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The Two Popes (2019)

Making a comic pseudo biog of a living figure with immense power is...

[3/10 · 11 January 2020]

I felt that this film was fine in its own way, clever lines, funny situations etcetera BUT it has, to me, deep fundamental flaws.

I am not a religious person but I do accept that there are very good religious people in the world and that they have complex back-stories, have compromises, and various motivations. The discussion of philosophy, politics, and belief are what interests me in general; the problem is that the discussions in this film are too easily taken to be actually true. in this particular context I think that what is not true is a lie.

I felt like I was being advertised to which would be OK if this were a comedy, but in reality this is a modern piece of myth making and it left me feeling uncomfortable.

Trivially, I wonder if the old pope really was won round to football and if the new pope absentmindedly whistles Abba songs as he works. I know it doesn't matter really, but to me it really does.

The Arbor (2010)

Powerful

[10/10 · 18 January 2011]

I loved everything about this sad film.

The technique of post syncing shouldn't have worked, nor the acting of the play on the streets either, but they really do.

The pacing of the original interviews is very interesting,very steady. There is something marvellous about the way the accents are subtly yet profoundly different from those that actors generally impose, and knowing that these voices are those of the actual people was very moving.

Seeing the real people in what would normally have been flashback but in this case is views into a previous documentary really worked.

This is a very powerful story of a tragedy with very little joy. When I see Rita, Sue and Bob Too again, one of my favourite films and one that puts most other working class depictions into a cocked hat, I wonder what my mood will be.

Road to Perdition (2002)

Unbelievable

[3/10 · 7 January 2011]

The only pleasure this film can give is in guessing the plot lines well ahead of them happening. I believe that anyone can do this here, it's a good game and an easy training ground, plus I can't see anyone watching with you finding that it ruined the tension

There is a tradition in movies that if the genre is quasi realistic thriller then we should have some twists and turns, some tension, difficulties overcome. Either that or the characters should have inner lives.

The end is so obvious that I guesses the exact words, which was fun.

Truly unbelievable!