What Are You Watching Right Now?

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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Last night I watched the very British movie "Sightseers" (2012), a brilliant dark comedy.

Directed by Ben Wheatley, who has directed several British horrors and dark comedies, including "Kill List" (a disturbing thriller about a contract killer), which I saw a few weeks ago, the movie stars Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, both of whom who also wrote the movie.

Steve plays thirtysomething Brummie ginger-faced caravanning enthusiast Chris who wants to take his new girlfriend, a Northerner named Tina (Alice Lowe) who has led a sheltered life with her nagging mother, on a two-week sightseeing trip around England in his caravan. He is desperate to show her places like the Crich Tramway Museum, the Keswick Pencil Museum (pencils were actually invented in that part of the country), the Ribblehead Viaduct and Blue John Cavern.

The trip starts off brilliantly with the couple - who initially seem ordinary - thoroughly enjoying themselves. But, as the days progress, litterbugs, noisy teenagers, hen parties, Tina's nagging mother and other irritations (such as the posh Southern guy who tells them to pick up their dog's poo at an ancient stone circle) soon start to take their toll and the trip turns into a murderous, but hilarious, folie à deux.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryZVa2_cQpE&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-57LRQdXqD0&feature=player_detailpage













There's just something about Brent that has me in fits of giggles.

That's the same black guy who also appears in Ricky Gervais's latest comedy series, "Derek".
 
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eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
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Under a Lone Palm
There's just something about Brent that has me in fits of giggles.

That's the same black guy who also appears in Ricky Gervais's latest comedy series, "Derek".

We're getting that on Netflicks. I'll wait for free TV. Sounds like a hoot.


Last night I watched the very British movie "Sightseers" (2012), a brilliant dark comedy.

WTF mate. Now I'm going to look for that one on this side of the pond. 'Report that to the National Trust.' LOL.
 

Blackleaf

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A movie I am watching tonight is "A Field in England", a brand new British horror from director Ben Wheatley, the man who has brought us other British horrors and dark comedies such as "Sightseers" and "Kill List" (see post #1364 above).

"A Field in England" (2013), the UK's first simultaneous feature release across all formats, is a psychedelic trip into magic and madness during the English Civil War and is filmed entirely in black and white.

England : 1648 AD. The English Civil War is raging. A small group of deserters flees from a raging battle through an overgrown field. They are captured by two men: O'Neil and Cutler. O'Neil, an alchemist, forces the group to aid him in his search to find a hidden treasure that he believes is buried in the field. Crossing a vast mushroom circle, which provides their first meal, the group quickly descends into a chaos of arguments, fighting and paranoia, and, as it becomes clear that the treasure might be something other than gold, they slowly become victim to the terrifying energies trapped inside the field.














 

Blackleaf

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I watched "A Field in England" - from up and coming British horror director Ben Wheatley (who also gave us Sightseers, Kill List and Down Terrace) - last night and it was pretty good. It is quite strange - in a good way - in parts and if you don't like rapidly flashing images then this film won't be for you, especally the part when you are met with a barrage of images, several per second, for several minutes in total.

Here is part of a review of it:

The latest film from Ben Wheatley is a supremely original English Civil War drama that confirms him as Britain's most thrilling young director, says Robbie Collin.

5/5

Dir: Ben Wheatley; Starring: Reece Shearsmith, Michael Smiley, Peter Ferdinando, Ryan Pope, Richard Glover, Julian Barratt. 15 cert, 90 mins


Lone star: Reece Shearsmith - a member of the League of Gentlemen - as Whitehead in Ben Wheatley's 'A Field in England'


A Field in England starts as it means to go on: by plunging into thorny underbrush. The time period is the English Civil War, the image black-and-white, the air thick with battle drums and cannon smoke.

A man is fleeing the conflict, and he rushes headlong into a thicket, briars clawing at his eyes and the camera’s lens. His name is Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith), perhaps after the philosopher or the pimple, and he figures his chances of survival will be higher on the other side of the woods. When he emerges, he finds himself in a field with two more deserters (Peter Ferdinando and Richard Glover). They have just about swapped pleasantries when a fourth man (Ryan Pope) materialises and convinces them to join him on a tramp to a nearby pub.

(It turns out that Whitehead is on the opposing side to the others. It's hard to tell but it seems that Whitehead is a Cavalier and the rest of his group are Roundheads).

On the way, they come to a circle of mushrooms, where they find, tethered to a rope, an Irish Cavalier alchemist called O’Neil (Michael Smiley), who mutters darkly about buried treasure. Together, the men start searching and digging, although what they finally unearth is more life-changing than any pot of silver.

A Field in England is by turns an abstract occult head-trip, a curdled Canterbury Tale and a comedy so dark you can barely see the end of your nose in it, which is one way of saying that it is the new film from Ben Wheatley. Wheatley is the busy director who in the last four years has brought us Down Terrace, Kill List and Sightseers: pictures so infested with ideas and riddled with self-assurance that they can single-handedly restore your faith in the future of British film-making. But they also make you cherish its past, and the influence of directors from Mike Leigh to Ken Russell pop up everywhere in Wheatley’s brief back catalogue.

Read the rest: A Field in England, review - Telegraph


A Field in England - Official UK Trailer - YouTube

A Field in England 2013 Full Scenes 1 of 7 - YouTube
 
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Blackleaf

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Last night I watched a brilliant British movie called "Never Let Me Go" (2010) based on the 1989 novel "The Remains of the Day" by Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro (he became British when he was 5 years' old).

The movie is set in an alternate history in which a medical breakthrough in 1952 has permitted the human lifespan to be extended beyond 100 years. Right at the start we are treated to a caption on the screen which reads: The breakthrough in medical science came in 1952. Doctors could now cure the previously incurable. By 1967, life expectancy passed 100 years.

The plot centres around three young friends - Kathy, Ruth and Tommy - at an English boarding school called Hailsham in 1978. One day the three friends are in their classroom and they - and the rest of the class - are told by their teacher Miss Lucy the awful news that all of them are, in fact, clones and that they exist only as organ donors for transplants and will die - or, rather, "complete" - in their early adulthood after they have made three or four donations of their vital organs.

In fact, it turns out that Hailsham is a boarding school for clone children only which, not surprisingly, teaches its pupils to lead healthy lives in order to keep their vital organs healthy.

Eventually the three friends leave Hailsham, now aware that they are to lead short lives. As they grow into young adults - the movie moves from 1978 to 1985, and then from 1985 to 1994 - they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting, horrific reality that awaits them.

Isobel Meikle-Small stars as the young Kathy, whilst the older Kathy is played by Carey Mulligan. Ella Purnell plays the young Ruth, whilst Keira Knightley plays the older Ruth. Charlie Rowe plays the young Tommy whilst Andrew Garfield stars as the older Tommy.

This movie is a real tear-jerker and anyone that watches it should be advised to have their hankies ready. Mulligan admitted that she had to constantly fight back tears during filming.

Never Let Me Go Official Trailer - YouTube

















 
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Omicron

Privy Council
Jul 28, 2010
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Last night I watched a brilliant British movie called "Never Let Me Go" (2010) based on the 1989 novel "The Remains of the Day" by Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro.

The movie is set in an alternate history in which a medical breakthrough in 1952 has permitted the human lifespan to be extended beyond 100 years. Right at the start we are treated to a caption on the screen which reads: The breakthrough in medical science came in 1952. Doctors could now cure the previously incurable. By 1967, life expectancy passed 100 years.

The plot centres around three young friends - Kathy, Ruth and Tommy - at an English boarding school called Hailsham in 1978. One day the three friends are in their classroom and they - and the rest of the class - are told by their teacher Miss Lucy the awful news that all of them are, in fact, clones and that they exist only as organ donors for transplants and will die - or, rather, "complete" - in their early adulthood after they have made three or four donations of their vital organs.

In fact, it turns out that Hailsham is a boarding school for clone children only.

Yeah, I've seen that one. It was depressing.
 

gopher

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Jun 26, 2005
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Mia Farrow in "See No Evil" [1971]







Not only is Miss Farrow an incredibly gifted actress, she is so naturally beautiful. I always loved her naturally beautiful appearance without all the glitter and glamour artifice that so many other actresses put on.
 

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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Mia Farrow in "See No Evil" [1971]







Not only is Miss Farrow an incredibly gifted actress, she is so naturally beautiful. I always loved her naturally beautiful appearance without all the glitter and glamour artifice that so many other actresses put on.

She WAS beautiful. She's getting on a bit now though.
 

gopher

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Jun 26, 2005
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Well, Miss Farrow is a bit older than I am so I can understand her aging. But you can still see the inner beauty she has always possessed. She has done a remarkable amount of charity work. Did you se her in "Johnny Belinda" or "Peyton Place"? Always beautiful, always a show stopper.
 

Mowich

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Eagle Creek
Friday Night Football on TSN. Rock on CFL. The boatmen are in the Bombers backyard tonight. Both teams are 1 and 2 on the season, something they share w/ their fellow Eastern teams - GO WEST! LOL!

I'm calling TO for this one. Rickie's got to break out and have a good game pretty quick - this could be his night.
 

gopher

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Minnesota: Gopher State
also watching CFL: Toronto v Winnipeg

Friday Night Football on TSN. Rock on CFL. The boatmen are in the Bombers backyard tonight. Both teams are 1 and 2 on the season, something they share w/ their fellow Eastern teams - GO WEST! LOL!

I'm calling TO for this one. Rickie's got to break out and have a good game pretty quick - this could be his night.



Ouch - Ray got injured and his knee is in bad pain. Hopefully, he'll be all right. He is one of the CFL's best.
 

Mowich

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also watching CFL: Toronto v Winnipeg


Ouch - Ray got injured and his knee is in bad pain. Hopefully, he'll be all right. He is one of the CFL's best.

They showed him walking with no difficulty off the field late in the 4th but not before he had thrown 19 of 20 completions for 298 yards..............and the Argos were most comfortably in the lead. The Argos creamed the Bombers to the dismay and loud booing of their fans. The Bombers also saw their QB leave the game after a particularly stunning hit. The way Justin Goltz played when he came in to replace Buck Pierce, maybe he should have started the game. But by then the die had been cast and the Argos will go home with an impressive 35 to 19 win.