Change Your Image
marcusw-35-285933
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Playing Away (1987)
Flawed but interesting
This is a film about the late 70s made in the late 80s. It is therefore very much of its time and reflects the political mores and attitudes of that period.
You can form your own judgement as to how far we have progressed since then, but the film is a frank and honest endeavour to raise and poke (some) fun at some of the discrimination and racism of the time. It also comes with a gentle humour all of its own, and has a strong black Brixton cast (including Norman Beaton and suzette llewellyn) who overshadow the slightly bland white midsummer village cast (including Nicholas Farrell).
Its an interesting idea, but either the screenplay was poor or the editing cut lacked a clear sense of continuous story. There were probably just too many subplots and minor characters that had a backstory but werent given sufficient screen time to be explained, developed or cared about.
This is not really a cricket or sports film, but nonetheless the game is reflected reasonably accurately in the later game action scenes, certainly more realistically than some other films we could mention.
Overall i quite enjoyed it despite a slightly downbeat and unresolved ending.
Also interesting for an early appearance by Neil Morrissey as a racist lout, and Ross Kenp.
Destroyer (2018)
Kidman does sigourney weaver
Slow paced for a thriller, the only real interest is seeing kidman in a non glamourous role. Nothing original about the plot or script. The lingering shots are overdone. I felt no real engagement with any of the characters.
Oh and it just feels and looks like Kidman is trying to impersonate Sigourney Weaver all the way through!
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Best film i've watched in a while
A gritty, funny, and poignant crime, grieving and redemption story that contains several strong subplots and emotional themes. Superb performance by Frances McDormand, and strong backup from Woody H and Sam R. Some of the script is outstanding, with many quotable lines, (both dialogue and monologues).
With the slightly exaggerated characterisation i thought it might be a Coen bros film, and i learnt afterwards that McDormand is in fact married to one of them.
I'm not sure i learned anything, but several "human condition" themes are explored quite well here in the minor sub-plots: cancer, dying, grieving, anger, domestic violence, passion, unrequited love, discrimination etc. It is an ambitious film in that respect, but i dont think that detracts from the flow of the film at all. In addition its worth noting that the comic bits are genuinely laugh out loud moments, and the poignant parts are proper tearjerkers.
One of my initial responses was that certain plot developments were not fully explained...for example Dixon's apparently sudden about face, and the seeming surprise amongst other characters that Mildred had become a foulmouthed badass. Ive read reviews saying these are plot 'holes'. But in hindsight, i think the director has assumed that we're an intelligent audience who know people can and do change according to extreme events in their lives, and we dont always need to be spoon fed emotional developments with flashbacks or in line by line chronological development. So for example one can assume that Dixon's time in hospital next to his victim was very reflective etc, and that Mildred had always been assertive but the loss of her daughter had taken it to a new level.
The only reason it doesnt get a 10 (gave it 9 as cant do 9.5 lol) for me is the slightly twee "thelma and louise" style ending: I dont mind unresolved endings, but just felt it was slightly formulaic.
Sahara (1995)
Dreadful
Whilst the film starts off quite well, the scenery is impressive, and Jimbo and the cast (sort of) hold their own initially , the whole film gradually and almost completely sinks into Rambo territory. Stereotypical characterisation doesn't quite cover it! The German commander is nasty, the Italian is a turncoat who doesn't want to fight, the captured pilot is surprise surprise...a fanatical Nazi and racist with an iron cross. The Italian is a turncoat, the Frenchman just wants to sacrifice his own life. A few soldiers would seem to be holding off a whole battalion who simply charge directly at them and get slaughtered - they are supposed to be elite Afrika Korps for ****'* sake! The doctor suddenly becomes an expert with a machine gun, and the stock characters do exactly what's expected of them, with the comic self-sacrificing black guy, arm aloft, holding up a captured medal as he dies - LOL. I won't even mention the laughable scene where the whole German battalion are "moaning".