Having spent a fair amount of time in Belgium I can honestly say the writers got it right. Nothing to do other than get pissed
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ray Fiennes are brilliant as is Elise from the tunnel
Yeah I saw it a few months after being in Bruges. The first night was lovely. Then the second day... I don't think I've ever felt more claustrophobic in a city before. It was driving me mad. The film was like validation for how I felt there.
It didn't help that I had to share a room with @March51 only to discover the full extent of his snoring ability.
I am not sure how to more highly recommend the movie I saw tonight, "Free Solo."
A documentary about Alex Honnold's free climb of El Capitan (Yosemite) in June of 2017, it's the most tense thing I've ever seen where I already knew the ending (he made it.) Anyone who has ever seen El Cap in person immediately can register the magnitude of such a thing.
By "free-climb" of El Cap, that means no ropes or parachute or safety gear. One mis-step or loss of finger-grips and you drop to your death. No one had ever attempted it before and obviously no one ever completed it before.
Not only did he climb the 3000ft sheer granite face only wearing a t-shirt and nylon pants, he did the whole thing in 3 hours and 56 minutes!
The movie shows his preparation, how he looks at the risky sport, his budding relationship with his girlfriend, and even has a sequence where scientists run a MRI on his brain and discover his amigdula, which usually registers fear, does not fire except in extreme circumstances.
His dedication is total. He lived out of a van for 7 years in the valley getting ready.
The movie is about the mental and physical limits of the human machine and about one person pushing the limits of what anyone thought was possible. I highly recommend this movie on the big screen so you can see the magnitude of it all. 9.5/10
I am not sure how to more highly recommend the movie I saw tonight, "Free Solo."
A documentary about Alex Honnold's free climb of El Capitan (Yosemite) in June of 2017, it's the most tense thing I've ever seen where I already knew the ending (he made it.) Anyone who has ever seen El Cap in person immediately can register the magnitude of such a thing.
By "free-climb" of El Cap, that means no ropes or parachute or safety gear. One mis-step or loss of finger-grips and you drop to your death. No one had ever attempted it before and obviously no one ever completed it before.
Not only did he climb the 3000ft sheer granite face only wearing a t-shirt and nylon pants, he did the whole thing in 3 hours and 56 minutes!
The movie shows his preparation, how he looks at the risky sport, his budding relationship with his girlfriend, and even has a sequence where scientists run a MRI on his brain and discover his amigdula, which usually registers fear, does not fire except in extreme circumstances.
His dedication is total. He lived out of a van for 7 years in the valley getting ready.
The movie is about the mental and physical limits of the human machine and about one person pushing the limits of what anyone thought was possible. I highly recommend this movie on the big screen so you can see the magnitude of it all. 9.5/10
Here are some pics of his climb.
These trees are about 25 meters tall, down there.
How/where did you watch? I'd love something like this.
On Saturday night went to see A star is born, was excellent
Overheard a young guy on the bus saying that he is taking his girlfriend to see the film A star is born at the weekend...not sure what it’s about but thinks it’s about the life of Lady Ga Ga. I didn’t have the heart to spoil the film for him and whether he had heard of Kristofersen and Straisand (sp?)
On Saturday night went to see A star is born, was excellent
Overheard a young guy on the bus saying that he is taking his girlfriend to see the film A star is born at the weekend...not sure what it’s about but thinks it’s about the life of Lady Ga Ga. I didn’t have the heart to spoil the film for him and whether he had heard of Kristofersen and Straisand (sp?)
saw "First Man" this week. Seemed to want to be both a film about how rickety and risky the moon programme was and about Armstrong as a guy and not sure if they managed it but worth seeing especially, if like me, you remember the Apollo missions on TV.
Also shout out for including a version of the great Gil Scott Heron's "Whitey's on the Moon" at a demo which allowed them to squeeze it into the timeframe as not released until after Apollo XI
saw "First Man" this week. Seemed to want to be both a film about how rickety and risky the moon programme was and about Armstrong as a guy and not sure if they managed it but worth seeing especially, if like me, you remember the Apollo missions on TV.
Also shout out for including a version of the great Gil Scott Heron's "Whitey's on the Moon" at a demo which allowed them to squeeze it into the timeframe as not released until after Apollo XI
So that’s why I saw you wandering around Bluewater
saw "First Man" this week. Seemed to want to be both a film about how rickety and risky the moon programme was and about Armstrong as a guy and not sure if they managed it but worth seeing especially, if like me, you remember the Apollo missions on TV.
Also shout out for including a version of the great Gil Scott Heron's "Whitey's on the Moon" at a demo which allowed them to squeeze it into the timeframe as not released until after Apollo XI
So that’s why I saw you wandering around Bluewater
saw "First Man" this week. Seemed to want to be both a film about how rickety and risky the moon programme was and about Armstrong as a guy and not sure if they managed it but worth seeing especially, if like me, you remember the Apollo missions on TV.
Also shout out for including a version of the great Gil Scott Heron's "Whitey's on the Moon" at a demo which allowed them to squeeze it into the timeframe as not released until after Apollo XI
So that’s why I saw you wandering around Bluewater
saw "First Man" this week. Seemed to want to be both a film about how rickety and risky the moon programme was and about Armstrong as a guy and not sure if they managed it but worth seeing especially, if like me, you remember the Apollo missions on TV.
Also shout out for including a version of the great Gil Scott Heron's "Whitey's on the Moon" at a demo which allowed them to squeeze it into the timeframe as not released until after Apollo XI
Enjoyed this film - thought it got the sense of peril across really well and how low tech things were. The Gil Scott Heron poem worked well - didn't realise it dated from 1970.
Saw "First Man" last night. Too long and over sentimental for me. The performances were decent but Armstrong came across and somewhat dull and boring which i'm sure he wasn't in real life. I'd have to say i was a bit disappointed overall.
Saw "First Man" last night. Too long and over sentimental for me. The performances were decent but Armstrong came across and somewhat dull and boring which i'm sure he wasn't in real life. I'd have to say i was a bit disappointed overall.
Having seen an interview with Armstrong's son I think the portrayal was pretty accurate - he was a modest and quiet man. The film certainly wasn't sentimental for me - Armstrong had to deal with the loss of both of his daughter and his colleagues.
I thought it worked so well because it didn't overhype things and that probably won't work with a lot of modern audiences used to explosive science fiction.
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an intense kindergarten teacher who perceives herself as living a mundane and unfulfilling life. Seeking a richer and more fulfilling existence, she joins a local poetry class, although her prosaic efforts elicit little appreciation from her teacher or classmates. Things change when a 5-year old boy in her care starts to recite poetry, leading to an obsession with her protégé.
An adaptation of an Israeli film of the same name, I thought this was a decent enough - if somewhat implausible - film, in which both Gyllenhaal and the little boy were very good - 6/10
El Angel (Argentina)
A biopic of one of Argentina’s most infamous thieves and serial killers, the teenager, Carlitos Robledo Puch. A stylish and entertaining film, which reminded me of another fact-based Argentinian biopic, ‘The Clan’ - 7/10
If Beale Street Could Talk (USA)
This is Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwins’ novel, which is set in 1970s Harlem. It is a tender love story but things take a turn for the worse when the young black guy is falsely accused of rape and his girlfriend and her family struggle against a prejudiced justice system to exonerate him.
A pretty good film, if a little predictable - 7/10
Burning (South Korea)
This is a psychological mystery drama, involving a kind of love triangle between Jongsu, a recently graduated country boy with no obvious prospects, an attractive young woman with whom he has a budding relationship and a rich and sophisticated guy whom she meets whilst abroad and who usurps Jongsu in the pecking order. It is set against a backcloth of modern consumerist Korea, with a marked divide between the have and have-nots.
The film has attracted critical acclaim and a raft of 5-star reviews. Perhaps it is just me but I am afraid that I found it the slowest of slow-burners over 148 minutes and, overall, a major disappointment - 5/10.
Saw it this evening - pretty lightweight but not as bad as I expected. Dialogue is a bit contrived but Rami Malek does a decent turn as Freddie and holds it all together. Enjoyed the music and it's an easy enough watch.
Comments
Having spent a fair amount of time in Belgium I can honestly say the writers got it right. Nothing to do other than get pissed
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ray Fiennes are brilliant as is Elise from the tunnel
It didn't help that I had to share a room with @March51 only to discover the full extent of his snoring ability.
A documentary about Alex Honnold's free climb of El Capitan (Yosemite) in June of 2017, it's the most tense thing I've ever seen where I already knew the ending (he made it.) Anyone who has ever seen El Cap in person immediately can register the magnitude of such a thing.
By "free-climb" of El Cap, that means no ropes or parachute or safety gear. One mis-step or loss of finger-grips and you drop to your death. No one had ever attempted it before and obviously no one ever completed it before.
Not only did he climb the 3000ft sheer granite face only wearing a t-shirt and nylon pants, he did the whole thing in 3 hours and 56 minutes!
The movie shows his preparation, how he looks at the risky sport, his budding relationship with his girlfriend, and even has a sequence where scientists run a MRI on his brain and discover his amigdula, which usually registers fear, does not fire except in extreme circumstances.
His dedication is total. He lived out of a van for 7 years in the valley getting ready.
The movie is about the mental and physical limits of the human machine and about one person pushing the limits of what anyone thought was possible. I highly recommend this movie on the big screen so you can see the magnitude of it all. 9.5/10
Here are some pics of his climb.
These trees are about 25 meters tall, down there.
A film about divided America and police violence - storyline is built around the shooting of a young black man by the police.
It's a very compelling watch and shows how complicated a lot of the issues are. Superb performance by Amandla Stenberg in the main role.
The film should have an appeal across all ages. 8/10
Also shout out for including a version of the great Gil Scott Heron's "Whitey's on the Moon" at a demo which allowed them to squeeze it into the timeframe as not released until after Apollo XI
I thought it worked so well because it didn't overhype things and that probably won't work with a lot of modern audiences used to explosive science fiction.
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an intense kindergarten teacher who perceives herself as living a mundane and unfulfilling life. Seeking a richer and more fulfilling existence, she joins a local poetry class, although her prosaic efforts elicit little appreciation from her teacher or classmates. Things change when a 5-year old boy in her care starts to recite poetry, leading to an obsession with her protégé.
An adaptation of an Israeli film of the same name, I thought this was a decent enough - if somewhat implausible - film, in which both Gyllenhaal and the little boy were very good - 6/10
El Angel (Argentina)
A biopic of one of Argentina’s most infamous thieves and serial killers, the teenager, Carlitos Robledo Puch. A stylish and entertaining film, which reminded me of another fact-based Argentinian biopic, ‘The Clan’ - 7/10
If Beale Street Could Talk (USA)
This is Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwins’ novel, which is set in 1970s Harlem. It is a tender love story but things take a turn for the worse when the young black guy is falsely accused of rape and his girlfriend and her family struggle against a prejudiced justice system to exonerate him.
A pretty good film, if a little predictable - 7/10
Burning (South Korea)
This is a psychological mystery drama, involving a kind of love triangle between Jongsu, a recently graduated country boy with no obvious prospects, an attractive young woman with whom he has a budding relationship and a rich and sophisticated guy whom she meets whilst abroad and who usurps Jongsu in the pecking order. It is set against a backcloth of modern consumerist Korea, with a marked divide between the have and have-nots.
The film has attracted critical acclaim and a raft of 5-star reviews. Perhaps it is just me but I am afraid that I found it the slowest of slow-burners over 148 minutes and, overall, a major disappointment - 5/10.
Saw it this evening - pretty lightweight but not as bad as I expected. Dialogue is a bit contrived but Rami Malek does a decent turn as Freddie and holds it all together. Enjoyed the music and it's an easy enough watch.