SALTIRE
Slàinte mhath!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2015
- Messages
- 14,542
- Reaction score
- 3,032
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Speyside
- Supports
- A guid dram
The League Of Gentlemen [1961]
Jack Hawkins sending his character-type up a bit playing an ex-soldier who did his bit for King and country in the war, before becoming disillusioned and hence wants to rob a bank gathering up a load of other soldiers who have also in one way or another turned to crime, or become cads, and are wanting a piece of the action as a sort of getting back at the system and making themselves rich in the process.
This was an excellent comedy-drama, quite racy for its day, and bold from Jack Hawkins himself as he always played the straight-laced unwilling hero in the war films of the day and was a real-life Colonel in WW2. It was good in the way that it told about a generation who had done their part but were quickly becoming boring old men as the swinging Sixties kicked into life, and they wanted to do something about it. It was well done almost from start to finish (which was slightly weak however) with the crew meeting up, getting to know one another and their foibles, planning raids on an army base and gathering vehicles, before embarking on the audacious but slightly ott bankjob itself. The supporting cast including the great Richard Attenborough were excellent, filling their characters out nicely, and there was even a small cameo from Oliver Reed, playing of all things, a very camp dancer!
For a classic British heist film you can't go wrong with this.
9/10
Mr Turner [2014]
Timothy Spall plays JMW Turner in this Mike Leigh film about the great artist, and he does it with great aplomb and gusto, bringing him to life with great Victorian mannerisms and grunts which add an almost animalistic temper to him at times. I am always amazed with Spall, he is very good in everything he does, and there is no finer male actor for crying in films, he always gets me when he goes! Hard to imagine at times he was Barry in Auf Wiedersehn, Pet!
The cinematography was breathtaking, with many scenes shot as if they were great works of art in their own way and although some of the nature scenes were done with CGI, it was very subtly done. His relationships with women in the film dont work that well imo and it isn't clear why they put up with his actions, do they just defer to genius, love him for his personality or something else? That aside, there are some excellent scenes with Spall and some of his contemporaries, notably another struggling artist who has delusions of grandeur but won't admit his faults, and a few scenes with a young pretentious fop putting down a great artist to impress.
Quite long at 150 minutes but gorgeous to behold and moves along at a serene pace even when Spall is rushing around the landscape or getting tied to ships masts. This won't be to everyone's taste, but as someone who finds Turner's work breathtaking at times, this is a good watch.
8/10
Jack Hawkins sending his character-type up a bit playing an ex-soldier who did his bit for King and country in the war, before becoming disillusioned and hence wants to rob a bank gathering up a load of other soldiers who have also in one way or another turned to crime, or become cads, and are wanting a piece of the action as a sort of getting back at the system and making themselves rich in the process.
This was an excellent comedy-drama, quite racy for its day, and bold from Jack Hawkins himself as he always played the straight-laced unwilling hero in the war films of the day and was a real-life Colonel in WW2. It was good in the way that it told about a generation who had done their part but were quickly becoming boring old men as the swinging Sixties kicked into life, and they wanted to do something about it. It was well done almost from start to finish (which was slightly weak however) with the crew meeting up, getting to know one another and their foibles, planning raids on an army base and gathering vehicles, before embarking on the audacious but slightly ott bankjob itself. The supporting cast including the great Richard Attenborough were excellent, filling their characters out nicely, and there was even a small cameo from Oliver Reed, playing of all things, a very camp dancer!
For a classic British heist film you can't go wrong with this.
9/10
Mr Turner [2014]
Timothy Spall plays JMW Turner in this Mike Leigh film about the great artist, and he does it with great aplomb and gusto, bringing him to life with great Victorian mannerisms and grunts which add an almost animalistic temper to him at times. I am always amazed with Spall, he is very good in everything he does, and there is no finer male actor for crying in films, he always gets me when he goes! Hard to imagine at times he was Barry in Auf Wiedersehn, Pet!
The cinematography was breathtaking, with many scenes shot as if they were great works of art in their own way and although some of the nature scenes were done with CGI, it was very subtly done. His relationships with women in the film dont work that well imo and it isn't clear why they put up with his actions, do they just defer to genius, love him for his personality or something else? That aside, there are some excellent scenes with Spall and some of his contemporaries, notably another struggling artist who has delusions of grandeur but won't admit his faults, and a few scenes with a young pretentious fop putting down a great artist to impress.
Quite long at 150 minutes but gorgeous to behold and moves along at a serene pace even when Spall is rushing around the landscape or getting tied to ships masts. This won't be to everyone's taste, but as someone who finds Turner's work breathtaking at times, this is a good watch.
8/10
