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Episode 6 of 6 and a fitting finale. Hugh Lawrie was pretty
good throughout, though I found the Corky character more menacing. Olivia
Colman – superb as always. Almost had me rushing off to the loft to find the
book in one of the tubs (tub 63 to be exact), but I resisted the impulse.
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Saturday night trip to the cinema with my wife and some
friends. More enjoyable than the last Coen Brothers flick – Inside Llewyn
boring Davis. Funny in places, I’d watch it again, but won’t be rushing to buy
the DVD when it’s released.
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Amazing, it doesn’t get much better than Gene Hackman in his
prime as Popeye Doyle. An all-time classic. Rod Steiger is pretty good too. If
it was on the box tomorrow, I’d re-watch it in a flash.
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Disappointing after the first one, but I’m glad I watched
it. Not a patch on the original. No Steiger and Hackman spends most of the film
in a drugs induced haze. I kind of envied him, as I watched it. It does liven
up a bit towards the end, but in truth it couldn’t have gone any slower at that
point.
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My son is a fan of this, but I’d never heard of it. Series 3
is airing currently. My wife and I watched the first couple of episodes via
NetFlix. The Peaky Blinders were a criminal gang from Birmingham around the
turn of the last century, so named for the razors they concealed in the caps.
We open in post WW1 Birmingham…….illegal gambling, the IRA, stolen guns, PTSD,
Communist agitators and worker unrest and a brutal Police Chief shipped in from
Belfast, fresh from routing Republicans
with a femme fatale in tow. Sam Neill is fairly intimidating as the Police
Chief seeking the guns on Churchill’s explicit orders.
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1950 war film with Trevor Howard behind enemy lines
orchestrating resistance to the Germans. Okay, I’ve seen a lot worse in my
time.
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Taped more in hope than expectation, but I really really
enjoyed it. Brad Pitt and his unruly band of cohorts roam around behind enemy
lines casting fear and dread into the hearts of the Nazis. Christopher Waltz as Col. Hans Landa steals the show.
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2014 adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith book. I like Viggo
Mortensen and I like Kirsten Dunst. Pretty good for most of it, but a bit
plodding in places. Watched about six weeks ago and I can’t for the life of me
remember the ending and I’m 99% certain I didn’t doze off. Does that say more
about the film or more about me?
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Bio-pic of the Kray Twins featuring Tom Hardy as both Ronnie
and Reggie. Fact blended probably with a dose of fiction. I enjoyed it.
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60’s horror film with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Also featuring a young Roy Castle. Something about tarot cards creep me out. An
easy hour and a half’s viewing.
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Col, I didn't realise there was sequel to "The French Connection." I'm going to check it out. I liked "Inglorious Basterds," equally so for Christopher Waltz.
ReplyDeletePrashant, I wasn't aware wither until I was checking a weekend magazine to see what films were popping up for the following week. I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn't watched it in such close proximity to the first.
DeleteAgreed on Inglorious and Waltz then!
I enjoyed The Night Manager despite its dull moments. Hugh Laurie was great but you're right about Corky. The book was an uneven read for me but I'm glad to have read it. I've been meaning to watch Peaky Blinders. Loved Inglorious Bastards after trying to watch it 3 times. My sister pushed me to give it another look. I generally enjoy Quentin Tarantino movies.
ReplyDeleteI'll leave the book awhile longer then. I wasn't even aware of Peaky Blinders until my son instructed us to watch it. I'm enjoying it but haven't yet caught up - 5 down with 1 to go on the first series. Inglorious probably tied with the first French Connection as my top watch in the month.
DeleteI thought Inglorious Basterds was a good film, too, Col. And I'm glad you enjoyed Hail Caesar!. I generally enjoy the Coen brothers' work. I like Peaky Blinders a lot, too. I think it's got a very good sense of place and time, and I do like some of the characters.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I've been a wee bit disappointed by the last couple of Coen Brothers films, though this was an improvement on the one before in my opinion. Loved Inglorious so I'm glad to find another fan! Agreed too on Peaky Blinders - there's a lot to like.
DeleteLook to be some good ones there. I haven't seen Odette in decades, but remember it (and the book) fondly. Thanks for the reminder about Two Faces of January; the library should be getting it in about now . . .
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise it was based on a book, though I'll probably not go after it. Still I'm curious to look up who authored it.
DeleteI'm tempted to try and catch the last 20 minutes of Two Faces again, as forgetting what happened is bugging me!
Didn't realise either it was based on a true story!
DeleteOops: sub.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed THE NIGHT MANAGER. We were glued to the TV during it and my wife has a new favorite star – Tom Hiddleston. I agree with you on Olivia Colman, she was terrific.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see more of his work adapted. I've seen a few films of his work - A MOST WANTED MAN, TINKER TAILOR, THE CONSTANT GARDENER and THE TAILOR OF PANAMA and enjoyed them all.
DeleteI've just looked the list of them up and there's a few I'm missing, so I'll put them on the list!
Olivia Colman is very good, have you seen BROADCHURCH? It's worth catching for her alone.
I've corrected my Colman/Coleman typo, which is ironic. Her last name is the same as my Christian name and I feel insulted when at least 5 out of 10 people stick the non-existent "e" in the middle of it - even family members!
Friday night and Saturday, we binged on the first season of BROADCHURCH. It was excellent. Thanks for the recommendation. Now, on to season two.
DeleteHappy days - glad you both enjoyed it!
DeleteBuongiorno. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krtnt191Drg
ReplyDeleteI wanna watch it again now!
DeleteI saw Inglorious Basterds and liked it much more than I thought I would. I thought the violence would be too overwhelming. I enjoyed French Connection but never saw French Connection 2... never got a copy. Some day.
ReplyDeleteI might have enjoyed FRENCH CONNECTION 2 more if I had left a bit more of a gap between it and the first. I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it. I'm a fan of Gene Hackman usually. I really liked MISSISSIPPI BURNING.
DeleteI was the same with you regarding INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, though not through a fear of too much violence. Sometimes Tarantino goes a bit off plot.
Yes to Night Manager, of course, and impressed that you know which tub to find the book! My main other eye-catcher was Kirsten Dunst's hat on the January poster - I was going to a wedding when the film came out, and I searched and searched for a hat like hers, it was exactly what I wanted. (and found one close to it, presumably costing one tenth of Kirsten's)
ReplyDeleteAll the ardous cataloguing eventually bears fruit! Yes, I bet Kirsten's wasn't cheap.
Delete