Harold & Maude: only 39 years late "it's quite good"

Went to Harold and Maude last night at Gypsy Hill. I obviously had heard about before now but never got round to seeing, it’s not one of the 10 films channel 4 show on repeat!


Anyway it’s really really good, funny, snappy and moving in equal measure. It’s also thankfully weathered the years well and the odd bit’s that haven’t (the occasional slips into overly wacky humour) have a great deal period charm.

I won’t go over the plot in great detail suffice to say it’s a May to December relationship between a 79 woman and young man/lad. Having said that it’s snappy the writers etc manage to build engaging rounded characters but not have them hang around. In fact the slight untidiness of the plot is part of its charm, particularly in a world were even “indie” films have scripts poured over so every narrative cog works perfectly.

One other thing to point out is that Wes Anderson wouldn’t have career without this film most of “The Royal Tenebaums” is a direct rip off of Harold and Maude in feel if not content. Oh and Jarvis stole his whole “look” from Harold’s wardrobe.

Obviously the film wouldn’t work without Bob Cort and Ruth Gordon who seem to have secured there fame with these roles alone even though both enjoyed eventful and in Ruth case long careers. Their interaction is so believable from the start it’s difficult to imagine many other actors carrying it off.

So if you haven’t seen it don’t wait as long as I did!

Anyway it Friday so how about tune well the OST for Harold and Maude is largely by Cat Stevens as he was known then. He’s an odd figure nowadays after having a pop star moment and supporting the fatwa against Salman Rushdie he seems to have been welcomed back into the media fold. His crimes aren’t nearly as bad as Phil Spector etc who still get played like I say not straight forward and sometimes it pays to trust the song not the singer.

If you want to sing out (alternate version) by Cat Stevens

My first 3D film: Avatar

My first 3D film: Avatar
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Blue Movie:
As a spectacle it was brilliant, I didn't fully settle into the 3D, think the realisation of the world would have been great in 2D especially with the sound at Odeon Leicester square. The story is a bit ropey and the jarring bits did spoil the immersive nature of the thing. So really worth seeing but would like to see a grown up less CGI film in 3D to see how it works in the none video gaming end of things.

The Third Man still quite good shock!!!

How much did Orson Welles pay the cinematographer on theThird Man?

Went with S and W to Crystal Palace to the increasingly excellent Crystal Palace Pictures Film Club to see TTM and even though I've seen it before was blown away again. It's audacious, famously Orson doesn't turn up for a hour and Joseph Cotton and Alida Valli have to hold the film. The fact that Vienna looks great in all it's crumbling shiny cobbled wonderfulness helps. But it's the fact that every shot Orson Welles is in looks fantastic that makes the film so great the last 20 minutes are startling. Oh and last scene is great too.

The only stumble in the whole film is the scene when Cotton and the British Officers enter the sewers and they are surrounded by rushing water and well you know what and there are rats running in the distance and Cotton turns and asks "What is this place?" sorry I had to laugh. That quibblette aside it's a joy from end to end.

Fillim Review

Biggish Screen Entertainent
To Gypsy Hill with R,W,S,T to excellent new idea the Crystal Palace Pictures. It’s a film club based in Gypsy Hill tavern and they are showing good films every two weeks for the next year. Last night was “In Bruges” and I may be the last person to say this but it’s brilliant. A wonderful small film with great acting even from Ralph (rhymes with malf honest) Fiennes, The only down side I was gagging for some Belgium beer afterwards ( had to “settle” for pint of Pride hardly a chore).

I think the whole thing is an excellent idea, we had a short film first an animation by John Shepherd (?) which was good and then he talked about the film which was fun. In a world of surround sound 5:1 flat screens and microwave popcorn it’s good to have somewhere where those of us who like seeing films with other people can go locally. It’s the Third Man next time so bring you world weary cynicism, some wellies and a zither!

Dawn of Space Age

Dawn of Space Age
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Big Screen Weekend:

Went to the flicks twice this weekend had some catching up to do.

First was MOON by Duncan Jones which is really good a simple cheaply but well made scfi thriller set on the moon. Excellent simple twisty story.

There's been some talk of cheap effects but I loved the Space 1999 style lunar models, that's what the moon looks like!
Sam Rockwell is excellent as the only actor! If you've not already I think you should catch it.

Next up and down to earth with a bump is The Hurt Locker by Katherine Bigelow who's always great at action . This one is set in Iraq and about UXB squad and is tense as F*CK. Excellent small cast and well done full on action. Not as comic book as some of her other films.Again if you like action I should check it out.

Weird addendum: Came out the flicks slightly wired from the tense scenes to find it all go on in the Middle of Greenwich, a guy rolling around on the floor claret every where. Fortunately I think it was old wound on his calf that had opened up and his mates where helping him but it was a bit intense.
Had to have long walk down my the river in moon light to blow away the Adrenalin!

North Sound

The Young men and the sea

It looks like our ships come in it's the new British Sea Power ... Double bubble too with tunes and the film of Man of Aran! Did I already say how much I like sea power......

Tiptoe through our shiny city

Beech Collection
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

with our diamond slippers on.....

Went out and about last night: had a swift banks's in a pub name after a prison reformer then wandered down TCR to see "state of play". Which is a very enjoyable political thriller, I never saw the telly series so can't compare the two.

After a pint and bite it was a swift double espresso (betcha can't guess where!) and then a stroll through the cheery but tipsy streets .
"are you calling me a pikey" falls backwards into a baytree in a wooden pot.

"no, you go first dahling I'm not comin out.... I did that eight years ago and it was hellish and anyway I can't afford anything new to wear at the moment" ......

It must be time to go home desperate gangs of the worlds youth are cueing behind metal barriers all long coats, side burns and hair gel to get into those loud grim looking bars on Haymarket all this just to shout at girls while being deafened by the Kings of Leon.

Down the hill to Charing Cross, only to have to move carriages because a sweaty ratboy with bad tramlines was doing chiropody with pen knife in the first one.

After that it was coincidence night: turning the corner as the National faded in my ears their songs happened to be just there peeking out of a hedge.

Anyway I found this homemade vid on Youtube. It seems to get gushing reviews but is just my age or are clowns in videos not profound just well funny? But good luck to guy it's far better than those clips of hard rock with "meaningful" photoslide shows of American soldier over them that YT is so full off



Anyway I hope you have chance to slip "your diamond slippers on" soon and if you don't own any National records in the words of CMDR. J.L Picard you'd "better make is so number one" soon.

flag day

flag day
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

.........It's all nonsense really when tonight has been so remarkable. Not sure where to start I was on George Formby's boat no that's not right, i was in this bar in no no.

let's see when I was seeing 400 blows I found out that Sea Power where playing the BFI tonight it was of course it was sold out but G suggested there'd be some returns. And wonderfully there was the marvelous J sold me his spare for the cover price J was excellent company (he'd seen the Truffaut at the same times as we did!) as well potato picking with soft machine which is maybe how he lost his finger.

Anyway some genius had organised British Sea Power to play the soundtrack to Man of Arran. by Robert J. Flaherty which was inspired to say the least. Not only are they the most maritime of power pop combos, they already have the sweaters!

They played a half hour set based loosely on The Great Skua from their last lp, to some excellent bird footage followed by the main film.

Sorry this is getting like a film class (I hope your taking notes as there's a test on Monday)round here but basically Man of arran is probably as good as film as 400 blows.!

It's an early docudrama, it's much discussed so I won't go into the the debate but basically Flaherty understood that sometimes truth is as important as fact and basically the film is really beautiful shot and surprisingly gripping. Some of the scenes of men fishing are incredible and seem to made up entirely of silver and black. a Remarkably poetic film.

BSP music matched really well with the right the dynamics , drama and lightness of touch some parts where quite moving.
I'll stop now great films are one thing but seeing my favourite band as well is rendering me monosylabic. Suffice to say it was good.

oh and on the warm evening with people laughing and ambling along the south bank I was reminded of what day it was by the office in the picture and looking down on the wine (more like stout)dark river, what wth Boris Johnson putting on folk gigs? and people in knitted chain mail handing out beer?
Are you more English when the tides out?
Are you less when the Thames comes rolling in?
and if I get my faced painted do I have to drink Becks?
and are you going to tell the lads on the train or should I that it won't still be the 23rd in the Bromley walkabout because "it's still yesterday in Australia".

Bless 'em they'd had a good day which is all you want really, it beats collecting sea weed off the sea shore or boiling up sharks for lamp oil or being chased through France with hammond organ player and a stolen case of the 45 you could loose a finger doing that...

Anyway night all.

See this film now!

...It might just change your life!

I waited over night to see if I still felt/think the same way and I do.

This may be old news (it came out in 1959) but if you haven't seen Les quatre cents coups (400 blows) by François Truffaut you should make sure it's the next film you see.

We saw it last night at the BFI and I was frankly smitten by the end of titles. I would suggest also you see it at a cinema, don't worry it won't be full of texters and crisp munchers (unless they think it's Jacky Chan film) and it looks wonderful, so deserves a big screen showing.
It's the tale of the downward path unwillingly taken by a bright charismatic young Parisian 13 year old. It's difficult to say what's best about the film:

Jean-Pierre Léaud's incredible performance in the lead role

The stunning detail of the lost world of 1950's Paris (every car a 2CV, the shabby stair wells, funfairs etc)

The perfect music

The striking involving photography

The simple detailing of how various adults and systems (including his hapless parents) through ineptitude, distain, thoughtlessness and malice drag down and try to break the spirit of a sparky young lad.

It's very similar to Kes (I'm sure Ken loach has admitted the influence) so what's not to like.Lastly it's not overly worthy (or long!) and has a famously powerful if ambiguous ending.
Special big thanks to G for sorting out the tickets and for listening to me prattle on as usual but you really should see the Beastmaster!

King Arthur & the Ikea Knightly round table

They tortured me....... with machines.....

I don’t believe in pleasure being guilty but there’s a hint of something not entirely worthy about liking sword and sorcery films. So I did try not to enjoy “King Arthur” on BBC1 just now. It got panned when it came out and now I regret not seeing it as it’s a huge trifle of a film, full of all the nonsense you want from the genre.

Let’s tick off the essentials for great Sword Sorcery film.
Spurious historical setting Tick
Rampant anachronisms Tick
Random mummerset accents Tick
Sketchy understanding of British geographyTick
Hot feisty fighting babes in artful leather gear and not entirely suitable for chilly Albion filmy gauze of the shoulder dresses (with strangely hot posh accents) Tick
Rubbish fake snow Tick
English character actors busily chewing the scenery Tick
Appeals to truth, beauty and nebulous freedom Tick
Ray Winston back to his “we use to be fast “Robin of Sherwood best “Do we have problem” indeed Tick
It even had a cool fantasy novel mapTick

Top stuff to look out for:

Stellan Skarsgård as mad eyed Saxon Fascist full of suitably glum Scandinavian gloomy depression and random violence.
A cool pet hawk nicked from 80’s classic the Beastmaster
Oh and some fighting on a frozen lake nicked from Serge Eisenstein

Who watches the Watchmen.....

Well

Me eventually.....
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

me and BLBW actually....
Is it any good well? I enjoyed it a great deal. I suppose it depends if you like genre films. I can see why it's had mixed press but I do think the broadsheet critics like only a really narrow group of film.

As to Watchmen I think the film should have not have been so tied to the comic and gone with the story and characters and avoided filming frames from the book. If you are not keen on violence I would avoid it but if you like sc-fi super heroes stuff it's definitely worth seeing.

Tonight’s Lottery Ticket

Film Review: Saturday night at the Movies

To London's busy London to celebrate with E&R&R&S..... Happy birthday E

We went to the Curzon and had a marvellous time seeing the excellent "Slumdog millionaire".

I've always liked Danny Boyle's work but I think this is his most complete cohesive film for ages. It's a modern thrilling fable set in Indian charting the childhood of 3 slum kids and is set around a miraculous gameshow appearance by the main character. I won't do the plot here as you'll have heard about it elsewhere. Just give some thoughts.

Firstly Ignore all the "feel good film of year nonsense", that is if you are expecting "My best friend's wedding" or "calendar girls" it's feel good only in the way that really good art makes you feel more alive excites you, entertains and engages. It's not feel good in the general meaning i.e. rolling skating with Dalmatians tampon ad "feel good" patronising nonsense let's kick ABBA to death way.
What to say:

• Slumdog looks great with excellent Kinetic camera work.
  
• It sounds good particular the scene on the train where they start playing the M.I.A track see below (if it seems a little 2007 I think they had problems releasing the film which is madness because it so good).
  
• The kids' acting especially the little kids is really good.
  
• Boyle credits poor people with a rich life which although hard isn't dull or meaningless but without being tedious, worthy and wholemeal about it, it's not a lecture on extreme poverty but doesn't trivialise hardship either. One thing to mention is that it does have violence in it from the start, nothing extreme but you don't get through life in ghetto without the odd black eye, bust lip or being turned over by the cops.
  
• My only complaint was that the Curzon's aircon was faulty, there must have dust or something blowing out because I got something in my eye towards eye just for a moment not for long what with my steely manly eyes mind you....
  


• So in short Slumdog Millionaire is definitely worth a trip to flicks, (it won't look as good on the small screen, India is after all a big country.)

Here's Danny Boyle playing doing magic with light!!

Here's the Clash sorry MIA paper planes

Same old story.......

Why are all modern Christmas films the same?

I was sorting things out this afternoon and had my 5 channels on (still no freeview) and there were a number Christmassy films on, Elf on, channel 4 one about skating and reindeer on 5. There were more last weekend and stacks more to come. The depressing thing is that all recent xmas films only have one plot ie. materialistic person who hates this time of year falls in love with it all again usually via some over optimistic type.


Yesterday the Muppet Christmas Carol was on and here lies the problem as this is were they get their stories from and they all suffer from the problem Dickens had which is Scoorge is much more interesting when he's nasty. So they all trun out abit bland which may be the point I haven't seen bad Santa but I bet he doesn't end bad.

How about some new Christmas films how about someone who loves Christmas too much and has to learn to turn it down abit. Or a rebellion in santas toy factory or how about a film about real British christmas not the "love actually version "where people snog in their pants in the show at Borough Market but you know grim office parties, burnt veggie cutlets, queuing in Argos and having your debit card declined, getting cards from people who haven't written in ages, cheery eastend pubs that open up at minutes notice to give lunch to a random assortment of vaguely related shouty market traders (oh that's christmas Eastenders) any how about anew story.

Advent Day9: Hair of the Dog.

Great hangover cures of out time:

No12: the Sting.

Forget raw eggs, or tomato juice, oysters or even Irn bru.

As seen on The Sting just now if your feeling rough this festive seasons can I suggest being dumped under the shower by Robert Redford after that take one large block of ice approx. 3 kg break into small pieces with an ice pick mix with water and immerse entire head in the bowl, I do feel it may be kill or cure.

A Star Review

Film Review: Rocknrolla

Just caught up with Peter Bradshaw’s review of Guy Ritchie’s latest film and it’s very amusing and he just about carries off the central conceit, have a look.

It’s a strange thing about Guy Ritchie’s films, when LS&TSB first came out I don’t remember it being a such a terrible thing, it was all in the air at the time. You know Loaded, Euro ’96, Chris Evans, brown leather coats which if annoying were all mostly benign.

But it went sour very quickly with it getting overblown, in ads and a rubbish spin off show etc. I’ve never seen any of his other work mainly because GR is responsible for sustaining the career of Vini Jones.

Has there ever been a person less worthy of promotion than Vini Jones? Jones was a violent journeyman footballer; undeservedly the holder of several cups and trophies who then becomes a violent journeyman actor whose continuing career seems to be based on no discernable talent or charisma or anything really.

Plain Janes....

Hot welly and Suet Pudding action from Keira and Co.

It’s not a new Idea but when is there going to be a romantic film where the main love interests are if not ugly but well plain.

Take for instance the new film of Dylan Thomas’ life (h)edge of love. From the pictures of Thomas in real life he looks fairly normal a bit jowly and fleshy maybe you might mistake him for a back bench Tory MP. His wife Caitlin has one of those faces we’ve seen many times before staring out of old family photo’s, it’s a characterful face but no pin up. These aren’t bad things just the facts.

But come the movie the main characters are replaced by the beautiful but dull faces of Keira Knightly, Matthew Rhys and especially Sienna Miller* (sister of Savannah, their other sister Skegness never gets mentioned!).

Now I know actors are self selecting in that the pretty one’s rise to the top and I’m all for glamour and fantasy but when it comes to real people aren’t we diminishing them some what by denying the plain their quota of passion and ? Isn’t it all the more involving seeing people with bad hair and battered faces in passionate tumult? And I don’t mean that nonsense where someone hot puts on a false nose and has “messed up” hair but the sort people normally cast as character actors playing romantic leads.

It would add to the realism, Mathew Rhys wouldn’t have any problem wooing Miller in real life where as Rhys Ifans would (oh no that’s wrong but you know what I mean) if Dylan Thomas was charismatic it wasn’t because of his cute looks and fluttering eyelashes it was his words and character and this requires actors to act not to rely on back lighting and lip gloss.

Now this film was written by Keira’s mum which probably accounts for Knightly Jnrs appearance but that’s no real excuse.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a love story with normal looking leads, you see them as the best friends, the crippled deaf and dumb family members but never in modern films see them having their “sun drenched Ingrid Bergman Kiss”.

*On the subject of the over exposed Miller am I the only person who can’t hold her face in their mind, she’s some kind of shape changing bland walking news story I swear I couldn’t pick her out of a line up if my life depended on it. Also she seems to have sustained a career on the basis of never making a good film ever

Haven't you got anything better to do....

W.D.Y.T.O.T.I.A.G.A.D.S.L.B.I?

Just seen this on the Culture show, it's an excellent animation by RCA graduate John Kelly.

It's visually very inventive and also runs to ground all the ways we avoid doing what we should. He does miss out Alan Bennet's fave of cleaning the fluff out of the tumble dryer though. Speaking for myself I've been known to clean the oven rather than fill a form in. Anyway maybe you should link to this post so you'll have something good to watch next time your avoiding......

maybe he forgot to put his Vest on...

Charlton heston:

I mentioned the other day that even though I love the cinema I can't hand on heart real off some well meaning polish film when it comes to my favourite film ever. I love Challenging , entertaining films from around the world but if I was ill on the sofa, I would plumb for Yule and the boys probably. This is because as a kid films where a rare thing and good ones like Mag7 or Jason and Argonauts rarer still. It's not too rose tinted to say they appeared only on Good Friday, when there was chocolate and good things to eat (and possibly it was my birthday too) so they are linked with good times in my mind.

Which brings me to Charlton as after the above Ben Hur was a favourite with me and my Brothers, we were into Asterix and the galley battle and the chariot race where great, comics made real. They were so good we'd sit through the stuff with the tile and the lepers just for horse action.
So I have always had a soft spot for Charlton.

There's an excellent piece here. The modern view of him is heavily tainted by his perceived politics, so have a read and decide for yourself .
One interesting thing in the article is that David Thomas says he acts Laurence Olivia off the screen, which in my opinion happens a lot . As I think LO was never that great on film and if his reputation was based purely on film you would wonder what the fuss is about, he never learnt the simpler less showy style of acting favoured in Hollywood films that Charlton with or without his vest was so good at.

Spain!

Just watched the last episode of the Andrew Graham Dixon's Art of Spain on BBC4 I-play. The whole series was excellent, with obvious problem of having to cover Goya, Picasso, Miro, Dali and Brunel in one hour long programme aside, the last show was full his usual thoughtful engaging passionate stories.

The section about Luis Brunel reminded me that although Feb is my year anniversary over here at chez blogger I had another blog in another life over at casa yahoo. (it was a pain to use, the whole structure was annoying comentators had to sign up to yahoo etc).

Being a pretentious git or just at loss what to write my first ever blog post was a review of Brunel's most famous film 1960 Viridiana.
here's what I wrote. I seem to have not liked it which isn't what I remember which is the good thing about diaries I suppose.

It contains description of the plot not sure I'd heard of SPOILER at the time! Oh and bad joke to start with.

"Entry for November 02, 2005
did ya hear the one about the dyslexic pimp who bought a ware house?

Just got back from seeing a Luis Brunuel film "Viridiana".
It was a dark satire ie it wasn't very funny. I think if you were a very devote catholic in1961 you would be really shocked but it is less striking now. Basically it is parable about how trying to do good can prove the undoing of even the most pure of heart. The main character is trainee nun sent home on the eve of her marriage to Christ to see her Uncle. He is obsessed by her and after drugging her and attempting to rape her, tops himself . She along with her cousin inherit the uncle's estate and she sets about turning it into her own religous comunity, peopled by the local down and outs.
In the end her good intentions come to nought in an orgy of violence, booze, sex and custard (all to the tune of Handel's Messiah).There are allsorts of codes and messages in the film as well as the general onslaught against organised religion. Scenes where you get to see a nuns legs must have been totally new in 1961 , but are now the stuff of bad light entertainment. Even socialism doesn't get off lightly the poor and the oppressed are shown to be offish, venial and amoral not your upstanding chiselled saints pictured in soviet art. In fact all humans are shown in pretty poor light."

Ps . I included Goya's May 3rd at the top as it was conspicuous by it's absence from the programme. Goya's "black paintings " are great and weird but I found this as moving, although it was included in the excellent secret life of masterpiece series from year ago, so we'll let Andrew off.

Juno a good film, I do it's Juno....

Juno (2007) Jason Reitman.

Off to London's fashionable London with E&R to see new "indie smash" Juno at Curzon Shaftsbury avenue.

Putting aside the pale and interesting types in the bar with their hair and knowing clothes, who seem to come for the coffee rather than the celluloid (the Curzon does have a fair number of older culutre fans, the legion who keep the theatres full) and of course bitter misanthrops like me, I quite like the curzon. I've never known why the theatres are so far underground, but they show good films and that's the point really.

May contain spoilers: if you don't want to know anything about the film stop here.

So Juno, I was interested to see this because it's been raved about . I was wary at first because I'd read that the kids in film spoke in a procious way and they do but it's not annoying. I think we are all too obsessed with "realism" in film and a realist film about teen pregnancy would be a silent film punctuated by five minutes of shouting and a load of texts messages. So the lead character's (played really well by Ellen Page) easy and snappy eloquence is engaging and brings you into the film.

The films set in a small (northern)American over the period 9 months well (7ish) and seems to be based in retro nowish , the kids don't have mobiles, listen to cd's, they look stuff in free newspapers. The film (and this was one of my only quibbles) had a slightly overdone 70's air which it didn't need, it had a look of the kids of Degrassi St. Some of the sets seemed to have been croqueted (sic). It was similary in tone to Ghost world (2001 Terry Zwigoff) if not as bleak.

This aside the film is well paced, is funny (I laughed a number of times) and touching without being mawkish. Ellen Page is a compeling lead and plays the balance to between adult/child in most 16 year olds really well. Fortunately the High School scenes are more Gregory's girl than the usual teen film fare, do you think there will be another good British school film sometime soon?

So a really good film with excellent supporting acting by Allison Janney and JK Simmons as Juno's parent, Michael Cera as her boyfriend and even a painfully gaunt looking Jennifer Garner is good as a desperate adoptive mother.

My only other caveat would be that the indie rock sound track it a little heavy handed, sadly a lot of this music (much as I love it) is being spoilt by use in phone ads etc and I just thought the film didn't need to be so achingly cool, it has enough going for it already. But being gauchely over the top is a teenage phase so may be it's suitable after all, also it seems to be selling by the shed load, so what do I know!

In conclusion Juno a good, funny, touching film well acted and written, well worth your £10.

I wanted to post a tune to go with Juno, the soundtrack is full songs by and like Belle Sebastian so why not check out current faves Los Campesinos particularly "it started with a Mixx" which is apt for the film as there are scenes about making compilation cd's in Juno.

Oh and here's the Degrassi st theme.