JayDee's Movie Musings

Plot - An Amish mother, Rachel (McGillis), takes her young son Samuel (Haas) to Philadelphia; the first time he's ever been out into the outside world. However at the train station Samuel witnesses the murder of a policeman in the toilets. Detective John Book (Ford) is assigned to the case an takes responsibility for keeping the family safe, but when it becomes clear that the men responsible were fellow cops he realises that things won't be as simple as he hoped. Now the target for the corrupt cops, Book takes off with the family and returns with them to their Amish community. To protect them Book stays with them, attempting to adapt to their strict and strange lifestyle. While there however he begins to develop feelings for Samuel's mother, and despite the restrictions placed on her by the Amish community the feelings prove to be mutual.

I feel I'm perhaps being a bit harsh with my score for this one because I can appreciate that it's a very finely crafted film, but it just didn't excite me as much as I was expecting. That may be partly on me as my idea of the film was a little off. I was expecting something more in the pure thriller mode, and in those terms I found the film to be left wanting. Surprisingly little time was actually dedicated to the thriller elements of the film, and what was failed to really break any new territory in the genre. It's the kind of scenario that's been seen countless times before - cop discovers corruption in his own department and when he tries to do something about it things are turned around so that he's the one who appears to be guilty. And of course the person he confides in turns out to be in on it! It's pretty clichéd territory.

So the thriller side of things wasn't a big hit for me. As a result the intrigue here lies in the relationships between the characters, the contrasting of worlds, the sense of community amongst the Amish people and the touching, heartfelt romance of forbidden love that is shared between the characters of Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. While it took a little while to win me over I was eventually able to engage with what was going on on screen

The film's cast are all uniformly excellent. Ford gives one of the most impressive performances of his career as homicide detective John Book. For someone I associate most with rather bombastic, larger than life characters (Indiana Jones, Han Solo, Jack Ryan etc) I was surprised with the depth and sensitivity he was able to imbue the character with. As such this role provided Ford with his only Oscar nomination to date. Ford is of course a screen legend; at the completely opposite end of the spectrum is Lukas Hass. As young Samuel, Lukas Haas turns in an impressive showing in his film debut. Even if he isn't asked to do a whole lot at times (indeed he only has 4 lines in the whole film) his eyes of pure innocence bring a lot to the film. For me however the star turn came from Kelly McGillis in the role of Rachel. She brought a great deal of beauty and purity to the role, initially showing herself as a strong and protecting mother who worries about Book's influence on her son, before eventually allowing out a romantic side when her attitude towards him softens. She has a sort of luminous quality to her. As the elder member of the Lapp family, Jan Rubes delivers a grand performance as the stern, but likeable Eli. He's one of those actors that just popped up every so often in a film or TV show and I was always happy to see him. A lot of that affection came from growing up with him through repeated viewings of The Mighty Ducks 2. Oh and it was fun to see Danny Glover in a rare villainous turn.

Film trivia snippets - Witness could have taken on a very different appearance had original plans worked out. The role of John Book was originally offered to Sylvester Stallone who turned it down. Stallone has been quoted as calling this the worst decision of his career. /// Witness' story was originally conceived as an episode of classic TV series Gunsmoke. Writers William Kelley and Earl W. Wallce had both been writers in the show and their original plot had Marshall Dillon travelling to an Amish farm looking for a witness to a murder.

Peter Weir deals with his subjects in a sensitive and even handed way. We've seen the Amish portrayed in a goofy, uneducated manner in other endeavours but here they are portrayed with honesty and sincerity. As a result Weir is able to completely immerse us in their world, helping us to understand their ideals and ways. He also doesn't sugarcoat things by making it all appear like an idyllic existence, highlighting elements that we may find negative and unyielding such as the attitude the community has towards Rachel's potential romance with Book. As part of this Amish immersion there is a barn building sequence which is quite astonishing as at one point we are shown dozens of individuals clambering all over the structure working away. Weir expertly shows how both Book and Samuel are in the same boat as outsiders in an alien world. In the opening exchanges especially with young Samuel in the big city we are able to see through the young boy's eyes, and take in just how strange and unfamiliar everything is to him.

The film features some gorgeous photography courtesy of Jon Seale which really captures the lush vistas and the rural beauty of the landscape where the Amish reside. He just allows the nature to speak for itself however, not resorting to overly glossy or stylised colour. In combination with Maurice Jarre's haunting and slightly surreal score it creates a wonderfully atmospheric vibe. They are also key components in contrasting the Philadelphia city life and the Amish's rural existence in Lancaster County. The scenes set in the Amish community have a much more languid, peaceful pace about them compared to the more frantic tone of the city; while Weir's direction and the differing aesthetics further this contrast.

The great strength of the film is to be found in its relationships. It's the romance between Book and Rachel; it's Samuel's fascination of Book's ways and the surrogate father/son bond that threatens to develop between them; it's Eli's guardian watching over both Book and Rachel, attempting to keep an eye out for both of them. Rachel is initially upset about Book's ways and how they fascinate her son, threatening his innocence. As she begins to see the kind of man he really is however a spark begins to develop. As I mentioned back at the start the thriller side of things was pretty cliched, and to an extent so is the romance between Book and Rachel. After so much cliché however I really appreciated the end of the film which brings a realistic stance to the situation.

Conclusion - A lot of care has gone into crafting this film and I was able to appreciate that. It took a while for me to really get drawn in as it wasn't the thriller I had been banking on, if anything it's a love story. However I certainly became more fond of it as it went along, and I get the feeling that will also be the case with repeat viewings. This could be a film I become a big fan of with time.

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I've had a copy of this sitting around for a while, but I haven't watched it yet, despite being intrigued and my mother saying it was good (she usually has an eye for movies I'd like). After seeing your review, I might give it a go.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Witness has been on my watch list for a bit now. Need to move it up in the order.

The strength of Witness is definitely the relationships. When I was a child I lived fairly close to an Amish community and I also appreciate the way they are portrayed. It's a good movie and well worth watching. I think I'd give it a B-.

Plot – Opening with the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, we find Captain John Miller (Hanks) leading the members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion onto Omaha beach. During the Normandy landings two brothers are killed, joining a third brother who died in New Guinea; with their mother due to receive all three telegrams informing her of their death on the same day. When the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, is informed about this he decides to send a unit to find the remaining brother, James Ryan (Damon), so he can be sent back home to his mother. Captain Miller is given the assignment and leads a squad of 8 men in the search.

The one thing that everyone who's seen this film will undoubtedly remember is its truly epic scenes of warfare, so that seems as good a place as any to start this review. And I've got to say that even 15 years on I'm struggling to remember anything I've seen that has been able to match them in terms of their scale and incredible power. Some people may like the action because it's 'cool', and as a kid perhaps I did as well. However what really makes them so incredible is just how much they immerse you in the experience; you're just instantly gripped by what is unfolding on screen. This is heightened even further as a result of the camera just dropping you right into the thick of the action; placing you on that beach alongside these heroic men, dodging bullets and trying to keep your wits about you while blood stained water laps at your feet. It shows that while these men may be heroes, there is nothing heroic about the act of war itself. It's a nasty, vile business (see the bewildered soldier wandering around looking for his blown-off arm) which brings out the absolute worse in people. This visceral opening battle is also an effective tool in terms of immediately making us care for and identify with the characters. We may not have had any time to familiarise ourselves with these individuals yet, but by placing them in such a hellish situation we cannot help but sympathise with them right from the off; no-one deserves to be involved in anything like this.

All of that and I've not even gotten around to commenting on it as a technical achievement. Costing $12 million, featuring some 1500 extras, utilizing real amputees, taking four weeks to shoot and employing some forty barrels of fake blood the scale of it is just insane. And what a testament to the skill of Spielberg that he is able to somehow assemble all these elements into something so coherent and enthralling. While it's beautiful in terms of the level of craft that has gone into it, it's not a particularly beautiful sequence or film as a whole to look at. It is however presented in a very appropriate and successful way. The cinematography from Janusz Kamiński creates a bleached, desaturated look of greys and greens which allows for a sharper, more realistic experience; just further immersing you in the film. Not surprisingly and quite rightly Kaminski was rewarded with an Oscar for his efforts. And perhaps just as amazing as this opening battle that Spielberg delivers is the fact that he at least matches, and perhaps even surpasses himself with the battle that closes the film. Taking place on the streets of Ramelle, in amongst its war-torn buildings, it sees the characters scattered throughout the town; some on the ground, others perched high in towers, attempting to fight off vastly superior numbers of German soldiers who are armed with tanks and heavy weaponry. It's a fantastically constructed and nerve-shredding sequence.

The opening battle also has no quandaries in showing the true nature of these men. This isn't Stallone's Rambo we're dealing with, nor is it Schwarzenegger's Dutch or any other larger than life soldier we may have become accustomed to. These are real men. In the boats heading onto the beaches of Normandy these guys aren't joking around and smoking cigars, relishing the idea of war. No; what they are doing is throwing up through fear, crying at the prospect of what lies ahead and praying to God that they will somehow make it through alive. These are the genuine reactions you would likely find on such a battlefield. And that sequence where they are on the boats heading towards the beach is just so gut-wrenchingly tense. It's also rare for any of these men to get what you would call a 'heroic' death, complete with glorious and profound last words. For the large majority of the unfortunate souls they never see it coming; it's quick, it's sudden and it's gruesome.

In between the scenes of warfare we are given a good degree of character building, and evidence of the camaraderie, humour and sense of brotherhood that develops between individuals who embark on such a shared experience. I also believe it shows just how important this bond is if you're to retain any chance whatsoever of holding on to your sanity. Another such example of this would be Private Jackson, the crew's resident sniper. For him, his faith is a large part of trying to retain his strength and sanity. These scenes of brotherhood just build upon the level of caring already established from the opening battle. As they talk and share memories and stories from their lives back home, our connection and sympathies just grow and grow so that everytime we lose one of these men it feels like a real punch in the gut. While the search for a single man is partly based on a true story, it also works as a metaphor for the absurdities of war and the waste that is inherent within them. The group's discussions about their mission just highlight how futile it can all appear.

The men that make up the company who go in search of Ryan represent the broad spectrum of individuals you would find in the army. Tom Hanks' Captain Miller is a prime example of the most normal of guys placed in the most unnatural of situations. As we eventually find out he is just an unassuming English schoolteacher from Pennsylvania; it was never his ambition to be leading men in such an endeavour and making decisions that will affect their lives. And his only ambition is just to get home to his wife, that is all he wants. More than anyone else, Jeremy Davies' Corporal Upham represents the young clueless kid who has absolutely no business being involved in such a venture. Inexperienced and completely out of his depth he is just a bundle of nerves. Private Caparzo, portrayed by Vin Diesel, is representative of the tough, macho guy who will put on quite an aggressive show which is really just a front to hide the fear which he feels just like everyone else. While Edward Burns' Private Reiben represents more than most just what war can do to a good man; just how tough it is to remain human in such conditions. It could perhaps lead to a feeling of stereotypes for some people, but I think it works very well, particularly as there are moments were we see that really they are all just the same deep down; they share the same flaws and fears.

Film trivia - All of the film's principal stars underwent a brutal and gruelling week long course of army training under the tutelage of technical advisor Dale Dye. Well when I say 'all', that's not quite accurate. Matt Damon was spared having to endure it in an effort to get the other actors to resent him, with the hope being that their resentment towards him would then come through in their performances and feed into the story.

The film doesn't overly demonise the German soldiers, nor does it sanctify the American soldiers. There are numerous occasions of ambiguous morals, right down to the rather apathetic attitude of the soldiers towards their mission and towards Ryan himself. The film shows American soldiers killing Germans who are attempting to surrender, and shows them raiding their dead bodies for mementos. It shows their bloodlust and sense of vengeance after Wade is killed as they plan to gun down the German soldier responsible. And rather unexpectedly for a long while Captain Miller, their supposed leader, goes along with it. Without thinking he also partakes in rooting through the dog tags of fallen men while their comrades look on. It all just shows the toll that war can have on a man, how hard it is to retain your humanity in such a despicable spectacle. And it makes Miller's speech about just trying to hold onto who you were before the war all the more poignant.

The cast that Spielberg was able to assemble is just incredible. I had actually forgotten the huge amount of talent that was sprinkled throughout the film. Even the most minor of roles are filled by a legion of recognisable and talented performers such as Paul Giamatti, Ted Danson, Nathan Fillion and Bryan Cranston. While those men, and numerous others may not be on screen for a great deal of time they are pretty much all able to bring something to the table.

Leading the pack is Tom Hanks. And as for his performance, well, he's Tom Hanks! And this is just another in a long line of impressive performances that he has turned in over the years. While there are obviously weaker performances on his CV I honestly don't feel I've seen a performance of his I would call poor. He's just one of the most dependable performers out there. As great as he is here however it's perhaps not surprising that he didn't add to the collection of little gold men sitting on his mantle (I'm referring to Oscar statues by the way, I'm not accusing him of being into anything freaky or kinky!). The reason being that for the majority of the time it's not an especially big or showy performance, but it is crammed with a series of small and quiet, but highly effective moments. Moments that really get to you such as his attempts to try and understand and justify the deaths of his men, or the war at large. Or talking about how all he wants to do is get home to his wife and try to remain the same man that he was before the war.

Film trivia – It's become legend now that the film's action, and in particular that opening invasion of Omaha beach, was so realistic and vivid that men who had actually experienced it found it immensely powerful, sometimes overly so. Following the film's release The Department of Veterans Afffairs set up a special 800 number to help the hundreds of former soldiers who were left traumatized after viewing the film. It has also been noted that in the week following the film's release, visits to PTSD counsellors soared.

As the eponymous Private Ryan, Matt Damon is not actually on screen for a huge amount of time, but he grabs the chance and is able to make a huge impression regardless. It's a terrifically natural performance that when teemed with his turn in Good Will Hunting the previous year, confirmed him as one of the hottest young talents at the time. His pain and confusion over the situation is beautifully played; torn between mourning the loss of his familial brothers and the duty he feels to his brothers in arms. While Hanks and Damon are the film's biggest stars, there are virtually no failures to be found amongst any of the cast. Barry Pepper, an actor I've always admired, is on fine form as are the likes of Tom Sizemore and Giovanni Ribisi.

I'm aware that many people, even large admirers of the film, have a problem with the scenes that bookend the film. Set in the present day at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, it sees the now elderly James Ryan returning to honour the soldiers who laid their lives on the line for him. Personally I don't have a huge problem with the scenes though I would happily have them excised. They certainly come across as an attempt to manipulate your emotions, but in that respect I find them completely superfluous. The two and a half hours in between these scenes has already achieved so much in those terms that there is nothing more they could possibly add. However I don't begrudge the film highlighting once more the immense sacrifice that was made through the thousands of crosses that seem to stretch endlessly off into the horizon. And I think in terms of design, the crosses and the stars of David are a beautifully simplistic representation of something truly momentous. And while they may not add much to the film itself, I think the scenes prove a touching tribute to the millions of soldiers who laid down their lives.

I won't read all the review because I haven't seen it yet, but I've had this on my Sky Planner for a couple of weeks now recorded from one of the ITV channels, really want to watch it now that you've awarded it 5 stars, should be good

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Saving Private Ryan a worthy recipient of the fabled 5 star rating. Probably the last true "great" film that Spielberg will ever make. I haven't seen Lincoln but I don't think Spielberg has made anything better than 4/5 film since SPR.

I think you are being generous giving Terminator Salvation 3/5. The only "salvation" for me was when it ended. The end fight between John Conner and the CGI Terminator was an insult to anyone with an ounce of intelligence. The Terminator keeps picking up Connor and throwing him against a wall, when it could pick him up and break his neck/crush his skull in 0.5 seconds. Just laughable and not in a good way. Also what kind of Director calls themself MLG??

Excellent film.
One of only 3 films that cracked 101% Perfect Rating in my own thread...

Nice review!

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A truly Oscar worthy review of this movie that I too will be listing as one of my most memorable films.
That openning scene made me dodge bullets on my cauch and along with a scene from Blackhawk Down, in my eye, rate as the most intense battle scenes ever.

Sorry for being a bit late but thanks for the recs HK! I'll check them out. Blue Steel I already know and think I've got the DVD kicking around somewhere. And I think I've perhaps got Mr Saturday Night taped somewhere. That a Billy Crystal flick?

Fair enough. Hope you enjoy it whenever you get to it.

Nice? Nice?!!! NICE?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All that time and effort and the best you can come up with is nice?! That's it, you're banned from the thread!



What were the other two by the way? Too lazy to check myself right now

Don't know I'd go that far. Catch Me If You Can was really, really good and while I've not seen it for a while I remember loving Minority Report. Like you I've also not seen Lincoln. Or Munich for that matter.

That actually was one thing I meant to comment on - am I the only one kind of confused as to how the robots haven't already won? I mean they've got a conveyor belt of near unstoppable terminators, they can travel in time and now we see they can build machines hundreds of feet tall! And humanity has got......eh.......John Connor?

Do they give Oscars for reviews? I'll happily just accept a MoFo award for best review, or reviewer for that matter. Can't be too hard if my only competition is Rodent!! I kid because I love Rodent

Oh and I thought I remember you had already included SPR on your memorable films list. Maybe I'm getting mixed up

In future I'll say: "Very not bad review! "

Oh, the other two that cracked 101% were The Green Mile and WALL-E.

Oh, I would definitely throw BumbleBee into the mix so all you guys can duke it out for top honors

Plot – In the early 1970s, a Detroit folk-singer by the name of Rodriguez is signed up by a music company and tipped for big things, with comparisons being made to Bob Dylan. Upon their release however his two albums completely flop and Rodriguez disappears. Except that's not actually what happened. Unbeknownst to Rodriguez, his music somehow made it to South Africa, a country being torn apart by apartheid. There he became a musical icon, and his music became the soundtrack to the lives of its people; adopted as protest anthems against the government. Despite his huge South African fanbase however they knew nothing about him, prompting numerous rumours to circulate about him, including that he had committed suicide live on stage. In the 1990s a few of his fans set off on a quest to find out the truth, setting in motion an incredible chain of events. This film details that story.

As a story I found Searching for Sugar Man to be just fantastic. As a documentary however I may have a couple of issues with it, namely manipulation. Or perhaps directorial sleight-of-hand to give it a more positive spin. The film-makers appear to manipulate the story and facts, and as a result the viewer. For its opening stretch it appears to unfold in the present day, and it feels like we are leading up to the conclusion of the film being his glorious return to the stage. Except that it actually happened almost 15 years ago!!! Some of the major players however are acting oblivious to this, creating the illusion that it's only just happening right now. Particularly iffy is them talking about the stories that circulated South Africa of Rodriguez's death, despite the fact they know at this point (and have done for 15 years) that he's alive and well. I thought this film was going to be the search for Rodriguez, instead it's a retelling of the search which actually concluded in 1998. I'll give the film-makers the benefit of the doubt and say they were just attempting to recreate the sense of mystery and discovery that was felt back at the time by those conducting the search.

The film-makers also drop a storytelling thread about where the money went that he should have earned from his South African success. They ask Clarence Avant (to whom the South African royalties were apparently sent) about it and when they get stonewalled by him they just forget all about it. And lastly the film also appears guilty of omitting a fact or two. It ignores the fact that Rodriguez actually had a degree of success in Australia in the 1970s, so much so that he toured the country in 1979 and 1981. I can understand why this was ignored on one hand as its a film about the mythical air Rodriguez enjoyed in South Africa, and as a result of the harsh censorship and sanctions placed on the country during apartheid they would have had no idea about his popularity in Australia. However it does feel like they ignored it purely to build up the drama and emotion of his story.

Now that we've got the few negatives out of the way, onto the positives. Making use of Rodriguez's fairly meagre back catalogue (he made just two albums before fading into obscurity) provides the film with a stunning soundtrack, already one I'd probably rate amongst my favourite ever movie soundtracks. It may only be two albums worth but it's a great cache of songs. These songs commonly play over beautiful images of Rodriguez wandering the streets of Detroit. The images are very apt in trying to capture the poetic, roaming free spirit that many people painted him as. At the time of his initial attempt at stardom he was compared to Bob Dylan when it came to his song-writing ability and how revered he could/should be; and he certainly reminds me of the likes of Dylan, Nick Drake, Johnny Cash etc when it comes to his performances; imbuing his songs with so much emotion and power. The particular highlight for me would have to be Sugar Man, a haunting and hypnotic work. For introducing me, and indeed the world, to this man and his songs; for that alone the film deserves credit.


Similarly to my recent viewing of The Lives of Others, this film shows the power of art, and in the case of Searching for Sugar Man, the power of music as a form of protest. In such a conservative and controlling country, this man singing about drugs and sex was a revelation; these people had found themselves a heroic rebel. And with songs such as “The Anti-Establishment Blues” it's no surprise that he inspired people who took on his music as protest anthems. His work also inspired other musicians in South Africa to protest against the apartheid government, forming what became known as the Voelvry movement; one of the first forms of protest that began to emerge. In fact his music was deemed so unsavoury and potentially dangerous that the government scratched his records so that radio stations couldn't play them. This of course just fuelled the desire amongst the people to seek out his music.

It seems somewhat appropriate that with his music was being born out of a tough time (1960s/70s Detroit), it was in another tough time that it found its spiritual home (apartheid-era South Africa). While they may both be very cinematic cities, and are joined by their difficult circumstances they are at opposite ends of the earth and could hardly have vastly more contrasting appearances. Detroit is a cold, harsh and immensely grey city whereas South Africa appears to be a sun-drenched, picturesque paradise. To fill in for the lack of existing footage from his life, animation is used to flesh out the locations of Detroit that were once there and that Rodriguez used to walk, but which are now long gone. Bendjelloul also employs an old super 8 camera at times to recreate moments from that time and create the feel of the time in the footage.

The film spends most of its time detailing the impact that Rodriguez had on the people who knew him and who heard his music, but I've got to say I would have liked them to delve deeper into Rodriguez's life; to see and hear more from the man himself. While a large part of that may have been down to his shy nature and reluctance to attract much attention, it does perhaps help in attempting to try and keep alive a degree of the mystery that tantalised the people of South Africa for so long. Though the film does feature quite a decent level of contribution from his three daughters which adds quite a bit of charm and emotion. And many of the people interviewed clearly have such a fondness and reverence for the man and his work that they impart such passion to their stories.


In that time that we are allowed to spend in his presence however, Rodriguez himself proves to be a very likeable individual. Despite being built up as such a mythical figure the reality is much more down to earth. He proves to be spectacularly normal, nice and modest guy. He's not bitter or downtrodden in any way about what's happened in his life, and in a strange way he actually seems quite content with his lot. He may still live in the same dilapidated house he has all his life but he seems comfortable. And the money that he made from touring South Africa he largely gave away to his friends and family. While I hope this film raises his star to a great degree, and that he finally gets the recognition and success he deserves I don't feel it's something he personally would be all that obsessed over.

It really is an incredible story of a man who could somehow be completely ignored in his own country, and yet be a superstar, hell make that an icon, halfway around the world and completely unaware. At one point Clarence Avant says that upon its release in the States, one of Rodriguez's albums sold literally six copies, and it's tough to tell whether or not he's exaggerating. And yet across the world, and completely unbeknownst to him, he was one of the biggest artists for whole generations of people; selling half a million albums and dwarfing even the likes of the Rolling Stones. And for him to finally have become aware of this, to have had the opportunity to go to South Africa and perform in a series of sold-out concerts in front of thousands of fans, is just a wonderful Cinderella story. Rodriguez's story is great but it's something larger than that; it's an uplifting tale about hope, the human spirit and the realisation of your dreams.

And rather fittingly it's a story that is somewhat mirrored by that of the film's director, Malik Bendjelloul. Attempting to make a film that became a real passion project for him which he spent three years on (without earning a penny), before finally running out of money. He was completely broke and with the project seemingly doomed, he basically abandoned the film for a time. He returned to the film but unable to employ people he resorted to doing much of the film all by himself. With no experience, and nothing more than just his own laptop he was able to edit the film on his own, created the original score and provided the illustrations to flesh out the story. He even had to resort to using his smartphone with an iPhone app to shoot some footage at one point. Eventually he was able to get in contact with the producers of Man on Wire and gain their involvement, ensuring the film's future. Alongside Rodriguez it just sends the message that if you stick to your guns and integrity, and if you produce something worthwhile you may well be rewarded. If you put your heart and soul into trying to make your dreams come true then maybe they just will, even if it takes a while.

Conclusion – Just an absolutely fantastic story which makes for a fantastic viewing experience. For fans of music, of amazing tales and of great underdog stories I cannot recommend this enough. Oh and my copy of the film's soundtrack should hopefully be arriving any day now. I ordered it immediately as the closing titles began to roll!

Added a little interactive element to my Searching for Sugar Man review - a couple of youtube videos with his songs. I've included "Sugar Man" and the wonderfully catchy "I Wonder"

As a huge Muhammad Ali fan this one already had a lot going for it coming in. And the film is successful on a number of fronts. It works as an examination of why Muhammad Ali is such a famous and beloved figure; showing him as the fascinating, charismatic, poetic and hilarious man that he was. It shows him as the boxer, as the activist, as the political leader and as the out and out entertainer. It also works as a behind the scenes look at one of the biggest, if not the biggest fight of all time - the Rumble in the Jungle battle between Ali and George Foreman, who up to this point had been deemed unstoppable. It's great just to see the build-up and all the hype that went into the event. And the moment where Ali pops off the ropes to put Foreman on the mat has got to be one of the greatest moments in sporting history. The film also provides a political and social view of life in Zaire at the time, but also back at home in America, and how powerfully Ali felt about these issues and the plans he had to try and combat them. The film has a terrific amount of fantastic archive footage, combined with great interviews with the likes of Norman Mailer and George Plimpton, two respected journalists and great storytellers. When We Were Kings also features a pretty cool soundtrack which captures the spirit of the time, featuring artists who performed at the music festival Don King organised as part of the huge event that was going on in Zaire around the fight; the likes of James Brown, B.B. King and the Spinners amongst others. The film is just a great snapshot of both sporting and cultural history.










I don't know if I'm alone in this, or if other people feel the same way, but every so often I come across films that I wished I loved, but just didn't. For the most part the Ealing comedies would unfortunately fall into that category. The only one I really liked (close to loved) was The Lavender Hill Mob. And I also liked The Man in the White Suit. Outside of that they just don't greatly appeal to me. I mean I can appreciate that they, and this film in particular, are smart and classy affairs but they just don't excite me, and worst of all they just don't make me laugh. I just find them so quaint, so twee, so old-fashioned, so English! The brand of humour throughout is just so incredibly dry that at times it would take me a couple of seconds to realise, 'oh that was a funny line' and by then the moment had passed. Basically what I'm asking is when is someone going to get hit in the nuts by a football?! The story itself I found to be interesting and enjoyable enough, despite the lack of laughs. The p*sstake of the class system was fun, and I got a kick out of the twist at the end which revealed a slightly surprising femme fatale. Despite what the score may indicate, in no way do I find this a poor film, just not one that really does much for me. Apologies to fans of the film, especially Mark who I think had it in his top 100 list. Just so you know Mark I'm imagining you with an Al Pacino-like voice from Godfather - “You broke my heart JayDee.”

Whatever.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I know what you mean about Kind Hearts - it didn't make me laugh out loud many times, but I thought it had a very humorous undertone and I just loved that mix of quaint and sinister. I'd give it , personally, but I can definitely see how how you'd find it just too British and too quaint.

I'm the same with Ealing comedies, JD, with the exception that I don't love any of them.

I'm looking forward to Searching For Sugarman, which is why I haven't read your review.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Oh Mark don't be like that. I know that you're hurting, but you don't have to try and hide it behind a blase 'whatever'. I'm really sorry man.



Whoa wait a minute. I never said it was too British. I said it was too English. Don't try and rope the Scots in on the blame!

Not a fan of any of them? The only 'big' Ealing film I've got left I think is The Ladykillers.

Alright then, I can give you a pass on one of my reviews just this once.