What was the last film you watched?

[Angela Channing]

Death On The Nile (2022)

View attachment 37039​

Watching almost back-to-back with Murder On The Orient Express the continuity is a little confusing. At the end of the earlier film Poirot was summoned to Egypt to solve a murder, teasing the sequel. But the story begins again here. Oh well.

Like the previous film, it’s a glossy-but-safe affair.

The cast of faces is familiar but rather more distracting here. Most distracting are the British comedians. French & Saunders are here, as is Russell Brand. Any one of them would have been fine and they do all perform well enough. But all three...?

Jen does the stock American accent she’s used since the Eighties and steals every scene in which she appears with her brilliant little looks. Dawn is simply Dawn. She doesn’t attempt any accent (thank goodness). French & Saunders are nearly always together so one just thinks of French & Saunders. Lovely as it is to see a favourite comedy pairing (I was a huge fan back in my schooldays) still together and still giving such great chemistry, it did affect my investment. It’s telling that perhaps the best moment for either was one in which they were separated: Dawn being interrogated by Poirot. I suddenly noticed that Dawn’s features are a little similar to Barbara Bel Geddes (her blinking in disbelief drew my attention to it). As the scene went on, I found myself thinking she was giving a pretty decent performance. But I never stopped seeing Dawn French.

I didn’t recognise Russell Brand until nearly the end. He certainly sounded different, though he still sounded rather more contemporary than a man of his position and time probably would. Despite the era, as played by the always-stylish Brand he ended up looking rather more like a 21st Century hipster than one might expect, and that was what I noticed in the character before I even realised who was playing him.

In terms of 21st Century inflections, Emma Mackey was the film’s biggest culprit. There’s no mistaking that she is anything but a Millennial. There was a lot of the contemporary RP/South-East UK mixed vowel thing going on (where the vowel sound of “you” has more of an “e” sound; or the “o” in “know” has more than a touch of an “i” sound).

Looking at the cast list I’ve just noticed that Armie Hammer was one of the leads, and now all I can think about is last year’s fabulously-titled thread from @Alexis

Is Nobody Going To Talk About Armie Hammer Being A Blood Thirsting Vampire Cannibal Rape Fantasist? No?

This was all too much for me to wake up to this morning! Imagine, without even as much as a cup of coffee or piece of toast to start the day. And just after I had finally given in and watched Call Me By Your Name and realised that Armie's character in that was really Jeff Colby and what he was...

www.tellytalk.net

Another presence to have previously made headlines for their off-screen conduct was Letitia Wright. She was fine, but the scene in which her character “called out” Poirot for his idiosyncrasies felt particularly skewed through a Twenty First Century prism as played here.

Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot was fine, though this is a more emotional and tortured Poirot than previously seen, with a more in-depth backstory that, as shot, felt almost like a superhero origin. For me, less is more with Poirot and our knowledge thereof and since Branagh is Producer and Director as well as leading actor, the bigger, more “powerful” emotional moments for the character can’t help coming across as an indulgence rather than an authentic interpretation of the character. During a moment near the end where Poirot paused, mid-monologue as he unsuccessfully fought back tears in extreme close-up I found myself feeling irritated and moved at the same time.

The character’s obsessive-compulsive behaviours continued here and I noticed this extended to Branagh’s direction. Many scenes -particularly those featuring Poirot had a sense of order and symmetry, with characters and backgrounds very centred and even. At first I appreciated this psychological touch but, once noticed, it became distracting because it was done so darned much. While an occasional shot of symmetry gets the point across, after a certain point it felt too scientific and lacking in creativity and imagination. Almost anyone who takes even holiday photos knows after that first set that having every shot centred isn’t the best way to do things because it gets tediously samey. I found myself placing an imaginary grid over these numerous symmetrical shots and noticing when the shot was slightly off. And I don’t want to watch this kind of film with a technical eye. It was yet another unnecessary distraction from Agatha Christie’s wonderful story.

I scrolled though this tread and read and replied to your comments on Murder On The Orient Express without realising you had already watched Death On The Nile. Having read what you thought of this film I suspect I might feel the same way about it as I did about Murder On The Orient Express.

 

[Angela Channing]

Misbehaviour (2020)

This is a UK comedy drama about events surrounding the 1970 Miss World cattle market competition when a group of women's liberation activists disrupted the ceremony. It stars Keira Knightly as one of the activists and she is an actress who for no discernible reason I find immensely irritating and that was the case here too. However, this is still a good little film and a bit of a history lesson too without being at all preachy.

Bob Hope presented the ceremony that year and he comes across as being an unpleasant person and at times cringingly sexist. I didn't realise before watching this film that after the previous time he presented the Miss World finals in the 1960s, he started an affair with the winner, taking her back to the USA with him so he could spend a lot of time with her, much to the annoyance of his wife. As well as highlighting the sexism of the Miss World pageant the film also touched on the awfulness of South African apartheid and how that country got around selecting from white young women only to represent them by picking a second black woman to represent Miss Africa South.

The rest of the cast are great and they always seem to be in the 1970s rather than playing as if the were from that era but with 2020s hindsight and sensibilities. I loved the ending when they showed all the main characters as they are now and what the went on to do and achieve.

 

[Angela Channing]

Death On The Nile (2022)

View attachment 37039​

Watching almost back-to-back with Murder On The Orient Express the continuity is a little confusing. At the end of the earlier film Poirot was summoned to Egypt to solve a murder, teasing the sequel. But the story begins again here. Oh well.

Like the previous film, it’s a glossy-but-safe affair.

The cast of faces is familiar but rather more distracting here. Most distracting are the British comedians. French & Saunders are here, as is Russell Brand. Any one of them would have been fine and they do all perform well enough. But all three...?

Jen does the stock American accent she’s used since the Eighties and steals every scene in which she appears with her brilliant little looks. Dawn is simply Dawn. She doesn’t attempt any accent (thank goodness). French & Saunders are nearly always together so one just thinks of French & Saunders. Lovely as it is to see a favourite comedy pairing (I was a huge fan back in my schooldays) still together and still giving such great chemistry, it did affect my investment. It’s telling that perhaps the best moment for either was one in which they were separated: Dawn being interrogated by Poirot. I suddenly noticed that Dawn’s features are a little similar to Barbara Bel Geddes (her blinking in disbelief drew my attention to it). As the scene went on, I found myself thinking she was giving a pretty decent performance. But I never stopped seeing Dawn French.

I didn’t recognise Russell Brand until nearly the end. He certainly sounded different, though he still sounded rather more contemporary than a man of his position and time probably would. Despite the era, as played by the always-stylish Brand he ended up looking rather more like a 21st Century hipster than one might expect, and that was what I noticed in the character before I even realised who was playing him.

In terms of 21st Century inflections, Emma Mackey was the film’s biggest culprit. There’s no mistaking that she is anything but a Millennial. There was a lot of the contemporary RP/South-East UK mixed vowel thing going on (where the vowel sound of “you” has more of an “e” sound; or the “o” in “know” has more than a touch of an “i” sound).

Looking at the cast list I’ve just noticed that Armie Hammer was one of the leads, and now all I can think about is last year’s fabulously-titled thread from @Alexis

Is Nobody Going To Talk About Armie Hammer Being A Blood Thirsting Vampire Cannibal Rape Fantasist? No?

This was all too much for me to wake up to this morning! Imagine, without even as much as a cup of coffee or piece of toast to start the day. And just after I had finally given in and watched Call Me By Your Name and realised that Armie's character in that was really Jeff Colby and what he was...

www.tellytalk.net

Another presence to have previously made headlines for their off-screen conduct was Letitia Wright. She was fine, but the scene in which her character “called out” Poirot for his idiosyncrasies felt particularly skewed through a Twenty First Century prism as played here.

Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot was fine, though this is a more emotional and tortured Poirot than previously seen, with a more in-depth backstory that, as shot, felt almost like a superhero origin. For me, less is more with Poirot and our knowledge thereof and since Branagh is Producer and Director as well as leading actor, the bigger, more “powerful” emotional moments for the character can’t help coming across as an indulgence rather than an authentic interpretation of the character. During a moment near the end where Poirot paused, mid-monologue as he unsuccessfully fought back tears in extreme close-up I found myself feeling irritated and moved at the same time.

The character’s obsessive-compulsive behaviours continued here and I noticed this extended to Branagh’s direction. Many scenes -particularly those featuring Poirot had a sense of order and symmetry, with characters and backgrounds very centred and even. At first I appreciated this psychological touch but, once noticed, it became distracting because it was done so darned much. While an occasional shot of symmetry gets the point across, after a certain point it felt too scientific and lacking in creativity and imagination. Almost anyone who takes even holiday photos knows after that first set that having every shot centred isn’t the best way to do things because it gets tediously samey. I found myself placing an imaginary grid over these numerous symmetrical shots and noticing when the shot was slightly off. And I don’t want to watch this kind of film with a technical eye. It was yet another unnecessary distraction from Agatha Christie’s wonderful story.

I watched this last night and I enjoyed it more than Branagh's Murder On The Orient Express but that was probably due to me thinking Death On The Nile is a better story overall.

I agree with a lot of your comments. I liked that this film didn't overload the audience with CGI this time but sadly Mr Branagh's direction was just as annoying as it was in the previous film, possibly more so. Too many camera shots were trying to be too clever, for example several scenes being shot through textured glass windows and another one in which the camera panned between 2 windows, neither of which added anything to the viewing experience, in fact it only served to be a distraction from what was going on in those scenes.

Your observation about how he liked to stage scenes in a symmetrical way was spot on. Probably done to reflect the precision and order that Poirot usually displays (although this was less of a feature in Branagh's interpretation of the character) it was an interesting idea but it was overused to the point of being another distraction. There was one scene when Poirot walks from the middle of the bow of the ship into the cabin and all of the furniture and ropes on the left of the deck were exactly mirrored on the right and in the cabin all of the chairs, tables, lamps and people were in the same positions on the left and right of the screen. The whole thing had a vibe of stylish mise-en-scene being more important than the storytelling to the point where it felt very gimmicky. Speaking of gimmicks, the opening scene explaining why Poirot has such a ridiculously moustache just seemed like Branagh trying to justify his gimmicky choice of facial hair rather than adding anything of interest to the storytelling.

The other annoying distraction in the film was that almost everyone was speaking in an obviously fake accent. The exception was Gal Gadot who spoke in her normal voice and I thought she was one of the the best things in the film: she was stunningly beautiful, great screen presence and pulled out a great performance even though she was surrounded by a lot of mediocrity. I really would like to see her in a significant role in a strong drama to really showcase her talents.

I am being overly critical of the film because I didn't think it was bad but it deserved to be so much better.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I watched this last year but I didn't enjoy it as much as you did.

I think it helped that I had really low expectations. I'd seen a trailer back when it first came out and found it really off-putting because it made it look like an action film or something. Thankfully it was an improvement on my fears.

The itself film lacked the tension and intrigue of the Albert Finney version and I didn't think it did justice to the story, in fact it made it feel a bit old fashioned.

I didn't mind the old-fashioned aspect, but I very much agree that it wasn't as effective as the Albert Finney version in terms of tension and intrigue.

sadly Mr Branagh's direction was just as annoying as it was in the previous film, possibly more so. Too many camera shots were trying to be too clever, for example several scenes being shot through textured glass windows and another one in which the camera panned between 2 windows, neither of which added anything to the viewing experience, in fact it only served to be a distraction from what was going on in those scenes.

I'm glad it wasn't just me who found it distracting.

Your observation about how he liked to stage scenes in a symmetrical way was spot on. Probably done to reflect the precision and order that Poirot usually displays (although this was less of a feature in Branagh's interpretation of the character) it was an interesting idea but it was overused to the point of being another distraction.

Yes. I appreciated what he was trying to do but it was as subtle as a sledgehammer and I think he fell back on it far too much at the expense of genuinely creative direction.

Speaking of gimmicks, the opening scene explaining why Poirot has such a ridiculously moustache just seemed like Branagh trying to justify his gimmicky choice of facial hair rather than adding anything of interest to the storytelling.

That whole flashback felt like a superhero origin story to me (having directed Thor, perhaps Branagh has been inspired by Marvel. He's said to have expressed interest in creating a "cinematic universe" based on Agatha Christie's books). I think we were told far too much about Poirot and that's a shame.

The exception was Gal Gadot who spoke in her normal voice and I thought she was one of the the best things in the film: she was stunningly beautiful, great screen presence and pulled out a great performance even though she was surrounded by a lot of mediocrity.

Yes. It was a nice performance and I must mention her character's introduction at the nightclub which looked very much like Old Hollywood glamour and quite Hitchcockian.

I am being overly critical of the film because I didn't think it was bad but it deserved to be so much better.

I know what you mean. It's a watchable enough film, but just felt as though it didn't live up to its potential.

 

[Biggie]

Star Trek IV The Whale Kidnapping Time Travelling In A Stolen Klingon Magic Invisible Spaceship.

A big universe crossing planet destroying tube thing find Earth and wants to chat to a whale because f*** me who knows. So Jim and his band of disobedient but loyal crew time travel to the era when the movie was made, to the city it was filmed in to kidnap two and not quite formed whale so that they can speak to big giant galaxy crossing whale chatting planet melting spaced tube 300 years in the future. The whale bothering woman that bunged them some krill for supper then hitched a life back 300 in the future. She will shit her self when she clock all the other off world beings and that's just the first day.

So the two and a not yet born whale are to revel in incest to repopulate the seas or is say wassup to big giant planet raping space enough? The whole thing was late night candle light. No one was bothered about the whales to consider if they could survive in the seas and what's in or missing form them in star date blah blah.

 

[Angela Channing]

Star Trek IV The Whale Kidnapping Time Travelling In A Stolen Klingon Magic Invisible Spaceship.

A big universe crossing planet destroying tube thing find Earth and wants to chat to a whale because f*** me who knows. So Jim and his band of disobedient but loyal crew time travel to the era when the movie was made, to the city it was filmed in to kidnap two and not quite formed whale so that they can speak to big giant galaxy crossing whale chatting planet melting spaced tube 300 years in the future. The whale bothering woman that bunged them some krill for supper then hitched a life back 300 in the future. She will shit her self when she clock all the other off world beings and that's just the first day.

So the two and a not yet born whale are to revel in incest to repopulate the seas or is say wassup to big giant planet raping space enough? The whole thing was late night candle light. No one was bothered about the whales to consider if they could survive in the seas and what's in or missing form them in star date blah blah.

Although the plot does challenge credibility, it still is one of my favourite Star Trek films.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Batman (2022)

There must be something wrong with me. This film has had a lot of positive things said about it but I didn't like it. It wasn't all bad though: I thought it was beautifully shot, very atmospheric, Robert Pattinson did a good job as Batman and the film was dark and serious but still managed to stay true to its comic book origins. I really liked Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman and Colin Farrell was good as Penguin although I can't understand why they would hide him under so much prosthetic makeup that I couldn't recognise him, they might as week have gotten someone a lot cheaper to play the role.

I thought the film was overly long at 3 hours and I found it to be slow and boring at times. It's almost entirely shot in reduced lighting and for a lot of the dialogue the actors annoyingly spoke in whispers or they mumbled. The sound editing seemed to be all over the place, on occasions I could barely hear what was being said and on other occasions I needed to turn the volume down because it was too loud. Maybe I would appreciate it more after a second viewing.

 

[Seaviewer]

Easter Parade

 

[Jimmy Todd]

2001: A Space Odyssey

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Freaky Friday (2003)

I'm fairly certain I've seen this one before. I've certainly seen at least clips of key scenes. And of course I would have watched the Jodie Foster original on rainy Bank Holiday afternoons when I was young. I also have that version lined up to watch at some point, but whimsy led me to the remake last night (a Friday, naturally), and it hit the spot.

Jamie Lee Curtis is the best thing in this. I remembered her being really funny as a girl stuck in her mother's body but, even with high expectations going in, I found myself laughing out loud. I don't know Lindsay Lohan for much other than the troubled teen reputation she had at one point, but she was likeable enough here. Mark Harmon was also very good, having a tougher job as the film's straight man. Harold Gould gets to go overboard as hard-of-hearing, short-sighted, panic-prone Grandad. Chad Michael Murray is in the perfect role as a supporting player, there for his pretty face (it's so refreshing to see how likeable he is here, and how much immediacy he brings just before beginning One Tree Hill, where his acting became more overwrought and pretentiously mannered by the year to the point I now find him painfully unwatchable). There's another future soap actor, with Julie Gonzalo as Lohan's bitchy ex-friend.

Naturally, there are also some terrific character actors playing various teachers, counselling clients, etc. Stephen Tobolowsky is one of those faces that crops up in everything. Willie Garson likewise. And stealing the show from everyone except JLC is Lucille Soong as the woman who causes the switch.

This is one of those films where the premise is so fun it's difficult for it not to work. Making it even more enjoyable is that - despite being made in 2003 - it feels very much like a late Nineties film.​

 

[Angela Channing]

Freaky Friday (2003)

I'm fairly certain I've seen this one before. I've certainly seen at least clips of key scenes. And of course I would have watched the Jodie Foster original on rainy Bank Holiday afternoons when I was young. I also have that version lined up to watch at some point, but whimsy led me to the remake last night (a Friday, naturally), and it hit the spot.

Jamie Lee Curtis is the best thing in this. I remembered her being really funny as a girl stuck in her mother's body but, even with high expectations going in, I found myself laughing out loud. I don't know Lindsay Lohan for much other than the troubled teen reputation she had at one point, but she was likeable enough here. Mark Harmon was also very good, having a tougher job as the film's straight man. Harold Gould gets to go overboard as hard-of-hearing, short-sighted, panic-prone Grandad. Chad Michael Murray is in the perfect role as a supporting player, there for his pretty face (it's so refreshing to see how likeable he is here, and how much immediacy he brings just before beginning One Tree Hill, where his acting became more overwrought and pretentiously mannered by the year to the point I now find him painfully unwatchable). There's another future soap actor, with Julie Gonzalo as Lohan's bitchy ex-friend.

Naturally, there are also some terrific character actors playing various teachers, counselling clients, etc. Stephen Tobolowsky is one of those faces that crops up in everything. Willie Garson likewise. And stealing the show from everyone except JLC is Lucille Soong as the woman who causes the switch.

This is one of those films where the premise is so fun it's difficult for it not to work. Making it even more enjoyable is that - despite being made in 2003 - it feels very much like a late Nineties film.​

Interesting that you have such a positive view of this film. I've always had a soft spot for the original but never had any desire to watch the remake, maybe I need to review my opinion on that.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Nan Movie (2022)

Oh dear! This film, based on a character in a sketch show by Catherine Tate was always going to be a challenge because the TV the sketch was basically one joke stretched over 5 minutes (an old woman who is very sweary) and here the same joke was stretched over an hour and a half. Also, whereas in the naughties it was shocking and therefore more humourous to hear some of the things Nan said, in the 2020s the language is so commonplace it no longer has any shock appeal. As a result, this film is a comedy that is almost completely devoid of humour.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Interesting that you have such a positive view of this film. I've always had a soft spot for the original but never had any desire to watch the remake, maybe I need to review my opinion on that.

There are a couple of things that went in its favour. The first is Jamie Lee Curtis's performance, since she has great comic timing and very little of the vanity one would associate of a Hollywood actress of her calibre. She isn't afraid of looking silly or of using her age and poking fun at her appearance.

What also helped is that it's many, many years since I've watched the original. I'm sure I must have seen it during childhood at least once, but I can barely remember it. This must have been helpful, because I'm sure Lindsay Lohan's performance paled compared with Jodie Foster.

This film, based on a character in a sketch show by Catherine Tate was always going to be a challenge because the TV the sketch was basically one joke stretched over 5 minutes (an old woman who is very sweary) and here the same joke was stretched over an hour and a half.

I loved Nan as part of the series, but yes, I can imagine it wouldn't work anything like as well without the brevity. Even some of the longer sketches in the series didn't feel as funny as the five minute ones.

That said, if Catherine ever does The Shocked Northern Adventures Of Janice & Ray, I'll be there for it...

Also, whereas in the naughties it was shocking and therefore more humourous to hear some of the things Nan said, in the 2020s the language is so commonplace it no longer has any shock appeal.

I had wondered if it might work the other way round and need toning down for the Twenties. With cancel culture, I'd thought some of Nan's less-than-politically-correct blunt observations about people's appearances might shock a sensitive younger audience even more today than it did almost two decades ago.

 

[Angela Channing]

I loved Nan as part of the series, but yes, I can imagine it wouldn't work anything like as well without the brevity. Even some of the longer sketches in the series didn't feel as funny as the five minute ones.

That said, if Catherine ever does The Shocked Northern Adventures Of Janice & Ray, I'll be there for it...

​

I had wondered if it might work the other way round and need toning down for the Twenties. With cancel culture, I'd thought some of Nan's less-than-politically-correct blunt observations about people's appearances seems like it might shock a sensitive younger audience even more today than it did almost two decades ago.

I used to think Nan was hilarious which was why I wanted to see this film but it just wasn't very good.

There wasn't as many f**ks in the film as I expected which I think was probably more to avoid a 18 certificate (the film has a 15 certificate) and the word c**t appeared on screen quite a few times although I don't think it was actually said. I don't think making changes to be more acceptable for a modern cinema audience was the problem, it was the awful plot which involved getting Nan involved in a succession of stupid adventures. The best bits of the film were not the comedy but the drama between Nan and her sister and her sister's husband which was even a bit moving on occasions.

You mentioned Janice and Ray and perhaps the film might have worked better had some of the other characters from The Catherine Tate Show appeared in some of the scenes.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

There wasn't as many f**ks in the film as I expected which I think was probably more to avoid a 18 certificate (the film has a 15 certificate)

I'm not quite sure how the certificate business works, but I suspect you may be right. There's possibly a threshold that pushes it over.

On a related note, I read an article about the upcoming Marilyn Monroe series on Netflix being given an NC-17 rating, which explained:

NC-17 ratings are exceedingly rare and generally only given to films with excess amounts of nudity or graphic sex.

It also describes the rating as "extreme". I find it a bit perplexing that a film or series can apparently be horrifically violent without too many issues, but showing genitals onscreen results in limiting the audience. It's an odd kind of morality, and I'm not sure what it says about the bodies governing the certification.

You mentioned Janice and Ray and perhaps the film might have worked better had some of the other characters from The Catherine Tate Show appeared in some of the scenes.

Yes. I did half wonder if other characters would appear along the way. The fact that they don't makes it a little less interesting for me.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

"Surprising" is probably the best descriptive word for this one. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.

There wasn't much I didn't like (I think. I'm still undecided, really). The main irritant for me were terribly British actors using Americanisms with cut glass English accents ("go do", "elevator", "write me", "OK", etc). Presumably they were true to the writing... but it's written by an American.

However, it was also quirky, funny (the ridiculous slalom chase had me laughing out loud despite myself), gorgeous to look at and filled with a terrific cast. Despite spending most of the film undecided if I was actually enjoying watching, it was very easy to devour. Time went quickly, which has to be a good thing.

Apropos of nothing, the melody of the score intermittently reminded me greatly of an orchestral version of an ABBA song. I think it was Lay All Your Love On Me, but I forget.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

"Surprising" is probably the best descriptive word for this one. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.

There wasn't much I didn't like (I think. I'm still undecided, really). The main irritant for me were terribly British actors using Americanisms with cut glass English accents ("go do", "elevator", "write me", "OK", etc). Presumably they were true to the writing... but it's written by an American.

However, it was also quirky, funny (the ridiculous slalom chase had me laughing out loud despite myself), gorgeous to look at and filled with a terrific cast. Despite spending most of the film undecided if I was actually enjoying watching, it was very easy to devour. Time went quickly, which has to be a good thing.

Apropos of nothing, the melody of the score intermittently reminded me greatly of an orchestral version of an ABBA song. I think it was Lay All Your Love On Me, but I forget.

I absolutely love this film. It's visually stunning, the colours and sets are amazing, the music is outstanding and each scene is beautifully crafted. Ralph Fiennes is quite brilliant in it, terrific acting with a great appreciation for the comedy of it all. It's an engrossing journey of whimsy during which the viewer encounters a succession of eccentric characters. It's also very funny and has a vibe of an animated films at times. Overall, I think it's a piece of genius.

Apropos of nothing, the melody of the score intermittently reminded me greatly of an orchestral version of an ABBA song. I think it was Lay All Your Love On Me, but I forget.

I never made that observation before, I'll have to listen out for it when I next watch this film.

 

[Angela Channing]

Ambulance (2022)

A bank heist film. Two brothers rob a bank but their well thought out plan goes wrong and their escape is botched when one of them accidentally shoots a copper. When an ambulance take him away, the robbers hijack the vehicle, victim and paramedic included, to get through the police cordon. The bulk of the rest of the film is an action filled police chase. The plot stretches credibility at times but it's an entertaining action film with a relentless succession of a crashes, explosions and gun fire. It's not Shakespeare but it's good escapist fun.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I absolutely love this film. It's visually stunning, the colours and sets are amazing, the music is outstanding and each scene is beautifully crafted. Ralph Fiennes is quite brilliant in it, terrific acting with a great appreciation for the comedy of it all. It's an engrossing journey of whimsy during which the viewer encounters a succession of eccentric characters. It's also very funny and has a vibe of an animated films at times. Overall, I think it's a piece of genius.

Oh great. Thinking back on the film I'd agree with that.

I also have The French Dispatch to watch at some point*, from the same director and with some of the same actors as in Grand Budapest. Have you seen that one?



* But that one will have to wait until I've been through all the Star Wars films.

 

[Angela Channing]

I also have The French Dispatch to watch at some point*, from the same director and with some of the same actors as in Grand Budapest. Have you seen that one?

Yes, I have seen it. It has a very similar feel to The Grand Budapest Hotel so much so that you wouldn't need to know it was by the same director because it looks the same although the story is completely different. It's a good film but I didn't like it quite as much.