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Ian_Spencer
Reviews
The Tender Bar (2021)
Slight but pleasant
In the end, it's a grittier Walton's, the story of a boy growing up in a sprawling and chaotic but loving family who goes on to be a journalist and writer.
It is atmospheric, and does not entirely follow a traditional storyline, but in the end we hear of a life that had some ups and downs, of pleasant anecdots rather than anything challenging - but what's wrong with that?
Don't Look Up (2021)
Transparent Uncomfortable Satire
The targets are obvious, Trump, Trumpists, the mega-rich techies like Musk and Jobs, soshall meedya, anti-vaxxers and Fox News.
An uncomfortable and frustrating watch as the incompetence that surrounds the plot is so obvious and too true to life these days.
Yet about half way through it starts coming together and by the end it hits its target.
Clearly a labour of love for the big name cast, who put in stellar performances for what I'm sure are budget fees, the ending(s) are satisfying.
A film that is like a difficult fine wine, more appreciated for the aftertaste than in the drinking.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
Good Fun
It very deliberately starts where Groundhog Day left off - the knowingness is part of the plot, but in many respects it worked better as the leads were more likeable and appropriately immature.
So, nothing ground-breakingly novel, the odd plot hole or inconsistency, but pleasant, funny, pointless, implausible, entertaining.
The Sleepover (2020)
It is what it is
It's a kids flick, but as a slightly desperate lockdown adult watch it was fun, witty and exciting.
There were a few "that doesn't make any sense whatsoever" (James Bond-esque secret techy things that were bang up to date for someone who'd not been doing what they were doing for 15 years) but as the whole plot made no sense anyway, just go with it!
Sneakers (1992)
Mission Impossible without the CGI
Did I watch this film Shan it came out? Can't remember, but it seemed like a fresh viewing.
The tech is entertainingly old, yet generally well enough done to feel sensible. It was a joy to see computer print outs, green screens and crocodile clips and breakout boxes.
The plot is pretty much standard fare, it was amusing watching them doing Mission Impossible routines with every day items. (Robert Redford was probably a similar age to Tom Cruise in the last MI - Redford more or less acted his age).
It also managed a tricky feat, a serious heist caper with light comedy.
What hasn't dated, in fact shone out, were the running gags on conspiracy theories, which given the last few years...
So good plot, well crafted and consistent tech so not too embarrassing, though their ideas on encryption need a free pass. It has surprisingly few mis-steps - I'm not sure the Stevie Wonder dance floor impersonation would be done these days but there was a lovely flash in the eyes from Poitier when someone used a racist term which was resolved appropriately.
So a comedy, a serious heist movie, and a techie nostagia-fest (yes, I did recognise the "couch" for what it was and gleefully told my wife). Enjoy.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Uncomfortable in a good way
This is a play of unpleasant, damaged people, doing their best to get by in an unpleasant, damaged world. Every character is slightly larger than life, very much stage dialogue in a deliberately claustrophobic setting.
There is little underlying plot, it is some stories of abuse and what it does bring home is just how hard life was for black people in America, often conveyed in little details better than in the big, but equally pointed, big stories.
Definitely a film that you'd think twice about bothering with, and be glad you did, and you'll be considering how much has the world really moved on from the 1920s.
The Band Wagon (1953)
Disappointing mashup
The film comes across as made up on the hoof, which perhaps isn't surprising given the musical within the musical, but the adulation of this film isn't deserved. It will not have you reaching for your hanky nor will it have you gasping in awe at the brilliance of the dancing, nor will you be singing along with its multitude of hits that it doesn't have, the best song, Dancing in the Dark, in instrumental form is from 20 years previously. Even the big song is a pastiche of Make 'em Laugh.
My main objection is that it simply doesn't make sense. Take the end result musical, which we are presented with 4 such different numbers that it is impossible to see what the connection is aside from they liked the clambake from Carousel, Me and My Shadow, they were insanely jealous of Gene Kelly's athletic jazz ballet numbers (which Astaire was too old to contemplate attempting so he posed his way through it) and they wanted a Danny Kaye comedy routine.
The lack of any coherent plot aside from old bloke gets young girl for no apparent reason, given that there is no dramatic exposition of why Astaire should be so attractive to her, nor does Astaire ever show anything to his fellow actors as to why they should believe in his vision.
The other thing that doesn't really work is the Kenneth Branagh figure is also an old am-dram hack.
So, yes, I'm over-thinking it, but it has cynicism stamped all over it. Astaire was a superb dancer who could take your breath away, and while the Dancing in the Dark scene is 100 times better than the feeble copy in La La Land, an aged Astaire basically walks elegantly through the film, aside from getting a little out of puff with the shoeshine routine.
Cyd shows off her legs nicely, but even her choreography is thin, mainly sliding out one leg and kneeling on the other, and her big ballet scene is very chocolate box, the backing dancers doing a few spins in tutus, and Cyd doing a very basic routine that we are supposed to see as someone at the pinnacle of the art.
I love a good musical, to be honest, I love a bad musical, but this was actually worse than bad, it was boring.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Dull, dull dull, so desperately dull
If you went off to sleep at the end of PotC II then you will fare no better in this film.
Fundamentally, the problem is that it is very poorly edited and far too many extra characters and sub-plots which end up creating an overly long drawn out shambles. Various "asides" in the plot rely on you remembering what happened in the previous episode, but they were referenced so briefly, it was difficult to get your bearings. It desperately needed an hour cutting out of it. There was a brilliant film hiding in there. In fact, the first film was excellent and there is a single excellent second film to be made out of the footage of the second and third films.
A good example of the confused complexity was the introduction of several other pirate captains - each used stereotypes to establish their character and at various points the film stalled to ensure that each one was allowed their reaction: yet in the end they contributed nothing to moving the story along. In fact, so many other characters were allowed their little cameo that the key characters were reduced to bit parts along their way. Surely the ambiguous relationship between Elizabeth and Norrington needed more than a couple of snatched sentences to resolve? Similarly, Calypso is a critical plot device, but she is used as a tool to stage a major battle, yet simply vanishes from the plot without a proper resolution once that device is used. Keith Richards again puts in a cameo appearance, but you are left asking why bother?
Special effects so good you don't even consider them, but all in all an insubstantial and disappointing film.
Music and Lyrics (2007)
Lightweight fun
Hugh Grant plays Hugh Grant: perhaps a better Hugh Grant, no great personality flaws this time around, he may be a has been, but as he explains, he is a happy has-been. Drew Barrimore is the usual Drew too, slightly wacky, an unsuspected genius, in true Hollywood style.
The plot is utterly, utterly, utterly predictable, boy meets girl, loses girl etc., but so what? What makes this work is the machine gun rate of one liners. Probably a film that works best with those who lived and loved the '80s music scene, as some of the fun is the attention to detail. The songs work well, the pastiche opening blend of Ahah!, Duran Duran, Wham! Spandau Ballet videos sets the whole thing up. The whole thing reeks of cheddar, but it is so knowing that this can be forgiven: it was such a pleasure to be in a cinema full of laughing people, a genuine feel good movie.
The supporting cast works well, the gorgeous Halley Bennett plays a spaced out pop star, Kristen Johnston (Third Rock from the Sun) the sassy sister with a crush on Hugh - and her own personal supply of put downs being the most notable.
So, go with low expectations, a relaxed attitude and you will be hard put not to enjoy it. It is not Oscar material, but it is a genuine good fun film right down to the end credits.