Film and TV recomendations

[sc]

Well we both really enjoyed Theeb, it's a UAE/Qatar/Jordan/UK film, subtitled. It's the first film by director Naji Adu Nowar, set during the First World War (1916), in the Ottoman province of Hijaz (in modern day Saudi Arabia). The scene is set with a brother Hussein and his younger brother Theeb, tending the camels and goats, they are part of a bedouin family. An English Officer arrives with his translator and Hussein agrees to be their guide to a secret location. Theeb the younger brother refuses to be left behind and joins the group. The film is shot from the view of the young boy Theeb, as they encounter dangers and adventure on their journey

Brilliant and magical scenery 8/10

Trailer

[sc]

Just watched "April and the Extraordinary World" It might not have helped that I had 3 pints of Strong "Old Wobbly" down the pub first, then at home hitting the Laphroaig and Stella once watching the film.

So it looks like the the animation is done by the same guy that did "Tin Tin". It's in French and the sub titles are at hyper speed so I can only read half each time they come up. Anyway, a scientist trying to find the elixir of life is visited by the Emperor who shoots something in a cage that escapes and they all get excited, then the world just relies on steam and fossil fuels and life is shit as all the worlds forests are destroyed because there are not any scientists anymore to solve the problem and we just stay at the steam age, however, a young girl whose family were all scientists but she wasn't allowed to play, is still around and is interested in science. Obviously she has a pet cat that talks. A Police inspector is trying to arrest her and her family but then all her family are dead, and the inspector is arrested but then he isn't but a young lad is sent to spy on her and OBVIOUSLY falls in love with her, but she doesn't realise (or maybe she is playing cool) Cat dies, cat lives Boy and Girl should shag but they don't. Then they get captured by giant Lizards and put together with other scientists, the girls family is not dead (hooray) and Pops realises that the aeroplane will not fly because the electricity is wired wrong (Obviously). So they fly off, the Lizards aren't happy, and stop this. It turns out the Lizards are cool and actually Greenpeace, but then go mad and start killing each other and their mad leader wants to destroy the world and be the lone living thing. So the girl and others get in a rocket that will explode and destroy the world......... after that it all starts getting a bit weird.

[calndel]

we saw April and the Extraordinary World as part of the Glasgow Film Festival and we loved it

[sc]

But did I give an accurate review?

[Zenrider]

Finding Dory. Not quite as good as Finding Nemo, but an enjoyable escape from the real world.

[calndel]

Nov 26, 2016 0:03:13 GMT sc said:

But did I give an accurate review?

almost you forgot the walking house ;o)

[calndel]

Del is hoping to see this next week

Eat that question Frank Zappa in his own words

[sc]

Dec 3, 2016 14:42:47 GMT calndel said:

Del is hoping to see this next week

Eat that question Frank Zappa in his own words

Now that will be good!  Hopefully the film will come down south, there are a heck of a lot of people down here in the South that still totally love Frank, and agree with his "Freedom of art, speech and life" philosophy, he is still so relevant to today.  So lucky to have seen him twice (nearly 3 times but the gig was cancelled when we arrived).  



 

[sc]

Saw Hector tonight - about a homeless Glaswegian making his way down to London for his annual pilgrimage to meet with old friends at a Christmas Temporary Hostel. It was like "Disney does homelessness" or "If Carlsberg did homelessness.........." or "Not just Homelessness this is M&S Homelessness" . Even when the main character was mugged a good Samaritan was there, then splashed by a car, the next one stops and offers a lift............. I found it almost offensive, apart from the young homeless girl "Hazel" she played her part well.

3/10

[calndel]

That does sound pretty bad

[sc]

Just in case you want to see the trailer  

[calndel]

ah Peter Mullan, say no more

[calndel]

Del isn't too sure what to make of Eat that question Frank Zappa in his own words.

It's basically clips of interview and live footage edited together to try and give some insight into Frank Zappa but as Zappa says in one of the first clips "interview are the worst way of find out what someone is like as they are only 2 steps away from an inquisition"

Zappa's dry humor does come across as does his intelligence and sensitively.

Del doesn't know a lot about Zappa life so without some talking heads putting some of the clips into continence he was left wondering if the film reflected Zappa or the Zappa the film maker wanted you to see

Del is happy he saw the film but he does wonder what Zappa fan would make of it

[sc]

I would like to see it. I think any snippets of information gleaned is a good thing. I very much doubt any film could possibly cover the complexity of Zappa and what he meant by songs, but any help that I can get is gratefully received, and there could be some golden nuggets hidden away in the interviews.

Zappa is sometimes thought of as a foul mouthed comedian musician. But, and I presume this comes out in the film, "words are only noises, and for people to be scared or shocked by a little noise is very primitive people" or "Many artists put what I am saying in the form dance, I am just being honest and saying it" Even so then the meaning behind his songs is often lost behind the "shock" value of his words, which then get interpreted as comedy.

If I may just give one example, the Zappa song "I have been in you"



Easily discarded as simply a "light weight, shock pop song".  But the song is being heard "Out of context" which was a problem for a lot of Zappa because we don't know what was going on in his head and a hell of a lot of time has passed. 

But, now listen to a Peter Frampton track 


Ok the meaning maybe starting to "click"

Now Zappa version with explanation, sorry could only CD2, so track 1, or just let it flow:



Changes the meaning somewhat, was he actually shouting out a warning?  

[calndel]

SC you should see it as we are sure you would pick up on a lot of golden nuggets

Del likes the way Zappa plays with words and the sounds they make, in the film the he talks about the song bobby brown which was a hit in Norway as people like the sound of the song but could understand all the lyrics