tv The Film Review BBC News February 29, 2020 11:45pm-12:01am GMT
11:45 pm
0k, we willend 0k, we will end there. nigel river. 0k, we will end there. nigel andjo, thank river. 0k, we will end there. nigel and jo, thank you very much indeed and jo, thank you very much indeed and thank you forjoining us on the bbc news channel. don't forget you can see the front pages of the papers online on the bbc news website. it's all there for you 7 days a week at bbc.co.uk/papers. and if you miss the programme any evening, you can watch it later on bbc iplayer. nigel i think you are right about the divorce status. i mean, you are a lwa ys the divorce status. i mean, you are always right. —— nigel, ithink. a big thank you again to nigel and jo for joining big thank you again to nigel and jo forjoining me, big thank you again to nigel and jo for joining me, and big thank you again to nigel and jo forjoining me, and yourselves. next on bbc news it's the film review. good night.
11:46 pm
chuckles. hello and a very warm welcome to the film review on bbc news. and to take us through this week's top cinema releases is james king. lovely to see you, james. you too! and what have you been watching? well, there's a new version of a classic tale, the invisible man, but is it a must—see? will ferrell struggles in the snow in comedy—drama downhill. and the foreign language film everyone‘s talking about that isn't parasite, portrait of a lady on fire. it's the other one! now, let's start with the invisible man. am i going to be scared out of my wits? that's the opening point. you love a horrorfilm, don't you? so, i mean, you know the story, right, of the invisible man? the hg wells story. well, this is a twist on it, actually. 0k. because it's from a different perspective. it is about the invisible man's partner, his girlfriend, and he's a tyrant. i mean, he's a bully,
11:47 pm
and she wants to escape him. she escapes their house but, of course, because he is invisible, because of his powers, he can secretly stalk her. so a different twist on a classic story. elisabeth moss stars in this, so let's have a look. 0k. he has figured out a way to be invisible. you know exactly what i'm talking about. he's not dead. ijust can't see him. 0k. though i agree with you, adrian was brilliant, but it wasn't because of anything he invented, it was how he got in people's heads. you think about it. he came up with that perfect way to torture you, even in death. only thing more brilliant than inventing something that makes you invisible is not inventing it, but making you think he did. he's not dead, tom.
11:48 pm
hmm. is it very clever? isit...? very clever. yeah, because ultimately, it's — it is a horrorfilm — a horror thriller — but really, it's about that, because of that change of protagonist, it's about a woman trying to escape her abuser and the mental games, the mind games that he plays on her. so, yes, it's creepy. it's made by people who have made lots of other horror films — the same people who paranormal activity and the purge and all your favourites, jane. oh, yes. seen them all, many, many times! but a lot of very successful and very slick kind of low—budget horror movies. so it has the horror movie pedigree but i think because of that central — that central concept, the twist in the tail, if you like, this actually had something more to it, something much more profound about it. and a very modern notion. i mean, even watching the trailer, it made me quite tense, because this is a woman who has been a victim of whether it's coercive control, some form of domestic violence. so of course everybody around her
11:49 pm
wants to help her but says "oh, but of course you are traumatised, of course you are — look at what he used to do to you" and that's — that's clever. it's her trying to convince people, mainly men, that this actually happened, you know? because the guy's invisible. no—one‘s got proof of it, really. she — they think it's all in her head. so there's a lot of mind games in this, and psychological stuff that i really appreciated. you are on the edge of your seat — to use the old cliche — anticipating the jumps and the scares. great use of silence in this, great use of sort of empty spaces in this. right. so if you want the old schooljumps and scares, they are there, but it does just have that little something extra that makes it a must—see. 0k. really interesting, and people love elisabeth moss at the moment, don't they, so... she's brilliant. so good in it. she'is kinda fragile but really determined as well. yeah. a change of scene for number — your second choice? yeah, so this is downhill. this is an american remake of a film called force majeure, came out in 2014. ruben 0stlund, swedish director, made that great movie about a couple on holiday in the alps and their relationship
11:50 pm
crisis that happens. so the american version, this new version, stars julia louis—dreyfus, and will... from veep, which everybody loves, from veep, yes. yeah, and seinfeld, back in the day. yes. and will ferrell. pretty much the same story, really, about this couple in the aftermath of an avalanche that happens at their resort. but even before you see this, you can tell that it's going to be different to the original because this is 90 minutes long, the original was two hours long. so you go "0k, half an hour is gone. what have they cut out? what's happened ? " actually, when you watch it — because the original was great and this is largely the same story — it's still an interesting story about a married couple, the problems they have, how they all come to a head on this holiday, and there is some insightful stuff in there. certainly, the husband — will ferrell's character — is a real coward, you know? he's trying to bluff his way through life. so the male—female dynamic remains interesting. but half an hour shorter, which means less complex, less su btle. right.
11:51 pm
it‘ is kind of the cliff's notes version of the original film, the bullet points of the originalfilm. that doesn't make it bad. it's very easy to watch. but the original one, force majeure, that had the subtleties to it and that's the movie that kind of sticks with you, rather than this one, which is a much simpler thing. and i always think that's so interesting. you know, do these films need to be remade, when you're saying, you know, the original was so much better? yeah! is itjust a studio boss going "do you know what? we will put it in some beautiful scenery and get the lady from veep — everyone loves her, you know — we'll make a money spinner!" and it is quite a weird tone because, of course, the original was an art house film — a foreign language film to us — and they don't quite know in the new version — is it an art house film again, but it has a—list stars in it. is it a hollywood comedy? they're not sure what tone to take. it's fine, but watch the original — it's better. 0k! and you've got a cracking foreign language film as your final choice today. yeah, yes. so this is a french historical drama, portrait of a lady on fire. celine sciamma is the film—maker behind this.
11:52 pm
she did a great film called girlhood a few years ago. so end of the 18th century this is set, about marianne. she's a portrait painter. she is commissioned to paint the portrait of heloise, who is a bride—to—be — i think, it's fair to say, a reluctant bride—to—be. yes! she lives out on an island off the coast of brittany, so marianne goes off there to do this painting. quite an awkward relationship between them at first, but that relationship blossoms into romance. let's have a look.
11:53 pm
hmm. i wish i could now pull out one of those pipes from my pocket. i was just listening to the crackle of the fire in the clip, thinking how clever it was that there was the crackle of fire through so much of the film. it's — i think it is a very, very classy film. very classy film, and you could kind of get a sense of that in the clip as well. an enigmatic film. i've seen it, you've seen it. i loved it, but it's a film i want to go back to,
11:54 pm
because i think there's so much more to unlock in this movie. you get it the first time around, but i think you will continue to be rewarded with more things the more times you watch it. looks beautiful. actually, a lot of it is quite austere. it is quite spare, isn't it? quite minimal... yes, yes. ..where they live, where it's set on this island, but i guess it's the passion between these two characters that is the fire — you can see the fire there — that is — that is the warmth of the film and the beauty of the film — and actually, the paintings as well that you see are beautiful. yes! so there are these little elements of beauty and romance and passion within this quite austere setting. and ultimately, you know, it's about two women who are finally allowed to be what they want to be at a time when they weren't. and, yes, they have to do it in virtual isolation but, you know, it's a film about authenticity, really, isn't it? about people being their authentic selves. i got to the end and i thought how clever it was, because there is the whole — there's a lovely character of the maid as well and there's a whole, right throughout it —
11:55 pm
i mean, of course, this is the 1770s, men are in control. yes. and men utterly control those three women in different ways — without doing any plot spoilers — but then you get to the end of the film and you think "oh, my gosh! there's hardly a man in it at all!" i know! exactly, yeah! any any point! really clever. have you read sarah waters‘ books? like fingersmith and tipping the velvet and things like that? you know, an element of that there, i think, and hitchcock as well — there's a few, i think, some hitchcock nods, but entirely its own film — and a beautiful one. very beautiful. very, very beautiful indeed. best out? i'm glad you have chosen this as best out. it's really fascinating. yeah, little joe. it is really good, isn't it? yes. i guess we could call it sci—fi. it's kind of gently science—fiction. yeah, i don't know how to — i don't know what to call it! everyone in the newsroom was saying "what is that film?" and i said "i actually don't know how to categorise it!" they're the best ones, right? yes. that you can't really, easily summarise — although i'm not going to have to! so it's about two scientists. they're in a horticultural laboratory, they develop this genetically modified plant that has this scent, this revolutionary scent that can help with depression.
11:56 pm
but, of course, there are side effects. it can make you act in quite strange ways and it is a strange film. it is! a seductive film and a strange film shot in a lot of really deep reds and hot pinks, this kind of wild, crazy cacophonous soundtrack going on as well, but i found it really intriguing. yes! jessica hausner is the director — she's an austrian director. reminded me a little bit of sort of ‘80s david cronenberg films — has that clinical quality about it. very clinical and visually — i mean, visually sort of almost perfect, but in a way it is, of course, too perfect, and that's deliberate and that's very clever, yes. unsettling. absolutely unsettling. i suppose ultimately, it's about our reliance on prescription drugs and pills and things to try to make us feel better, to try to make us think we are worthwhile and we're good people and good parents. but certainly not like anything i've seen before. a quick thought about a dvd for anyone who wants to stay in this weekend? yeah, black and blue. naomi harris, one of ourfinest... 0h, love her! ..who morphs seamlessly into a new orleans cop in this movie, investigating
11:57 pm
police corruption. and there's a lot of interesting things about the city in this — new orleans, of course, has had plenty of problems over the years, a lot about racism in the city, about the relationship between cops and locals in the city, but ultimately for me, it is her lead performance that makes it, because she isjust such a presence. fantastic. well, lovely to see you, james! you too! thank you very much, indeed! thank you. and thanks for watching and enjoy your cinema going, whatever you choose to see. see you next time. bye— bye! again, we have had some exceptional amount of rain from storm jorge. went really escalating this evening to around 70 miles per hour in a few
11:58 pm
localities. that is our major concern. localities. that is our major concern. some localities. that is our major concern. some travel localities. that is our major concern. some travel disruption is as those went could potentially damage powerlines and bring down trees. not altogether try either. shari rain, hill snow trees. not altogether try either. shari rain, hillsnow and trees. not altogether try either. shari rain, hill snow and with those gusty winds, blizzards over the hills. further south, fewer showers and clear spells. not that cold for most of us but it will be chilly. largely frost free in the south but icy because of the snow falling further north. through the day ahead, it looks as if england and wales and later the far north of england, will see a few showers and sunshine while the rain and hill snow makes its way across scotland. although the northern isles may be dry. it has been so wet there through the day. the winds do tend to ease through the morning. still
11:59 pm
pretty gusty, given it is the start of march and therefore it will feel quite chilly. despite the march sunshine making its presence felt. through the evening and overnight, we are concerned through the evening and overnight, we are concerned about this area of lay —— rain. we could also have some snow albeit just lay —— rain. we could also have some snow albeitjust a lay —— rain. we could also have some snow albeit just a splattering. ice and snow the most concern. on monday morning, it will exit into the north sea with brighter skies following. in the heel some hail and thunder as well. not especially warm. temperatures below par as we keep a north—westerly through the week. low pressure to the north, occasionally diving towards the south, potentially bringing some more rain but hopefully, later in the week, a ridge of high pressure across the
12:00 am
south which would be good news. perhaps wednesday and thursday looking drier. warnings on the website. this is bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: a moment of history — the united states and the taliban sign a deal that it's hoped will end 18 years of war in afghanistan the us sees its first death from the coronavirus, but donald trump calls for calm and says everything possible is being done. we've taken the most aggressive actions to confront the coronavirus. they are the most aggressive taken by any country. polls close in south carolina's crucial primary, where democratic party supporters have been choosing their party's pick to take on trump. one of britain's most senior civil servants quits and says he'll sue the government, accusing
94 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
BBC News Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on