Friday 17 January 2020

DECEMBER 2019 - FILMS (CINEMA)

Less cinema trips in the month than previously, but still enough to get value from the ongoing Odeon sign-up ..... four in total. It would have been five, only we had to bail on Motherless Brooklyn after booking it, due to a pet emergency - when two dogs become one. The film I'm guessing wasn't a massive hit in these parts as it only showed for a week.


What I did see....... an Agatha Christie homage apparently, a UK gang related romance, the latest (last? hopefully) Star Wars film and Little Women



Blue Story (2019)
A lot of negative publicity surrounded this film on its release...... pulled from cinemas, amid audience punch ups, scared punters, blah blah blah  - the sort of headlines that have Daily Mail editors salivating. Nothing of the sort occurred when we went to see it.

Friendships, separation, rivalry, family, love, gang membership, violence.... quite sad really. Enjoyable and thought provoking. Great soundtrack though don't ask me what any of the tracks used were.

From Wikipedia....  

Blue Story is a 2019 British drama film written, directed, and narrated by Rapman (Andrew Onwubolu) through the medium of rap. The film is Rapman's feature directorial debut and is based on his 2014 YouTube series of the same name.

The film was released in the UK on 22 November 2019.

Premise
Blue Story is the tragic tale of best friends Marco and Timmy who, from different areas of London (Peckham and Deptford), find themselves becoming enemies in a violent and insidious postcode war. Blue Story is based around events of Rapman's own personal experiences growing up in Deptford, in the London Borough of Lewisham, and being sent to school in Camberwell, in the London Borough of Southwark, thereby crossing gang-affiliated borders.


BBC Films say the film "powerfully depicts the futility of gang violence".



Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Well I enjoyed it more than I expected to. I'm not a massive fan of the series, though I have probably seen most of them more than once. Is there anyone who hasn't?

Kept me entertained and I avoided looking at my watch constantly, which is a massive positive when compared to Avengers films watched recently. (2 hours 22 mins long, so it wasn't mega long) Don't buy me the DVD though.

From Google.....

When it's discovered that the evil Emperor Palpatine did not die at the hands of Darth Vader, the rebels must race against the clock to find out his whereabouts. Finn and Poe lead the Resistance to put a stop to the First Order's plans to form a new Empire, while Rey anticipates her inevitable confrontation with Kylo Ren.



Knives Out (2019)
Stellar cast and great fun. I love Michael Shannon, Toni Collette and Jamie Lee Curtis. Daniel Craig and Don Johnson don't irritate me. A who-dunnit in the tradition of Agatha Christie. Wouldn't necessarily have wanted to sit through it all over again as soon as it ended, but I did enjoy it. Did I guess the perpetrator? Not sure I was trying to to be honest.

From Google...

When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey dies just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc arrives at his estate to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Thrombey's untimely demise.



Little Women (2019)
I kind of expected to hate this or at best be indifferent, and when arriving in the cinema - reclining seats and foot rests - thought I'd endure a massive bollocking for dozing off about 20 minutes after it started. Fear ye not. I really liked it. Not sure I want to read to book by Louisa May Alcott, but I happily watch this one again in a year or two's time.

From Google.....

In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together.



Ranking
1. Blue Story
2. Knives Out
3. Little Women
4. Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker

12 comments:

  1. I might still catch KNIVES OUT in the theatres. My plan is to watch the STAR WARS series from the start, beginning with films 4, 5 & 6 (which I saw in the eighties/nineties), followed by films 1, 2 & 3 and 7, 8 & 9. All versions of STAR TREK are on my plate too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd choose KNIVES OUT over STAR WARS, but catch em both if you can. I think I preferred the characters in STAR TREK to STAR WARS, or maybe I remember it more fondly from seeing it on TV as a kid growing up.

      Delete
  2. I'm glad you enjoyed Knives Out, Col. We liked it a lot, too. The cast was well-chosen, I think, and I did like the story. Some great lines, too. 0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margot, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I wouldn't mind a second film in a similar vein, though they would be hard pressed to top the line-up.

      Delete
  3. Doubtless we'll see the Star Wars newie when it comes on cable/DVD, but the other three are definitely on the to-be-seen list, especially Knives Out and Little Women.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Enjoy them when you get to them John. I was surprised at how much I liked Little Women. Maybe there's some hope for me yet!

      Delete
  4. You did well. I really want to see Knives Out and Little women, but haven't made it yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I'm still annoyed I missed Motherless Brooklyn, but it couldn't be helped. Hope you catch them both soon. I think they will run for a while yet.

      Delete
  5. I definitely want to see Knives Out. Sounds like a good movie going month for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely one you would enjoy, Tracy. All were enjoyed, but a few less films numbers-wise than previous months, which with Christmas and family commitments was to be expected.

      Delete
  6. I’ve yet to catch KNIVES OUT. Sounds like a good one for this weekend.

    ReplyDelete