Week 45 – 12th November

Matthew’s Movie Mentions – Eloquent Gushing

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Singin’ in the Rain

Finally got around to watching this and it’s pretty good. There are times this is focussed on the business of making the movies and it’s fascinating, does some genuinely funny stuff, but there are times it’s about the relationships and it’s pretty obvious, on tracks, and largely unnecessary. The songs don’t often support the plot, they’re expanding a plot point, but the dancing is exceptional, especially seeing them reacting whilst also performing some exquisite moves.

Letters from Baghdad

I like a documentary that takes a different tack in how it approaches its subject. This is such a clever method – having actors delivering the words from Gertrude Bell and her peers, as well using images and videos from the time – that it really helps cement her impact and importance. There are a number of elements softened or left out, but despite that it’s interesting and covers the subject’s whole life.

The Awakening

Rebecca Hall is great in everything, but some of her films are not as strong as others. The ‘twist’ in this was pretty far-fetched, and not really supported well enough through the earlier parts of the film to make me revisit everything we’d seen.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Not a great film, it did a lot that we’ve seen elsewhere and the characters were not really interesting.

Definitely, Maybe

I liked this when seeing it at the cinema, and still enjoyed it now. Everyone gives a good performance, the story unfolds well, and it’s a really good structure for a romantic comedy.

Make It Happen

Going through Tessa Thompson’s earlier films, and as ever she’s great in this. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is also great, the dancing is exceptional. Sadly the film is utterly obvious.

Everything Must Go

Will Ferrell is always better in drama. The shame is that the character is at no point made sympathetic, so watching this with 2018 eyes there’s no reason he should get any chances or learn anything.

Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

A surprisingly charming film, interestingly told through a number of timelines. Mary Steenburgen is wonderful, and it’s really fun to see a range of characters doing something slightly different.

A Bad Mom’s Christmas

I was surprised how much I liked the first film, and I laughed throughout this sequel. The plot’s not great, it’s ripping off A LOT from the first one, and it doesn’t hold together as well as it could, but it’s a lot of fun.

Help for the Holidays

Summer Glau in a Christmas movie sounded fun. But this was a very obviously 2012 movie. So much was put on the mother for not being there for her children, with no reference to the father working too much too. The only non-white people were the ‘poor’ people being given presents. And there was no chemistry between anyone.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Not quite as good as Sunset Boulevard, but still grippingly told. I really enjoyed that there was a mystery throughout this without the film having to point out it was doing it. The broad performances were really effective with these characters who loved themselves, and worked by not necessarily making either sympathetic whilst at the same time showing the misery and poor mental health of each.

Recommendation

Letters from Baghdad was such a great documentary. Tilda Swinton hid herself in the role by delivering Gertrude Bell’s words without acting them, and the path the story took helped to understand the political elements at the time.