LOVEFILM: JUNE '15.

ZERO THEOREM ... 

Ten minutes was enough to prove to me this was too weird for my liking. Something Mr T confirmed on his having finished watching the film ... by himself. TT

Gilliam the cartoonist goes into overdrive in this creation of the surreal. In some respects 'Brazil' for the internet generation but in many ways that little bit darker as the subject of the controlling powers in consideration, is nihilism. Our hero is set to prove mathematically that the universe begins and ends in nothingness and much of that which is experienced in between is similarly a zero. With some spectacular sets and bleak characters, it is a projection of Gilliam's mind that some will tune into, but I imagine will probably leave the majority feeling cold and lonely. What gives being, meaning and purpose in the face of the failure of human constructs? An interesting film to have watched just before Lucy. NJT

LUCY ...

'Are humans more concerned with having, than being?' intones Morgan Freeman in his lecture, portending a film that could touch on the nature of human flourishing and how the potential to chemically create a super-human as the next evolutionary step forward... and yet we go down the path of a rather violent excursion through the dregs of humanity. The eponymous Lucy inadvertently becoming the experiment to prove the scientists hypothesis. Still as she becomes rather overdeveloped and determines to pursue and punish those who are responsible. And just what does one do with the sum of all human knowledge, the powers to shape-shift, read minds and bend all matter to your will? Are we become Gods? NJT

Weird but not so weird as to be un-watchable. Once I'd suspended disbelief and managed to disregard the strange little asides (IE images of the African savannah) that peppered the early part of the film this filled an hour and thirty minutes quite nicely. TT

(Inspired by Kelly's Thoughts & Ramblings 'One Sentence Movie Reviews'. To read her thoughts on Lucy please see here).

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY ...

Difficult not to compare this with the book BUT .... 

An enjoyable film even if they did miss out the whole bit of the book that saw the family in London and thus one of my favourite characters. The Hundred-Foot Journey is ultimately a feel good 'foodie flick'/'culture clash drama' which stands out not because of the plot but main characters, Helen Mirren (Madame Mallory) and Om Puri (Papa). TT

Very entertaining film about roots and the tensions of traditional cultures meeting. Helen Mirren as the seemingly austere widow preserving her husbands memory to maintain the highest standards of cuisine at their Michelin starred restaurant is challenged by the arrival of an Indian migrant family who set up shop directly opposite her establishment.  Om Puri heads the family fleeing oppression in India that has cost him his wife; whose sense of kharma turns an unfortunate vehicle breakdown into his determination as to where the family should be.  A film of passions, for food, for family and for the new and adventurous as the and cultural differences merge and learn from each other just as the cuisine is edified by the blending of styles. NJT

(To read Kelly's thoughts on this one click here).