locke

locke - ivan locke - played by tom hardy in this unique film
he is the only actor seen - the film based entirely in a car at night
a man is seen walking off a large building site and getting into a car
noted - a late-model bmw estate - so this man seems to be a professional
drives off - indicators on for a left turn - the red light goes green
but he remains transfixed - the truck behind sounds a loud horn
and startled he suddenly changes to a right turn and speeds off
then the first phone call (hands-free) is received from bethan
she a bit distraught - she is about to give birth - ah - he dad
but mysteriously she questions - have you told your wife yet?
he says he is about to and advises he will be there in 2 hours
then a flurry of phone calls as he organises the next day's work
seems he is a project manager on a large build at a critical point
tomorrow is the biggest concrete pour in europe outside of military
his assistant gerald pretty well freaking out when told he is in charge
but an assurance from locke that he will give him all the help he can
then the call home to the wife - after first checking in with his 2 sons
some game of football on tv he is supposed to be watching with them
katrina likewise freaks out when locke confesses his one night stand
he pleading his case - a one off mistake - but she hangs up distraught
and so it goes - calls coming and going as he deals with all 3 crises
and added to that - he has a phantom passenger in the back seat
locke strangely seen talking to his father as though he is there
but no love lost - seems dad abandoned his wife and son at birth
so in turn locke junior has determined not to behave similarly
and thus the decision to take responsibility for his actions
bethan pushes him for an 'i love you' - he not interested
he tries to convince katrina to agree to talking it all over
but she is devastated and has taken advice from her sisters
'there's a big gap between never and once only' is the mantra
and so she announces he is not to return home - it's all over
this followed by a phone call from his boss to say he is sacked
but locke assures him he will continue to assist setting up the day
and so he does - proving again his trustworthiness and integrity
this point of difference shouted to his rear seat phantom passenger
meanwhile the hospital is also in regular contact with baby updates
and a perceived but slight shift in locke's attitude to the mother
clever stuff - at times feeling more like live theatre than a film
the regular passages of electronic/jazz/chill music welcome
i'm totally believing in this most unusual mix of scenarios
a man, a car, a phone, a dysfunctional past and 3 crises
in one sense hard to believe his wife has ditched him
but - infidelity can result in uninvited life changes
and that really is what the film seems to be about
locke's life completely transformed in this trip
acted superbly by tom hardy - a tour de force
and as the text on the film poster also suggests -
compelling, genuinely moving and suspenseful
reverberates with the power of big universal themes
i'd agree with that - and the ending - new baby - new life

a most wanted man

the last feature film from philp seymour hoffman rip
'nuff said - must see - but also anton corbijn as director
he with the sharp eye (u2 joshua tree is his claim to fame)
but also - the film set in hamburg - the city visited in 2014
based on a john le carre novel but that of no real consequence
i've not read the book so hoping that does not count against me
but - aware that a lot will be going on so concentration is needed
(and in this viewing on a tablet - a rewind/replay option is available)
the prologue text advising the 9/11 attacks were planned in hamburg
and since then the city has been in a heightened start of observation
the opening shot of a illuminated seawall advising the director's intent
a bloodied, dishevelled young man scrambles up and to a nearby car lot
cut to a poured glass of wine and then hoffman seen equally unkempt
examining a photo and on a phone call reassuring the caller in arabic
scenes then of the loner working his way into a bustling hamburg
filmed and identified as a chechnyan by gunther's (hoffman) allies
they part of a covert unit set up to infiltrate the muslim community
gunther seen at a public talk by abdullah - a high-profile muslim
appealing for donations to his charities and seemingly a pacifist
and then the final part of the character introductions plays out
seems gunther's unit is held in disregard by the local senior police
their boss and a visiting female american diplomat in gunther's ear
they have the chechynn on their radar also and give gunther 72 hours
their fear of a terrorist act - gunther wants to observe before acting
in the meantime issa the muslim has taken up with a muslim couple
they have hooked up with a young german left-wing female lawyer
she played by rachel mcadams - the cycnic says - eye-candy - tick
so - got it - all characters well defined and now ready to roll with it
it all looks good - sensing that director anton corbijn is all over it
the use of light, patterns, silhouettes, etc making an attractive film
though possibly over-playing the want to make a shambolic gunther
constantly smoking, messed up hair and clothing - shades of colombo
a realisation that the most wanted man is not issa the chechnyan muslim
gunther is gunning for abdullah - suspecting his charities fund al-qaeda
and it transpires that issa is in town to collect on a huge inheritance
which he has no call for and wants to donate to abdullah's charities
so the thot plickens - is he for real or is he also funding terrorism?
very well constructed actually and now clearly from a spy novel
some of it does seem unlikely - not helped by some of the acting
for me it's always difficult to get past americans playing foreigners
e.g. hoffman's german accent and rachel macadam's lack of accent
inconsistent - and william dafoe also in a role as a german banker
a big reminder that hollywood is bank-rolling this film-of-a-book
hard to not imagine a german made sub-titled film would be better
and so we are left with taking it for what it is - a commercial venture
that aside - and the director's want to impress - it's actually quite good
if flows like a book to a big climax - abdullah is set up and busted
gunther going undercover as a taxi driver to claim his big prize
but then his nemesis in the police steps in and cleans up
despair for gunther but a solid and clinical film ending
he then seen wandering off into the sunset of hamburg
a poignant departure for the actor playing the character
it's 2 hours long and i was pretty well fully entranced
kind of tempted now to read the john le carre book
but then again the film left nothing to question
which for me means it was a good adaptation
and the star - phillip seymour hoffman - vale

the theory of everything

the third installment of brit bio-pics over this summer season
seen - c w turner (timothy spall) and alan turing (sir cumberbatch)
this one comes with some anticipation - gongs are already accumulating
a promise of an exemplary award-winning performance from eddie redmayne
stephen hawking amongst others suggesting he has captured the man's spirit
a surreal first scene with blurred images of some people in a large room
and then we see hawking as a young man in 1963 riding a bike
racing with a companion through the narrow streets of cambridge
the lads then in a pub in jovial form - and then at a university dance
the future mrs jane hawking (felicity jones) spotted and is approached
his first word - science - hers - arts - and some interplay about their choices
she is a devout christian - he as a cosmologist is required to be an atheist
or as he explains to her - cosmology is a religion for intelligent atheists
he stating his belief in the proof of being able to wind back the clock
they start dating, we meet the families and all is happy and fun-loving
some exposure to the intelligence of the man but fairly cursory really
before long there are signs of the disease and a well-filmed collapse
hawking crashing to a street in slow-mo and a violent head-bounce
scenes then of his diagnosis in the 1960's uk national health system
leading to an alone hawking being informed of his terminal illness
an emotionless - sorry old chap - nothing i can do - you have 2 years
motor neurone disease - explained in detail - and naturally shock sets in
hawking seen dismissing his family and friends - but jane - she sticks at it
soon enough they marry and the babies start arriving as his condition worsens
he persists with his studies and the determination to find the elusive formula
the so-called theory of everything - a single formula to explain the universe
his work leading to plaudits and the awarding of a phd - doctor hawking
jane is struggling with her own studies due to the pressure of family life
a widower music teacher befriends jane and soon is part of the family
he is befriended by hawking but most others suspect he is jane's lover
suggestions of some truth to that in a camping trip while hawking away
seen at a wagner concert in bordeaux but he collapses and is hospitalised
pneumonia - the doctors urge to take off the life support but jane defiant
the resultant operation leads to the loss of his voice but he recovers
and with that the introduction of the synonymous computer voice
this empowers him to communicate verbally and in written form
he writes his bestseller book - a brief history of time - fame follows
fascinating stuff  - this film a great history lesson of a remarkable man
eddie redmayne's bodily contortions and facial expressions so accurate
agreeing with hawking - hard to believe what we see is actually an actor
but the film is a success on all levels and importantly including emotional
lovely to see stephen and jane's love story - heart-wrenching to see it dissolve
she does end up with jonathan and he travels abroad with his therapist elaine
but they remain close and jane accompanies stephen to buckingham palace
he is awarded a cbe by the queen - and with it the film's natural conclusion
her last hurrah as it is based on jane hawking's book of her life with stephen
we return to the opening surreal scenes - the family in a room in the palace
then the cleverest of endings - a fast rewind of scenes to the beginning
set to the haunting music of johann johannsson as heard throughout
and finally some facts of hawking in 2014 - still studying at age 72
jane married jonathan but no mention of stephen marrying elaine
a small reminder that this whole film is based on jane's book
let's not be picky - though - she does get a lot of screen time
and - hmmm - there's barely any scientific/academic stuff
certainly not much to hold the man in awe intellectually
maybe the film - a brief history of time - is imminent
now that would be a stunning legacy for the man
but for now we will settle for this bio-pic drama
the brits are certainly good at that genre...

the great beauty

bafta, golden globe and academy award winner 2014 = must-see
missed it on the big screen so the offer from google play accepted
opening shot - literally - down a cannon barrel - fired and applause
followed by sweeping and stunning scenes of random people in a park
beautiful acapella singing from 8 ladies seen on an upper floor of a building
some japanese tourists seen in awe of this place - one wanders off - drops dead
a close-up of one of the singers as she belts out a glorious solo - i'm hooked
then cut to loud dance music at a outdoor night party and a total contrast
dancers, a stripper, lots of people whooping it up and an italian line-dance
the man - jep gambardella - striding it down the middle on his 65th birthday
it looks kind of surreal but then after a while it is what it is - rome at play
jep obviously has a lot of friends/acquaintances but no partner to be seen
mingling with party guests reveals some further background to his life
a successful one-book author of some 40 years prior - now a journalist
part-time - his lady (dwarf) boss urging him to take a gig out of town
take up the offer to visit and write about the costa concordia capsizing
she trashes herself and he wanders off with another rich lady socialite
after the deed she offers to show him her facebook photos of herself
he slips away and a voiceover announces a newly determined decree
at 65 i have decided to not spend any time on things i do not enjoy
back home the next day and on his rooftop adjacent to the colosseum
the scene is set - he is rich, indulgent, sharply dressed and quite incisive
but with all that likeable too - some fine acting from toni servillo as jep
a surprise visit from an old acquaintance now married to jep's first love
but she has died - both in tears - and an announcement jep was the one
her husband reading in her diary that he was merely a 'good companion'
regrets - jep then seen lying on his bed and a visualisation of their time
a clever seamless flashback - director paolo sorrentino's skills on show
this event seems to trigger a realisation from jep that his life is empty
and more blows as firstly the son of a good friend commits suicide
the daughter of a very old friend becomes his plutonic companion
more incredible scenes of rome as jep has a friend with a set of keys
they are seen as mid-night visitors at famous museums and galleries
this is revealing for us the audience and ramona who is new to this
but her father is concerned for the amount of money she is losing
in secret she reveals her big medical issues and then dies (cancer?)
more life lessons for jep - he now does not waste words on friends
cuts them down to size with any hint of ego, jealousy or false intent
his main male friend then leaves rome to return to his country town
rome has failed him - ciao - jep then seen looking at the capsized ship
a brief trip though and back to rome and off to another cultural event
he as main writer for a respected journal - this one a photo montage
one man with a huge display of a daily passport type photo of himself
jep seen in tears as he observes and realises how short and linear life is
then at a wedding jep is introduced to a papal cardinal and seeks answers
nothing forthcoming though - this would-be-pope prefers to talk recipes
a bit of a swipe at religion methinks - and the religious overtones continue
a mother teresa type figure is coming to town to be canonised - at age 104
scenes then of her blessing the flock and being held in complete reverance
she is a fan of jep's book and so agrees to a dinner in her honour at his home
in a brief discussion with him there she passes on some words of wisdom
the reason i only eat roots is because roots are important - uh - yes ok
we see him being inspired by the singular spirituality of this woman
he seemingly now regretting his pursuit of a fully indulgent life
in the final scene the voiceover indicating a return to writing
and with that some more spine-tingling acapella singing
the end - 2 hours and 20 minutes of total absorption
every frame of every scene done quite exquisitely
this film is going to be watched multiple times
if only (but not) for the superb soundtrack
and the awards cleanup - totally justified
la grande bellezza - eccellente!

whiplash

this film has had some favourable reviews
appeared in various 'best of' lists for 2014
and in the running for a couple of academy awards
in-flight entertainment has it as an option - taken
small screen - yes - but volume plus on the headsets
it opens with a single snare drum beat - louder and faster
a young chap seen behind a kit in a room at the end of a hall
interrupted by an older gnarly bald chap dressed fully in black
master and apprentice - at the famous shaffer conservatory of music
fletcher (jk simmons) the man - last seen as juno's cool forgiving dad
winds up andrew (miles teller) with an impromptu audition - and gone
andrew then seen at the movies with an obviously doting dad (paul reiser)
and a girl in the candy bar that catches andrew's eye - we can predict
rehearsals at school then - andrew in the 'b' band - sounding average
then seen spying on the 'a' band - lead by the man - big difference
ok - inspired - he practices to buddy rich cds and gets promoted
on a roll he asks the girl out on a pizza date - so far - so ok
at his first rehearsal for 'a' band the master's technique shown
treat 'em mean keep 'em keen - the verbal abuse thick and fast
barker - that is not your boyfriend's dick - do not come early
screaming profanities at a trombone player supposedly out of tune
andrew then also copping it as he takes lead drums in the tune whiplash
the man being pedantic about the correct tempo - forced repeat of a few bars
an opportunity (taken) for jk simmons to demonstrate his take on his part
hand movements, finger-wiggling, grimaces, etc of a serious jazz expert
then a chair flung across the room over andrew's head - tantrum stuff
of course it is clear that fletcher has an eye/ear for andrew's talent
push, push, push is his modus operandi - as per john coltrane
a story told in private of he suffering the same fate with a cymbal
inspiring him to practice longer and harder to become the best he could
i kind of like this film but i kind of get annoyed by it's predictability
and the almost caricature-like portrayal of fletcher is also grating
example - andrew sees him being kind to a child - see - he has a heart
the band has an up-state competition - andrew on a bus to the gig
bus breaks down - improvise - rent a car - manic driving - accident
but the show must go on - he plays (badly) though seriously hurt
sacked - perfection only is acceptable - but he gets his revenge
a prior student commits suicide as a result of fletchers abuse
andrew (secretly) provides evidence so in turn fletcher fired
their paths eventually cross - the man working in a jazz club
just like all the greats did here in this greatest city for jazz
or at least as fletcher reminds andrew - coltrane name-dropped
the man invites andrew to drum in the upcoming jvc festival
sure - but fletcher out for his revenge too - sets andrew up
first tune - a new one - unknown - no sheet music - improvise
but this is big band jazz - not free-form - so the band sounds bad
he walks - he thinks - he returns - he then drums out of his skin
redemption - fletcher has done it - dad and girl in the audience
the end - no surprises then - but musically it's a cool ending
volume cranked up on the headset - very much enjoying that
the film - well - i probably wanted to like it more than i did
my hollywood-sensor flickering at quite high levels throughout
great acting - yes - but the approbation of the love of jazz annoys
especially by white-boy actors with blacks and/or females marginalised
and a blooper - fletcher - you could be signed to blue note or be an emc client
hmmm - i think he means ecm - but surely that would not get past editting
but then just looking out for such faults - cynicism is also in the house
fed more as the credits roll - filmed entirely in los angeles - phooey!
there will be nodding approval by many pseudo jazz lovers
but those with a real love for the music will be doubters
my feeling - it's really well done - but just too staged
of course - it's a fictional film - so there's no soul
which in the end is a big missing ingredient
very nice try though - oscar may approve...

selma

i've been looking forward to seeing this film for a while now
most mentioned as mostly ignored by the academy awards people
with a suggestion that the white dominated academy not in the mood
gave 12 years a slave the gong a while back - you people want more?
apart from that a bio-pic of a famous man in a famous time is appealing
martin luther king (david oyelowo) seen preparing an acceptance speech
also hesitantly putting on a tie with his dress suit - wife coretta reassuring
then a scene as he is awarded the nobel peace prize at a ceremony in oslo
looking good - first impression is this film is going to do the man justice
some children then seen laughing and talking as they descend a staircase
and bang - a loud explosion - seriously frightening - a church destroyed
we then see a negro lady very slowly and meticulously filling out a form
she approaches a counter and hands the form to a perfunctory white chap
recite the preamble to the constitution he demands - to which she complies
he interrupts - how many county judges in alabama - 67 - the correct reply
clearly attempting to trip her up his next question does that - name them
the main man mlk is seen in discussion with his peers in the srlc group
southern religious leaders conference - they abhorred by the bombing
racially motivated no doubt - they also discuss the difficulty in voting
as seen - the deliberate denial of voting rights via registration trickery
mlk then seen in the oval office with lbj - he played by tom wilkinson
clear mutual respect in place as mlk pushes the president to take action
legislation required to allow unencumbered national voting for blacks
totally absorbing - superb acting - great script - stunning camera work
so authentic looking - the fashions, the cars, the furniture - everything
edgar j hoover makes an appearance with lbj - creepy as - hates blacks
text then types up on the screen at various points indicating fbi logging
this occurs as mlk is seen at home or at various meetings with the srlc
one such meeting sees a decision to crank up the action - 'selma it is'
the plan is to organise a peaceful protest where authorities are hostile
i.e. force the issue - obtain some publicity - pressurise the president
this requires time away from family for mlk - his wife coretta worried
another famous politician introduced - alabama governor george wallace
here played by tim roth and with all the expected right-wing invective
we are then treated to totally gripping cinema of the subsequent events
a large group of mlk followers outside the selma town hall to register
the local sheriff determined to break up the group - palpable tension
some violent scenes follow culminating in a police chase and shooting
this brings attention as desired from the media, politicians and people
next - a plan to march the fifty miles from selma to the state capital
this through southern redneck territory and considered highly risky
but they persist - and brutally repressed at the bridge outside selma
they go again - but at the first sign of hostility - a prayer and turnback
mlk then drawing criticism from his own supporters for backing down
but mlk has it thought out  - next time they are allowed to pass - victory
some stunning footage then of actual photographs of this historic event
set to a recognised piece of music from fink - 'where do we go from here'
the credits roll and with it a roll-call of the actors and their characters
lbj - introduced the required legislation - wallace - shot and paralyzed
malcolm x - shot - andrew young and others - now or past congressmen
coretta king - never remarried and tirelessly keeping mlk's legacy alive
famous actor - ophrah winfrey - barely recognised in the film - good
she and brad pitt also listed as executive producers - he the man
cannot recommend this film highly enough - just superbly done
one for every follower or student of history to see and admire
hope it gets an oscar - but up against - ahem - american sniper
a stark reminder - in 1965 it all looked so promising
but now - yikes - even with a black president
the u s of a still at war with minority groups...