At the movies - From the couch

I just watched The Zone of Interest on Apple TV+. Directed by Jonathan Glazer. I’ve read the book. The film takes the central idea of the book, which is of a “normal” German woman, who happens to be married to the commandant of Auschwitz and lives in a big house adjoining the camp, but more or less oblivious to the horrors taking place next door; but it omits other elements which are central to the book, such as a plot.

In some ways it’s better than the book, in others it’s worse.

It’s a horrible film, but extremely powerful. I’ll be thinking about it for quite a while.

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Yeah, it’s something else, easily the most effective nazi/holocaust film I’ve seen. Agreed on book/movie, both superb creations.

It’s superbly made. I was really impressed by the cinematography. Virtually every shot is from a static camera, and they are all detached from the action, such as it is, with not a single close-up that I can remember.

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Yep, they wanted the family to eventually feel almost as though they weren’t acting, just going about the daily business with a few guide rails and dialogue. Pretty great

My favourite genre, revenge thrillers.

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They Live - John Carpenter, with Rowdy Rossy Piper.

I can’t believe I never saw this before.

A guy finds some glasses that means he can see the aliens living among us. The acting is pretty bad, but there’s some all time lines!!

8/10 - a classic

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Gladiator 2 is very good. Wasn’t expecting much as Ridley Scott hasn’t made a good movie in a long time. He turned back the clock with this.

Gives you everything you would want in this sort of film, denzel looks like he is having the time of his life in his role

Only negative is some of the CGI isn’t that good

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Smile 2 was a massive disappointment for me.
Sosie Bacon was so good in the previous movie, that the lead couldn’t live up to in No.2.
Concept may be getting tiring.
I don’t hold much hope for an improvement in the inevitable No.3.

I saw this recently too and I loved it, the lead is a bit wooden, and I think some of those one liners would have really landed better with an actual actor but it was just bonkers good…that fight scene I the alley way…

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The lead is this guy, so of course the fight scene was basically wrestling WWF style.

image

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Enemy - 2013. Jake Gyllenhaal (and Jake Gyllenhaal)

It’s about a boring guy that finds someone another guy that looks exactly like him, so he goes to meet him…then it just gets weird.

This was weird, intriguing, dark. Nice and short, hardly any dialogue. Not sure what the hell to think, or how I would rate it.

7/10

So I caught the Michael J Fox documentary by Davis Guggenheim, called “Still” on Apple TV+.

A powerful docufilm alright, tracking how MJF fought to get his break into adland and 70s TV as a child actor, then the ‘80s TV and beyond. You know, Family Ties, Back to the Future etc. And then Whack. Early onset Parkinson’s disease at the ripe old age of 30 in 1991. He hid it from all in the industry until he simply couldn’t, come 1998.

I read his book many moons ago but to see it unfold and how he and his family coped with it is a great watch.

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Yep fantastic documentary Michael J Fox is a legend.

The Superman Christopher Revees Story is also very good

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Django Unchianed on 7mate

My favoruite Tarantino movie

Just got out of seeing Wicked with my partner. And while musicals aren’t my usual thing, it was pretty good! Would recommend.

Recently watched 3 Kings.
Awesome movie. Good cast. Good story.
Makes me feel all xmassie afterwards.

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Was about to congratulate you…

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Haha, no way could I escape it.

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Local Hero (1983)
Director: Bill Forsyth
Cast: Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, Peter Capaldi, Denis Lawson

A Texas oil and gas company seeking to buy a small Scottish village and the bay it sits on to build a new terminal dispatches MacIntyre, an acquisitions executive, to broker a deal. Mac is quickly charmed by the beauty of the locale and its people, and soon starts to doubt his assignment.

A little British film with a fairly prominent reputation, I’ve seen it included on several lists of most underrated films of the 80s. It has some lovely scenery, a nice score by Mark Knopfler and Riegert’s performance makes Mac, who initially comes across as a corporate yuppy schmuck, a sympathetic character. Burt Lancaster has a nice turn as Mac’s eccentric, star-gazing boss, and I also enjoyed Lawson’s performance as Gordon, the local accountant/publican.

Subtly funny, gimmick-free and a host of likeable, well-played characters. Oh, and it apparently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

7/10.

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Wonderful movie, for me definitely 8.5 rather than 7. So many lovely little moments, and a strong story to carry it through. I must have watched it 6 or 7 times, and it always surprises.

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