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Stan & Ollie (2018)
Stan & Ollie (2018)
2018 | Biography, Comedy, Drama
I think that almost everyone has some knowledge of Laurel and Hardy. Certainly growing up with a love of black and white comedies meant that I saw a fair few myself. There's certainly a familiarity in what we see from Coogan and Reilly that brings a smile to your face. The main problem is that it's such a hard act to follow. I can't say that I'm left raving about what was presented. It's a charming film... I'm just not sure if that's a compliment or not.

Seeing the BBC Films logo come up at the beginning gave me some hope. Having never really enjoy either of the main actor's work this actually gave me some hope that this would be an amazing sort of production that I've come to love from the BBC. Sadly, again, I wasn't wowed by what I saw.

Coogan and Reilly do both manage to capture their part of the double act well, and seeing those trademark moves briefly gives you that spark of joy. Nostalgia is a very powerful thing and you get a great buzz but I'm not sure it's enough to make up for the overall feeling of the film.

Both Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda make for a fiery support cast in the roles of Lucille Hardy and Ida Laurel, but I have to say that Ida was the character for me. Self promoting and yet fiercely loyal. Loving and yet tinged with a streak of harsh reality. It was pleasing to see how she evolved to show such heart and unite the pair at the end.

Capturing snippets of a lifetime is always difficult. There are so many things going on that you have to choose whether to feature or not and that inevitably leads to gaps and slight inconsistencies. Hardy's gambling made several appearances but at no point is it really shown as a severe problem , most of it was done in a very lighthearted manner which sort of defeated the point of it being mentioned at all.

The first half of the film is incredibly slow and dare I say dull. So much so that I did wonder whether it was anything like the film that the trailer had promised. While I did silently chuckle to myself it was by no means laugh out loud funny with it's comedy... although the woman across the aisle from me would probably disagree on that point.

Despite my rather bland feelings about the film it did have some excellent moments. The opening sequence of them walking through the studio lot is really well set up, but shots after that were all very traditional. My other stand out moment was right at the end where they're doing their last performance. In that moment I had a stream of tears running down my face. The fact that they managed to convey the end of Laurel and Hardy's career in such a relatively short sequence was amazing.

Ultimately I think some of the greats from history should probably be left in that iconic position. I'm really not sure that this added anything to their story.

What you should do

If you#re one for nostalgia then you should head on out to see this in January.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

I'd have to have just a little piece of Stan Laurel's creativity and dedication.
  
Lover by Taylor Swift
Lover by Taylor Swift
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Rating
Taylor Swift is an iconic singer-songwriter based in Nashville, TN. Not too long ago, she released a charming music video for her “Lover” single.

“Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? With every guitar string scar on my hand. I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover. My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well to end up with you. Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover. And you’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me. And at every table, I’ll save you a seat, lover.” – lyrics

The imaginative music video, directed by Drew Kirsch & Taylor Swift, showcases the ups and downs of a budding relationship.

Also, the audiovisual features Swift and her lover inside a life-sized dollhouse located within a giant snow globe.

Each decorated room, painted a different color, finds the couple wearing matching outfits which synchronizes their energy within each room.

‘Lover’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and sugar-sweet melodies. Also, the endearing tune possesses lush instrumentation scented with a nostalgic pop aroma.”

Taylor Swift’s “Lover” single tells a romantic tale of a young woman who is head-over-heels in love with her significant other.

Apparently, they’ve been together for three summers, but every day feels brand new, like the first day they met.
If the woman could have it her way, she and her sweetheart would be together forever until the end of time. If that’s the case, she’ll be more than happy to be by her lover’s side.
“Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?”
“I think that with this album, the word lover encompasses like someone who possesses the ability to make you feel all the ranges of emotion that you have, you know. Because when people say like: “We just don’t have that spark”, what they’re talking about that’s missing is the element that I’m singing about on this album. If that makes sense to you.” – Taylor Swift via Elvis Duran Show.

‘Lover’ is the third song and title track on Swift’s highly-anticipated seventh studio album.

The 18-track project also contains the lead single, entitled, “ME!”, featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco.

“‘ME!’ is a song about embracing your individuality and really celebrating it, and owning it. I think that with a pop song, we have the ability to get a melody stuck in people’s heads, and I want it to be one that makes them feel better about themselves.” – Taylor Swift, with Robin Roberts

‘ME!’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who tells her beau that he will never find another woman who will love him like how she does.

Apparently, he feels the exact same way. Therefore, he promises that she will never find another man as awesome as he is.

Taylor Swift reveals her favorite scene in “Lover” video

‘Lover’ secured the #1 spot on the US iTunes charts on its first day of being released.

This monumental accomplishment extended Taylor Swift’s record as the female with the most #1 songs on US iTunes.

“This album is very much a celebration of love, in all its complexity, coziness, and chaos. It’s the first album of mine that I’ve ever owned, and I couldn’t be more proud.” – Taylor Swift
  
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Paths of Glory (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
1957 | Classics, Drama, War
Early Kubrick Masterpiece
Dore Schary, then head of production of MGM, like Stanley Kubrick’s first film, THE KILLING (1956) so he hired Kubrick to develop film stories from the studios pile of scripts and purchased novels. Finding nothing the he liked, Kubrick remembered reading Humprhey Cobb’s anti-war novel PATHS OF GLORY and suggested that. Schary (like every other studio exec in Hollywood at the time) turned down the opportunity to make this bleak anti-war film.

When Schary was fired by MGM, Kubrick went to Kirk Douglas (who liked THE KILLING as well and was anxious to work with Kubrick). Using his clout as one of the Major Stars of Hollywood at the time, Douglas got United Artists to agree to make the picture.

Starring Douglas, PATHS OF GLORY tells the WWI tale of a group of soldiers who mutiny when asked to take on a suicide mission to take the impregnable “ANTHILL”.

In this film, Kubrick starts to come into his own as a unique and visionary filmmaker who would insist on take after take until he got the exact shot he was looking for.

The highlight of the film is the 5 minute tracking shot of the troops attacking the Anthill, a tracking shot that films such as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and 1917 owe a debt to. It is a masterclass of filmmaking from Kubrick.

As for Douglas – who was also used to having complete control of his films – PATHS OF GLORY was a battle of wills between Kubrick and Douglas with each man coming out on top (at times)…to the betterment of the film.

On the acting front, Douglas has never been better as the Commander of the unit that has the mutiny and who decides to defend the soldiers who are on trial for mutiny and cowardice and who quickly realizes that the trial is a sham and that there is no way for him these soldiers to get a fair trial.

Adolph Menjou (the 1937 version of A STAR IS BORN) and George Macready (GILDA) are appropriately blustery and out-of-touch as the Senior Officers who give (and then defend) their impossible orders. Richard Anderson (Oscar in the SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN) is slimey and slippery as the prosecuting attorney (who knows that the outcome of the trial is a done-deal) while Ralph Meeker (THE DIRTY DOZEN), Joe Turkel (the bartender in THE SHINING) and Timothy Carey (who famously clashed with Kubrick during filming in a calculated attempt to get some publicity for himself and was subsequently fired from the film) are the unfortunate 3 who are put on trial as representatives of their troops while the outstanding performance in this film is fomer child actor Wayne Morris (KID GALAHAD) as drunken Lt. Roget.

Even though this film is about ½ war battle film and ½ a court-room drama, it is the visuals of the folly of war that will stick with the audience long after it is over…and stick with it it does as this film was selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry in 1992 and is still listed in IMDB’s TOP 100 Rated films.

Letter Grade A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)