Category Archives: Stuff

Get Back; Scoop

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

Get Back Peter Jackson’s restoration of footage made for a documentary of the Beatles recording the Get Back album. They shall not grow old – hah. What is fantastic is watching the band work together so well (for the vast … Continue reading →

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Belfast; Wham! documentary

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

Belfast Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of his family’s childhood in Northern Ireland at the start of the sectarian conflict. It tells how his father, a Protestant, tried to keep out of it all, and eventually persuaded his wife – Branagh’s mother … Continue reading →

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Singin’ in the Rain; Dune

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

Singin’ in the Rain My first time. A real surprise. It’s one of those pieces – like The Artist, and (apparently, donchaknow) a new Downton offering – which deals with the problems faced by some horrible-voiced silent movie stars when … Continue reading →

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Perfect Days; Wicked Little Letters

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

Perfect Days Same team as Anselm: Wim Wenders and Franz Lustig. (Which post I see is still in drafts…) Beautiful and didactively clever. A series of days in the life of a toilet cleaner (Kōji Yakusho, as Hirayama), each of … Continue reading →

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Monster; Everything Everywhere All at Once

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

Monster Boys told they have a pig’s brain transplanted into their heads, which explains a) their poor behaviour and b) their effeminacy/homosexuality. Those are the monsters. It’s got a wonderful ending, when you are supposed to think, I believe, that … Continue reading →

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Driving Madeleine; The Holdovers

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

Driving Madeleine A modern-day Charon takes his victim/customer to the underworld; or, rather, a cabby drives an old woman across Paris from her apartment to an old people’s home. They strike up a deep friendship, ending with the woman – … Continue reading →

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The Iron Claw; Wonka

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

The Iron Claw The true story of the Von Erichs – a 1980s US wrestling family. The father, a star wrestler who never got the world title, pushes his five sons to get the title for the family – with … Continue reading →

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The Zone Of Interest; American Fiction

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

The Zone of Interest Read about it yourself – anything I say will not do it justice. For a sense of the depth of thought and preparation behind this film have a look at this from Wikipedia: Glazer did not … Continue reading →

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Trenque Lauquen; The End We Start From

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

Trenque Lauquen (Literally ‘Round Lake’ – a town near Buenos Aires.) An Argentinian film in two parts, totalling over four hours. Quiet, mysterious, and disconcerting: I often felt, particularly in Part I, as I did when watching Tarkovsky’s Stalker, or … Continue reading →

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The Animals In That Country; The Normal Heart

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Houyhnhnm

The Animals In That Country A 2020 novel by Laura Jean McKay. It’s in the voice of Jean, a middle-aged woman who works at a wildlife park in Australia. A zoonotic pandemic enables people to communicate with other species. What’s … Continue reading →

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