UKC

Anyone seen this? What did you think?

In reply to Phil1919:

Andrew Scott is mesmerising in an excellent cast. I thought it was beautifully made. I think it's  the director's feature film debut. If so, it's a most impressive one. I guess some might find it a little sentimental but I didn't.

In reply to Phil1919:

I guess it’s horses for courses. I found it unutterably boring and pretentious . I walked out half way through - a pint and a packet of crisps in the Brewery bar was much too appealing. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s run out of  drying paint to watch. Oh, and much of the dialogue was inaudible to anyone of my age.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

I fear you'll regard any film recommendations from me as a warning to avoid... but The Zone of Interest is superb. And it's got subtitles!

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Yes, I'd have to with you on this one Rog. 

In reply to Andy Clarke:

Thanks for the tip!

In reply to Phil1919:

I thought it was very good.

In reply to Andy Clarke:

 It's not Andrew Haigh's feature film debut. 

In reply to Phil1919:

Can't say much about it without doing massive story "spoilers" but ultimately I was left frustrated and disappointed. Doubly so because of the exquisite shooting, period detail, dialogue and acting. It was the concept (or, to briefly be a bit Gordon Stainforth about things, the "conceit") that failed for me. A "trying to be clever whilst being as half-thought-out as The Matrix or Ex Machina, i.e. films that falsely make 13-14 year-olds think they've seen something really philosophical). The themes of All Of Us Strangers deserved better. 

tl:dr - muddled but Claire Foy was (Gary Barlow voice) absolutely fantastic

In reply to Rog Wilko:

How many films and books have you judged based on experiencing only the first half of them, Roger? 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I've looked him up on Wikipedia now. I was obviously getting him confused. Have seen more films than I'm used to lately and ageing brain can't keep up. I thought the premise of the film worked and didn't get the sense that it was trying to be particularly philosophical. But it clearly provokes a wide range of responses. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

And how many films have you watched to the end in some futile hopeless .......... ?

In reply to Maggot:

Exactly the right amount, Maggot, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my oh-so-generous risk-taking approach. Tony Scott’s “Unstoppable”, perhaps ironically, is a recent rare one that I gave up on. 

Futile at face value is being used quite inaccurately in your post but I am respectful enough to assume that you, Maggot, were being quite deliberate with that in an attempt at humour that may have been well intentioned but which you didn’t realise would not translate well via the medium of a forum. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Ha. Quality review. Agree.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Lots! I’m too old to be squandering my time. If a book hasn’t grabbed me in 20 pages I’ll move on, unashamedly. There are many books which I would enjoy but will never get around to reading to be wasting my time on things I dislike. I spent the second half of this film doing something, for me, much more worthwhile.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

I, too, merrily give up on books and films that I am not enjoying. What I don’t do, is post vehemently about how bad they are, because not having completed them, I don’t feel that I’ve earned the right to have such a strong, forceful opinion. I merely say “I just couldn’t get into it”. Some things have a second half that brings the “boring” or “bad” first half into perspective and even (if there a “twist” or at least a “reveal”) renders the badness GOOD. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Maybe we have a different view of “vehemently”, but I think I did say “I found it…” which does allow there’s a possibility that someone else can have valid opinion in another direction.

In reply to Phil1919:

SPOILERS

I absolutely loved this. I went along with no expectations, my girlfriend who is a bit of a review hound had bought us tickets.

Firstly, I'm saddened that this was passed up for any cinematography gongs for one thing as it was near perfect in this respect.

I take Blue Straggler's point that it was a bit confused, maybe too much so relative to its weighty themes, but with double themes of death and growing up homosexual in the 80s I saw not clear intent in delivery and took it to be equally an exercise in magical realism. I'm a sucker for that and thought it succeeded in that respect.

The moment that crystallised that for me when when the boyfriend sees the protagonist's mother in the window during their night visit, which made me think that the parents were not necessarily alive, dead, figments of the imagination or dreams but some other state entirely, which is sort of supported by the parents' characters themselves in that they seem equally confused by the situation. Perhaps what we find out about the boyfriend at the end gives lies to that.

Personally I liked that the reigns on the real world were slackened just enough to suspect belief in this movie - I was definitely reminded of some Borges stuff in this respect.

Great performances all round I thought and as an aside, I wonder how much of the budget went on the four of them, post Fleabag, Aftersun, The Crown etc. For a presumably fairly low budget film, a fair chunk I'd imagine.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Yes, yes, Roger. 

"I’d recommend it to anyone who’s run out of  drying paint to watch"

In reply to Tom Last:

Thank you for that!  I shall read no further.  (It was daft of me to have read this far tbh.)

In reply to Blue Straggler:

That was just a feeble attempt at lighthearted humour.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

“Feeble” feels generous here. If you can’t see that that doesn’t directly read as a vehement opinion, then maybe stop all attempts at lighthearted humour. And that’s not any sort of personal attack. We all have things we are not very good at and sometimes it takes the advice of a helpful kindhearted stranger to convince us to stop doing those things.

Hope that helps

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Change your username to Sunny Yellow Leader? It might cheer you up a bit.

In reply to Lankyman:

I am very, very cheery, thanks. Especially since massively reducing my active interaction on these forums a couple of years ago. On which note, I disembark from this thread and its nonsense “I’ll have the last word” hole-for-oneself digging