🎬 Are you watching closely?
Number 8 (belch). Number 8 (belch). Welcome to the 8th edition of The Reel!
Estimated reading time: 6 mins 13 seconds.
It’s equal parts tragic and comical that so many Hollywood films turn out so badly, when you consider the number of people involved and the size of the budgets.
I guess there are just so many moving parts, it’s hard to maintain quality and execute a vision.
There are, however, some simple, avoidable decisions that can really affect the outcome of a film. Like, whether or not to include a certain scene in the final edit.
Or, whether to even film the scene in the first place.
The following is a perfect example of what the shit is this and how did it make it into a film:
How many people had to OK that before it was put in the final product?
Who suggested that he be knocked over twice?
Why have I been seeing visions of that blonde angel of a man regularly when I fall asleep?
Is it possible to be gay only in your dreams?
I guess we’ll never know. Thankfully, we have some masterpieces of film to distract us from the uncomfortable truths within us all.
It’s time for reviews!
This week: The birds, the bees, and our hero can’t see the wood for the trees.
🎩 Frankly, my dear, I do not give a tally-ho.
Sense & Sensibility (1995), film, directed by Ang Lee.
In a world of internet slang, short attention spans and infantile world leaders, the romance and discourse in Sense & Sensibility is the perfect elixir for an increasingly unenlightened brain.
Directed by the versatile Ang Lee, this modern classic was scripted by and stars British national treasure Emma Thompson.
Thompson and Kate Winslet play the Dashwood sisters, who are cast into poverty after the death of their father, with their respective suitors played by Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.
The acting is excellent, the setting and costumes a treat, but the language. The language!
Take the following lines, delivered by Thompson’s Elinor:
“What do you know of my heart? What do you know of anything but your own suffering. For weeks, Marianne, I've had this pressing on me without being at liberty to speak of it to a single creature. It was forced on me by the very person whose prior claims ruined all my hope. I have endured her exultations again and again whilst knowing myself to be divided from Edward forever. Believe me, Marianne, had I not been bound to silence I could have provided proof enough of a broken heart, even for you.”
Compare that with the captions in this TikTok:
Moving, quick, and very often laugh-out-loud funny, Sense... is quite the opposite of what I expected. Much credit must go to Thompson, not only for her Oscar-winning script, but for her restrained, central performance.
Perhaps her second-best role, behind this heartbreaking all-timer:
ABOVE (Love Actually): I was much too young when I saw this for the first time. Children should be spared from such horrors.
Do your brain, soul and mental wellbeing a favour, and watch this on Netflix at your earliest convenience. You won’t regret it.
Look out for: Alan Rickman’s first scene is a poignant micro-masterpiece, a ‘love at first sight’ moment stunningly acted by one of the greats. Amid a slew of wonderful side characters, the nosy but well-meaning Mrs. Jennings is a scene-stealer.
If you liked this: Kate Winslet has obviously had an illustrious career, of which my favourite film is The Reader. I would also recommend the sci-fi flick Annihilation. It has absolutely no relevance here but it’s good and I don’t know period films.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✋ You won’t like them when they’re angry.
12 Angry Men (1957), film, directed by Sidney Lumet.
And now, from feminine to masculine!
From ladies to fellas!
From sensibility… to ANGER!
Originally a script about the apostles turning on Jesus after he admitted that he had made the whole thing up, 12 Angry Men is now more commonly recognised as a classic in courtroom drama.
ABOVE: “Get me the most impartial, diverse and upstanding jury you can find. All straight white males? Perfect.”
A fascinating look at jury discussion and groupthink, it takes place in just one room, where a dozen pissed-off patrons debate the innocence of a young man accused of murder.
It’s perfect for the stage, but was originally produced for television. There’s something mesmeric about watching each man slowly reveal his thought process, his prejudices, his style of confrontation.
Aggressive macho men explode with anger and shout over each other, while more measured men speak softly and with reason. Every mannerism and line unveils just a little bit more about their persona.
ABOVE: Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb play two very different men in two equally affecting performances.
At its core, 12 Angry Men is about human dynamics. What happens when one person in a group dissents from popular opinion? How do loud personalities inform or impinge on those more reserved? What’s up with old people? Watch and find out.
Loathe as I am to dole out two perfect scores in one week, this is another masterpiece.
Look out for: Sweat patches, glistening skin and fanning hands allow you to feel the oppressive heat of the room so vividly for a black and white film. Jury #3’s final monologue is a tour de force of emotional intensity.
If you liked this: While we’re on the subject of macho men shouting at each other, check out Glengarry Glen Ross (which includes my favourite monologue of all time).
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⏩ Quickies
Short and snappy reviews for a short and snappy time:
Extraction (2020, film, dir. Sam Hargrave): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Maybe I’m feeling generous, maybe it’s the quarantine, or maybe it’s Meybelline, but Netflix have made an actually good action film for once and I loved it. Tries very hard to be a John Wick/military hybrid with heart, and doesn’t fall too far short.
ABOVE (Extraction): The guy your girlfriend tells you not to worry about. And Chris Hemsworth.
The Intern (2015, film, dir. Nancy Meyers): ⭐
If someone recommends this to you, they’re probably a massive loser with terrible taste in film. One of Bobby De Niro’s many missteps since reaching the twilight of his career, but he’s earned the right to star in garbage, and God knows he loves a paycheck. What’s Anne Hathaway’s excuse?
ABOVE (The Intern): My facial expression during the vast, vast majority of this film.
Three Identical Strangers (2018, doc., dir. Tim Wardle): ⭐⭐⭐
An amazing true story and a central thrust that tries to solve the age-old debate on what is more influential: nature or nurture. Includes a great twist and some interesting suppositions, but doesn’t live up to the expectation it sets itself.
📃 Quote of the Week(s)
Juror #8: “Let me ask you this. Do you really think the boy'd shout out a thing like that so the whole neighbourhood could hear him? I don't think so. He's much too bright for that.”
Juror #10: “Bright? He's a common ignorant slob. He don't even speak good English.”
Juror #11: “He doesn't speak good English.”
The only non-American juror scores a win for immigrants and grammar pedants alike with this put-down in 12 Angry Men.
📅 Previously, in pop culture…
Landmark events from the last two weeks in film & TV histoire:
Apr 18 - In 1930 the BBC news announcer announces "there is no news" at the 20:45 bulletin, and plays music instead.
Apr 21 - Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky wins the country's 2019 presidential election in a landslide.
ABOVE: Zelensky’s party “Servant of the People” is named after the political satire TV show in which he starred.
Apr 22 - Avengers: Endgame is released in 2019, going on to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
Apr 23 - In 2016 Beyoncé releases her 6th album Lemonade with a 1 hour film on HBO. Beckies tremble the world over. 🍋
✅ Th-th-that’s all, folks.
That, as they say in show business, is that!
Thank you this week to Michael “Sleepy” Carroll for finding the clip in the intro (from the film Meet Joe Black, if you were wondering).
Thanks also to Joey “I’ve killed before and I’ll kill again” Lynch for the suggestion of 12 Angry Men. 🔥
And thank you for reading!
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Thanks again, and I’ll see you in two weeks!
xxx
Other Recent Reels:
🎬 Apr 15 - Love Wedding Repeat, Enter the Dragon, Sleepers.