples a jolt back to reality should their relationship be heading in the direction of Mark and Tara's. I'll giveit a 7/10.
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 17:07No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
SATURDAY, 18 MAY 2019THE VISITOR
Context is everything! This film was made in 2007 in New York in the wake of 9/11. It could have been set anywhere in the USA as far as the story of the central character Walter (_Richard Jenkins_) is concerned but it has a wider story to tell about cross-cultural communication and understanding, the ability to find shared interests, love, the brutality of an indiscriminating immigration regime and that is why it really did have to be set in New York. The film gently reveals a number of epiphanies - mostly experienced by Walter. In late middle age, the university professor is still in the funk caused by the death of his wife five years previously. He looks like a man on auto-pilot with no real purpose in life. Walter is coasting and deceives himself and others through half truths. He is unnecessarily harsh on one of his students, his lectures are lifeless and lack-lustre, there is no spark, no creativity, no fun in the manor his life.
Walter is jolted out of his numbing complacency by being forced to visit New York - a city where he just happens to keep an apartment. A series of events present him with people he begins to care about, activities that he can get passionate about and the faint hope that he can find love again is rekindled. This is a film about transformation, xenophobia, the workings of a faceless and authoritative institution, the global village, love and families. The film is littered with rich metaphors that help to signpost what is going on. Not in a 'show and tell' kind of way but with gentle subtlety. The subway, the community in Central Park, the windowless detention centre, the uncaring and over-officious staff and the non-sexual intimacy which can bring consolation are all offered to help the film tell its tale. The acting in this film, especially from the four main characters, is impeccable. The way in which Walter's world, at least for part of the film, is darkened and shadowy reinforces his dour and morose lethargy. His search for a creative outlet to enable him to somehow reconnect with his wife leads initially to sadness and frustration that seemingly further distances Walter from his wife and his memories of her. The fact that Walter is now almost always accompanied by a glass of red wine shows us the new partner in whom he finds solace. Great script, Directing and acting - little wonder that _Jenkins_ was Oscar nominated in this role. The playful way in which Tarek (_Haaz Sleiman_) describes himself as a bad muslim because he drinks wine and his partner Zainab (_Danai Gurira_) as a good muslim because she doesn't debunks and normalises any basis for fear of muslims - they are, per se, simply ordinary people like you and me. This is a gently bold film and its message is even more relevant today than it was in 2007 in the aftermath of 9/11. Do try and get hold of the disc or stream it. You won't be disappointed. I'll give it 8/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 06:48No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
SATURDAY, 27 APRIL 2019JESUS OF MONTREAL
This is a Passion Play that attempts to bring the passion up to date. Set in the grounds of a catholic shrine in the city of Montreal, the shrine's guardian enlists a group of actors to modernise the jaded 40 year-old script that is used in the annual production of their Passion Play. The film is in French with subtitles. We watched this in Holy Week as part of our Lenten programme this year and it worked well. This film was made in 1989 and it attempts to engage the latest developments in Biblical archaeology to give new spins on parts of the story. _Lothaire Bluteau_ is invited to direct and star in the new production and delivers a compelling performance. The result is the portrayal of a very human Jesus Christ whose quiet but charismatic style draws people into the plot and project. The way in which Jesus recruits the rest of the cast is strongly modelled on Jesus recruiting his disciples in Galilee and of course they come from a range of questionable backgrounds and filled with scepticism and reluctance. As the story of the production and staging of the play develops, the characters begin to embody narrative elements of their characters in their own lives in modern-dayMontreal.
The narcissistic and empty existence of the 'crowd' is made clear. Jesus even suffers the 'temptations in the desert'. Parallels with leading gospel characters become clearer as the the film progresses. The Temple Council, Mary Magdalene, John and Peter are all are present. The film challenges us to think of what constitutes love as Constance (_Johanne-Marie Tremblay_), in the role of Mary, mother of Jesus, offers the comfort of sex as mistress to the priest who is the guardian of the shrine. The film certainly challenges and provokes reflection on what the Passion might look like on the streets of our town today. Who would be the main players and what would be the result. For me the narrative falls down because it denies the divine aspects of Christ from the character altogether - but that doesn't mean it's not a good film or that people shouldn't watch it. The acting is very good and under _Denys Arcand's_ writing and Direction delivers an important and challenging alternative to more recent offerings of the Passion Play. I would encourage you to get hold of a copy and see for yourself and make those parallel leaps from the gospels to your own neighbourhood and town. I'll give it 7/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 06:59No comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, theology
FRIDAY, 5 APRIL 2019LEAVE NO TRACE
This is a gentle film. No swearing, no sex and no violence of the conventional type. It is a film filled with fear, hope and love. It is worth the investment of two hours of your life. It's impossible to discuss the film without revealing some of the details - but that won't diminish your engagement with the film when you watch it. Will is a widower, ex military suffering from PTSD and dealing with it in his own way. He lives with his daughter Tom, off the grid in the woods near Portland Oregon. Will home school's Tom who appears to be mature beyond her 13 years and emotionally stable. Will is unable to engage with any sense of normal living - a house, a job, a school for his daughter, so they live off grid fending for themselves and buying the odd few groceries from time to time. Will's trauma means he cannot settle and he dislikes being indoors. Whenever he hears a helicopter he all but has a panic attack. He is placid and considered, the epitome of a loving father who is raising his daughter as best he can. Then they get discovered by the authorities and taken into 'care'. Predictably, Will cannot cope with the confinement of a house and a job - particularly as it means working with a helicopter. Social Services concede that Tom is ahead of her target attainment level for her age across the board academically but are worried that she is missing social formation. They take off again. I'm not going to spoil anything further. The narrative arc leaves a range of possibilities open until the conclusion. As much as Will's search for solitude with his daughter is the driving force on his constant need to migrate, so a settled community comes to play an important role in determining the film's outcome. Love is evidently present between father and daughter and also abounds in the authenticity of community that becomes important more towards the end. I really liked this film - it is genuine and honest, telling its story in a refreshing way with good hand-held camera work and convincing acting from the lead characters. It's a great advertisement for the forests of Oregon and Washington State. I would encourage you get hold of the film and enjoy if you haven't already. A surprise in many ways- worthy of 8/10.
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 20:38No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
THURSDAY, 21 MARCH 2019WONDER
I watched this film with a group of friends at church as part of our Lent series which this year is focusing on "This is Our Story: exploring the stories of our faith and our own stories". The film certainly fulfilled that brief as different sections of the story are seen through the eyes of the main characters, each in turn. There weren't any explicit encounters with 'faith' per se, but the film did have plenty to say about inclusion, difference and acceptance. The central character Auggie Pullman (_Jacob Tremblay_) was born with Treacher Collins Syndromewhich left
him with facial disfigurement - even after 23 surgeries. He has doting parents and a sister whose long-suffering qualifies her for immediate beatification. And therein lies the films weakness. Visually imperfect Auggie inhabits an otherwise perfect world where everyone else is beautiful, homes are comfortably luxurious and when he eventually does go to school, having previously been home-schooled, he attends a top private school in a well-to-do New York suburb. The narrative arc is therefore set. How can Auggie's presence, including all the emotional pain he suffers, become a catalyst for transformation so that all the perfect people in the film can become even more perfect! Whilst the film offers an excellent exposé of the cruelties school children can inflict on one another, it remains locked in a world that cannot transcend its culture. This film has a very American feel to it. Understandably, Auggie's world is very self-centred, but through his love of science and in particular space travel and science fiction, he is able to initially win over one or two and eventually by the end of his first year in school, everyone else. Given what the Pullman family have been through, despite their love for one another, it's hard to see how none of them are in therapy. I was also left questioning the marriage relationship of Auggie's parents which seems only to have been strengthened through the family's shared ordeal. Another expression of perfection in this film? By its subject matter and the encounters it presents, the film invites viewers to consider how they handle and accept difference and whether or not they would capitulate and follow the herd or take the harder road. All of this is made possible by the wise and loving actions of the School Principal and Auggie's class teacher. All of that said, this film provoked an affective response in me that left me with tears welling up on more than one occasion. It's predictability and certain outcome do not make the journey Auggie travels any less painful, effective or inspiring. I guess the value is in the travelling and it is our travels which give us the raw material for our stories that enable to share at a deeper level with one another. I'll give this film 7/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 07:49No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
SATURDAY, 19 JANUARY 2019THE FAVOURITE
I'm not sure what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting this eccentric, oddball and strangely comedic exploration of part of the life of Queen Anne and her court in the early Nineteenth century. England is at war with France and the English armies are led by Lord Salisbury (_Mark Gatiss_). Lady Sarah Marlborough (_Rachel Weisz_) abuses her position as the Queen's confidant and lover, to control the Queen through reinforcing her lack of self-worth and playing on herailing health.
The life of court is characterised by duck racing, pineapple eating, a naked MP being pelted with pomegranates, formal dinners and constant squabbling between the government and opposition. Life at Hampton Court Palace carries on seemingly unaffected by the country's impending bankruptcy, the threat of defeat to the French and the indulgence of egos as courtiers jockey for places of influence. Two hundred years on and it all sounds depressingly familiar! Here we have a film where the three lead characters are female - and none of them come out of it having ingratiated themselves with the audience! However, the strength of their performances are worthy of the accolades and awards already received and I'm sure that they will collect more as the awards season rolls on. The arrival of Sarah's cousin, Abigail (_Emma Stone_) is the catalyst for a battle to see which of them will triumph as the Queen's favourite. The depths to which they are prepared to descend to achieve their goal are staggering. The lies, deceit, opportunism and lust for power which characterises this menage-a-trois is consistent with the gluttony and depravity that appears to have entrapped all of the characters in this film. I'm so glad I'm living in these times - not from any sense of evolved superiority or sophistication, but simply because I don't think I could have coped! The film portrays an ongoing preoccupation with sex but virtually no real intimacy. The scenes with Lady Sarah in a brothel are menacingly disturbing. The irrational and petulant behaviour of the Queen for me became cumulatively tedious. The never ending resolve of Lady Abigail to be seen as the caring and selfless servant whilst deceitfully scheming and plotting her adversaries downfall wasunpleasant.
Did I enjoy this film? No. Am I glad I saw it? Yes. Do I want to see it again? No. It is in many ways a strange film that provoked, and still provokes, strange reactions. It's structure and the way it was shot is different - perhaps intended to be an attempt to guess how they would have made feature films 200 years ago. If you stay to watch the credits, they will drive you wild too! I really am at a loss to give this film a rating. For the acting a 9/10. For how it's left me feeling, perhaps a 3/10 is being generous!or
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 16:25No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
HAMPSTEAD
This is a film about denial, anger, loss, collusion, regret, hope, love, compromise and principles! It is a heart-warming story and although the narrative arc is predictable, the warmth of the characters draws you in and I for one, was happy to collude. The developing love story is the unifying thread that runs throughout this film, but there is a lot more here if we peel back some of the layers. To begin with, although this film is based on a real life tussle over squatter's rights by _Harry Hallowes_ on Hampstead Heath, it is not a documentary or biopic - it's a drama. Would the story have worked as well anywhere else in London, say Bethnal Green, Hounslow or Croydon? No. The caché of Hampstead is an important part of the story and the pretentious lives of the characters in this film present a certain willing collusion with a desire to be part of the Hampstead set. That is what makes Fiona (_Lesley Manville_) and her gang appear to be only interested in seeing to be doing the right things and protecting everybody's 'bestinterests'.
As Emily (_Diane Keaton_) begins to rediscover her own identity a year after her husband's death, she is conflicted about which parts of the Hampstead lifestyle to buy into and which parts are not really her. Meanwhile the external pressures of her looming insolvency, the constant nagging of her son Philip (_James Norton_), the unwanted advances of her accountant James (_Jason Watkins_), the neighbourly intrusions of Fiona and the growing attraction of the recalcitrant, volatile and wounded rogue Donald (_Brendan Gleeson_) pull her in competing directions. The way the story is told maintains the different tensions creatively and there are some wonderfully comedic moments. _Diane Keaton_ seems an odd casting choice - perhaps to give appeal to the North American market. _Brendan Gleeson _however inhabits the role with such comfort, you wonder if he wouldn't mind becoming Harry Hallowes - but moving tothe Galway coast!
This is a gentle film that offers many avenues for reflection and exploration. the characters are believable and deliver their comedic inter-play with accomplishment. I think this is the first time I've seen _Lesley Manville_ playing an unlikable character and I didn't like it! This is a perfect film for an evening in with the flames flickering in the hearth and a warm glow spreading throughout the audience. I'll give it 7/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 15:26No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
THURSDAY, 27 DECEMBER 2018VICEROY'S HOUSE
The problem with historical dramas is that people are very quick to be critical of the accuracy of the historical elements whilst forgetting it is a drama. This film is not a documentary, but it is certainlydramatic.
The casting is excellent here with _Hugh Bonneville_ playing the titular Louis Mountbatten and _Gillian Anderson_ his forceful and caring wife Edwina - with her first class diamond-cut English accent. The film captures the mission impossible the Viceroy is sent on. The urgency to find a solution, the impossibility of the timescale, the intransigence of the party leaders, the double-dealing and betrayal of politics and the love of a Hindu for a Muslim - it's all here and it combines to produce a compelling and engaging piece of story telling. The film highlights the sad and painful legacy of British colonialism. A once dominant country now exhausted by the exertions of WWII and the impatience of the Indian people to finally achieve their independence - but at what cost? The film is very polarising in the way it portrays the mistrust of Muslims and Hindus. A divided nation is portrayed in miniature with an increasingly divided Viceroy's household and the hope of reconciliation and renewed national unity embodied by the love of Hindu Jeet (_Manish Dayal_) for Muslim Alia (_Huma Qreshi_). What is clear is the immense sense of duty felt by the Mountbattens and their sensitivity to and sympathy for the Indian people. This portrayal shows Mountbatten to be a man of unshakeable integrity in a world where too many others lack the ability to maintain theirs. I'm not altogether sure how Gandhi comes out in this film - except perhapsas an Indian Yoda!
If you want a history lesson, approach this film with caution. If you want to be engaged and entertained by some very good acting, give it a go. I'm giving it 8/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 21:46No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
TUESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2018 BFI SIGHT & SOUND TOP 20 FILMS OF 2018 As you will know, I have a keen interest in films and because of that many people assume I'm a film buff. I beg to differ. I do not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of cinema. I am not able to immediately list all the films made by this Director of that Actor. I simply enjoy engaging with stories and when they are well crafted, that adds to my enjoyment. I then of course enjoy reflecting on them and how they intersect with my story and God's story. S&S has just published its Top 20 of 2018 - how many have you seen? Confession - I have seen none of them! One or two I did want to see but missed and at least one I decided I didn't want to see. How many did you make? Interesting to see only one or two 'mainstream' titles and no mega-blockbusters. What does thatsay?
I hope you enjoyed 2018's films and are looking forward to 2019! Posted by Duncan Strathie at 09:30No comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: movies
THURSDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2018 THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB This film presents _Claire Foy_ as the titular character. It could have been written for her. The fourth novel written by _David Lagerkrantz_ a decade after the the death of _Steig Larsson,_ takes the central characters Lisbet Salander and Michael Blomqvist in a more human and in the case of Salander, a slightly less extreme and more accessible direction. Salander takes commissions on the darker side of hacking whilst Blomqvist has never regained his mojo after writing about her - his magazine floundering to survive. As you might expect, Salander is keen to dish out retribution to men who abuse women and the opening scenes establish her motivation for this with extended flashbacks to her childhood and the abuse she and her sister Camilla, suffered at the hands of their father. This is yet another film about dualism - right versus wrong, which side are you going to take. It seems that Camilla and Lisbet chose opposite sides yet in the film they are portrayed as the 'good Lisbet' dressed always in black and 'evil Camilla' with whitened hair and complexion, always dressed in red. Is this simply colour confusion or another twist to the story? As would be expected in this Nordic noir tale of retribution and justice, there is plenty of violence of the James Bond kind. Once or twice the perverted psycho-sexual antics of the girls' father ishinted at.
Gadgets abound as does use of extensive surveillance technology and there are the obligatory car and motorcycle chases through the streets of Stockholm. There is plenty of action and excitement throughout its 117 minutes. Whilst the narrative arc is quite simple, there are plenty of diversions and detours, some unexpected, along the way. There is good continuity with the world created in the Millenium Trilogy in this film. Whilst this film is good, it's not quite as good as either the Swedish TV movie series of the Hollywood remake of the first film. Nevertheless it is an enjoyable escapist watch if action and the righting of wrongs is your thing. The indestructible Salander literally bounces from near death experience to near death experience - she survives, explosion, fire, drowning, suffocation, drugging, fights, her own demons and finally the legacy of her family. _Claire Foy_ makes the lead role her own and it is good to see _Stephen Merchant_ expanding his repertoire - although his accent ping pongs between California, Bristol and Stockholm! No doubt there is more scope for future novels and films to develop the franchise further. I'll give it 7/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 08:09No comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD The latest offering from the world of Harry Potter is at best, disappointing. The ensemble cast of top actors spend the entire movie searching for a story to tell. The only redeeming feature is the extensive use of special effects that create the many Fantastic Beasts and wizzardly spells. The first film presented the streets of New York and this offering gives us Paris. Where next? It feels like the franchise has a potential to become a travelogue series! There are some great lines in the dialogue, such as, "Are you trying to be funny, or are you French?". Wonderful. _Eddie Redmayne's_ sensitive characterisation of Newt Scamander - a wizard with Asperger's Syndrome, carries the film. It is his relationship with Albus Dumbledore also played well by _Jude Law_, which creates the nucleus around which the film revolves. To me, it feels like the character of Grindlewald was written for _Jonny Depp_ whose brooding darkness is so well suited to the character. This is simply another presentation of dualism - the moral fight that rages in the world of Harry Potter and also in our world - good versus evil. We all have a choice which side we are on. In the original HP series it was Dumbledore's confidence in the 'mis-fit' Harry Potter that propelled the central character to ultimate victory. In this spin-off franchise, it is Dumbledore's confidence in the 'mis-fit' Newt Scamander that drives what little story there is. There is an attempt to weave a love story into this film but it is very thin and adds little. Leta Lestrange (_Zoe Kravitz_) had been close to Newt but is now engaged to his brother Theseus (_Callum Turner_) but Tina Goldstein (_Katherine Waterston_) thinks that Lestrange is engaged to Newt and consequently gives him a hard time. Newt does pluck up the courage to tell Tina she has eyes like a Salamander, presumably a compliment in the world of wizards, but you wonder if he's ever actually made eye contact with her! Die hard Potterites will of course dash to watch this - and why not. For the rest of us, wait a couple of years until it features at Christmas on TV. As I said, a disappointing film with few redeeming features. I'll give it 5/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 11:13No comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: morals
, movies
SATURDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2018BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
As a 16 year old I saw Queen on their _Sheer Heart Attack_ tour in 1975 and a year later, also in Bristol, saw them on their _A Night at the Opera_ tour (I still have the concert brochure!). Two concerts that have stuck in my memory for their sheer energy and power. I grew up with Queen. To see this film certainly was to embark on a nostalgic journey. To experience the music was to reawaken the realisation that in Queen we have a unique sound and an amazing set of songs. Much has been said about this film and the critics have been extremely vocal. For me, this was not so much a biopic of Queen but an exploration of vocation and human identity. Much of the film centres on Freddie Mercury played brilliantly by _Rami Malek_. It does not however deliver insider information on Freddie's descent into drugs and gay relationships. These elements are present briefly, but only to serve the development of the narrative context. If people are looking for salacious title-tattle, they will be disappointed. This film has more important things to say. It begins and ends at the Liveaid concert at Wembley in 1985 charting the journey of Freddie, or _Farrokh Bulsara_ to give him his birth name, from Heathrow baggage handler to $4 million dollar signing. Freddie's origins are complicated and his lineage comes from Persia via India and Zanzibar to Feltham, of a Parsi family with Zoroastrian roots. If you add to this his wrestle with his own sexuality, you have someone who doesn't really fit in anywhere. This was the driving force for his life journey and for the uniqueness of Queen's sound. The film makes it clear that Freddie's flamboyance and musical abilities were indicators of the direction in which he would find fulfilment. Stifled by parental expectations and living for live performances, Freddie had to escape and when the opportunity presented itself he grabbed it and Queen were born. In the process he connected deeply with Mary Austin (_Lucy Boynton_) - a relationship which neverended.
The film makes it clear that Freddie's journey was a vocational one. He needed to discover who he was and writing songs and performing helped him to do that. With endless tours and new albums under their belt in an epiphany Freddie announces that he is a 'performer' and a self-satisfied grin grows across his face. He has finally found out who he really is. His exceptional ability to connect with an audience was perhaps the single most important aspect that gave such power and energy to Queen's live performances. That is until another epiphany reveals to him that he thinks he may be bisexual. How Mary handles this is tenderly wonderful. I cannot remember seeing a film or engaging with a story which so empathetically follows someone searching for their sense of self. Perhaps at the age I am, I still possess a naivety, but I have never had to question my own sexual identity. The film enabled me to see how closely sexuality is, for some, an integral part of self-identity in a way that I had not fully appreciated before. What's more, it allowed me to see how much it was equally an expression of vocation, as being a performer for Freddie. That is if we understand vocation to be, becoming the fullest possible expression of the person we were created to be. What the film makes clear is that while Freddie was happy to allow the performer side of his identity to be public property, his sexuality which was for him such an intimate part of his identity, he wished that it remain private. The film moved me to tears many times. Aficionados of Queen will undoubtedly find many holes in the plot, characters and representation of what happened to their group. Band members _Brian May_ and _Roger Taylor _were creative advisors to the makers of the film and wished nothing to appear in the film that would diminish Freddie Mercury's legacy or memory. That they achieved. Anyone with an interest in popular music of the 1970s and 80s should go an see this film. Anyone who likes to engage in a believable story told through compelling acting should go and see this film. If you have an interest in how sexuality forms part of self-identity, you should go and see this film. If you are reading this - you should go and see the film. I'll give it 8/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 15:57No comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
SHADOW WORLD
We are fortunate to have within our congregations a number of folk who are engaged in wider issues as a means of increasing the impact of the Christian Gospel on the world in which we live. One such lady asked if we could screen this film at our regular monthly gathering and I was happy to oblige. We drew a crowd of over 70. Based on Andrew Feinstein's book of the same name, the film is a chilling documentary that catalogues how the relationships between governments, arms dealers, arms manufacturers and customers are completely incestuous. Within this area of world trade, a complete sub-culture exists and has its own economy as tax pounds and dollars are frittered away in backhanders and subsidies to sell arms and munitions - many times to countries that can ill afford them or pay for their upkeep and maintenance. Too often poorer developing countries buy weapons platforms that they do have the expertise to use or likely contexts in which to deploy them. They certainly cannot afford the 'consumable' munitions these platforms deliver! Meanwhile, middle men and former government ministers grow fat on the profits. We were excited and privileged to welcome Andrew Feinstein to present the film and to talk about it answering questions afterwards. If you want to book a screening of the film (which is not yet commercially available) get in touch with outreach@caat.org.uk. The organisation _Campaign Against Arms Trade_ have a host of other resources and events if you are interested. Watching this film may leave you thinking 'what can I do'? On your own, your options may seem limited. You can campaign, march, rally, write to your MP and local Council. You can review your bank's involvements in the arms trade and maybe move bank - although it's difficult to find one that is 'clean' in this sense. You can review any investments you hold, or your pension fund provider holds and ask for them to be transferred away from the arms trade. There are lots of things you can do - see caat.org.uk In times which seem to encourage endless hopelessness, let us remember in whom our hope is placed: _AND HE SHALL JUDGE AMONG THE NATIONS, AND SHALL REBUKE MANYPEOPLE: _
_AND THEY SHALL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES, _ _AND THEIR SPEARS INTO PRUNINGHOOKS: _ _NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP SWORD AGAINST NATION, _ _NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR ANY MORE. _(Isaiah 2:4).
This is a well made film that hits hard. Spread the word and arrange a screening. I'll give it 8/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 15:52No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, theology
FRIDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2018FIRST MAN
It is an odd feeling, and becoming increasingly frequent, to see films portraying 'history' when they relate to events I witnessed at first hand! I was 10 when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and remember watching it (possibly a replay at breakfast time) in black and white on TV in days when there were only three channels, no breakfast broadcasting and no rolling 24 hour news! Yep - I'm getting old. This is most definitely a biopic and much of it must be interpretative. It is not so much a film about the Gemini and Apollo space programmes as a film about Neil Armstrong. Armstrong is played by _Ryan Gosling_ who along with actors like George Clooney and Keanu Reeves specialise in playing themselves in every movie! His wife, Janet is sensitively and at the same time forcefully playedby _Claire Foy_.
The film begins with the heartache of the death of their young daughter Karen. At the time, Armstrong is a test pilot. Armstrong is pictured lovingly playing with Karen and stroking her hair - a display of emotional attachment that he never manages with any other members of the family - except in one dance scene with Janet. Karen's death devastates the family and whilst her brother and mother find some way of coming to terms with it, Armstrong is unable to articulate anything about it and bottles up his emotions. The film essentially explores how that affects his ongoing relationship with his family. This makes him seem dispassionate and uncaring but he uses the inner fire of loss and anger to fuel his drivenness as he gets a post on the Gemini and then Apollo programmes. His biggest weakness and failing, empower his greatest strength, thus enabling Armstrong to be a cool-thinking and totally focussed mission commander. What the film ably highlights is the high cost to everyone - taxpayers, scientists and astronauts - and their families. The programme to beat the Soviet Union to the Moon cost billions of dollars and too many lives - but they persist with it. There is a brilliant and powerful scene which catches a glimpse of the emotional capital the programme asked these men to invest, where Janet forces Neil to confront his fears and say the unsayable to his boys before departing on the Apollo 11 mission. At 144 minutes, I was anticipating that there would be slow patches where it would drag. There weren't any. The pace was well maintained and whilst two or three hallmark events do appear, many events do not as the focus is not on the missions but on Armstrong and his family. Excellent Direction. I'm glad it wasn't Clint Eastwood in the chair - it would have been a very different film! This is not at all jingoistic and I came away with a sense of American greatness being defined in the pursuit of knowledge and exploration and getting ahead of the Soviets, rather than saying we are the biggest power on Earth. Well done. There was also careful use of original footage which was creatively cut into the film on a number of occasions - especially when documenting the wider social happenings of the time. There are plenty of intimate close-ups where the camera is packed in tightly with the astronauts - especially in the small Gemini capsule, where you almost feel the sweat dripping and splashing as they jerk and rattle through lift-off and into orbit. There are also the wide shot colour spectaculars of the Saturn V taking off in the clear Floridian skies and the moon as never seen before! Close ups of the reflective helmets on the Moon never featured the camera operator or anything other than Moonscape. Great work. As you may have gathered I really enjoyed this film. Yes, it took me back to my childhood, yes it was about the sexy space programme, but most of all it was about ordinary human beings with all their emotional flaws, achieving extraordinary things. Do go and see this movie on the big screen - it is in IMAX too. Despite _Ryan Gosling_,I'll give it 9/10.
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 17:02No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
WEDNESDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2018 THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST When a film wins the Grand Jury prize at Sundance, you know it's going to be good. This film did not disappoint. It's the second film(_Apostasy
_) in a
month that I've watched that offers a critique of Christianity - perhaps the fact that these kinds of films can be released in mainstream cinema is an indication of the maturing of a post-Christianworld view.
The film begins in an anonymous US community giving it the possibility of universal application. The film is set in 1993. Billed as teen coming-of-age movie, it explores same sex attraction (SSA) through the person of Cameron Post as she seeks to establish her identity as an emerging adult. Hormonal soup courses through the veins of Cameron and her friends as heterosexual and homosexual attractions play out along with drug experimentation which is depicted as part of the gauntlet of initiation into adulthood that youngsters are forced to endure as they try to work out who they are. What interested me was that there was possibly only one scene in which a parent of a SSA teen is shown. Teens who are caught in an SSA encounter can be sent by their parents for rehabilitation at a gay conversion therapy centre run by brother and sister, Reverend Rick himself an example of the success of the programme and Dr Marsh who spouts self-help Christian psychology. This is an intelligent film that takes teenagers, SSA and Evangelical Christianity seriously. It doesn't hand out judgments but simply says this is how things are. In doing so, for many, the film will in fact make many judgments. For me there were uncomfortable resonances with the kind of Christianity I encountered on finding God back in the 1970s. Sexually impropriety was deemed to be the biggest and almost unforgivable sin. Right doctrine leads to right behaviour - it was so simple, so black and white, with no recognition that we are born into a world of grey. As a teenager we were subjected to repeated teaching on how to avoid falling into sin - sex outside of marriage and 'self pleasure' were outlawed and SSA was so taboo it never even got a mention. Or at least that's how it seemed at the time, but it might just have felt like that because I too was trying to work out who Iwas.
Anyone who has been part of the kind of Evangelical ghetto portrayed in the film will recognise the characters and the sub-culture which makes a genuine attempt to keep adherents apart from mainstream society to avoid contamination through temptation and falling into sin. Life in the ghetto is afterall much easier as we only mix with our own kind - woe behold anyone who engages in 'sinful behaviour' with a fellow church member! The fact that sexual attraction and especially SSA are such strong forces are simply evidence of a weak or misplaced faith and so we have to pray and try harder to live for God and not self. What the film ends up evidencing is that the teenagers learn the vocabulary and behaviour of growing closer to God and the psychobabble needed to unlock possible privileges and eventual release from the remote community. If anything they are pushed further away from God and loving communities which exist to worship him. The film raises lots of issues about a range of subjects including self-identity, sexual identity, Church, community and friendship. The acting is first class and _Chloe Grace Moretz_ gives a nuanced and sympathetic performance in the titular role. This has just come out in the cinemas in the UK - do go and see it and then talk about it with friends and ask yourself what is the film saying to me! I'll give it8/10.
Posted by Duncan Strathie at 06:482 comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, theology
SATURDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2018SEARCHING
This is both a thoughtful and thought-provoking film. The premise is simple - and I won't spoil the plot. As a lone parent, David Kim's (_John Cho_) 16 year-old daughter goes missing one night. The film is about how David deals with the loss and the ensuing investigation which entails lots of searching. Loss is the central theme of thefilm.
What sets this story apart is that it is largely told from the perspective of social media - see the picture above. Unsurprisingly, dad realises that he actually knows very little about his teenage daughter's world and circle of friends. Armed with only her laptop, he explores the many apps she used and sets about trying to piece together her last movements and who may have had contact with her. Kim spends much of the film frantically searching browsers, SMS, FaceTime, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, Tumblr, reminders, calendars, Google Maps, Venmo and even webcams. The film is about both outward and inward searching. This is a gripping thriller that maintains a good pace as various people fall under then out of suspicion. A lot of the story explores family dynamics and it is in this area that it invites viewers to engage in self-reflection about their familial relationships. How prepared would you be if a family member disappeared this evening? No need for paranoia here, but just think through how you respond to this question. We still all need our secrets but do you know enough totrack someone down?
The film offers a good expose of the weaknesses and failures of speculative TV and radio journalism. It also shows the wide range of motivations that drive people when a community responds to a request for help. Many are well-intentioned and some are plainly narcissistic. The film premiered at Sundance and was warmly received. It was snapped up by Sony for only $5M for world-wide distribution. Many will say it is simply a clone of _Unfriended_ but that would be too simplistic. This film has many things to commend it and chief among them are the way the film was written and _Cho's_ gripping performance. It has just come out in cinemas in the UK - do go and see before it disappears. I'll give it 8/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 10:47No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
TUESDAY, 28 AUGUST 2018BABY DRIVER
I missed this when doing the rounds but managed to get it on disc. This is a very stylish film in every sense of the word. The premise is simple. Baby has tinnitus and is a getaway driver but he lives his life listening to several iPods (not at the same time) and his music choices have to fit his activity or frame of mind - especially when he's escaping pursuing law enforcement. The most striking thing about the film therefore is its non-stop soundtrack which covers a wide range of musical genres. IMDb lists 30 songs - you can find them here.
If hold ups, car chases and lots of shooting are not for you, then this film will be low on your list. The characters within it are all interesting and weave together a rich tapestry of humanity. One of the central questions the film explores is how do you treat someone who is morally upright but drives getaway cars for thieves? Much of the narrative explores questions of relationships, loyalty and honour and in that sense, this is fruitful ground for conversations on morals and ethics albeit played out in a very questionable arena! Romance is a strong theme too - and again loyalty and faithfulness are explored here. _Ansel Elgort _who plays the titular role gives a very good performance having first come to prominence in 2014 in the Divergent trilogy. _Lily James_ shines and dazzles as diner waitress Debora defying her natural and gentle period English rose persona which has seen her feature in the TV miniseries of _War & Peace_ and _Downton Abbey_ as well as _The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society _(reviewed here).
I enjoyed this film and would happily watch it again. It is clever, has some great humour, unexpected turns and believable characters. The music, cars and Baby Driver occupy centre stage and the relentless soundtrack propels the film forward. A good watch - do see if you have the chance. I'll give it 8/10. Posted by Duncan Strathie at 17:38No
comments:
Email This
BlogThis!
Share
to Twitter
Share
to Facebook
Share
to Pinterest
Labels: life
, morals
, movies
Older Posts
Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)FOLLOW BY EMAIL
SEARCH THIS BLOG - MORE THAN 400 REFLECTIONS!FOLLOWERS
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOGPosts
Atom
Posts
TOTAL PAGEVIEWS
0
39
1
20
2
75
3
33
4
33
5
25
6
45
7
35
8
50
9
75
10
37
11
40
12
30
13
17
14
25
15
21
16
10
17
21
18
93
19
15
20
19
21
13
22
22
23
31
24
9
25
17
26
19
27
25
28
31
29
10
580,215
FILMS THAT SCORE 9/10 OR MORE ON THIS BLOG04 January 2020
Two Popes
16 November 2019
The Irishman
12 October 2018
First Man
11 August 2018
Apostasy
25 April 2018
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society20 February 2018
Dallas Buyers Club
29 January 2018
Darkest Hour
25 January 2018
Dunkirk
25 October 2017
Blade Runner 2049
21 October 2017
Blade Runner - The Director's Cut20 July 2017
Dekalog: Seven
06 Mar 2017
Schindler's List
02 Feb 2017
Lion
12 Mar 2016
Spotlight
09 Jan 2016
Inside Out
22 Dec 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens14 Dec 2015
The Lady in the Van
06 Apr 2015
The Deer Hunter
08 Dec 2014
Django Unchained
06 Nov 2014
12 Years A Slave
06 Nov 2014
To Kill A Mockingbird07 Sep 2014
Pride
30 Mar 2014
Calvary
24 November 2013
Saving Mr Banks
16 November 2013
Gravity
09 September 2013
Cloud Atlas
16 June 2013
Apocalypse Now
27 May 2013
Mud
22 April 2013
_Blade Runner (The Final Cut)_
18 April 2013
_Winter's Bone
_
07 January 2013
_Quartet _
27 Oct 2012
_Skyfall _
17 Oct 2012
_Dead Poets Society
_
09 Sep 2012
_Vertigo (re 2012)
_
29 Dec 2011
_The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)_31 Jul 2011
_Sarah's Key
_
16 Jan 2011
_The King's Speech
_
02 Jan 2011
_Another Year
_
10 Oct 2010
_Social Network
_
30 Jul 2010
_Inception
_
18 April 2010
_Lemon Tree
_
20 March 2010
_The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo_
PAGES
* Resource list and bibliography for film and theology * Exploring death, dying and loss through film * Encountering God through metaphor in film * The Apocalyptic Worldview on the Silver ScreenBLOG ARCHIVE
* ▼ 2020 (1)
* ▼ January (1)* Two Popes
* ► 2019 (15)
* ► November (5) * ► October (1)* ► September
(1)
* ► June (1)
* ► May (2)
* ► April (2)
* ► March (1)
* ► January (2)* ► 2018 (29)
* ► December (2) * ► November (2) * ► October (3)* ► September
(2)
* ► August (6)
* ► July (1)
* ► June (1)
* ► April (2)
* ► March (1)
* ► February (5) * ► January (4)* ► 2017 (33)
* ► December (6) * ► November (2) * ► October (4)* ► August (1)
* ► July (2)
* ► June (4)
* ► April (4)
* ► March (1)
* ► February (3) * ► January (6)* ► 2016 (19)
* ► December (2)* ► August (1)
* ► May (3)
* ► April (4)
* ► March (2)
* ► February (3) * ► January (4)* ► 2015 (23)
* ► December (4) * ► October (2)* ► August (2)
* ► June (2)
* ► April (5)
* ► March (2)
* ► February (4) * ► January (2)* ► 2014 (40)
* ► December (2)* ► November
(10)
* ► October (4)* ► September
(4)
* ► August (3)
* ► July (2)
* ► June (2)
* ► April (3)
* ► March (5)
* ► February (1) * ► January (4)* ► 2013 (56)
* ► December (2) * ► November (6) * ► October (2)* ► September
(2)
* ► August (5)
* ► July (4)
* ► June (4)
* ► May (6)
* ► April (8)
* ► March (3)
* ► February (3) * ► January (11)* ► 2012 (59)
* ► December (2) * ► November (2) * ► October (7)* ► September
(4)
* ► August (4)
* ► July (3)
* ► June (7)
* ► May (2)
* ► April (11)
* ► March (7)
* ► February (3) * ► January (7)* ► 2011 (62)
* ► December (5) * ► November (6) * ► October (4)* ► September
(8)
* ► August (8)
* ► July (6)
* ► June (1)
* ► May (4)
* ► April (3)
* ► March (2)
* ► February (3) * ► January (12)* ► 2010 (100)
* ► December
(14)
* ► November
(13)
* ► October (4)* ► September
(1)
* ► August (8)
* ► July (6)
* ► June (2)
* ► May (6)
* ► April (17)
* ► March (11)
* ► February
(11)
* ► January (7)* ► 2009 (3)
* ► December (3) Awesome Inc. theme. Theme images by rion819.
Powered by Blogger .Details
Copyright © 2024 ArchiveBay.com. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | DMCA | 2021 | Feedback | Advertising | RSS 2.0