A recommendation to film goers

In the period from 12th June to the current date I have spent some 48 hours in Qantas planes, ignoring short internal flights, all with the same entertainment guide! Now I normally settle down with a G&T and a romantic comedy. This combination triggers a frenzy of clearing email and eventually results in that wonderfully satisfying feeling of an empty inbox; well yes I do cheat a bit using folders with important sounding titles and yes I know its sad when satisfaction comes from an empty box of any nature.

Now 48 hours, even with on demand means I have had to explore films I would normally skip over or ignore. I can confirm those critics who said that 300 was deeply racist and worse, and the argument that it is a graphic novel does not, to my mind, justify its stereotyping. All the bad guys are handicapped or abnormal in some way. Good guys torturing people and breaking diplomatic immunity is heroic, bad guys doing it are evil. Lots of plain bad films, but Perth to Singapore earlier today saw me discover a delightful Australian film which I hope will reach British and American shores. If you get a chance watch it. It’s called Clubland, filmed in Sydney and staring the truly wonderful Brenda Blethyn and an otherwise all Australian cast of considerable talent. I first saw BB on the stage in Steaming with my mother-in-law: who was in the audience not the play to make it clear. She (BB not the M-I-L) then stared in a brilliant, but under appreciated comedy Chance in a Million with Simon Callow. She was a wonderful Mrs Bennet in the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Predjudice. While acknowledged, I think she may not be a widely appreciated as she deserves. I also got a chance to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? for the umpteenth time and I plan to watch it again in few minutes. The music is incredible, but it has multiple subtleties that await discovery on each viewing.