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A Field in England (2013)
Watch this film if......
Watch this film... if you are in the mood to be transported back in time to the English civil war.
By that I mean; not as a modern day person occupying the hero 'him doing what you would do'. Er... no! With this film; you see life as if you are 'one of that age'... and be prepared for that.
This really is not a re-enactment 'with period characters behaving as modern characters'. By the skill of all the actors (the whole film crew), you enter the minds of a group of disparate folk, fleeing an English civil war battlefield. You won't be judgmental... you quickly get, that this is not a good place to be. War could be very personable in those days - people (officer class) knew who they were going for, and our hero finds himself being pursued through a hedgerow, just as others are also ejected.
All that is readily understandable. What happens next, isn't.
The story is there... the actions, and superstitions are delivered like 'fly on the wall', only that you won't 'get' what they are doing. (Eg. Old mythology said that it took four men to pull somebody out of a mushroom circle.)
If you don't get it... it means that you were born in modern times... so just go with the flow, and bask in the believability, that you are there.
... and it is pretty visceral. When they fire their pistols or muskets, it's horrifying. The slow acting gunpowder creates a 'crack-thud-whoooosh' that will live with you for some time after the film. (All credit to Ken Garside)
We get a final 'Boss Battle', and we get a transformation... or do we?
Overall: This film is not only a glorious audio-visual experience, but a mind-blowing teleport into the mindset of life in the mid 17th century, and a front row viewing of base greed, power, and survival.
... and it gets better, each time you watch it.
Lone Survivor (2013)
Appalling - try and last through the first 40 minutes
Is it a spoiler to say that a 'navy seals' film will show them training, in the opening credits (as per usual)?
What about that.... we are forced to then listen to utterly ridiculous conversations? ... and then an utterly ridiculous first meeting with the new guy?
The scenes that play out have no connection to the tough guy opening credits... the mandatory training scenes instead lead us to a bunch of guys acting like as if they are in a drama class..... think of something to talk about, and then run with it.
While you may not throw up into the bucket that you've sensibly put beside you.... it comes close.
I watched this with my 17 year old son, and we were groaning from the start, and groaned even more when we got to the obligatory argument.
Can it be the case, that this is representative of the navy seals? I truly hope not.
Who calls the shots on these movies? Was the Director Peter Berg, just a 'yes' man, or was it his own non-creative talent, that caused him to regurgitate what we've all seen before.
The last Afghan war movie I watched was Kajaki (based upon a true story) - different, engrossing, and believable.
Lone Survivor is meant also to be based upon a true story, with all the ingredients for a great film.
What a shame that the audience is completely turned off in the first half hour.
If you want to watch this movie, my strong advice would be to give it its best chance, and avoid completely the first 30 minutes.
Otherwise, just give it a miss.
Revolution (2012)
Great Sci-fi premise ruined by silly people doing silly things
This was just starting on Sky.... the trailer looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a go.
The opening premise of a world where electricity fails was fine. We are immediately transported to this world 15 years later.... and the story begins.
Only we get no sense at all of a post apocalyptic world.... it's more like a dysfunctional family on a log cabin holiday.
The make up is all wrong, as are the clothes..... as are the actions of the characters.
At no point does one feel that 'it could really be like this'. That is its fundamental problem.
Major expeditions are embarked upon as if the plan is to go for a walk in the park.
Fights involve bad guys dancing around waiting to be slaughtered, while good guys jump to avoid bullets.
But if you like your gritty post apocalyptic dramas to contain silly characters, with dry cleaned clothes, and nice hair...... this is definitely for you.
Thank goodness 'Threads' is available for viewing in HD on YT.
Straightheads (2007)
Gritty revenge - the worms turn..... and turn
You're an IMDb'er. You've read a good cross section of the reviews, and you're still left wondering...... yes?
Let's start with the casting: Both Gillian Anderson and Danny Dyer, pull off their roles perfectly.
There has been way too much criticism of the character pairing, when it seems beyond doubt that the characters perfectly portray the concept of the story.... ... this being, that: strength of character can be stimulated by events... driving a person to fulfill 'what they need to do' (rather than achieve); only.... post ejaculation; the act being clearly sordid.
Pre-act: it had to happen Post-act: it should never have happened
That would be bad enough, but post-act, you're then witness to somebody in the 'pre-act' phase, going where you have just gone.
Effectively, you are confronted with: 'You've had your go.... now it's my turn', even though you are sick to the stomach.
This leads us inevitably to the ending of the film.
The second, duplicate act was no less sordid than the first. No less ejaculatory. No less empty (post-act).
The film had to end when it ended. Signed, sealed, and delivered..... think about this.
For my book; unusually; way too many IMDb reviews that are wide of the mark. Too many cheap and easy comparisons with Straw Dogs; instead of seeing the film ploughing its own furrow.
Watch it!
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
A Ripping Yarn, but more than that... 'it is exceptional' - one for the family
You know... sometimes when you watch a film... in the first few minutes, it is clear that the film is going to be special.
It doesn't have to be deeply significant, possessing social commentary. Every genre has the potential to be 'done well'... and this film meets those expectations.
Holmes: portrayed so many times... yet here we have another great interpretation (along with his relationship with Watson), perfect for putting a smile on your face.
This time, perhaps a more realistic approach... no excessive concentration on deduction, we see Holmes with all his weaknesses, but overall, a man of adventure. Perfectly matched to the gorgeously overcast portrayal of Victorian London, yet sublimely mixed with explosive action more typically associated with a Bond movie.
No obnoxious violence, sex, or swearing... no need for any of that. It's just a great film for everybody in the family. Enjoy.
An Ungentlemanly Act (1992)
A 'stand out' movie - Pace, Characters, Excitement - Immersive
So I give it 10 stars - as I write, rated 7.2 from 224 votes - this says it all.
If you have found your way here, and are thinking of watching this film, then don't think twice, regardless of your nationality (including Argentinian/Spanish/South American), this is a great film.
You can watch it with anyone from around 11 years old upwards - even with your granny, and everybody will enjoy the fully immersive experience, that introduces you to, and embeds you in....
... another way of living your life. A strange, yet not strange, life of Britishness in the deep South Atlantic. (so much so that afterwards, many Argentine soldiers talked of the culture shock of fighting for a land that they thought was Argentina, but possessed nothing of Argentina).
But this is NO 'slow build up to ten minutes of action'. 'Action' is pregnant in the air; it comes thick and fast, and the birth isn't easy.
Death is not pleasant at the best of times.... but when it's slow, and just a few feet away from you... yet somehow 'understandable', almost 'normal' (somebody to avoid as you dash for cover... yet not notice because you're dashing for cover).
History itself dealt the perfect cards for this movie, with the threads of island life portrayed in parallel to the bombshell 'last minute knowledge' that an invading force was just a few hours away....
... and the fight was going to be deadly.
You can believe the almost incomprehensible scenario of a foreign power 'actually invading British territory in 1982'.
The shock of this is temporarily diminished, due to the island's size and location (though those thoughts are quickly cast aside by the real life protocols mixed with real life 'tea and cakes'.)
How would the Governor react? The Royal Marines? The population?
We immediately learn the answer to those questions.
The tension ramps up, and the viewer is carried on a wave that is most definitely going to crash.
Everybody knows the conclusion to the Falklands war... but we don't know how this story will end.
Engrossing, intimate, comical, enlightening, violent, sad, joyous, gritty. This movie has it all in spades (along with a pre-fight speech that is all the more awesome by the fact that it was actually delivered to the troops).
At the end (in the wrap)... well... look into the eyes of Major Mike Norman (Bob Peck)... what horrors did he see, when he went back, to re-take the Falklands.
After watching this film.... don't delay.... make sure you watch 'The Falklands Play' to discover what was happening in London at the same time.
Enjoy and reflect.
Passchendaele (2008)
Family film for Canadians (8 Stars) / Want Passchendaele (2 Stars)
Having just watched this with my son, we both headed off to IMDb... myself predicting that we would see reviews from both ends of the spectrum... and that's what we found.
As a result, this review provides guidance for:
Canadian families. Global families. Those interested in WW1 drama, and or historical dramatisation.
******
This is a film created primarily with the Canadian family in mind... probably one that has girls and a mum, as well as boys and a dad.
So, if you're in that category, and looking for a film that will remind the kids that Canadians fought in WW1, and that Canadians did well...
... then this film will do that, whilst providing a glimpse of love, separation, racial hatred, and war mongering.
Actually, vis a vis 'love' it's a bit more than a glimpse, but hey; see paragraph 2.
The youngsters will get to see a truly first class battlefield 'set', and hence the deserved (overall) 2 stars as a WW1 movie. If we were judging battlefield 'sets' it would probably have been 9 or even 10 stars.
There is one genuine sex scene, but actually the scene itself was probably one of the more accurate historical moments... clearly, 'let's do it now because...' (and it's over pretty quick)
If you're of an embarrassed disposition with the kids, you can easily break the ice by saying "that's how it was, before people went off to fight".
It has sufficient gore, close proximity death, and a horrifying image of living and fighting 'sodden' day in and day out (you can explain how the flesh would just rot) - all correct for current consumption.
RE: As a global family film...
I would give this a respectable 6 stars, if only to perhaps introduce WW1 to a younger audience of boys and girls.
The problem is that it is not a good intelligent film. To say it is cliché ridden, would be an understatement.
On this... search for the review here, by reynoldh, as I don't wish to repeat his work.
If you wish to see a high quality WW1 family film, 'do not pass go', 'do not collect £200', but go directly to Gallipoli by Peter Wier.
If you are looking for a film that pertains to Passchendaele, and or want to see intelligent drama, and or dramatised history...
... I can honestly say that 'this is NOT a film for you'. I would instead search on IMDb for 'List of World War I films' by ferreiracarlos1504
Consider also Breaker Morant by Bruce Beresford (Boer war)
Truthfully... somebody should have stepped in and told the company "you just cannot use the name Passchendaele as the film title. It was wrong of them, and it verges on 'the disgusting', if you have any empathy towards those families that might wish to see that full story told.
However... if the film sparks an interest in our recent history... by watching it with your family; you might even be able to get a trip to France and Belgium out of it.
It would definitely be worth it, just for that :)
The Falklands Play (2002)
Sit back and enjoy - the acting, settings, and the intensity
To state that this is a 'political drama', would fail to transfer an understanding of the feast of entertainment, excitement (even though we know the conclusion), and insight, into how the 'powers' interact, during an escalation to war.
The acting is of the highest order...... you truly believe that these are the people, and this is how they behaved (Hodges Thatcher is remarkable). Add this to a plot that fiction could never match, and you are likely to be hooked from the opening scene.
With caution, I would also suggest that this drama does bring history to the viewer, in a way the BBC seems to constantly excel at. Much of the script is taken from hansard (parliamentary transcripts), contemporary diaries, and news reports..... the drama didn't need to be invented.
One or two earlier reviewers felt that it was a historical distortion, however, in my opinion, they are still grinding axes.
So yes.... do bear in mind that in the years running up to the crisis, perhaps the Brits took their eye off the Falklands (though this is outside the remit of this play).
Also yes.... there was the major incident 'sinking of the Belgrano', that in real life, was controversial. However, I believe the play portrayed the genuine view of the decision makers: 'destroy it, before it destroys us'.... a view held by the majority of the UK population (I would suggest).
As for the suggestion that 'Thatcher would never have ranted against Argentina to the US', I find beyond belief. That's exactly how she behaved, and she was famous for it AND by the way, it is portrayed marvelously in this play, with the joy of historical posturing so well done.
If you get the chance...... watch it!