August 18, 2024 • 53 mins
**Host:** Alex First
**Guest Critics:** Jaqui Hammerton, Greg King, Peter Krause
**Episode Summary:**
In this lively episode, Alex First is joined by Jaqui Hammerton, Greg King, and Peter Krause to discuss the latest in film and entertainment. The Timms kicks off with a spirited debate about the Olympic Games before diving into the highly anticipated "Deadpool and Wolverine." The episode also features reviews of the charming French rom-com "Mister Blake at Your Service" and the chilling crime horror thriller "Long Legs." Each critic brings their unique perspective, blending humour and serious critique to provide listeners with a comprehensive review of these films.
**Highlights:**
- **Deadpool and Wolverine:** The critics explore the irreverent and action-packed film featuring Ryan Reynolds And Huw Jackman. They discuss the film's humour, inside jokes, and its appeal to both purists and casual viewers. Jacqui praises its witty dialogue and broad appeal, while Alex highlights the cleverness and hilarity amidst the complex narrative.
- **Mister Blake at Your Service:** A delightful French rom-com starring John Malkovich. The critics discuss the film's charming characters, beautiful setting, and feel-good storyline. While Greg finds it a bit slow, Jacqui and Peter appreciate its lightweight entertainment and the development of its characters.
- **Long Legs:** A creepy crime horror thriller starring an unrecognisable Nicolas Cage. The Timms delves into the film's tense atmosphere, strong performances, and its sinister underbelly. Greg finds it derivative but atmospheric, while Peter praises its unique take on the horror genre.
This episode of First on Film and Entertainment offers a dynamic mix of film reviews, from the irreverent "Deadpool and Wolverine" to the charming "Mister Blake at Your Service" and the chilling "Long Legs." The critics provide thoughtful commentary and lively discussions, making this episode a must-listen for film enthusiasts. Join us next week for more in-depth reviews and engaging conversations.
https://www.bitesz.com/show/first-on-film-entertainment/
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**Guest Critics:** Jaqui Hammerton, Greg King, Peter Krause
**Episode Summary:**
In this lively episode, Alex First is joined by Jaqui Hammerton, Greg King, and Peter Krause to discuss the latest in film and entertainment. The Timms kicks off with a spirited debate about the Olympic Games before diving into the highly anticipated "Deadpool and Wolverine." The episode also features reviews of the charming French rom-com "Mister Blake at Your Service" and the chilling crime horror thriller "Long Legs." Each critic brings their unique perspective, blending humour and serious critique to provide listeners with a comprehensive review of these films.
**Highlights:**
- **Deadpool and Wolverine:** The critics explore the irreverent and action-packed film featuring Ryan Reynolds And Huw Jackman. They discuss the film's humour, inside jokes, and its appeal to both purists and casual viewers. Jacqui praises its witty dialogue and broad appeal, while Alex highlights the cleverness and hilarity amidst the complex narrative.
- **Mister Blake at Your Service:** A delightful French rom-com starring John Malkovich. The critics discuss the film's charming characters, beautiful setting, and feel-good storyline. While Greg finds it a bit slow, Jacqui and Peter appreciate its lightweight entertainment and the development of its characters.
- **Long Legs:** A creepy crime horror thriller starring an unrecognisable Nicolas Cage. The Timms delves into the film's tense atmosphere, strong performances, and its sinister underbelly. Greg finds it derivative but atmospheric, while Peter praises its unique take on the horror genre.
This episode of First on Film and Entertainment offers a dynamic mix of film reviews, from the irreverent "Deadpool and Wolverine" to the charming "Mister Blake at Your Service" and the chilling "Long Legs." The critics provide thoughtful commentary and lively discussions, making this episode a must-listen for film enthusiasts. Join us next week for more in-depth reviews and engaging conversations.
https://www.bitesz.com/show/first-on-film-entertainment/
www.bitesz.com
Sponsor
www.bitesz.com/nordvpn
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/first-on-film-entertainment--5645288/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
First on Film and Entertainment, A very good morning to
all and sundry. Olympic Games fever has hit and the
opening ceremony was absolutely spectacular. Spoilt somewhat by the rain,
but hey, what they achieved, what they did. Yeah, there's controversy.
There's usually controversy, So okay, if you put that to
(00:21):
one side, and I'm not dismissing anybody's concerns, I'm simply
going to concentrate on the positives in the Eiffel Our
obviously front and center throughout. I just thought, wonderful Celine Dion.
You know, given what health issues she has to get
through that brilliant number that she portrayed as well as
she did. She was back to her brilliant best. I
(00:43):
was just ecstatic, really really happy, and let's hope for
a safe games because that's the most important thing. And
obviously athletes are going to continue to give there all.
So that is part of the Olympic game fever. I'm
not sure that any in our crowd, Jackie Hamilton, Peter Krauss,
and Greg King are really into the Olympics, are you
Jackie Hamilton or not?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
No, No, I'll pass on that one. Thank you, Alex.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Not you don't even watch the Olympic swimming well where
the girls are going to excel. You don't even watch.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
That, Alex?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Hey, sorry, how the watch a movie? Oh my golly,
what a sad sec That's not right. You've got to
do it, Jackie. Come on, yeah, two weeks of the year,
that's all it is every four years. Come on, pull
their finger out. But patriotic, Gussie? What do you reckon?
Can I get you involved? Now? I agree footy with Jackie?
(01:34):
Oh my golly, So no football.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
You too, Agreg, I don't really give it to Rat's
about the Olympics now, but it's become professional sports. People
in there seems like great jameson, Now, what's everybody to do?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
A sport? Well?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Hang on, hang on. The English language changes over time
as well, Greg, So you know why aren't the Olympic
Games allowed? You?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Going a long boat here?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Alex?
Speaker 4 (02:00):
You'reupposed to read the best of the Amashurs.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
That's where it started. Command has become corrupt, all right,
all right, I'm not gonna win this one, am i? Jackie?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
No you're not, Alex. It's three against one.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Oh god, it's all right. It's nice to be right,
even if the three of you are wrong. Let's talk
about something more positive. Let's talk about Deadpool and Wolverine. Hey,
hang on, it.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Is his first film and entertainment it is.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Thank you very much for announcing this. I should have
done that. And basically I thought that Wolverine was no
longer with us, Jackie, and obviously I was wrong because
in an alternative universe, in the multiverse, there must be
lots of sort of Wolverine's out there. Correct.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Oh, yes, he actually did appear in the early stage
of the film, in the very first scene where it's
actually his skeleton makes an appearance.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
He did. That's actually very funny, quite found please.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, was absolutely hilarious.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah, and only again, you know, putting an arm over
the skeleton was Deadpooled. So look, it is irreverent to
rye balled. It's aggressive, most aggressive, and it's full of
action and lots of laughs. I mean really lots of laughs.
It's a deep dive into the Marvel Cinematic universe. Greg,
can you tell me or Peter how many members of
(03:25):
the Marvel Cinematic universe there are? I've totally lost count.
There are dozens by now, are they're not? Am I
only thinking that if you line them up next to
each other tallest and shortest, there'd be a few dozen,
wouldn't there, Peter, I suppose so I haven't been keeping track. Well, Greg,
you know how I like to count members on stage.
(03:48):
You can count the Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, just just
to satisfy me. Maybe you can sort of spend the
next three months doing that for me. Possibly.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Well, you know you've got give all your avengers there,
You've got all of someone's off characters, so many to mention,
and know what about the villains of the universe as well?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Oh? Absolutely yeah? And I mean it seems to be
growing at the rate of knots I've got. I'm not
a cartoon Sorry, what do you call it? Comic book person?
But I presume that I mean comic book heros come
and go, and they're revived, and then there there are
new ones. Are they still doing comic books about new characters?
(04:26):
Does anybody know within the Marvel Cinematic Universe or does
it continue to expand as a universe with more characters.
I've never asked that question, but it strikes me that
it would as time goes on, no answers there, all right,
I'll let you ponder that one. But look, there's a
rivalry and there's a bit of dynamic between Deadpool and
(04:46):
Wolverine that's been quite fascinating for fans of especially the
X Men universe. And this one's all about the multiverse,
the alternatives, and to the realities that exist perhaps in
times gone by. So yeah, Logan had marked the end
of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine journey that was back in twenty seventeen.
(05:09):
But the concept here is that Deadpool looks for a
live Wolverine in an alternative reality. As Jackie's mentioned, You've
got skeletal remains, that's all that we see in the
opening scenes. But I suppose the universe seems to have
got a hell in a handbasket and the pair of them,
Deadpool and Wolverine team up to save it from oblivion.
(05:32):
That's what the concept is. And we're talking about action
taking place six years after the events. In Deadpool two,
which came out in twenty eighteen. Ryan Reynolds again plays
Wade Wilson's the sort of long since retired as the mercenary.
Deadpool lives this pretty nondescript life. In fact, he starts
the movie as a used car salesman and he doesn't
(05:56):
much take to the job. So then he's prevailed upon
suddenly by a bureaucratic organization which goes by the name
Time Variant Authority TVA, and he's asked to don the
red and black again. What this proves, Peter Grouse once
and for all, is there's nothing as dynamic as the
(06:16):
Essendon football team, correct visa. Sorry, yes, Greek King, you
wouldn't understand that. You'd understand that deep seated, heartfelt reference
to Essendon, wouldn't you.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I would, but.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
I'm going to ignore it. Al It's not what you
call entertainment.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Are agon. It's most entertaining when we went so a
little it for a while. Yes, that's quite true. Now
having said that, there there's got to be a way
that Deadpool can convince a very reluctant Wolverine to join
him on his exploits, and the pair of them confronts
a character called Cassandra Nova played by Emma Corn who's
(06:56):
a mutant with telekinetic and telepathic powers. She also happens
to be the twin sister of Charles Xavier. So this
is when we get into the Marvel Cinematic universe. That
name will meet a great deal to people who have
seen a large number of their movies, or even some
of them. So the TVA agent pulling the strings here
is called mister Paradox, played by Matthew mcfagean. He'd like
(07:19):
to speed up the death of a universe called Earth
one thousand and five, and to do that he uses
what's called a time ripper, a double per It's a
machine that can mercy kill timelines. As I said, there's
a multi verse at play here, so there's all sorts
of timelines that can be killed off and others come
(07:41):
to the fore. So if you're confused, I was too.
It is confusing as a narrative feature, isn't it, Jackie?
That it's not. You don't go along for a cogent storyline,
do you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I don't worry too much about that with this film, Alex.
As soon as there's an acronym and or or a
timeline or a ripper, I sort of just faded out.
But I was quite happy following the story of who
was fighting who and why.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
That was enough for me.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Okay, well, so simple pleasure. I suppose you can call it.
I mean this is there's lots of inside jokes. Look,
I think this is one for the purists. Those people
who really have immersed themselves in the MCU are going
to have a ball with it. And you know you
you haven't. I understand that, And you still enjoyed it,
so you know that it sounds like you still enjoyed it,
(08:31):
so that that's a very very good sign. There are
lots of inside jokes. There's there's not only inside jokes
that there's references to the real world. And I'm deliberately
avoiding any spoilers here. I thought that was extremely clever.
It skirts the edges of a number of occasions. It's
pretty risky, isn't it. Jaggie.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Oh, it's quite foul in many places, but funny, funny, obscene.
I'm going to disagree with you that it's your comment
that it's only for the purists, because I'm certainly not
a purist, and I think that it's witty dialogue takes
it a long way into a broader audience.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well, yeah, I reckon the purest in particular going to
get the most out of it because they understand all
of the references, I challenge you whether you understood everything
when they were. You know that there are so many
in jokes here. That's I suppose the point I was making.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
But I think that more than there are in jokes,
but I think more than that, they poke fun at
so much stuff. And you don't want to give spoilers here,
but I do.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Be careful, please.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
I mean, just generally, you know, the sexual indoors right throughout.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
This is not a kid's film.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
They're very blatant but actually really really funny, and they
have a get everything, not just you know, twentieth century
Fox and gender is shoes and each other. But there's
that fourth wall breaking the fourth wall, which really is
one of the I mean, it's been done a thousand
times now, but it's still the way Ryan Reynolds does it.
(10:17):
Dead really is very funny and delightful.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
It's absolutely delightful, notwithstanding that it is incredibly foul. Yeah,
I would not in any way to agree with that.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
But then you know, even just almost these little one
line you know, for example, there's a terrible scene going
on towards the end which is very very gory and violent,
I might say, in a funny way, but still gory
and violent with quite good special effects.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Actually, and.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Deadpool.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Instead of saying, you know, get.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
The people are running away, let the people out of
the way, he calls them extras.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
He does. That's right, that's right. Yes, you know.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
About wolverines.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Physique, since he stood and maybe referring more to Hugh
Jackman than to actually to Wolverine.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I reckon, that's so smart. But also obviously Hugh Jackman
would be you have to be comfortable delivering those lines.
Which what was I think I think we referenced this
last week or the week before when we talk about
Scarlet Johansen and her husband having a go at it
once a year on Saturday Night Live. Right, it's almost
akin to that, isn't it, Jackie?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
All Right?
Speaker 3 (11:44):
But it was brilliant.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I was in a public screening, Alex, I didn't go
to a media screening, and I couldn't count the number
of times not only I laughed out loud, but the
audience did. You could hear people bursting fourth with laughter
at these very witty lines that Ryan Reynolds had a
big hand in doing.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
He was the lead us of the script on this.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, there was a lot of joy in the room
when I saw the media screening of this one as well. Look,
it's one of those things that it sets out to
shock and provoke. It it does. There are lots of
sequences where it does exactly that. And amidst all that
mumbo jumbo, as I'd like to call it, that's building
the script to explain what's going down. And it is complex.
(12:32):
There's a lot of cleverness and hilarity, and it's like
what the way I described this, Ryan Reynolds has found
his true calling is just so beautifully manic as this
motor mounth right, That's what he is, deadpull is a
motor mouth. And you've got the contrast because Hugh Jackman
says very little as Wolverine, but he brings a lot
(12:54):
of fun.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
He plays on man yep do, but he brings.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
A lot of grunt and anger. That faced Jesus, that Jesus.
There's one one scene there where you're genuinely scared. Extraordinary.
He's done good. He does not miss a beat, Hugh Jackman,
both of them are great and they really bounce off
each other beautifully. I'd like to see them on stage together, Jackie,
wouldn't that be interesting because I mean I've seen a
(13:20):
number of interviews, and the interviews have been hilarians as well.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, maybe they put on the show.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Maybe act you're only wady for Gotoh yeah, he hears,
Yes they could, they could.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I just think they are so well paired.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
It's one of those, you know guys, some guys form
an unmistakable bond these guys have. We've oscar to mention
Matthew mcfageen, what a what a delightful performance as a
proper English cad. You know, I reckon he stands out
because of it, don't you, Jackie.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
And Captain America is good too. I don't know who plays.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Yeah, yes, I've gone blank on off the top. Might
maybe you can google it while I'm talking. But the
other one, I kind of like Emma coron as the
two call for School Cassandra. I thought that worked as well.
So it's all but but we've got to mention one
thing here, Jackie. What is it about dogs and movies
(14:22):
in the past month?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
No, no, I think about it's been cats more than dogs.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yes, well, sorry, I mean animals. Oh but he's sorry,
that's my fault. But yeah, he he you've got a Sorry.
I just saw a show as well the other day
where they brought a kvoodle on stage. He was absolutely
charming and delightful, called Hudson after the Hudson River, and
he was wearing a tuxedo bib. This dog, Jackie on
(14:47):
my heart, melted everybody in the theater, which and they
say don't work with dogs and children. And the dog
was perfectly performed or but behaved as well as performed anyway,
getting back to this one. So we've had three three
movies that have got cats in them. Now we've got
one with a dog. Now, sorry, this has got to
be the world's ugliest dog, doesn't it? Jackie?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Just dog perhaps, but the loveliest name. Its name is
Mary Poppins.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Yes, but it's named dog Paul. It's it's aka dog
Bulls Mary Poppins aka dog Ball. Love it and I
mean it's got the longest tongue.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
I looked it up because I didn't know what sort
of dog it was. Did you? Did you have any
idea when you saw it?
Speaker 5 (15:32):
No?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I thought it might have been a Chinese crested or something,
but it had too much fur for that, didn't it
have you.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Wow, do you know what a Chinese crest it is?
I've never heard him of it?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Certainly do well, I'm good friends.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
You're right, Jackie, my golly, there's the first time for everything.
It's a Chinese crested.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
A Chinese crested dog just until just very very recently
called Poe and what a dog.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Was really Brenda, did you say a friend of yours? Yeah, Well,
this is a Chinese crested crossed with a pug. That's
why I'm presuming the Chinese crested is more elegant. I
don't know, is it?
Speaker 2 (16:14):
You know the Chinese crested knowing that the Chinese crested
is the body of this dog.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
But there's a bit of pug in the face.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Right, Okay? Well, as I said, the longest tongue that
I and the tongue in this one, I reckon it's
more akin to an iguana's tongue, Jackie, which basically Mary
Poppins uses to deliver deadpool a face bath more than once.
I think people have got the picture after that, so I.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Also love mentioned to the dog, Alex.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
We should also give special mention to the Honda Odyssey,
which has a starring role as the superhero's vehicle of choice,
and it certainly gets a big role in that. And
I'd like to give another special mention to Cassandra's fingers.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Really, okay, I didn't notice her fingers, but there you go.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
You didn't You did notice her fingers? They were right
through his face?
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Oh well from that point of view, yes, okay, yes
I did. I didn't notice that. Okay, So hang on,
hang on, why are we suddenly mentioning a Honda on?
This is a straight plugs for hondor is it?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Or what? It was as hilarious as to John?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Okay, I didn't think it was, but yeah, I certainly
noticed the guard. Rather, I'd rather focus on the music choices.
I thought the music was brilliant, did you not?
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Yes? And it was during the during a Honda Odyssey
particular scene when Greece was well, Greece was playing.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Hanglaying in a shape up?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
What right?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
It's called? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Sound coming through somebody's answer the plumber's call that anyway?
So then the okay, So, but it's primarily pop numbers,
but not only and it was inspired they were hit.
There was hit after hit after hit, and it was
all get up and go and you wanted to dance,
And I just thought it elevated everything by another notch
(18:22):
or two. And I just highly commend the choices. Music
can make such a huge difference in a movie. Sometimes
you don't notice it. This was front and center. Was
kind of like another character in the piece, wasn't it. Yeah,
it was great that it was pretty.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Good, But I wanted to watch the movie.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Yep, well, okay, dead Pull and Wolverine maybe oh so silly,
but it's also heaps of fun. And I reckon, As
I say, aficionados would love it. I reckon others would
would would potentially enjoy it. I only concern I understand
that all these superhero movies are long, but yeah, I
don't know whether it needed to be undred and twenty
(19:01):
eight minutes. But it didn't seem to trouble.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
You, Jagie, No no value for money for the punters.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
I well, okay, there we go. So Deadpool and Wolverine
m I rated two hours, eight minutes score out of
ten from you Jacqueline.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Eight and a half out of ten, and I'm giving.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
It an eight out of ten. There you go, So
I hope we've whetted the appetite for you, you lads,
to go along and see it. Let us talk on
jay or eighty eight FM about joining the station if
you are interested in doing so. Community station needs your
support fifty four bucks a year go to jdashair dot
com dot au and we'd love to have you on board.
(19:41):
And there's programming of course, twenty four to seven, lots
of interesting things to listen to it and some pretty
good music as well. So yeah, why not give it
a go and become a member. So in terms of
films that we've seen that we've all seen, let's pick
one that all of you have seen. Greg, what's a
movie that you have seen that we can we can
(20:03):
chat about.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
You know, if you've all seen as the ones you
well on your list allis and mister Blake at your
service and long lebs.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Okay, well, why don't we go mister Blake at your
service because that's a really charming film. I mean it's
I kind of I knew I was being manipulated Greg
when I was watching it. I could feel the manipulation,
could you a little bit?
Speaker 4 (20:25):
And I resisted it?
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Did you? And Peter? What about you? You you scallywag?
Who you know doesn't like certain things that I love.
Did you find that the manipulation bothered you or did
you go with the flow? Not particularly.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I thought the story was well constructed, and some very
good actors as well.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
And Jackie, you.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You said added a cat in a central.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Role, Mephisto. That's right. In fact, yeah, this is where
we're talking about lots of cats and dogs. I thought Mephisto,
by the way, we should reference, not just Mefisto. Well,
it's a beautiful cat. I was going to say it's
a Persian, isn't it. I didn't think it's a Perot. Yeah,
(21:12):
and the I just thought the cat showed full entitlement. Right,
and I'll go I googled who played Mephisto. I hope
it's a Union member. Noutchka is the cat's name, Jackie,
So there's your starting point, all right.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
I thought the cat had a winning personality all of
its own.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
I agree. I agree.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
It's a very good looking cat.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
That's what I was saying. Persians aren't beautiful to look at.
And yeah, this was terrific. So look it's this is delightful,
feel good entertainment as far as I'm concerned, mister Blake
at Your Service, PG rated one hundred and ten minutes.
Fun filled, romantic romp and John malkovish Now I associate
John Malkovich. Even though he's played some scoreless roles it
(21:58):
with a sort of series acting. This is about the
most fun that I've seen him in the movie. He
plays Andrew Blake, successful English businessman pining the loss of
his wife of more than forty years. You've got Diane
who was his wife, a French woman, and they met
at a beautiful French manner when they were young, and
(22:21):
he was love at first sight, so that's lovely. She
was on Hall's holidays. Andrew Blake, the John Melkovich character,
was hired as her English teacher, and during the movie
we see a couple of photographs of her in later life,
but that's the only sort of apart from referencing her,
that's the only visage we get of Diane. So they
(22:42):
went on to have a daughter, whose name is Sarah
and now lives in Australia. Since Diane passed away four
months earlier, four months ago, Andrew has been struggling and
he and Diane had promised each other one day they'd
returned to the estate where they met or well and good,
but unfortunately he's now making that pilgrimage alone, really not
(23:05):
knowing how long he was going to stay for. Only
he's mistaken for somebody who responded to an online advertisement
for hired help that was placed by the estate's cook,
whose name is now I reckon. They called a Missus
odeal mrs am I correct, Greg.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
I can't remember it would beat mad up.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Well, yes, but it's interesting. I mean I didn't understand
why it was missus, Peter. Maybe you can explain this.
Why was missus when she wasn't married and had no
suggestion that she had been married? Did you? Yeah? But
did you? Were you conscious of that?
Speaker 5 (23:44):
Not particularly, but perhaps because she was in charge of
the manner, maybe she was given that honorific.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I saw it as an honorific
that didn't really have credence. But there you go. Anyway,
I'll just call her a deal d I l e.
So she's the one who plays the ad played by
Emily d quinn is de q ue wne. Emily d
quinn the owner of the property, Natalie Bouvillier played by
(24:14):
Fenny Arden Is in lots of financial difficulties. She's in peril. Actually,
he can't pay her bills since her philandering husband died
four years ago, and she'd like to open up the
place for guests so she can get some money. But
for that to work, she needs more staff, and of
course she's going for to pay them. In fact, her
(24:35):
baby is pretty eccentric. Really, she's desperately replying through her
staff to junk mail in the hope of winning a fortune.
And that's when Odeal, the cook, not knowing anything of
Andrew's background, who just sort of rocks up one day,
comes up with a plan. He can become a proper
(24:58):
English butler for a try period and in return for
that he can get ruined board. And in quick time,
with his good natured banter, Andrew changes the dynamic at
the princely home and also the dynamic of the household
staff who inhabited because you know, obviously times are tough
in the finance stakes and things were pretty grim. And
(25:21):
in the process of doing it, Andrew too finds a
new lease on life because he thought, basically then it
was there when his wife passed away. And among those
that are affected by Andrews straight talking are the stickler
for detail, the master of all chef who dotes on
her spoilt cat, the one that we've mentioned, Mephisto, and
that's of course o'deal, but she's not the only one.
(25:42):
Andrew Befriend's a man who took a shot at him,
quite literally took a shot at him. He's an odd
job guy called Meniere played by Philip Bass who works
on the estate and has designs on ideal. And then
there's the maid Manon played by Eugenie and So who's
ruining the fact that she's fallen pregnant and her boyfriend
(26:04):
seems to have abandoned her. So there's all these little
subplots that tickle one's fancy as the movie progresses. It's
been adapted to the screen from a hit novel by
Giles Laguardian year which was that the book was translated
into seventeen languages, sold more than a million copies across
twenty two countries, no less, and now he's the one
(26:26):
who's written the screenplay alongside Christell Nan. It's I mean again,
it's silly, it's far fetched, absolutely, but twists are plenty.
But surely it's going to put the smile on the
faces of even the artist of arts. Maybe not yours Greek,
is that right? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (26:42):
No, I found this a little bit too slow and
it just didn't work on There's as it seems to
have done with you. Lot there a lot. John Maldovich
is pretty good, as you said. He offered bass sees roles,
but he has found a bit of a sort of
comedy in the past or lighter roles. I thought he
was quite fine here. Was nicely brought a eligence to
(27:02):
her role as the woman financially struggling to hold onto
her home there, and I thought the production design for
the Manshu was quite good as well.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Beautiful green beer. I'll tell you what. I don't know
whose mansion it is, but I wouldn't mind a piece
of it. It's it's a grand estate, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Yep?
Speaker 4 (27:22):
And it was really good there, but no, it just
didn't quite within me over there. I like Masisto the Cat.
I thought John Maddowich was good, but yeah, it's just
something about this film didn't quite work his charms on me.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
Alex Well, I mean I thought they were charming other
the characters, the way they were played. The surfeit of quips.
They elevate the movie above the ordinary, and I mean
there's a sort of John Milkovich obviously is the star.
I mean he takes the humor with gusto and there's
a bit of a spring in his step which I
really enjoyed. It was a bit of an elegance. There's
a stoicism about Fanny Arden as a proud widow who
(27:57):
fears for the future. And Emily de Quinn, who sort
of definitely balances rigid routine with vulnerability. It's quite a
standout character for me, is ordealed. And there was a
timidity about Phelipe Bassar's Menueer, a man who is highly
capable professionally but somewhat lacking in the interpersonal skill department.
You know, So that there's some really nice characters there,
(28:20):
Peter Krauss, Are they not there? Are? Look?
Speaker 5 (28:23):
This is quite an effective rom com that the French
are so good at producing, and in particular, even though
the title is mister Blake in Service, which in fact
is not the translation of the original French too, no.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
I noticed that. Why again, that's not unusual, but I thought,
what does the original translate to? Do you know better. Yes,
completely burnt that's right. I did look it up and
I've just forgotten. Yeah, I'm not sure that completely burned
does it either, quite frankly, because it completely burned out
(29:03):
maybe or burnt out? But yeah, strange title.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Anyway, Yes, anyway, So, but this film is really a vehicle,
even though Malcovich is very good, It's a vehicle for
Fanny R. Donald, who is such a loved French actress.
And I thought the plotting of the story was quite effective.
I didn't feel particularly manipulated. I thought, yes, I can
(29:27):
see how the story sort of aligned with their backgrounds
and with their movements forward. And jull La Gardner is
also a good writer who's now become a director, and
he's able to present his characters in a very positive
(29:50):
and pleasant sort of way. I found this one of
the better rom coms from France, and I particularly enjoyed it,
especially the way it sort of concludes.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yeah, Jackie, you're a bit cynical about these sorts of
things usually, did you find it charming?
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Well, French rom com is often an alternative word for torture.
For me.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
You said that if I was to summon up, I
couldn't have summed it up better. Thank you. You and
I often have off air conversations about there, and I
got to drink drag you kicking and screaming to the
theater half the time to see things like this.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Well they are because they're always about extramarital fairs, and
they always tell they have the same jokes, and you
always know they're so predictable. This one isn't so much
a romantic comedy though, this is This is a very
different sort of vehicle for its comedy, and John Malcovich
(30:53):
brings his own wonderful characterization to this and humor and
his own slightly halting, careful French speaking voice to this,
which I think gives it quite a distinct sort of feel.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I really liked it.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
I don't think. I don't think mister Blake at your
service quite sustained the pleasure to the end. It got
a little bit silly with a few of the ways
that they were making things happen. There's a robbery that
doesn't work for me.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
But what I did like that.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
What I did like was the way a not an intruder,
but you know, a person from the outside comes into
a situation and changes that as you said, the dynamics,
but also each character is then allowed to develop themselves
at the same time as the relationships between each of
(31:57):
them develops, and I really enjoyed seeing that progress.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Well, look, Greg, you're going to give us low mark here.
I have no doubt based on what you've just said.
But I do think that there's going to be a
lot of people who enjoy the pacing of this one.
And I mean, look, one of the other things I noticed.
I'm not sure whether this stood out for you. Peter.
You're much better at accents than I am, but some
of the French accents by the English actors may sound well,
(32:27):
I think they sounded a bit tortured. Did you not
think that a little bit? But you can excuse it. Yeah,
I just noticed it. But there's no doubting what I
think is the warmth and charm in What's a Fairy Titler?
I mean, that's what it is. So let's start with you, Gregan,
will work our way up. Score out of ten for
this movie, which we talked about and which most of
(32:49):
us enjoyed, mister Blake at your Service, PG rated one
hundred and ten minutes.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
I'd do it.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Five to five and a half.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Sorry, it didn't work with it for me. Look, Jackie
reference to that robbery seen that's when it lost we completely.
I thought, this is so out of character and it's
not working.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
M hmm.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Okay, Jackie Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
I forgave the silliness and the fruit bury a little
bit because I enjoyed its lightweight entertainment and charm. I
think I think generally audiences who go to a film
like this will come away feeling good. I've given mister
Blake your service seven mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I'm giving it a seven and a half. Peter Crowns.
Speaker 5 (33:30):
Yes, and I should mentioned the manor house. I think
it was shot in and was shot around was in
Scotland if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
Anyway, pal, Peter, you've ruined it ruined that rail.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Well, because you know I was I was setting sale
for Parry and was going to try and find this
charming house and I basically I could spend years there
and get totally lost and not find it. That's what
you're telling you, Peter, right now. I like the film
and I gave it seven out of ten. Okay, so
I've got the high water mark there. Wow. Okay. On
(34:08):
ju eight eight FM first on Film and Entertainment with
the one and only Gregory King, Peter Krause come on
down and Jackie Hamilton now the teacher who promised the Sea.
And we saw this earlier in the It was the
centerpiece of the Spanish film Festival. Was't it better? Yes? Thingless?
(34:28):
So we turned back the clock to the it's en
emirated one hundred and five minutes. In fact, I wondered
whether it quite frankly shouldn't have been at least an
MIA rating given some of the material in here. But anyway,
it turned back the clock to the horrors of the
murderous Franco regime. And it's that there's a highly personal
search that goes on in the year twenty ten, twenty ten.
(34:52):
It's based on fact and this basically searching involves a
dying man's granddaughter desperately looking for her grandfather's father, so
her great grandfather, all right, So she's doing that for
her sort for her grandfather, but in the process finds
(35:13):
out more about the family history. And it's a hunt
that's going to see this woman, a single mother played
by Leiah Costa, travel to a site where mass graves
have been uncovered, and it's there that she meets and
subsequently liaises with an elderly man who knew her grandfather.
And the film juxtaposes revelations of twenty ten with a
(35:37):
dramatization of events that occurred between nineteen thirty five and
nineteen thirty nine, and the major focus is on a
gentle and caring teacher who dared to defy the establishment.
And his name is Antony played by Enrich Algare, and
he's hired to teach in a small isolated village in
(36:00):
a place called Burgos in Spain. So it's there that
he establishes quite a delightful, intense and honorable relationship with
his students and the kids I'm talking about here, boys
and girls age from six to twelve years of age.
Now he is an atheist, an Tony Berney is his name,
and so Varnain's first order of business is to remove
(36:23):
the cross from the wall of the schoolroom. Well you
can imagine how that goes down with the rather surly
local parish priest. He is none too pleased about that,
parents as well as suspicious of his unorthodox teaching methods
which he's brought with him from France. So Bernain creates
(36:44):
magic with his students through the use of a small
printing press, which enables them to craft their own little books,
and to the children's wonderment and excitement, Berne promises to
take them on an end of year trip to quote
see the sea for the first time in their lives.
(37:04):
Because they're inland, so with the best will in the world. Unfortunately,
expectation is about to turn to tragedy and it won
this film the audience awarded the Goudy Awards, celebrated annually
in Barcelona. It's quite an emotionally wrought drama and while
(37:24):
an archaeological dig where bones are uncovered, is that what
starts the movie, it's the flesh and bones manifestation of
that which tatics won a back much later in the film. Film.
The impact is amazing, absolutely, really powerful and heart felt.
The political undertones of the movie are apparent right throughout it,
(37:47):
with the arrival of Franco's forces in this sleepy village,
revealing the depth of fear and hatred for what's about
to follow. And I kind of I was watching it.
I want my mind wandered to the extraordinary Academy Awood
winning film my favorite movie of all time. I'm called
Life Is Beautiful that is now twenty seven years old.
(38:09):
So much promise was taken away with utter brutality. Henry
or Kerr does a really fine job as the idealistic
teacher offers He offers so much, and he brings a
sympathetic edge to his portrayal. A Paul hangs over Laya
Costa's role as the granddaughter as she uncovers clues to
(38:29):
a dastardly family story. The director Patricia Font brings into
sharp focus the shocking history of a nation that lost
so many and absolutely appalling circumstances. And it's actually it's
one that's still being dealt with today. So you know,
it starts out in one way and takes on a
(38:50):
totally different turn. And that's why my mind wandered back
to Life Is Beautiful. Peter Krause your thoughts about the
teacher who promised the seat.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Was very impressed by this film. It's interesting to note
how a number of Spanish filmmakers are still coming to
grips with the dreadful Spanish Civil War and Franco and
the impact that his right wing government had on the
ordinary lives of people, and that civil war killed so
(39:23):
many people. And of course the framing story of this
film is all about the discovery of a lost relative
and trying to come to grips with why and how
this situation happened. It's a really nicely told story. The
(39:44):
idea of the kids writing their own stories and also
taking down the whole religious aspect of the local village
and letting the kids think for themselves and be free
from any manipulation or whatever. I think works extremely well.
(40:08):
In fact, symbolically, the father son relationship that occurs during
the film, where the father objects to the son being educated,
to being given ideas that he shouldn't be thinking about,
works extremely well throughout the film. I was impressed by it.
(40:31):
I think it's an excellent film and I certainly recommend it.
Speaker 4 (40:36):
Yeah, exactly, Greg King, I haven't done are okay?
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Jackie?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Oh yes, I saw The Teacher who Promised the Sea?
My first thought was how similar it was to be
almost currently running Radical, which was about also based on
a true story about no conventional teacher and he's the
docs teaching methods who gets in trouble. This one was
(41:02):
set in Mexico. I mean the similarities were quite strong,
and you could add that to the film Parallel Mothers,
which was about a woman who and that was set
in Spain as well. I think Penelope Cruz seeking a
relative related to mass Graves. For this film itself, Yes,
(41:27):
it certainly impressed to some extent, although it wasn't quite
so compelling. I did love the trip back in time
to this beautiful historic village and the old stonework and
the laying ways and alleyways, and the people and the
way they dressed. I mean it's very well, very well produced,
(41:48):
and that go into a lot of detail.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
I thought it looked lovely.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
The characters are great also, the children especially, We can
really get to know their personalities in the way that
they develop. I love the setting of it all, and
as Peter says, the setting of the times is extremely
moving and culminates in scenes that certainly would require I
(42:17):
would agree with you, Alex and m A rating.
Speaker 3 (42:20):
I found it quite distressing.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Yeah, I did incredibly so shocking appalling language like that
needs to be associated with the final scenes and even
some scenes in the back half of that movie. The
Teacher you promised to see. M A rated and it
runs for one hundred and five minutes score out of
ten from you, Jackie.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
I'm going to give it a six and a half.
The one thing I didn't mention was the downer me
in the film is the great grand daughter who does seek.
I found quite a depressing character. I didn't much out
of her.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I agree totally with that, and it's funny. I'm breaking
it down because of that too. That was the prepense
that started the storyline, but it didn't really it didn't
have the for me that he should have. What did
you think about that element?
Speaker 5 (43:17):
No? I thought that worked pretty well because the whole
morose nature of the framing story made the past even
stronger in terms of why such devastation could happen during
the Spanish Civil War.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Anyway, I really like the film and I gave it
eight out of ten. You gave it, hi, Jacme, Sorry,
what did you say? You gave it a six and
a half, six and a half, yes, six and a half. Yeah,
and I'll give it a seven. So we're sort of yeah,
well we'll sort of round the mark, but somewhat different.
Let's go to a movie called Long Legs, which Nicholas Cage.
(43:58):
It's funny sometimes I see HI in a movie and
I think, oh, gee, it's not one that I, you know,
I would really recommend. It's a pretty sort of B
grade if if B grade movie, And then I seem
in others and I say, Wow, this guy can really act.
I kind of get torn between the two. How do
you feel about that? But in terms of Nicholas Cage
(44:20):
as an actor, is it the scripts that he is
given or because there's not a uniformity in terms of performance,
I reckon.
Speaker 5 (44:27):
Well, no, it varies considering the sort of script he's given.
But he also produces a lot of the films, so
he knows what he's getting into.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
Yeah. Well, and Greg, what's your view of Nicholas Cager?
Do you do you think he's an accomplished actor or
he can be a bit sp sperelle?
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Is there a couple of sap he does would performads,
but then he just does some films for the purest
of money that are not very good like that US
just Indianapolis film which was pretty ordinary.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
So it does a.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Few really elite projects, really good projects allow him to
strad his stuff, but then he does some stuff just
purely sort of money which less joyable or less.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
Yeah, I get get well, Okay, long Legs is m a.
It's one oh one minutes and it's an unrecognizable necklace cage.
I tried throughout this entire movie to make him out
and I could not do that, could you, Greg? Could you?
Speaker 4 (45:29):
It's under layers of prosthetic. Didn't he make up a Peter?
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Did you? Did you see any twinkle in his eye
or anything that that manifests itself as linickless cage? I
defy anybody to no. I didn't at first. It took
me a long time to recognize a cage. Wow, well,
I mean it. Look, he's the effectively the devil incarnate.
It's a decidedly creepy crime horror thriller Long Legs. And
(45:55):
it starts as a figure sitting in a car looking
at a little girl in a small house and she
comes out to see who this figure is. Suddenly he
con confronts her, and at first we only see him
from the nose down. Whether that was a really good
piece of cinematography. And this is what the figure says.
(46:18):
There she is the almost birthday girl. Oh boo. But
it seems I wore my long legs today. What happens
if by at that point the opening credits role, and
it turns out that that day was the thirteenth of
January nineteen seventy four, the day before the girl's ninth birthday.
(46:39):
Now there's a potency to that which will sort of
come back later in the movie. And after the initial
credits we can't to an FBI briefing as a man
aren't going on And one of those undertaking a door
to door search with an assigned partner is called Agent
Lee Harker, played by Maker Munroe. She's quite a taciturn figure.
(47:03):
Instinctively she chooses the house where the suspect is hold up,
and given her psychic abilities, she's got a sixth sense.
Hakka is subsequently assigned to a particularly baffling case. The
FBI is on the manhunt for a serial killer who
has instigated the murders of ten families, carried out by
(47:25):
their own fathers over a period of thirty years. But
while the dads perpetrated the slayings inside their own homes,
they appeared have been driven to do that from the outside,
and each time a letter was left with the bodies
written in a coded alphabet and not in the hand
(47:47):
of anyone connected to the families. So all of these
letters were signed Long Legs. So what the families had
in common was they all had daughters with birthdays on
the fourteenth of any given month. Remember the nine year
old girl or guilt about Sir nine was on the thirteenth, right,
(48:07):
But all this is what they had in common, the
daughters all at birthdays on the fourteenth. So Agent hard
Harker goes to work under the auspices of another veteran
agent called Carter played by Blair Underwood, and it's work
that will uncover skeletons in the younger agent Agent Harker's
closet that will bring her face to face with the
(48:29):
forces of evil, and in the process we uncover she
had a rather uneasy relationship and still does with her
god fearing mother, Ruth, played by Alisha Witt, who was
a nurse for eight years. So it's this complex web
of a movie Long Legs well conceived and executed, if
your pardon the bun that there's a lot of play
(48:51):
with this one, and it's tense throughout. Takes quite some time,
considerable time to piece the threads together. In fact, Arre
against all the because of that. In other words, you
really have to work at it as a movie. Some
really bloodthirsty imagery and you need to have a strong stomach.
But most of it is really suggestive rather than visual
(49:12):
or visceral. So it's the work of a writer and
director called Oz Perkins and influenced by chilla thrillers like
The Silence of the Lambs with Anthony Hopkins and The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It really has a sinister underbelly,
and as it progresses, the nurse titans around the neck
(49:32):
of Asian Aka and her aloof her aloof methodical character
as displayed by makam Unro in the role, where she
really does impress. It's appropriate the material that we are witnessing.
I thought blo Underwood was convincing as a natural born
leader without that sense of psychological sense, the sixth sense
(49:54):
I spoke about that agent Harker possesses. It is calm
but insistent, and then Nick cages off with the pictures
in a world of his own. He's deranged, he's demeaned,
he's driven as the villain from l Long Legs. I
thought the Milk music as well by Elvis Perkins underpins
the scary nature of the picture, which really does continue
(50:17):
to work away at our psyche and dare I say
Long Legs is the stuff of nightmares as it set
out to be great king well.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
Some people have compared us to Silence of the Lambs,
which I can see some similarities and a female FBI
agent hunting a serial killer. But for me, Chiles of
the Lambs films like Seven were much superious to this one.
It's a bit creepy, but there's more the ways put
together with the sound design which is very creepy, the
(50:48):
claustrophobic setting, the bleak cinematography all adds to the atmosphere there.
Speaker 1 (50:53):
The film itself is not particularly tense. I didn't think
and I was good.
Speaker 4 (51:00):
Perkins is the son of Anthony Burgins, who starred in Psycho.
I think he's learned a bit from the experiences on
that film there. For me, okay Maker Modro plays a
sort of tough, viicy German FBI agent, which is good.
But there's as Nicholas Cage who dominates the film with
(51:21):
his performances, not in a lot of scenes, but he
is very creepy as an undiginish performance from him and yeah,
but yeah, just wasn't quite a sense as sense as
it could have been. But and it's the revet a
little bit of quips of a lot of other better films.
Speaker 1 (51:40):
I thought, what about you, Peter.
Speaker 5 (51:43):
I was quite impressed by it, and I think it's
taken the horror story into a slightly different dimension. And
it is quite creepy, as as Greek said, but I
think it's it's better than that because it has a
resolute which causes you to think a little bit about
(52:05):
how people can be infiltrated, if you'd like to put.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
It that way, and it's very effective. So I liked it. Ah,
good stuff, so score out of ten better. I gave
it seven out of ten. Right, you gave it seven,
and I gave it seven and a half and Greg
six to six and a half, six to six and
a half. Okay, so we're all around the sort of
(52:30):
seven mark on that one. Well, boys, thank you very
much indeed for your participation. Jackie's had to fly away,
so thank you Jackie in absentia, and we will do
it well again very soon on First on Film and Entertainment.
Wish you well. Greg, Peter, please at least watch a
little bit of the Olympic Games for me. Do it
as mates? Yeah ay, what about it? Folks. Be good
(52:52):
to one another, enjoy the Olympic Games and enjoy first
on film and entertainment when we present it. Catch up
with you very soon.
First on Film and Entertainment, A very good morning to
all and sundry. Olympic Games fever has hit and the
opening ceremony was absolutely spectacular. Spoilt somewhat by the rain,
but hey, what they achieved, what they did. Yeah, there's controversy.
There's usually controversy, So okay, if you put that to
(00:21):
one side, and I'm not dismissing anybody's concerns, I'm simply
going to concentrate on the positives in the Eiffel Our
obviously front and center throughout. I just thought, wonderful Celine Dion.
You know, given what health issues she has to get
through that brilliant number that she portrayed as well as
she did. She was back to her brilliant best. I
(00:43):
was just ecstatic, really really happy, and let's hope for
a safe games because that's the most important thing. And
obviously athletes are going to continue to give there all.
So that is part of the Olympic game fever. I'm
not sure that any in our crowd, Jackie Hamilton, Peter Krauss,
and Greg King are really into the Olympics, are you
Jackie Hamilton or not?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
No, No, I'll pass on that one. Thank you, Alex.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Not you don't even watch the Olympic swimming well where
the girls are going to excel. You don't even watch.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
That, Alex?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Hey, sorry, how the watch a movie? Oh my golly,
what a sad sec That's not right. You've got to
do it, Jackie. Come on, yeah, two weeks of the year,
that's all it is every four years. Come on, pull
their finger out. But patriotic, Gussie? What do you reckon?
Can I get you involved? Now? I agree footy with Jackie?
(01:34):
Oh my golly, So no football.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
You too, Agreg, I don't really give it to Rat's
about the Olympics now, but it's become professional sports. People
in there seems like great jameson, Now, what's everybody to do?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
A sport? Well?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Hang on, hang on. The English language changes over time
as well, Greg, So you know why aren't the Olympic
Games allowed? You?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Going a long boat here?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Alex?
Speaker 4 (02:00):
You'reupposed to read the best of the Amashurs.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
That's where it started. Command has become corrupt, all right,
all right, I'm not gonna win this one, am i? Jackie?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
No you're not, Alex. It's three against one.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Oh god, it's all right. It's nice to be right,
even if the three of you are wrong. Let's talk
about something more positive. Let's talk about Deadpool and Wolverine. Hey,
hang on, it.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Is his first film and entertainment it is.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Thank you very much for announcing this. I should have
done that. And basically I thought that Wolverine was no
longer with us, Jackie, and obviously I was wrong because
in an alternative universe, in the multiverse, there must be
lots of sort of Wolverine's out there. Correct.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Oh, yes, he actually did appear in the early stage
of the film, in the very first scene where it's
actually his skeleton makes an appearance.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
He did. That's actually very funny, quite found please.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, was absolutely hilarious.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah, and only again, you know, putting an arm over
the skeleton was Deadpooled. So look, it is irreverent to
rye balled. It's aggressive, most aggressive, and it's full of
action and lots of laughs. I mean really lots of laughs.
It's a deep dive into the Marvel Cinematic universe. Greg,
can you tell me or Peter how many members of
(03:25):
the Marvel Cinematic universe there are? I've totally lost count.
There are dozens by now, are they're not? Am I
only thinking that if you line them up next to
each other tallest and shortest, there'd be a few dozen,
wouldn't there, Peter, I suppose so I haven't been keeping track. Well, Greg,
you know how I like to count members on stage.
(03:48):
You can count the Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, just just
to satisfy me. Maybe you can sort of spend the
next three months doing that for me. Possibly.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Well, you know you've got give all your avengers there,
You've got all of someone's off characters, so many to mention,
and know what about the villains of the universe as well?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Oh? Absolutely yeah? And I mean it seems to be
growing at the rate of knots I've got. I'm not
a cartoon Sorry, what do you call it? Comic book person?
But I presume that I mean comic book heros come
and go, and they're revived, and then there there are
new ones. Are they still doing comic books about new characters?
(04:26):
Does anybody know within the Marvel Cinematic Universe or does
it continue to expand as a universe with more characters.
I've never asked that question, but it strikes me that
it would as time goes on, no answers there, all right,
I'll let you ponder that one. But look, there's a
rivalry and there's a bit of dynamic between Deadpool and
(04:46):
Wolverine that's been quite fascinating for fans of especially the
X Men universe. And this one's all about the multiverse,
the alternatives, and to the realities that exist perhaps in
times gone by. So yeah, Logan had marked the end
of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine journey that was back in twenty seventeen.
(05:09):
But the concept here is that Deadpool looks for a
live Wolverine in an alternative reality. As Jackie's mentioned, You've
got skeletal remains, that's all that we see in the
opening scenes. But I suppose the universe seems to have
got a hell in a handbasket and the pair of them,
Deadpool and Wolverine team up to save it from oblivion.
(05:32):
That's what the concept is. And we're talking about action
taking place six years after the events. In Deadpool two,
which came out in twenty eighteen. Ryan Reynolds again plays
Wade Wilson's the sort of long since retired as the mercenary.
Deadpool lives this pretty nondescript life. In fact, he starts
the movie as a used car salesman and he doesn't
(05:56):
much take to the job. So then he's prevailed upon
suddenly by a bureaucratic organization which goes by the name
Time Variant Authority TVA, and he's asked to don the
red and black again. What this proves, Peter Grouse once
and for all, is there's nothing as dynamic as the
(06:16):
Essendon football team, correct visa. Sorry, yes, Greek King, you
wouldn't understand that. You'd understand that deep seated, heartfelt reference
to Essendon, wouldn't you.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I would, but.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
I'm going to ignore it. Al It's not what you
call entertainment.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Are agon. It's most entertaining when we went so a
little it for a while. Yes, that's quite true. Now
having said that, there there's got to be a way
that Deadpool can convince a very reluctant Wolverine to join
him on his exploits, and the pair of them confronts
a character called Cassandra Nova played by Emma Corn who's
(06:56):
a mutant with telekinetic and telepathic powers. She also happens
to be the twin sister of Charles Xavier. So this
is when we get into the Marvel Cinematic universe. That
name will meet a great deal to people who have
seen a large number of their movies, or even some
of them. So the TVA agent pulling the strings here
is called mister Paradox, played by Matthew mcfagean. He'd like
(07:19):
to speed up the death of a universe called Earth
one thousand and five, and to do that he uses
what's called a time ripper, a double per It's a
machine that can mercy kill timelines. As I said, there's
a multi verse at play here, so there's all sorts
of timelines that can be killed off and others come
(07:41):
to the fore. So if you're confused, I was too.
It is confusing as a narrative feature, isn't it, Jackie?
That it's not. You don't go along for a cogent storyline,
do you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I don't worry too much about that with this film, Alex.
As soon as there's an acronym and or or a
timeline or a ripper, I sort of just faded out.
But I was quite happy following the story of who
was fighting who and why.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
That was enough for me.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Okay, well, so simple pleasure. I suppose you can call it.
I mean this is there's lots of inside jokes. Look,
I think this is one for the purists. Those people
who really have immersed themselves in the MCU are going
to have a ball with it. And you know you
you haven't. I understand that, And you still enjoyed it,
so you know that it sounds like you still enjoyed it,
(08:31):
so that that's a very very good sign. There are
lots of inside jokes. There's there's not only inside jokes
that there's references to the real world. And I'm deliberately
avoiding any spoilers here. I thought that was extremely clever.
It skirts the edges of a number of occasions. It's
pretty risky, isn't it. Jaggie.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Oh, it's quite foul in many places, but funny, funny, obscene.
I'm going to disagree with you that it's your comment
that it's only for the purists, because I'm certainly not
a purist, and I think that it's witty dialogue takes
it a long way into a broader audience.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well, yeah, I reckon the purest in particular going to
get the most out of it because they understand all
of the references, I challenge you whether you understood everything
when they were. You know that there are so many
in jokes here. That's I suppose the point I was making.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
But I think that more than there are in jokes,
but I think more than that, they poke fun at
so much stuff. And you don't want to give spoilers here,
but I do.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Be careful, please.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
I mean, just generally, you know, the sexual indoors right throughout.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
This is not a kid's film.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
They're very blatant but actually really really funny, and they
have a get everything, not just you know, twentieth century
Fox and gender is shoes and each other. But there's
that fourth wall breaking the fourth wall, which really is
one of the I mean, it's been done a thousand
times now, but it's still the way Ryan Reynolds does it.
(10:17):
Dead really is very funny and delightful.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
It's absolutely delightful, notwithstanding that it is incredibly foul. Yeah,
I would not in any way to agree with that.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
But then you know, even just almost these little one
line you know, for example, there's a terrible scene going
on towards the end which is very very gory and violent,
I might say, in a funny way, but still gory
and violent with quite good special effects.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Actually, and.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Deadpool.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Instead of saying, you know, get.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
The people are running away, let the people out of
the way, he calls them extras.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
He does. That's right, that's right. Yes, you know.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
About wolverines.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Physique, since he stood and maybe referring more to Hugh
Jackman than to actually to Wolverine.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I reckon, that's so smart. But also obviously Hugh Jackman
would be you have to be comfortable delivering those lines.
Which what was I think I think we referenced this
last week or the week before when we talk about
Scarlet Johansen and her husband having a go at it
once a year on Saturday Night Live. Right, it's almost
akin to that, isn't it, Jackie?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
All Right?
Speaker 3 (11:44):
But it was brilliant.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I was in a public screening, Alex, I didn't go
to a media screening, and I couldn't count the number
of times not only I laughed out loud, but the
audience did. You could hear people bursting fourth with laughter
at these very witty lines that Ryan Reynolds had a
big hand in doing.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
He was the lead us of the script on this.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, there was a lot of joy in the room
when I saw the media screening of this one as well. Look,
it's one of those things that it sets out to
shock and provoke. It it does. There are lots of
sequences where it does exactly that. And amidst all that
mumbo jumbo, as I'd like to call it, that's building
the script to explain what's going down. And it is complex.
(12:32):
There's a lot of cleverness and hilarity, and it's like
what the way I described this, Ryan Reynolds has found
his true calling is just so beautifully manic as this
motor mounth right, That's what he is, deadpull is a
motor mouth. And you've got the contrast because Hugh Jackman
says very little as Wolverine, but he brings a lot
(12:54):
of fun.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
He plays on man yep do, but he brings.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
A lot of grunt and anger. That faced Jesus, that Jesus.
There's one one scene there where you're genuinely scared. Extraordinary.
He's done good. He does not miss a beat, Hugh Jackman,
both of them are great and they really bounce off
each other beautifully. I'd like to see them on stage together, Jackie,
wouldn't that be interesting because I mean I've seen a
(13:20):
number of interviews, and the interviews have been hilarians as well.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, maybe they put on the show.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Maybe act you're only wady for Gotoh yeah, he hears,
Yes they could, they could.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I just think they are so well paired.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
It's one of those, you know guys, some guys form
an unmistakable bond these guys have. We've oscar to mention
Matthew mcfageen, what a what a delightful performance as a
proper English cad. You know, I reckon he stands out
because of it, don't you, Jackie.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
And Captain America is good too. I don't know who plays.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Yeah, yes, I've gone blank on off the top. Might
maybe you can google it while I'm talking. But the
other one, I kind of like Emma coron as the
two call for School Cassandra. I thought that worked as well.
So it's all but but we've got to mention one
thing here, Jackie. What is it about dogs and movies
(14:22):
in the past month?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
No, no, I think about it's been cats more than dogs.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yes, well, sorry, I mean animals. Oh but he's sorry,
that's my fault. But yeah, he he you've got a Sorry.
I just saw a show as well the other day
where they brought a kvoodle on stage. He was absolutely
charming and delightful, called Hudson after the Hudson River, and
he was wearing a tuxedo bib. This dog, Jackie on
(14:47):
my heart, melted everybody in the theater, which and they
say don't work with dogs and children. And the dog
was perfectly performed or but behaved as well as performed anyway,
getting back to this one. So we've had three three
movies that have got cats in them. Now we've got
one with a dog. Now, sorry, this has got to
be the world's ugliest dog, doesn't it? Jackie?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Just dog perhaps, but the loveliest name. Its name is
Mary Poppins.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Yes, but it's named dog Paul. It's it's aka dog
Bulls Mary Poppins aka dog Ball. Love it and I
mean it's got the longest tongue.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
I looked it up because I didn't know what sort
of dog it was. Did you? Did you have any
idea when you saw it?
Speaker 5 (15:32):
No?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I thought it might have been a Chinese crested or something,
but it had too much fur for that, didn't it
have you.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Wow, do you know what a Chinese crest it is?
I've never heard him of it?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Certainly do well, I'm good friends.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
You're right, Jackie, my golly, there's the first time for everything.
It's a Chinese crested.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
A Chinese crested dog just until just very very recently
called Poe and what a dog.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Was really Brenda, did you say a friend of yours? Yeah, Well,
this is a Chinese crested crossed with a pug. That's
why I'm presuming the Chinese crested is more elegant. I
don't know, is it?
Speaker 2 (16:14):
You know the Chinese crested knowing that the Chinese crested
is the body of this dog.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
But there's a bit of pug in the face.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Right, Okay? Well, as I said, the longest tongue that
I and the tongue in this one, I reckon it's
more akin to an iguana's tongue, Jackie, which basically Mary
Poppins uses to deliver deadpool a face bath more than once.
I think people have got the picture after that, so I.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Also love mentioned to the dog, Alex.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
We should also give special mention to the Honda Odyssey,
which has a starring role as the superhero's vehicle of choice,
and it certainly gets a big role in that. And
I'd like to give another special mention to Cassandra's fingers.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Really, okay, I didn't notice her fingers, but there you go.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
You didn't You did notice her fingers? They were right
through his face?
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Oh well from that point of view, yes, okay, yes
I did. I didn't notice that. Okay, So hang on,
hang on, why are we suddenly mentioning a Honda on?
This is a straight plugs for hondor is it?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Or what? It was as hilarious as to John?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Okay, I didn't think it was, but yeah, I certainly
noticed the guard. Rather, I'd rather focus on the music choices.
I thought the music was brilliant, did you not?
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Yes? And it was during the during a Honda Odyssey
particular scene when Greece was well, Greece was playing.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Hanglaying in a shape up?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
What right?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
It's called? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Sound coming through somebody's answer the plumber's call that anyway?
So then the okay, So, but it's primarily pop numbers,
but not only and it was inspired they were hit.
There was hit after hit after hit, and it was
all get up and go and you wanted to dance,
And I just thought it elevated everything by another notch
(18:22):
or two. And I just highly commend the choices. Music
can make such a huge difference in a movie. Sometimes
you don't notice it. This was front and center. Was
kind of like another character in the piece, wasn't it. Yeah,
it was great that it was pretty.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Good, But I wanted to watch the movie.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Yep, well, okay, dead Pull and Wolverine maybe oh so silly,
but it's also heaps of fun. And I reckon, As
I say, aficionados would love it. I reckon others would
would would potentially enjoy it. I only concern I understand
that all these superhero movies are long, but yeah, I
don't know whether it needed to be undred and twenty
(19:01):
eight minutes. But it didn't seem to trouble.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
You, Jagie, No no value for money for the punters.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
I well, okay, there we go. So Deadpool and Wolverine
m I rated two hours, eight minutes score out of
ten from you Jacqueline.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Eight and a half out of ten, and I'm giving.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
It an eight out of ten. There you go, So
I hope we've whetted the appetite for you, you lads,
to go along and see it. Let us talk on
jay or eighty eight FM about joining the station if
you are interested in doing so. Community station needs your
support fifty four bucks a year go to jdashair dot
com dot au and we'd love to have you on board.
(19:41):
And there's programming of course, twenty four to seven, lots
of interesting things to listen to it and some pretty
good music as well. So yeah, why not give it
a go and become a member. So in terms of
films that we've seen that we've all seen, let's pick
one that all of you have seen. Greg, what's a
movie that you have seen that we can we can
(20:03):
chat about.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
You know, if you've all seen as the ones you
well on your list allis and mister Blake at your
service and long lebs.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Okay, well, why don't we go mister Blake at your
service because that's a really charming film. I mean it's
I kind of I knew I was being manipulated Greg
when I was watching it. I could feel the manipulation,
could you a little bit?
Speaker 4 (20:25):
And I resisted it?
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Did you? And Peter? What about you? You you scallywag?
Who you know doesn't like certain things that I love.
Did you find that the manipulation bothered you or did
you go with the flow? Not particularly.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I thought the story was well constructed, and some very
good actors as well.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
And Jackie, you.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You said added a cat in a central.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Role, Mephisto. That's right. In fact, yeah, this is where
we're talking about lots of cats and dogs. I thought Mephisto,
by the way, we should reference, not just Mefisto. Well,
it's a beautiful cat. I was going to say it's
a Persian, isn't it. I didn't think it's a Perot. Yeah,
(21:12):
and the I just thought the cat showed full entitlement. Right,
and I'll go I googled who played Mephisto. I hope
it's a Union member. Noutchka is the cat's name, Jackie,
So there's your starting point, all right.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
I thought the cat had a winning personality all of
its own.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
I agree. I agree.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
It's a very good looking cat.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
That's what I was saying. Persians aren't beautiful to look at.
And yeah, this was terrific. So look it's this is delightful,
feel good entertainment as far as I'm concerned, mister Blake
at Your Service, PG rated one hundred and ten minutes.
Fun filled, romantic romp and John malkovish Now I associate
John Malkovich. Even though he's played some scoreless roles it
(21:58):
with a sort of series acting. This is about the
most fun that I've seen him in the movie. He
plays Andrew Blake, successful English businessman pining the loss of
his wife of more than forty years. You've got Diane
who was his wife, a French woman, and they met
at a beautiful French manner when they were young, and
(22:21):
he was love at first sight, so that's lovely. She
was on Hall's holidays. Andrew Blake, the John Melkovich character,
was hired as her English teacher, and during the movie
we see a couple of photographs of her in later life,
but that's the only sort of apart from referencing her,
that's the only visage we get of Diane. So they
(22:42):
went on to have a daughter, whose name is Sarah
and now lives in Australia. Since Diane passed away four
months earlier, four months ago, Andrew has been struggling and
he and Diane had promised each other one day they'd
returned to the estate where they met or well and good,
but unfortunately he's now making that pilgrimage alone, really not
(23:05):
knowing how long he was going to stay for. Only
he's mistaken for somebody who responded to an online advertisement
for hired help that was placed by the estate's cook,
whose name is now I reckon. They called a Missus
odeal mrs am I correct, Greg.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
I can't remember it would beat mad up.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Well, yes, but it's interesting. I mean I didn't understand
why it was missus, Peter. Maybe you can explain this.
Why was missus when she wasn't married and had no
suggestion that she had been married? Did you? Yeah? But
did you? Were you conscious of that?
Speaker 5 (23:44):
Not particularly, but perhaps because she was in charge of
the manner, maybe she was given that honorific.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I saw it as an honorific
that didn't really have credence. But there you go. Anyway,
I'll just call her a deal d I l e.
So she's the one who plays the ad played by
Emily d quinn is de q ue wne. Emily d
quinn the owner of the property, Natalie Bouvillier played by
(24:14):
Fenny Arden Is in lots of financial difficulties. She's in peril. Actually,
he can't pay her bills since her philandering husband died
four years ago, and she'd like to open up the
place for guests so she can get some money. But
for that to work, she needs more staff, and of
course she's going for to pay them. In fact, her
(24:35):
baby is pretty eccentric. Really, she's desperately replying through her
staff to junk mail in the hope of winning a fortune.
And that's when Odeal, the cook, not knowing anything of
Andrew's background, who just sort of rocks up one day,
comes up with a plan. He can become a proper
(24:58):
English butler for a try period and in return for
that he can get ruined board. And in quick time,
with his good natured banter, Andrew changes the dynamic at
the princely home and also the dynamic of the household
staff who inhabited because you know, obviously times are tough
in the finance stakes and things were pretty grim. And
(25:21):
in the process of doing it, Andrew too finds a
new lease on life because he thought, basically then it
was there when his wife passed away. And among those
that are affected by Andrews straight talking are the stickler
for detail, the master of all chef who dotes on
her spoilt cat, the one that we've mentioned, Mephisto, and
that's of course o'deal, but she's not the only one.
(25:42):
Andrew Befriend's a man who took a shot at him,
quite literally took a shot at him. He's an odd
job guy called Meniere played by Philip Bass who works
on the estate and has designs on ideal. And then
there's the maid Manon played by Eugenie and So who's
ruining the fact that she's fallen pregnant and her boyfriend
(26:04):
seems to have abandoned her. So there's all these little
subplots that tickle one's fancy as the movie progresses. It's
been adapted to the screen from a hit novel by
Giles Laguardian year which was that the book was translated
into seventeen languages, sold more than a million copies across
twenty two countries, no less, and now he's the one
(26:26):
who's written the screenplay alongside Christell Nan. It's I mean again,
it's silly, it's far fetched, absolutely, but twists are plenty.
But surely it's going to put the smile on the
faces of even the artist of arts. Maybe not yours Greek,
is that right? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (26:42):
No, I found this a little bit too slow and
it just didn't work on There's as it seems to
have done with you. Lot there a lot. John Maldovich
is pretty good, as you said. He offered bass sees roles,
but he has found a bit of a sort of
comedy in the past or lighter roles. I thought he
was quite fine here. Was nicely brought a eligence to
(27:02):
her role as the woman financially struggling to hold onto
her home there, and I thought the production design for
the Manshu was quite good as well.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Beautiful green beer. I'll tell you what. I don't know
whose mansion it is, but I wouldn't mind a piece
of it. It's it's a grand estate, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Yep?
Speaker 4 (27:22):
And it was really good there, but no, it just
didn't quite within me over there. I like Masisto the Cat.
I thought John Maddowich was good, but yeah, it's just
something about this film didn't quite work his charms on me.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
Alex Well, I mean I thought they were charming other
the characters, the way they were played. The surfeit of quips.
They elevate the movie above the ordinary, and I mean
there's a sort of John Milkovich obviously is the star.
I mean he takes the humor with gusto and there's
a bit of a spring in his step which I
really enjoyed. It was a bit of an elegance. There's
a stoicism about Fanny Arden as a proud widow who
(27:57):
fears for the future. And Emily de Quinn, who sort
of definitely balances rigid routine with vulnerability. It's quite a
standout character for me, is ordealed. And there was a
timidity about Phelipe Bassar's Menueer, a man who is highly
capable professionally but somewhat lacking in the interpersonal skill department.
You know, So that there's some really nice characters there,
(28:20):
Peter Krauss, Are they not there? Are? Look?
Speaker 5 (28:23):
This is quite an effective rom com that the French
are so good at producing, and in particular, even though
the title is mister Blake in Service, which in fact
is not the translation of the original French too, no.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
I noticed that. Why again, that's not unusual, but I thought,
what does the original translate to? Do you know better. Yes,
completely burnt that's right. I did look it up and
I've just forgotten. Yeah, I'm not sure that completely burned
does it either, quite frankly, because it completely burned out
(29:03):
maybe or burnt out? But yeah, strange title.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Anyway, Yes, anyway, So, but this film is really a vehicle,
even though Malcovich is very good, It's a vehicle for
Fanny R. Donald, who is such a loved French actress.
And I thought the plotting of the story was quite effective.
I didn't feel particularly manipulated. I thought, yes, I can
(29:27):
see how the story sort of aligned with their backgrounds
and with their movements forward. And jull La Gardner is
also a good writer who's now become a director, and
he's able to present his characters in a very positive
(29:50):
and pleasant sort of way. I found this one of
the better rom coms from France, and I particularly enjoyed it,
especially the way it sort of concludes.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yeah, Jackie, you're a bit cynical about these sorts of
things usually, did you find it charming?
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Well, French rom com is often an alternative word for torture.
For me.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
You said that if I was to summon up, I
couldn't have summed it up better. Thank you. You and
I often have off air conversations about there, and I
got to drink drag you kicking and screaming to the
theater half the time to see things like this.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Well they are because they're always about extramarital fairs, and
they always tell they have the same jokes, and you
always know they're so predictable. This one isn't so much
a romantic comedy though, this is This is a very
different sort of vehicle for its comedy, and John Malcovich
(30:53):
brings his own wonderful characterization to this and humor and
his own slightly halting, careful French speaking voice to this,
which I think gives it quite a distinct sort of feel.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I really liked it.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
I don't think. I don't think mister Blake at your
service quite sustained the pleasure to the end. It got
a little bit silly with a few of the ways
that they were making things happen. There's a robbery that
doesn't work for me.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
But what I did like that.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
What I did like was the way a not an intruder,
but you know, a person from the outside comes into
a situation and changes that as you said, the dynamics,
but also each character is then allowed to develop themselves
at the same time as the relationships between each of
(31:57):
them develops, and I really enjoyed seeing that progress.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Well, look, Greg, you're going to give us low mark here.
I have no doubt based on what you've just said.
But I do think that there's going to be a
lot of people who enjoy the pacing of this one.
And I mean, look, one of the other things I noticed.
I'm not sure whether this stood out for you. Peter.
You're much better at accents than I am, but some
of the French accents by the English actors may sound well,
(32:27):
I think they sounded a bit tortured. Did you not
think that a little bit? But you can excuse it. Yeah,
I just noticed it. But there's no doubting what I
think is the warmth and charm in What's a Fairy Titler?
I mean, that's what it is. So let's start with you, Gregan,
will work our way up. Score out of ten for
this movie, which we talked about and which most of
(32:49):
us enjoyed, mister Blake at your Service, PG rated one
hundred and ten minutes.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
I'd do it.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Five to five and a half.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Sorry, it didn't work with it for me. Look, Jackie
reference to that robbery seen that's when it lost we completely.
I thought, this is so out of character and it's
not working.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
M hmm.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Okay, Jackie Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
I forgave the silliness and the fruit bury a little
bit because I enjoyed its lightweight entertainment and charm. I
think I think generally audiences who go to a film
like this will come away feeling good. I've given mister
Blake your service seven mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I'm giving it a seven and a half. Peter Crowns.
Speaker 5 (33:30):
Yes, and I should mentioned the manor house. I think
it was shot in and was shot around was in
Scotland if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
Anyway, pal, Peter, you've ruined it ruined that rail.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Well, because you know I was I was setting sale
for Parry and was going to try and find this
charming house and I basically I could spend years there
and get totally lost and not find it. That's what
you're telling you, Peter, right now. I like the film
and I gave it seven out of ten. Okay, so
I've got the high water mark there. Wow. Okay. On
(34:08):
ju eight eight FM first on Film and Entertainment with
the one and only Gregory King, Peter Krause come on
down and Jackie Hamilton now the teacher who promised the Sea.
And we saw this earlier in the It was the
centerpiece of the Spanish film Festival. Was't it better? Yes? Thingless?
(34:28):
So we turned back the clock to the it's en
emirated one hundred and five minutes. In fact, I wondered
whether it quite frankly shouldn't have been at least an
MIA rating given some of the material in here. But anyway,
it turned back the clock to the horrors of the
murderous Franco regime. And it's that there's a highly personal
search that goes on in the year twenty ten, twenty ten.
(34:52):
It's based on fact and this basically searching involves a
dying man's granddaughter desperately looking for her grandfather's father, so
her great grandfather, all right, So she's doing that for
her sort for her grandfather, but in the process finds
(35:13):
out more about the family history. And it's a hunt
that's going to see this woman, a single mother played
by Leiah Costa, travel to a site where mass graves
have been uncovered, and it's there that she meets and
subsequently liaises with an elderly man who knew her grandfather.
And the film juxtaposes revelations of twenty ten with a
(35:37):
dramatization of events that occurred between nineteen thirty five and
nineteen thirty nine, and the major focus is on a
gentle and caring teacher who dared to defy the establishment.
And his name is Antony played by Enrich Algare, and
he's hired to teach in a small isolated village in
(36:00):
a place called Burgos in Spain. So it's there that
he establishes quite a delightful, intense and honorable relationship with
his students and the kids I'm talking about here, boys
and girls age from six to twelve years of age.
Now he is an atheist, an Tony Berney is his name,
and so Varnain's first order of business is to remove
(36:23):
the cross from the wall of the schoolroom. Well you
can imagine how that goes down with the rather surly
local parish priest. He is none too pleased about that,
parents as well as suspicious of his unorthodox teaching methods
which he's brought with him from France. So Bernain creates
(36:44):
magic with his students through the use of a small
printing press, which enables them to craft their own little books,
and to the children's wonderment and excitement, Berne promises to
take them on an end of year trip to quote
see the sea for the first time in their lives.
(37:04):
Because they're inland, so with the best will in the world. Unfortunately,
expectation is about to turn to tragedy and it won
this film the audience awarded the Goudy Awards, celebrated annually
in Barcelona. It's quite an emotionally wrought drama and while
(37:24):
an archaeological dig where bones are uncovered, is that what
starts the movie, it's the flesh and bones manifestation of
that which tatics won a back much later in the film. Film.
The impact is amazing, absolutely, really powerful and heart felt.
The political undertones of the movie are apparent right throughout it,
(37:47):
with the arrival of Franco's forces in this sleepy village,
revealing the depth of fear and hatred for what's about
to follow. And I kind of I was watching it.
I want my mind wandered to the extraordinary Academy Awood
winning film my favorite movie of all time. I'm called
Life Is Beautiful that is now twenty seven years old.
(38:09):
So much promise was taken away with utter brutality. Henry
or Kerr does a really fine job as the idealistic
teacher offers He offers so much, and he brings a
sympathetic edge to his portrayal. A Paul hangs over Laya
Costa's role as the granddaughter as she uncovers clues to
(38:29):
a dastardly family story. The director Patricia Font brings into
sharp focus the shocking history of a nation that lost
so many and absolutely appalling circumstances. And it's actually it's
one that's still being dealt with today. So you know,
it starts out in one way and takes on a
(38:50):
totally different turn. And that's why my mind wandered back
to Life Is Beautiful. Peter Krause your thoughts about the
teacher who promised the seat.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Was very impressed by this film. It's interesting to note
how a number of Spanish filmmakers are still coming to
grips with the dreadful Spanish Civil War and Franco and
the impact that his right wing government had on the
ordinary lives of people, and that civil war killed so
(39:23):
many people. And of course the framing story of this
film is all about the discovery of a lost relative
and trying to come to grips with why and how
this situation happened. It's a really nicely told story. The
(39:44):
idea of the kids writing their own stories and also
taking down the whole religious aspect of the local village
and letting the kids think for themselves and be free
from any manipulation or whatever. I think works extremely well.
(40:08):
In fact, symbolically, the father son relationship that occurs during
the film, where the father objects to the son being educated,
to being given ideas that he shouldn't be thinking about,
works extremely well throughout the film. I was impressed by it.
(40:31):
I think it's an excellent film and I certainly recommend it.
Speaker 4 (40:36):
Yeah, exactly, Greg King, I haven't done are okay?
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Jackie?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Oh yes, I saw The Teacher who Promised the Sea?
My first thought was how similar it was to be
almost currently running Radical, which was about also based on
a true story about no conventional teacher and he's the
docs teaching methods who gets in trouble. This one was
(41:02):
set in Mexico. I mean the similarities were quite strong,
and you could add that to the film Parallel Mothers,
which was about a woman who and that was set
in Spain as well. I think Penelope Cruz seeking a
relative related to mass Graves. For this film itself, Yes,
(41:27):
it certainly impressed to some extent, although it wasn't quite
so compelling. I did love the trip back in time
to this beautiful historic village and the old stonework and
the laying ways and alleyways, and the people and the
way they dressed. I mean it's very well, very well produced,
(41:48):
and that go into a lot of detail.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
I thought it looked lovely.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
The characters are great also, the children especially, We can
really get to know their personalities in the way that
they develop. I love the setting of it all, and
as Peter says, the setting of the times is extremely
moving and culminates in scenes that certainly would require I
(42:17):
would agree with you, Alex and m A rating.
Speaker 3 (42:20):
I found it quite distressing.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Yeah, I did incredibly so shocking appalling language like that
needs to be associated with the final scenes and even
some scenes in the back half of that movie. The
Teacher you promised to see. M A rated and it
runs for one hundred and five minutes score out of
ten from you, Jackie.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
I'm going to give it a six and a half.
The one thing I didn't mention was the downer me
in the film is the great grand daughter who does seek.
I found quite a depressing character. I didn't much out
of her.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I agree totally with that, and it's funny. I'm breaking
it down because of that too. That was the prepense
that started the storyline, but it didn't really it didn't
have the for me that he should have. What did
you think about that element?
Speaker 5 (43:17):
No? I thought that worked pretty well because the whole
morose nature of the framing story made the past even
stronger in terms of why such devastation could happen during
the Spanish Civil War.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Anyway, I really like the film and I gave it
eight out of ten. You gave it, hi, Jacme, Sorry,
what did you say? You gave it a six and
a half, six and a half, yes, six and a half. Yeah,
and I'll give it a seven. So we're sort of yeah,
well we'll sort of round the mark, but somewhat different.
Let's go to a movie called Long Legs, which Nicholas Cage.
(43:58):
It's funny sometimes I see HI in a movie and
I think, oh, gee, it's not one that I, you know,
I would really recommend. It's a pretty sort of B
grade if if B grade movie, And then I seem
in others and I say, Wow, this guy can really act.
I kind of get torn between the two. How do
you feel about that? But in terms of Nicholas Cage
(44:20):
as an actor, is it the scripts that he is
given or because there's not a uniformity in terms of performance,
I reckon.
Speaker 5 (44:27):
Well, no, it varies considering the sort of script he's given.
But he also produces a lot of the films, so
he knows what he's getting into.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
Yeah. Well, and Greg, what's your view of Nicholas Cager?
Do you do you think he's an accomplished actor or
he can be a bit sp sperelle?
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Is there a couple of sap he does would performads,
but then he just does some films for the purest
of money that are not very good like that US
just Indianapolis film which was pretty ordinary.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
So it does a.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Few really elite projects, really good projects allow him to
strad his stuff, but then he does some stuff just
purely sort of money which less joyable or less.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
Yeah, I get get well, Okay, long Legs is m a.
It's one oh one minutes and it's an unrecognizable necklace cage.
I tried throughout this entire movie to make him out
and I could not do that, could you, Greg? Could you?
Speaker 4 (45:29):
It's under layers of prosthetic. Didn't he make up a Peter?
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Did you? Did you see any twinkle in his eye
or anything that that manifests itself as linickless cage? I
defy anybody to no. I didn't at first. It took
me a long time to recognize a cage. Wow, well,
I mean it. Look, he's the effectively the devil incarnate.
It's a decidedly creepy crime horror thriller Long Legs. And
(45:55):
it starts as a figure sitting in a car looking
at a little girl in a small house and she
comes out to see who this figure is. Suddenly he
con confronts her, and at first we only see him
from the nose down. Whether that was a really good
piece of cinematography. And this is what the figure says.
(46:18):
There she is the almost birthday girl. Oh boo. But
it seems I wore my long legs today. What happens
if by at that point the opening credits role, and
it turns out that that day was the thirteenth of
January nineteen seventy four, the day before the girl's ninth birthday.
(46:39):
Now there's a potency to that which will sort of
come back later in the movie. And after the initial
credits we can't to an FBI briefing as a man
aren't going on And one of those undertaking a door
to door search with an assigned partner is called Agent
Lee Harker, played by Maker Munroe. She's quite a taciturn figure.
(47:03):
Instinctively she chooses the house where the suspect is hold up,
and given her psychic abilities, she's got a sixth sense.
Hakka is subsequently assigned to a particularly baffling case. The
FBI is on the manhunt for a serial killer who
has instigated the murders of ten families, carried out by
(47:25):
their own fathers over a period of thirty years. But
while the dads perpetrated the slayings inside their own homes,
they appeared have been driven to do that from the outside,
and each time a letter was left with the bodies
written in a coded alphabet and not in the hand
(47:47):
of anyone connected to the families. So all of these
letters were signed Long Legs. So what the families had
in common was they all had daughters with birthdays on
the fourteenth of any given month. Remember the nine year
old girl or guilt about Sir nine was on the thirteenth, right,
(48:07):
But all this is what they had in common, the
daughters all at birthdays on the fourteenth. So Agent hard
Harker goes to work under the auspices of another veteran
agent called Carter played by Blair Underwood, and it's work
that will uncover skeletons in the younger agent Agent Harker's
closet that will bring her face to face with the
(48:29):
forces of evil, and in the process we uncover she
had a rather uneasy relationship and still does with her
god fearing mother, Ruth, played by Alisha Witt, who was
a nurse for eight years. So it's this complex web
of a movie Long Legs well conceived and executed, if
your pardon the bun that there's a lot of play
(48:51):
with this one, and it's tense throughout. Takes quite some time,
considerable time to piece the threads together. In fact, Arre
against all the because of that. In other words, you
really have to work at it as a movie. Some
really bloodthirsty imagery and you need to have a strong stomach.
But most of it is really suggestive rather than visual
(49:12):
or visceral. So it's the work of a writer and
director called Oz Perkins and influenced by chilla thrillers like
The Silence of the Lambs with Anthony Hopkins and The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It really has a sinister underbelly,
and as it progresses, the nurse titans around the neck
(49:32):
of Asian Aka and her aloof her aloof methodical character
as displayed by makam Unro in the role, where she
really does impress. It's appropriate the material that we are witnessing.
I thought blo Underwood was convincing as a natural born
leader without that sense of psychological sense, the sixth sense
(49:54):
I spoke about that agent Harker possesses. It is calm
but insistent, and then Nick cages off with the pictures
in a world of his own. He's deranged, he's demeaned,
he's driven as the villain from l Long Legs. I
thought the Milk music as well by Elvis Perkins underpins
the scary nature of the picture, which really does continue
(50:17):
to work away at our psyche and dare I say
Long Legs is the stuff of nightmares as it set
out to be great king well.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
Some people have compared us to Silence of the Lambs,
which I can see some similarities and a female FBI
agent hunting a serial killer. But for me, Chiles of
the Lambs films like Seven were much superious to this one.
It's a bit creepy, but there's more the ways put
together with the sound design which is very creepy, the
(50:48):
claustrophobic setting, the bleak cinematography all adds to the atmosphere there.
Speaker 1 (50:53):
The film itself is not particularly tense. I didn't think
and I was good.
Speaker 4 (51:00):
Perkins is the son of Anthony Burgins, who starred in Psycho.
I think he's learned a bit from the experiences on
that film there. For me, okay Maker Modro plays a
sort of tough, viicy German FBI agent, which is good.
But there's as Nicholas Cage who dominates the film with
(51:21):
his performances, not in a lot of scenes, but he
is very creepy as an undiginish performance from him and yeah,
but yeah, just wasn't quite a sense as sense as
it could have been. But and it's the revet a
little bit of quips of a lot of other better films.
Speaker 1 (51:40):
I thought, what about you, Peter.
Speaker 5 (51:43):
I was quite impressed by it, and I think it's
taken the horror story into a slightly different dimension. And
it is quite creepy, as as Greek said, but I
think it's it's better than that because it has a
resolute which causes you to think a little bit about
(52:05):
how people can be infiltrated, if you'd like to put.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
It that way, and it's very effective. So I liked it. Ah,
good stuff, so score out of ten better. I gave
it seven out of ten. Right, you gave it seven,
and I gave it seven and a half and Greg
six to six and a half, six to six and
a half. Okay, so we're all around the sort of
(52:30):
seven mark on that one. Well, boys, thank you very
much indeed for your participation. Jackie's had to fly away,
so thank you Jackie in absentia, and we will do
it well again very soon on First on Film and Entertainment.
Wish you well. Greg, Peter, please at least watch a
little bit of the Olympic Games for me. Do it
as mates? Yeah ay, what about it? Folks. Be good
(52:52):
to one another, enjoy the Olympic Games and enjoy first
on film and entertainment when we present it. Catch up
with you very soon.
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