So much has been written about 1917, (2019) accolades galore for director Sam Mendes and his collaboration with Roger Deakins to make it look like a continuous take. Phil and I don’t like going to the cinema, uncomfortable seats, can’t go to the loo without missing the plot, can’t pause or rewind to take in what you are seeing, but we took note of everyone saying you have to see it on the big screen, so we went on the afternoon and did it.
For anyone living under a rock the movie follows 2 young soldiers on a mission to cross no mans land, get through a german occupied village and deliver a general order to a General on the front line to stop an intended attack on retreating Germans, as it’s really a trap and the 1600 British soldiers will all be massacred. It’s an arduous journey that they undertake, but no spoilers so I’ll shut up about the plot.
My bum started hurting 1/2hr into the film, the seats at cineworld are the worst, which kind of takes you out of being immersed in the film but I hadn’t drunk anything since 10am so at least I didn’t need the loo. The movie was so interesting in how it looked, the continuous shot trope very effective at taking you along with the 2 lads. Realistic looking trenches, shell craters, and a devasted French countryside are a feast for the eyes. You don’t see very much fighting and legs been blown off etc, but the dead bodies are embedded in the landscape, rotting carcasses of blown up horses, and everywhere the rats making the most of this bounty. Phil really wanted to pause and have a good look at some of the scenes. (Bluray on the way 🙂 ).
The acting is spot on, George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman play the 2 soldiers, I kept thinking I recognised Chapman from something but couldn’t figure it out, I looked him up to find he played Tommen in Game of Thrones, he’s come a long way since then! Some great actors have tiny parts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, to name a couple only have fleeting scenes, but they make the most of them.
So great cinematography, directing and acting makes this movie well worth seeing, but somehow I was not inspired by the actual story. It wasn’t quite believable. As Cathy Templesman of The New York Times wrote, the story gives a “dangerously misleading” picture of the War, suggesting “a concern for the sanctity of human life from the top down”, whereas the reality was “an appalling indifference as the British high command sent hundreds of thousands of their young men to die”. She adds that the “false heroics and filmmaking feats of wonder“ serve to provide an “escape from the true carnage of the ‘Great War’”, and that in reality the scale of the casualties was such that the potential loss of 1,600 men would not have excited the response portrayed in the film.”
But I’ll happily watch it again when the Bluray comes, the plot is incidental to the visual awesomeness really.
Our Saturday night fun movie was Spiderman Far from Home. This follows on from Avengers Endgame, and we went in with a little trepidation as the first Spiderman in this series was annoying. I’m glad to say things are much improved in that Spiderman/Peter Parker as played by Tom Holland has calmed down somewhat. There’s a lot more going on with him this time, no longer the happy, gobby teenager, but deeply affected by the loss of his mentor Tony Stark, and overwhelmed by the responsibility of being the last Avenger standing. He just wants a normal life and to get together with a girl he likes, M.J played by Zendaya. There’s a lot of pathos, a fair amount of laughs along the way, and of course the brilliant special effects and CGI. Jake Gylenhall had a blast (literally!) as the deceptive villain, with Samuel L Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury, Marissa Tomei as Peter’s Aunty, and Jon Favreau as Happy. Anyway on the whole we liked this a lot more than the previous Spiderman and even Phil could follow the plot!
Midway through the credits we get the set-up for the next Spiderman movie to come, and at the end a fairly big surprise which I presume is the set-up for the greater MCU, whatever that’s going to be.
Fraggle's Otherverse 
You seem to have had the same impression of ‘1917’ as I did. Forget the far-fetched plot, just enjoy the visuals.
I have actually seen a Spider-Man film. The first one, with Tobey Maguire. I liked it! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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The Toby Maguire ones are great, those are Phil’s favourites, (he was a Spiderman fan when he was a lad.).
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I used to read the comics at one time. 🙂
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Shock Horror!! 🙂
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I have not seen the movie “1917”. My wife does not like war movies, so I will most likely see “192” on our Apple TV. We’ve realised that although the reclining theatre seats are very comfortable, and the popcorn and drinks are delicious, we prefer watching movies on Apple TV in the comfort of home, with a pint or two of local micro-brew. Cheers.
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Yes we like to do the same, only with a different tipple 🙂
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Fab review Fraggle! We’ll definitely be seeing this when it starts streaming. And I’m glad you liked the new Spider-Man more. I have that on my list as well.
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Tom Holland is such a nice lad.
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He’s such a sweetie!
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Yes and he got Disney & Marvel to stop squabbling over the rights to Spider-Man so they can make the next one. Good lad!
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I am sorry the seats are so uncomfortable at your theatre. Over the past few years the main theatres in Ottawa have put in leather recliners. Needless to say, we now go to those ones almost exclusively. It makes a world of difference and hopefully that trend migrates to you!
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In fairness apparently the main screen does have posh seats, but we left ot too late and had to see it in one of the lesser screens.
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I remember an independent cinema in Jersey that set up proper plush seats with drinks holders and ashtrays (those were the days) Sadly it didn’t last. I seem to remember the private box you could get at Cineworld’s as well, with a bar service, top notch 🙂 Nothing worse than a numb bum to spoil a film.
I actually saw this Spidey film, not the best, but watchable, the Spidey-verse animation has to be my favourite so far, worth a watch if you haven’t seen it 🙂 1917 is on the radar, but it could be a way down the queue 🙂
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Bump it up the queue Eddy, it’s worth seeing for the amazing filming.
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I thought 1917 was supposed to be based on real events. Oh well. It’s not a film I’ll be seeing.
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Mendes Grandad was a messenger during the war, but the story here is a fiction. It is really well done though and definitely worth seeing.
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That just shows how large a rock I live under.
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Nothing wrong with that!
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Uncomfortable theater seats are the WORST. I was very moved by this film – the visuals alone! 🙂 I see the point about the story though, and yes, I agree that the waste of life in that war was atrocious.
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I am so looking forward to the bluray and studying the detail!
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Good stuff! I can’t wait to see 1917 again, this time with my wife and teens. It’s so cinematic and the tension is palpable. Far From Home was a nice surprise for me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Homecoming, but this one felt more intimate and the characters felt more like people. That’s always a good thing.
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I agree! Cheers Keith.
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I have not seen 1917 but seems a good movie? the difficulty to be in South America is that is a bit hard to identify with any of the countries participating, to recognize geographies and names, so I tend to be a bit lost as everybody seems to have the same uniform (I know your husband would kill me for uttering such belief x,D as I know he work all the details of the uniforms and bdages)
I have not seen Spider-Man with Tom Holland. I have read the comic since kid and I have an image of Peter Parker as a New Yorker, and Thom Hollands… well, I cannot avoid to think in him as an English young gentleman. Somehow it breaks the illusion for me :l
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You should give Tom Holland a chance, he grows into it, and doesn’t sound English at all 🙂
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Haha no, I do not mean he is not a good actor, or that the movie is not good. Is just that I am quite aware of his background for him and a few some other actors (as Ryan Gosling, I cannot picture him other than a Canadian) Ben Kingsley as Gandhi was to me perfect and so wonderful, I know he is English but his work as actor is so masterly that I cannot imagine other actor for that interpretation.
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