1,482 posts
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Post by mkb on Nov 25, 2023 23:17:36 GMT
Napoleon ***
The 70mm version of Ridley Scott's spectacle is currently denied to European audiences, so I settled for Imax digital. It didn't help. The obviously CGI'd battle scenes are the weakest aspect of the 158 minutes. The severely muted colour palette -- almost black-and-white in some action sequences -- detracts, and time slows to a crawl waiting for something more interesting to happen.
I've sat through Abel Gance's 5.5-hours 1927 silent version of the same name three times and relished every moment, but not so here. I lost count of the times I checked my watch only to realise it was mere minutes since the last. Scott apparently has a four-hour director's cut for tv. Good luck enduring that.
Scott is such an unpredictable filmmaker. He's given us classics like Blade Runner, Alien and Thelma and Louise, but his master touch is absent in so much else of his oeuvre, including this ill-judged offering.
If you're going to cast an actor who is 20 years too old to be the lead, and an actress who is considerably younger as Josephine who in reality was six years older than Napoleon, and ignore large tranches of historical truth replaced by unneeded fiction, then at least let that be for the purpose of adding drama and entertainment. There's little in the script here that helps us fully understand the man or his first wife.
There are some good performances, so I went up to three stars rather than down to two, but it was finely balanced. I can't recommend.
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Nov 26, 2023 0:06:54 GMT
I do want to see this, but I may wait till the longer cut comes out on TV because I can't handle cinema volume (I take it this is noisy, what with all those cannons!). I generally like Phoenix, but he's an odd choice for Napoleon. Ah well - I'm very much looking forward to Gladiator 2. |
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Post by Marwood on Nov 26, 2023 1:03:01 GMT
I saw Napoleon today and wasn’t impressed: time seemed to really drag watching it and the battle scenes seemed to be lacking any excitement or sense of scale: we’re told that there are three hundred thousand troops at Waterloo but what we are shown looked more like some kind of Sunday afternoon amateur re-enactment. Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby were ok (I thought she did better than him) but nothing more but it looked like they didn’t have any money to fill out the rest of the cast list, it was entirely stocked with C listers (and apart from Tahar Rahim, a distinct lack of French actors, and no one bothers attempting a French accent: a couple of Ello Ello ‘I was pissing by your window’ moments would have livened it up no end.) Two stars from me.
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Post by Jon on Nov 26, 2023 19:11:29 GMT
I'm no prude or even squeamish but I did think some of the sex and violence in Napoleon was unnecessary.
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Post by amyja89 on Nov 26, 2023 20:10:13 GMT
Scenes From A Marriage (1974) - *** 1/2
Liv Ullmann is fantastic, but the meaty running time of this crossed my personal threshold for introspective marital strife. It's clearly the blue print for a lot of marital dramas that have followed it, but I couldn't help but find it a little bit of a slog. One of those films that I will enjoy talking about having seen more than the experience of actually having seen it.
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Nov 26, 2023 21:02:42 GMT
Scenes From A Marriage (1974) - *** 1/2Liv Ullmann is fantastic, but the meaty running time of this crossed my personal threshold for introspective marital strife. It's clearly the blue print for a lot of marital dramas that have followed it, but I couldn't help but find it a little bit of a slog. One of those films that I will enjoy talking about having seen more than the experience of actually having seen it. I haven't seen the condensed film version, but I would highly recommend the original miniseries (and maybe that might fix your issues with the pacing - yes I know it seems weird to suggest a longer version of something that you found a slog but the breaks between episodes might help) but unfortunately there's no (legal) way to watch it in the UK without importing a US Blu-Ray and using a region-free player. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Nov 26, 2023 22:15:19 GMT
We watched A Haunting in Venice on Friday night.
What a waste of airtime. The plot was divorced of any Christie authenticity. The casting underpowered other than a couple of exceptions.
Branagh isn't having a good year
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8,152 posts
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Post by alece10 on Nov 27, 2023 10:01:59 GMT
I watched It Snows In Benidorm with Timothy Spall.
What a dreary film, hardly anything happened for nearly 2 hours. It was one of those "arty" films I think. Looks like the Spanish Goverment funded it in some way.
I did enjoy seeing how much Benidorm had changed since I was last there in the late 70s.
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Post by amyja89 on Nov 27, 2023 22:45:15 GMT
Five Nights At Freddy's (2023) - * 1/2
What the hell was this?
Not interesting enough, not gory enough, not scary enough, not anything enough? Some of the production design was kind of cool, that's literally it.
Have never played the games and knew nothing of the lore, so maybe that didn't help.
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Post by jek on Nov 28, 2023 22:16:02 GMT
Fallen Leaves. A ray of sunlight in a bleak world. The jobs the protagonists do are soul destroying, they are living in close proximity to a brutal war (we get reports from Ukraine on the radio), but somehow they still grasp at the good things that life can offer. The audience at tonight's Picturehouse preview seemed largely appreciative. Great to see Alma Poysti in a very different role from the one she played in Tove. The colour palette of the film is lovely too - lots of reds and blues. And obviously the soundtrack is a winner.
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Post by amyja89 on Nov 28, 2023 22:44:04 GMT
Wish (2023) - **
I'm truly baffled.
Why does it feel like this is Lin Manuel Miranda's fault?
My brain literally could not settle on the visuals, some magical nostalgia but mostly awful? It's a wild thing to look at. A mixture of 2D and 3D animation styles that never really mix together in a pleasing way.
A couple of the songs are good in their own right, but you know you are in trouble when what the best part of your apparent 100th anniversary celebration is the minimalist sketches of classic characters that accompany the end credits.
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Post by crowblack on Nov 29, 2023 10:05:20 GMT
Wish (2023) - **I'm truly baffled. Why does it feel like this is Lin Manuel Miranda's fault? My brain literally could not settle on the visuals, some magical nostalgia but mostly awful? It's a wild thing to look at. A mixture of 2D and 3D animation styles that never really mix together in a pleasing way. A couple of the songs are good in their own right, but you know you are in trouble when what the best part of your apparent 100th anniversary celebration is the minimalist sketches of classic characters that accompany the end credits. We're hearing a lot about fears over Ai (which I share) but a lot of the fare, especially for children, that Hollywood churns out feels like it's already being produced by it! |
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Post by amyja89 on Nov 29, 2023 10:31:52 GMT
Wish (2023) - **I'm truly baffled. Why does it feel like this is Lin Manuel Miranda's fault? My brain literally could not settle on the visuals, some magical nostalgia but mostly awful? It's a wild thing to look at. A mixture of 2D and 3D animation styles that never really mix together in a pleasing way. A couple of the songs are good in their own right, but you know you are in trouble when what the best part of your apparent 100th anniversary celebration is the minimalist sketches of classic characters that accompany the end credits. We're hearing a lot about fears over Ai (which I share) but a lot of the fare, especially for children, that Hollywood churns out feels like it's already being produced by it! I can see what they were going for, a sort of nod to the classic era with 2D backgrounds, and then a mixture of 2D and 3D for the characters, but it just feels really jarring overall. Not uncanny valley because realism obviously wasn't a goal, but a similar sort of weirdness in the final product for sure. I'm not against the potential of AI, but going the direction that Wish went in certainly isn't the answer. |
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Post by amyja89 on Nov 29, 2023 19:46:37 GMT
Napoleon (2023) - *** 1/2
The film is at its best when it just focuses on Napoleon being a weird little weirdo, when it goes into more of the actual military stuff it just feels like any other similar biopic.
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Post by solotheatregoer on Nov 29, 2023 23:45:05 GMT
Saltburn - agree that this is more style over substance. The best thing about this was Rosamund Pike’s performance. You also won’t get Murder on the Dancefloor out of your head for days after watching! May December - disappointing after all the hype. Outstanding performance as usual from Natalie Portman but I really dislike this trend of ironic, anti-climactic endings after a long build up (the same reason I disliked Tar). Doesn’t really go anywhere and could have been so much better with a more effective ending. Really hoping Napoleon lives up to my expectations next week. . Napoleon did not live up to my expectations. So disappointed as I’ve been looking forward to this for so long. I can forgive the historical inaccuracies but JP’s performance felt unexpectedly under par. Battle scenes were not impressive at all and it actually felt a little cheap. Best thing for me was Vanessa Kirby, although I know she replaced Jodie Comer who was originally signed on to play Josephine but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. Would have loved to see what she would have done with the role. Maestro next on Friday, which I have equally high hopes for (no doubt I just jinxed that too!). |
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Post by viserys on Nov 30, 2023 8:20:31 GMT
The studio obviously were not confident enough in this to make it a two parter, because there is such an obvious split opportunity moment that I legit thought the thing was ending. And then somehow we got another hour. Very relieved this was NOT a two-parter, as it was ONE book. I hate those cynical cash-grabs where a book is split in two just to make it two movies and by the time the second one comes around you have half forgotten the plot of the first and they often feel very bloated. This felt tight as it was all plot and very little stuffing. It wasn't as gripping as the original Hunger Games trilogy with its criticism of the modern media circus, but still very solid fare that stood heads and shoulders over most of today's dross. Surprised to read so little about it here, considering it stars a budding musical star, who gets to sing so many songs, it did feel almost like a musical at time. I couldn't stand Rachel Zegler in West Side Story and don't find her very likeable in anything I've witnessed of her off-screen, so I had been very worried about her here (especially since the original trilogy relied so much on Jennifer Lawrence being fantastic), but she was surprisingly good and engaging, as was Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus. He just kinda lost me in the last part with his new short and very blonde hair, he seemed to have turned into Draco Malfoy. The Hunger Games: Snakes and Songbirds **** from me |
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Post by amyja89 on Nov 30, 2023 20:28:12 GMT
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) - *****
A mammoth endurance test, but I'm happy to be part of the club now! A bore-core meets whore-core masterpiece that I will probably never have the patience to watch again, a classic of the "more fun to talk about than to watch' genre.
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Post by amyja89 on Dec 1, 2023 23:09:46 GMT
The Bad Seed (1956) - ****
A great early camp thriller filled with memorable performances, with one of the most hilariously clunky and out of place Hays Code enforced endings I've ever seen!
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2,058 posts
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Post by Marwood on Dec 2, 2023 19:15:37 GMT
Eileen: I missed out on tickets for this when it was on at the London Film Festival and Edgar Wright has given it a glowing recommendation on his Instagram, telling people to know as little about his as possible before seeing it: it’s had next to no promotion that I’ve seen so apart from a couple of photos when it was screened at the LFF I knew next nothing about it.
It features another tour de force performance from Thomasin McKenzie in the title role (with this, Jojo Rabbit and Last Night In Soho she is really making a name for herself), strong support from Anne Bancroft and Shea Whigham (Bancroft plays more of a supporting role than you would expect from looking at her billing on posters): I don’t want to give anything away apart from it’s a period noir (set at Christmas but it’s one of the least festive films I’ve seen) and it kind of trundles along nicely with a few bumps and surprises but there was one revelation in the closing stretch that I thought was a bit too much and the ending just kind of happens, leaving the viewer to put together the pieces in their head.
Glad I saw it but disappointed by that ending: 6.5 out of 10
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Post by Jon on Dec 2, 2023 23:58:11 GMT
The studio obviously were not confident enough in this to make it a two parter, because there is such an obvious split opportunity moment that I legit thought the thing was ending. And then somehow we got another hour. Very relieved this was NOT a two-parter, as it was ONE book. I hate those cynical cash-grabs where a book is split in two just to make it two movies and by the time the second one comes around you have half forgotten the plot of the first and they often feel very bloated. This felt tight as it was all plot and very little stuffing. It wasn't as gripping as the original Hunger Games trilogy with its criticism of the modern media circus, but still very solid fare that stood heads and shoulders over most of today's dross. Surprised to read so little about it here, considering it stars a budding musical star, who gets to sing so many songs, it did feel almost like a musical at time. I couldn't stand Rachel Zegler in West Side Story and don't find her very likeable in anything I've witnessed of her off-screen, so I had been very worried about her here (especially since the original trilogy relied so much on Jennifer Lawrence being fantastic), but she was surprisingly good and engaging, as was Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus. He just kinda lost me in the last part with his new short and very blonde hair, he seemed to have turned into Draco Malfoy. The Hunger Games: Snakes and Songbirds **** from me I saw it today and I liked it. It was a tad long but I wasn't bored. I like Tom Blyth and Rachel Zelger but they are somewhat overshadowed by Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage especially the former who looked like she had a blast playing Volumnia Gaul, I did find it funny that the character is named after the Shakespeare character of the same name. |
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Post by showgirl on Dec 3, 2023 4:42:35 GMT
I enjoyed Maestro more than the reviews led me to expect; well worth seeing. It is an idiosyncratic treatment in places, with dream/imagined sequences & some time shifts, though too many of those. Also, some scenes are unusually long, though again, not excessively so and some reviewers have praised that aspect as not only unusual but more satisfying. The music was wonderful, too, though not the main draw for me and once more, others have complained that it's more about the personal relationships, which it is. For me a very engrossing, interesting and rewarding visit.
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Post by amyja89 on Dec 3, 2023 11:41:07 GMT
The Elephant Man (1980) - *****Not sure why I chose this particular December weekend to break my own heart, but here I am and there it went.  I had seen certain snippets of the film before but never the whole thing. I think a more modern version of this would go a little harder on the symmetry Anthony Hopkins character placing Merrick in just another freak show type situation, but the point still comes across just fine. John Hurt's performance is so sensitive and delicate, my heart really did ache.
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Post by solotheatregoer on Dec 3, 2023 14:02:22 GMT
I enjoyed Maestro more than the reviews led me to expect; well worth seeing. It is an idiosyncratic treatment in places, with dream/imagined sequences & some time shifts, though too many of those. Also, some scenes are unusually long, though again, not excessively so and some reviewers have praised that aspect as not only unusual but more satisfying. The music was wonderful, too, though not the main draw for me and once more, others have complained that it's more about the personal relationships, which it is. For me a very engrossing, interesting and rewarding visit. I don't see how this would be as interesting if they didn't focus on personal relationships, unless you were a genuine fan of Leonard Bernstein. I did enjoy this but mainly because of Carey Mulligan's outstanding performance (probably one of the best I have seen in film this year). I'm glad I got to see this on the big screen as the cinematography was incredible. I agree some parts were excessively long and drawn out but it did manage to pull me back in eventually. It was just a bit of a slog to get through but I would say it was worth it in the end. |
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Post by jek on Dec 3, 2023 15:48:12 GMT
Like showgirl I enjoyed this. We saw it at the Barbican Cinema which felt appropriate given that the London Symphony Orchestra is resident at the Barbican Hall. As a regular at LSO concerts I especially liked spotting the current Barbican orchestra members playing the Mahler symphony - lots of wigs and period appropriate glasses. I thought it sounded and looked beautiful. It also cleverly circumvented what is so often a problem with biopics - introducing characters in a slightly clunky manner. There was a tiny bit of that with Jerome Robbins and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, but nowhere near as much as in old movies like the Gershwin story. It must have been very difficult to decide what areas of an eventful marriage to focus on - there was nothing about their involvement with 'radical chic' and hosting a party for the Black Panthers, for example. I'm now home and looking forward to listening to some Bernstein CDs. |
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Post by amyja89 on Dec 3, 2023 22:04:01 GMT
Nightmare Alley (1947) - *** 1/2
Watched the remake when it came out and didn't like it very much, so thought I'd check this one out to see whether or not it worked better for me. Interestingly, it did. Shorter run time telling almost exactly the same story, and extra points for being this thematically gnarly under code rules.
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