Movie Advent Calendar #04 – Notting Hill

“Whoopsidaisies!”

In 2011 I did a musical advent calendar that I posted to Google+ (remember that) and a final summary on this blog. In 2012 I did a cinematic advent calendar of twenty four films. These were films that I really liked and have enjoyed at the cinema. In 2019 I did a televisual advent calendar of twenty four television programmes. These were television programmes that I really liked and have enjoyed watching. This year on a similar theme I will be posting a movie advent calendar of twenty four movies.

I did go and see Notting Hill at the cinema, I think I saw it in Leeds of all places. I have always enjoyed comedies by  Richard Curtis. In my previous calendar I did choose Four Weddings and a Funeral, which is probably my favourite Richard Curtis comedy. For me Four Weddings and a Funeral was the first time I thought to myself and recognised that there was a British film industry that could make great films. There were lots of films that echoed the success of Four Weddings, but though good in their own right, for me none compare to Four Weddings.

I enjoyed Hugh Grant’s portrayal of his character, Will Thacker. Richard Curtis described the starting point as “the idea of a very normal person going out with an unbelievably famous person and how that impinges on their lives”.

I also enjoyed Hugh Bonneville as Bernie, Tim McInnerny as Max and Gina McKee as Bella. Though there are two leads, the other cast are essential to make this film whole and act as a foil to the actions of Will and Anna.

On the surface this is very much a romantic comedy, but under that surface is an examination of “celebrity”. Many of the comic moments are about how people persevere and interpret the concept of celebrity. 

The film was (rightly) criticised for not reflecting the real diverse character of Notting Hill. It failed to reflect the demographic of the area. As a journalist said “only Curtis could write a movie about Notting Hill, London’s most diverse borough, and not feature a single black face in it.”

This is a film I enjoyed at the time and I do watch again now and then.

Get Notting Hill at Amazon.

Movie Advent Calendar #03 – Rogue One

“I’m one with the Force. The Force is with me.”

In 2011 I did a musical advent calendar that I posted to Google+ (remember that) and a final summary on this blog. In 2012 I did a cinematic advent calendar of twenty four films. These were films that I really liked and have enjoyed at the cinema. In 2019 I did a televisual advent calendar of twenty four television programmes. These were television programmes that I really liked and have enjoyed watching. This year on a similar theme I will be posting a movie advent calendar of twenty four movies.

As a young kid I didn’t go to the cinema very often, but one film I did go and see, and had to queue all around the market square in Cambridge for, was Star Wars. I didn’t go to the cinema very often when i was young, but I never remember really long queues for films, the queue for Star Wars was unprecedented, it was huge. I have never seen anything like this again. Star Wars was, and still is, an amazing piece of cinema. 

If you were to ask me what my favourite Star Wars film was before 2016, I would have had to say Star Wars: A New Hope. Now days though I would say Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Rogue One details the Rebel Alliance’s first effective victory against the Empire, first referenced in Star Wars’ opening crawl. The film is essentially the story referenced in that crawl.

This is not a hero film, in the way that the Skywalker films were, this is a spy film, a war film and an adventure film. It is in the Star Wars universe, but this is nothing like the trilogies. I like the roughness of the characters, but you still have that element of humour that makes a Star Wars film, a Star Wars film. The K-2SO droid is an example of this, with their characterisation and dialogue.

The assault on Scarif was very much filmed like a war film. The tropical beach setting was a change from the deserts of Tatooine and the ice of Hoth. I also through the cinematography of this section of the film was excellent.

I have also enjoyed Andor the prequel series on Disney+.

Get Rogue One at Amazon.

Movie Advent Calendar #02 – The Final Countdown

“We’ve been through it once. We can do it again. Prepare for Approaching Storm!”

In 2011 I did a musical advent calendar that I posted to Google+ (remember that) and a final summary on this blog. In 2012 I did a cinematic advent calendar of twenty four films. These were films that I really liked and have enjoyed at the cinema. In 2019 I did a televisual advent calendar of twenty four television programmes. These were television programmes that I really liked and have enjoyed watching. This year on a similar theme I will be posting a movie advent calendar of twenty four movies.

The Final Countdown was released in May 1980 and was one film that I did in fact go to the cinema to see. As a young kid I didn’t go to the cinema very often. The reason for going was we had a French exchange student over to stay with our family. Not sure how much he enjoyed the film, but I certainly enjoyed it.

This time travel romp was just as much an advert for the US Navy at the time as it was a science fiction story. There were plenty of shots of Navy aircraft flying, taking off and landing on the USS Nimitz.

The plot was quite simpler and without too many spoilers, the USS Nimitz is sent back in time to December 1941, the day before the attack on Pearl Harbour.

It had an impressive cast including a young Martin Sheen and Kirk Douglas.

I think this was one of the first time travel movies I saw, though having watched Doctor Who, I was aware of time travel. What was different about this film was the fact that though the USS Nimitz travelled back in time, nothing was changed that hadn’t already happened, then they travelled back to the present. It provided a different perspective of time travel that I don’t at the time remember seeing in Doctor Who. Certainly peaked my interest in time travel movies.

It was very much a cinematic experience this film, and I have enjoyed seeing it again on the smaller screen.

Get The Final Countdown at Amazon.

Movie Advent Calendar #01 – Inception

“So… how did we end up at this restaurant?”

In 2011 I did a musical advent calendar that I posted to Google+ (remember that) and a final summary on this blog.

In 2012 I did a cinematic advent calendar of twenty four films. These were films that I really liked and have enjoyed at the cinema.

In 2019 I did a televisual advent calendar of twenty four television programmes. These were television programmes that I really liked and have enjoyed watching.

This year on a similar theme I will be posting a movie advent calendar of twenty four movies. It is in no particular order and I make no apologies for the movies that I am blogging about. These movies have either made me think, I have enjoyed or have had some impact on me. I should point out that these do not replace those in the cinematic advent calendar, these are additions to that list.

Inception came out in 2010 and is a science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan. I didn’t go and see Inception at the cinema, it was a film I got on Blu-Ray. It was a film that I had read about, and received the disk as a present. I think though upon reflection this would have been an impressive cinematic experience to see the film on the big screen.

This was a multi-layered film both figuratively and literally. I loved the concept of shared dreaming and infiltrating those dreams, and adding layers of dreams.

I liked the visual effects, which were visually stunning, but also very clever. I also liked how much of the film was set in Paris, and that dream sequence in Paris was highly effective.

The effects across the film are excellent and are done really well.

From an acting perspective I think it is one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best films and Tom Hardy plays his part well too. The ensemble cast is excellent as well.

It is one of those films I have watched a few times and have enjoyed each viewing. I actually think you need to watch it a second time just to work out exactly what is going on (a bit like Tenet in that respect).

Will we ever have the shared dreaming technology we see in the film? Who knows!

Get Inception at Amazon.