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Hornsmith
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Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman (2021)
They deserve better.
The stuntman have earned a decent tribute- but this isn't it.
From the hyperactive visuals of the credit sequence, (soundtracked by a gawd-awful out of tune racket about 'heads getting kicked in')* to the cliched and frankly unnecessary narration by Winstone, it's disappointing, certainly for production values.
The interviews in the trail seem genuine, if one gets past the crappy opening.
*Apparently the racket is by Motorhead.
The Sister (2020)
Quite a hodgepodge of a series...
I thought this to be tempting, at the beginning, with the supernatural hints. I won't say any more, here, in case of spoilers.
My interest waivered, mostly because of thinly-drawn characters. The family of the sisters I found quite believable; Bertie Carvel's performance was a revelation, rendering him almost unreconisable.
However, Russell Tovey's lead role was the most spectacular piece of miscasting I have ever seen on TV! His usual gormlessness and his mumbling dialogue might have meant to convey his confusion, but didn't work. He wasn't believable remotely, as someone able to charm both sisters.
Additionally, they, of course, lived in an expensive, cavernous, soulless modern shell of a house, yet, though jobs were hinted at, these didn't figure much.
Certainly, Carvel and a couple of others turned in strong performances.
Seat 25 (2017)
There is no escape...
Well, you could go for a short walk; as we're all in lockdown, this film may catch a few viewers.
Beware; it comes across as a student film, and does seem attached to a college department.
I was taken in by the name of Kate Ashfield, who narrates.
There are a couple of good performances; the lead, Faye, and her European colleague do well.
It seems to have won something, but not for the other characters, who are either cliches, or wooden extras. The incidental music, a repetitive waltz, is tedious.
Flight of the Doves (1971)
Quite a curio...
Just caught this on TV, the Talking Pictures channel. It has critics, and certainly is corny is places, but has some good performances. As for the curious thing... tiny spoiler ahead, no great surprise.
A boy and his younger sister go on the run through the country, pursued by a villain intent on the large sum he believes they are worth. They are rescued by their grandmother. A bit of a stretch, but that is the basic synopsis of the 1955 classic, 'The Night Of The Hunter'.
Replace Lilian Gish (admittedly not actually their grandma) with the equally marvellous Dorothy McGuire. The brief hiatus from the hunt (in TNOTH) is the magical river trip backed by the night music, referencing the haunting children's song; here we have a nice cameo from Dana, singing by the campfire.
If it is an actual homage to the Laughton/Mitchum classic, I wouldn't blame them.
Eden Lake (2008)
We all have much better things to do with our time!
There are obviously some fine actors here; they are wasted. The world is messed up enough without rampant sadism such as this; I don't expect 100% 'Sound of Music' style escapism, but world cinema has plenty more to offer than this.
It is always dismaying to see that stuff of this nature gets financed; when people are horrified by violent behaviour in real life, such as the current rash of hammer attacks and knife murders, it should not be surprising, when rubbish like this is classed as 'entertainment'. Enjoying films like this is at least sociopathic, if not worse.
F (2010)
One to avoid...
Actors occasionally say that they don't watch their own films; here, I would understand why, as there are some very good actors (Aubrey, Gemmell, Schofield) in this nasty piece of work, who've done much better than this. If you like bringing up your most recent meal, this is for you (I didn't, but it has the potential). The only thing worthy of compliment is the achievement of a finished film on the rumoured £150,000, so it no doubt profited well. You will probably find this on late night TV horror channels, as I did (never again). Possibly the worst thing I found about this, is the (SPOILER ALERT!!!) level of sickening, psychopathic violence performed, naturally, on several women- this is 'school of misogyny' without a doubt.
I wonder about the mindset and motivation of the original writer(s) who dreamed up the story line, particularly the gratuitously sick attacks on female characters.
Der Bunker (2015)
A quirky gem
This is well worth catching; early on, it began to have a tone reminiscent of 'The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser', but that was only because I love the latter film, and one actor's role resembles that of Bruno S.
Der Bunker (caught on its UK TV showing a few days ago) is totally original; the principal performers are, as they would have to be, excellent. Odd questions briefly emerged that relate more to, perhaps, traditional 'survivalist' themed films, but they become irrelevant, as this one is out on its own.
I also will look out for the performers elsewhere, based on this. Recommended for fans of the offbeat, or those bored with Hollywood!