Monday, 29 June 2009

Taking of Pelham 123

At Stratford Picture House

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

I saw this film on 28th June at Stratford Picture House

This was last in the short Bond series shown on Sunday afternoons in Stratford. I thought George Lazenby was actually a very good Bond but unlike all the other Bond films I left the cinema feeling rather down after the tragic ending. OK, truer to the book perhaps, but that has not bothered them before and as Lazenby said earlier in the film "This never happened to the other feller".

Thursday, 25 June 2009

Last Chance Harvey

I saw this film on 24th June at
Stratford Picture House

See it or get the DVD. An unsentimental, story of life, love and lack of ambition between a pair of middle agers. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are superb.

Monday, 22 June 2009

Goldfinger

I saw this film on 21st June at Stratford Picture House

The third in the Sunday Bond season.

Saturday, 20 June 2009

Red Cliffe

I saw this film on 19th June
at Genesis Mile End

This was the first time I had been to the Genesis. It's a multi-screen setup on the Mile End Road in east London. The original cinema was revamped to this format a few years ago, so it's good that it has survived. But why don't the people who create these places provide some shelter and seating for people who are waiting for their companions? At least it was not raining but waiting outside on a noisy, busy main road is not the best start for a visit.

As for the film itself, I had not done my research properly and had assumed it would be dubbed so did not realise until after the start that it was going to be entirely in Chinese with English sub-titles. I don't generally like sub-titles, especially where I do not even have a smattering of the spoken language but the film was excellent. The cast was enormous, the size used in Hollywood epics when extras were cheap. The story was very well told and although fairly complex was easy to follow.
The film was thoroughly enjoyable.

Wednesday, 17 June 2009

Tuesday, 16 June 2009

From Russia with Love

I saw this film on 14th June at Stratford Picture House

The Stratford Picture House is running a short Bond season on Sundays. Unfortunately I missed the first in the series, but never mind. From Russia with Love is the second and does not have the same class of extreme villain mastermind as Dr No or the later Goldfinger and Blofeld. Rosa Klebb was the sort of character the KGB was supposed to be full of, not meglomaniac, genius, mad, rule-the-world types but pure nastiness, ambition and spite. It's a very enjoyable film though and was a very pleasant way of spending a Sunday afternoon.