Wyre Forest u3a Film January 2015 Best films of 2014 On page 4 you will find 2 different lists of best films of 2014. You can find other lists, including one on the BFI website(see link). I took pleasure in noting that 2 of these lists had placed Under the Skin at the top of their lists this is my own personal choice for best film of the year. I was less pleased to hear that the film had proved to be a box office disaster at the Hall in Bewdley I m still not sure why. There is no agreement on which films to include in the top 10, but such lists offer ideas about which films you might want to watch on a cold winter s night when the tv is often rubbish. You may prefer to watch films in the cinema, but there are now many more ways to watch films online at very reasonable prices, without the need to pay a subscription, such as Blinkbox or the BFI website. If you don t fancy watching a film on your PC or laptop, you can transfer the image to your tv with an HDMI lead - I got one in the Pound Shop! I hope to offer some tips in the next issue about film bargains online who knows, you may even start to change your film watching habits? Tony The strange case of Mr Turner In the last newsletter I commented on the gulf between the views of the critics(all positive) and ordinary cinemagoers (mostly negative). Now to reinforce this situation we have on our reviews pages a negative review from Derek Harrington, who while watching the film with his wife, almost walked out of the cinema! An alternative, more positive view, from Alan Wood, is published on the same page. I cannot recall another film which has polarised opinion so widely. If you have seen the film This or you month s have film any thoughts u3a on this issue, it would be good to hear from you. A Hollywood double bill this month with 2 great comedy teams: Laurel and Hardy in TOWED IN A HOLE(1932) and the Marx Brothers in DUCK SOUP(1933). This month Page 2: Film Reviews Page 3: Film Reviews 2 Page 4: Film news/what s on tv Page 5: What s on at local cinemas Page 6: Film programme 2014-15 Page 1
Film reviews First - a quirky comedy from Sweden: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared (2013)directed by Felix Herngren. When I saw the title of this film on I Player I had to watch it. It is a Swedish film and very funny in a quirky Wes Anderson sort of way. The old man, Carl, leaves the old people's home and has this amazing adventure. He recalls events throughout his life which were all bizarre. It was good to see an amusing film about a very old person. The Imitation Game (UK/USA 2014 Director Morten Tyldum With Benedict Cumberbach as Alan Turing Krys Malpass This film about Alan Turing and the breaking of the enigma code during the Second World War travels between his childhood, his time at Bletchley Park during WWII, leading to his prosecution for indecency as a homosexual in the 1950s and his eventual suicide. I thoroughly enjoyed this apparently biographical film of the life of Alan Turing and especially the performance of Cumberbatch in the lead role. He seemed to take on the persona so completely that no hint of Sherlock or of Cumberbatch himself remained. Above the main storyline of the breaking of the German Enigma code, that is believed to have shortened WWWII by several years, this is a very sad tale of loss and difference and how we as humanity deal with these things as children and adults. We all know or have heard of bullying at school and dealt with the loss of a loved one, so these scenes are believable and moving even if a bit melodramatic. Bletchley Park is beautifully filmed; Alan and I have visited and seen the first computer and the radio sheds and found them totally absorbing. So if anyone hasn t visited Bletchley it is well worth a visit. Roy Kinnear s role as the Police Inspector showed clearly how things were in the 50s and his dilemma when he realised what Turing s real crime was and how there was no way of stopping the course of the law. I was therefore totally taken aback when I checked on some reviews and saw queries about some parts especially the connection between the female code breaker played by Keira Knightley plus the family s upset at the portrayal of Commander Denniston leading Bletchley as the bad guy. So do films need a love interest and a villain whether real or not? I did wonder about the relevance of the female character but didn t question the bad guy role. However I enjoyed the film, flaws or not; the basic story is true and unfortunately we will never know what Alan Turing might have achieved had he lived longer. Kay Wood Page 2
Film reviews 2 2 contrasting views on.mr Turner (Mike Leigh 2014) My wife and I went to The Reel in Kidderminster to watch the above film. The acting by Timothy Spall was outstanding but I found the story line was poor to say the least! A good part of the film showed Turner leaving the various houses he lived with his box of paints & his brushes. When next you see him he is returning home again!! One of the critics from a film mag said that Turner " Grunted" like a pig to many of the questions asked him---------he said he counted 100 grunts throughout the film. My wife & I sat there wishing things would improve as the film progressed, but no such luck! we nearly left before the film ended. I still can't figure out why the films open scene was set in Holland on a misty day? Before Timothy Spall took the part of Turner he spent two years learning to paint in the style of the great artist, but you only saw him once dab some paint onto a canvas. I feel the Director should have taken the story back to Turners teenage years which may have given us some idea why he painted the way he did & also why he was so unpleasant to everybody he met? Derek Harrington The film Turner, directed by Mike Leigh, explores the life of Joseph Mallord William Turner, the artist, between 1826, at 51 years old and his death in 1851. The film does not set out to explain his art but is a richly detailed character study of Turner and his relationships with his father, housekeeper and landlady. Timothy Spall gives a powerful performance of Turner, grumbling, grunting & shambling his way through life in his constant search for perfection. It explores the attitudes and values of Ruskin and the Royal Academy and provides a precise and detailed view of London and the country at the dawn of the modern age. Vivid and evocative, though perhaps a little too long at 150 minutes, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would thoroughly recommend it. Alan Wood In response to my article in the Dec. newsletter on this new trend, a few thoughts from Kay: ART EXHIBITIONS ON SCREEN This might seem odd that I am commenting on something I haven t seen but as I have been following an art course for some time I have been to quite a few exhibitions including some of the big ones. My initial reaction is that you cannot get the real feel for the original by seeing it either in print or on a screen. There is no comparison to standing close enough to a painting to see the lines, the brushstrokes, the texture whether you actually like the work or not. It can actually change your perception, I can remember seeing Turner in print and not being that impressed but up close you can t help but be overwhelmed by the action of the paint and light. However if you have been to one of the blockbuster shows you often find you can t really get close through the crowds, or certainly not long enough to really drink it in and as for people with audio sets standing right in front till they freeze to the floor (well you can see I don t like them much!) So I do intend to catch one of these films because it is probably better than not seeing the exhibition at all, and I will write a review when I do. Kay Wood Page 3
Film news FILMS ABOUT AGEING Well, the controversial theme suggested by Janet appears to have met with general approval, I am relieved to say. As I said at the November meeting, I watched 17 films before settling on the final 3. It was a pleasure to view so many films, most for the first time. I realise that this is all very subjective, but here are my top 6 recommendations, aside from the 3 excellent films we showed during the last 3 months. The main reason that many of these were not shown was their length, some well over my 2 hour limit! I did not set out with a bias towards the far east, but I concluded that they often seem to treat ageing with great insight and sensitivity. If you get to see any of these films, it would be great to hear your views on them. Poetry (Chang Dong Lee - 2010 Korea) Ikira (Akira Kurosawa 1952 Japan) Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu - 1953 Japan) After Life (Hirukazu Koreeda -1998 Japan) Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby 1971 USA) Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café(Jon Avnet 1991 USA) 10 BEST FILMS OF 2014 From 2 sources. Critics v The public You are of course entitled to disagree with what is always a subjective view: THE GUARDIAN FILM CRITICS Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer UK) Boyhood (Richard Linklater - USA) Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson USA) Whiplash (Damian Chazelle USA) Leviathan (Andrey Zviagintsev Russia) Two Days, 1 Night (Dardenne Bros Belgium) Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy - USA) Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski - Poland) Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson USA) The Lego Movie (Phil Lord & Christopher Miller USA) SIGHT AND SOUND READER POLL Boyhood (Richard Linklater - USA) Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard France) Leviathan (Andrey Zviagintsev - Russia) Horse Money (Pedro Costa) The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson USA) Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer - UK) Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan Turkey) The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy - Ukraine) Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski - Poland) Jauja (Lisandro Alonso - Argentina) Page 4
What s on at the Cinema MAC, BIRMINGHAM 12 15 Jan Stations of the Cross (Dietrich Bruggemann Germany 2014) An original and tightly structured tale of a devout Catholic girl whose destiny follows a parallel with Christ during his last days on earth. Not a light watch maybe, but this tense gripping film with its documentary feel has received high praise for its depiction of Christian religious extremism. The severe subject and its treatment put me in mind of Austrian director Ulrich Seidl s Paradise Trilogy, which was shown on tv recently. What s on TV. A barren period, I m sorry to say, with not much to suggest. I ll scan the schedules later in the month and see if I can spot any gems. WHAT S ON FILMS IN THE HALL THURSDAYS AT 7.30pm Thurs Jan 8 - Jersey Boys Thurs Jan 15 - Begin Again Thurs Jan 22 - Treasure Island(Nat. Theatre Streaming) Page 5
FILM PROGRAMME 2014-2015 Films about Ageing Season Oct 8 2014 About Schmidt (Alexander Payne 2002) Nov 12 2014 Wrinkles (Ignacio Ferreras 2013) Dec 10 2014 Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore 1988) Jan 14 2015 Feb 11 2015 Mar 11 2015 Apr 8 2015 May 13 2015 Jun 10 2015 Comedy Season Stan & Ollie in Towed in a Hole (1932) & the Marx Bros in Duck Soup(1935) Is this Stan & Ollie's best short? And is Duck Soup the Marx Bros best feature film? I think so in both cases, but come along and judge for yourself. Chaos and laughs are guaranteed! Comedy Season The Card (Ronald Neame 1952) British 50s stars Alec Guinness, Glynis Johns and Valerie Hobson in this Arnold Bennett tale of a young man with plans to succeed at all costs! Women in Film Season 2 Days, 1 Night (Dardenne Bros 2014) Marion Cotillard stars in this film about a worker faced with the sack who has a weekend to attempt to persuade her colleagues to take a pay-cut so she can keep her job. Wadjda (Haifaa Al-Mansour 2012) A unique film, made in Saudi Arabia by a female director with a female lead. A girl wants to ride a bike, just like boys do every day and is prepared to stop at nothing to achieve this aim. The Falling (Carol Morley 2014) Made by the director of Memories of a Life, this is an unusual and fascinating tale of an outbreak of fainting in a girls school in the 1950s. War/Children in Film Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata 1988) Powerful animation showing the last days of World War 2 from the viewpoint of 2 Japanese children. Programme above subject to change, as new films are often suggested by members of the Film Group. The film sessions run on the 2 nd Wednesday of each month(oct- Jun) from 1.00-4.00pm. (Film starts 1.30pm) Tea/coffee served. Wribbenhall Community Centre, Shaw Hedge Rd, Bewdley. Contact Tony Flynn(Group Leader) 01299 401158 or tonyzflynn@hotmail.co.uk if you have any suggestions about films you would like included or if you have any articles/reviews for the newsletter. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you have any views on films you have seen? Is so, we would be glad to hear them, however contentious. You can write about a film you saw at the cinema, watched on tv or a film you saw ages ago and either loved or hated. If you are tired of hearing my views on film, why not let us hear yours instead?! Page 6