Posted On: Friday - December 8th 2023 5:23PM MST
In Topics: Movies Socialism/Communism
Since it's turning into movie week here at Peak Stupidity, we continue with a review of an actual fiction movie. This review of the '11 Cannes Film Festival-featured* Another Year will be fairly brief. "If you can't think of anything nice to say, ..." hasn't stopped us in the past, but this will be closer to taking that advice.
There was really no excuse for my having sat through this entire motion picture. True, it was free. However, after the first minute of the movie, I realized that this was one I'd borrowed from the library before. The first scene, which didn't really have squat-all to do with the movie plot, if you could call it that, showed a black lady doctor at the British National Health Service, or so I assume. (The characters spoke British English, and there being this doctor and the one very depressing insomniac patient, it must have been the NHS. That was depressing due to the Socialism alone.) Due to this politically correct scene at the very beginning, I had almost nothing invested, so I ejected this sucker last time.
Why did I venture further this time? I don't know. Even though the movie was free to watch for me (thanks property taxpayers!), my 2 hours and 9 minutes was worth something. Didn't the producers of Another Year realize that?
Here's the plot, such as it is: There's this older happily married couple. They do some gardening at a plot a drive away from their house, they have a son that visited later on in the movie, and their 35-40 y/o friend Mary from the lady of the house's workplace - that health service office - comes over a lot to share her troubles. There are four seasons of this in the movie.
Let me just say that Another Year may be a "slice of life" and very artsy and true-to-life. Sure, but, I really thought that, in those 2 hours and 9 minutes, something was gonna freaking happen! Nope.
The reader who has seen this picture may differ greatly in opinion. If you haven't seen it, you may want to read the synopsis and the high-rating reviews there on the IMDB page linked-to above. I went the other way for my after-viewing perusal of reviews. A guy named Gerry wrote:
2 hours and 5 minutes of an utter suicidal, depressive, boring image of life in the UK. I know its bad here in the UK but if this were a true example of life in the UK, then, I think there would be a huge outcry to legalise assisted suicide in this country.From a few more not-so-impressed reviewers:
No plot, no story development, no character development, characters come and go without warning and without any conclusion. How this can be nominated for an Oscar is beyond me. Yes we all know that award ceremonies these days are politically motivated, but what is the motivation behind this? 'Don't complain about life, it could be like this'.
It is like having a webcam on a series of uncomfortable gatherings that you can only be thankful you are not attending, except that you are paying to witness them instead. Two hours of my life that I will never get back and I would like a refund!You paid money, as in real British sterling? Sucker!
Having had 2 friends fall asleep whilst I watched it with them (one of which has never before fallen asleep in a film) proves my point at how excruciating this film is to watch.Welcome to the .... zzzzz... party(?), pal! I only fell asleep 2 or 3 times, but that's not unusual.
This film certainly aged me. 2 hours of plodding wooden drama with minimal interplay between the principals and almost no story development at all.Not every IMDB user thought these reviews helpful. Believe you me, they're helpful.
A great sense of relief came over me when the fade to screen indicated that it was over after a penultimate excruciatingly slow morose scene between 2 near mute characters.
My idea of hell would be dinner with the director of this leaden effort.
A totally joyless experience all round, in keeping with most of his body of work.
Thankfully it was half price day at the cinema so we only felt 1/2 cheated of our hard earned cash.
PS: I almost forgot - the movie was filmed in Derby and Derbyshire, England. Good job, John, getting out!
* Note to self: This year, spend more time at the gun range instead.
Comments:
MBlanc46
Sunday - December 10th 2023 8:53AM MST
PS Life would be a heck of a lot better in the UK if public houses weren’t shutting up shop by the hundreds, or maybe thousands. Many that I remember from the 1980s have turned into restaurants to try to survive. Others are just gone. And the price of beer! When we were last there in 2017, a pint was well over 5 quid. I remember going to a pub/theater in Camden Town in about 1987 to see Candida. A pint was one pound twenty five—or one pound five shillings as the barmaid put it, thinking that she could flummox the stupid Yank who wouldn’t know that an old shilling was five new pence—which was three or four shillings more than at a regular pub. Beer—especially a pint of premium bitter—makes everything better.
Moderator
Saturday - December 9th 2023 8:51PM MST
PS: Yes, that's a whole lot of 7's, and what's the odds? Now, If you were more superstitious, Alarmist, Chinese, perhaps, and you got 7 4's between the odometer and the mile markers, you may as well go that extra 0.1 mile right off the side of the bridge, because you ain't livin' long like this... with so many unlucky 4's.
Adam Smith
Saturday - December 9th 2023 7:53PM MST
PS: Greetings, gentlemen,
That's the odometer on Mrs. Smith's car...
https://i.ibb.co/zJYLW8D/2000-Mercedes-e320.jpg
(Stock photo from the internet.)
111111... I just had to take a photo.
It will be 20 years (or more) until I see 222222 on that odometer.
Well, maybe in 15 years my car will hit 222222.(?)
(Currently at 143,xxx)
* Note to self: This year, spend more time at the gun range instead...
In other news, my ammo arrived from OpticsPlanet today.
They even gave me a coupon code for 15% off my next order.
7,777.7 at the 7.7 mile mark...
That's a whole lots of sevens, Mr. Alarmist.
Happy Saturday! ☮️
That's the odometer on Mrs. Smith's car...
https://i.ibb.co/zJYLW8D/2000-Mercedes-e320.jpg
(Stock photo from the internet.)
111111... I just had to take a photo.
It will be 20 years (or more) until I see 222222 on that odometer.
Well, maybe in 15 years my car will hit 222222.(?)
(Currently at 143,xxx)
* Note to self: This year, spend more time at the gun range instead...
In other news, my ammo arrived from OpticsPlanet today.
They even gave me a coupon code for 15% off my next order.
7,777.7 at the 7.7 mile mark...
That's a whole lots of sevens, Mr. Alarmist.
Happy Saturday! ☮️
The Alarmist
Saturday - December 9th 2023 3:54PM MST
PS
I had 7,777.7 on the Buckman Bridge on I-295 over the St. John’s River in Jax, which was pretty much bang on the 7.7 mile marker, back in the day before digital cameras.
I had 7,777.7 on the Buckman Bridge on I-295 over the St. John’s River in Jax, which was pretty much bang on the 7.7 mile marker, back in the day before digital cameras.
Moderator
Saturday - December 9th 2023 11:08AM MST
PS: Ha! Very nice. What vehicle was that, Mr. Smith, if you can tell us?
I had 5 6's on my truck OD and took a picture. That's out of 7 digits - seems like only a small window when the manufacturers had gone to a 100,000s digit but also still had tenths. (Modern ones do measure to the tenth, as they show tenths on some of the trip OD features. However, the general total doesn't have them.
Yeah, 2,800. Thanks for noticing!
I had 5 6's on my truck OD and took a picture. That's out of 7 digits - seems like only a small window when the manufacturers had gone to a 100,000s digit but also still had tenths. (Modern ones do measure to the tenth, as they show tenths on some of the trip OD features. However, the general total doesn't have them.
Yeah, 2,800. Thanks for noticing!
Adam Smith
Saturday - December 9th 2023 10:06AM MST
PS: Good afternoon, Mr. Moderator!
Happy 2800th!
I too, had anniversary of sorts the other day...
https://i.ibb.co/R0vg4sr/111111.jpg
Cheers! ☮️
Happy 2800th!
I too, had anniversary of sorts the other day...
https://i.ibb.co/R0vg4sr/111111.jpg
Cheers! ☮️