Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sep 30th
3:10 to Yuma*** US 1957. Columbia. 92m. bw

A struggling cattle rancher agrees to escort a notorious gunman to justice.
Excellent character Western, shorn of too much action but plenty of suspense and atmosphere (and even moments of comedy), with the most effective scenes taking place in a single hotel room. An over-elaborate remake(qv) came along fifty years later, which was honourable but not quite as focused or as absorbing as the original.

Written by: Halsted Welles, from a story by Elmore Leonard.
Producer: David Heilwell.
Director: Delmer Davies.
Starring: Van Heflin, Glenn Ford, Felicia Farr, Henry Jones, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Emhardt, Leora Dana.
Photography: Charles Lawton Jnr.
Music: George Duning (title song sung by Frankie Laine).

Preceded by:
East Anglian Holiday*(GB 1954. British Transport Films. 18m; Technicolor travelogue through the Fenlands, Norfolk and Suffolk.; p: Edgar Anstey; d: Michael Clarke; ph: Bob Paynter.)

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Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sep 25th
The Duchess* (12A)
Hollywood Film Theatre, Ipswich

In 18th century England, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire enters into a loveless marriage, befriends her husband's lover, and herself enters into an affair with upcoming politician Charles Grey.
Adequate costume sex drama with a few subtle nods to Georgiana's 20th century descendant Princess Diana, but hard-working in itself as a historical period piece, and beautiful to look at.

d: Saul Dibb
s: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling, Simon McBurney, John Shrapnel
ph: Gyula Pados.
m: Rachel Portman

Preceded by:
The Big Push**
(
GB 2007. 1m.; Amusing little animation reminiscent of Belleville Rendez-Vous.; d: Ian Fenton.)
+ part of the Virgin Media Shorts selection


Sunday, September 21, 2008

Some more Laurel & Hardy

Sep 21st
Manifest Theatre, Manningtree

Another enjoyable evening of screenings on 16mm of those classic Laurel & Hardy shorts, of which the general theme this time seemed to be illness or general discomfort - Stan has toothache first up, and the Boys are later seen with severed limbs tied around their necks!

Leave 'Em Laughing* (see Apr 14th blog)

Another Fine Mess**
(US 1930. 30m. bw; Two drifters on the run from the police hide in an empty house and then have to pose as maid and master when unexpected visitors arrive.; w: H.M. Walker; d: James Parrott; s: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Thelma Todd, Charles Gerrard, James Finlayson.)
+ the opening credits are spoken, by two identical twins: Beverly and Betty Mae Crane.

Going Bye Bye!**
(US 1934. 20m. bw; Stan and Ollie inadvertently arrange to travel out of town with the escaped convict who is after them.; d: Charles Rogers; s: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Walter Long, Mae Busch.)

Be Big**
(US 1931. 30m approx (some scenes missing). bw; Ollie feigns illness so that he and Stan can go to a stag party, while their wives go away on holiday. Slack in some respects (especially when compared to the similar Sons of the Desert), as most of the humour is revolved around the removal of a tight boot, but still fun.; w: H.M. Walker; d: James Parrot; s: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Isabelle Keith, Anita Garvin, Baldwin Cooke.)

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sep 17th
The Nun's Story***
US 1959. Warner Bros. 149m.

In 1930s Antwerp a surgeon's daughter decides to join a convent and nurses in the Belgian Congo, but tuberculosis and the Second World War test her devotion.
Long, solemn and engrossing semi-factual spiritual drama, very carefully made with a fascinating first hour detailing - accurately - the nuns' apprenticeship, and what follows is also dramatic and involving without ever melodramatising its subject. The ending is also powerful and commendably non-judgemental.

Written by: Robert Anderson, from the book by Kathryn C. Hulme.
Producer: Henry Blanke.
Director:Fred Zinnemann.
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Dean Jagger, Mildred Dunnock, Beatrice Straight, Patricia Collinge, Rosalie Crutchley, Colleen Dewhurst, Lionel Jeffries, Niall MacGinnis, Dorothy Allison, Errol John, Stephen Murray.
Photography: Franz Planer.
Music: Franz Waxman.
Art Direction: Alexander Trauner.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Sep 14th
The Dark Knight* (12A)
Electric Palace, Harwich

Gotham City's gangland is taken over by a psychotic terrorist named The Joker, who then guns for Batman and D.A. Harvey Dent.
A remarkable but thoroughly unattractive "entertainment" where even the hero is painted as villain by the end, overreaching the serious tone of Batman Begins in a largely unintelligible narrative. Perhaps the apogee of comic books wanting to be taken seriously, trying to uncomfortably fit familiar characters within the context of the modern war on terror. Even though its main villain is called The Joker (whose actor arguably died because of this role), there is not a single moment of light relief.

d: Christopher Nolan
s: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhardt, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Chin Han, Anthony Michael Hall

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Sep 10th
Our Man in Havana**
GB 1959. Columbia/Kingsmead. 111m. bw. Cinemascope

In pre-revolutionary Cuba, a British vacuum cleaner salesman turns amateur spy in order to finance his daughter's high living.
Eccentric espionage comedy thriller, blandly made but very characteristic of its author. The all-star talents concerned are not on peak form, but provide moments of pleasure along the way.

Written by: Graham Greene, from his novel.
Producer/Director: Carol Reed.
Starring: Alec Guinness, Noel Coward, Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ernie Kovacs, Ralph Richardson, Jo Morrow, Paul Rogers, Gregoire Aslan.
Photography: Oswald Morris.
Music: Hermanos Deniz.

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Sunday, September 07, 2008

Sep 7th
Star Wars: The Clone Wars* (PG)
Cineworld Braintree

US 2008. Warner Bros/Lucasfilm Animation. 98m. ws

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (and his Jedi apprentice Ahsoka Tano) rescue Jabba the Hutt's infant son from a Separatist plot.
Computer animated fill-in between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith mainly for the junior market, intended as the launchpad for an equally tedious TV series. Some surprises, and resembling something like a story in its latter half, but generally a lot of kinetic action with very little verisimilitude, explained away by boring chatter. A galaxy far, far away from the original Star Wars.

Written by: Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, Scott Murphy, from a story by George Lucas.
Producer: Catherine Winder.
Director: Dave Filoni.
voices of: Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Eckstein, Lee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Corey Burton, Christopher Lee, Catherine Taylor, Matthew Wood, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels.
Music: Kevin Kiner.

SFX review, Derek Malcolm review, Roger Ebert

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Saturday, September 06, 2008

Sep 6th 
Angel** (15)
Curzon Mayfair

Fra/GB/Belgium 2006. Fidelite/Wild Bunch. 110m.

In early 20th century England a girl dreams of becoming a romantic novelist, and indeed does, but other love conquests are harder to accomplish.
Deliberately stylised but enjoyable romantic melodrama in the manner of Bette Davis, the French director's approach being a little heavy handed in parts for such material, with performances that don't always ring true, but it takes an actress of Romola Garai's quality to make such an utterly vain woman seem so appealing.

Written by: Francois Ozon, Martin Crimp, from the novel by Elizabeth Taylor.
Producers: Marc Missonnier, Olivier Delbosc.
Director: Francois Ozon
Starring: Romola Garai, Michael Fassbender, Sam Neill, Charlotte Rampling, Lucy Russell, Jacqueline Tong, Jemma Powell, Una Stubbs.
Photography: Denis Lenoir.
Music: Philippe Rombi.
Production Design: Katia Wyszkop.

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Thursday, September 04, 2008

Sep 4th
Get Smart (12A)
Odeon Colchester

Veteran CONTROL agent Max Smart is promoted to field agent, and with the aid of beautiful Agent 99 tackles an infiltration of the organisation by KAOS.
Self-serving spy spoof with lots of slick action and some occasionally quirky jokes. The plot's baloney but the actors have fun in their roles.

d: Peter Segal
s: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Terry Crews, David Koechner, James Caan (a take-off of George W. Bush), Masi Oka, Nate Torrance, Bill Murray, Patrick Warburton

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Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Sep 3rd
Indigenes**
English language title:
Days of GloryFra/Algeria/Belgium/Morocco 2006. Tessalit/Kissfilms. 120m. ws

The plight of African and Muslim soldiers who volunteered to fight for colonial France in World War II.
Moving war drama with an agenda - highlighting the prejudices toward the North Africans both during and after WWII (their war pensions were withdrawn after independence, only recently reinstated because of the film), with a powerful ending, a few cliches administered along the way, and action up to standard.

Written by: Olivier Lorelle, Rachid Bouchareb.
Producer: Jean Brehat.
Director: Rachid Bouchareb.
Starring: Roschdy Zem, Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Mathieu Simonet, Assaad Bouab, Antoine Chappey, Aurelie Eltvedt.
Photography: Patrick Blossier.
Music: Aarmand Amar, Cheb Khaled.
Production Design: Dominique Douret.

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Monday, September 01, 2008

Star Wars trilogy day

Aug 31st
Headgate Theatre, Colchester

After the cancellation of the original planned Star Wars convention this weekend, we had a private screening with invited friends and guests, showing various oddities to begin with in the morning, starting with From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga**, Richard Schickel's absorbing behind-the-scenes documentary not just about Return of the Jedi but as the title suggests, encompassing the rest of the saga as well, with the always interesting George Lucas giving his views on the saga as they were in 1983.

Then came Hardware Wars**, an amusing little trailer for a spoof Star Wars, uncannily similar to some of the hardware used in the original first film, but for comedic effect. Finally there was Elstree Strikes Back*, a nostalgic video by a fan named Joseph Sales, reminiscing about his growing up with the saga, as well as featuring some snippets from the "Star Wars Day" at The Venue in Elstree in 1994. Finally switching from DVD over to Super 8 film, we had some original release trailers for the three main films, before the main event itself:


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Star Wars**** (U)
aka: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
US 1977. Twentieth Century Fox/Lucasfilm. 121m. Panavision

In a distant galaxy a young desert farmer is hurled into a space adventure after seeing an escaped robot reveal a message from a captured princess.
Quintessential space fantasy which set the tone of film making this director would have to follow for the next thirty years. One of the all time great movies, no matter what vices it (or Jaws) may have unwittingly given Hollywood - by its nature Hollywood often imitates but rarely emulates. Although the film contains an array of mechanical creations and odd creatures, they never detract from the enjoyment. The designs are original, the direction and the acting are a treat, in what is a first-class adventure for kids with enough added elements to appeal to adults too, factors which have ensured the crowd-pleasing success of this saga over the years. Always a joy to watch.

Written and Directed by: George Lucas.
Producer: Gary Kurtz.
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), David Prowse (Darth Vader - with the voice of James Earl Jones), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca).
Photography: Gilbert Taylor.
Music: John Williams.

100 Favourite Films: Star Wars

Barry Norman review (Film 77)
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The Empire Strikes Back**** (U)
aka: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
US 1980. Twentieth Century Fox/Lucasfilm. 124m. Panavision

Commander Luke Skywalker trains to become a Jedi Knight after escaping a spectacular battle on an ice planet, whilst his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader, who is obsessed with finding young Skywalker...
An enthralling and unusual sequel, darker (literally) and sluggish at times, and also hard to judge on its own merits because it cross-references the original so much; nor does it offer a definite resolution at the end. Peerless entertainment nonetheless, with a surprising twist that whettens the appetite for the next exciting instalment, and the creation of new characters is a welcome addition, with the the midget-sized Jedi Master Yoda a masterpiece of puppetry and technical coordination, which as before is excellent.

Written by: Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, from a story by George Lucas.
Producer: Gary Kurtz.
Director: Irvin Kershner.
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz (voice of Yoda), Alec Guinness.
Photography: Peter Suschitsky.
Music: John Williams.

+ this particular Super 8 version also came, rather amusingly, with German opening titles!
100 Favourite Films: The Empire Strikes Back

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Return of the Jedi**** (U)
aka: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
US 1983. Twentieth Century Fox/Lucasfilm. 132m. Panavision

The Galactic Empire builds a a new Death Star, whilst Luke Skywalker rescues Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, and then together with the Rebel Alliance prepares to face Darth Vader once again.
Arguably the best of the original trilogy, full of surprising twists, monstrous apparitions and a more human side, which the director blends well. The film shows tendencies of rambling on after a few viewings, and a little derivative of its predecessors (especially Star Wars), but the climax is a treat and worth waiting for. A memorable saga.

Written by: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas.
Producer: Howard Kazanjian.
Director: Richard Marquand.
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Ian McDiarmid, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Alec Guinness, Frank Oz.
Photography: Alan Hume.
Music: John Williams.

100 Favourite Films: Return of the Jedi

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