A slow month for us...
The
Last Metro (1980) 6
A tough film to rate - has some top French film stars with some good acting, but it was overlong.
Delicacy (2011) 7
So very depressing. Audrey Tautou plays a great part - but avoid if you are feeling a bit low!
Ted (2012) 8
Loved it - my review can be found here.
Network (1976) 4
I cant believe that this won oscars - it's embarrassing to watch at times. The director appeared to love overacting. Ned Beatty, usually a great actor, has a scene where he just shouts and acts appallingly - and got an oscar nomination. It starts OK, but the ending is just stupid.
Crocodile
Dundee (1986) 8*
A classic that still makes me laugh... "call that a knife?"
Tangled (2010) 6
Wonderful animation, but this Disney animation was lacking a good story. You expect more from Disney.
Young
Adult (2011) 5
Could have been made for TV. Don't bother.
* Previously viewed.
Four of them this time, Stephen.
ReplyDelete'The Last Metro' - I haven't seen since 1981 (long before I started giving films ratings) but I'm pretty sure I liked it. I think I might have given it a '7' at least.
'Network' - I made a list of my Top 50 out of the first 1,000 films seen, and this was on the list. (Another re-appraisal is long overdue - I haven't done another such list since then, even though the number is currently up to 4,399!)
I wouldn't be surprised if 'Network' still made the list. It's one of the few films where for me the 'star' is the screenplay (in this case by Paddy Chayevsky). It absolutely crackles along. (Another film I'd put in this category would be 'Glengarry Glen Ross' - unusually significantly expanded from the theatre play.)
In terms of actors, the stand-out was surely Faye Dunaway. Peter Finch won a posthumous Oscar (obviously a 'sympathetic' one) as he'd died just before the nominations were announced. No surprise there, but he WAS pretty good with his excoriation of the 'toob'!
I agree that Ned Beatty could have played it better - though he was clearly carrying out Lumet's wishes. His role would have been so much more effective if it had been played soft, understated and menacing. Now that would have been truly frightening.
I haven't seen the film for over 20 years (I've still got it on video) but from memory I'd have given it a clear '8' or maybe '8.5'. It was refreshingly original all those years ago - and it still is.
'Crocodile Dundee' - not seen since it came out in 1986 (even though it seems to be on one of the Freeview channels every week at least!). I remember it irritating me intensely all the way through and I doubt if I'd have given it more than a '3', but my perceptions have surely altered so maybe worth another look.
I didn't bother to see 'Ted' even though I could have gone to a cheapo £3 showing. I get the feeling that I'd be out of the appreciation 'loop' on this type of film. But it's still around so MAY go, though it's unlikely.
I LOVE Crocodile Dundee! It makes me smile as I know when the jokes are coming up as I've seen it so many times.
ReplyDeleteBtw: I forgot to mention 'Young Adult', to which I'd given a 5.5. So there at least is one film on which we agree. Even though I only saw it in February I've already forgotten what it was about - and can't be bothered to refresh my memory.
ReplyDelete