Larry Crowne - 30th December 2014

Christmas is nearly over and the new year is just creeping around the corner and here at Tuesday Night is Film Night it is business as usual. The festive films have been put away for another year and we're back to the old routine. Tonight we are out to discover all about;

Larry Crowne

Larry Crowne is a Tom Hanks movie and not to put it under pressure but we here at TNiFN Towers have not seen a bad Tom Hanks film. So does Larry Crowne live up to the heady heights of the Tom Hanks pedestal of movie greatness? Let us find out.

Larry Crowne is the title of the film and the name of the character played by Tom Hanks, who also co-wrote the storyline and produced the film. Crowne is the amenable staff member who works at the local U-Mart store. He never went to college, instead went straight into the Navy and after spending twenty years serving his country, as well as the sailors, since he was just a cook, he went onto the U-Mart. Unfortunately his glittering sales assistant career is cut short, when the affable Crowne is down-sized, essentially fired. Which comes at a bad time, as he has just bought out his ex-wife's half of the marital home and so he is in debt and really needs the job. The reasoning behind the firing was that Larry had no college qualifications, so would have no future with the company.

So he decides to go back to college, gain some qualifications and find a job.

That all sounds very simple and not really a tantalising prospect for a film, but the beauty of this film is its simplicity. There are no overtly complicated plot twists, no minor details of apparent insignificance that resurface later with massive consequences. It is just Larry enrolling in a college course and then falling in love with his tutor.

Oh. Did I not mention the tutor? Mrs Mercedes Tainot is teaching "Speech 217: The Art of Informal Remarks". Tainot is played by the absolutely fantastic Julia Roberts and she is sublime as the college tutor, who is far too close to the recreational rum bottle and not very close to her work shy husband.

When Larry hits college, as a mature student, he clearly shows his age, but forms an unlikely friendship with a younger student called Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who makes it her mission to restyle Larry to fit in with the in-crowd, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend.

That's about it really, there is not much plot, but there doesn't need to be as the film explores the juxtaposition between the old and new Larry, along with the relationships he has with his neighbour, his college peers, his work colleagues and of course his college tutor. Intrinsically it's a journey through the vagaries of college life played out by Larry, his fellow students and his tutor. Look out for some brilliant pieces by George Takei who plays an Economics professor, another course that Larry has enrolled for.

Larry Crowne is partly a feelgood film, partly a romantic comedy and partly a dramatic comedy. It is short, sweet and innocent which could have been a recipe for disaster if it wasn't for Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts. Roberts just shines through the screen, her broad smile could melt the coldest heart and her warmth of character resonates superbly with the Hanks played Crowne. A delicious chemistry is produced when both share the screen and you can sense an electricity between the pairing, albeit in a low key scene. Any other actors would probably not have produced the goods, but here the Roberts and Hanks combination seems to fill the screen with a palpable, organic dynamic which conveys this simply spun story into a beautifully knitted piece which can delight a perceptive audience.

Reading the reviews, it didn't get received very well. A 6.0 rating on IMDB and only grossing $13 million on it's opening weekend in the USA. Compare that to Captain Phillips which grossed twice as much in it's opening weekend. Also, if you pop across to Rotten Tomatoes another film site, that might get a bigger audience than this one, Larry Crowne is dwindling with a rating of 35%. Either way Larry Crowne is a film that you need to make your own mind up on. We thought it was a whimsical jaunt, through a simplistic plot, portrayed by a superb cast, which kept us entertained for the full 98 minutes. It also had a superlative soundtrack with songs arranged by James Newton-Howard, that complimented the on screen action with a subtle nuance and a deft poignancy that added another layer of shine to an already sparkling example of filmography.

We liked it. Happy New Year to both of loyal readers!!

TNiFN Rating 83%

IMDB Link

Surviving Christmas - 23rd December 2014

So here we are, we have reached another festive film finale here at TNiFN Towers. We have already been to the cinema to see Nativity 3, but we round off our Christmas movies with;

Surviving Christmas

Well Nativity 3 was a little disappointing to be honest, so we were hoping that Surviving Christmas would make up for the earlier mediocre offering. It certainly looked like it would be good judging by the trailer and starring Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini what could go wrong?

Affleck plays the millionaire advertising executive Drew Latham. Latham is at odds with his fiance as she has never met his family and cites this as a lack of commitment. Drew never talks of his family and says he certainly does not want to spend Christmas with them, this causes a split in the relationship, so Drew goes off to fight his Christmas demons and ends up back at his childhood home, to try to recapture the memories of Christmases past.

This is when the trouble starts.

James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara play Tom and Christine Valco who now live in Drew's childhood home with their family and they discover the somewhat bemused Drew on their drive, a big clout with a snow shovel later and Drew is recovering in the house. (You'll have to watch it to fill in the gaps in this synopsis!)

This is when Drew dreams up this farcical notion that he can 'adopt' the Valco family for Christmas, to relive and revive his thoughts of Christmas. And so we are then taken upon a journey with a reluctant family lured in by financial reward from Drew and a rather eager eccentric intent on going back to when Christmas was fun.

As a story it had all the promises of something worthy of a film, but even though we had the delights of Affleck and Gandolfini as the lead characters, it was somewhat lacking in substance. The comedy was fine, but not sufficient. The absurdity of the situation, somewhat overshadowed the story and not sufficient effort was put in to make this a great film, it only just scrapes in as a good one. Don't get us wrong, it was entertaining, it was funny, at times it was romantic, at times it was heart warming, but at Christmas you need to turn these up to the maximum, Surviving Christmas didn't quite get the temperature right.

TNiFN Rating 53%

And there we have it, another festive film rundown complete and it only remains for us to say; thank you so much for stopping by and reading the blogs and supporting our little film night. It is just our attempt to spend some time together and be entertained and then pass that onto you via the blogs.

So Merry Christmas and here's to a happy 2015 and more films!

IMDB Link

Scrooged - 16th December 2014

The penultimate Tuesday Night is Festive Film Night before the big day, turns back the Christmas clock to 1988, as we sit back to watch and enjoy; 

Scrooged

As a modern spin on A Christmas Carol, Scrooged is up there amongst the best. Bill Murray is absolutely sublime as the power crazy TV executive;Frank Cross who is determined to win the ratings war over Christmas with his live screening of A Christmas Carol, using whatever methods he can. That is until he is visited by the obligatory three ghosts.

There are so many great aspects to this film, firstly there is a magnificent cast. Bill Murray obviously, but you have the likes of Robert Mitchum, John Forsythe, the very squeaky Bobcat Goldthwait, Jamie Farr, Robert Goulet, Lee Majors and John Houseman to name but a few, although some may only have cameo appearances, they certainly add to the glamour. Notable performances apart from the brilliant Murray, are the lovely Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present, who provides a playful, albeit rough time for Frank Cross. David Johansen is the Ghost of Christmas Past and plays it as a crazy time travelling taxi driver, taking Frank back through his early years. Interestingly, both Carol Kane and David Johansen appeared in the 2008 festive film Four Christmases.

On to the love interest for Frank and we have the cute Karen Allen playing Claire Phillips, who gets unceremoniously shunned by Frank and decides to take a caring approach to life, which is the complete juxtaposition to Frank's heartless route to fame and fortune.

One more actress of note to make the story complete, is the long suffering secretary to Frank Cross; Grace Cooley played by  Alfre Woodard. This is an essential character for the storyline, as Grace's son has not spoken for years, so therefore supplies a great opportunity for a miraculous finale.

Even though the film is 26 years old, the special effects used are not dated at all and add another layer to the film, especially in the early sequences with the very dead Lew Hayward (John Forsythe). Also special note should go to Bobcat Goldthwait as the hapless Eliot Loudermilk who returns to seek revenge after being fired by Frank Cross.

All in all Scrooged is a great seasonal favourite, it is funny, scary, frantic, touching, irreverent and has that feelgood factor akin to that of its inspiration; A Christmas Carol, that will make the festive season just that little bit more cheery.

In the unlikely event that you haven't seen Scrooged, then make it your aim to watch it if you can, you will not be disappointed. Although some comments here at TNiFN Towers suggest that it is not the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Well that certainly is true, the Alastair Sim version of 1951 is the best in the traditional sense and The Muppet Christmas Carol is the best in the comedic sense. However, we would like to suggest that Scrooged is a close third to these iconic movies. Muppets? Iconic? Well, maybe.

As for the ratings, it scored very high on one end of the sofa and not so high on the other end! Still do not let this put you off from watching. Merry Christmas!

TNiFN Rating 82%

IMDB Link

Home Alone - 9th December 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night is back for some more festive film fun. This week we hope to overcome the disappointment of last week, with a good old favourite from 1990, as we watch;

Home Alone

It has to be said that Home Alone is a Christmas classic, whether you like it or not it deserves it's place in the annals of the Christmas film favourites. We all know the story, it follows the escapades of young Kevin McAllister (Mcaulay Culkin), who during the lead up to a family trip to France, manages to alienate himself from his rather large family, so much so that his absence from the holiday party was not noticed until everyone else was halfway across the Atlantic! Allied to this we have the villains of the piece; Marv Merchants (Daniel Stern) and the brilliant Joe Pesci as Harry Lime, who has been eyeing up the street dressed as a police officer, checking to see who will be away for the holidays, so that himself and Marv can rob them in relative safety. However, they did not reckon on the evil and very young genius Kevin and his ingenious efforts to keep the bad guys out of the house.

Obviously the slapstick moments are the best loved scenes in the film, where Marv and Harry are trying to get past Kevin in the McAllister home and although not unique, the general premise of the film was clearly a fresh and new idea in 1990 and it has stood the test of time as the best of the genre and certainly the best in the run of all four Home Alone films. It's clearly this fresh approach that makes it so enjoyable. Also having the fresh faced Culkin being the hero, outwitting the dimwitted villains, gives the film that family appeal, so it can be enjoyed by young and old.

There is also a lovely sub-plot which runs through the film, where the grouchy neighbour (played by Roberts Blossom) is made out to be a murderer by the kids, but who is in fact a rather kindly man who has fallen out with his son and is also home alone at Christmas. This parallel sub plot sits in a nice juxtaposition to Kevin's own plight and provides a tender, seasonal joy side to the story.

Yes, Home Alone is a feelgood festive film, with fantastic slapstick comedy. Alongside this you have a child star who was clearly made for the role, making the film such a hit when it came out. And ever since it has been a regular Christmas film, which you just cannot help watching when it is on. The jokes are just as funny, Pesci and Stern are fantastic as the hapless villains and Culkin is a delight to watch. The story is well written and directed. It's just a great Christmas film. It was certainly a high scoring film here at TNiFN Towers.

More festive film fun next time.

TNiFN Rating  89%

IMDB Link

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie - 2nd December 2014

It's the second day of Advent and the second festive film in our countdown to Christmas. This week we are watching; 

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie

Oh dear, we might have unwrapped the first Christmas turkey of a movie tonight. That was not quite what we expected.

Basically, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie follows the very weak plot line where the Muppet Theatre is due to be repossessed by the bank due to lack of payments, unless of course they can scrape together the funds with their last show. Of course all of this is happening on Christmas Eve. Luckily, there is a guardian angel watching over them, who implores God (Whoopi Goldberg) to give them a chance of divine retribution on the bossy bank manager Rachel Bitterman (Joan Cusack). And on the way to the inevitable happy ending there is a lot of Muppet mishaps and Christmas craziness.

And there you have it, one thing is for sure, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is no Muppet Christmas Carol, which is superb. No unfortunately the Muppet brand is let down badly by this 2002 movie, which seemed to be cashing in with a very weak plot and the gratuitous use of American TV stars making cameo appearances, to bolster a lack of substance between the start and the foregone conclusion of a feelgood finish.

Not to be totally negative, Joan Cusack (seen in previous TNiFN films; The Perks of Being a Wallflower and My Sister's Keeper), was very good as the villainous bad guy of the film, hamming up the tyranny with decent effect. Whoopi Goldberg only featured in a separate thread and never mingled with the Muppets, but was nevertheless OK. Daniel; the guardian angel was played by David Arquette and was just plain annoying. The rest of the cast were made up by the Muppets and were fine, just your bog standard Muppet mayhem. Although there was one major laugh out loud moment when Beaker appeared, said "Mee mee me me mee me mee meee" and that was enough to set us off in a fit of giggles, just not enough to offset the disappointment with the rest of the made for TV movie.

To summarise; a very weak story, insufficient laughs, a modicum of pathos, predictable formula, pointless cameos and a disappointed TNiFN audience. We hope for a better choice next week. Don't forget, we watch these films so you don't have to.

TNiFN Festive Rating 49%

IMDB Link

While You Were Sleeping - 27th November 2014

Yes, it is finally here! The first festive film of the season. We know today is a Thursday, but we were otherwise engaged on Tuesday. We kick off our Christmas cavalcade of cinematic crackers with a film from 1995 as we discover what happened;

While You Were Sleeping 

There we are then, the first Christmas film of 2014 complete. Although While You Were Sleeping is not a Christmas film in the traditional sense, it is a film set at Christmas and Christmas plays a part in the story. The story is all about Lucy, played by the beautiful Sandra Bullock, who falls in love with a man she has never really met. Lucy works at a train station ticket booth and Peter (Peter Gallagher) buys his train token from her, but has never really noticed her. However, Lucy has noticed Peter and fantasizes about him. On one such day, Peter is involved in a scuffle on the platform and falls onto the tracks, knocking himself out. Lucy comes to his rescue and saves his life by moving him out of the path of an oncoming train. The unconscious Peter ends up in hospital and this is where the fun begins.

Lucy ends up at the hospital and tries to see Peter, but it is family visiting only. However, a series of misunderstandings follow where Lucy is made out to be Peter's fiancée, this small lie soon spreads and Lucy is introduced to Peter's family and at each opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding, the deeper involved Lucy becomes. So while Peter is in a coma, Lucy is becoming one of the family. However, a love triangle ensues as Peter's brother Jack (Bill Pullman) starts to fall for Lucy and Lucy clearly starts to fall for him.

That is the basic layout of the plot and yes it does follow the feelgood, set at Christmas, romantic comedy formula and you know the outcome will be favourable and as predicted, but how you get there is important. While You Were Sleeping is a very pleasant film, ticking all the boxes. All the central characters are clearly important, but what is nice about this film is the supporting cast, who make up Peter's family, they add layers of comedic overtones that provide a distraction from the main thread, making a fuller rounder story, with plenty of, what we will class as; giggle points, periods in the film where allied to the main story, the supporting cast fill in the gaps of the story with funny lines or divert our attention away with short comedy moments.

The film was made in 1995 and Sandra Bullock is stunningly beautiful as Lucy. Her cute good looks and glinting eyes make While You Were Sleeping so watchable, even if the story is a little weak. As the first TNiFN Christmas movie of this year, it was certainly most enjoyable, the sort of film that you can lose yourself in for a couple hours quite easily. It is not pretentious or overtly demanding, it is just plain and simple with a great cast, a pleasant story and a wholesome sentiment. Certainly a film that can be popped on for some seasonal cheer at any time of year.

TNiFN Rating 76%

IMDB Link

Filth - 18th November 2014

In our last screening before we hit the festive films, we take in a homegrown comedy drama starring James McAvoy, it's time for some;

Filth

Well, having said that we were not starting the Christmas films until next, it was delightful to discover that Filth started with a Christmas song and was set in and around December. However any other link to festive cheer can be dropped down the chimney as Filth is a very dark and bleak trip through Advent for it's main character; Bruce Robertson played superbly, it has to be said, by James McAvoy (who was also a producer on the film).

Bruce Robertson is a tough Edinburgh police officer, who is intent on bagging himself an impending promotion, to achieve this he is manipulative and devious, setting his colleagues against each other and generally being rather subversive and underhand. The premise being that if he gains the promotion he will also win back his wife and daughter who, it transpires, have left him. Which is no small wonder, judging by the shenanigans that Bruce gets up to. He is a heavy drinker, very much into recreational drugs and it seems, a sex obsessed individual, who tries to satisfy his carnal pleasures in the most extreme and perverted manner. Therefore, this comedy drama is aimed at the more broad minded individuals. It has been compared to Danny Boyle's Trainspotting. So, if you enjoyed Trainspotting (the film, not the nerdy platform pursuit), then you will like Filth.

That aside the actual story of the character destruction of Bruce Robertson is intriguing, although the first hour is potentially a tricky period to get through, your patience will be rewarded at the end, as things come to a conclusion and the route that takes you to the end becomes clear.

What also aids the film is the fantastic supporting cast, who really add a layer of gloss on what, at first viewing, is a very dour film. Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot fame is great as Robbo's colleague Lennox, throwing off any balletic moves that you may have thought was a legacy of his better known film. John Sessions puts in a sterling performance as Bruce's boss. Imogen Poots adds some glamour to the police force as another colleague. Outside of work Bruce's best mate is Clifford Blades played superbly by the inimitable Eddie Marsan. All these well known faces put in very admirable performances to add to the film, which it has to be said needed a bit of a boost.

And there's more!

Jim Broadbent is outstanding as Bruce's doctor and the totally gorgeous Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) makes an appearance as Mary who adds another layer of complexity to Bruce's life and is a bit of a love interest giving hope to a happy ending.

Do we get a happy ending? Well, you will have to watch the film to find out, but don't expect a feelgood movie, 'cause Filth is not that at all, it is a hard hitting, gritty comedy drama, with the emphasis on drama. It portrays the sordid and seedy side of Scotland, as we travel down a road of destruction with Bruce and his tortured soul. It is grim, but powerful, seamy and prophetic. As a result it will divide the audience, you will either like it or loathe it. Some parts you might like, others you may not. It has received mixed reviews, some lauding it as a masterpiece, others suggesting it as a waste of time and popcorn.

It's a difficult one. As for us here at TNiFN, we have mixed feelings, we thought the start was poor and confusing, however things became clearer as the story progressed and there were parts that were rewarding and entertaining. The segment with David Soul was particularly good. (Watch out for that bit). Also we cannot underestimate the performance from McAvoy, although the film as a whole was not a hit for us, we cannot knock the acting one iota, praise where it is due.

One hates to use the phrase, but it is a Marmite movie. You will either love it or hate it. As for the scores, they are going to be a tad disappointing for those who ultimately love the film.

TNiFN Rating 60%

IMDB Link

About Time - 11th November 2014

Can you believe it is Tuesday night yet again? It's about time we settled down to watch a film. Tonight's film, that we are settling down to watch, is;

About Time

It gets harder and harder to come up with new ways of expressing your thoughts about a film and this week is no different, but we'll try to swap it around a bit, as we describe About Time. Let's start with the brilliant cast and the characters they play, before running through the synopsis.

Heading up the cast are Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams playing Tim and Mary respectively. Gleeson is probably most famous for playing Bill Weasley in a couple of the Harry Potter films, whereas the very cute Rachel McAdams has been in many more well known films, such as;  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Vow, Mean Girls, The Notebook and ironically The Time Traveler's Wife. Alongside these two we have the quintessentially English gentleman Bill Nighy, paired with an equally English and brilliant character actress; Lindsay Duncan, who play Tim's parents. At the next level of supporting characters, we have roles for Tom Hollander, Richard Cordery and Lydia Wilson who play relatives to Tim.

The film is from the pen, and under the direction of Richard Curtis and from the very first moment of the film you can tell this. The opening scenes, with a narration from Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) could as easily have been read by Hugh Grant. The tone of voice, the rhythm and the style of the opening monologue is pure Curtis. In fact the whole film bears all the hallmarks of a Richard Curtis movie; the eccentricities and Englishness of the characters, the style of dialogue, the gratuitous expletives and the humour. And all of this is not a bad thing. Curtis has produced some fantastic, modern classic films; Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Notting Hill, so he has form as a writer and director.

And so to the story. It has to be said, that Curtis has taken the romantic comedy on a different route with About Time, all his other films seemed to be rooted in reality, About Time shies away from reality and adds an air of fantasy, for you see, when Tim reaches the age of 21, his father tells him the family secret; all the male members of the family can travel in time!

Just take a moment to absorb that information and then think, how on earth can you take such a notion and ensure you still have a viable romantic comedy at the end? Well, think Love Actually and Groundhog Day and you'll be getting close. To be fair it is a lot more than that, once you get over the fantastical premise of time travel, About Time becomes a lovely romantic comedy that will keep you entertained for the full 123 minutes.

Back to the story for a moment, so Tim can, within limits, travel back in time and after a moment of disbelief he indeed can travel back in time and be able to relive a moment and change the course of history, or veer the path to the future. Obviously, his first couple of attempts proves that although he can change things for the better, sometimes the consequences are not quite as he imagined. And so we have a jolly time in the first third of the film, as he bounces around time, trying to get himself a girlfriend. Once he finds that girl (Mary) he has to keep her and on several occasions, whilst helping others, he ends up changing his own future and losing Mary. You have to watch it to keep up with that part of the story.

The path of true love never runs smooth and it was inevitable that at some point halfway through the film, if the formula to this Curtis film were to be the same, that something would happen to Tim and Mary that would require some real thinking and soul searching. Therefore, it was quite refreshing that the formulaic "there's trouble" point in the film turned out not to be between Tim and Mary, but Tim and his family, first his sister and then his father. It was nice to actually see the main couple stay a couple and for Tim to use his secret to help his family. Far too often in rom-com's and chick-flicks it is the main characters who fall apart and you have to wait for the feelgood finale to bring them back together. This was different, this was better.

Again not wishing to spoil the plot, that is where we will leave the story, you will have to watch it yourself to fill in all the gaps. Needless to say, About Time was a lovely film, with a tremendous cast and a beautiful story. As long as you are happy to suspend (more than normal) belief for a couple of hours and allow yourself to be transported on a delightful time travelling journey, you can enjoy the wonders of a quintessentially English lifestyle with an attached love story, with the typical humour of Richard Curtis. Whether it rates as good as Love Actually, is another story, but About Time is well written, well executed story, touching, funny, loving, warm and wholesome, with a modicum of stretching the space-time continuum.

As for the TNiFN ratings, it went down very well, being enjoyed by all members of the panel. A thumbs up from us.

TNiFN Rating 84%

IMDB Link

Silver Linings Playbook - 4th November 2014

Before we fall into the realms of the Christmas movie, (it won't be long now), we catch up with this dramatic-rom-com from 2012. Starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, TNiFN presents;

Silver Linings Playbook

Based on the novel "The Silver Linings Playbook" written by Matthew Quick, this weeks film traces the life of Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) as he attempts to rebuild his life after a spell in a state mental institution where he was recovering from an "episode" and being treated for bipolar. The "episode" occurred when he found his wife cheating on him with one of her work colleagues. Pat was quite rightly upset at this and proceeded to beat his wife's lover, but clearly his bipolar issue took over and he took the beating too far. As a result he ends up with a restraining order and a spell in the institution.

The film opens with Pat eight months into his treatment, which is also the minimum time he is required to spend in therapy, as deemed by the courts. His mother; Dolores (Jacki Weaver) turns up to take him home, which is against the doctor's wishes, but Dolores feels it is in her son's best interests to be home with his family. Pat believes himself to be better, but he is still under the delusion that his wife Nikki will take him back. So much so, he takes to running to get in shape and reading to improve his intellect and show Nikki he is committed to getting back together. Unfortunately nobody believes that this will ever happen.

Pat arrives home to be reunited with his dad; Pat Senior played flawlessly by Robert De Niro. Pat Sr. clearly has some issues of his own, namely OCD. He is also in financial trouble after losing his job and has resorted to bookmaking and gambling to earn money. He also insists that Pat Jr. is a lucky charm and wants his son to watch the football with him, to bring their team luck.

Pat Jr. is also still seeing a doctor, but refuses to take his medication, as he believes it makes him foggy and less alert. However, he attends the sessions and this is where we learn a lot of the history behind Paddy's story. (Pat, Patrick Paddy, both junior and senior Solatano men answer to all of those!)

So there you have it, that is the basic storyline that fills the first part of this two hour film, it does start slowly, it does not pick up the pace at all and it could, for some, be a tad boring. However, it is an essential build up, giving you the complete emotional, psychological and factual points that are necessary to take the film forward into the next part.

A friend of Patrick Jr. who still is in contact with Nikki (Pat's wife) invites Pat over for dinner, also present is the sister-in-law of Pat's friend; Tiffany, played by the lovely Jennifer Lawrence. Tiffany is also suffering shall we say, with some mental issues and can relate, to a degree, with Pat. This friendship is the development in the second half of the film where the pace picks up and the film moves from a dramatic comedy, to a more romantic comedy drama. Although Pat is adamant that he is going to be reconciled with Nikki, he needs to have the help of Tiffany to get a message to her. However, to do this Pat has to do something for Tiffany in return.

Still with it? There is a lot going on with Silver Linings Playbook, which is a good thing. It is not hollow at all, it is a multi-layered, multi-faceted story. Each twist and turn in the plot takes you in another direction and the route to the end is beset with pitfalls and diversions. As per normal in our reviews, we do not want to give too much away, so the synopsis will stop here and we will just pontificate for a moment and say how great the story is, there is a lot going into the film, there is a lot of dialogue and there is a great deal of interaction between Pat Jr and Sr., which has a relevance to the story. The interplay between the Solatano family members is sheer brilliance. De Niro is sublime as the father who has lost his way somewhat with his namesake son. We cannot underestimate the part played by Jacki Weaver either, as Dolores, Pat's mother, she may only be on the periphery of some of the scenes but she is superb whenever she is on screen.

As for Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, just fantastic. The two roles must have been hard to play, being very demanding and very emotional, but they pull it off so well, dealing with the mood swings of their respective characters, plus reeling off the very verbose script with ease in the finished movie.

In the end, it does turn out to be a feelgood romantic comedy, but you have to go through the dramatic start, to get the feel of the characters. The comedy side is played down, there are no jokes as such, moreover it is real life issues that are seen as funny, not jokes put in to lighten the mood. The ending is superb, because you really do not know where the story is taking you, you are expecting one thing and another option appears. You do literally have to wait to the end just to be sure.

As for personal approval from the TNiFN panel, the matriarch, who tends to express her thoughts on a film's worthiness by the time it takes her to drop off, suffered somewhat by the slow start as a result the eyelids drooped and snores were heard! However, she perked up when the film did. The junior member loved it, but she had seen it before and knew it was good. As for the me; fantastic! Brilliant story, brilliant build up, fantastic interaction between characters, superb acting and a gripping plot that had you thinking until the end. Superb. However, the combined scores is somewhat lower than I would like. Perhaps it will be viewed in a better light when we watch it again!

TNiFN Rating 83%

PS. Thanks to both of our loyal readers!! Our total page views has topped the 9000 mark. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our site.

IMDB Link

The Call - 21st October 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night is back yet again. This week we are going for another drama, this time from 2013 and starring Halle Berry, but will anyone answer;

The Call

Well crikey Moses, by jingo and words to that effect! What a film!

A quick synopsis, before telling you what we thought. Halle Berry stars as Jordan Turner a Los Angeles 911 operator, who we soon establish is brilliant at her job and is highly respected by her colleagues. The film starts with Jordan on the end of a 911 call for a suspected break-in, which turns to an abduction, followed by tragedy for the young girl concerned. Jordan is helpless on the end of the telephone and soon realises that all her attempts to help are in vain. This marks a massive turning point to her career, as her confidence is severely dented and she ends up moving away from the telephone and starts training new recruits.

That covers the first twenty minutes of the film, with the scene set. We then fast forward six months to pick up the story and we start to build upon this initial set up and we soon find Jordan back on the shopfloor, as she steps in to takeover a call to one of her new operators. The similarities between this call and the one six months ago, start to evolve. Casey Welson, played brilliantly by the young Abigail Breslin, is abducted from a shopping mall and is bundled into the boot of a car. Luckily, she has her friend's mobile on her and calls 911, this is where the call is picked up by the new operator, who hands over to Jordan. Jordan has to calm Casey down and start to find out where she is, who has taken her etc. This is where we see Jordan's professionalism kick back in and she starts to take control of the situation. What then follows is basically a cat and mouse tactical battle between Jordan, the kidnapper and the police.

It is very difficult to actually put down exactly the plot of the film, as it will detract from your enjoyment, should too many spoilers be broadcast here, needless to say what seems to be an abduction, turns into so much more, with plot twist after plot twist. And it is this constant variance away from formulaic plot lines, that makes The Call such a gripping film. Every turn seems to go another way, as layers of drama are added. It is certainly a thriller, it is certainly compelling and it is certainly dramatic. We were sweating with fear here at TNiFN Towers!

Halle Berry is absolutely fantastic as Jordan. Abigail Breslin also, as the young teenager caught up in this somewhat gruesome adventure. Michael Eklund is particularly brilliant as the mad Michael Foster, the abductor of Casey. There are crime dramas and thrillers, but The Call is almost in a league of its own. Brilliant story, brilliant acting and superb dramatic twists to keep you on the edge of your seats and hiding behind the sofa in equal measure.

It is always good to watch a film where you think you know where you are going, but then you get taken off on a tangent, which puts a whole new spin on the story. The Call ticks all the requisite boxes and more. There was certainly no falling asleep with this movie, gripping, thrilling edge of the seat stuff!

The supporting cast also play a vital role in maintaining the tension. The music also provides that extra layer of dramatic effect and even the way the film is shot, with the camera angles used, add to the overall effect. It is one of those films where you want to look away, but can't. Even at those most gripping moments, where you know something bad is about to happen, but you can't take your eyes off the screen. Fantastic stuff.

Hopefully we have whetted your appetite and intrigued you with enough storyline to make you want to see it, it will certainly be worth your while. Although the ending may deviate slightly from what you might consider should happen in reality, it does provide some major plot twists, which will have you shouting at the TV screen, then cowering behind a cushion too! You know things will end up alright in the end, but how they get there and what route and how "alright" it will be, is not known until the very end, so keep watching.

We often say that film is a "must-see", but if you like your drama's dramatic and your thriller's thrilling, then The Call must be on your list of films to see, because it is all those things and more.

TNiFN Rating 98%

IMDB Link

Parkland - 14th October 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night is back yet again, it doesn't seem like 7 days ago that we were here before. This week's film is a drama based upon the events that occurred on and around November the 22nd 1963 and a subject much loved (by some) here at TNiFN Towers; the JFK assassination. Tonight we are watching;

Parkland

Parkland recounts the chaotic events following the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963. It is based on Vincent Bugliosi's book "Four Days in November: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy" and as such, is a fascinating 93 minutes if you are a scholar of the JFK assassination. If you're not, they you may find the story somewhat tedious, as the events and outcomes are obviously predictable. It certainly divided the room here at TNiFN.

To counter the lack of storyline, for those who do not find the history fascinating, they have cast Zac Efron as one of the lead characters, so there is some visual stimulus for the ladies. Effron plays Dr. Charles 'Jim' Carrico, a doctor at Parkland Hospital, Dallas who attended to JFK on his rushed arrival to the emergency room.

The film is interspersed with real film from 1963, including the famous Zapruder film, which captures the actual moment that the fatal shots were fired. Parkland makes good use of this 8mm film and the character of Abraham Zapruder, played magnificently by Paul Giamatti and switches between Parkland hospital and the scenes with Zapruder quite often.

Another thread to the story followed closely by Parkland, is the interaction with the local FBI agents and Lee Harvey Oswald, as played out by the inclusion of FBI agent James Hosty played by Ron Livingston (last seen here at TNiFN in Drinking Buddies). Hosty was investigating Oswald prior to the assassination. We also have Special Agent Forrest Sorrels played by Billy Bob Thornton as a leading character and his involvement with Zapruder over the development of the 8mm film in Zapruder's Bell & Howell camera.

The action and drama surrounding the story is well portrayed in Parkland, the mixture of archive footage and realtime events is very well done, the accuracy of characters, especially Zapruder and Oswald is very well researched and the likenesses uncanny. Obviously, with an extremely well documented event such as this, the need for accuracy is foremost and Parkland has achieved that accuracy with a high degree of realism, portraying the unseen events with a perceived clarity, which gives fans of the whole JFK phenomenon an added boost.

As a JFK film it is certainly up there with Oliver Stone's epic "JFK", however if you are not intrigued by the events of November '63 then Parkland is just another gritty hospital drama, with an inevitable outcome. If however, you are verging on the obsessive with regard to all things JFK, then Parkland is yet another superb drama based on real facts and real events, adding clarity and / or complexity to an already amazing story, bringing to life some of the real characters who are now an integral part of modern American history.

In summation, Parkland is a room divider, but also a great film. Certainly worth a watch and one for the "play again" list.

TNiFN Rating 82%

IMDB Link

Behind the Candelabra - 7th October 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night takes on a biopic tonight, as we place our feet up on the piano stool and watch;

Behind the Candelabra

It doesn't take much working out to realise that Behind the Candelabra is a biographical film about Liberace. However, it only covers a particular period of his life, from 1977 to his death in 1987. To be more exact it covers the period when Scott Thorson and Liberace enter into an alleged (our lawyers have told us to say) relationship. The film is based on the book by Scott Thorson; Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace.

Apparently, Liberace was gay! Who knew?

Enough of the background, down to the film. First and foremost let us just say that Michael Douglas, who plays Liberace is fantastic! His mannerisms, his voice, his character are all exquisitely played out by Michael Douglas. Alongside Douglas, there is Matt Damon as the young Scott Thorson, who caught Liberace's eye, after another glittering performance in Los Angeles and he was soon bought in to attend to Mr Liberace's every need. Scott became the next in a long line (allegedly) of young male assistants to the keyboard king, wherever Liberace went, Scott was coming up close behind. Literally.

Behind the Candelabra follows this often heated affair, where Liberace dotes upon the young Scott, showering him with gifts and even arranging plastic surgery so that Scott will look more like Liberace! We see their love affair blossom, plateau and then spectacularly fall apart. In honesty, the first two thirds of the film seemed to lack a little impetus, but this is down to the scene setting, the set up and the continuing storyline, there just wasn't too many sparks, or plot peaks. However, that all changes as things heat up and the Liberace and Scott partnership implodes. And the the end of the film was quite magnificent for all concerned, apart from Liberace, as he died! But those final scenes were quite moving and although the finale was a bit over the top and cheesy, but wasn't that Liberace all over?

As for the supporting cast, Dan Ackroyd is great as Liberace's manager Seymour Heller. Scott Bakula appears a few times as Bob Black, a friend of Liberace's. Debbie Reynolds plays Mrs Liberace (Liberace's mother) and is superb in the few scenes she is in before she dies. Also Rob Lowe is magnificent as the spaced out doctor accountable for the plastic surgery and the drugs supply.

All in all, Behind the Candelabra is a fascinating true (allegedly) story of the glamorous life of Liberace and Scott Thorson and their tempestuous relationship, from the glitz and glamour of the early days in Las Vegas to their very bitter and public break-up in the 1980's.

We always find biopic's fascinating here at TNiFN Towers and this was no exception. Fantastic acting from the main cast and some good piano miming from Mr Douglas. Actually, he didn't mime the piano playing, some very clever CGI effects placed his head over the top of a skilled piano player, who did all the piano parts.

As for the scores, Behind the Candelabra doesn't quite hit the high notes, but instead remains upright with a grand;

TNiFN Rating 79%

IMDB Link

The Grand Budapest Hotel - 30th September 2014

Welcome back to Tuesday Night is Film Night and this the last film of September! Where has the year gone? It won't be long before we are digging out more Christmas movies!

Back to this week and tonight we are watching; 

The Grand Budapest Hotel

IMDB Link

Well, there we go then. IMDB states that The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comedy, it certainly had some funny moments, but how you classify it within the comedy genre is beyond us. It is sometimes dark, sometimes rude, sometimes bizarre and sometimes quirky, it is certainly unique. Let us have a quick synopsis, then get back to trying to describe the film to you.

The Grand Budapest Hotel traces the adventures of Gustave H played, it has to be said, absolutely brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes. Gustave is an extraordinary concierge at the famous Grand Budapest hotel, located in the Republic of Zubrowka. Set in the 1930's we see Gustave and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy (Tony Revolori), who becomes Gustave's most trusted friend, set off on an adventure that involves a dead guest of the hotel, a dispute over the dead woman's fortune, a stolen priceless painting and a trail of dead bodies as Gustave flee's from capture after being accused of murder.

Is that sufficiently confusing? It does make sense if you watch the film and it is best that you do, if you want to unravel the mysteries of the Grand Budapest Hotel.

What is different with the film is it's styling, although a new release, it is looks dated. It almost looks as if it is a silent, back and white comedy, with sound and colour. It is certainly unique when compared to other new releases, which gives it a certain charm, even if the concept seems to be a bit weird. It has however attracted some big names, as the cast list reads as a real who's who in the film world; Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Wilkinson. They obviously saw something in the script that made them want to be part of it.

It is certainly not your run-of-the-mill comedy, it has a charm seen more often in European films, in fact it would not have seemed out of place for it to be a foreign language film badly dubbed in English, or just subtitled. In fact it is based on the novels of Stefan Zweig, an Austrian born writer of the early 1900's. The director of The Grand Budapest Hotel; Wes Anderson actually states in the end-credits that it is partially inspired by Zweig's novels and it is claimed that he had "stolen" from Zweig's novels Beware of Pity and The Post-Office Girl when writing the film.

The grand Budapest Hotel is a hard film to pigeon hole. It is quirky, strange even, but with a unique presence that actually makes it watchable. Fiennes is sublime as Gustave H. who manages to mix so well and with great comedic affect, a juxtaposition between the suave and ultra efficient concierge and a darker, edgier character when put in an awkward situations. You'll see what we mean if you watch it. Some very good laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately not enough to make it totally funny, but with it's strange atmosphere and quirky nature, it is one to watch only if to satisfy your curiosity. The official trailer is worth just checking out, so you can gain a gist of what we are describing.

As for the all important scores, well they are not going to reach the hotel's roof-top pool that's for sure, but they do just make it out of the lobby!

TNiFN Rating 65%

Water for Elephants - 16th September 2014

Tuesday is here once more and this week Tuesday Night is Film Night is screening;

Water for Elephants

Robert Pattinson swaps werewolves and vampire teeth, for an elephant and veterinary skills, in this circus based romantic drama set in 1930's America.

The film opens with the main character Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) in his older years (played by Hal Holbrook), wandering around a parking lot where a circus is just leaving. In true Titanic style we drift back through the eyes of this old man, back to his youth to set the scene. Jacob is a budding veterinary student, ready to take his final exams, when a tragic car accident kills his parents. Unfortunately, the family vet business and the house default back into the hands of the bank, leaving Jacob homeless and penniless, in the middle of the Great Depression. Jacob takes it upon himself to run off and seek work away from his home town. Trudging along the train tracks, he happens upon a travelling circus, rumbling along in a large train. He hitches a lift and just before getting beaten up and thrown off again, he is saved by one of the old circus hands, who kindly offers him some work.

He spends the first day cleaning out the animals, before he is summoned to see the boss of the Benzini Brothers Circus; August (Christoph Waltz). August is the circus ringmaster and somewhat tyrannical boss. He clearly sees some potential in young Jacob and offers to make him the company vet. August is married to Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) who is the star attraction with her beautiful dancing horses. Jacob diagnoses a terminal illness for one of the horses and going against August, puts the horse down, to save it from misery and a painful, slow death. And although this is a devastating blow to Marlena and the circus, he endears himself to Marlena through his kindness and we have the beginning of our romance, although Marlena and Jacob cannot seriously consider any kind of tryst with the eyes of the circus upon them.

Without a star attraction the circus goes into decline, until that is an elephant appears! This will be the new star of the show, with Marlena riding this huge elephant Rosie, that Jacob has to train. This is where the our love story develops and Marlena and Jacob become closer and a love triangle ensues, as August treats Marlena as an possesion, which forces her closer to Jacob. This three handed relationship saga continues to develop as the film progresses.

That is basically the set up of the plot and the story grows from there. Based on the Sara Gruen novel of the same name, Water For Elephants is a charming and thoughtful film, following the lives of this travelling circus, where it's new vet displays his love for animals, as well as the boss's wife! Pattinson is a convincing vet and his interaction with the animals is a delight to watch. As is Reece Witherspoon as Marlena, who clearly practiced some acrobatics for her role, as well as some good editing and a body double, for the harder scenes. Christoph Waltz is a delightful baddie, playing with a gritty edge the somewhat psychotic ringmaster, who can turn from the charming showman, into a snarling beast at the drop of a top hat.

Water For Elephants is a really good film, you have that innocent flashback set up at the start, as the narration from the older Jacob, drifts gently into the younger Jacob, allowing you to become accustomed to the characters and have the scene set in the first few minutes. At two hours long, it is quite an achievement to maintain interest throughout, but it does due to the great storyline, where you're not sure how things will transpire, allied with some superb acting from the main cast, and the supporting players.

It was a high scoring film from a TNiFN perspective, being a clear hit for the ladies, probably due to one Mr Pattinson.

TNiFN Rating 84%

IMDB Link

Non-Stop - 9th September 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night is here again and back into the swing of things after the summer break. This week we are sampling an action / thriller / mystery movie and a recent one to boot, from this year in fact!

This week's film is;

Non-Stop

Liam Neeson stars in this 2014 airline action thriller, as Air Marshall Bill Marks. Marks is rota'd for a routine flight from the US to London, however it transpires that the flight is far from routine. The film starts with some gentle background information about Bill Marks, just as a scene setter. Followed by some interaction at the airport, where Marks takes in the other passengers on the flight, as part of his role of Air Marshall. This establishes some facts to carry forward and starts to add layers to the plot.

The film builds once the aeroplane is in flight and Bill receives a message on his mobile phone. This message is the first indication that something is wrong. And although it's not yet a hijack situation it is clear that someone on the plane is intent on causing trouble, with threats to kill a passenger every 20 minutes.

So it is established early on what route the story is taking however, and this is a huge plus point for Non-Stop, the fact that you just do not know who is behind this. In fact one of the films taglines is; "146 passengers. 146 suspects". And the tension builds and builds through to the climax where we find out who is behind the demands. No spoilers!

The story is fantastic, the way it builds is intense and gripping. When you think you know who it is, another of layer of obfuscation clouds the mystery and again you are left wondering.who is sending the messages. Sometimes with action thrillers the storylines tend to be a bit sensational, especially when it comes to technology and you are left saying; "that would never happen", with Non-Stop they've err'd on the side of caution and have shown technology that potentially would have you saying; "could happen". We, at TNiFN Towers like an action thriller to be rooted in reality, as well as being a bit sensationalist, if that's possible.

Neeson is absolutely superb as Bill Marks, his acting style seems to be effortless and he falls into character with ease, although you could say his character is no different to that of other Neeson films such as Taken or Unknown, but then that's the beauty of Liam Neeson, you get what you're given and so far we are not disappointed.

Bill Marks is ably supported by Air Stewardess; Nancy, played by the ever-so lovely Michelle Dockery, who has swapped the ball gowns she normally wears as Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey, for the airline uniform. Other characters of note are Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) who sits next to Bill Marks on the plane, who in turn becomes a suspect. As does Zack White played by Nate Parker and Tom Bowen played by Scoot McNairy and Austin Reilly (Corey Stoll). Mind you, we could go around the whole of the plane picking off suspects and / or passengers and you'd still be none the wiser. In fact it is only in the last 20 minutes or so does the tale of subterfuge finally unravel and you discover who is behind the dastardly plan of extorting money by hijacking a plane and skilfully laying the blame on Air Marshall Bill Marks. Oh yes, that happens as well, there are so many plot twists that you really have to watch Non-Stop to appreciate them all.

Non-Stop is a brilliant story, with fantastic twists, multi-layered and multi-faceted plots and great special effects. Fans of Taken and Unknown, or Liam Neeson in general will enjoy this film, it is sensationalist without being too overtly over-the-top. It drip feeds information that may seem inconsequential to start off with, but will be referred to later on in the film. So you need to be observant, even when on the edge of your seat.

Cracking movie!

TNiFN Rating 93%

IMDB Link

The 40-Year-Old Virgin - 2nd September 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night is back after the summer holidays! We haven't been totally film-less, we have popped to the cinema to catch the new Inbetweeners movie, plus we had a lazy Sunday afternoon in watching Tom Hanks in Angels and Demons. However, as neither of these were a Tuesday, they don't count!

So what cinematic delight do we have tonight, we hear you cry? Well, we are going to kick off September with some comedy and;

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

So there we have it, film done and it really was quite good and funny. The plot is pretty much self explanatory, just look at the title!

Steve Carrell heads up the cast in this Judd Apatow directed comedy that focuses it's attention on Andy (Carrell) and his intact virginity. Andy works in an electrical store by day and in a nerdy, 40 year old loner pretty much the rest of the time. It's only after he is coerced into going out with some of the lads at the store, for a poker game, that his lack of sexual acrobatics is revealed, so to speak. Therefore, like all good friends, they make it their mission to help Andy fulfill the deed.

Paul Rudd plays David, Romany Malco is Jay and Seth Rogen plays Cal, who all work in the store with Andy and are the three main contenders to assist the reluctant sexual wannabee into bed. These three really supply the comedy lines throughout this 1 hour and 16 minute escapade. Although Carrell even though he is portraying a nerdy, introverted, toy collecting virgin, is also very funny, mainly in the way that he tries to come out of his shell and copy the verbal style of his store colleagues, as he tries so very hard to fit in, but it clearly isn't happening, as Andy is Andy.

There is of course a serious love interest that develops alongside the main thread, in the shape of Trish played by the wonderful  Catherine Keener (last seen here at TNiFN in Captain Phillips). And it is the sub plots that add layers to the film that makes it more entertaining and you really are not sure which way it will go for Andy, although as the story develops you are rooting for him to get with Trish, despite all the other diversions put in his way by his over zealous colleagues.

All in all The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a pretty good film, very funny, a good story from the combined pens of Judd Apatow and Steve Carell and a decent cast providing the on-screen laughs.The comedy is not over the top, it's subtle in places and sits well with what inevitably is the romantic side of the story. It is a good mix of the two but settling more on the comedy side of the rom-com balance, in fact it's more like a comedy-romance. Com-rom anybody?

As for the scores, The 40-Year-Old Virgin manages to get up........

TNiFN Rating 70%

PS. Thanks to everybody who actually reads these reviews, if you are reading this, then you are one of the wonderful people who have read these pages and have pushed our page views over the 8,000 mark. So, thank you.

IMDB Link

Cemetery Junction - 12 August 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night is back again! We always find it harder during the summer months to get a film in every week, but we're here now and tonight we are watching;

Cemetery Junction

From the combined pens of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant comes this tale of three young lads from a dead end Reading suburb called Cemetery Junction. They battle with themselves, their families and their friends, as they try to make sense of growing up and where their life is taking them. Do they throw off the oppressive shackles of their lowly existence, or do they make do and knuckle down?

Freddie Taylor (Christian Cook), Bruce Pearson (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan) are our three unlikely heroes in this story from the '70's. Freddie, Bruce and Snork have been mates since childhood and have messed around Cemetery Junction for years, getting up to no good.

However, Freddie starts to gain ambitions to break away from the humdrum factory lifestyle of his father (Ricky Gervais) and manages to secure a job working for an insurance company run by Mr Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes). Kendrick's daughter; Julie (Felicity Jones) happens to be a school day's sweetheart of Freddie's, but she is currently going out with another insurance salesman from the company, Mike Ramsay (Matthew Goode), so we have the love triangle in place for this thread of the story.

Bruce has issues with his father and despises the fact that he stays at home with a bad back, instead of going out to work. He also blames his father for his mother running off with another man. Bruce, although a smooth operator and a suave character, relies too much on his fists to settle any kind of debate.

The third member of the trio; Snork just has issues and really is the comedic element required to lighten this sometimes dark tale.

And that it's for the synopsis, we follow the very ordinary lives of these three main characters as they try to make something of their lives, but they always seem to fail. However, there is a lot more to the writing than this and Merchant and Gervais should be applauded for their exploration in to the social pressures, the juxtaposition between classes and the interaction between the generations that Cemetery Junction examines. That does make it sound slightly more grandiose than perhaps it should be, but you have to take the rough with the smooth here, and if you were expecting more stories akin to The Office and Extras, then you will be disappointed, but that's not what the film is about, the film is a gritty drama, with comedic elements, but then wasn't life in the Seventies just that?

Cemetery Junction reflects the austerity of the times, the working class ethos, coming home with dirt under your finger nails, in comparison to the white collar workers, with suits and brief cases. It also touches on racism, sexuality and women's liberation, all key points in the Seventies and ones which this film makes note of, although viewed with the aid of hindsight, the points can be taken lightheartedly.

It is a simple, but wonderful story. Excellently written and superbly performed by the key cast members, but ably supported by the peripheral players. Most noteworthy are Emily Watson as the downtrodden Mrs Kendrick. Steve Spiers as police Sgt. Wyn Davies, a jovial friendly copper, who ensures Bruce is kept on the straight and narrow. Anne Reid is just brilliant as Freddie's gran, her interplay with Mr. Taylor; Freddie's dad (Ricky Gervais), is superb and very reminiscent of many a 70's sitcom. The brilliant Julia Davies plays Freddie's mum, Julia Davies is always superb, whatever she does. Also, Bryony Hannah as Louise, a love interest for Snork, in a very different role to the one we are used to seeing her in, as Nurse Miller in Call The Midwife. Last but not least, and you wouldn't expect any different from a Gervais script and that is the inclusion of cameo's for Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington.

One point about Ricky Gervais in Cemetery Junction, he almost gets away from playing Ricky Gervais. Almost. Normally whatever he plays, whether it be David Brent in The Office, Andy Millman in Extras or even Mark Bellison in The Invention of Lying, he tends to be Rick Gervais. However, as Mr Taylor in this film, he does tend to steer away from the pseudo sarcastic and somewhat cringe-worthy persona that he normally portrays.

We have been waiting to see Cemetery Junction since it was out of the cinema, so we have been delighted to finally catch up with it now. Although the youngest member of the TNiFN panel did not appreciate the storyline as much as the older members, it was still warmly received.

TNiFN Rating 78% (Should be higher!)

IMDB Link