The Right Stuff (1983)
This was made by
The Ladd Company soon after
'Blade Runner' and it's inexplicable financial failure doomed the company very unfairly given how brilliant this film is. It really takes it's time, confidant that the story of the Mercury Astronauts is dramatic enough to grip an audience for 3 hours and 12 minutes. '
The Right Stuff' really captures the poetry and romance of the aviation pioneer spirit, not least through the soaring beauty of
Bill Conti's score.
Peterloo (2018)
Director
Mike Leigh's film about the events leading up to the
1819 "Peterloo" Massacre is released through the
Amazon Prime platform. I was engrossed in the portrayal of the politics of the era, the impassioned speeches, the furious debating, the forthright opinions and the authentic feeling period dialogue of the
"Reet, sithee fathur" variety. The depiction of the all the despotic landowners and lords could have been more nuanced though.
Khrustalyov, My Car! (1998)
After seeing Russian Director
Aleksei German's insane "Sci-Fi" film
'Hard to be a God', I was curious to see his earlier film set during the final days of Stalin (similar events as
Armando Iannucci's 'The Death of Stalin'). It's got the same gorgeous, glowing, high-contrast black & white photography, contrasting with the filth, depravity and vulgarity of what transpires. The plot is almost incomprehensible but the experience is striking for the viewer as characters bump into you, shout at you and try to sell you things to distract you from concentrating on the story
.