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Post by kathryn on May 27, 2019 9:10:32 GMT
I have now seen this film 3 times in a week and would happily watch it again. Thank goodness for a Limitless Card!
I totally have Border Song stuck in my head this morning.
At some point I may need an intervention, but right now I’m still enjoying the ride.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2019 10:45:02 GMT
Oh, and the sequence from Rocket Man-hospital-downfall is a stunning piece of cinematography. Funnily enough that's probably the bit I hated the most! That's where I really felt the fantasy sequences took it way too far out of reality and really showed for me that it isn't my style of film at all. |
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Post by Being Alive on May 27, 2019 10:59:29 GMT
Oh, and the sequence from Rocket Man-hospital-downfall is a stunning piece of cinematography. Funnily enough that's probably the bit I hated the most! That's where I really felt the fantasy sequences took it way too far out of reality and really showed for me that it isn't my style of film at all. I did think watching it that you’re either going to love the fantasy element or hate it, so completely appreciate that. |
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Post by showgirl on May 27, 2019 14:22:02 GMT
I have no illuminating or intelligent comments to make; I simply enjoyed this - though I may have nodded off a little towards the end (not through boredom) and despite opting for an early evening performance. Well, it was 2 hours long... what a good thing I resisted the temptation to treat myself to a glass of Curzon's decent wine, too, or I might've missed the whole film.
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Post by itsemily on May 27, 2019 16:34:27 GMT
Just been to see this - really enjoyed it (although I did prefer Bohemian Rhapsody). Taron Egerton was brilliant as was Jamie Bell!
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Post by talkingheads on May 27, 2019 22:21:33 GMT
I have now seen this film 3 times in a week and would happily watch it again. Thank goodness for a Limitless Card! I totally have Border Song stuck in my head this morning. At some point I may need an intervention, but right now I’m still enjoying the ride. I've seen it twice. A lovely side effect is it made me realise how little of Elton's discography I actually know, aside from the fifteen or so hits displayed in the film, so I bought several of his albums and have spent spent many a happy afternoon since hearing a lot of his music for the first time. Also I'm the same, though I have an Unlimited card, seen it twice this week and no doubt will twice more before it finishes its run. The instrumental Yellow Brick Road in this just has a way of getting inside me, as it builds and builds to a huge crescendo. This could so easily go on the stage (well, not easily obviously but it would be suited to it!) And I would snap up tickets in a heartbeat. Incidentally is anybody here seeing Elton on his farewell tour? I wish I could but the prices are way above my pay grade! |
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Post by daisy24601 on May 27, 2019 23:50:29 GMT
I'm not sure what I imagined this would be but it was more musical theatre than I expected. Which I enjoyed at some points and not so much at others. I know little of Elton's life so I'm curious now how much of it is accurate.
Also, why doesn't his mother age in the slightest between him being a young child to an adult? They could've at least changed her hair!
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Post by kathryn on May 28, 2019 8:48:00 GMT
She does age - compare the early Pinner scenes to the scene in the restaurant. It’s subtle, though - she is meant to be in her 60s in that scene, she looks more like 50-odd.
Mind you, she did live until she was 92 in real life, so she must have been doing something right/had good genes.
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Post by daisy24601 on May 28, 2019 9:26:07 GMT
I mean when he is a young adult, they age her much later on.
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Post by talkingheads on May 29, 2019 21:26:34 GMT
Watched it today for the third time and I'm now convinced this could be my film of the year. There are moments where the acting is just stunning, particularly the scene where Elton is in the phone box calling his Mum, there's a childishness and then you see the whole spectrum of emotions cross his face, the fear, darting of the eyes, then the defiance. Equally the cafe meeting of Elton and Bernie, the chemistry and camaraderie are so perfect. I also like the Kiki Dee scene where despite knowing her all of fifteen seconds she even gets a little character moment as she checks out Reid.
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Post by kathryn on May 29, 2019 22:57:50 GMT
I just love the coming out to Bernie scene - Taron does suppressed terror and then relief so well in it. The scene with his dad and half-brothers is also beautifully done.
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Post by jaqs on May 30, 2019 14:10:35 GMT
Really enjoyed the film.
I hadn't realised how young Elton was when he started to make it.
I'd love a sequel.
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Post by basi1faw1ty on Jun 1, 2019 18:45:14 GMT
Sorry to ask but I'd love to take the mother to see this as she's a long time Elton fan, but I need to know how explicit the sex scenes are because she is rather sensitive to seeing that sort of thing on screen (the moment there's any kind of sex on TV, she'll whip the remote out and switch it right over).
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Post by kathryn on Jun 2, 2019 9:09:38 GMT
They’re not what I would consider explicit at all - they wouldn’t be causing comment if they were straight sex scenes. But if your mother is *that* sensitive she may still find them a tad uncomfortable. Details: The main sex scene lasts maybe 2 minutes. It starts off with passionate and tender kissing, with Richard Madden topless. It’s backlit, shot against a window, so too dark to see much detail. You see hands touching bodies but above the waist, and then more kissing as they sit on the bed and Taron’s t-shirt pulled off. Then an overhead shot of them side by side in the bed undoing their own jeans to pull them off, and cut to an insert shot Richard Madden’s hands fumbling with Taron’s jeans. Then cut to a shot of their bare legs against each other, looking at an angle down the bed so you only see knees downward. Then cut to looking across the bed with the window in the background and the pair of them rolling around on the bed - the window is much lighter as the sun in coming up and the camera is moving towards the light - Richard and Taron are in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen but you really have to squint hard to focus on them because your eye is being drawn to the lit window. If you do squint hard you’ll see them roll so that Taron is on top and Richard’s knees come up around him, and maybe a glimpse of bum as they move - but it’s literally half a second and honestly I only made out that detail on my fourth viewing. If you are not trying that hard to see what’s happening you’ll just glimpse knees and back. Then it cuts of an overhead shot of them on the bed, waist-up, post-coital, and focused on Taron’s face.
Later on there is a scene where you don’t see oral sex happening but it has just happened - literally the guy stands up and walks away and Richard Madden does his trousers up in shot.
Finally there’s a stylised nightclub-orgy scene. It’s shot more like a music video than a sex scene, though - there’s simulated actions indicating oral sex but it’s part of a dance and clothes are worn. Taron ends up being carried across a sea of bodies wearing just underwear but you don’t see any detail - it’s all arms and legs waving, and it’s interspersed with flashbacks. The tone of it is trippy and disturbing rather than erotic. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2019 16:25:21 GMT
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Post by kathryn on Jun 2, 2019 18:16:14 GMT
I’m up to 5 viewings now. I don’t think I’ve ever gone quite so gaga for a film!
I keep running across people worried that the sex scene would be too explicit for x relative, so I keep explaining exactly what happens in it. The press coverage made it sound like something out of a porn film, and it’s really not. In fact what’s really groundbreaking about it is it’s treated exactly how a straight sex scene would be treated if it was the biopic of a straight singer. It’s hot, yes, but in the same way that straight sex scenes are usually presented to us as hot.
Most of the hotness is actually coming from the chemistry of the actors in the preceding dialogue scene; the cinematography is tasteful and the focus on on conveying the emotional experience of the characters rather than the physical one.
It’s just very unusual to see that - mainstream films are usually a bit squeamish about showing gay sex and ‘gay cinema’ is usually either going for something more emotionally fraught or more graphic.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2019 19:00:21 GMT
I’m up to 5 viewings now. I don’t think I’ve ever gone quite so gaga for a film! I keep running across people worried that the sex scene would be too explicit for x relative, so I keep explaining exactly what happens in it. The press coverage made it sound like something out of a porn film, and it’s really not. In fact what’s really groundbreaking about it is it’s treated exactly how a straight sex scene would be treated if it was the biopic of a straight singer. It’s hot, yes, but in the same way that straight sex scenes are usually presented to us as hot. Most of the hotness is actually coming from the chemistry of the actors in the preceding dialogue scene; the cinematography is tasteful and the focus on on conveying the emotional experience of the characters rather than the physical one. It’s just very unusual to see that - mainstream films are usually a bit squeamish about showing gay sex and ‘gay cinema’ is usually either going for something more emotionally fraught or more graphic. I’m so here for this. This seems like a balancing of how same-sex sex can be shown on screen. Really need to get to the cinema soon. |
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Post by grannyjx6 on Jun 2, 2019 21:09:23 GMT
Sorry to ask but I'd love to take the mother to see this as she's a long time Elton fan, but I need to know how explicit the sex scenes are because she is rather sensitive to seeing that sort of thing on screen (the moment there's any kind of sex on TV, she'll whip the remote out and switch it right over).
Well I'm a just few years younger than Elton and a granny to 8 (had two more since I chose my theatre board moniker) and it didn't bother me. It's not explicit, but there's no doubt what they're doing.
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Post by showgirl on Jun 3, 2019 3:59:27 GMT
People keep referring to scenes I don't recall (including one of the sex scenes), so maybe I nodded off more than I realised and should see this again. It won't cost me anything but finding time may be an issue. And how do I ensure I stay awake throughout on a second viewing?
(Mind you, wish I could have fallen asleep during Birds Of Passage and few others lately.)
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Post by kathryn on Jun 3, 2019 10:39:37 GMT
Honestly showgirl , it's worth seeing more than once anyway - there's things you notice second time around because it begins at the end. Particularly how Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Rocketman are used in the score - the soundtrack album doesn't actually include those bits of score. I generally take a cup of tea into the cinema with me to stop me drifting off in the dark! |
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Post by meister on Jun 3, 2019 15:30:12 GMT
Incidentally is anybody here seeing Elton on his farewell tour? I wish I could but the prices are way above my pay grade! Going to Hove on Sunday- really looking forward to the concert! |
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Post by ncbears on Jun 3, 2019 18:13:08 GMT
Most of the factchecking articles are acknowledging Rocketman is not meant or intended to be an accurate telling of Elton John's life. But, among the fact checking articles, my favorite line was one that said something like "and just to be nitpicky, the show at the Troubadour was on a Tuesday, not a Monday."
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Post by greeny11 on Jun 4, 2019 5:42:41 GMT
Honestly showgirl , it's worth seeing more than once anyway - there's things you notice second time around because it begins at the end. Particularly how Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Rocketman are used in the score - the soundtrack album doesn't actually include those bits of score. I generally take a cup of tea into the cinema with me to stop me drifting off in the dark! The underscoring using Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is beautiful - and the opening gives me goosebumps with the choir starting before the piano, and then gradually the orchestra comes in. |
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Post by daisy24601 on Jun 4, 2019 9:52:40 GMT
The sex scene is pretty tame really, there's no actual sex! But they are both beautiful men so it is still quite a sight to behold 🤣
I'm considering seeing the film again this week and it's not often I see something twice.
P.S These two statements are not connected...
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Post by kathryn on Jun 4, 2019 11:23:21 GMT
There is actual sex - but it lasts all of about a second and you have to squint really hard to see it!
*ahem*
Which I only did for *research purposes* you understand....
(No, really - I saw an interviewer ask Taron to confirm that Elton was 'top', and he did, and then I was like 'I definitely didn't see that...' so I really focused on that corner of the screen next time I saw it.)
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