Hello, it's about a year since I last posted on this thread. Due to injury and the accompanying sulks I have only recently got back to visiting the RW forums.
I noted a recent query about The Golden Compass, based on the first book in the Philip Pulman triology. It's very unlikely that the next two books will be filmed. although the film performed well worldwide, it disappointed at the American box office - partly due to the backlash against its anti - religious stance, and the options for the sequels haven't been picked up.
I was wondering if anyone had seen the Joe Meek movie, Telstar - probably a typically quirky small British movie.
On the subject of small quirky movies, I watched "Once" an Irish movie, which I think won an Oscar for best original song. I've had it sitting on the shelf for about a year now and never got round to watching it. It's a sort of 'will they, won't they" story about a busker, played by Glen Hansard, of the Frames and Irish rock band and a musically talented Czech immigrant (Margeta Irglova) as their lives entangle over a week in Dublin. It's quite engaging, and the sound track (lots of Hansard composed songs), is very strong. Sadly it's let down by the fact that neither Hansard or Irglova are particularly good actors.
Recently I watched the remade "Manchurian Candidate" which I thought was a bit weak, so I promptly stuck the original into the DVD player. What a great film this is - a classic cold war conspiracy, with Angela Baddeley outmonstering Merryl Streep by a mile. Cheered by this I resolved not to bother with the remade "Taking of Pelham 123" and again opted for it's original. Although it has a very 70s feel to it, especially the rather over the top sound track, it's sharp and well paced and very funny -very much the style of John Carpenter in his early years. The leads are Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. Matthau played the same style of pan faced, aercerbic and quick tonged charactor that he plays in Charlie Varrick, whilst Shaw played the same wild eyed, simmering charactors that he played in Jaws and the Sting.
Last week I ended up watching In Bruges twice! I'm sure this has been reviewed here previously, so I won't rake through the ashes again, except to say that I was really surprised by Colin Farrell. I've previously not rated him, but his performance here had depth and nuance.
Finally, for now, I finally got round to watching "Burn Before Reading". I wasn't too sure about this, as it didn't get particularly good reviews - generally regarded as being lazy film making by the Coen brothers standard. I must say I really loved it, a bit like Fargo without the snow, peopled by incompetants and inadequates who heaped misdeed upon misdeed to create a mini mayhem which eventually came to nothing. Very funny and well acted and even (well almost) Brad Pitt.
That's it for now, reading your reviews with interest, now it's back in me box.
Edited: 23/01/2010 at 18:57
