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'71 (2014)
An unexpectedly fantastic film
I was looking for something to watch when I came across this movie as something I might like based on A Most Violent Year (a film I didn't watch in favour of this one).
It seems a lot of people have trouble understanding what exactly is going on. As a Brit that grew up in 80s/90s England I have no problem with this, but I can see it being an issue if you are otherwise not familiar with The Troubles. Therefore, before you watch this movie it would help if you read some background in to the history of the conflict (just go to the Wikipedia page for 'The Troubles').
Essentially, this story is set in 1971, the early stages of the conflict (it began in 1968), before Bloody Sunday and there was still an air of perhaps naivety from the British (explains the actions of the commander at the beginning not wanting to use riot gear). A soldier foolishly runs behind 'enemy lines' to retrieve a rifle that a kid has picked up and run off with. Not surprisingly, this soldier then proceeds to get a kicking, as does a mate that tries to help him. The mate ends up getting shot but he manages to survive, largely in part due to the sensibilities of the residents present who manage to delay the shooters. He ends up running down alleys to escape, etc, and the rest of the film is portraying his attempt to get back to his barracks.
This is when it becomes hard for people unfamiliar with the history find it confusing. He is a target for the provisional IRA (Catholic), whilst the Official IRA (the IRA split in two in 69/70) want to keep him alive, afraid of the consequences otherwise. Then you have the Ulster/Loyalist faction (Protestant, the little boy, etc) who are essentially pro- British and want to kill the Republicans (IRA). Furthermore, you have the shady undercover agents of the British military who are mostly helping the Loyalists (Ulster paras) but also want him dead since he saw them helping with bomb making for the Ulsters.
The film is well directed and the acting is first rate. Personally, I found that it held my attention throughout and was a gripping storyline. The cinematography is top notch and it felt as though it was 1971. I have no experience of NI in the 70s, so can't comment on the accuracy of the sets, other than to say it looked how I remember seeing NI in all the news reports back in the day.
The Trip (2010)
Excellent, intelligent comedy
OK, so I am not going to describe the movie as this has been done in the other reviews....except to say the James Bond scene and the 'we will rise at dawn' scene are genius. I am a Brit who has lived in NYC for the past 5+ years and so I missed the TV series, however, I am very familiar with the work from both guys especially through the 90s and early 2000s. There are a fair few references to each others famous parts which were totally lost on the audience in NY (e.g. anything Alan Partridge related) but the rest of the film went down very well. I feel if you 'get' British comedy you will love this movie. If you prefer the more in your face Hangover type stuff (also very good) then you may be disappointed. If you have problems understanding the Northern English or Welsh accent you may also have problems and should probably wait for the DVD with subtitles.....neither is very strong but definitely not your typical English accent observed in most movies that contains one.
Very good movie with excellent cinematography.
Top Gear (2002)
Best show on in the States
Firstly, I am a Brit living in NYC so I am perhaps a bit biased towards this type of humour. However, this show is amazing and by far the funniest show on TV over here and the only program I try to watch when a new episode appears (currently Monday nights on BBC America). The reason why this show is so good and has lasted and has the massive budget allowing it to build the biggest space project in Europe at that time (hilarious episode where they turned a Reliant Robin in to a space shuttle.....including the different rocket phases) and become the first people to ever drive to the North Pole is because it appeals to a very wide audience.....the car enthusiasts and the not-so-enthusiastic. I like cars and stuff but definitely not an enthusiast and watch the show purely for the entertainment and what crazy bizarre challenge they are going to do.
Clarkson is definitely an acquired taste and you are either going to love him or hate him but he speaks his mind, doesn't care if he offends or is un-PC (very refreshing in todays TV) and is funny. James May is the opposite as he tries to be the most considerate and polite (most noticeable when they are in other countries) and is basically an English gentleman with some very good, witty, dry one-liners. Hammond is the most 'normal' and is basically just having fun and acting like a fat kid in a sweet shop. The cinematography is amazing as are each of the different segments. The interviews with the stars are very good and you genuinely get the feeling they want to be there rather than being obligated to be there to push their next film, record, etc, and as a consequence the interviews can be excellent.
The negative reviews that give opinions about how they think it should be done are basically describing what Top Gear was back in the 80s and 90s (used to watch them as a kid as well).....and guess what, it basically failed. The old show was fine for the car enthusiasts and kids (boys) who had posters of the Testerosa, etc, but no one else cared (e.g. my mum hated it) whereas this show appeals to (almost) everyone (including my mum & girlfriend who only care about whether or not it will get you 'there' in one piece). The budget back then was considerable less as a consequence and a 'bit' boring.
All in all, it is a top-notch factual entertainment program and definitely worth your time (even more so now that they are showing the UK unedited (full-length) versions)!