Andrew Garfield is evicted from his home, ends up working for snake property dealer Michael Shannon and grows into being a mini version, until decency prevails. With Laura Dern as his mother.
I'd hoped Garfield was going to turn the tables on him somehow, but actually this is the more credible version.
Opens right in the middle of the action - we don't go back until twenty minutes in, giving a great momentum. Very visual - looks rather than dialogue. A brilliant three hander by Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome and Johnny Harris (who was so good in This Is England). A tense, gritty experience with an absolute heartbreaker of an ending. Loved the associate criminal, who's clearly not a bad person, and looks increasingly uncomfortable dealing with this situation (all looks). With Sam Spruell, Nathan Constance, Claudie Blakley (briefly), Alexander Morton.
Intimate filming by Christopher Ross (Top Boy, Yesterday, Trust, Collision, Eden Lake), edited by Tom Hemmings. Williams remains very much on TV. He was BAFTA nominated for Most Promising Newcomer and the film won the British Independent Film award.
Developed and written by Brendan Hunt (who plays the deadpan coach), Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence and star Jason Sudeikis. Phoebe Walsh is the executive story editor.
A warm and fizzy comedy with heart ("That was a big spoon of truth soup") as US manager is brought in - ostensibly to revive fortunes of AFC Richmond football team, but secretly in an effort by the owner Hannah Waddingham to destroy it. Which is in itself not exactly an original idea, I'm sure (it occurs in Reggie Perrin, for example) but mixed with the Pollyanna-like hero becomes something refreshing.
With Downton's Jeremy Swift, Brett Goldstein (elder footballer), Nick Mohammed, Phil Dunster (arrogant one), Juno Temple, Toheeb Jimoh, Kola Bokkini, Cristo Fernandez (the ebullient Rojas), Annette Badland.
I hoped they use the wiz footballing schoolgirl in some way, but didn't. The story of the 1914 stadium trials - actually recruitment of young men for war - is quite a serious story in the midst of this.
I was trying to ask myself 'If Ted Lasso was an alcoholic drink, what would it be?' and not getting further than warm Prosecco, which doesn't work at all. I realised it's the wrong question - it's not an alcoholic drink at all, but a hot cross bun.
Richmond makes for an attractive location.
Like Sex Ed it's in the 'nice TV' category which is also refreshing... though you don't want to go too far in that direction. When everyone's lovely, there's no conflict.
Eight episodes. Rafe Spall and Esther Smith try to adopt. His father and mother, Phil Davies and Paula Wilcox, are going through later life stuff. Sian Brooke isn't sure about marrying Darren Boyd, wonders if Navin Chowdhry might be a better bet. Ophelia Lovibond has left Oliver Chris as he's an arse. Imelda Staunton is the no nonsense social worker.
Quite nicely written and observed. We'll be going for another free trial of Apple TV+ when the next season comes out.
She did Late Night (Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling). This is written by newbie Flora Greeson.
It was Dakota Johnson after all. With Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Zoe Chao, Bill Pullman, June Diane Raphael, Ice Cube, Eddie Izzard (briefly).
A PA for a faded music star is a great producer on the quiet, and manages to fake her way into working with an amateur singer she's heard. They get romantic but then he finds out.
"Was that really Sam Smith's microphone?"
"No."
It was OK.
Lean and Norman Spencer and Wynyarde Brown adapted Harold Brighouse's hit play, filmed before in 1920 and 1931. Robert Donat had to withdraw from playing Willie Mossop at the last minute due to asthma; Lean thought of John Mills. Lean was apparently not the greatest actors' director. Kevin Brownlow's book reports on this after a take he would check it was OK technically, leading Mills to resort to "Never mind about that - how the fuck were we?" Laughton, Mills and Brenda de Banzie all give fabulous performances - despite her bring very difficult to work with.
It's funny that such a cinematic filmmaker started out making films of so many plays. It's a fabulous story.
With Daphne Anderson, Prunella Scales, Richard Wattis, Derek Blomfield, Helen Haye, Philip Stainton, John Laurie.
Photographed by Jack Hildyard. Great music by Malcolm Arnold. Edited by Peter Taylor. Wilfred Shingleton sets.
Helen McCrory's death is dealt with right at the opening, as a victim of the season five finale - there's a moving funeral scene, and the episode's dedicated to her (the end credits are bird song, which must have some special meaning). Then audaciously, it's four years later, and Tommy is trying to do business in North America.
"Since I foreswore alcohol, I've become a calmer and more peaceful person," announces Tommy, deadpan, whilst shooting up a Newfoundland bar.
Michael is after revenge, Arthur seems to be a total mess. Ada's getting some useful time negotiating with Moseley and his mistress (Sam Claflin and Amber Anderson). Stephen Graham's a Liverpool docker. Conrad Khan turns up as Tommy's long lost son, who prefers horses to people. We wonder how this is all going to wrap itself up.
In a curiously inconclusive ending, the Moseley story is left open. Michael fails to get his revenge because Tommy of course outsmarts him (with the help of Curly and Tom Hardy). And in a beautiful WW1 touch, Arthur evades assassination with the help of some mustard gas.
That impressive-looking church in episode 2 is the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
DP Mathieu Plainfossé, editor / sound designer Paul Knight, production design Nicole Northridge. Good sound.
According to Hayley Mills, this is the film that revived her father's flagging career - Hobson's Choice was a critical hit but maybe not so much with audiences. Based on Pat Reid's book, with him as technical adviser, and filmed at the castle itself in Germany, the events depicted are true, and so showcase the remarkably ingenious and brave ways in which prisoners tried - and succeeded - in escaping - 'Time Out' were unable to resist describing it as 'escapist entertainment'.
With John Mills are Eric Portman, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes, Frederick Valk, Denis Shaw, Christopher Rhodes (the tall one), Richard Wattis, Ian Carmichael (by no means his debut), Theodore Bikel, Anton Diffring. Hamilton and Ivan Foxwell adapted it though, unusually, the dialogue is credited to William Douglas-Home. (He had written a hit play 'The Reluctant Debutante' in the same year, with Anna Massey and Wilfred Hyde-White, which had a long West End Run before transferring to Broadway, and was filmed by Vincente Minnelli in 1958. It was remade all over the world and latterly as What a Girl Wants in 2003, with Colin Firth.)
The score is by Francis Chagrin, Gordon Dines filmed it, Peter Mayhew's the editor.
The somewhat unengaging further adventures of the Morning Show team, featuring Jen An, Reese, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Greta Lee, Julianna Margulies, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Desean Terry, Ruari O'Connor and Holland Taylor.
Perhaps of more interest is a storyline about exiled Steve Carrell striking up relationship with feisty Italian documentary maker Valeria Golino in Italy (looks like Lake Garda - probably is Croatia again. Ha! No! An old nunnery in Santa Madre, California, apparently, was his house, the village was also built there and then CGI'ed into Lake Wherever.)
Stuff about racial offense caused by weatherman Carbonell talking about his spirit animal is the height of ridiculosity.
There are 25 producers credited on this show. No kidding. It suffers from Lockdownitis, which is where there are increasingly isolated long dialogue scenes between two people, resulting in what is often a filmed play, particularly evident in episode seven in which Jen travels to Italy to confront Carrell, which is just talk talk talk.
Intrigued to see Rachel Morrison directing episode 6. She's normally a DP, on Seberg, Black Panther, Mudbound, Cake. Rikers High, an early 2005 documentary, is about the academy for inmates at Rikers Island.
Yes, it's somewhat buried away in the credits that this is in fact a remake of a 2015 French film La Famille Belier, written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Tomas Bidegain. Though that in itself sounds very much like a 1996 German film called Beyond Silence which has an almost identical plot (in this case the girl wants to leave the parents to play the clarinet). This version won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film.
And one for actually deaf actor Troy Kotsur, though Emilia Jones wasn't even nominated (she was by BAFTA), who had to spend months learning American sign language and how to work on a fishing vessel. They are both wonderful. The other members of the family are also good (and deaf), Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant, and Eugenio Derbez is also good as the teacher. With Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Amy Forsyth, Kevin Chapman.
Photography Paula Huidoro, editor Geraud Brisson, music Maris De Vries. Filmed in Massachusetts. An independent production which was bought by Apple after Sundance success.
As discussed here, Bogart's supporting cast is good with Morris Carnovsky as an articulate villain who doesn't like the sight of blood, Marvin Miller as a nasty tough guy, Wallace Ford a safe-cracker, Charles Kane as the cop. (Liked his surprise at finding out Bogie's a former paratrooper Captain.)
Lizabeth Scott was a husky-voiced 'Dark City' stalwart whose career was ruined by sleazoid publication 'Confidential' in 1952 (according to Eddie Muller).
Good use of code word 'Geronimo' and a college pin as a plot device, plus leftover weapons of war used in showdown.
Shot by Leo Tover, music Marlin Skiles, Columbia.
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| A nervous George Chandler with Carnovsky |
Kara Holden adapted Caren Lissner's novel about a hyper-intelligent woman and her bids to become a human being, with help from her therapist Nathan Lane and father Gabriel Byrne. Had not heard of Salinger's 'Frannie and Zooey' (essentially two novellas).
Bel Powley is marvellous in the title role. Loved the long tracking shot take around NYC streets at night with her and William Moseley. With Vanessa Bayer, Colin O'Donoghue (college professor), Jason Ritter.
Not a great title, however. Frannie and Zooey may have been better, as the book is kind of key to things, though may have represented a copyright issue.
We wanted more Kristen Stewart. She's wonderful in this. But so is everybody else.
It's our sixth viewing and I still can't get over how breathtaking Vittorio Storaro's photography is.
The full-length version has pressure coming at chef Stephen Graham from all sides - an investor wants his money back, there's a food critic in, he inadvertently poisons a guest, is failing as a father and on environmental standards, and is a drug addict. What larks!
Single take is rather grimly photographed by Matthew Lewis, though you have to give it to him for operating that camera rather skilfully over an hour and a half; also to the First AD Jamie Hetherington.
Vinette Robinson sadly can't quite handle her key moments; with Alice Feetham (front of house), Hannah Walters (pastry chef; Mrs. Graham), Malachi Kirby (Roots), Izuka Hoyle, Taz Skyler, Lauryn Ajufo, Jason Flemyng, Ray Panthaki. Well done, guys! Best moment is when Walters notices her assistant has been self-harming - an emotional moment.
Rather well acted (Andrews is an Australian theatre director) depiction of Jean Seberg's association with the Black Panthers and how she was outrageously hounded (illegally) by the FBI. Kristen Stewart pulls off another fabulous performance, ably assisted by Jack O'Connell, Margaret Qualley, Vince Vaughan, Anthony Mackie, Zazie Beetz, Colm Meaney, Stephen Root. Written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse (both wrote the Rebecca update).
Photographed by Rachel Morrison (Cake, Mudbound) on 35mm and edited by the effervescent Pamela Martin.
Written by TEB Clarke, after contributing the 'Golf' episode to Dead of Night. Story of boys foiling criminal endeavour is ingenious. 'It was a great success and was praised by the critics, not least for the strongly indigenous feeling it had - it was, commented the Monthly Film Bulletin, 'English to the backbone' ('Forever Ealing', George Perry). The bombed out ruins were used brilliantly.
Funny how many 'milk bars' I noticed.
The scene on the stairs (boys visiting Alastair Sim) and the sewers episode both made me think of The Third Man.
Harry Fowler, Douglas Barr, Stanley Escane, Ian Dawson, Gerald Fox, Joan Dowling, Jack Warner, Alistair Sim, Valerie White, Alec Finter.
Sad footnote: Dowling and Fowler met on this film and were married. She discovered he was having an affair, committed suicide aged 26.
Brilliantly lit by Douglas Slocombe; music by Georges Auric, editing by Charles Hasse, both also notable.
You can't really extrapolate a feeling for the whole film from the giant pig on the hotel door key, but it does send you in the right direction - this is reasonably enjoyable nonsense. A fund manager (Danielle Macdonald) journeys to Scotland to be tutored by tough opera teacher Joanna Lumley, who's given no character back-story. There we meet a young man who's also in training, and has been for five years - W1A's Hugh Skinner. Gary Lewis is the pub/hotel owner where we're sort of in Local Hero mode - more could have been made of the regulars also being opera fans.
Overall it's odd, underwritten and predictable.
Still in hiding, Genna tries to wipe out the remaining Levante brothers but the magistrate switches the burial site. He approaches the Savastanos who set up a trap, but he second guesses them and kills them, but not before he's learned that Ciro is still alive. He travels to Latvia for that bromance reunification that ends L'Immortale - but then, double-crosses Ciro and has him imprisoned in a gulag by Russian. Che cazzo? He has to understand his crimes or some bullshit. But Ciro escapes into the hands of a useful Latvian family who help him take out the pursuing Russians and their boss, a man who has far too long hair for what's good for him. (There may be a little commentary here on Russia -Latvia enmity.)
Meanwhile Genna attempts to do a deal with a new 'broker', who responds to the inviation by taking a piss in front of him. And Lil Monk (all the block house bosses have funny nicknames) approaches the Levantes to strike up better conditions, and ends up being directed to marry the sister. Taking her out for ice cream, he apologies for this forced move and she tells him he's the first person in her life to say sorry. That I think is a meaningful moment...
... Well I read that wrong. Shortly after, at the engagement party, all the Levantes are brutally murdered and he shoots her. And the 'broker' is also killed, invoking the wrath of his widow (Nunzia Schiano, rather good), who first tries to kill Genna's estranged wife and son, then approaches Ciro for help. All the old Secondigliano and the Forcella lot are somewhat amazed that Ciro is back and really is 'L'Immortale'.
Marco d'Amore and Claudio Cupellini are the artistic directors. Ivana Lotito is Genna's wife, Arturo Muselli is 'Blue Blood', Mimmo Borelli ('Mistral') and Tania Garribba, Carmine Paternoster (Lil Monk).
Genna's new apartment is absolutely vile.
I find it funny that the show is subtitled even in Italy, so strong is the Southern accent (or to be more accurate, the Neapolitan dialect).
I wondered if it would be a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - I think it was the right ending. Also the show doesn't glamorise the gangster thing at all. The criminals here don't have any fun, they don't even seem to eat a good meal, their lives are grimy, they die or betray or are betrayed, they live in desperately poor environments, even the well-off gangsters either seem to spend half the time in hidey-holes or in vomit-inducing places.
Patrizia Marone continued to edit all episodes and now deserves a holiday. D'Amore and Cupellini shared the director duties. Leonardo Fasoli is the supervising writer. DPs are Guido Michelotti and Ferran Paredes.
... But at the very end, Ciro's eyes open... He is 'L'Immortale', after all... and that's how the next film will begin.
.. with Barbara Benedek. For William Hurt, an actor we've always admired, who died on March 13, our favourite character and actor in this. He won the Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman and was nominated for Broadcast News, Children of a Lesser God and A History of Violence. We also love him in Smoke and Second Best. Kasdan and he worked on three other films together, Body Heat, I Love You To Death and The Accidental Tourist.
Rest of cast: Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, Jeff Goldblum, Jobeth Williams. Several Kasdans are in bit parts. It's edited by Carol Littleton and photographed by her husband John Bailey. Carol recalls that the Columbia studio execs didn't find it all funny, didn't realise it was a comedy (an adult comedy) until preview audiences started enthusiastically reacting. (Actually - is it a comedy? I would have said it's a relationship piece with funny bits.) Michael Grillo is first AD.
A nimble, early film from Wyler - well, not that early - he started in silents - though distinguished by certain long takes between actors, and thus in a way set the model for Preston Sturges' own films (he wrote it) when he began directing. I was intrigued to read on IMDB that Wyler started to develop the style of deep focus photography in this film, but there's absolutely no evidence of that (Norbert Brodine shot it. What's the casual version of 'Norbert' - 'Norb'?*)
Orphaned Margaret Sullavan finds life in the Big City (Budapest; the source is Ferenc Molnar) daunting. She is fortunate to run into protective waiter Reginald Owen, less fortunate to be hit on by Frank Morgan, ends up helping impoverished lawyer Herbert Marshall. With Eric Blore, Beulah Bondi, Alan Hale, Cesar Romero, Luis Alberni. Universal.
Hilarious film-within-film in which man just keeps on saying 'Go' to the woman.
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In Sturges' autobiography, he writes "Two weeks before the picture finished, Willie eloped with Maggie Sullavan. He asked my opinion of the proposed match beforehand, but he must not have heard what I said." (It didn't last long.) The script's peppered with the usual Sturgesisms, like "I can do with one honest lawyer, but don't overdo it."
* Ed. 'Bert' more likely, idiot.
