Tuesday Night is Film Night is back after a one week hiatus, due to other commitments, a school parents evening to be exact, to discuss GCSE's.
Ironically, 31 years ago I was taking my 'O' Level's and tonight's film, or more precisely, the book from which tonight's film was based, formed part of my 'O' Level studies.
So, it has been a long time in the waiting to actually view the film, based on the book, that caused me so much trouble all those years ago.
Tonight's film was;
To Kill a Mockingbird
Based on the 1961 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee; To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) stars Gregory Peck as the Southern state lawyer Atticus Finch and although, as you all will hopefully know, the story centre's on Finch's defence of a black man wrongly accused of rape, there is so much more to this film than that.
Firstly, the film accurately reflects the story as originally told by Harper Lee. We see the world through the innocent eyes of the young children of the story, Gem and Scout Finch, the son and tom-boy daughter of Atticus. In fact it's Scout who narrates parts of the film, in the form of her older, wiser self.
Secondly, it is an important story to be told and although the book and the film is over 50 years old, the messages transcend time and are as important now as they were then.
Moreover, the layered story gives a richness and fullness to film, possibly more than the book, where the main thread of the narrative following Tom Robinson's defence is counterbalanced with the fascination, and somewhat scary, although sometime humorous fascination of the never seen Boo Radley character. Never seen until the end that is, where he makes an appearance, portrayed by a rather young Robert Duvall.
It is probably not necessary for me to detail further the story, as most of us had to study it for English at school and it should be well known. However, I would suggest that if you never seen the film, but have read the book, then the film is a must-see and one that should grace the shelf of any discerning film buff. Gregory Peck is outstanding, giving one of the finest courtroom scenes ever to grace the screen.
Special note must be paid to Mary Badham (Scout) and Philip Alford (Jem), as they do an outstanding job portraying the Finch children, as it is through their eyes that we see the truth in this tale.
It's a classic film, based a classic book, I just wishI had watched it 31 years ago, it may have helped me pass my English Literature 'O' Level!
The average score in this household is 7 out of 10, but it's a classic, so buy it anyway!
Tuesday 29 January 2013
Tuesday 15 January 2013
The Family Man - 15th January 2013
Tonight we watched a film, that to all intents and purposes should have been viewed over Christmas, but time did not allow. It is not necessarily a Christmas movie per se, but it is festive and has all the correct undertones for a festive feelgood movie, but what is it you may ask? Well, tonight we watched;
The Family Man
Released in 2000, The Family Man stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni in a movie set around Christmas time in New York.
Cage plays Jack Campbell, who we meet at the start of the film, saying his goodbyes to his sweetheart Kate Reynolds (Téa Leoni), as he embarks on what is suggested to be a year in London, however it doesn't turn out that way and after the opening scene, we cut to Jack 13 years later, who is now a very successful and very rich investment broker. Kate is clearly no longer in the picture.
From here we depart from the set up phase of the movie, our characters have been introduced. We have their back stories. And we have their current positions. From this start, we take up the fantasy and somewhat festive life swap scenario, so prevalent in stories of this kind. And that is not such a bad thing, A Christmas Carol being the original and best of this genre.
So a chance meeting, with what turns out to be Jacks' first ghost or his guardian angel, or his inner conscience, or whatever form the initiator of the "life change" takes, if you follow my drift, and we see Jack fall asleep, only to awake in his alternate world, living the life that would have been, if only he had not boarded that aeroplane to London.
So he now lives a life of domestic bliss, married to Kate, with two kids, a dog, a steady job selling tyres and a house in the suburbs of New Jersey.
All Jack has to do, is work out why, how, when and what. Why is there? How does he get back? When does he get back to his 'real life'? And what is his 'real life' anyway?
The Family Man is a really good example of a film of this genre. We see the alternate consequences to decisions that were made years ago. How one decision can make so much of a change in ones' life.
At just over two hours long, it is quite a long film, for this type, but it does fill the story fully and certainly keeps you guessing as to which way Jack and Kate will go. And which is the 'real life' for them?
My only criticism is, the ending was somewhat up in the air, although you can see where they are going to, there was no real closure and it wasn't a definitive answer. Which is a real shame, as up until the last 5 minutes, it was a good, romantic, funny, touching and enjoyable film. It just required one extra closing scene, just to reaffirm the ending. Never-the-less, a really good film, certainly one to watch around Christmas and a really great example of the genre.
I suppose I should round off with a mark out of ten, as is the requirement now! So, we give The Family man; 7 out of 10.
The Family Man
Released in 2000, The Family Man stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni in a movie set around Christmas time in New York.
Cage plays Jack Campbell, who we meet at the start of the film, saying his goodbyes to his sweetheart Kate Reynolds (Téa Leoni), as he embarks on what is suggested to be a year in London, however it doesn't turn out that way and after the opening scene, we cut to Jack 13 years later, who is now a very successful and very rich investment broker. Kate is clearly no longer in the picture.
From here we depart from the set up phase of the movie, our characters have been introduced. We have their back stories. And we have their current positions. From this start, we take up the fantasy and somewhat festive life swap scenario, so prevalent in stories of this kind. And that is not such a bad thing, A Christmas Carol being the original and best of this genre.
So a chance meeting, with what turns out to be Jacks' first ghost or his guardian angel, or his inner conscience, or whatever form the initiator of the "life change" takes, if you follow my drift, and we see Jack fall asleep, only to awake in his alternate world, living the life that would have been, if only he had not boarded that aeroplane to London.
So he now lives a life of domestic bliss, married to Kate, with two kids, a dog, a steady job selling tyres and a house in the suburbs of New Jersey.
All Jack has to do, is work out why, how, when and what. Why is there? How does he get back? When does he get back to his 'real life'? And what is his 'real life' anyway?
The Family Man is a really good example of a film of this genre. We see the alternate consequences to decisions that were made years ago. How one decision can make so much of a change in ones' life.
At just over two hours long, it is quite a long film, for this type, but it does fill the story fully and certainly keeps you guessing as to which way Jack and Kate will go. And which is the 'real life' for them?
My only criticism is, the ending was somewhat up in the air, although you can see where they are going to, there was no real closure and it wasn't a definitive answer. Which is a real shame, as up until the last 5 minutes, it was a good, romantic, funny, touching and enjoyable film. It just required one extra closing scene, just to reaffirm the ending. Never-the-less, a really good film, certainly one to watch around Christmas and a really great example of the genre.
I suppose I should round off with a mark out of ten, as is the requirement now! So, we give The Family man; 7 out of 10.
Tuesday 8 January 2013
Source Code - 8th January 2013
Happy New Year!
Tuesday Night is Film Night returns after the Christmas break and we start the New Year with a new (ish) film, tonight we seek the truth behind the;
Source Code
I could make this review very short and sweet, if you liked Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap, then you'll love Source Code, intrinsically it is the two stories combined.
Basically, Source Code is an action thriller where a soldier wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find out who has planted a bomb on a Chicago commuter train.
Source Code is a top secret programme, where they take the last 8 minutes of someones life, which is retained in memory and with a suitable victim, replay those 8 minutes, again and again until they discover the truth.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Captain Colter Stevens who is an Afghanistan veteran co-opted onto the Source Code programme, to infiltrate the last 8 minutes of the life of another man, who is onboard a Chicago commuter train, trying desperately to find the bomber before the bomb goes off, so 8 minutes get replayed constantly, with subtle differences each time as Captain Stevens gets close to the truth.
The Ground hog day / Quantum Leap reference is fitting, as the scenario is replayed and replayed, until such times that Colter is close to his man. And as in Quantum Leap Colter Stephens takes on the appearance of the stranger on the train.
It is really quite good, there is a lot more to it than what I describe here, but to say too much would spoil the plot and sub plots.
There was a debate about how well it ended in our household, I thought it was well done, others thought it not so good. And as long as you can get past the fantastical premise of reliving the last 8 minutes of someones life, then you will enjoy this film.
Source Code, well worth it.
8 out of 10.
See? I've started putting a rating on films, this will be a great way to close off these blogs.
Well here's to a great year of Tuesday Night is Film Night films.
Tuesday Night is Film Night returns after the Christmas break and we start the New Year with a new (ish) film, tonight we seek the truth behind the;
Source Code
I could make this review very short and sweet, if you liked Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap, then you'll love Source Code, intrinsically it is the two stories combined.
Basically, Source Code is an action thriller where a soldier wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find out who has planted a bomb on a Chicago commuter train.
Source Code is a top secret programme, where they take the last 8 minutes of someones life, which is retained in memory and with a suitable victim, replay those 8 minutes, again and again until they discover the truth.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Captain Colter Stevens who is an Afghanistan veteran co-opted onto the Source Code programme, to infiltrate the last 8 minutes of the life of another man, who is onboard a Chicago commuter train, trying desperately to find the bomber before the bomb goes off, so 8 minutes get replayed constantly, with subtle differences each time as Captain Stevens gets close to the truth.
The Ground hog day / Quantum Leap reference is fitting, as the scenario is replayed and replayed, until such times that Colter is close to his man. And as in Quantum Leap Colter Stephens takes on the appearance of the stranger on the train.
It is really quite good, there is a lot more to it than what I describe here, but to say too much would spoil the plot and sub plots.
There was a debate about how well it ended in our household, I thought it was well done, others thought it not so good. And as long as you can get past the fantastical premise of reliving the last 8 minutes of someones life, then you will enjoy this film.
Source Code, well worth it.
8 out of 10.
See? I've started putting a rating on films, this will be a great way to close off these blogs.
Well here's to a great year of Tuesday Night is Film Night films.
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