I saw Hope and Glory, a Boorman remembrance of his childhood recently and love the hell out of it . It sounds right up the same alley I've always liked
Branagh- he managed to move past that wunderkind thing into a pretty solid career. He works hard.I like the Shakespeare, loved Dead Again and Thor. I really loved Wallander. Have you've seen Death on the Nile?
I really liked Interiors. First time I saw it I was 17 or 18 and lacked the emotional background to really understand it. I still found it pretty engrossing. The second time I saw it I was plenty old enough to feel the despair disappointment and angst as one does in their 40s so it actually meant something to me. By then though, we were all skeeved out with his personal life of course. Oh yeah Woody Allen, great filmmaker but you wouldn't want them to babysit your kids. I guess you could say the same thing about Chaplin or Polanski.
I read once where some wag suggested Interiors would have worked better lensed by Sven Nykvist. Interesting idea.
Mar 14, 2022·edited Mar 14, 2022Liked by Roy Edroso
This sounds lovely & I agree it has a good chance: what Academy voter does not like an Irish growing-up memoir? And I appreciate you observing its lingering on the edge of too sentimental. In another era, this story might end with Paul Harvey concluding the film by saying, "And that Proddy little boy no one liked grew up to be... Kenneth Brannaugh."
In other news, I'm watching all 14 movies I've selected to be possibly be in my "Medievalist Ruins the Movies" course this summer -- I've got to whittle it down to 10 at best, plus I need to make sure I want to talk about the things these movies bring up.
[First on the list was "The Little Hours" -- which I loved.]
Last night was Derek Jarman's Edward II (1991), his adaptation of a tragedy by Christopher Marlowe. And I also loved it, and while it was more mainstream than say Jubiliee (1978), it was gloriously homoerotic & powerful. I'd definitely teach it, since a big part of the course is examining how the medieval world is adapting for later uses. Here there are two lenses of Edward's rise & fall (1307–27) as seen thru Marlowe's own early Tudor needs (1594) and the Jarman's post-HIV, post-Clause 28 UK.
[I'll share the list another time if folks are interested]
Coincidentally, I saw this last night. Here's one thing I found memorable: Buddy gets caught up in a mob looting a store and ends up taking a thing of detergent and bringing it home. When his mother asks him why he did it, all he can do is mutter "it's biological," 'biological' being the brand's marketing phrase. I thought that did a great job of capturing his confused state of mind.
Mar 14, 2022·edited Mar 14, 2022Liked by Roy Edroso
A movie I've actually seen for a change. My take is pretty much the same as yours, and I'm another one who immediately thought of Hope and Glory which I liked a bunch more. And is there anything that Ciarán Hinds doesn't make better? (Judi Dench is no slouch either -- she and Steve Coogan made even Philomena watchable.)
You are a great movie reviewer. There was a Los Angeles Times movie critic decades ago, Michael, can't recall his last name now. He was the best reviewer for my purposes in those days, because, regardless of negative or positive reviews, I could always tell whether I would like the movie. He did it that way intentionally. Your reviews are even better. Some day, we can discuss why. Cheers.
On the list (long list, no guarantees – I only just got round to Primer last week – edited to add Damn, Primer is good!))
But is it as good as “The Snapper” or “The Van”?
Great review. I may actually see this one.
I saw Hope and Glory, a Boorman remembrance of his childhood recently and love the hell out of it . It sounds right up the same alley I've always liked
Branagh- he managed to move past that wunderkind thing into a pretty solid career. He works hard.I like the Shakespeare, loved Dead Again and Thor. I really loved Wallander. Have you've seen Death on the Nile?
I really liked Interiors. First time I saw it I was 17 or 18 and lacked the emotional background to really understand it. I still found it pretty engrossing. The second time I saw it I was plenty old enough to feel the despair disappointment and angst as one does in their 40s so it actually meant something to me. By then though, we were all skeeved out with his personal life of course. Oh yeah Woody Allen, great filmmaker but you wouldn't want them to babysit your kids. I guess you could say the same thing about Chaplin or Polanski.
I read once where some wag suggested Interiors would have worked better lensed by Sven Nykvist. Interesting idea.
This sounds lovely & I agree it has a good chance: what Academy voter does not like an Irish growing-up memoir? And I appreciate you observing its lingering on the edge of too sentimental. In another era, this story might end with Paul Harvey concluding the film by saying, "And that Proddy little boy no one liked grew up to be... Kenneth Brannaugh."
In other news, I'm watching all 14 movies I've selected to be possibly be in my "Medievalist Ruins the Movies" course this summer -- I've got to whittle it down to 10 at best, plus I need to make sure I want to talk about the things these movies bring up.
[First on the list was "The Little Hours" -- which I loved.]
Last night was Derek Jarman's Edward II (1991), his adaptation of a tragedy by Christopher Marlowe. And I also loved it, and while it was more mainstream than say Jubiliee (1978), it was gloriously homoerotic & powerful. I'd definitely teach it, since a big part of the course is examining how the medieval world is adapting for later uses. Here there are two lenses of Edward's rise & fall (1307–27) as seen thru Marlowe's own early Tudor needs (1594) and the Jarman's post-HIV, post-Clause 28 UK.
[I'll share the list another time if folks are interested]
Coincidentally, I saw this last night. Here's one thing I found memorable: Buddy gets caught up in a mob looting a store and ends up taking a thing of detergent and bringing it home. When his mother asks him why he did it, all he can do is mutter "it's biological," 'biological' being the brand's marketing phrase. I thought that did a great job of capturing his confused state of mind.
A movie I've actually seen for a change. My take is pretty much the same as yours, and I'm another one who immediately thought of Hope and Glory which I liked a bunch more. And is there anything that Ciarán Hinds doesn't make better? (Judi Dench is no slouch either -- she and Steve Coogan made even Philomena watchable.)
You are a great movie reviewer. There was a Los Angeles Times movie critic decades ago, Michael, can't recall his last name now. He was the best reviewer for my purposes in those days, because, regardless of negative or positive reviews, I could always tell whether I would like the movie. He did it that way intentionally. Your reviews are even better. Some day, we can discuss why. Cheers.