Every month, I’ll introduce you to some little-known British films and even some from across the Channel in Europe, along with any entertaining pieces of news or perhaps an actor or director profile of someone well-known or up-and-coming.
Pegg and Frost
Two blokes who are the best of friends living the dream of millions of film writers/actors. "Jealous" doesn’t cover one of the most famed platonic relationships in modern British film. The duo who wrote and starred in “Shaun of the Dead” (2004), “Hot Fuzz” (2007) and “Paul” (2011) are releasing their fourth picture this July, “The World’s End."
Aside from “Paul," the pair has been steered accordingly by director Edgar Wright, this dream team's third member. He’s the contemplative, creative one putting it all together and rubbing his beard.
It seems the pair, who started on the oddball TV show “Spaced” in the '90s, think up ideas down at the pub and turn them into blockbusters, just like that. Gore, guns, explosions, silliness, action, car chases; if they want it, it’s in there. Pure male fantasy on the big screen.
The beauty of their films is you can go back to them time and again and still have a thoroughly enjoyable time. So, what have these down-to-earth blokes produced this time in the last of their self-appointed "Cornetto Trilogy"?
The premise is quite straightforward: A group of friends returns to their hometown, where they attempt to conquer the "Golden Mile" — 50 pints at 12 pubs, a feat they've previously failed. They’re a lot older this time around, and the town isn’t quite the same …
“The World’s End” seems a good progression from “Shaun” and “Hot Fuzz," but lacks the more intricate plot (if you can call it that) of the latter.
Martin Freeman (2012's “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”) appears again; he’s in all three Cornetto films. Rosamund Pike (2009's “Surrogates”) and Eddie Marsan (2006's “The Illusionist”), among others, also star. Pegg also attempts to scale the fence once more.
News
Hitchcock films hold UNESCO status! The British Film Institute (BFI) held an Archive Restoration series of screenings last year, which included nine early silent films from the acclaimed filmmaker.
They’ll sit alongside the Doomsday book in the UK Memory of the World Register, a collection of documents etc. that “reflect the richness of the UK” culture.
They’ll soon be taken on a worldwide tour that includes Moscow, Berlin, San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others.
"The Pleasure Garden," "Downhill" and "Champagne" are among the titles in the collection, which originally included 10 films. ("The Mountain Eagle," from 1926, has been lost.)
There has been focused media coverage of Hitch lately, mainly surrounding the release of a film biography of sorts that centered around the making of “Psycho." In 2012, Hitchcock’s thriller “Vertigo” was voted the number one film of all time by a BFI poll, knocking “Citizen Kane” from the top spot.
Many of these titles are seen as blueprints for his later, more well-known works, ones that paved the way toward hits like "Psycho."
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“A Field In England” had its unique simultaneous release last week — to cinemas, on DVD and TV, and posted online all on the same day — to rave reviews and a massive Twitter mention. Many were pleased with the experimental nature of the film by director Ben Wheatley. On the web, it prompted a surge in views of other Wheatley films, mainly “Sightseers” from last year.
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It has just been announced that Sam Mendes is to direct the as-yet-untitled 24th Bond film, due for release in 2015, with Daniel Craig returning.
British Summertime Film – “My Summer of Love” (2004)
After a seemingly unending winter, sunshine and warm temperatures have finally reached Great Britain. For some, however, the heat can make us do strange things.
"My Summer of Love" is the first real foray into film acting for Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada"). She plays Tamsin, a girl whose parents are away for the summer, allowing her and her new BFF tomboy Mona (Natalie Press) to do whatever they please.
This includes dabbling in a bit of fantasy and flirtation that gradually turns to obsession. This is played against a backdrop of Yorkshire countryside steaming in the summer heat, adding more sizzle to the growing intensity of their relationship.
The mood of the girls' friendship shares similarities with Pauline and Juliet’s relationship of sinister sisterly love in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures." Paddy Considine co-stars as Mona’s older brother who becomes the third wheel in the girls’ relationship, to Mona's consternation and anger.
British Summertime Film – “A Room with A View” (1985)
A British classic set in romantic Florence, Italy, and the quaint English countryside in sunny Surrey.
The film, adapted from the novel by E. M. Forster, details the love life of young Miss Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), who goes on holiday to Florence with her much older cousin, Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith).
Daniel Day-Lewis plays the snobbish Cecil Vyse, a more desirable match for Lucy than the cad George, who has a habit of taking advantage of her when no one is looking.
Mostly what you’ll take away is Bonham Carter’s bouffant hairdo and pouty demeanor. However, the glorious scenes of Italian countrysides and lush English landscapes to the sounds of "O mio babbino caro" in the summer will more than make up for it. And Day-Lewis as Cecil? Priceless.