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Breaking the Waves (1996)
Breaking the Waves (1996)
1996 | International, Drama, Romance

"OK look, I have only seen this film once and I will never watch it again. But the effect it had on me was so profound that it kind of shifted things creatively inside me. I went to the cinema one night in London with two very good friends when I was 24. It blew me away. It’s so raw and so poetic at the same time. Emily Watson was sublime. I came out of the theater in a daze and the three of us wandered around the streets of Soho for hours not quite knowing what to do with ourselves. I literally didn’t sleep all night. I just lay there in my hotel room reliving the story. Even now I can see the bleak color palette, the camera moves, and Emily’s naive face. Lars Von Trier is a genius. Every film he makes is so honest and powerful."

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Ooh... You Are Awful (1972)
Ooh... You Are Awful (1972)
1972 | Comedy
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
More lowest-common-denominator farce from the British film industry of yore. A con man who specialises in disguises, trying to locate the big score he and his dead partner made, must track down a group of women each of whom has vital clues to its whereabouts tattooed on her backside, while being pursued by the Mafia and London gangsters.

Nearly as horrendous as it sounds: some of these films make late-period Carry Ons look quite sophisticated. The plot takes a long time to get going and doesn't end up reaching anywhere worth the trip, despite the presence of various familiar faces from film and TV of the period. Has a weird sort of innocence to it despite all the smut, and Emery is a good enough comic to raise a few laughs even from material as thin and questionable as this. But, in general, oh dear.
  
Misbehaviour (2020)
Misbehaviour (2020)
2020 | Drama, History
6
6.0 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
More factually-oriented reimagining of Carry On Girls. As preparations for Miss World 1970 gather pace in London, the contestants get to know each other and consider their different backgrounds, while a group of feminist activists prepare to make a protest and sabotage the show.

The behind-the-scenes at the actual show is fascinating, occasionally thoughtful, and does a good job of showing just what an absurd and unpleasant anachronism Miss World was, even fifty years ago, all without labouring the issue. Unfortunately, all the scenes with the protestors are clompingly nuance-free and simplistic (NB I am not of the target demographic for this movie, probably; your mileage may vary). Nevertheless, a very fine performance from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, an enjoyable comic turn from Rhys Ifans, and at least the glimmerings of recognition that things aren't quite as one-sided as they sometimes seem keep it watchable.