Peaky Blinders…series 3 excellent as ever

I just can’t get over how brilliant this series is. From the very first episode in series 1 right to this last episode of series 3…all I can say (and do say to everyone who’s looking for something great to watch) is…”watch it”.

Ok…so I’m way behind with watching (I’ve had the Series 3 DVDs waiting since their release, series 4 too) but I just haven’t had time. I guess that is rubbish because the moment I had a chance to watch the first episode of this series I was hooked (as per series 1 and 2) and finished all episodes in two days. I guess time can be made.

In this installment of the BBC crime drama, a wedding serves as a kickoff for business (what else would you expect?) and so the Shelbys get involved with the Russians, their jewels and weapons. A dodgy Father John Hughes has his share in a whole lot of dirty negotiations and Alfie Solomons is brought back into the wheeling and dealings. If you know the series so far, then you know that you’re in for lots of backstabbing, corruption, family disagreements (and agreements) and the works. Even the women surprise you in this one.

The story is always intriguing and you never see the twists and turns coming. Accompanied by an excellent soundtrack and stunning cinematography, this is one of the only series that I’ve ever watched and not given up on (the other being Rome).

Just be warned…you will sit there in disbelief as the last scene plays out…

…and now I just have to start series 4. Tommy Shelby…what a bastard you are.

Here are some thoughts after Series 1: Peaky Blinders – a work of art and how Tommy Shelby is totally crush material: Sexy Crush…Peaky Blinders’ Tommy Shelby

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In a Nutshell: La Reine Margot (1994)

Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, La reine Margot (Queen Margot or Die Bartholomäusnacht) is quite a movie.

On the evening of the forced marriage between Margot (Isabelle Adjani) of France and Henri de Navarre (Daniel Auteuil) in a political move amidst the religious war between Catholics and Protestants, what is meant to be a wedding party is turned into a massacre (well, the guests were strategically invited) of the Protestants.

Margot finds herself under house arrest and struggles to juggle the agendas of her brothers and mother, keeping alive her husband and satisfying her own lover La Môle (Vincent Perez).

Coming in close on 3 hours, this is definitely not a light watch with Catherine de Médicis (Virna Lisi) instigating trouble wherever she can with poisonings, incest, murder and so on. With graphic violence and sex, this may not be for sensitive viewers.

In a Nutshell: Venom (2018)

Well, well, well…I never thought I’d ever watch this one. And I can’t tell you why I even switched it on…maybe holiday boredom…but actually…

…not at all what I expected. Not as bad as I expected. So yes, at the beginning I was thinking that this is just another action movie. Besides, I’m not really a supporter of villains. But little by little, I was won over…not sure if it was by Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock (or just Tom’s acting) or the dry humour that slowly seeped through. I quite enjoyed the Eddie/Venom combo.

Oh…the story…Eddie, a hard hitting journalist loses everything for a potentially big story but gains a symbiote (I have since learnt that this is a Marvel race who require a host with which they become one entity). Of course, the reason he picks up this “parasite” (ah, love that constant argument) is because of some power-hungry guy wants to exploit the possibilities and create a new life form and so brings these gooey gunky extraterrestrial things back from a mission. Naturally they escape…naturally, things go wrong…

…but, sit back and enjoy. Don’t think. Don’t reason. Just sit and watch.

Just love that final dialogue scene about eating the bad guys…not the good guys.

Have fun!

In a Nutshell: Lawless (2012)

Wow…what an excellent movie I’ve just watched. And to think I avoided it…somehow it just hadn’t appealed but for some reason I was meant to watch it these holidays.

Let me introduce Lawless. The story of three bootlegging brothers and their fight with the law. In Franklin County, Virginia, the Bondurant brothers have always managed to get by with their illegal Depression-era business with even the local law contributing to sales…until corrupt Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce, oh how shady he can be), comes along and makes it very clear that “I’m the one who’s going to make your life real difficult from now on if you don’t tow the line, country boy”. And that he does. What a bastard. But the Bondurants don’t just give in like the rest of the residents. Nope…and boy does it get brutal.

Based on a true story, Nick Cave brings alive Matt Bondurant‘s novel about Jack, Forrest and Howard played by Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke respectively. Joining the cast are Jessica Chastain,Mia Wasikowska and Gary Oldman amongst others. All to make for one impressive performance by all involved.

Absolutely brilliant. Just don’t expect light escapism…

Here’s the trailer:

 

 

Before…Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight

Back in 1995 Before Sunrise totally passed me by. Never heard of it…therefore, never seen it.

But then, somewhere around 2004 (probably 2005/2006 by the time it was released down in the far southern hemisphere), I watched Before Sunset and really enjoyed it. It has Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy), who met 9 years earlier in Before Sunrise, meet again as Jesse promotes his latest book in Paris. They spend time together casually catching up about their lives as they became and slowly their encounter those years before comes to the surface again. I remember people commenting that this movie was boring but somehow I felt not. It was so real, a reflection of two people remembering, mulling over decisions made and the pathes taken. For me, the real-time story (Jesse has only an hour before he is due to catch a plane) adds to the realism.

Naturally, I had to go find Before Sunrise. The story that started it all. How Jesse and Céline met in Vienna. How that wonderful night, that first encounter, inspired the bestselling book being promoted in 2004.

And that was that for a while. I was satisfied how the two stories worked together.

Then, the 2013 Before Midnight came out. Once again Jesse and Céline and their current lives. 9 years after their second encounter, which was 9 years after their first encounter. While this one left me slightly despondent it still worked for me due to the elapsed years since the previous one and thus the contemplation around how time impacts relationships. The realism of it all.

What makes this “Before trilogy” stand out is the approach in terms of the number of years that have passed both within (or should I say, between) the stories but also within the actual filming/release times. It adds a genuine touch. That we grow up or mature with the characters and the actors.

But, I think this wouldn’t have worked if we didn’t have Richard Linklater writing and directing all three of them. And, we consistently have Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as Jesse and Céline. They also add their writing skills to Before Sunset and Before Midnight. So, from viewer to director to writer to actor to character…we’ve all grown together, we’ve all changed but our core is still the same.

If you would like something slightly different, something where you feel like you are accompanying a couple sharing their thoughts, something thought provoking, then give these three movies a go. In chronological order though.

Head on over to MovieMovieBlogBlog for the Year after Year Blogathon where the entries have to deal with a time span of at least one year.

 

Proof of Life…Meg in a different role

Way back when, Meg Ryan was the light-hearted romantic lead. And she fitted it perfectly. Any RomCom that came out with her in it was an automatic “watch”. Well, that was the case for me and my circle of friends. And tucked in somewhere between the delightful You’ve Got Mail and Kate & Leopold was a more serious Proof of Life.

And you know what? She pulled off this role very well. I really enjoyed her out of that light-hearted stereotype we’d gotten to know her as.

Here she is Alice Bowman, living in South America with her husband Peter (David Morse), who is kidnapped by guerillas opposing the pipeline plan he is working on. Desperate to get him back, she hires negotiator Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe) to try secure Peter‘s release.

Having had some marital tensions leading up to the kidnapping, she is placed in a full stress situation of getting him back but at the same time spending many long hours with Terry. This stirs up some interesting situations. Which Meg Ryan pulls of so convincingly. What I enjoy about her role here is how she manages to pull us into her conflicting emotions of being the concerned wife but also feeling an attraction to the rescuer. And not once do we “see” her RomCom persona in Proof of Life as can tend to happen when actors focus on one type of role. This just shows how wonderful Meg Ryan was as an actress (“was” because I haven’t seen her in anything since Kate & Leopold).

That final scene always leaves me wondering how things would have turned out if circumstances had been different.

So, here’s to you Meg Ryan. Wishing you a very Happy Birthday for Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies‘ “The Meg Ryan Birthday Blogathon”.

The Greatest Film I’ve Never Seen…

Rephrase that…”I’d never seen”. “Greatest”, that I might need some convincing of but hey, I’ll get back to that later.

Who doesn’t at some point or another say, in a deep, creepy Schwarzeneggerian/Terminatorian voice…”I’ll be back”? Come on, admit it. And if you aren’t going to, then at least just come out with it that you’ve heard that line used many a time. I’m just going to come straight out and admit it. Together with…I’d never seen The Terminator (1984) until today. Yep. It’s true. Although, funny enough, because it is deemed such a, dare I say, classic, I have had the DVD for a number of years now. Cellophane still on. And I finally watched it.

What was I expecting? Actually, I don’t really know. I’d obviously picked up from pop culture musings that there was a terminator (yes, yes, cyborg, I know) who wrecks some havoc on earth. Why and where and how everything unfolds, well, there I had no clue. Like most of us, I think, all I had was this:

Right?

And then maybe this…

..which I have since learnt is a cyborg. A cybernetic organism covered with living human tissue. In this case, a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger). It has been sent to earth to terminate Sarah Connor. Sent to protect her is Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn). That’s pretty much the jist of the story. But there’s a catch to it…a really good one. One I didn’t see coming and one that I’ve been mulling over the whole day. Or rather, trying to get my mind around the whole day…almost a chicken and egg situation. I won’t ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen this movie. Besides, I need to ponder the situation a bit more.

Anyway, all-in-all, not a bad movie. One I’m enjoying more and more as I rewind it in my mind and as I re-watch snippets of it. Knowing the end (a very tender one for me), the events leading up to it take on a new dynamic which wasn’t there on first watching.

Is it one of the greatest movies I’d never seen? Well, I’m not sure yet. It definitely wasn’t bad. And definitely deserves its status. I’ve been told I need to see the next two in order to better appreciate it. But whatever it is (or isn’t), I did actually enjoy it (80s feel and all) and must thank Moon in Gemini for hosting this Blogathon without which I probably still wouldn’t have gotten around to watching this one.

For more revelations on movies that hadn’t been seen, head on over to Moon in Gemini. You’ll be amazed that you are not alone with some of them. Whew. But one thing is for sure, I need to catch up with more of these “greatest” movies I’ve never seen.