2012
Skyfall
06/12/12 Filed in: Cinema
Went to see Skyfall yesterday. It's been out a few weeks but with popular films we usually wait until the crowds have died down.
It was worth the wait. I read all the Bond books in my youth, have seen all the films and have all the DVDs. I'm one of the 'Connery was best people', which probably shows my age as much as anything else. I've always thought he was more true to the characterisation in the books. Roger Moore, I'm afraid, completely took the edge of the character, while the other actors (pre-Craig) sit somewhere between Connery and Moore. The arrival of Daniel Craig in Casino Royal, which was a return to both the plot and the characterisations in the book, redeemed the franchise for me.
Skyfall is good, very good. Bond with attitude has returned with a vengeance. Obviously all Bond movies must have a devilish villain, and Silva is about as devilish and cunning as you can get. And, of course, the Bond girls, one of whom always meets a sticky end. Not sure about the reappearance of the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger; a bit too gimmicky for the otherwise largely serious plot. In contrast to the new, very ungimmicky, Q - good casting.
The end was a surprise!
If you haven't yet seen it, it's well worth the trip.
It was worth the wait. I read all the Bond books in my youth, have seen all the films and have all the DVDs. I'm one of the 'Connery was best people', which probably shows my age as much as anything else. I've always thought he was more true to the characterisation in the books. Roger Moore, I'm afraid, completely took the edge of the character, while the other actors (pre-Craig) sit somewhere between Connery and Moore. The arrival of Daniel Craig in Casino Royal, which was a return to both the plot and the characterisations in the book, redeemed the franchise for me.
Skyfall is good, very good. Bond with attitude has returned with a vengeance. Obviously all Bond movies must have a devilish villain, and Silva is about as devilish and cunning as you can get. And, of course, the Bond girls, one of whom always meets a sticky end. Not sure about the reappearance of the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger; a bit too gimmicky for the otherwise largely serious plot. In contrast to the new, very ungimmicky, Q - good casting.
The end was a surprise!
If you haven't yet seen it, it's well worth the trip.
Gambit
22/11/12 Filed in: Cinema
We saw Gambit yesterday. Orange Wednesday, where you get two tickets for the price of one, which is a steal really.
A Coen brothers film with Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay and Cameron Diaz, it came with a good pedigree. And to be honest it wasn't a bad film, although it will probably be consigned to the mediocre category by many.
Rickman is a master of what appears to be unintentional humour, while Firth is well cast as the disaster-prone art expert. The plot is, of course, contrived, featuring a 'well-planned' heist that goes wrong at about every stage. Cameron Diaz as the Texas cowgirl is, as always, very good to look at, and is adept at this type of comedy role, while Tom Courtenay as 'The Major' completes the 'typical English comedy' line up.
If you fancy a lightweight comedy that doesn't require you to work your brain too hard, then it's worth seeing.
A Coen brothers film with Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay and Cameron Diaz, it came with a good pedigree. And to be honest it wasn't a bad film, although it will probably be consigned to the mediocre category by many.
Rickman is a master of what appears to be unintentional humour, while Firth is well cast as the disaster-prone art expert. The plot is, of course, contrived, featuring a 'well-planned' heist that goes wrong at about every stage. Cameron Diaz as the Texas cowgirl is, as always, very good to look at, and is adept at this type of comedy role, while Tom Courtenay as 'The Major' completes the 'typical English comedy' line up.
If you fancy a lightweight comedy that doesn't require you to work your brain too hard, then it's worth seeing.
The Sapphires
14/11/12 Filed in: Cinema
Our cinema experience today was The Sapphires.
I didn't expect a great deal of it but must admit to being pleasantly surprised.
Definitely in the 'feel good' movie category, with some really good singing, lots of humour and, of course, romance. Plus the Vietnam war as a side-show. Basically The Commitments meets Good Morning, Vietnam.
The reviews have been generally good and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
And it's based on a true story.
I didn't expect a great deal of it but must admit to being pleasantly surprised.
Definitely in the 'feel good' movie category, with some really good singing, lots of humour and, of course, romance. Plus the Vietnam war as a side-show. Basically The Commitments meets Good Morning, Vietnam.
The reviews have been generally good and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
And it's based on a true story.
Argo
07/11/12 Filed in: Cinema
We saw the film Argo today and were impressed. Based on a true story, with no doubt quite a lot of dramatic fiction added in, it was a gripping tale interspersed with some good humour. The final sequence, where the CIA agent attempts to get the six American embassy staff out of Iran posing as a film crew for the non-existent film Argo, is nail-biting.
News footage from the time is cleverly incorporated into the film, which gives it an added realism, and during the final credits there are stills from the film shown besides actual photos from the event. The similarities are uncanny.
The film was directed by Ben Affleck, who also plays the CIA agent. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
News footage from the time is cleverly incorporated into the film, which gives it an added realism, and during the final credits there are stills from the film shown besides actual photos from the event. The similarities are uncanny.
The film was directed by Ben Affleck, who also plays the CIA agent. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.