trevorwomble

I saw this yesterday and still haven't made up my mind about it and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because Kieran Culkin's character of Benji doesn't quite ring true to me, although there is one particular scene in it where he is excellent. Or maybe it's because of the ridiculous over use of the F word in a film that is trying very hard to be an honest drama.

It is well enough filmed and edited and the cast try really hard but I think my issue is that the script somehow needed a bit more work to feel less contrived. However Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg don't ever quite convince as cousins. Eisenberg is as reliable as ever but something tells me he would have been a better fit as a more restrained version of Benji (which i felt would have improved it) and maybe Jake Gylenhaal would have been a good fit for the role of David.

Admittedly Culkin has the harder job here, portraying someone who is probably on the autistic spectrum and struggling with his life, and he acquits himself well enough, especially in the scenes after the visit to the concentration camp. And considering the small budget, it's a solid achievement of a movie. It's not got the gravitas of something like The Pianist but as a small scale drama it is fine, but something seems to be missing and I can't quite put my finger on it.

Overall I am glad I saw it. It's quite original with a decent cast and I must admit I didn't even recognize Jennifer Grey at first as to me she will always be Ferris Bueller's sister. As I said though, I think the problem is with the character of Benji, who swears constantly, smokes dope and yet flips personality on a dime. Of course, maybe I've missed the point and the fact he is the odd one out in this film is the whole point of him being there. But try as Culkin might, the character feels a bit shallow and underdeveloped. Having said that it was still a worthwhile film but it also feels like a missed opportunity too. And whilst I'm no prude, the over use of profanity really grated and spoiled what could have been a more earnest human drama.

This is better than I was expecting. I thought it would be dull drama about the inner workings of the papacy but instead there was a touch of a classic thriller in this too. When Dean Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is asked by a dying pope to oversee the Conclave (the procedure to elect the next pope), little does he know the skulduggery that will follow. What should be a straightforward process gets very complicated and he uncovers some revealing secrets. He even finds himself dragged onto the shortlist much to his displeasure.

The film has its twists and turns and many of the pious candidates turn out to be harbouring deep secrets. Yet this is also a fascinating look at the inner processes of the Catholic church. As others have said, perhaps there is one twist too many in the story yet ironically it isn't entirely without precedent in the history of the papacy.

Good solid performances all round, especially Stanley Tucci as an earnest character who seems strangely reluctant to be nominated and Isabella Rosselin in a small but important i as a nun who helps shed light on the corruption Lawrence starts to uncover.

Quite gripping in places and whilst a bit slow in parts it's running time is about right, not outstaying it's welcome but you don't feel short-changed either.

I have to admit that I went into the cinema (Everyman in Crystal Palace) not really knowing what to expect. It had been hard for me to track this film down as I'd never heard of it and it had only selected showings in arthouse cinemas.

As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s I was familiar with Wings and Band on the Run is one of my favourite albums from that era and this shortish film, originally released in 1975, hit the spot, with it's terrific music.

Macca does a modern introduction to the film, explains how it came about and soberly reminds us that three of the band have now passed away (Denny Laine being the most recent in 2023). Then once you realise you are looking at a time capsule, the music kicks in fairly quickly and are transported back to simpler times, before streaming and when rock music ruled the radio and vinyl was king. To me it was like being a kid again seeing all the terrible fashions and haircuts and people smoking before it all became terribly unfashionable.

As others have pointed out, the video quality of the era was a bit rough but the songs more than make up for it. And then the 82 year old Paul comes on to ask us to stay for a few minutes more whilst the 'backyard session' is played...ten minutes of him on acoustic guitar playing Buddy Holly and other early rock and roll songs.

Maybe not everyone's cup of tea but I thought it was well worth the effort.