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Keeping Mum (2005)
Surprisingly wonderful English comedy
This is an almost perfect "naughty" English comedy whose humour is too complicated to be described. Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith, and the rest of the cast are perfect. This is the most understated I have ever seen Atkinson, and marks an interesting evolution for him. Two young ladies in front of me were still giggling halfway through the closing credits, and the entire audience, judging from the laughter, had a great time. I chuckled all the way home - think I'll go see it again tonight, as I have an "Unlimited" card, so can see as many movies as I like for 11 pounds a month.
Seriously, this is not a "sweetness-and-light" comedy - it has a dark side, which is evident from the beginning, but that aspect drives the humour, because it touches feelings in us which we must restrain, but in watching the film we are allowed to indulge them. It also has a lot of very deep things to say about marriage and religion (Atkinson plays a shy, self- absorbed country vicar with a beautiful wife and daughter whom he neglects) without indulging in the usual superficial post-modern ironic attacks on either institution. In fact, it has some very intelligent things to say about both of them.
You really must see this movie - it is a gem - if you know people who don't normally go to the movies (like older in-laws) urge them to see this one, or at least rent the DVD.
CQ (2001)
Brilliant, hilarious, thoughtful movie-within-movie.
My son rented this. Wonderful recreation of the style and atmosphere of the giddy culmination of franco-italian filmaking in the late '60s permeates a hilarious movie- within-a-movie. Reminiscent of Barbarella, 8 1/2, and the 10th Victim, shot in both B&W and color, the struggles of a young editor who is losing connection with his girl-friend because of his obsession with both the film he is working on and the beautiful leading lady are affecting and involving. Given an awful sci-fi film to rescue from a fired director, by a producer who is both intuitively brilliant and ridiculously old-school, the editor obsesses over the ending while falling in love with the star.
The stylishness of this film is as important as the story. CG focuses loving attention on the pre-digital world of continental film-making with long shots of threaded-film editing equipment, cameras, reel-to-reel tape-recorders, tiny old cars careening through the streets of '60s Paris, and "8 /12"-style parties. I was astonished at how it evoked the feelings I experienced upon first watching the "fun films" of Fellini, Antonioni, and Godard, and the relationship-centric films of the British "Girl With Green Eyes" period. Rent this film!