There were 53 attendees, including two guests, for the showing which was well received.
Of the voting slips returned 27 rated it as ” Very Good”, with 16 going for “Good” and only 3 considering it as just “OK”
Some of the comments received included the following:
Reviewers say ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ is celebrated for Al Pacino’s compelling performance and Sidney Lumet’s direction. It explores themes like crime, media influence, and social issues. The film is praised for its realistic depiction, strong characters, and blend of drama and humour. However, some find it overly long and uneven. Despite mixed opinions on pacing and length, it is generally regarded as a significant work in American cinema, capturing the 1970s spirit.
This film created the full range of feedback scores from 7 votes who marked it as “Very Good” to 6 who thought it was “Very Poor” The majority were in the middle with 12 scoring it as “Good” 19 an just “OK” and 5 as “Poor” The IMDb rating is 7.2 out of 10, our equivalent score was 7.0.
Comments received –
Some people felt that Mike Leigh’s films Mr. Turner and Peterloo represented the best in his career in cinema. He finally had a high budget and his artistic craft met them perfectly. Hard Truths is a step back from this scale back into the social dramas he used to make, although this feels totally new for him at the same time. If you have a dark sense of humour, you will find it extremely funny when she is nasty and yelling at everyone. They put her in one environment after another, almost like Mr Bean but she causes mayhem everywhere she goes. The furniture store, the doctor, the grocery store. I loved these scenes because the fouler she gets, the funnier the movie becomes. It is such a simple and ingenious idea. Yet outside of these comic vignettes, the film is extremely bitter. It is so well acted and well staged. The supporting characters around her bring the depth in their reaction against her forming a film where we are drawing our own meaning. It is another solid classic in his filmography that it is worth revisiting.
Forty-six members and two guests attended the showing. It proved to be overwhelmingly liked with 38 voting it as “Vert Good” on the voting slips, 5 thought it was “Good”, 2 as “OK” and just one who thought it was “Poor”. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) rated this film as 7.5 out of ten, Our score was much higher with an equivalent value of 9.5.
Some of the comments made included the following.
Often movies have a magical quality as you’re viewing them. Some will demand your undivided attention, others will hypnotize your senses, leaving them to simply wash over you with their exuberance and classic filmmaking procedures. In the case of John Crowley’s “Brooklyn,” the latter is certainly the case. There comes a moment in the film when you are taken in by the film’s classic style filmmaking, and tenderly thought-provoking performances from its cast. Director Crowley, in partnership with Oscar-nominated scribe Nick Hornby, create a beautiful and sensitive love story that is everything a Nicholas Sparks film adaptation wishes it could be. With a vibrant turn from Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan at the helm, “Brooklyn” utilizes all of its tools in its arsenal to convey a potent message of love and family.
The LFS Committee took the decision to cancel the showing of the 400 Blows on the 3rd October as a consequence of the extremely high winds forecast to be generated by storm Amy and the resulting safety implications. Gusts of 95kph and very heavy rain hit Largs on Friday evening which justified the decision. Members were advised of the cancellation by email or phone.
Every day life, however ‘real’ and gritty it may be, is rarely portrayed on film and was certainly a rarity in the 1950’s. In Europe however, there was a movement in film-making that embraced this realism and searched for the deeper meaning in the ‘here and now’. This is about the most basic and miniscule portion of the meaning behind the French New Wave of the 1950’s films that explored the filmmaker’s surroundings, and eventually became an inspiration for filmmakers around the world. Francois Truffaut’s ‘The 400 Blows’ is one of the most well-known films of this movement, and has been embraced and hailed as one of the greatest films of all time.
Fifty six people attended the seasons opening show, which included two member guests and 17 new members.
The film was very well received with 41 voting it as very good, 9 as good and one each for OK, poor or very poor. The IMDb official rating was 7.6, our audience gave an equivalent rating of 9.3.
Comments included:
- Amazing film
- Brilliant! Bring back more old films in future
- Film has stood the test of time
- Fab, one of the greatest. Love Maggie Smith, great actress
- Really good film. A complete character. Such truths in the film about the complexity of human nature.
- Enjoyed Maggie Smith very much. And a good story influencing/intimidating
- A riveting watch
- A classic of its time
Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Don’t be. Just enjoy the experience. And watch Orlando, which is so beautiful!
Hundreds of years of walking on this earth. Never fade, never grow old. As a man Orlando can’t get in touch with his feminine side. Can’t dabble in poetry, can’t trust the woman he loves, can’t feel sorry for the enemy dying in front of him. So Orlando becomes a woman. Literally overnight. And finds she can’t think, she can’t have opinions, have a character even. Can’t keep the property she owned for centuries, can’t even trust the more liberal adventurers of the 19th century. So is it possible to live an unfettered life? Are men and women not just exactly the same, with only a difference in sex?
Even if you don’t want to contemplate these existential questions. Even if you don’t know how the book was one long love letter to Vita Sackville-West and her beloved Knole. Even if you don’t care about all that, just watch the film and enjoy the wonderful tableaus, the cinematography, the skating on the ice, the negotiating six feet wide dresses, and the perfect performance of Tilda Swinton. You won’t be disappointed!
Adrian