Films

Anyone seen the docufilm Dreams of a Life? About a lovely mixed-race girl, great City job, boyfriends or wannabe boyfriends galore, whose skeletonized body was found, lying on her sofa with the telly still playing - three years after her death in a council flat. The female film-maker was intrigued as to how this lovely woman, dead at 38, seemingly went off her colleagues, friends and family's radar without anyone ever calling round to see her, or raise any sort of concern about not hearing from her in so long.

A friend is going to see it soonish, and I wondered if it would be worth going, too.
 
krizon said:
Anyone seen the docufilm Dreams of a Life? About a lovely mixed-race girl, great City job, boyfriends or wannabe boyfriends galore, whose skeletonized body was found, lying on her sofa with the telly still playing - three years after her death in a council flat. The female film-maker was intrigued as to how this lovely woman, dead at 38, seemingly went off her colleagues, friends and family's radar without anyone ever calling round to see her, or raise any sort of concern about not hearing from her in so long.

A friend is going to see it soonish, and I wondered if it would be worth going, too.
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I read a feature article on this in the Guardian a few weeks back, very sad.
 
Luke - you know what's so weird, is that the only reason the woman's skeleton was found was because some people were sent round to collect unpaid debts? As for the make of telly - you're a very naughty boy!

Hamm, yes, that's exactly what I read online a night or so ago! The accompanying photo showed a stunningly beautiful young woman, making her strange fading away from view all the more poignant.

Just watched Sarah's Key (via On Demand) featuring Kristin Scott Thomas in both French and English. It would be trite to say it's a 'Holocaust film' but it did highlight a huge blot on France's Second World War history in their active roundup and deportation of Parisian Jews - not German occupiers doing this, but the French gendarmes. Tens of thousands ended up being murdered in Auschwitz, others committing suicide when kettled for hot summer days in the Velodrome before being cattle-trucked to their deaths. The Sarah is a child who tries to save her little brother by hiding him in a cupboard in the family flat, locking him in and keeping the key, which after a harrowing period of detention, escape, and help, she eventually uses to open up the cupboard.

I find Scott Thomas a rather too cool actress who just doesn't really engage me on a strongly emotional level, unfortunately. The film takes on a worthy subject, but sadly I found it just didn't pull me in, in the way Sophie's Choice did.
 
Oh, I cried at the end; Kristin Scott thomas is one of my favourite actresses. Just come back from seeing 'My Week With Marilyn' which was wonderful [have seen some very dry films recently and something a bit light and fluffy was needed]. Strange watching Branagh as Olivier; wonder how Olivier would have played Branagh? Dreams of a Life is on in a couple of weeks so I may go and see it. I get a discount at my cinema as a member and, in a couple of weeks I'll get a concession as well [sooo old]; first time in my life I can say I'm a 'Double D' and, at least I won't feel quite so depressed when they ask me 'do you have any concessions?'..meaning, you look bloomin' old to me. Pantomime tomorrow. Oh yes it is/behind you...been practicing for weeks...
 
My chum's distraught, Moe: asked her today if she'd seen Dreams of a Life and no, it was only on in Chichester for one day! Hey, congratulations on joining the Old Codgers' Club! I still haven't applied for a rail card or a bus pass, but really will do so next year, as it's amazing how cheap travel is using those systems.
 
War Horse starting soon. Will be introduced by John Tams; local lad who did the music for the stage play and was a consultant on the movie [last time we saw him he was flying out to the States; supposedly Spielberg said 'I want that man' so off he went]. We are so lucky to have our cinema, even though Derby Council [boo, hiss] are going to pull the plug on their funding in a couple of years. I feel tears welling up before I've even seen a trailer for it. Going to make a complete idiot of myself; even worse I'm dragging my daughter along and she'll be blubbing too. [Oh dear; just read a review and it looks like Spielberg has 'Spielberged' it]
 
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When you can see to type, let us know how it went, Moehat! The same pal wants to take me to see it, so I'm genuinely interested. The book didn't move me to tears in the way reading Black Beauty did - especially the sad account of poor Ginger.
 
wonder how Olivier would have played Branagh
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I an OTT and self regarding way maybe. (bit harsh maybe)

Got to get to see Moneyball and everyone i know who's seen the play, says War horse is wonderful.
 
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The play is the best thing I've ever seen in my life. The film will never be able to match that. I guess the book was written for children so it will be quite simplistic; I read it when it first came out, took it back [it was a library book], but the story stayed with me in a vague sort of way until I saw the play and then realised it was one and the same. I just remembered the bit at the beginning about the painting. Michael Morpurgo does readings at our theatre once a year, and he did War Horse last year, so I was able to speak to him about it [and thank him for writing it]. There will never be a chapter in a book as sad as Ginger's death; I tried to read it to my daughter when she was little, but she ended up taking the book from me and reading it herself because I could'nt speak for crying. Think my copy of Black Beauty is possibly my oldest possession. [by the way, the panto was wonderful; oh yes it was!]
 
Glad you enjoyed War Horse so much, Moehat. I think I'd rather see it on stage than on film, as I'm sure it's those amazing Handspring puppets which make it so breath-taking for audiences, and I'd be entranced by their mechanics as much as the poignancy. Yes, the book is simplistic and remarkably free from - to me, that is - that much heart-tugging.

Now, back to some films. I loved both Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, both starring Daniel Auteuil. He's now debuted as director of The Well-Digger's Daughter, a rural drama also by the novels' author, Marcel Pagnol. Again starring, Auteuil plays Pascal Amoretti, a humble well-digger whose favourite daughter (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) is impregnated by a wealthy shopkeeper's son. It's an enjoyable tale of love vs honour, the poor vs the rich, but with a lush score and assortment of stock characters, it degenerates into romanticised middle-class fantasies about French rural life. Nostalgic, sun-drenched, a little too light and sweet, albeit well made and well acted throughout.

(Review pastiche from Cosmo Landesman/The Sunday Times; Kate Muir/The Times, Michael Billington/The Grauniad via The Week magazine.)
 
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War Horse : having seen the puppets in the flesh at race courses would love to see the play as the movements as so realistic. Saw a trailer for the film today and it is very Spielberg.
Saw Mission Impossible 4 - desperate, way too long and once again Simon Pegg is not funny, and Cruise has definitely had a nose job.
 
I find Simon Pegg totally puerile, and yet both of his infantile films garnered much praise from critics. Maybe they appeal to a young audience, but Pegg and that ugly fat bloke with him are surely too old and unattractive for that? Unwitty, unoriginal, and self-indulgent.
 
krizon said:
I find Simon Pegg totally puerile, and yet both of his infantile films garnered much praise from critics. Maybe they appeal to a young audience, but Pegg and that ugly fat bloke with him are surely too old and unattractive for that? Unwitty, unoriginal, and self-indulgent.
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I'm rather a fan of puerile and infantile. So take that old woman. ;)
 
I love infantile and puerile, too, sonny, but not Pegg's notion of it! When films are deliberately I & P, they can be knicker-wettingly hilarious. (Which, as a crumbling old crone, I'm well acquainted with, of course.)
 
krizon said:
Now, back to some films. I loved both Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, both starring Daniel Auteuil. He's now debuted as director of The Well-Digger's Daughter, a rural drama also by the novels' author, Marcel Pagnol. Again starring, Auteuil plays Pascal Amoretti, a humble well-digger whose favourite daughter (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) is impregnated by a wealthy shopkeeper's son.
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Been a fan of Auteuil since JdF. Top actor.
Caché, Conversations with my Gardener, 36 (with Depardieu) and The Girl on the Bridge are all excellent films of his.
 
Last chance to see Well Diggers Daughter tomorrow afternoon, as I've had to work till late tonight. Looks like it will have to pass me by. Parking is expensive at our cinema in the daytime.
 
It's in the town, krizon. Parking after 6 is cheap, which is when we usually go. We don't mind paying for daytime films if it's a children's matinee because we only have to pay £2 to see the film! Can't wait to see The Artist. Black and white and with no dialogue; has had rave reviews [which I tend to ignore] but, more importantly someone on my film forum has watched it 3 times and says it's the best film ever. Annoyingly I won't get my bus pass till I'm 61 3/4, and the bus fare is far more than the cost of parking.
 
Girl with dragon tattoo was better than i expected. Even though nearly 3 hours, it was gripping throughout and needed longer if anything (ending bit rushed maybe)

Decent film with some good moments
 
Have you seen the Swedish version? I am planning to see this one, but only because I was disappointed with the second and third of the Swedish films.
 
Friend called tonight to say she saw The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo yesterday, and enjoyed it. She didn't say it was so long, so I assume that, like Clivex, she was gripped - she thought the end was a bit weak, though. She likes going to the flicks so I'm looking forward to the possibility of going a bit more with someone after I move - she has Warhorse and the Streep take on Thatcher lined up.
 
Worth seeing even if only for the music, although I hope it isn't as overpowering as it was for The Social Network. Trent Reznor soundtracks are pretty amazing.
 
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