06-14-2019, 06:41 PM
I wasn't planning on watching 'Hunter Killer' but I'll make sure to avoid it now
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The Harder They Come (1972)
I've enjoyed the fantastic Reggae soundtrack for years but I hadn't had the opportunity to see the actual film before. The first Jamaican movie (emerging alongside the first entries in the "Blaxploitation" Genre in the US) features Jimmy Cliff as musician/gangster Ivan. He doesn't care if he's famous for his music, or infamous for his crimes, as long as the people know his name. Inter-cutting a cheering Cinema audience, with the final shoot out was an inspired flourish. The low-budget independent nature of the production shows at times but Cliff's charm and his incredible songs shine through. The Amazon-Prime stream didn't have any subtitles available, so the thick Jamaican Patois was occasionally hard to cop for this white boy
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The official BFI 57th best British film...
The Go-Between (1971)
Leo is a 13 year old Victorian boy spending the summer at the country estate of his wealthy/upper-class school friend, there he falls into taking secret love letters between his friend's beautiful older sister Marian (Julie Christie) and a wild local farmer Ted (Alan Bates). Despite the sunny idyll of the scenes, we are always subtly prodded with omens of doom, bloody hands, injured legs, scarred faces, gun shots, poisonous plants, people falling ill, talk of curses etc. It's all told from the initially innocent perspective of Leo, struggling to understand the adult world, his own feelings for Marian and his friendship with the older Ted. All round great performances, including supporting roles from Edward Fox, Michael Redgrave and Michael Gough.

The Harder They Come (1972)
I've enjoyed the fantastic Reggae soundtrack for years but I hadn't had the opportunity to see the actual film before. The first Jamaican movie (emerging alongside the first entries in the "Blaxploitation" Genre in the US) features Jimmy Cliff as musician/gangster Ivan. He doesn't care if he's famous for his music, or infamous for his crimes, as long as the people know his name. Inter-cutting a cheering Cinema audience, with the final shoot out was an inspired flourish. The low-budget independent nature of the production shows at times but Cliff's charm and his incredible songs shine through. The Amazon-Prime stream didn't have any subtitles available, so the thick Jamaican Patois was occasionally hard to cop for this white boy

The official BFI 57th best British film...
The Go-Between (1971)
Leo is a 13 year old Victorian boy spending the summer at the country estate of his wealthy/upper-class school friend, there he falls into taking secret love letters between his friend's beautiful older sister Marian (Julie Christie) and a wild local farmer Ted (Alan Bates). Despite the sunny idyll of the scenes, we are always subtly prodded with omens of doom, bloody hands, injured legs, scarred faces, gun shots, poisonous plants, people falling ill, talk of curses etc. It's all told from the initially innocent perspective of Leo, struggling to understand the adult world, his own feelings for Marian and his friendship with the older Ted. All round great performances, including supporting roles from Edward Fox, Michael Redgrave and Michael Gough.