Movies at Home: The Beat My Heart Skipped, Margin Call, Johnny English Strikes Again and BlacKkKlansman

 

Winner of the BAFTA in 2005 for Best Film not in the English Language, The Beat My Heart Skipped is a little disappointing French movie. Romain Duris is caught between living the lives of his low level real estate criminal father and dead concert pianist mother. He is, at first, wholly responsible to his criminal partners until a chance meeting with his mother's manager leads him to a renewed passion for the piano. Chaos ensues. But all a little predictable. I did notice, however, a tiny role for Melanie Laurent, always remembered for her role in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. 

I first saw Margin Call at the cinema in 2012 when I reported: Sometimes a small film pops up that I find far superior to those with big budgets. Margin Call is one of those. It is written and directed by J. C. Chandor, his first ever feature film. It certainly will not be his last. He previously worked on commercials and documentaries and wrote and directed one short movie. His taut screenplay is amazing, well plotted, excellent dialogue and  filled with tension. I am so pleased it has been nominated for an Oscar. And I think he should win it. The movie takes place in just over 24 hours at an investment bank in Manhattan, teetering on the brink of the financial crisis. The cast are top notch. Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci and Paul Bettany are first rate, but even they cannot match up to Jeremy Irons as the boss. Best thing he has done for years. Even Demi Moore puts in a performance of which I never thought she was capable.

It was just as good a second time round. I liked it when Paul Bettany has to visit Stanley Tucci and says "I hate Brooklyn". And when Jeremy Irons describes money as "pieces of paper with pictures on it".

I hadn't seen this in the cinema as I waited to watch it with Alison when it was shown on TV. There were enough funny bits to keep me interested, mostly of the physical kind. But mostly frivolous and predictable. 

I couldn't watch the whole film, I found the constant set pieces quite boring. So I only include it here for one of the funniest moments I have ever seen. When John David Washington is placed in intelligence, the first phone call he makes in cut glass English is hysterical, especially when Adam Driver slowly turns around in straight faced surprise. Well I found it funny at the time.