- Awards
- 18
I just watched Priscilla (Wife of Elvis as opposed to Queen of the Desert) on the iPlayer and really liked it. This review hits the nail on the head for me:
What was the last film you watched?
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
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- Awards
- 27
SNOW WHITE (2025)
I think the beauty of fairy tales is the creepy wackiness used to convey the message or warning, and no matter how nonsensical it is somehow it just works (if three or four centuries of popular literature is anything to go by).
There have been various modern retellings of the classic fairy tales desperately trying to mould it into something logical and "worthy" of our attention.
Characters are fleshed out with origin and motivation to make them more relatable, and while that usually works fine in any other type of film I think it undermines the otherworldliness of the fairy tale.
This is very much the case with this umpteenth presentation of Snow White And The (Uncredited) Seven Dwarfs.
Right from the very beginning it becomes clear that the selfishly romantic daydream of Snow White '37 is replaced with fairness and righteousness and the global happiness that goes with it.
The King, his new wife and his daughter are all ambitious politicians and despite my previous comments I can understand why they did it.
It makes the story bigger and perhaps they thought it would give the story more raison d'être.
To be perfectly honest, that's exactly what Disney has done with the animated films.
Nobody believed in his Snow White movie adventure but he expanded the universe with all sorts of details to support a feature-length narrative.
From Snow White L to Snow White XXL, as it were.
One thing I really liked about this new interpretation is the constant wordplay on "fair" as in "the fairest one of all". It's quite clever how it underscores the political theme without dismissing its place in the fairy tale.
Rachel Zegler is adorable as Snow White, she's skinny and all mouth and teeth, and I think she's my favourite of the live-action Disney princesses.
(Not Prince) Jonathan - also known as Not Jonathan Princess - is cute and funny and he's basically Flynn Rider. And if it's good enough for Princess Rapunzel....
Gal Gadot's Queen character...oh boy...she's Joan Crawford in Queen Bee (1955).
She's got exactly the same attitude: be a bitch, take everything and never apologise.
I often found her unintentionally hilarious because of all the unconvincing sneering and gloating, and her musical number sucks. BIG time.
She simply doesn't have the vocal talent or diva gravitas to make it look like iconic Disney Villainy.
Jonathan's rebel camp looks particularly uninspired and uncomfortably shoehorned in, what were they thinking.
The dwarfs animation takes some getting used to but when all is said and done, the best musical act is the fantastic update of Whistle While You Work that takes place inside the dwarfs cottage.
The Snow White/Jonathan duet Princess Problems is also entertaining but the rest of the soundtrack is mediocre imo.
IMDB also credits the classic Someday My Prince Will Come but somehow I must have missed that one.
It's very unlikely that I'm going to revisit this much talked-about version of Snow White, but I feel the same about the other Disney live-action remakes (except Jungle Book, that's awesome).
6/10
I think the beauty of fairy tales is the creepy wackiness used to convey the message or warning, and no matter how nonsensical it is somehow it just works (if three or four centuries of popular literature is anything to go by).
There have been various modern retellings of the classic fairy tales desperately trying to mould it into something logical and "worthy" of our attention.
Characters are fleshed out with origin and motivation to make them more relatable, and while that usually works fine in any other type of film I think it undermines the otherworldliness of the fairy tale.
This is very much the case with this umpteenth presentation of Snow White And The (Uncredited) Seven Dwarfs.
Right from the very beginning it becomes clear that the selfishly romantic daydream of Snow White '37 is replaced with fairness and righteousness and the global happiness that goes with it.
The King, his new wife and his daughter are all ambitious politicians and despite my previous comments I can understand why they did it.
It makes the story bigger and perhaps they thought it would give the story more raison d'être.
To be perfectly honest, that's exactly what Disney has done with the animated films.
Nobody believed in his Snow White movie adventure but he expanded the universe with all sorts of details to support a feature-length narrative.
From Snow White L to Snow White XXL, as it were.
One thing I really liked about this new interpretation is the constant wordplay on "fair" as in "the fairest one of all". It's quite clever how it underscores the political theme without dismissing its place in the fairy tale.
Rachel Zegler is adorable as Snow White, she's skinny and all mouth and teeth, and I think she's my favourite of the live-action Disney princesses.
(Not Prince) Jonathan - also known as Not Jonathan Princess - is cute and funny and he's basically Flynn Rider. And if it's good enough for Princess Rapunzel....
Gal Gadot's Queen character...oh boy...she's Joan Crawford in Queen Bee (1955).
She's got exactly the same attitude: be a bitch, take everything and never apologise.
I often found her unintentionally hilarious because of all the unconvincing sneering and gloating, and her musical number sucks. BIG time.
She simply doesn't have the vocal talent or diva gravitas to make it look like iconic Disney Villainy.
Jonathan's rebel camp looks particularly uninspired and uncomfortably shoehorned in, what were they thinking.
The dwarfs animation takes some getting used to but when all is said and done, the best musical act is the fantastic update of Whistle While You Work that takes place inside the dwarfs cottage.
The Snow White/Jonathan duet Princess Problems is also entertaining but the rest of the soundtrack is mediocre imo.
IMDB also credits the classic Someday My Prince Will Come but somehow I must have missed that one.
It's very unlikely that I'm going to revisit this much talked-about version of Snow White, but I feel the same about the other Disney live-action remakes (except Jungle Book, that's awesome).
6/10
- Awards
- 27
STAN & OLLIE (2018)
The motivation was the novelty of watching actors playing Laurel & Hardy, but 5 minutes into the film I realised I could have watched that on youtube (the trailer, or a few scenes).
Also, because it's about them it's not a traditional Laurel & Hardy comedy, and I wondered if I had made the wrong choice.
But as the film progressed I started to love it more and more and I also realised that I didn't know very much about them.
The dramatised events of their theatre tour in the UK and Ireland in anticipation of a movie comeback look elegantly sentimental, and the actors (including the actresses as the wives) are delightful to watch.
The end credits show various scenes and pictures of the real Laurel and Hardy and I almost didn't recognise them because I thought they were supposed to look like Steve Coogan and John Reilly.
Only goes to show the power of movie illusion.
One downside: it feels kind of frustrating that the Robin Hood/Rob 'M Good film was never made (but there are some spoilers anyway!)
The motivation was the novelty of watching actors playing Laurel & Hardy, but 5 minutes into the film I realised I could have watched that on youtube (the trailer, or a few scenes).
Also, because it's about them it's not a traditional Laurel & Hardy comedy, and I wondered if I had made the wrong choice.
But as the film progressed I started to love it more and more and I also realised that I didn't know very much about them.
The dramatised events of their theatre tour in the UK and Ireland in anticipation of a movie comeback look elegantly sentimental, and the actors (including the actresses as the wives) are delightful to watch.
The end credits show various scenes and pictures of the real Laurel and Hardy and I almost didn't recognise them because I thought they were supposed to look like Steve Coogan and John Reilly.
Only goes to show the power of movie illusion.
One downside: it feels kind of frustrating that the Robin Hood/Rob 'M Good film was never made (but there are some spoilers anyway!)
- Awards
- 27
LAROY, TEXAS (2023)
I clicked on the intriguing prime thumbnail without knowing anything about it, and then the very uncomfortable hitchhiker opening scene proved that I had stumbled on a real gem.
I'm a total sucker for dust bowl small-town drama and Laroy, Texas delivers in spades.
It doesn't take long to see where the inspiration for this film came from and this comparison inevitably raises the expectations.
The intricate story of deceit, gullibility, twists and misinterpretations is very well done, but when it comes to character and atmosphere it misses a few beats here and there.
Humorous or dramatic timing, especially in character conversation, has to be one of the most difficult things to achieve in film and in that regard there's nothing in Laroy, Texas that really pops.
Some characters are kinda bland: the sister-in-law, the LaDoux thugs, the blackmail stripper and even the hitman (save for the opening scene).
The ending is very satisfying and there are some touching moments in it.
It's an almost-great movie with a very pleasant score, and a B-version of FARGO is better than no FARGO at all.
I clicked on the intriguing prime thumbnail without knowing anything about it, and then the very uncomfortable hitchhiker opening scene proved that I had stumbled on a real gem.
I'm a total sucker for dust bowl small-town drama and Laroy, Texas delivers in spades.
It doesn't take long to see where the inspiration for this film came from and this comparison inevitably raises the expectations.
The intricate story of deceit, gullibility, twists and misinterpretations is very well done, but when it comes to character and atmosphere it misses a few beats here and there.
Humorous or dramatic timing, especially in character conversation, has to be one of the most difficult things to achieve in film and in that regard there's nothing in Laroy, Texas that really pops.
Some characters are kinda bland: the sister-in-law, the LaDoux thugs, the blackmail stripper and even the hitman (save for the opening scene).
The ending is very satisfying and there are some touching moments in it.
It's an almost-great movie with a very pleasant score, and a B-version of FARGO is better than no FARGO at all.
- Awards
- 20
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
This is one film that lives up to its name - not the "story" part, the "weird" part.
Just as Al made his name with song parodies, this is a biopic parody - similar to Spinal Tap but made even weirder by the fact that the central characters are real people who just didn't do these things . . . or did they?
This is one film that lives up to its name - not the "story" part, the "weird" part.
Just as Al made his name with song parodies, this is a biopic parody - similar to Spinal Tap but made even weirder by the fact that the central characters are real people who just didn't do these things . . . or did they?
- Awards
- 27
COMPANION (2025)
This film almost looks like a sequel to EX MACHINA or the brilliant BLACK MIRROR episode "Be Right Back", but it offers a unique angle that gives the viewer something to chew on. It's non-stop thrilling and entertaining with lots of funny details in it, and I was a little bit disappointed that it ended (but maybe that's how it should feel when a film doesn't show more than it needs to do).
There's one moment in the story (not even a big moment) that took me by surprise. More clever people will spot it before it happens but to me it was a "oh!" thing.
Jack Quaid looks just as mean as his daddy and I want him so bad in a DALLAS style drama series.
This film almost looks like a sequel to EX MACHINA or the brilliant BLACK MIRROR episode "Be Right Back", but it offers a unique angle that gives the viewer something to chew on. It's non-stop thrilling and entertaining with lots of funny details in it, and I was a little bit disappointed that it ended (but maybe that's how it should feel when a film doesn't show more than it needs to do).
There's one moment in the story (not even a big moment) that took me by surprise. More clever people will spot it before it happens but to me it was a "oh!" thing.
Jack Quaid looks just as mean as his daddy and I want him so bad in a DALLAS style drama series.
- Awards
- 44
Frozen (2010)
This isn't a film I was aware of before last night. I added it to my watchlist along with a few others and opted to watch it simply because it wasn't overlong and didn't look too challenging.
The overall vibe was of a decent TV movie. There's an intimacy and the performances are decent, and much of the film rides on this (it stars Iceman from the X-Men and Emma Brown/Ryland from NuDallas who gets an "And introducing...." credit here). This air also meant my expectations were in check so that I could be pleasantly surprised (well, unpleasantly, really, given some of the scenarios here).
On the surface, the premise is a simple one: three young people are trapped in a chairlift, overlooked and forgotten as the ski resort closes down for the week. The "I can't believe they forgot us" element reminded me very much of Open Water, and I suppose is a key element of a number of such survival films. Plenty of mileage is gained from the incredulity that follows the realisation. Then comes the decision to take risks or freeze to death. And the subjectivity of the direction really sells the underlying horror of such unpleasant choices. Scenes are also long and dialogue-heavy, which adds to the sense of entrapment. Almost as much as for the characters, there's no relief for the audience.
For all its intimacy and perceived simplicity, the situation is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to milking tension, unnerving or creating horrific moments, and no fear or phobia is left unexplored. We're at a great height. In the dark. Freezing. Isolated and far from anyone in an overwhelmingly huge open space (despite its beautiful-on-paper location, there's actually very little to look at in this film. All we see in the grey gloom are trees, snow and other empty chairlifts. It quickly becomes oppressive which works wonderfully to create a sense of claustrophobia). In a rickety chair (in the film's latter stages, much is made out of a bolt working its way loose, which is imagery that's been seen in everything from Seventies disaster movies to the Final Destination series). Later comes the threat of predation and being eaten alive (one specific scene as the chair's occupants scream in horror while trying to avoid seeing and hearing such a thing happening feels lifted almost directly from 2007's Black Water) , and there's also much body horror with graphic detail of frostbite and broken limbs with protruding bones (according to Wikipedia, there were numerous faintings at Sundance, but I'm glad I didn't know this beforehand as it would have oversold the film to me and I might have been mildly disappointed that I remained conscious throughout).
And just in case you're not convinced this film has everything, I ask you: where else can you see Emma Bell sobbing with angst whilst simultaneously peeing onto her chair?
It's not a perfect film. That "made for TV" vibe was never quite shaken (though that's not necessarily a bad thing), and the dialogue is occasionally a little iffy and at times just a little too earnest. It's also (presumably) unintentionally funny at times, such as the moment where there's a guttural, chilling wolf howl echoing round and the girl calls out to her boyfriend to ask if that was him. Still, the sincerity also proves to be an asset and there were moments of reflection or pain that I found genuinely touching. Death actually means something to others in this film, and that's pretty important.
This isn't a film I was aware of before last night. I added it to my watchlist along with a few others and opted to watch it simply because it wasn't overlong and didn't look too challenging.
The overall vibe was of a decent TV movie. There's an intimacy and the performances are decent, and much of the film rides on this (it stars Iceman from the X-Men and Emma Brown/Ryland from NuDallas who gets an "And introducing...." credit here). This air also meant my expectations were in check so that I could be pleasantly surprised (well, unpleasantly, really, given some of the scenarios here).
On the surface, the premise is a simple one: three young people are trapped in a chairlift, overlooked and forgotten as the ski resort closes down for the week. The "I can't believe they forgot us" element reminded me very much of Open Water, and I suppose is a key element of a number of such survival films. Plenty of mileage is gained from the incredulity that follows the realisation. Then comes the decision to take risks or freeze to death. And the subjectivity of the direction really sells the underlying horror of such unpleasant choices. Scenes are also long and dialogue-heavy, which adds to the sense of entrapment. Almost as much as for the characters, there's no relief for the audience.
For all its intimacy and perceived simplicity, the situation is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to milking tension, unnerving or creating horrific moments, and no fear or phobia is left unexplored. We're at a great height. In the dark. Freezing. Isolated and far from anyone in an overwhelmingly huge open space (despite its beautiful-on-paper location, there's actually very little to look at in this film. All we see in the grey gloom are trees, snow and other empty chairlifts. It quickly becomes oppressive which works wonderfully to create a sense of claustrophobia). In a rickety chair (in the film's latter stages, much is made out of a bolt working its way loose, which is imagery that's been seen in everything from Seventies disaster movies to the Final Destination series). Later comes the threat of predation and being eaten alive (one specific scene as the chair's occupants scream in horror while trying to avoid seeing and hearing such a thing happening feels lifted almost directly from 2007's Black Water) , and there's also much body horror with graphic detail of frostbite and broken limbs with protruding bones (according to Wikipedia, there were numerous faintings at Sundance, but I'm glad I didn't know this beforehand as it would have oversold the film to me and I might have been mildly disappointed that I remained conscious throughout).
And just in case you're not convinced this film has everything, I ask you: where else can you see Emma Bell sobbing with angst whilst simultaneously peeing onto her chair?
It's not a perfect film. That "made for TV" vibe was never quite shaken (though that's not necessarily a bad thing), and the dialogue is occasionally a little iffy and at times just a little too earnest. It's also (presumably) unintentionally funny at times, such as the moment where there's a guttural, chilling wolf howl echoing round and the girl calls out to her boyfriend to ask if that was him. Still, the sincerity also proves to be an asset and there were moments of reflection or pain that I found genuinely touching. Death actually means something to others in this film, and that's pretty important.
- Awards
- 27
Just reading about the inescapable coldness almost takes its toll on my bladder.
Shame it's not a musical because Emma Bell can also sing a tune.
- Awards
- 21
Frozen (2010)
This isn't a film I was aware of before last night. I added it to my watchlist along with a few others and opted to watch it simply because it wasn't overlong and didn't look too challenging.
The overall vibe was of a decent TV movie. There's an intimacy and the performances are decent, and much of the film rides on this (it stars Iceman from the X-Men and Emma Brown/Ryland from NuDallas who gets an "And introducing...." credit here). This air also meant my expectations were in check so that I could be pleasantly surprised (well, unpleasantly, really, given some of the scenarios here).
On the surface, the premise is a simple one: three young people are trapped in a chairlift, overlooked and forgotten as the ski resort closes down for the week. The "I can't believe they forgot us" element reminded me very much of Open Water, and I suppose is a key element of a number of such survival films. Plenty of mileage is gained from the incredulity that follows the realisation. Then comes the decision to take risks or freeze to death. And the subjectivity of the direction really sells the underlying horror of such unpleasant choices. Scenes are also long and dialogue-heavy, which adds to the sense of entrapment. Almost as much as for the characters, there's no relief for the audience.
For all its intimacy and perceived simplicity, the situation is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to milking tension, unnerving or creating horrific moments, and no fear or phobia is left unexplored. We're at a great height. In the dark. Freezing. Isolated and far from anyone in an overwhelmingly huge open space (despite its beautiful-on-paper location, there's actually very little to look at in this film. All we see in the grey gloom are trees, snow and other empty chairlifts. It quickly becomes oppressive which works wonderfully to create a sense of claustrophobia). In a rickety chair (in the film's latter stages, much is made out of a bolt working its way loose, which is imagery that's been seen in everything from Seventies disaster movies to the Final Destination series). Later comes the threat of predation and being eaten alive (one specific scene as the chair's occupants scream in horror while trying to avoid seeing and hearing such a thing happening feels lifted almost directly from 2007's Black Water) , and there's also much body horror with graphic detail of frostbite and broken limbs with protruding bones (according to Wikipedia, there were numerous faintings at Sundance, but I'm glad I didn't know this beforehand as it would have oversold the film to me and I might have been mildly disappointed that I remained conscious throughout).
And just in case you're not convinced this film has everything, I ask you: where else can you see Emma Bell sobbing with angst whilst simultaneously peeing onto her chair?
It's not a perfect film. That "made for TV" vibe was never quite shaken (though that's not necessarily a bad thing), and the dialogue is occasionally a little iffy and at times just a little too earnest. It's also (presumably) unintentionally funny at times, such as the moment where there's a guttural, chilling wolf howl echoing round and the girl calls out to her boyfriend to ask if that was him. Still, the sincerity also proves to be an asset and there were moments of reflection or pain that I found genuinely touching. Death actually means something to others in this film, and that's pretty important.
A lot of people seemed to have a real problem with the film -- do you have any analysis as the why that might be? I'm curious, as I never saw it.
- Awards
- 44
With songs from the other Frozen, perhaps? Let It Go could certainly have taken on a new meaning for the pee close-up.
The plot is fairly simple and we spend a lot of time with a very small number of characters in dialogue-heavy scenes. It's probably not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and if one has a problem with any of the performers or characters it's probably going to be a dealbreaker since there's no getting away from them.
On a different level, some might find it irksome that
the two guys took all the risks and ended up perishing, while the "final girl" survived having done nothing particularly brave or heroic.
For me, it was no worse than most of its genre, and better than a number of them, but it helped that I had no expectation or pre-knowledge of the film.
- Awards
- 27
MAY DECEMBER (2023)
A rewatch, but not because I had forgotten about the story or characters.
The film masterfully manipulates the viewer's perception, and this sort of mirrors the tabloid background story about an incestuous romance that nevertheless resulted in a lasting marriage, including three children.
What does "wrong" mean when it no longer matters, or is all not what it seems?
Initially, I feel I'm siding with Natalie Portman's character (Elizabeth), the actress who's going to play the controversial wife and mother (Gracie) played by Julianne Moore.
The fact that the family has agreed to see their story being told in a LifeTime biopic movie in the hope to improve their public image creates a somewhat negative starting point for all the characters.
They're definitely not the fame for fame's sake kind of people and that makes Elizabeth look like the intruder who has to walk on eggshells in order to get the job done.
It just so happens that the life of the infamously married couple is rapidly moving towards a state of crossroads.
Without the children around there's no longer a family to protect, and Gracie and Joe are basically back to being "that" couple, except that there's 15+ years missing. And Joe is going to feel it, in a terrific performance by Charles Melton.
Throughout the whole film you can sense his feeling of not-belonging, forever stuck between two generations, and also the lack of confidence to express those feelings because it seemingly doesn't matter anymore.
The layers get peeled off thanks to Elizabeth's relentless character investigation, but this also happens at the expense of her own image.
Elizabeth takes herself very very seriously, and as the story progresses she starts to show a judgmental and patronising attitude and there are even hints of jealousy because Gracie has it all: the hunk and the family - no, two families.
There's something very unpleasant and terrifying about the ambitious actress, and it's done so well that I almost couldn't seperate it from the real actress, Natalie Portman.
Gracie seems to hide her manipulative personality behind an aura of naivety, and during the final interaction between her and Elizabeth it looks like she got the upper hand.
Only to have it retaliated by the biopic movie itself, since it's clearly becoming an attention-grabbing tabloid schlocker.
Elizabeth, current TV star in a Grey's Anatomy kind of show, still believes she's become part of something important.
May December is a psychological, modern-day Grande Dame Guignol mixed with dark comedy dysfunctional family drama, how can you not love it.
The Go-Between film score works fine here, but performed at a lower volume would have been preferable.
The first time I watched this film I had no idea it was partially based on the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, but I'm not sure if it makes any difference.
A rewatch, but not because I had forgotten about the story or characters.
The film masterfully manipulates the viewer's perception, and this sort of mirrors the tabloid background story about an incestuous romance that nevertheless resulted in a lasting marriage, including three children.
What does "wrong" mean when it no longer matters, or is all not what it seems?
Initially, I feel I'm siding with Natalie Portman's character (Elizabeth), the actress who's going to play the controversial wife and mother (Gracie) played by Julianne Moore.
The fact that the family has agreed to see their story being told in a LifeTime biopic movie in the hope to improve their public image creates a somewhat negative starting point for all the characters.
They're definitely not the fame for fame's sake kind of people and that makes Elizabeth look like the intruder who has to walk on eggshells in order to get the job done.
It just so happens that the life of the infamously married couple is rapidly moving towards a state of crossroads.
Without the children around there's no longer a family to protect, and Gracie and Joe are basically back to being "that" couple, except that there's 15+ years missing. And Joe is going to feel it, in a terrific performance by Charles Melton.
Throughout the whole film you can sense his feeling of not-belonging, forever stuck between two generations, and also the lack of confidence to express those feelings because it seemingly doesn't matter anymore.
The layers get peeled off thanks to Elizabeth's relentless character investigation, but this also happens at the expense of her own image.
Elizabeth takes herself very very seriously, and as the story progresses she starts to show a judgmental and patronising attitude and there are even hints of jealousy because Gracie has it all: the hunk and the family - no, two families.
There's something very unpleasant and terrifying about the ambitious actress, and it's done so well that I almost couldn't seperate it from the real actress, Natalie Portman.
Gracie seems to hide her manipulative personality behind an aura of naivety, and during the final interaction between her and Elizabeth it looks like she got the upper hand.
Only to have it retaliated by the biopic movie itself, since it's clearly becoming an attention-grabbing tabloid schlocker.
Elizabeth, current TV star in a Grey's Anatomy kind of show, still believes she's become part of something important.
May December is a psychological, modern-day Grande Dame Guignol mixed with dark comedy dysfunctional family drama, how can you not love it.
The Go-Between film score works fine here, but performed at a lower volume would have been preferable.
The first time I watched this film I had no idea it was partially based on the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, but I'm not sure if it makes any difference.
As in "having a real problem with The Godfather Part III but also Frozen (2010)" ?
- Awards
- 21
Explain. If you feel like doing so.
- Awards
- 27
It seems you need a lot of explaining today. But why is that?
- Awards
- 21
Maybe you can tell me...?
- Awards
- 27
I can tell you nothing, I'm just The Editor.
- Awards
- 21
But... what are you editing?
- Awards
- 27
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY (1971)
It tells the story of a love triangle between a woman and a homosexual man and their bisexual, younger lover.
It's a rather bleak and uneventful psychological character drama and mostly devoid of humour, but I also found it spellbinding and even somewhat unnerving to watch.
The film's outstanding direction and photography takes a lot of credit for that, and the influence of New Wave cinema is still very much felt in many scenes.
The story of the main characters unravels very slowly and I'm not going to lie, I was aware of its nearly two hours running time.
That love story is generously interspersed with all sorts of vignette-style scenes and characters - sometimes in an abrupt and intrusive way - and it helps preventing the film from becoming stale. You never know what's going to happen next and in that regard there's also a little bit of "Robert Altman" in it, especially in the way certain scenes are set up from unusual angles which seamlessly blends the background with the story's centre stage.
As for the psychological drama, there is some bitter irony in losing what was already a compromise to begin with, although the woman (Glenda Jackson) and the man (Peter Finch) experience it in a different way.
I guess it makes sense that a Jewish homosexual doctor would lower his expecations regarding a perfectly fulfilling lovelife, and the woman had convinced herself to believe in the compromise because she has no idea what to do with her life.
This is somewhat underscored by radio news reports of England's economical crisis (though I think it would be more informative to tell the public when there isn't a crisis going on).
When the young artist (Murray "One Night In Bangkok" Head) makes a big decision for his lovers it forces them to re-evaluate the situation. Interestingly, it's only then when I realised how much emotionally invested I was in this story, and that's also my only gripe with this film: I wish I had been more aware of that when all of it was happening right under my very nose.
On the other hand, that could have made film look spoiler-ish and predictable.
Fans of seventies vintage will be spoilt, there are plenty of "what the hell is that" props, and yet I wouldn't say that the film looks particularly dated.
I guess it doesn't hurt that I've watched the Criterion restored high-definition version.
These sort of unexpected or seemingly unrelated events weren't uncommon in seventies dramas (just think of the catfight in Get Carter) and it's really fascinating to watch.
Incidentally, I couldn't figure out what the connection between the main characters and the progressive family-with-kids was. They seem like the most unlikely friends. There's also a black professor or activist typing away his speeches in the family's kitchen, and combined with the scene of pot-smoking toddlers it reminded me that the hippie culture hadn't died out yet.
It's a fabulous time capsule but not the kind of film that's going to entertain everybody.
It tells the story of a love triangle between a woman and a homosexual man and their bisexual, younger lover.
It's a rather bleak and uneventful psychological character drama and mostly devoid of humour, but I also found it spellbinding and even somewhat unnerving to watch.
The film's outstanding direction and photography takes a lot of credit for that, and the influence of New Wave cinema is still very much felt in many scenes.
The story of the main characters unravels very slowly and I'm not going to lie, I was aware of its nearly two hours running time.
That love story is generously interspersed with all sorts of vignette-style scenes and characters - sometimes in an abrupt and intrusive way - and it helps preventing the film from becoming stale. You never know what's going to happen next and in that regard there's also a little bit of "Robert Altman" in it, especially in the way certain scenes are set up from unusual angles which seamlessly blends the background with the story's centre stage.
As for the psychological drama, there is some bitter irony in losing what was already a compromise to begin with, although the woman (Glenda Jackson) and the man (Peter Finch) experience it in a different way.
I guess it makes sense that a Jewish homosexual doctor would lower his expecations regarding a perfectly fulfilling lovelife, and the woman had convinced herself to believe in the compromise because she has no idea what to do with her life.
This is somewhat underscored by radio news reports of England's economical crisis (though I think it would be more informative to tell the public when there isn't a crisis going on).
When the young artist (Murray "One Night In Bangkok" Head) makes a big decision for his lovers it forces them to re-evaluate the situation. Interestingly, it's only then when I realised how much emotionally invested I was in this story, and that's also my only gripe with this film: I wish I had been more aware of that when all of it was happening right under my very nose.
On the other hand, that could have made film look spoiler-ish and predictable.
Fans of seventies vintage will be spoilt, there are plenty of "what the hell is that" props, and yet I wouldn't say that the film looks particularly dated.
I guess it doesn't hurt that I've watched the Criterion restored high-definition version.
This refers to a scene in wich a "Tanya Turner" type and her husband gatecrash a friends get-together. A domestic argument erupts out of the blue but the other guests seem to be familiar with it, hence the "old tits" reference.
These sort of unexpected or seemingly unrelated events weren't uncommon in seventies dramas (just think of the catfight in Get Carter) and it's really fascinating to watch.
Incidentally, I couldn't figure out what the connection between the main characters and the progressive family-with-kids was. They seem like the most unlikely friends. There's also a black professor or activist typing away his speeches in the family's kitchen, and combined with the scene of pot-smoking toddlers it reminded me that the hippie culture hadn't died out yet.
It's a fabulous time capsule but not the kind of film that's going to entertain everybody.
- Awards
- 44
Fall (2022)
Cut to me watching the film, and simultaneously asking why I would do that to myself.
Honestly, though, I wanted to watch it. I even sought it out. When I watched Frozen last week it's because Fall was still pay per view on Prime (something I always resent doing when I pay for the service anyway). Then, last night, I realised Fall was on iPlayer, ad-free and rent-free. How could I not?
I agree with this 100%. I kept having physical reactions. Not only was my heart racing and my palms sweating, I found my stomach churning occasionally. And the funny thing is, it's not always the shots I would expect to do it. Many of the overhead shots were quite terrifying, but it was all so subjective I felt as though I was there with them, and out of nowhere there would be a wave of anxiety at the realisation of where they were. Even when the height wasn't being shown, I felt sickened just by knowing we might be shown it at any time.
I thought the best element was the suspense. We know what could happen, and it invariably does, but each time a character suggested something risky, I found myself getting really anxious at the thought of what we were about to be put through.
I lost count of the times I turned my head away and curled towards the back of the sofa, or uttered foul expletives at the screen over the ordeal worsening and the fact that I was now stuck in it... because I needed to find out what would happen.
My main mixed feelings were over the sub-plots. I understand the recovering from trauma angle, which increases the stakes (the fact that the lead character is afraid of climbing after an incident where they watched someone fall to their death is lifted straight from Hitchcock's Vertigo). But the plot with the significance of the tattoo (1-4-3) felt too soapy and risked diluting things. There's already enough drama going on, and I don't feel the film particularly needed this.
When done well, this "mimimalist" kind of survival film is really impressive for continuing to build the stress and ratchet up the anxiety. Half an hour into the film, I began to think that watching them go up the tower might be the most difficult part. But it kept getting worse and worse and worse.
Last night, when things got bad, I kept counting my blessings that I wasn't watching this on a huge IMAX screen in 3D (and in public, to boot).
One little detail I noticed last night was the apparent sunburn on the lead character's face as the film went on. But yes, I'm surprised it wasn't much more serious given the location.
I was curious about this last night and found this on Wikipedia, citing the source as the "Making Of" on the Blu-ray: