With No Time to Die being released in the UK and Venom in America breaking records, there is a lot of talk about whether cinema is dead or being saved. I don’t think cinema will ever disappear although I do think that there will be a lot more smaller and independent cinemas opening around the UK. The main reason I think cinemas won’t go away is the experience of it all. You can get massive TVs at home and amazing sound set ups, but they can be expensive and not everyone has the room for it. Cinemas will always provide that opportunity without any screen glare or outside noise. When I watched The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime, the quiet tense moments were ruined by next door loading up their truck. Not their fault, but it would have been a lot better in the cinema.
Going into a dark room and being able to completely switch off with no distractions is a real treat. You can’t get your phone out, so you’re free from social media and texts for 2 to 3 hours. It lets you focus more on it. I can’t imagine how many times I’ve paused something or missed a scene because my phone beeped or lit up. It’s so tempting just to check.
I also like seeing the reactions of others. The Grinch, that came out a couple years ago. I didn’t like it. I didn’t laugh once, I was incredibly bored. I only went to see it because Scott Mosier directed it. The people around me seemed to be enjoying it and I find that interesting. It’s obvious that everyone will have a different reaction to things, but I liked seeing it happen. The same thing with the new Space Jam film and Dolittle from last year. Critics loved tearing those apart, finding new ways to write insults about them. I saw both in the cinema, thought they were okay, but there was a lot of laughter in the audience. That does go both ways though. I saw 1917 in the cinema, and the person sitting next to me clearly thought he was in a comedy. He laughed at almost every line of dialogue in the first five or so minutes and then stopped laughing and started taking his coat on and off and folding it up on his lap. Over and over. I’m guessing it was his wife that squeezed his hand and told him sternly and not too quietly to stop it.
This may be more personal, but if something is on Netflix or whatever other streaming service, I won’t make time to watch it. I know it’s always there, so unless it’s something I really need to see (or review on the blog) I won’t go out of my way. I end up missing a lot of things, even stuff that I was excited for. I look at how long it is and don’t watch it. If it’s in the cinema, I don’t have a choice. It’s turn up at that time or miss it. There’s been a lot of films that I think look alright and only watch them because of my Cineworld Unlimited card and end up loving them. I’m always looking for new things to love.
The thing I really hate about cinemas, beyond the people talking in the film, is when someone arrives late and turns the torch on their phone on to get to their seat. It’s never that dark and if they shine it at you, it’s blinding. Why do people feel the need to do this. There’s a special place in hell for anyone who does it.
Writers: Martin Davidson, Gayle Gleckler, Stephen F. Verona and Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler, Paul Mace and Susan Blakely
Rating: ★★½
Two years before writing and starring in Rocky, Stallone wrote additional dialogue and starred in The Lords of Flatbush a coming-of-age drama about four teenagers in 1958. They are all in a gang, known as The Lords of Flatbush. It deals with their day to day lives in school, dating, stealing cars and hanging out at the local diner.
The plot for this film is kind of thin, not a lot seems to happen and then at the end it shows a montage of the film, and you feel like you’ve been on a journey with them. The opening scene is the four leads hanging outside of school, taking a book from a girl, and passing it around so she can’t get it back. They are immature and unruly. Throughout the film their struggles force them to grow and become adults. It’s a nice little story, that does feel a little flat, but there’s enough here to enjoy.
One of the first thing you’ll notice about the film is how unconvincing they are as teenagers, with them all being in their late twenties at the time. Stallone who only two years later would play Rocky, as a boxer that missed his opportunity and is too old, is not convincing in the slightest as a teenager. In the first classroom scene the leads look like they’re undercover in school. It’s not uncommon to see people playing teenagers despite being much older, but that doesn’t make it any less distracting to see.
The characters are interesting and that makes this film more entertaining to watch. Not a lot happens, but there is a lot more depth to each of the four leads than you first expect when it starts. Henry Winkler (Happy Days) plays Butchey, who hides his intelligence to fit in with the rest. Perry King (Riptide) plays Chico, the sexist pig who can’t deal with rejection. Stallone is Stanley, who spends his free time reading maps to escape Brooklyn, where he’s stuck. In one of the oddest and funniest moments of the film he says that to get to Tokyo you first need to imagine that you’re a pigeon and fly there and look down. And that since he has the imagination to do it, no one can tell him that he hasn’t been to Tokyo. It’s a funny moment and at the same time shows the desperation of Stanley. He’s desperate to leave but can’t afford a car to travel.
Another reason to give this a go is seeing a scene Stallone and Winkler, among others, sing a cappella. Another strange moment. There is a lot of heart throughout Lords of Flatbush, but there’s an unescapable feeling that it doesn’t really add up to much. It’s a great time capsule of actors who would go onto greater things and it’s worth watching for that alone. At one point Richard Gere was supposed to play Chico, but clashes between him and Stallone on set ended up getting Gere fired.
Another idea from my good friend Reece, who also suggested the Films to TV post recently, was to write about my favourite TV shows that were adapted from books. Reece’s favourite adaptation is Looking for Alaska, which to be honest I haven’t read or seen, but I have heard very good things about it and I trust Reece’s opinion so I’ll have to check it out soon.
This is another idea that got me thinking, I love reading and I love films/TV. I’m going to split this into two sections, ones that I’ve read the book & seen the show and the other being shows that I’ve seen, haven’t read the books but would like to.
First up, the shows I’ve seen, where I have also read the books:
1 – A Series of Unfortunate Events
This one was the first one that came straight to my mind. I loved this show so much. A series of Unfortunate Events is something I read religiously as a teenager. I devoured every book and absolutely loved it. I also liked the Jim Carrey film and would have liked those to continue. The Netflix show with Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf is fantastic. It adapts the 13 books over 3 seasons perfectly and every episode was a delight. This is one of my favourite shows of recent years and they absolutely nailed it.
2 – Watchmen
So the Watchmen show doesn’t adapt the original comic, instead it acts as a sequel set thirty years after the events of the comic. It takes Alan Moore’s original ideas, expands on them and contextualises them for a modern audience. This is one of the most stylish and gripping shows of all time. When it first aired, I said it was my favourite TV show ever, which apart from Twin Peaks, I would stand by. I struggle with a lot of modern TV, I can’t find time for hour long episodes that feel padded out pointlessly and may end up being cancelled before finishing. Watchmen was such a brief of fresh air with every episode being somehow better than the week before. The writing on this show is perfection and episode 6 is a contender for the best episode of TV ever made. The whole show is pure genius and the fact that it ends after 1 season without a terrible season 2 that isn’t needed, is just the cherry on top of the cake. After watching this I had very little patience for shows that weren’t as good. I’ve only seen it once, but I’m going to rewatch is very soon now that I’ve written this.
3 – Lovecraft Country
I loved the book and read it in a couple of days. The TV series was everything I hoped it would be and more, in some was surpassing the book. It’s full of imagination and realism and was gripping from start to finish. It was a shame that it got cancelled because it felt like the show still had a lot of life left in it, but at the same time it works as a stand alone show. It’s definitely worth watching and reading if you haven’t.
Honourable Mention – Game of Thrones
I have mixed feelings about Game of Thrones. I think it took the whole of season 1 to get going and once it did, the show was on fire for six seasons straight without missing a beat. Then the final season happened. I have no issue with the plot points, it was just needlessly rushed which is such a shame because it ruined everything that came before it. I hope George R.R. Martin finishes the books soon and gives the ending the pacing it deserves so it works.
Now onto TV shows that I love based on books that I haven’t read
1 – Big Little Lies
I absolutely loved both seasons of this show. The cast is beyond fantastic, and the plot is gripping. I watched it all as quickly as possible and it’s one of my favourite shows from the last few years. The writing, the dialogue and the acting is all fantastic. I don’t have enough good things to say about this series, and yet I haven’t read the book yet. I want to and one day I will, I have it on my kindle it’s just finding time for it. If you haven’t seen this show, make time for it. If you’ve read the book, let me know if it’s as good or better than the show.
2 – You
I feel like everyone with a Netflix account watched this when it aired. Everyone at work did and it was something we all spoke about while making our way through it. It’s an excellent thriller and I’m sure the book will be even more twisted. Again, this is something I own, it’s sitting on my to-read shelf upstairs and one day I will read it. Season 3 is right around the corner and I will be watching that as soon as possible.
3 – The Queen’s Gambit
Another book that I own but haven’t gotten around to reading it. I loved the series so much. Anya Taylor-Joy is stunning in it and it’s more entertaining and gripping than a show about chess has any right to be. I didn’t even realise it was based on a book until I saw it in a shop and bought it straight away. It’s written by Walter Tevis who wrote The Man Who Fell to Earth, one of my favourite sci-fi books, so I’m sure it’s going to be a great read when I get round to it.
I also want to mention The Handmaid’s Tale, which I’ve read but not seen. I absolutely love this book. It’s in my top 10 favourite books of all time and I’ve read it quite a few times. Margaret Atwood has a way with writing that is just captivating. I also feel like I get something different from the book every time I’ve read it. I pre-ordered The Testaments as soon as I could and read it pretty much in one day. It is a worthy sequel and I loved it almost as much as The Handmaid’s Tale. I’ve never seen the show. It took a while to make its way over to the UK and when it did, I missed it airing. I don’t watch things on dodgy streaming sites or pirate anything, so I waited for another opportunity to watch it and I’ve just never gotten around to it. As it’s gone on so long, I don’t really know how close to the book it is. I will one day get around to watching it, but I can’t see that happening anytime soon.
Another book I love, but haven’t seen the series, is The Man in the High Castle. Another book I’ve read a few times and think the world of. The series just didn’t interest me. I’ve heard it’s nothing like the book and someone who’s opinion I trust said the book isn’t worth reading because the show is so great, so I get the feeling it’s very different. I don’t think I will ever watch it, but I do love the book and will probably make time to read that again at some point soon.
So those are my choices for top adaptations and Reece’s was Looking For Alaska which I will read and watch soon. Let me know what you think the best TV adaptations of books are, I’ll be interested to find out. I may also write another post for books turned into films, so I’ll look forward to reading your comments on that one as well.
Iceland’s most capped international football player, Hannes Þór Halldórsson, recently retired from international football and has changed his focus onto screenwriting and directing. He has previous directed commercials and the video for Iceland’s 2012 Eurovision entry. His debut film, Cop Secret, is a traditional buddy-cop film that feels fresh because of its over the top characters and wacky comedy.
Bússi (Auðunn Blöndal) is a renowned super-cop, known for breaking the rules and getting great results. After shooting his partner in the shoulder while trying to capture a criminal, he is forced to team up with his rival Hörður (Egill Einarsson). There’s been a string of bank robberies, where no money is stolen. Bússi and Hörður work the case together, to figure out what the gang are after.
Almost everything about this film is over the top, from the insane car chase sequence at the beginning to the amount of people that are killed by small explosions. The violence is extreme and funny. To top it off, all the way through the film is an exaggerated score that sounds like something you would hear in a 1980s cop show. It’s a perfect fit for the film.
What makes Cop Secret so great is the character Bússi. He may get results with extreme interrogation tactics, and shooting hostages, but there is a lot of emotional heart with him as well. The film deals with him having feelings for his new partner and coming to terms with his sexuality. It’s shown well and not for comedy. As his new partner, Hörður, says – It’s 2021 no one cares.
The film is a blast from start to finish. There are so many buddy-cop films out there, and while the plot is fairly standard, with a plot that’s revealed towards the end with a large shoot-out, explosions and a bomb threat, there is more than enough laughs and great characters to make this an entertaining comedy.
Unsurprisingly, considering director Halldórsson’s history of football, the climactic sequences take place at the same time as a World Cup qualifier between Iceland and England. It’s not a massive plot point, although there is a nice running joke about Bússi’s bet on the final score.
Cop Secret is a traditional cop-story with over the top violence, characters and comedy. There’s a lot to love here and it’s well worth your time seeking it out. It’s being shown at London Film Festival 2021, with an online screening on the BFI player over the weekend.
Based on the novel of the same name by Stephanie Perkins, There’s Someone Inside Your House, arrives on Netflix just in time for Halloween. It’s a standard, no thrills attached, slasher film. There is nothing to really set it apart from the long lineage of the films in the genre, but it’s still fun to watch and that’s all you really need from a slasher film.
This time around the killer wears 3D printed masks of their victim as they kill them. The motive is all about exposing secrets. The first death in the cold opening, a slasher standard, is a high school football player who’s also a bully. No one turned him in after he beat someone viciously the previous year. He wakes up to find his phone missing and pictures of the incident all over the walls of his house. As he dies the rest of the school receive texts with the pictures of the beating. From there on out, each killing is the same, secrets exposed and everyone discovering the truth. Makani (Sydney Park) and her friends are all students at the high school and each of them have secrets of their own.
There’s Someone Inside Your House is a template slasher film. The group of main characters are high school students, they are shaken by the deaths around them, there’s a party sequence, a character that is set up to be the killer but ultimately isn’t, the deaths get closer and closer to the main group and then there’s a reveal that you’ll probably figure out beforehand. There is still some fun to be had with the film, the characters are interesting and feel developed. The second killing of an overachieving student, who also runs a far-right podcast, is a good scene, involving the almost satirical (and probably too close to the truth) podcast playing through a church’s speakers while she hides in a confessional booth.
The killings are quick, and you’re never left too long without another one. The deaths aren’t spectacularly creative. For the most part it’s just knives and tasers. The plot moves quickly to its conclusion with a run time of barely eighty minutes (plus over ten minutes of credits). It’s not scary, but it has entertaining moments, and the plot is interesting enough as you figure out who the killer is. If you’ve seen a slasher before then you know what you’re getting.
There’s Someone Inside Your House is a standard slasher, and that’s about it. Horror fans have seen it all before and there’s nothing new to be found. There’s still some fun to be had, but this won’t be replacing something like Scream in anyone’s yearly Halloween marathon.
Ashley Manning 