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Films 2016

 

Title Rating Comments
Anomalisa

Well done, but seriously weird.
Quote: "Godess of Heaven" Interesting.

Before the Flood

A documentary on Climate Change hosted by De Caprio. Our politicians have been bought by the corporations. In summary: "Humanity is screwed." Recommended

Westworld

Fantasy in a US holiday Location. Yurl Brunner was good as he exploded.

Rogue One

Nice Pics, but a bit short on plot, though it fits well into the original series.

Allies

Impressive flick with Marion Cotillard and Brad Pit about WWII espionage. Very well done I think.

Love is the perfect Crime

A (French) Swiss production set in Lausanne - thriller. Enjoyable.

Marina

The true story of Rocco Granata, an Italian coal miner's son who followed his passion for music against his father's wishes and social barriers. "Marina" became a world hit in 1959.

The Adventures of pricilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Terence Stamp - haha. Pricilla is a bus and three drag queens are off across the Outback. About as wierd at "Welcome to Woof Woof."
Quote: "A cock in a frock on a rock."

Maggie's Plan

Set in New York Maggie wants a baby and the story develops from there. Quite Allenesque and enjoyable.

Tomorrow (Demain)

An informative film about solutions to the comming challenges of 5 fields, incluidng Energy, Economics, food. Very well-made, soft documentary. Recommended.

Open Range

Duvall and Costner are pretty good in this classic-style Western. I bit of a wierd shoot-out at the end. Nice pictures.

Jason Bourne

A lot of action, well flimed and of course Matt. But, it doesn't have a really good plot, nor is much of the action credible. Shame, but still enjoyable. Would not see it again.

Absolutely Fabulous  

Rubbish, they must have recently received a tax bill.

Money Monster

Somewhat lightweight, but entertaining yarn about a money-based TV program which goes wrong when a man with a gun enters the studio during live transmission.

The Wind Rises

Another Studio Ghibli animation, based loosely on the man who developed the Japanese Zero plane from WWII. Well done.

Wetherby

From 1983, not a very good film. Seems to have been influenced by Pinter - lots of pauses. OK storyline about a man who comits violent suicide in front of Vanessa Redgrave.

Tomorrowland

2015 flic which seemed not to be too popular. An interesting story. We certainly are ignoring the destruction of our planet.
Quote: "Find the ones that haven't given up" (With a backdrop of wind turbines!

Only Yesterday

Animation from 1991. A touching story with (what seems to me, because I haven't managed to get there) a solid, Japanese-culture approach to looking back. It touched me.

Good Ol' Freda

Documentary about the secratary to The Beatles. Low-key, she seems to have done a very solid job. Eppy asked her even though she was only 17. It shows a lot of charachter. It is a shame not all the music was Beatles original tracks. Maybe someone objected? Paul should have made a contribution at the end as Richie did.

Death of a Princess

PBS Documentary filmed in the 1980s about an "honour killing" of a Saudi princess who openly took a lover. The Arab treatment of women makes my skin crawl.

Inside Obama's white house

Multi-part TV series covering some of the major issues he has had to deal with. Not included in any great detail is the complete blckage the Republicans vowed to extend to their new President right from the get-go. In ths light he has done a brilliant job under impossible circumstances, proving that African Americans (and women) just have to be so much better at their jobs than WASPS.

The Best offer

Another great film with Geoffrey Rush about a mysterious young woman with a peculiar ailment in an old house who sells her furniture and art. Recommended.

After the Wedding ½

Another Suzanne Bier directed film. With Mads Mikkelsen, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Rolf Lassgård and Stine Fischer Christensen. A story of attachment and tearing away. Dogma rules. Recommended.

In a Better World

A terrific film about violence by Suzanne Bier from Denmark. It deserved the "Foreign Film" Oscar. Very well acted, , , . A doctor in a refugee camp and his family back in Denmark. Recommended.

Operation Petticoat

Cary Grant and Tony Curtis film about a pink submarine. Just silly.

L'Hermine

A most enjoyable love story set in a court room and a café mostly. With Knudsen, again, what isn't there to like and she speaks French.

Spotlight

This film deserved recognition. A good script and very well acted by a bunch of stars. Not only that, it showed up the cc for what it really is. Recommended.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Terrific animation and the voice of George - what's not to like?

Where to Invade Next

Really one of Michael Moore's best. So many solid points showing we need to have our politics focus on we the people. Recommended.

Brooklyn

A most enjoyable tale of emigration, loss and home. Well acted by all. Recommended.

Whisky Galore

Dated, but some good spots and of course all those old charachter actors.

Carol

Two wonderful performances. A touching story and well told. The authenticity of the filming is also pretty spot-on. Kate Winslett and Rooney Mara are exceptional. Recommended.

Truth

An (apparently largely truthful) story of the way W and his men targeted CBS for the story that 60 Minutes did on W's military service - well, lack of and how he avoided it. This was a case of "lawyering", a process by which a detail is discredited to then take down an otherwise prefectly valid piece of journalism. This is an act which is now-a-days very common. Cate Blanchett is great as are her supporting actors, Redford among them.
Quote: "FEA"

The Revenge of the Electric Car

This was done in 2011 and is therefore not up-to-date. Worldwide so far about 10 million plug-in and hybrid cars have been sold. There are also countless other vehicules including busses now available.

Dirty Grandpa

Not a good movie, some wise-arsed jokes. Why did De Niro do this?

Who Killed the Electric Car

A documentary on how the California regulation on zero-emission cars was overturned by the car manufacturers back in the early 2000s. I wonder how those people are now feeling given what Musk is doing with the Tesla - and all the copy cats? GM could have owned this business. This is a celebration of corporate power at its worst. Against the environment, progress and customers. Simply amazing.

The Town that took on the Taxman

A TV documentary about a movement in Crickhowell which is targetted to use the same tricks that mega corporations use to avoid taxes. This is still being played out.

Calvary

A rather good film about a catholic father who is surrounded by peoople with problems. Even his own daughter. Lots of bad shit happens to him too and someone has threatened to kill him. Not just Brendan Gleeson, but a swathe of other excellent actors.

The Big Short

Most enjoyable. All done in pretty simple langauge/images - especially the naked lady in a bubble bath drinking bubbly.

Suffragette

I suppose, because the them goes so much against my sensibilities I was bound to get caught up in the sense of the injustice. There are still so many today. The acting by Carrie Mulligan is very good. The filming is well done too.

Joy

A good yarn, well filmed and acted. I did however find it slow, to the extent that I became annoyed.

The lady in the Van

Well filmed and acted, but I don't go for the subject matter of Alan Bennett's style of writing. Too last century for me. I found other people laughing. I didn't.

Inside Out

Well done, just not my cup-of-tea.

Suite Française

Based on a novel by Irène Némirovsky. Set in occupied France in WWII it deals with a budding attraction between a married Frenchwoman whose soldier husband is interned in a German prison and a German officer. Stellar performances from Kristin Scott Thomas, Michelle Williams and Matthias Schoenaerts.
Quote: "When it comes to war you really find out what people are really like"

Copenhagen

A most uncomfortable subject - girl 14 and guy 28. The story is how they get to know each other in Copenhagen as the guy attempts to find his grandfather. He is well burnt and she is not at all. Frederikke Dahl Hansen is a delight. The city plays it's part too. Gethin Anthony is sometimes over-the-top.

The Monuments Men

What a waste of good acting talent. Simply a poorly filmed, poorly scripted flick this.




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