Speeding up time
Last year I took out a subscription to Netflix. I can usually find enough to watch for a month but then not enough to keep the subscription going for any longer. For Christmas 2020 I reactivated the subscription, again probably just for a month. So far I have watched and can recommend: The Fear Of…
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
I saw this film two years ago at the cinema, and thought it OK. I watched it last night on the tv and loved it! Many laugh-out-loud moments despite the serious subject matter. And it’s very quirky.
So Long, My Son
We watched this highly rated film by streaming from Curzon Home Cinema. At over 3 hours, this slow-moving, subtitled, Chinese film tested our concentration and we ended up watching it over 3, or was it 4, sessions. This didn’t help our understanding of the story, particularly as there are random time jumps as well as…
Machines – an astonishing documentary
This astonishing documentary about life in an Indian textile factory is available once again on the BBC iPlayer, but only until Tuesday (now expired): https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09g8cc9/machines At the very least, these workers deserve 65 minutes of your time. “A mesmerising and unflinching look behind the doors of a textile factory in India, as director Rahul Jain…
Visages Villages (Faces Places)
What a delightful film Visages Villages is. It’s a documentary by, and starring film director and photographer Agnès Varda and photographer JR, who travel through France visiting villages, taking photos of the people and then plastering large images of them on walls and buildings. The two artists form a warm bond whilst engaging with the…
The Dawn Wall
The Dawn Wall is a wonderful and astonishing documentary following the attempt to climb the Dawn Wall, a 3,000 foot rock face in Yosemite National Park. Informative, exciting and emotional – don’t miss it. You can watch it on Netflix.
Ricky Jay
The American actor and magician, Ricky Jay, has died. In one of my favourite films, Things Change, Ricky Jay has a small part with some memorable David Mamet lines. The film opens as follows: Shoe-shop owner: “May I help you?” Silver (Ricky Jay): “A friend of ours would like to speak to you this evening.” Shoe-shop…
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is a highly rated film which for me failed to live up to its reputation. Not a lot happens, you don’t get to learn much about the two main characters who are on screen almost the entire film. It’s OK but nothing special. Oh and I’m not keen on these auditoriums that…
L’Amant Double
L’Amant Double is a slow moving, erotic thriller. It’s a bit of nonsense with a crazy ending. In fact the whole movie is crazy. I didn’t get it. Not for the prudish!
Beast
What a terrific film Beast is, with a tremendous performance from Jessie Buckley in the leading role as a troubled young woman rebelling against a stifling home and mother. A thriller, with surprises right up until the end – go see it! No sunshine is expected here until Tuesday, so one might as well be in…
You Were Never Really Here
A brutal movie! It looks good, sounds good, but otherwise is difficult to like. Screen-1 at the Curzon in Victoria is tiny, a mere 47 seats, but what comfortable, Pullman seats they are! I’m not a fan of allocated seating, even less so when someone is sitting in your allocated seat. With just 4 rows…
Lady Bird
At my age I probably shouldn’t be going to see a coming-of-age comedy-drama at the cinema – I just didn’t get the 5-star rating. However, the Curzon cinema in Soho has a very nice auditorium though I’m still struggling to understand why cinema adverts and trailers need to be unbearably loud.
Machines – an astonishing documentary
An astonishing documentary about life in an Indian textile factory, available on the BBC iPlayer until the end of February: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09g8cc9/machines
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
I wanted to see this film after watching a trailer at my previous cinema visit. It has also received 5-star recommendations from just about everyone. It’s quirky, and generally I like quirky. For me, it was OK. I thought it was too long for a quirky film.
Molly’s Game
There were just over 20 people in the Wimbledon Curzon, lunchtime audience watching Molly’s Game. Usually at that time there’s less than a handful. It’s a terrific, dialog-heavy film, superbly acted by the main actors, Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and Kevin Costner. Maybe not to everyone’s taste – American, fast dialogue, a story based around…
The Big Sick
A romcom is not usually my thing, conjuring up images of trailers for an endless number of Jennifer Aniston films on tv. However, on an overcast day and with no sign of the promised sunshine, The Big Sick has been well reviewed and was showing at my almost-local cinema. A film about relationships and cultural…
My Life as a Courgette
I was the only person in the Wimbledon HMVCurzon cinema – a first for me! That wasn’t too surprising as it was a lovely sunny day and it would have been lunchtime for most people.
Nobody sits in the front row out of choice!
The cinema has 108 seats and there were just a dozen patrons waiting to see the subtitled film. So why did an oldish man enter the auditorium and sit in the front row, bang in the middle, followed a minute later by another oldish man who also sat in the front row but at the…
After the Storm
Going to see a film just after lunch was probably not a good idea. I was struggling to read whilst on the train to the cinema and drifted off to sleep, nearly missing my stop. The film is almost 2 hours long. There is no action, and I mean no action, and at times I again…
Lady Macbeth
On a cold, overcast day it seemed appropriate to go see a film. Lady Macbeth seemed longer than its 90 minutes but that doesn’t mean it dragged. Atmospheric and stark, there’s little dialogue, but lots of silence and sounds, and it looks terrific. A fine performance by the leading lady, Florence Pugh. Story-wise, I’m not sure,…
Personal Shopper
At almost 2 hours long, Personal Shopper is an absorbing film, but very odd. Its star, Kristen Stewart, is barely off-screen and gives a fine performance in a confusing ghost story. I would recommend the film, for some. It’s been a while since I last went to the cinema! There were just 6 film-goers in…
Victoria
The really notable thing to know about the film Victoria is that it was shot in a single, unbroken, unedited, continuous take of 2¼ hours duration. Before seeing the film all I knew was that it has been described as a heist movie set in Berlin. I found the first hour somewhat slow, wondering where it…
Anomalisa
Anomalisa is a very weird animated stop-motion film. I’ve no idea what to make of it, but I’m glad my wife decided not to come with me! With a 90 minute running time, it seemed longer. I guess the guy was struggling with life – was he having a mental breakdown? There’s a pretty explicit [animated]…
Room
Room is a wonderfully moving film, with tremendous performances from the two main characters, the mother who was abducted, and the child who was born in captivity. It’s an emotional and sometimes traumatic film – take your hankies – and is very highly recommended. (I can’t believe it’s 14 months since I last went to…
The Fear of 13
The Fear of 13 is a truly, truly astonishing documentary about a prisoner on death row. What an amazing guy. Seek it out – the 90 minutes whiz by – but do try to avoid finding out anything about it before watching! Currently showing on BBC iPlayer but also available on DVD etc. The film reminds…
The Hitch-Hiker (B & W movie from 1953)
I randomly picked The Hitch-Hiker, a 1953 b&w movie from the Internet Archive. It turned out to be a tense and highly watchable thriller and, at a mere 70 minutes, well worth watching. It was the first film noir by a female director (Ida Lupino). The Internet Archive is “a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to…
Oscar Restaurant & Bar, Charlotte Street, London
Oscar is a lively and attractive restaurant which is part of the Charlotte Street Hotel. For £35 per person we enjoyed a three-course late-lunch, followed by a film (Gone Girl) in the private cinema. One of the cheaper bottles of wine at £27, plus coffees and a service charge of 12.5% bumped it up to…
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things change 