Blue Velvet

"Blue Velvet is a disturbing film that delves into the darkest reaches of psycho-sexual brutality and simply isn't for everyone. But for a viewer who wants to see the cinematic world rocked off its foundations, David Lynch delivers a nightmarish masterpiece" says Sean Axmaker on Amazon.

"Blue Velvet, like American Beauty and Todd Solontz's Happiness, places sex at the base of domestic trauma. So much so, in fact, that what Lynch delivered to his audiences was considered reprehensible by many. This is because it was taken literally. But as Isabella Rossellini, who plays the masochistic nightclub singer, has said, Lynch's films are not so much psychological studies of character as surreal impressions - "more of a sensation than a story". says the Guardian in an article on Derek Malcolm's 100 greatest movies. Where does BV come? Number 55!! The article goes on to say "The film is one of the most uncomfortable I have seen, and it is by no means flawless. For instance, Hopper's character is never fully explained" but if you watch surrealism, surely it's supposed to jar. Why quote these people? Because I'm still trying to work out whether D-A-V-I-D L-Y-N-C-H is an anagram of L-U-I-S B-U-N-U-E-L!

Did I like it? No, too brutal and unsubtle. Bunuel does it better. Too many questions which I feel I shouldn't ask as I'll look ignorant, but glad others ask them too!

QUESTION: Why an ear and not a finger, for example? ANSWER: It had to be an ear because it's an opening. An ear is wide and you can go down into it. It goes somewhere vast. [Reviewed by 'Nuff Said Nuthatch]

Blue Velvet is an intriguing film that kept my attention throughout with its no-holds-barred portrayal of deviant sexuality and its moments of utter surrealism (were we meant to believe the policeman was standing up after being shot dead?). It is a film of jarring contrasts. The violence at the heart of the film's male-female relationships is at odds with the sentimental theme tune sung by Isabella Rossellini. The snippets from the local radio station which accompany some of the scenes portray a normality and decency that seem far removed from the lives of the main characters. The characters fascinate and repel and the viewer is drawn in and at the same time distanced. I can't say I'd want to see it again but it's one I won't forget.

[Reviewed by Nightjar]

Thankfully I've managed to forget most of this horrible film; unfortunately a little still remains in the back of my mind. All I can remember is Hopper's hideously disturbing character acting out his fantasies while our protagonist watches helpless from the closet. I can only say that I hope that even this small memory of it will fade in time. [Reviewed by Stonechat]

Stranger than fiction

Interesting concept. Protagonist runs around and suddenly realises there's a voice narrating his every action and commenting in that third person style. I like the bits where he firstly visits the therapist and has to explain, no, it's not he imagines, but that he hears a voice, and it's following him everywhere. The plot falls down and for me loses it when he arrives at Emma Thompson's door. t that point there is only one resolution available - kill him, or not, but surely the latter is feeble. If she did kill him, what would we be watching? Her story now instead of his? The other problem I had was with him. Ever since being so bored at Christmas that I watched his portrayal of an elf, I can't see him in anything else. And as for actually being fancied by Maggie Gyllehaal!!

Pleasant enough, but not again thanks. And for those fans of Emma - surely she should be made Dame Emma, here's a picture for no other reason than beauty should be celebrated.

P.S. I loved her Nanny McPhee - that was a story, and I see Emma must have enjoyed working with Maggie as they are both cast in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010) [Reviewed by Nuthatch]

I thought the concept was really clever but unfortunately I'd had a hard day at work and my bed was calling me [Reviewed by Nightjar]

Rather enjoyable film - that's all [Reviewed by Merlin]

I'd seen this one before and hadn't been immensely impressed. I thought the concept and the first half of the film were excellent. Farrell was endearing and the story and direction were quirky enough to hold my interest. I felt the film fell down during the later half and the happy ending didn't really do any justice to what had been a very intriguing premise. I have to say that a second viewing was actually slightly better than a first as I was prepared for the let down at the end and so hadn't had my hopes raised for a cleverer film than this ultimately turned out to be.

It reminded me a little of The Truman Show, again another promising film about a man who wakes up in a strange situation largely beyond his control, which failed to deliver a satisfying ending with any real punch. I have to say that Emma Thompson was wonderful as usual! I found Dustin Hoffman's presence a little confusing, but then he has also been recently seen in such terrible films as Meet the Fockers and surely it can all be put down to old age! [Reviewed by Stonechat]

The Notebook

The plot is fairly thin, but the point is, does this move you? Or is it too corny? For me, the former, I found it an obvious plot from the very start but realised that Alzheimer's was being talked about and therefore I was OK about the thin plot. I really enjoyed Allie and Noah and their different personalities meeting together. If you've ever been in love, some of this will resonate. I found the intensity and the longing very touching and memory-inducing. Perhaps the subtle message of this filom is that the story itself was memory-based and not lived in real-time. This was after all a notebook story. Had Allie's memory gone as she wrote? She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

I think I'll watch this again when I need a warm fuzzy feeling.....oh, and wasn't it weird to see James Garner looking old, after so many years. I did see him in that Mel Gibson film, Maverick but he's aged soemwhat since then. But still got that charm, he had back in the 60s and 70s!

Nice film.....that sounds so yuk! Feelgood film![Reviewed by Nuthatch]

This was a really touching story of the power of love to survive both youthful separation and the ravages of old age. Although it becomes obvious fairly early in the film whose story is being retold from the notebook, the tale of the two young lovers is enthralling enough to propel the viewer forward even though the ending is not a surprise by the time it comes. There seem to have been an increasing number of films in recent years dealing with themes around ageing and the losses that come with age, a product perhaps of the changing demographics of our time. I felt doubly sorry for Noah as he had twice lost the love of his life and one sensed that the second time was the more painful in that she was still there but lost to him. [Reviewed by Nightjar]

This was such a beautiful film and I cried so much that I wasn't able to write anything for a couple of days afterwards. It was interesting that I felt more strongly for the older Noah and Alli than for their younger selves. It was a wonderful demonstration of love throughout the years and also of the difficult decision of who to spend your life with. All in all a true romance film without the easy, sentimental slushy stuff, which instead deals with enduring true love which seeks to overcome obstacles and to continue to be there when the going gets incredibly tough. Beautifully, and subtly acted - well worth a watch. [Reviewed by Stonechat]

Merlin didn't watch this one

Stalingrad

Stalingrad.....mmmm....the battle has been portrayed so clearly on film, before this version. Memorable images of mamuschkas dragging their kids on sleds through barren snowy streets, bodies exposed and not buried (how do you dig in near permafrost conditions?). Germans freezing and firing interminable ammunition.

So what does this bring to the table? One, it's by the people that brought us the interesting "Das Boot" and that alone is recommendation. Two, it shows the German viewpoint of a battle in WWII, and that's rare on this side of the Channel. What did I think of it? The horrors of war - whoever the victors/losers are, are portrayed too well. Not being German, I can only guess the effect the word "Stalingrad" has on the population's psyche. I suspect the fact that we always hear "Russian Front" tells us something about avoidance. The figures are inconceivable. Of the 91,000 German POW's alone taken at Stalingrad 27,000 died within weeks, never mind the combatant deaths!

This film follows the adventures of a group o engineers from the heat and calm of an Italian 'holiday' to the Russian Front. In "Das Boot" we are sympathetic to the one character, in this film we don't have things so easily sketched out for us. We get surprising behaviour from some of the group when deriding Hitler's speech in the open; we see sadistic leaders - the cavernous amount of food stored away whilst the 'grunts' are literally starving made its point well. Good acting, 'lovely' cinematography.
[Reviewed by Nuthatch]

Happy sun shiny! Slog slog slog slog slog slog blam! slog slog blam! blam! YAAAAAAAAAA! Silence, bonding, terror, atrocity, fear, survival and blam! The end - This is how most modern European war films go and expect to see this in good amounts in Stalingrad. [Reviewed by Merlin]

For me, Stalingrad almost had the feel of a documentary in the way it portrayed the sheer mundane drudgery of war, in particular the endless waiting in between periods of intense action. Although it followed a number of individuals in order to give us some characters to sympathise with, the film's main point seemed to be the obscene scale of the destruction and the pointless waste of human life in general rather than the individual's sacrifice. I think the long-distance shots in particular, with the vast expanses of snowy Russia in the background, highlighted the insignificance of the individuals involved. There are no outstanding heroes and even the villains just seem to be caught up in events outside their control. War at its most real. [Reviewed by Nightjar]
Hmm, what to say... I was left feeling that this must have been very much what it was like! How different it is from all the great American war films - I very much doubt Saving Private Ryan would have earned as much praise had it been more like Stalingrad. A grim film, but more than that it mixed in all the other aspects of human experience with humour, pathos, hope and empathy as well as showing the horrifying suffering and bleak pointlessness of war. Again, as with many accounts of the first and second world wars, we see how much it is a war started by people who will never have to fight it, for ideals which very few on the ground can actually sympathise with! In Stalingrad one of our protagonists is branded a Russian sympathiser because he orders a ceasefire in order to let both sides collect their wounded. It put me in mind of the famous Christmas football match in WWI - another instance of soldiers recognising others humanity and the Generals realising that should this empathy continue then the fighting would cease!

The bleakness of the Russian winter was hammered home through this film (why on earth did anyone settle there in the first place?) and I was struck by the scenes of the suffering of the Russian civilians shown alongside those of the soldiers. It must have been so terrible - no wonder people couldn't talk about it to their families when they returned. The bleakness of the film made it difficult viewing and towards the end you did feel, like the soldiers, that death would be a welcome release for them as at least it would end their suffering. I defy anyone to still believe that there is any glory to war after watching this film - it should be compulsory viewing for all politicians everywhere. [Reviewed by Stonechat]

Sophie Scholl

Sophie Scholl. What can one say after watching froth and bubble and then coming to this serious piece. I knew there was internal resistance to Hitler during the war, but had not ever heard of Sophie. One quick search on the Net shows I was ignorant. I suspect being British had something to do with our blinkered one dimensional view of Germans. I remember being stunned when visiting Germany (West, back then) in 1971 and entering a bookshop and not seeing ANY books on WWII. After a few years things changed and I suspect reaction to David Irving had something to do with it.

The acting in Sophie Scholl was wonderful and low key, the impression given that these were ordinary people was very impressive. The actress was thankfully no Hollywood star (God save us from an American remake!) and her understated acting brilliant. The Director allowed space in every conversation for silence thus adding to tension. Many modern filmmakers take heed! The interrogator was well acted too, initially having all the power on his side, and that wonderful scary stare! As time passes we see he might actually be fooled by her, then might actually be listening to her. However his ...I felt, prejudices wouldn't allow that. I didn't feel it was merely his position he was protecting but his actually prejudices. His last appearance did not clarify very much for me. More could have been made of that scene. Especially as her comment didn't make sense to me.
Seeing her and the other defendants finally enter the courtroom and the play acted out before them was incredible. We wonder whether the Generals in the audience (the right word to use) were touched by reason, we wondered how the judge could utter such rubbish, and how he could reveal so much to us about his self belief. But what really struck me was an understanding of how Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter and used silence and inner strength to accuse his captors of their crimes!

Great film, well worth a second viewing.

Martin Luther King said:
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Even a superficial look at history reveals that no social advance rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle: the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. . . . Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?' "

[Reviewed by Nuthatch]

This film stayed with me long after it had finished. The story was moving and the actors were entirely believable in their roles. The colour for the most part seemed dull and dark, apart from the blue sky that Sophie looks longingly at through the window of her cell and the red cardigan that she wears throughout most of the film. Perhaps these touches of colour represent hope for the future during dark days? The film portrayed perfectly the agonising alternation between hope and despair. At one point, Sophie is almost released but the order for release is revoked at the very last moment. Later, Sophie finds out that the hoped-for 99 days delay between sentence and execution is not going to be forthcoming. It is at this point, when death is absolutely certain, that she breaks down but then recovers enough to make a brave end. The execution itself is shocking in its brevity and also in the perfunctory way it is carried out. There is no happy ending for Sophie but we, the viewers, are relieved to discover she did not die in vain. [Reviewed by Nightjar]

I don't really feel I can add much to the reviews above. As with many stories of the brave actions of people who stood up for what they believed I was left hoping and praying that I would do the same in similar situations. As Nuthatch said, I too was ignorant of Sophie Scholl and I agree that much of this has to do with the teaching of WWII in our schools, which presents quite a shallow view of the German part in the war due to fear that there is only one 'correct' way to present it and that is to focus in on the Holocaust.

I felt Sophie was very interesting as a character as I had the impression that her involvement had perhaps started out as an exciting exercise in rebellion. Afterall she was very young and was well educated and I would imagine that for her it was initially quite a thrilling thing to be involved in. As her story develops, however, we do see that she has more deeply routed convictions about the importance of freedom of speech not just for the sake of it as a principle but as a way for people to speak out to end the suffering of the German people (those who died on the battlefield and those who 'disappeared' to die in the concentration camps). It was, I imagine, the case that during her time of interrogation she came to realise what her deep-seated beliefs were and the process of questioning helped to strengthen them. I was also pleased that her personal faith in Christ wasn't glossed over in order to make her a more palatable heroine for modern time. I felt the acting was excellent and true to life and it was impossible not to be amazed and humbled by the dignity shown by Sophie and her brother in the face of death. I only hope that if I am called upon I will do the same. [Reviewed by Stonechat]

Truth about cats and dogs

PLOT
Sort of Cyrano de Bergerac
REVIEW
The pedigree(!) for this film is the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, later made into Roxanne.Its other pedigree is Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry met Sally etc etc. Frothy comedies that are amiable enough but very like marshmallow - nice to taste but ultimately not as satisfying as steak. I'd never seen the lady I was supposed to see as ugly before but personally would choose her any day over Uma. By the way she has a name: Janeane Garofalo. Apparently I must have seen her in Dogma, but don't remember. I felt the story lacked any depth or tension. I really didn't care that ultimately they would meet up and fall in love and start licking each other's faces.

But it certainly had a great final line as an ending. After the earlier phone sex between the two, Dr. Abby says "about the other night on the phone....I'm pregnant". To which he replies "How do you know it's mine?" "Well I can't be sure as I made loads of other calls that night"[Reviewed by Nuthatch]

Not much to say about this one, it was a frustrating but slightly amusing romantic comedy with the typical unbelievable happy ending. I was left feeling that it had all been done before much better somewhere else [Reviewed by Stonechat]

As generic as the plot is, I found this film to be enjoyable and amusing. The lead character is a fairly complex and believable person who interprets events from her own viewpoint of self consciousness and reacts in a believable manner. As with most romcoms you begrudgingly accept that you like these characters and wish them to be happy in the end despite all odds. One to watch for a grin and a tear. [Reviewed by Merlin]

A lighthearted enjoyable comedy with a fairly predictable plot of 'mistaken identity'. You have to suspend your disbelief somewhat as the hero of the film does not seem to notice that the object of his affections has a completely different voice when he meets her (a little hard to believe after they had spent all night on the 'phone!) Nevertheless, the characters are likeable and we're all rooting for the happy couple. A 'feel-good' film [Reviewed by Nightjar]

Devil wears prada

PLOT Follow the Wiki link

REVIEW A pleasing popcorn film, not much of a message, but pleasant on the eyes. Streep's cold persona was so modelled on Glenn Close that one of our Bird party thought it was Close! Hathaway played her part admirably, but the message of the film was not really punched home. If it was that work and career aren't everything, friends and family are much more important - then I don't really care about the friends. They seem as shallow as the driven Hathaway. It didn't work for me. The lighting was interesting - very sharp lines in everything - presumably to emulate photo shoot conditions? Won't bother watching this again, but it was alright. [Reviewed by Nuthatch]

I actually went to see this at the cinema originally as a girls night out and really enjoyed it then. This was now my third viewing and it had lost a lot of its charm. What came out on this viewing was the relentless cruelty of the world of work and the feeling that it only worked out for our heroine in the end because she was fabulously talented and good-looking beforehand - otherwise she wouldn't have stood a chance! I was also disturbed by the film asking us to sympathise with Andi in her stand to remain unchanged in the world of fashion but also making us revel in her transformation into fashionista. The message still seems to be that as a woman she was obviously lying to herself about her need to be a gorgeous clothes-horse! It was enjoyable the first time, very watchable the second time, but by the third time the film had lost much of its appeal. Definitely not one of my favourites. [Reviewed by Stonechat]

Not much to say about this film. An enjoyable piece of nonsense with a completely predictable story-line and ending. Characters were stereotyped and one-dimensional for the most part. I was intrigued to note that Andi's bitchy colleague had an English accent. (The Americans seem to like their baddies to be English.) A brilliant film for an evening in with the girls (as long as there's plenty of chocolate to console us as we compare ourselves with the women in the fashion world!!) If the film has any message, I'm guessing it is that we ladies can't have it all and that success and wealth are nothing compared to having a man to wash socks for!!! [Reviewed by Nightjar]

The Collector

PLOT Wikipedia let me down this time. So I joined and wrote the plot summary myself. John Fowle's book version of this film has some good links.

I found it interesting when doing some snooping on the Net to see the cover for this DVD and the covers for the book editions. The following cover gives a bit too much away in my opinion, and attracts those looking for titillation. Surely the theme of the film, although not doubt representing repressed sex urges, is about class and the impossibility, despite money of moving from one strata to another.


Where is Freddie's Mum in the film? His Aunt announces to all in the bank, that he has won the money - directly after we see him being teased by his colleagues with fake butterflies on a string. Interestingly Wyler's direction at the start of the film implies he stumbles across the house and therefore was not planning capturing Miranda from the start. Wyler, I would say, could by no means be seen as an auteur. His history includes very famous and great films such as the Olivier/Oberon Wuthering Heights; The Westerner; Ben Hur and Mrs Miniver - an interesting mix. However, he does deliver watchable films where artifice is not evident to the viewer - the story is paramount.

Eggar was at her peak in this piece, the 'vaseline' lens making too much of her in some shots. However the contrast between this and the later shots when she is dying where there is no makeup or sharp lighting, emphasises some artifice. The music in places appears peculiarly happy. And one wonders why we begin and end with Freddie's narrative, but lose it in the middle. If the film had been from Freddie's viewpoint all through, it would be fine, but we are shown the interloping neighbour's arrival, and the bathroom scene both of which are not from Freddie's point of view. I suspect the book has a main plot including these narratives and this is missing from the film to such an extent.

Nevertheless the film retains tension where many modern ones do not, and the two characters are played very well. Stamp has a brilliant hunched, humble appearance but the sexual/aggressive tension underneath is always there - much like Oliver Reed, a fellow actor of the time. Eggar, I felt was very convincing with what she was given. More could have been made of her fear at the start and her trickery with Stamp could have been drawn out but still a brilliant work.

As to the subject of class, does it still work today? Although I feel most people watching it today would feel as some do when watching 'Brief Encounter' I feel the truth is that it is still as relevant today although the subject is hidden by the 'lower classes' believing they are better off in what they conceive as a more level playing field. [Reviewed by Nuthatch]

I found the film far more disturbing than many more recent 'psychological' films as it contained more threatened than actual violence and therefore allowed space to explore the motivation of the central character. In particular, the soft accompanying music served to portray the distancing of the true sociopath from the suffering of his victims. Stamp's character is entirely focussed on his own fantasy and incapable of entering into his victim's shoes. From the beginning, there is a terrible inevitabilty about Miranda's death as it is impossible for her to fulfil the expectations forced upon her. Like a captured butterfly, her initial resistance becomes ever more feeble until she eventually gives up the struggle completely. The film ends with Freddie moving on to his next victim and we are left with a sense of helplessness because we know what is going to happen next but we have no way of preventing it. Unlike Nuthatch, I don't think the film is about class but about damaged humanity. Freddie is incapable of relating normally to other human beings, especially women, and so, for him, women are unattainable objects to be captured in the same way as butterflies. He destroys in order to possess the object of his desire and that is a tragedy for him as well as for his victims. [Reviewed by Nightjar]

This film has definitely stayed with me as it was so subtly disturbing in many places. I thought the relationship between the two characters was fascinating as they alternate between who has the power in any given situation. At first it feels as if Miranda has almost total control over the relationship although she cannot escape and Freddie, although he has engineered the situation, is largely helpless and fairly easily manipulated. It is only later on that we see his more frightening characteristics and realise once and for all that Miranda is doomed as she cannot win whatever she does. Stamp played Freddie perfectly he was both childish and sexual, seemingly reserved while always having the underlying threat of danger. I felt the parallel with the butterflies was a little laboured as it did not come to me as a revelation and I also found Freddie's commentary a little odd. But all in all a very good film and one which will have me checking over my shoulder as I walk down the street! [Reviewed by Stonechat]