Mr Brooks

Bea says: Also seen in Copenhagen. We knew nothing about it beforehand; we saw it on a whim. Predictable American murder drama starring Demi Moore, Kevin Costner and William Hurt (looking like he's had too much surgery). The only vaguely different thing about this film is William Hurt's character as a voice in Kevn Costner's head. Other than that - forgettable but watchable.
*.5

Cecil says: 5 minutes into this film, I whispered to Bea: "Oh my God, I've brought you to an American serial-killer detective story". Nuff said. Only interesting thing for me was that I'd not realised before how similar in facial appearance Hurt and Costner are, so good casting I guess. But not much more to it...
*

This is England

Cecil says: We saw this film about skinheads and fascists in early 1980s England while holidaying in Copenhagen (and by the way, a quick tip for anyone going to the pictures in Denmark: don't arrive late because they won't let you in).


Having grown up in the 1970s and often encountered pretty nasty gangs of skinheads on the streets of Hull, this film felt all too real to me - I had a dull ache of remembered fears most of the way through it. And the film did feel as much like a description of 1970s England as 1980s. In fact, the whole issue of time and context within the film was a slight annoyance throughout. It claimed to be set in 1983, but was all to do with the Falklands and there were clips of our boys in Port Stanley shown every now and then through the film. Why declare it as 1983 if the rest of the footage so clearly wasn't. And given that it could just as easily have been the 1970s, why define its time so exactly?


The film grabbed the attention from the off. Two types of skinheads come across: the National Front fascists and the rather nice, caring types (not sure I ever met them in the 1970s, but they did feel believable in This is England). The battle for psychological and physical dominance between the two strands is fascinating and at times disgustingly violent. I can't actually remember the end of the film - what remains is the pervasive sense of violence, of racism, and of constant threat. Felt very odd walking out into the sunny streets of peaceful Copenhagen afterwards...
***.5

Bea Says: Copenhagen was warm and relaxed. Beautiful blondes cycled past, we drank coffee and ate lots. We swam in the sound, and hung out at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Seeing "This is England" in this environment was surreal, to say the least. When I am in England, the gritty grimness of film like this, like Ken Loach's or Mike Leigh's makes sense. It is what you see around you - grey 60s build estates, desolate grey beaches. In Copenhagen it was utterly, utterly bleak, and although very good, "This is England" is probably the most depressing film I've seen all year. That's not a reason not to see it though - but you might want a comforting cup of hot chocolate afterwards. We did.

***.5

Atonement

Bea says: I've always been a great one for costume drama and "Atonement" didn't disappoint. Floaty dresses, authentic WW2 nurses uniforms, 1930s swimming costumes. I've read "Atonement" (although quite a while ago") and the screenplay seemed relatively faithful to the main events of the story; although there seemed to be a slightly different emphasis placed on certain events (the scene at the end - I don't remember that at all in the book) and characters (Lola was the character that stayed with me long after I finished reading the book). Mostly, the acting was fairly ordinary - with the exception of Vanessa Redgrave, but Cecil will tell you more about that. Enjoyably moving escapism to a different time and a different world; quite sensual too.
***.5


Cecil says: Wonderful story that kept my attention throughout, but I didn't really care about the main characters. Was that Keira Knightly and James McEvoy's acting or the characterisation through the film's way of telling the story: through the eyes of Briony? Briony certainly seemed more real to me than the others and especially when she suddenly becomes transformed into Vanessa Redgrave at the end of the film. And Vanessa? Her few minutes at the end of the film were more powerful than the previous 90 minutes of Keira and James. That voice, that tone, that face: just MADE you listen, transfixed. Whatever you do with this film, don't leave early...
***.5