Monday 2 July 2018

JUNE 2018 - FILMS + TV

There were a few bits and pieces watched in the early part of June before the World Cup took over the TV...... an okay DVD, a disappointing trip to the cinema, an amazing bit of TV, a season 2 continuation and another series embarked upon.

The Handmaid's Tale (2017)


Season two just started and my son informed us that we needed to get caught up on the first one. Sound advice - binge watched 10 episodes over three nights. Pretty bloody terrifying glimpse of a possible future.

From Google....

Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world, the few remaining fertile women are forced into sexual servitude. One of these women, Offred, is determined to survive the terrifying world she lives in, and find the daughter that was taken from her.


The Limey (1999)



Bargain basement or charity shop DVD watched. An okay film, a bit dated. Slightly irritating that every time our crafty Londoner Terence Stamp utters a bit of Cockney Rhyming slang, me ol' China he feels the need to explain himself and translate - presumably for his American audience. What a load of Jack and Danny....

From Google....

The Limey follows Wilson (Terence Stamp), a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine (Peter Fonda) and an army of L.A.'s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own.


Funny Cow (2017)

Cinema trip to my local library for this one and a bit disappointing if I'm honest. I do like Maxine Peake usually and Paddy Considine for that matter, but it kind of felt a bit like it was trying too hard to be relevant and cutting edge. Alun Armstrong and Stephen Graham also feature.

From Wikipedia....

Funny Cow is a 2017 comedy drama directed by Adrian Shergold, written by Tony Pitts, and starring Maxine Peake, Paddy Considine, Tony Pitts, Stephen Graham and Alun Armstrong. The original songs and score was composed by Richard Hawley with additional songs by Ollie Trevers. The film follows a woman making a name for herself in the stand-up comedy scene of working men's clubs in northern England.[2]

The film debuted on 9 October 2017 in the United Kingdom at the London Film Festival.


The Handmaid's Tale - Season 2 (2018)


More of the same, only the World Cup interrupted us after one or two episodes. Compelling viewing, I'm looking forward to getting caught up soon. Debating whether to take a punt of the book by Margaret Atwood.

From Rotten Tomatoes .....

Critics Consensus: Beautifully shot but dishearteningly relevant, The Handmaid's Tale centers its sophomore season tightly around its compelling cast of characters, making room for broader social commentary through more intimate lenses.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_handmaid_s_tale/s02/


The Sinner (2017)


A few episodes into this eight-parter and I'm enjoying it but not totally glued just yet.
My daughter watched it and enjoyed it enough to press gang me and her mum into taking a gander. Jessica Biel is pretty good, but I can't remember what I've seen her in before.

From Google.....

Young mother Cora Tannetti is overcome by an inexplicable fit of rage that leads her to commit a startling -- and very public -- act of violence, with no explanation as to why she did it. When Detective Harry Ambrose begins his investigation and grows obsessed with uncovering Cora's hidden motive, the two work together to try to get deep into her psyche to learn about the violent secrets that are hidden in her past. The eight-episode thriller -- which tries to uncover the "why" instead of the "who" or "what" -- stars Jessica Biel, who also serves as an executive producer, and Bill Pullman in the lead roles.

8 comments:

  1. So glad you've been watching The Handmaid's Tale, Col. Margaret Atwood was heavily involved in its production, so it has her influence. She even has a cameo in one episode.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margot, wow I never knew that bit of detail. I would google it but I'm kind of scared to in case I spoil the second series for myself. I already saw one tweet which has kind of pointed me in an obvious direction events may take. I had hoped to get there without being pre-warned though. I'm kind of curious to see if the book ends at series one, or if series two also relates to the written material - again I'll have to wait until the series has been viewed in completion.

      Delete
  2. I read the Handmaid's Tale a long, long time ago and I remember that I found it very disturbing. Also watched The Limey a while back on DVD and I think we liked it. The sinner sounds interesting and I have always liked Bill Pullman.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I'll get the book after finishing the second series. It is very dark and disturbing viewing. The Limey was okay, I didn't hate it, just wasn't over excited by it I suppose. If I hadn't watched it, I would always have been wondering. I have enjoyed Pullman's role in The Sinner so far and remembered seeing him in films a fair few years back, but not so much lately. I'm trying to remember what I saw him in without cheating and looking it up.

      Delete
  3. I really must get round to The Handmaid's Tale (I remember enjoying the feature movie, yonks back) and The Sinner looks good. Like Tracy, I'm an admirer of Pullman's work -- one of those grossly underrated, grossly unlucky actors, in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never knew it had been a film previously, I'll have to keep an eye out for it. I cheated and looked up Pullman's film bibliography and can't recall too many that I have seen him in, though he was instantly recognisable.

      Delete
  4. I think the book of Handmaid's Tale is an absolute classic: I thought series 1 of the adapatation was extraordinarily compelling, beautifully done, though hard watching. But I have called it a day - series 2 is too much.
    I saw the Limey years ago and liked it a lot - I think I was living in the USA at the time so maybe the Cockney rhyming slang explanations didn't bother me so much! And Terence Stamp still a very handsome man...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for a copy of the book. The whole family is invested in the series, so we won't be bailing out.
      Agreed with you on Stamp, he's a good looking man.

      Delete