Fri 29-May The General (1926)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_General_(1926_film)

The General is a 1926 American silent comedy film released by United Artists.It was inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, a true story of an event that occurred during the American Civil War.The story was adapted from the memoir The Great Locomotive Chase by William Pittenger.The film stars Buster Keaton who co-directed it with Clyde Bruckman..


At the time of its initial release, The General, an action-adventure-comedy made toward the end of the silent era, was not well received by critics and audiences, resulting in mediocre box office returns (about half a million dollars domestically, and approximately one million worldwide). Because of its then-huge budget ($750,000 supplied by Metro chief Joseph Schenck) and failure to turn a significant profit, Keaton lost his independence as a filmmaker and was forced into a restrictive deal with MGM. In 1954 the film entered the public domain in the United States because its claimant did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.

The General has since been reevaluated, and is now often ranked among the greatest American films ever made. In 1989, it was selected by the Library of Congress to be included in the first class of films for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

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We watched a colourised modern hi tech restoration. No wobbly image, fuzzy b&w version here.

Movie is very very watchable. The whole thing is a study in film that attracts the eye. Artful and fun BUT...

It has some abominably vile political context. The story serves to valorise the "Confederate South" which you can just about give a pass if you swallow hard and blink but there are actual black slaves carrying stuff in early scenes. Loses 2 points for this. (I considered red carding it....so that I feel is generous.)

ABM Rating 0.5/3

Fri 22-May Immortal Beloved (1994)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_Beloved_(1994_film)

Immortal Beloved is a 1994 film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman).The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé) as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (Immortal Beloved) addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers.
en.wikipedia.org

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Bit of a soapie I guess. Gary Oldman is acting his tits off as Ludwig here but there's something that misfires just a little.  He would have won an Oscar apparently but this came out in the same year as Tom Hanks was up for Forrest Gump.

Compared to Amadeus (as inevitably this must be) this is less compelling but that is what happens when good lines up against great.

The movie does not deserve it's poor reputation (see IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes scores)

ABM Rating 2.5/3

Fri 15-May The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purple_Rose_of_Cairo

The Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American romantic fantasy comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, and Danny Aiello.Inspired by Sherlock Jr., Hellzapoppin', and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, it is the tale of a film character named Tom Baxter who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real world.







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This is a very un-American movie.

For an American movie, this film is odd because it's genre fantasy. It is *NOT* sci-fi because the extraordinary story presents no reasoning or logic/science basis for the events depicted. Not even "it was all a dream" (or something.)

Genre fantasy like this is rare in American movies outside of musicals. It is much more common for movies (particularly American movies) to go for 'realism'.

By realism I mean a story that is meant to depict some event that is or could be real. Musicals (think of The Wizard of Oz) have scenes with 'numbers' and sometimes dancing where the story moves on behind the scene. This is not realistic in my view. Apart from musicals most American movies are like Westerns or gangster films where the theme is characters battling against society, struggling to survive or overcome the 'bad guys' (think Star Wars or High Noon or Saving Private Ryan.)
The only other exception to this is cartoons... (think Tom and Jerry or The Road Runner).


Purple Rose contains no American exceptionalism, no imperialism, not even much capitalist gangster mojo. It succeeds on the basis of characters and performance. Those characters, performances and the events depicted are obviously false and fantastical but this serves the story rather than detracts from it. This movie is serious not funny but fantasy not reality. Very unusual.

The abusive relationship between Cecilia (Mia Farrow) and Monk (Danny Aielo) is pushed hard as almost a one note, simplistic, almost cartoonish fight. It feels uncomfortable given the real life domestic history of Mia and Woody. But it's clearly not meant to be punk-style, slapstick funny or trivial. It serves to push Cecilia's character into the conflict of accepting the fantasy since her 'reality' is untenable, unendurable. So does her crap, crap, crap job at the crummy diner.

There is quite a deal of delicious movie industry satire in the dialogue of the abandoned characters in the movie. Woody Allen alumni Dianne Wiest steals scenes as a grotesque prostitute. (She was great in Bullets Over Broadway too. "Hush, don't speak!)

There are parts of this movie that look like it was filmed in an abandoned factory or junkyard. The budget was pretty low I guess.

This movie is one of the best American movies of the 80's and most people haven't seen it.

ABM Rating 3/3

Fri 8-May Radioactive (2019)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_(film)

Screenplay by: Jack Thorne: Based on: Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout: September 14, 2019 () (); July 24, 2020 () (United States)


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Visually it's extraordinary. There are some narrative devices which are ambitious and probably only make sense if you're familiar with the history. I couldn't see any major inaccuracies. It makes more sense when you realise this screenplay was adapted from a graphic novel by director Marjane Satrapi who is famous for Persepolis

This is a French inspired film but the money is British and American. Hence few actual French stars and it was filmed in Hungary. Wikipeida says the film was 'acquired' by Amazon Studios part way through production.
 
The performances are thoughtful and credible.. no "Hollywood" shit here.

Internet critics gave it a mauling but I can't see why.

ABM Rating 2.9/3

Fri 1-May Doctor Who (TV Movie 1996)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116118/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Doctor Who (TV Movie 1996)


In 1996, seven years after the original Doctor Who series was canceled, the American network Fox thought a USA reboot of the show might be a good way to bring everybody's favorite Time Lord back to the small screen.




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As a movie it looks stranger and stranger with every passing year. As a DW ep it looks stranger and stranger with every passing year.

ABM Rating 3/3

Fri 1-May Hubble Wonders of Space Revealed (BBC 2020)

30 Years of the HST

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12120670/

"Horizon" Hubble: The Wonders of Space Revealed (TV Episode 2020)

"Through hardships to the stars". The Hubble Telescope a technological masterpiece which opens your eyes and mind to how truly small we are and how little we know about the cosmos.



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It's amazing that it takes the BBC to make a show like this. It's amazing that the US seems incapable of doing so themselves.

ABM Rating 3/3