THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

The Outfit

The Current Mrs Gers watched this first and here I quote, “You have to watch this, you’d love it”. And that’s the whole problem right there. Someone made this for someone like me. Someone who loves Tarantino-esque, dialogue heavy, thoughtful, arthouse movies. Unfortunately this was all of that, but by the numbers, generic.

It was okay, but just that, okay. I’m a massive fan of Mark Rylance, but I felt he was simply going through the motions here. You could see the ending coming from a mile off, and when you think the whole premise of the entire thing was focused on it, predictable.

The aforementioned Rylance stars as a tailor, or as he constantly has to remind everyone, a cutter, who’s relocated from London to Chicago. The most irritating aspect of this, and it’s here they’re trying to be clever, we’re never told the time period. Pre-war? Post-war? Who knows? He’s fallen into making sharp suits for the mob, who also use his shop as a dead letter drop for various heavy-set mobsters. I won’t bore you with the plot, as it's too obvious. Suffice to say the ending came as no surprise.

The whole thing is set in one room, with Rylance in every scene. We’ve seen this before. Free Fire being the obvious, but at a stretch you could say Reservoir Dogs, or The Hateful Eight.

_________________
They say don't kick a man when he's down. Show me a better time.

Saw this about a year ago. As you say, it's adequate.

_________________
I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

The Wicker Man

It’s 50 years to the week since this was released,and the BBC have gone all out with all things Summerisle this past week. So I decided to join in and rewatch the greatest British horror film ever made.

I guess everyone knows this film, and if not shame on you. But for the culturally unaware, a plot summary.

A highland police officer lands on a remote Scottish island to conduct an investigation over a missing child. There he finds a fiefdom ruled over by Christopher Lee’s Lord Summerisle, and a pagan society that still worships pagan deities. No spoilers here, but it doesn't end well for Edward Woodward’s Presbyterian copper. That’s it, but obviously there’s far more than that. Far more.

It’s a wonderful piece which I’d urge everyone to watch. Difficult to convey just how weird this is. It’s outrageous, and Lee considered it the best film he appeared in. Going as far to work for free, and go on a press tour at his own expense to promote it. It’s certainly of it’s time there’s no argument here, but if anything that fact only adds to the oddness.

Give it a watch, if only for mime artist Lindsay Kemp as the landlord of the pub. Yer’ actual Lindsay Kemp with a convincing Scottish accent.

_________________
They say don't kick a man when he's down. Show me a better time.

Squaring The Circle (The Story Of Hipgnosis)

Anton Corbjin directed documentary about the album design studio Hipgnosis. You’ve most probably never heard of them, but even someone who doesn't actively like music will recognize some of their work. Their most recognizable piece is the cover to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, but even I was surprised at just how many other instantly recognisable albums they’ve done.

It’s the story of a partnership. Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell and Storm Thorgertson were essentially Hipgnosis. Watching this it would appear that Powell did all the actual work while the incredibly irritating Thorgertson was more of a concepts man. I didn’t really enjoy this if I’m being honest. I was already aware of Thorgertson’s reputation, and this did little to alter my perception. He’s best summed up by Floyd drummer Nick Mason thus… “A man who wouldn’t take yes for an answer”. He passed away back in 2013, so the whole thing is viewed through the prism of Powell. He’s an okay narrator, but being as I’m a music obsessive there wasn’t any great revelations. Find it on Netflix if you like music documentaries.

Talking of music. The budget for the soundtrack must have been enormous. Quite often when I watch a music doc’ (which I do frequently) the music being discussed is never heard due to licensing issues. Not here. Every album discussed is soundtracked with the music. That must’ve cost a small fortune.

If there’s one thing I took from this which I’d never noticed was the cover of Unknown Pleasures bares more than a passing resemblance to the aforementioned Dark Side Of The Moon.

_________________
They say don't kick a man when he's down. Show me a better time.

One Life

Just got back from seeing this at the Xscape. A British guy, Nicholas Wonton, who helped children flee the Nazis from Prague at just before we entered the Second World War. Anthony Hopkins plays the elder Winton.

A really brilliant film. Go and see it.

Saltburn

Where to start with this? I'll try and avoid any major spoilers as you need to see this without too much knowledge of what happens.

The blurb on imdb goes:
"A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten."

The opening act at Oxford is an engaging but familiar tale of class boundaries. Poor scholarship boy Oliver (the brilliant Barry Keoghan, who you'll know as the eejit from The Banshees of Inisherin) is an outsider who, through a chance encounter, gets invited in to the exciting world of the gorgeous, glamorous and uber-popular Felix (Jacob Elordi), a rich aristo who everyone loves and wants to be with.

Act two sees Oliver invited to spend the summer at Felix's family pile. Think Brideshead (in fact one of the family state that Waugh based some of his characters on previous generations of the family). Massive, beautiful house, full of lovely stuff. Loads of servants. And a collection of charming, lovely and eccentric family and guests. Only eccentric barely covers it. Privileged, damaged, nasty, cold, weird. Lazy summer days, mad dinner parties and a growing homo-erotic vibe between the two leads. Tragedy ensues. With excellent performances from Richard E Grant and Rosamund Pike as Felix's parents.

The third act shifts gears considerably. Set some time after the crazy summer, with some explanatory flashbacks, things get much darker. I won't spoil it but it's an unsettling watch. My wife flipped from loving the start (one of our sprogs went to Oxford so it was a dog whistle to her), to feeling uncomfortable half way through, to actively and viscerally hating it towards the end. I found it very disturbing but an excellent watch, with some bravura acting. And some very upfront (and, in one dark scene, quite shocking) male nudity.

Written and directed by Emerald Fennell (who starred in Call The Midwife and as Camilla in The Crown). Her acting work does not lead you to expect this! However, I see she was one of the writers on Killing Eve so that explains a lot. She's produced an amazing piece of work here. You might not enjoy it, but you'll be glad you saw it and you won't forget it. Now streaming on Amazon Prime.

8/10

_________________
I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

Absolutely agree about Saltburn - and so difficult to comment on without any spoilers!

One of those films I loved and hated in equal measure, on balance whilst it’s highly derivative, the attempt to bring something new from some pretty well worn material deserves credit - extreme style over substance? - perhaps, but if ultimately it’s unsatisfying then it’s still one hell of a ride - absolutely Brideshead, but with equal measures of Parasite and The Talented Mr Ripley too. I thought Barry Keoghan was somewhat constrained by the role he was written - I had hoped for a bit more - but absolutely agreed that supporting performances from Rosamund Pike and Richard E were utterly outstanding, off the scale even, as well as Carey Mulligan as Poor Dear Pamela - if your going to do cameos then that’s the way to do it

Forgetting all else it’s one of the most sumptuously visual films I saw last year - incredibly atmospheric - the cinematography, lighting and colour grading are toppest of top draw (even though I do think that shooting in 4:3 aspect ratio was un-necessarily gauche). We were lucky to have caught this on one of the bigger screens at Cineworld at the end of November during it’s limited cinema release, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it translates onto the home screen for a second viewing. And that content - we were lucky to be in the darkness of the auditorium and fortunately Littlest OFD had seen the film at the London Film Festival so knew what was coming (sorry!) but fully agree that it could be a challenge in the living room for a mixed audience- caveat emptor!

In summary quite a mixed bag, one of those problematic screenplays that doesn’t quite know when to stop, but what it delivers is highly watchable and quite compulsive, and to-die-for stylish. That said, almost as an epitaph its with great regret that I will never be able to listen to Sophie Ellis-Bextor again, never ever, some things you just can’t un-see I’m afraid

Have a look for yourself!



Next Goal Wins - currently playing at the cinema - the story of the American Samoa national footy team preparing for a make or break world cup qualifier under last-chance-saloon/washed-up new coach Michael Fassbender (with a blonde rinse?!?!?)

As the credits roll I’m wondering what I’m letting myself in for - the new film from ultimate screen narcissist Taika Waititi, who gave us the apocalypticly bad Thor:Ragnarok and Thor:Love and Thunder - what could possibly go wrong? It’s dfficult to know what to expect - the predictable zeros to heroes plot line combines the equally predictable story of universal self discovery, but ultimately this time it plays out differently. Despite an awkward, toenail curling first half an hour things really kick on and deliver a charming football tale that really works - there is true sporting romance here and some crafty story telling in the way the business end of the film is put together

I’ll happily eat humble pie, what I thought would be a dreadful misfire actually is far from it - a great footy tale to start the cinema year, well worth a look!

Nice work there OFD ^^^

I hear what you say about Sophie Ellis-Bextor, but I've already got tickets to see her in the summer, supporting Nile Rodgers! Tickets bought way before seeing Saltburn. However, I hear there are a lot of parodies of the closing song on youtube... I plan to check some out.

_________________
I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

Whereas I thought other than the soundtrack ( which was early 2000's epic) it was the biggest pile of dogshit Ive ever seen. Like a low rent version of the talented Mr Ripley set at Brideshead Revisited. And as for the cliched poor boy taken in by the rich, did you see the size of Olivers gaff, distinctly not poor! Rosamund Pike did a good job but Richard E Grant put in an outstanding performance. Barry Keoghan is way too old for the role for me and made it hard to buy into him as Oliver but he played the role very well.

1/10 for the soundtrack alone.

Obviously - he's a liar. That's the point.

_________________
I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.