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

Drinking Buddies - 29th July 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night squeezes in a film tonight, after we missed last week. This week we see what happens in; 

Drinking Buddies

So what is Drinking Buddies all about? According to IMDB;

"Luke (Jake Johnson) and Kate (Olivia Wilde) are co-workers at a brewery who spend their nights drinking and flirting heavily. One weekend away together with their significant others (Jill and Chris played by Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston), proves who really belongs together and who doesn't."

And that's it, it looks to all intents and purposes that the opposite members of the two main couples are ideal for each other and we watch as the relationships bloom and dissolve accordingly.

The story is as weak as the beer they are constantly drinking. The dialogue is as scintillating as an empty beer barrel. It looks like director Joe Swanberg has tried to let the actors ad-lib their way through the film, which in this particular case does not work at all. Not one iota!

It is diabolically bad. In fact it is insipid, vacuous and with no redeeming features whatsoever. Except for the end credits and they couldn't come soon enough. Even at 90 minutes long, that was 89 minutes too long for us.

Really, really awful film. And one that will go on the "never to be repeated and burn the DVD at the soonest possible moment" pile!

TNiFN Rating 8%
(And that was for Olivia Wilde taking her top off!)

IMDB Link

The Trials of Cate McCall - 15th July 2014

We are back again for another Tuesday Night is Film Night. This week, amid the hustle and bustle of mid July, we can just about squeeze in a drama from 2013. This week's film is;

The Trials of Cate McCall

There is nothing like a good courtroom drama to get the Film Night juices flowing and The Trials of Cate McCall is certainly a fantastic example of that genre, but it is also a lot more than that. Kate Beckinsale takes the eponymous lead in this thrilling drama, playing the hotshot lawyer McCall. Unfortunately, we find Cate at the start of the film as a recovering alcoholic, on probation and fighting to reclaim her place at the bar. More than that, she is in a custody battle with her estranged husband, fighting to maintain contact with their young daughter. All in all, Cate is in bad shape at the start. She attends Alcoholics Anonymous for what it is worth and can only take the cases she is given to prove her worthiness as a lawyer. Her only companion in all of this is Bridges, played with a superb gruff, yet friendly persona by Nick Nolte. We do not find out until the very end, the connection between the two, apart from them both being lawyers, that is.

After the initial set up, which you need to follow closely for salient pieces of information, the film falls into the main plot line, which is where Cate is assigned the case of Lacey Stubbs (Anna Anissimova). Lacey was convicted of the murder of another woman, however she has always pleaded her innocence and has appealed at every step of her conviction and imprisonment. When Cate picks up this case, she is convinced of Lacey's guilt, but something changes her mind as she delves deeper into the case. Working on her own, apart from support from Bridges, Cate pieces together a defence that could clear Lacey's name. She finds suggestions of police misconduct, witness and evidence tampering, along with corruption in the DA's office, information that could blow the case right out of the water and also cause issues for Cate, as she throws doubt on the evidence and names those that have lied in court to convict an innocent person.

However, to get to this part of the film we have only gotten halfway and there is more story to unravel. There's a cliffhanger for you.

We said at the top of the blog that this was more than a courtroom drama and it is, but the courtroom scenes are superb. Kate Beckinsale is truly sublime as McCall, reminiscent of Kevin Costner as  Jim Garrison in JFK, although you would be hard pressed to find better courtroom scenes than the ones in JFK. However, McCall (Beckinsale) is truly magnificent as she turns the case around, leading witnesses to stumble over their previously submitted evidence. It's real gripping stuff.

The beauty of this superbly written drama (written and directed by Karen Moncrieff), is the multi-faceted threads that you need to follow to reach the end of the film. It is titled "The Trials......" because it's not just the case of Lacey Stubbs, it is the personal trials for Cate, the previous trials that she has been involved in that come to the fore, the custody issues and the constant battle against the bottle. All of these things combined come together to make a compelling, memorable and very watchable drama. Although the film only weighs in at 93 minutes long, within that time frame there is a lot of information to digest, a lot of dialogue to listen to, a lot of character interaction to understand and that is what makes it so real, so intriguing and so compelling.

It's certainly one for the Watch Again list, not just for the story, but for the benefit of those at TNiFN Towers who were not around to watch it or those who fell asleep during some crucial moments! From the perspective of the blogger; I'll watch it again because it is a worthy film to watch and one which kept me enthralled throughout.

TNiFN Rating 92%

IMDB Link

Captain Phillips - 8th July 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night goes all nautical this week, as we take to the high seas for a thrilling drama, but will we be splicing the main brace or walking the plank after;

Captain Phillips

Tom Hanks takes the lead role as Rich Phillips, the captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, tasked with moving cargo from Oman to Mombassa. The route takes them past the coast of Somalia, renowned in recent history for it's pirates. Phillips is alert to these threats and orders some drills to ensure security, however a drill turns to reality as they are followed closely by a small band of pirates, intent on capturing the huge container ship. The Alabama being unarmed has to resort to standard procedures to fend off any attacks, which include the deployment of high pressure water hoses to keep any attackers from boarding. Needless to say this deterrent does not deter them for long.

There, in a nutshell, is the set up for this tale of piracy. Based on the true story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking of 2009. Captain Rich Phillips and lead pirate, for want of a better phrase; Abduwali Muse, fight out the remainder of the film in a dramatic, nail biting and gripping affair.

Hanks, as always gives 100% as the kidnapped captain and Barkhad Abdi provides a fitting adversary in the form of Muse. The film is more than a drama, we see a battle of wits and the strange juxtaposition between the two leaders, who have more in common than first meets the eye and it is this link that is revisited throughout the film. Although in real peril Phillips manages to form a tenuous bond to Muse, which invariably saves his life.

As was mentioned earlier it is a gripping story, but not just for the mere fact that it is true, the way the story unfolds keeps you hooked and draws you in closer and closer to the action, the developing story and ultimately to the dramatic ending. At two hours and fourteen minutes long, it is no mean feat to keep the audience captured for so long, so it is therefore to the credit of the director Paul Greengrass and to the writer of the screenplay Billy Ray, that they have taken a real life adventure and adapted it for the big screen, in such a way that as the story evolves, the action, drama and tension intensifies. They drip feed information and twists which has the effect of maintaining the viewers concentration and pulls them into the story.

Credit should also go to Richard Phillips as well, for his book that the film was based upon; "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea". Captain Phillips was nominated for six Oscars in 2014, but failed to secure a win in any of the categories, which is a real shame, as the film is a definite "must watch". It also continues our view here at TNiFN Towers, that Tom Hanks has never made a bad film and continues to be one of our all time favourite actors.

Credit should also go to all the actors who portrayed the Somali pirates, as they were spot on with their determination, aggression and demeanor. (Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali). Apparently the first day of shooting the hijack scenes, was the first time the actors playing the pirates, had met the actors playing the Alabama crew. This was done so that the tension between the two groups was more tangible. It certainly worked. The interplay between the two sides was perfect and the intervention of the Navy and ultimately the Navy Seals was not over played as is sometimes the case with American hero / action movies. Greengrass played down the action and heroics, more intent on capturing the tension of the piece, going not for an action movie, but a reaction movie.

As for the scores, well this one divided the room yet again.

TNiFN Rating 87%

Blogger's note: Watching films with two women can be quite tricky, as although I'm no stranger to the chick-flick, the female contingent don't seem to be able to reciprocate when it comes to a biographical thriller. So although I absolute loved Captain Phillips, one member of the audience classed it as boring after about an hour. Unfortunately their score was lower and therefore the rating suffers. You can't win them all.

IMDB Link

Philomena - 1st July 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night hits July with our 209th film. After missing out last week, although we did manage a cinema trip, which hasn't been blogged (waiting for it to come out on Blu-ray), we'll continue tonight with a film that we wanted to see at the cinema when it was released, but missed out. Tonight's offering is;

Philomena

We were hoping that Philomena would be a charming and lovely biographical drama and we were not disappointed. It is delightful and heartwarming, innocent in nature, but with some sinister plot overtones as well. What's more it is based on a true story, as documented in Martin Sixsmith's book of 2009; "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee".

Philomena charts the story of Philomena Lee from her humble Irish childhood, through a teenage pregnancy, which led her to being ensconced into the care of nuns at the abbey in Roscrea. Although this settlement was far from cosy and she was forced to work in the laundry, to pay her way and for the care of her child. After 4 years of toil, Philomena learns that Anthony; her son, was taken away for adoption. Thus we have the basis for the story, Philomena keeps her son a secret until the day that would have been his 50th birthday. She retells the story to her daughter, who in turn bumps into Martin Sixsmith at a party, where she is acting as a waitress. She suggests that Sixsmith, who had recently fallen heavily from grace within the Labour party, may like to take up the journalistic challenge of this nice human interest story. He graciously declines, but the thought clearly sits in the back of his mind, as he ends up taking a U-turn and meeting Philomena to gain some depth to the story.

Let us take a break there from the story itself and concentrate more on the cast. Philomena is played flawlessly by Judi Dench, she delivers a gentle Irish brogue, allied with a sweet innocence of character, which is just perfect. One time BBC journalist and Labour party adviser Martin Sixsmith is portrayed by Steve Coogan, who also wrote the screenplay and produced the film. Clearly Coogan immersed himself into this story as he portrays Sixsmith with a passion and total honesty.

The film then takes off as Martin and Philomena start trying to piece together the movement of Anthony after the nuns at Roscrea arrange for his adoption. This turns into a transatlantic adventure after the discovery that American families came over to Ireland to adopt the children looked after by the nuns. Obviously we don't want to spoil the story here, but it does not follow the feelgood formula, as Martin finds Anthony fairly quickly, about a third of the way through the film. However, it is not that simple as there are many, many plot twists and turns to the story that you are not necessarily expecting. Which is such a delight to not to follow a predictable path, but to be led on this amazing and very personal journey.

Not only is the story fantastic and true, but it is also the way that the film highlights the juxtaposition between Philomena's and Martin's outlooks. Philomena just wanted to know that Anthony was safe and happy. Whilst Martin with his dogged journalistic instincts wants answers as to why the nuns at Roscrea gave away a mother's son without letting her know, even almost 50 years on, why, where or how things turned out. Philomena is happy to forgive, Martin wants some kind of atonement.

We were really looking forward to Philomena and it was a pleasure to watch, there is a depth of story that you don't get with other films. There are subtleties with the delivery, the dialogue is natural and free flowing and funny. The comedic lines are more intuitively delivered, not artificial at all, bringing even more realism to what is already a true story, based on people that are still alive. It is this realism and honesty that makes the film. Although in parts it is clearly lachrymose and wistful, as this story would be expected to be, the way that Dench and Coogan play off one another is a delight to watch.

We often elude to the formulaic approach to movies, that provide a certain security in the knowledge that you know you're going on a journey, but it will end up all alright in the end, with Philomena that formula is torn up and we instead rely on a well delivered narrative, from a beautifully written script, based on a book that is filled with humanity without irony, based on an amazing real life story that is both endearing and touching.

We must buy the book now.

As for the TNiFN scores, yet another bone of contention, although the blogger loved it, the blogger's wife was slightly more restrained in her appraisal when it comes to dishing out the scores. Anyhow, enough chicanery!

TNiFN Rating 87%

IMBD Link