TimelessFlight Reviews

The French Connection (1971)

Gritty, edgy, and one dimensional cop vs baddies drama

[7/10 · 13 May 2024]

Gene Hackman plays Jimmy Doyle, Roy Scheider plays Buddy Russo. They are a pair of rough and tough New York cops, on the trail of suspected drug dealers dealing out of France.

Pretty much all the film centres on the pair of cops following various players in the drugs deal, either on foot or in cars, or simply hanging around watching during various stake outs. In this respect, the film is a pretty straightforward 'will they catch them' affair, with plenty of rough macho action, guns and violence.

There is little in the way of character development or side stories here, but it doesn't really matter. The film sticks narrowly to the story and does so really well, serving up plenty of car chase and gun wielding action within generally gritty, rough and sleazy urban settings.

Well acted, well directed, well filmed. A good if unchallenging watch.

84 Charing Cross Road (1987)

A lovely and gentle film.

[7/10 · 29 April 2024]

84 Charing Cross Road is a lovely, gentle film based on true life events in a day when old fashioned service, trust and politeness stood for something.

Anne Bancroft plays Helen Hanff, a real life American playwright and author, who had a love of Classic and English literature. Unable to source the books she wished to read from American bookshops, she wrote a letter to Marks & Co antiquarian book shop in London for help.

Anthony Hopkins plays Frank Doel, chief buyer at Marks & Co, who responded to Helen's request for specific titles. So started a long distance, letter-based relationship lasting some 20 years through the 1950s and 1960s.

The film cleverly uses the written correspondence between them to plot their relationship and bring out their characters - Helen the confident, pushy and sharp-witted American and Frank as the old school, polite and formal Englishman. Both leads are well cast and convincing.

The film resists all temptation to over-dramatise or over-embellish, instead maintaining a sweet and understated approach and a steady, low key pace that is perfect for the story and does justice to the book.

An easy, relaxing and delightful watch.

The Hitcher (1986)

Entertaining but shallow thriller/horror

[5/10 · 28 April 2024]

The Hitcher is a pretty straightforward thriller/horror, entertaining if unremarkable, and a little over 90 minutes long is the right length for it.

Jim (C Thomas Howell) is a young lad happily driving alone, delivering a car across a dusty USA to California, when he stops to pick up hitchhiker John (Rutger Hauer).

It's obvious from the get go that this is a bad move - John is trouble, pure evil in fact. The film doesn't hang around, as we're soon watching a series of cat and mouse events involving the pair, a bar waitress who befriends Jim, and a whole array of pretty useless local cops who are better at crashing their cars than picking out a psycho killer.

It's a pretty fast paced film, with plenty of killings, a bit of blood and gore (though nothing too graphic by today's standards), lots of pretty implausible events and a few unintentional laughs as evil John seemingly stays one step ahead of our would-be hero Jim.

Rutger Hauer is perfectly cast as the baddie, but don't expect any character development or back story - there isn't any. This is purely a cheap thrill action horror film, and doesn't try to be anything more.

Atonement (2007)

Technically excellent, beautiful, but somewhat remote

[7/10 · 23 April 2024]

Atonement is a finely crafted, beautifully made film that, for me, just fell just a little short emotionally.

Set shortly before, and later during, World War 2, the story centres on the false accusation by a young girl against her older sister's lover and the fall out that action creates. The lives of the young girl and several of those around her are changed forever.

Keira Knightley plays the older sister, Cecilia, and James McAvoy plays the falsely accused lover, Robbie. Both are very good, though I think James's performance was the stronger of the two. In any case, they made a convincing pair.

Technically the film is excellent, with gorgeous cinematography - equally good in portraying everything from a sunny English garden to a war torn French beach. The story is strong, the pacing good, and all the supporting cast good too. Much care and attention has clearly been put into the staging and lighting of each scene, and it works.

Despite this, I never became fully engaged, emotionally, with the story or characters. I found myself continually noticing and praising the skilled film making rather than becoming enveloped in the lives of those portrayed.

An impressive film, but one I enjoyed watching as an observer rather than becoming fully part of.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Enjoyable timey-wimey tale

[7/10 · 8 April 2024]

There are probably two ways to enjoy this film. Just sit back and enjoy it and not worry too much if it all makes sense, or forensically try to work out what on earth is going on.

If you choose the latter path, you'll likely need a second or third watch to piece together all the clues. Either way, it's a pretty good film.

Our lead character, Donnie Darko, narrowly avoids being killed in a freak accident thanks to a visitation from 'Frank' - a giant rabbit-like creature. Played very convincingly by Jake Gyllenhaal, Donnie appears to become more detached from reality but may in fact be closer to understanding reality than those around him.

Why is Donnie acting strange, who or what is Frank, and what was the cause of the freak accident? All is eventually revealed - but not in an obvious explanatory way. The film comes to a reasonably satisfying conclusion in terms of ending the story, but leaves what you've just seen open to interpretation and debate. That's when you might decide to watch it again for some answers.

Overall an interesting watch with some pretty decent music to boot.

Saltburn (2023)

A beautifully shot colossal and pompous bore

[2/10 · 6 April 2024]

Saltburn opens with our lead character - the socially awkward Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) - arriving at Oxford University.

After an uncomfortable and lonely start, he eventually finds his way into the 'hip and happening' crowd, led by the cool and gorgeous Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). Felix takes Oliver under his wing, and invites him to spend a summer with his privileged family at 'Saltburn', their country estate.

The film centres on the strange relationship between Oliver and Felix (together with a variety of obnoxious friends and family members) and as the film develops it becomes obvious that all is not what is seems in Oliver's world.

The cinematography is very good and the acting performances are generally decent, but that's all that is commendable in an otherwise dire movie. There is just so much to dislike about this film.

First and foremost, the characters. They are all odious. Not one character has any redeeming feature, anything to like, or anything to empathise with. Oliver aside, they're all the same - well moneyed, entitled, self obsessed and ugly (in the ethics sense of the word). I cared not a jot for any of them. Oliver, being the outsider from a more modest background, might have provided a welcome contrast but doesn't - he is no better. There is zero emotional engagement in this film.

Secondly, the so called 'shocking' scenes. The scenes that have caused Saltburn to be so discussed (I shall not list them to avoid spoilers). They are so contrived they are almost laughable. These scenes never rise above the pretentious, let alone shock.

Thirdly, the story line. Buried deep inside this film is a perfectly good plot that could have been the basis for an excellent thriller, horror, whodunnit or psychological drama. But it is so badly played out and undeveloped that when the 'big reveals' arrive they barely have any impact. The film centres on the dreadful characters and cheesy 'shocks' and gives scant attention to making the plot credible or important.

To sum up - a turgid, pretentious, desperately hollow film with a bloated sense of its own cleverness on which the obvious skills of the cinematographers are completely wasted.

La La Land (2016)

Dreamy and Lovely and Forgettable

[6/10 · 29 March 2024]

La La Land is a beautifully made love story musical, and very much a celebration of the classic musicals from a bygone era.

Our two main characters are Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling).

Mia is an aspiring actress who dreams of silver screen stardom while suffering repeated rejection at auditions. Sebastian is frustrated Jazz pianist forced to put up with bit-part opportunities, either solo or as a band member, while he dreams of opening his own Jazz Club.

Both actors perform their roles well - whether speaking, dancing or playing - and that all important chemistry so essential to a good love story is certainly there in this film.

Will each realise their ambitions? Will they fall in love and live happily ever after? These are the two simple questions at the heart of this warm and colourful film.

Though beautifully made and very pleasant on the eye, La La Land never really took off for me. There simply wasn't the emotional pull to care overly about the characters, or the hoped for variety and mastery of musical set pieces. In fact, too much of the music was a repeat of what had gone before and my hunch is that no songs from this film will become engrained classics like those of old. I just wanted more . . . I was waiting for lift off and it never arrived.

Hats off to all involved for departing from the violent norms of so many modern day blockbuster films. They've made us a charming, sweet and dreamy movie. It might fall short in some respects, but it's still nice to see.

The Secret Life of Bees (2008)

Enjoyable if schmaltzy tale

[6/10 · 24 March 2024]

If you're looking for a nicely shot feel-good movie, this could be a contender - though be warned, there are some nasty scenes of domestic and racial violence included too.

The film is set in 1960s South Carolina where white folk - white men in particular - hold all the cards. 14 year old Lily, a white girl from a broken home, runs away from her abusive father together with her black friend/maid.

They find shelter in an unusual place, a bright pink house that is home to three female black sisters running a local beekeeping and honey making enterprise. From there, the film explores the developing relationship of all those sheltered in the house together with Lily's relationship with her deceased mother and aggressive father.

Although Lily (played by Dakota Fanning) is the lead character, for me it is the three very different but united sisters that steal the show. Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo are particularly good playing sisters 'August' and 'May', and Alicia Keys, playing 'June', looks very at home in her role.

The film does dip into sentimentality a good few times - and the music sure tells you when those schmaltzy moments are - but overall it's a interesting and uplifting tale that's well shot, warm and easy to watch.

Blue Valentine (2010)

Powerful marital drama

[8/10 · 23 March 2024]

'Blue Valentine' is an excellent film about love and marital breakdown, with powerful performances from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in the leading roles.

Set in modern day America, the film uses regular flashbacks to move between two distinct periods in the lives of 'Dean' and Cindy'.

The first is the present, where the strains of their failing marriage are giving rise to self doubt, arguments and emotional distress. The second is just a few years earlier when they first met and became lovers.

If this all sounds like a trashy, run of the mill romcom type movie rest assured it isn't. This is a close up and deeply personal examination of the power of love and sex (some explicit scenes), and the burden of coping with a troubled relationship that is painfully under tension, all delivered in an intense and visceral style.

As the film concentrates on those two periods of time - leaving out pretty much all of the intervening years - it means we don't get a direct explanation of why the two grow apart. But that doesn't matter - in fact, it adds to the film by focusing on the contrast between how the relationship was then and is now.

The direction, cinematography, script and score are all excellent - but the final word must go to the lead actors.

In a film where not much out of the ordinary happens, and we are asked simply to engage with and care about the lives of two other people, the characters really need to be believable. They are - the acting is excellent, the 'chemistry' between them is right, you feel their joy and their pain.

Ryan Gosling delivers a convincing performance - first as the carefree, slightly quirky and confident lover, and then as the struggling husband desperately searching for ways to rekindle the flame in the partner he still loves but is losing.

Michelle Williams is arguably even better, expressing an entire gamut of emotions and vulnerabilities brilliantly in a terrific 'all in' performance that covers her journey from young lover to trapped mum wonderfully.

Highly recommended.

Now Is Good (2012)

Cheesy and touching in equal measures

[6/10 · 19 March 2024]

A film that leaves me with mixed feelings.

'Now is Good' tells the story of Tessa - a young girl with terminal leukemia - and her 'before I die' bucket list. It is a low budget, simple, no frills tale set on the south coast of England that offers up a mix of charm and cheese, adequate rather than brilliant acting, and a moving conclusion.

Tessa's bucket list is somewhat unambitious and incidental, serving merely as a vehicle to explore the relationship between Tessa and her father (who she lives alone with), her somewhat estranged mother, her bestie girlfriend, the handsome boy next door and various medical professionals.

I found Tessa a somewhat abrasive and annoying character for the most part, and one that I was failing to have much empathy with until the end of the film. She doesn't have to be likeable of course - all types of characters can suffer from dreadful illnesses, and they don't have to be angels - but a warmer and more expressive character would have helped. Only in the very late stages of the film does she show the true emotion and vulnerability that perhaps should have been there from the start.

The father, while understandably trying to closet and protect his daughter, just seemed so lacking in empathy that I couldn't warm to him either. Indeed all of the supporting characters around Tessa seemed a little lightweight. I think they were charged with delivering heavy emotions but seldom hit the mark - they all had good moments, but hammy moments too.

The script was also reflective of the mixed nature of this film - rather cringey in parts but containing some fine little gems along the way. "Don't have casual sex - always try your hardest" (the mum), "I've never had a life - I was an accountant" (the dad). Fab!

Despite the persistent, nagging feeling that what I was watching really wasn't all that good, the film kept me engaged and I found myself wanting to know its conclusion. In that respect, it did not disappoint. The ending was nicely handled and touching - no great melodrama, just a nicely edited and somewhat introspective thought on a life and a dose of genuine emotion that had been lacking until then.

If you engage with the characters early on, you may well find this to be a highly emotional film. It fell short of that for me, but overall still an enjoyable film I'm pleased to have seen.

And Soon the Darkness (1970)

Oddly appealing suspense/horror

[8/10 · 17 March 2024]

I have a soft spot for this film, as it is probably the first true 'scary' thing I can remember watching (it was broadcast on mainstream TV in the UK in the very early seventies, when I was probably 7 or 8 years old).

Watching it again now (2024) some 50 or so years later, it might not be as scary as it was to the little me, but it certainly has a charm and a quality that makes it super interesting and enjoyable.

The plot is a simple one - two young English girls set off on a cycling holiday through rural France, but run into trouble. Unknown to them, they end up on a 'bad road' (a road that has seen a previous murder of a young woman) and, after a petty squabble leads them to become separated, they find themselves extremely vulnerable to whatever or whoever might be out there.

I love the start of this film - the first half an hour or so of scene setting - as the girls meander along in slightly bleached out sunny France with their (now vintage of course!) cycles, camera and transistor radio. The film cleverly builds a tension between the girls' sunny holiday mood and the hint of unseen threat that is around them. Everything seems idilic, yet somehow we know it probably isn't.

Indeed this is the quality where the film really excels - building suspense, encouraging feelings about what has happened or might happen, maintaining an ever present suggestion of hidden danger. It creates a low level atmosphere of threat and keeps it there, in a subtle way where even when not much is happening you can never feel too comfortable.

The introduction of a few local characters helps with this mood - the angry farmer and his troubled wife, the older English woman, the mysterious man on a scooter who seems to be following them, the local policeman and his odd father - who of these characters is friend or foe? We are never really sure. At times these characters speak in French which remains untranslated for us, a nice touch that adds confusion and authenticity.

Much of the middle part of the film centres on these characters, developing an almost 'whodunnit' feel to proceedings. It does feel like there's a little padding and repetition in this section, but not enough to lose the interest or intrigue.

The final third of the film is where the reveals are hidden, and where you'll find out if your guesses and gut feelings are right. The action is taken up a pace towards the end, but remains at a level that is believable and tense.

This is not an 'all action' thriller or a 'blood and guts' type horror. It is subtle . . . Relying on a steady pace, intrigue, and a mild but ever present troubling atmosphere. At times it somehow manages to impart a feeling of claustrophobia, even though the backdrop is mainly sunshine and open fields. It allows time and space for the viewer to fill in the gaps.

A clever, enjoyable and somewhat understated little gem that would not look out of place next to the Alfred Hitchcock movies on your dvd shelf. I love it.

Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Worth seeing for another fine Dench performance.

[5/10 · 5 March 2024]

Two fine actresses, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, combine with differing results in this short movie that is entertaining and easy to watch, but never more than a lightweight look at the psychology of mixed up relationships.

Dench plays an experienced senior teacher (Barbara) at a rowdy high school, who's no-nonsense assertiveness gains her respect rather than popularity.

Blanchett plays an attractive but inexperienced new art teacher (Sheba), who's arrival to the school triggers the fanciful interest of students and staff.

Dench excels in delivering a complex, flawed and manipulative character as her hidden but obsessive yearning for a certain kind of female companionship compels her closer to Sheba.

The problem is the same cannot be said for Blanchett's character. She attracts the attention of a 15 year old male student, and the way their relationship unfolds seems frankly ridiculous.

I believed in Dench's Barbara but not in Blanchett's Sheba. While Dench used her talents to drag every drop of emotion and intrigue from her character, Blanchett was left to play a character so shallow and silly that it was beyond rescue.

The result was a mixed bag of a film - enjoyable in parts and unconvincing in others.

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Seedy and brilliant

[8/10 · 4 March 2024]

A belter of a movie this.

Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, a confident, young and not too street wise man who has loves the cowboy look. He leaves his small town Texas life behind for a new life as a hustler in New York

There he runs into Ratso, played by Dustin Hoffman, a grubby down at heel trickster eking out a meagre existence through petty theft and cunning.

The film follows them through various scrapes as the two misfits just about manage to survive on the tough streets of New York. Along the way they meet all sorts of characters from fellow loners to glamorous party goers.

Creatively and imaginatively filmed, the movie uses various techniques including flashbacks, dream sequences and fast cut editing to keep us engaged. Despite the squalid overtone, the film has moments of humour and lightness too, plus sharp dialogue and fine acting - most notably from Dustin Hoffman who is brilliant as the sleazy Ratso.

Highly recommended.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)

A good film of an extraordinary life

[7/10 · 2 March 2024]

Can any 2 hour film do justice to the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela? Probably not, but Long Walk to Freedom has a pretty good stab at it.

Idris Elba plays Mandela, and does so well with a convincing portrayal - a good choice of actor for the role. Naomie Harris also provides a emotionally intense portrayal of Winnie Madikizela.

The film spans Mandela's early childhood (briefly), his rise to prominence within the ANC, his arrest and imprisonment, his release and election as President. With so much material to cover it is perhaps not surprising that the film takes a broad brush approach to his life.

Many key historical events are given only brief coverage, and key figures other than Mandela are also left to play second fiddle. However this is more an observation than a criticism; the film is after all the story of Mandela, and that it devotes its available time to his personal and political life at the expense of a deeper dive into the wider politics is to be expected.

It's a no frills, solid, enjoyable film well worth seeing that will give some level of insight into a quite remarkable man.

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Certainly alienated me

[2/10 · 1 March 2024]

A prequel to the excellent 'Alien' movie, directed by Ridley Scott, exploring the creation of mankind and the birth of the Alien race faced down by Ripley? What a fab idea, shame it went so belly up.

The special effects are expensively terrific, the aliens fab, but that's about it. The story is so underdeveloped it's criminal, and the humans absolutely stink.

Mankind's most cosmic mission is apparently OK to be crewed by the most useless and one dimensional bunch of losers earth could find. Quite frankly, if this is the best the human race can cobble together, I'm rooting for the aliens.

It appears that the budget, time and effort all went into the technical effects of the film, and precious little into the characters or narrative. Unfortunately no amount of cgi wizardry can save it.

What should have been a worthy and moving story into the pre-Ripley Alien world is just a hollow and trashy action movie offering nothing to believe in and or emotionally engage with.

A massive opportunity missed by a mile.

The Fall (I) (2006)

Original, highly creative fantasy.

[7/10 · 28 February 2024]

I watched this film with no prior knowledge of its content or reviews, and now - looking at the imdb ratings - I'm not at all surprised by the differing but generally very positive reviews.

It certainly is a highly unusual film, using lush fantasy story telling to develop two characters who befriend each other in a (1920s?) American hospital. They are Roy (Lee Pace), a film stunt man recovering from a serious fall and a broken relationship, and Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), a very young girl with a broken arm.

Catinca's performance as Alexandria is truly exceptional, one of the most realistic and unique characters I've seen in any movie. Her accent was, at times, a little tricky to understand, but my word what an extraordinary performance from a girl probably only 9 or 10 years old.

She delights in listening to the tall tales of strange characters, heroes and villains told to her by Roy, and as Roy tells these stories the characters he describes come to life on screen. The movie constantly switches from the reality of the hospital, to the fantasy world of Roy's stories (or perhaps the stories as young Alexandria imagines them in her mind).

The result is a complex and at times perplexing film, that is never less than visually interesting and always highly creative.

Although I did not fully engage, emotionally, with the story and characters as much as I would have liked, I did have a sense of watching something a bit special that would benefit from a second viewing. There are lots of intertwined stories and characters here, as well many visual clues that could easily be missed, and I suspect a second viewing would help with understanding the film.

Was there a little nod to 'Cinema Paradiso' in this film too? The celebration of moving images and the effect of film on the imagination? I think so.

An intriguing and recommended watch, and one to be revisited.

The Piano Teacher (2001)

Absorbing, troubling, powerful and brilliant.

[9/10 · 23 February 2024]

Some films include sex scenes that are corny, naff, or simply there for the sake of cheap titillation.

This film is not one of them.

The Piano Teacher is a deep and disturbing dive into the world of control, manipulation, mothering, deceit, self worth, self loathing, self harm, sexual fantasy and sexual repression in which every carefully constructed scene is worthy of its place.

The female piano teacher, Erika, is played by Isabelle Huppert. Her acting performance is extraordinary. Composed yet vulnerable, respected yet broken, classy yet depraved - she convincingly conveys it all in a stunning portrayal where less is very much more.

To the outside world she appears as a mature, middle class and intelligent classical pianist in a highly regarded music school. However her authoritarian and critical teaching style masks the inner desires, fantasies, weaknesses and mental troubles that we will be witness to.

The trigger is the arrival into her world of Walter (Benoît Magimel), a young, confident and handsome piano student who enrols to her class to seduce her.

This is a powerful and exceptional film in French with English subtitles, containing graphic sex scenes and scenes of self harm that will not suit everyone's taste. It is brilliantly produced and directed, with highly effective use of silences, nuance, passion and very fine acting. Classical music is an integral part of the film, which is otherwise refreshingly absent of overbearing 'mood music'.

It stayed with me for a long time after viewing and I highly commend it.

And Your Mother Too (2001)

Messy Mexican Ménage à Trois

[6/10 · 22 February 2024]

I have mixed feelings about this film, liking parts of it and disliking others.

Set in Mexico, it is essentially a road trip where two young sex-obsessed lads take an older more sexually experienced Spanish woman on a car journey to a fictional beach called 'Heaven's Mouth'. That gives rise to plenty of sex scenes and - in between - plenty more banter about sex.

The general tone of the film is very much led by the laddish behaviour of 'Tenoch' and 'Julio' - the two young men/boys involved. Their joint masturbation into a swimming pool is entirely in keeping with the general presentation of the story.

The sex scenes (there are several) aren't very sexy. They're frantic and grubby, again in keeping with the immaturity of Tenoch and Julio. Perhaps that's an accurate reflection, for some at least, of growing up and exploring adolescent sex, however I found it just all a bit uncouth and cheap without the balance of something more substantial to offset it against.

Luisa, the older woman, has her own reasons (not all of which are obvious until the end) for indulging the boy's fantasies, but her character was not easy to believe. The reveal at the film's finale about her motivations felt very much 'tacked on' in a unsatisfactory way. Had that reveal been explored at the start of the film, with the story exploring her character and her journey more than focussing on the boys, I think we might have had a better movie.

The film is subject to regular third party narration throughout, and although some of this commentary was occasionally interesting I found it to be a rather lame way of explaining who was who and what was what.

I appreciated far more the 'ordinary' scenes along the trip. The gritty scenery, earthy towns and weather beaten characters that served as filler between the carnal dialogue and lustful action was really well filmed - in a hand held camera, non-hollywood type of way. More of that, and less of the laddishness, would have been welcome.

A mixed bag then and an interesting film that, despite occasional high points, simply feels immature on too many levels.

The Girl from Paris (2001)

Pleasant film spoilt by ugly scenes

[6/10 · 21 February 2024]

A few reviewers have commented on the scenes of 'animal cruelty' contained in this film, so I'd like to start with my views on that.

There are two short but very graphic scenes of a pig and some cows being killed. In my opinion, these scenes are horrible to watch and add nothing at all to the film. They need not have been included, and the film would be far better for their removal. Indeed, the inclusion of these scenes is at odds with what is otherwise a mild mannered, soft and pleasant movie.

On to the film . . . Sandrine is a young woman fed up with Paris life, who embarks on a life change by purchasing a remote country farm. Adrien, the seller of the farm, has an agreement to stay at the farm for 18 months after the sale. The farm is his life's work, but he is embittered, cynical and unhelpful towards Sandrine.

Our two lead characters have differing ages and mindsets, and the film follows their developing relationship against the backdrop of Sandrine's efforts to revive and modernise the farm alone. It does so at a gentle pace, with fine character development, no great drama, and lovely touches of quirky humour.

Take the animal killing scenes away, and you have a lovely, touching and subtle film. Unfortunately, they butchered it with inclusion of the nasties - such a pity.

The Workshop (2017)

French cultural introspective

[6/10 · 20 February 2024]

This French language film is a slow-paced, introspective, social and psychological study.

A group of young adults, all largely unlikeable for the most part, are brought together on a creative writing course as part of a social project. Their tutor/mentor is a middle aged, middle class female author from Paris who seemingly has not much in common with them.

She is charged with inspiring the group to write a novel - a crime thriller - as a way of developing their character, confidence and self worth. The setting is a French coastal town that has perhaps seen better days, its past industrial shipbuilding prowess now just a memory.

Arguments among the group are quick to surface, and are mainly based on race, politics and prospects. The film clearly sets out to use these group conflicts to raise French cultural issues, and while that is perfectly legitimate it does seem at times that these arguments surface without a great deal of provocation or resolution.

As the group dynamics develop, the film focuses on the relationship between the teacher, Olivia, and one particularly troubled young man, Antoine. Dabbling in far right politics and militia, he appears to have issues with isolation and violence and is evermore on the fringes of the group.

Olivia and Antoine become more intensely interested in each other, and the film does a very good job of keeping us guessing where their relationship is headed. There are sexual tensions, threats of violence and mutual (unhealthy) intrigue building between them in equal measure as the film progresses, and this adds a dose of intensity and drama into what otherwise is a fairly uneventful social study.

Overall, this is a well made though somewhat flat study of political and cultural issues in France, lightly exploring things such as race, immigration, the far right, liberalism and de-industrialisation. The film is lifted by the psychological drama between troubled Antoine and articulate Olivia, but for the most part remains a passable social commentary that raises some interesting cultural questions - in particular the prospects for young adults who may feel out of touch with an ever changing France.

Very much a film for those who like to think about political and social concerns rather than feast on fast paced action.

A Shine of Rainbows (2009)

Saccharine stuff on Corny Corrie

[3/10 · 18 February 2024]

A Shine of Rainbows tells the tale of a young and shy orphaned boy, Tomas, who is chosen by a new foster mum, Marie, to start a new life at her remote home on Corrie - a quiet island off the Irish coast.

Marie is welcoming, warm and loving towards Tomas, but the relationship between Tomas and Marie's husband Alec is not quite so comfortable. Tomas gradually settles and develops confidence, until a tragedy strikes.

Although a sweet, good natured and inoffensive film, I pretty much hated all of it (apologies to those who liked the film).

Firstly Marie and Tom (played by Connie Nielsen and Aidan Quinn) are too pretty by half, and not at all convincing; they're handsome city folk who look completely out of place in what could, in reality, be quite a harsh environment.

Secondly, the overbearing and relentless music. Just in case you forget this is meant to be in Ireland, here's some Irish music. And some more. And some more. And some more.

Thirdly, it is just so sickly sweet. Now I'm all for a feel good movie, but this was just so cheesy it almost tipped into satire. Maybe it's just the fact that I had not long before watched 'Ryan's Daughter' and the contrast between the grittiness of that and this treacle-laiden offering was too stark.

Throw in a range of eccentric knitware and Tomas's bizarre relationship with a seal pup (a dreadful animatronic one by the way) and it was all just too much to stomach.

Even the wonderful landscape didn't save it for me; we get glimpses of a fab coastline, but are never fully immersed in it.

There's certainly nothing to hate about the sentimental story itself, but the way it was portrayed on screen was just too lightweight and hammy. An amateur, corny offering I'll easily forget.

Philomena (2013)

Excellent story telling

[8/10 · 13 January 2024]

'Philomena' tells an extraordinary true story in a simple, uncluttered manner - allowing the two lead characters and the story itself to shine. It's a very well crafted and well considered film

Judy Dench plays (older) Philomena who, late in life, decides to search for the son that was taken from her by catholic nuns as a young, single mum some 50 years earlier. And what a splendid performance she delivers, utterly believable whether she is being daft, emotional, funny or stoic.

Philomena as a young mum is played by Sophie Kennedy Clark, and this too is a fine piece of casting.

Steve Coogan plays Martin Sixsmith, the ex-BBC Journalist, who somewhat reluctantly takes on the case of documenting Philomena's search as a purely 'needs be' journalistic venture - only to become increasingly fond of Philomena and engrossed in her story. Coogan matches Judy Dench in terms of performance, effortlessly delivering the role of investigative journo.

Philomena's journey takes her from the unhelpful catholic nuns in Ireland all the way to America in her search for her son - accompanied and facilitated by Sixsmith throughout. Our lead pair - seemingly with nothing in common when they first meet - get to know and understand each other, and regular moments of gentle humour sit easily in their ever more touching and developing relationship.

It's lovely to be able to enjoy a relatively gentle film that is free from over reliance on cgi, exaggerated melodrama and intrusive music. Just an engaging story very well told through two fine actors and a fine script that is engrossing, funny and moving.

Highly recommended.

It Must Be Heaven (2019)

Interesting, different, but ultimately unfulfilling.

[5/10 · 10 January 2024]

I left a couple of days between seeing this film and writing this review, just to allow a little thinking time. A space to reflect on if what I had seen was really clever, or really dull. The truth, for me, is probably both.

It Must be Heaven follows Elia Suleiman, as himself, firstly in his Palestinian home, then in Paris, onto New York, and finally back home again. Bar a couple of short lines, Elia is vocally silent throughout - spending most of his time inquisitively observing events and characters around him. This leads to a good deal of repetitiveness through the film, especially as what he is observing also contains some common themes.

The observations we share with Elia are, in the main, a little on the surreal side. Normal things made a little abnormal, almost dream like. They range from the mundane to the extraordinary, and from the threatening to the comedic.

Occasionally these observations give rise to some excellent scenes; Paris for example, is filmed largely emptied of people and looks fascinating as a result. In another scene, a friendly bird disturbing Elia's laptop work is beautifully filmed. The film is never less than interesting in this respect, yet never fully engaging either. For me, the finer moments were infrequent highlights that the rest of the film, try as it might, couldn't match.

As for the film's meaning, well I've no doubt that there are many messages, large and small, concerning life in Palestine. Others with greater knowledge than I will no doubt pick up on these, and so they may get a more substantial viewing experience than I did.

There is a charm to this film, and it is certainly an inventive, intelligent, well made movie that makes a thoughtful change to the action packed melodramas making up the bulk of mainstream cinema. However, as much as I really wanted to like the film, it left me intrigued but underwhelmed.

Ryan's Daughter (1970)

Quirky, lovely, and with moments of beautiful cinematography.

[8/10 · 3 January 2024]

This is quite a remarkable film; a fairly straightforward tale of adultery turned into a 3hr epic containing moments of cinematic brilliance.

Set on the west coast of Ireland during World War One (and I assume just after the Easter Rising) the film plays out in a humble, isolated rural village by a stunning coastline of high cliffs and wide sandy beaches.

Local lass Rosy, the publican's daughter, falls for a much older man - the local school teacher - and they marry. However the wedlock does not give her the sexual excitement she craves, so it is no surprise that her eye wanders towards Major Doryan - a handsome young British Army Officer posted to the village. In a tight nit and fiercely Republican village, that means big trouble.

How can such a simple plot keep your attention for nearly 3 and a half hours? Well, by the strength of the many strong characters, the fine acting (in the main) and the overall brilliant cinematography. There's little doubt that the scenery plays a starring role, perhaps none more so than during an extraordinary few minutes when the villagers unite to bring ashore supplies from a shipwreck during a violent Atlantic storm. The filming of this sequence is quite remarkable.

So too is the fine use of surroundings in the quieter moments, be it a simple raised pavement by a street that acts as a staging post for insults, the run down school building suggesting gritty austerity, the perfect beaches offering up idilic romantic walks, or the lush fern-covered enchanted forest as the foil for a secretive dalliance. All pretty wonderful.

Any negatives? For me, yes. Lead character Rosy is played by Sarah Miles, and I quickly tired of her seemingly permanent wobbly-headed pouting. And the music, flip . . . Bordering on oompa loompa at times, the (at times comical) big band sound would be well suited to accompanying a circus trapeze act but served only as an oddball distraction in this film. How much better this might have been with some carefully chosen or composed traditional Irish music.

These negatives, though stark, are more than offset by the positives mentioned. Add in the fine performances from Trevor Howard as the drink-loving local Catholic figurehead, Leo McKern as Ryan the publican, and the insanely brilliant performance of John Mills as the 'village idiot' and you have a fine movie.

Over three hours it might be, but when films are this good that's a bonus. Don't expect a thrill a minute ride, just relax into the surroundings and let this gently paced, beautiful and at times oddball film wash over you like the gently lapping waves on its shore. Lovely stuff.

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Superb hard hitting 60s racial cop story

[9/10 · 2 January 2024]

Simply as a murder mystery, 'In the Heat of the Night' is a well crafted film, with a complex case, several possible suspects and a good story to solve. As a social commentary on racial issues in 1960s deep south America, the film is a hard hitting expose. Combine the two, add in highly distinctive characters, brilliant acting, sharp dialogue and excellent atmosphere and you have a marvellous film sure to stand the test of time.

Sydney Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, an intelligent black police officer from Philadelphia who is wrongly brought in by local Mississippi Police as a suspect to a murder. Rod Steiger plays Bill Gillespie, the local Police Chief, who is initially hostile to Tibbs but soon realises Tibbs has the skill to help him solve the case. Both characters are wonderfully acted, and the film gives equal measure to their developing relationship as it does the solving of the murder.

Tibbs faces severe racial prejudice and hostility from most of the locals he meets, but presents an air of cool, composed superiority that has you rooting for him throughout. One could argue that that not all the inhabitants of 'Sparta' would be so hick (we're not far short of 'The Hills Have Eyes' territory on occasion), but still it is easily belivable.

The film is gripping from the start, well paced throughout, and delivers plenty of tense and memorable moments including a very brief but powerful scene when Tibbs retaliates to a slap from a powerful white businesssman. An emotionally charged moment handled brilliantly.

Superb.