Archive for November, 2005

Film Festival 4

Posted November 3, 2005 * Comments(0)

The last day of the festival… It ended with a bang…George Clooney’s Good Night, And Good Luck tells the story of how Ed Murrow, an American journalist took on Senator McCarthy – the investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee have never seemed so relevant…I almost started clapping during one of Murrow’s speeches…. not to mention his comments on the responsibility of the media. It’s shot in the most beautiful black and white I’ve seen, it looks like an old 1950’s photo brought to life and David Strathairn’s performance as Ed Murrow is inspired.

I looked up some Ed Murrow quotes:

Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate
prejudices - just recognize them.

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.

We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason…

Stones and speed bumps

Posted November 2, 2005 * Comments(1)

I went to our residents meeting this week, which as I’m living in the family home, just happens to take place at my secondary school (is there no escaping it – I’d just missed a reunion at the weekend)… So I found myself sitting in my old school gym for the first time in ah-hum year’s, trying to concentrate on the size of stones and the height of speed bumps, when all the while my brain kept transporting me back to a younger version of myself attempting to play basketball, I think I spent most of the time trying to decide which hand to bounce the ball with, in the unlikely case it ever came my way.

I was introduced to the new principal of the school – who’s come over from NY, she was just starting to tell me about being involved with Holocaust education when we were interrupted [hey the first time I’ve used the H word in this blog]… so ironically having missed the reunion, I ended up being asked back for lunch.

Chutzpah

Posted November 1, 2005 * Comments(0)

During the Q and A for 3 Needles with writer / director Thom Fitzgerald, a woman sat next to me, asked me what he had done on the film, then put her hand up and asked him to go for a drink with her!

Film Festival 3

Posted November 1, 2005 * Comments(0)

Walk the Line – best bio-pic for ages – and am walking around listening to Johnny Cash & June Carter because of it
Everything Is Illuminated – a good attempt at trying to transfer the book to the screen, but misses out the magical realism and Elijah Wood lives up to his name…
Shopgirl – Steve Martin’s novella - nice, some lovely performances, but a bit slow
3 Needles – deals with the spread of HIV – tough, but very rich
Little Jerusalem – some good performances, but little else

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