film recommendation

[SamNichols]

After my disappointment last week with: 'The Darjeeling Limited' (it just isn't good enough), i thoroughly recommend:
'The assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford'.

Here are some reasons:
1) A great soundtrack (and cameo by) Nick Cave
2) Brad Pitt's best performance since Se7en.
3) It's a great western in the true Sergio Leone style. Slow paced and character based rather than action based. The film of recent years that it most reminded me of was: 'The Proposition', Nick Cave's sort of Western based in the outback.
4) Great cinematography, bits of it so brightly white (it's winter for a good half of it) that it almost hurts your eyes.
5) A nice supporting cast.

Generally: perhaps a bit overlong (it comes in at just unde three hours) but worth a look if you like solid character based films that are really well shot. 4.5 stars (i remove half due to the fact that it's a bit too long).

 

[ajevans]

Really want to see it, but it's on limited release ie hardly any cinemas are showing it. So might have to wait for DVD.

[rant]I sometimes get a bit snobby about film and some people wonder why? Well this is why: when a good film comes out the local cinemas don't show it because all their screens are taken up showing low-brow trite. [/rant]

 

[yello]

[pedant]low-brow trite is where cinemas make their money![/pedant]

Seriously though, I feel your pain. Especially now I live in the sticks and haven't got access to London's cinemas. My closest cinema is a multi-plexer, i.e. about bums-on-seats and expensive snacks & soft drinks. Frankly, a place I want to avoid. It's business though, I recognise that. If it were to stay open on the movies I'd pay to see then a ticket would cost a few hundred quid!

 

[sheddy]

I think that Mark Commode (sp) on the BBC2 Culture Show said the Jesse James film was his favourite of 2007

BTW the Multiplexes have no excuses not to show minority films as they can now download and screen the digital version freeing them up from distribution costs. Shame they are all US owned

 

[SamNichols]

Local arts centres often show good films, albeit a bit later than the cinemas. Luckily, in Manchester (and in Exeter) there is a good independent cinema where I can see any number of great films.
If it's still a problem then sign up to Love Film or something: DVDs are only released a couple of months after the film these days (to curb piracy), so they get into stock really quickly, and they have loads of backstock of great films and world cinema.

 

[Kirstie]

I saw Red Road last week. It was great! Extremely dark film about surveillance, loss, grief and revenge...set in Glasgow. The funny thing was I watched it in Canada and it had subtitles

 

[ajevans]

Yep already a member of Lovefilm and it is how I watch most of my films.

Using the listings of my local multiplex I compared what was showing against the ratings in Radiotimes. The average film showing only had 2 1/2 stars.

 

[SamNichols]

I saw Red Road in Exeter, great film (if very depressing). the director won the best short film oscar a couple of years ago.

I go to the cinema far too much (twice a week, most weeks). But I get away with it by being a popular culture student, and film is my thing. Which is nice.

Mark Kermode was raving about it on his podcast last week, and I tend to go by his books (i realised i liked him when he was suitably annoyed by the pirates of the carribbean films).

 

[papercorn2000]

I really dislike films in UK dialects that are subtitled, I can't help my eye being drawn to the subtitles and it somewhat spoils the film!

 

[Dayvo]

I saw Red Road last week. It was great! Extremely dark film about surveillance, loss, grief and revenge...set in Glasgow. The funny thing was I watched it in Canada and it had subtitles

Yeah, that's the trouble with the French . . . !