DVD & Blu-ray review: Billy Liar (PG)
“Today is a day of big decisions,†Billy keeps claiming.
May 17, 2013
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“Today is a day of big decisions,†Billy keeps claiming.
Tom Hooper’s quasi-operatic mega-musical is loaded with major historical events, weighty themes, tragic deaths and symbolic rebirths, so it’s no wonder that the film version of Les Mis gets so exhausting, especially in the static, unspectacular second half. Â Â Â Â
All the naysayers who believe no one goes to the movies anymore, take note: “Iron Man 3†roared into U.S. theaters last week, opening to $175 million, the second-largest movie opening weekend of all time.
Dustin Hoffman’s corny directorial debut is more suited to TV than film, but it does benefit from the poignant performances of Tom Courtenay and the peerless Maggie Smith.    Â
“I know too much about life to have any optimism,†is a typically bleak quip from struggling stand-up Louis CK, describing new relationships.    Â
The creator of The Sopranos talks to NPR’s Steve Inskeep about movies he loves — a Kubrick classic, a Vittorio De Sica masterpiece, and a Laurel and Hardy frolic that inspired an obscure shout-out involving Uncle Junior.
Ken Loach’s impassioned love letter to Nye Bevan, the NHS and the welfare state has been given more relevance by the recent demise of the villain of the piece, the Iron Lady. Â Â Â Â
Aaron Eckhart tries his best with this weak Taken/Bourne-like thriller, but the engaging action man and his pronounced chin sag a little as the chase sequences mount up and the villains become ever more irrelevant. Â Â Â Â
Why isn’t everyone yelling from the rooftops about this excellent Channel 4 sitcom? It starts sedately – and The Mimic’s pacing remains gentle throughout – but persist and you’ll reap rich comic rewards.    Â
Community groups rally around movies like 42 to prove to studios that a market exists for big-budget films with black leads. But does this approach work?