Queen And Country 4 stars. Loved this film. Evocative of time (1950s) and place (England). Boys conscripted – maybe off to the Korean War. The damage wrought by the Second World War still clearly evident. But shades of the new world emerging. Autobiographical – based on the director John Boorman’s life. Great performances by everybody. Lovely warm look to the whole thing. Really enjoyable.
Ne Me Quitte Pas 2 stars. Strange film. Of lives not normally deemed worthy of exploration on film. Two friends – both alcoholics. Functioning or non-functioning remains an open question. At first I wondered if it was exploitative. Sometimes hard to watch – but hard truths being told.
The Princess of France 3 stars. Better than its predecessor Viola. Perhaps because much of it was taken up with direct readings from Shakespeare’s Love’s Labours Lost. Some scenes repeated a number of times with different outcomes. I found it quite thought provoking.
Whitey: USA v James Bulger 2 stars. Interesting. But I thought quite manipulative and dishonest film-making. Uncovered one conspiracy but wanted a bigger one. Some very impressive characters amongst “Whitey’s” victims. Less enamoured of the defence team.
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