Royal Albert Hall introduction:
British classic Brassed Off comes to the Royal Albert Hall for a special screening with live accompaniment by the brass band that inspired the story. This 1996 bittersweet comedy drama, written and directed by Mark Herman, stars Pete Postlethwaite as Danny, the devoted leader of the Grimley Colliery Band, who is determined to show the Tories ‘we are not defeated’. Ewan McGregor, Stephen Tompkinson and Tara Fitzgerald are stand-outs in an impressive ensemble cast. Relive a piece of British cinema history as the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and members of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra perform the score live at the iconic venue at the film’s heart, alongside the film on the big screen. This special screening will be preceded by an on-stage Q&A hosted by Jim Carter, with cast members including Tara Fitzgerald, Stephen Tompkinson, Philip Jackson, Mary Healey, Sue Johnston, Melanie Hill, writer/director Mark Herman and producer Steve Abbott.
British classic Brassed Off comes to the Royal Albert Hall for a special screening with live accompaniment by the brass band that inspired the story. This 1996 bittersweet comedy drama, written and directed by Mark Herman, stars Pete Postlethwaite as Danny, the devoted leader of the Grimley Colliery Band, who is determined to show the Tories ‘we are not defeated’. Ewan McGregor, Stephen Tompkinson and Tara Fitzgerald are stand-outs in an impressive ensemble cast. Relive a piece of British cinema history as the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and members of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra perform the score live at the iconic venue at the film’s heart, alongside the film on the big screen. This special screening will be preceded by an on-stage Q&A hosted by Jim Carter, with cast members including Tara Fitzgerald, Stephen Tompkinson, Philip Jackson, Mary Healey, Sue Johnston, Melanie Hill, writer/director Mark Herman and producer Steve Abbott.
Time Out review:
This is an angry, tragic film, which softens you up with a few off-the-peg stereotypes and colloquial laughs and then rams them back down your throat. Pete Postlethwaite is Danny, the devoted leader of the Grimley Colliery Band. Music is so important to him, he barely notices that the pit's on the verge of closure, and can't begin to understand why members like Andy (Ewan McGregor), Harry (Jim Carter) and even his own son, Phil (Stephen Tompkinson), are finding it hard to cough up their subs. Matters come to a head with the band competing in the national championships and the miners voting for voluntary redundancy. Writer/director Mark Herman pulls off a popular, proletarian comedy which might actually appeal to the people it's about. He uses comic shorthand - not all the relationships are as developed as they might be - but captures a credible sense of the tensions within the community at large, and the devastating impact of the pit closures. He's not shy about laying the blame, either. Tompkinson, Postlethwaite and Carter are stand-outs in an impressive ensemble cast, but for many, the brass band music will come as the real revelation.
Tom Charity
Here (and above) is the trailer. This is an angry, tragic film, which softens you up with a few off-the-peg stereotypes and colloquial laughs and then rams them back down your throat. Pete Postlethwaite is Danny, the devoted leader of the Grimley Colliery Band. Music is so important to him, he barely notices that the pit's on the verge of closure, and can't begin to understand why members like Andy (Ewan McGregor), Harry (Jim Carter) and even his own son, Phil (Stephen Tompkinson), are finding it hard to cough up their subs. Matters come to a head with the band competing in the national championships and the miners voting for voluntary redundancy. Writer/director Mark Herman pulls off a popular, proletarian comedy which might actually appeal to the people it's about. He uses comic shorthand - not all the relationships are as developed as they might be - but captures a credible sense of the tensions within the community at large, and the devastating impact of the pit closures. He's not shy about laying the blame, either. Tompkinson, Postlethwaite and Carter are stand-outs in an impressive ensemble cast, but for many, the brass band music will come as the real revelation.
Tom Charity
****************
No 2 The Edge of Seventeen (Fremon Craig, 2016):
Rooftop Cinema, Bussey Building, Peckham, 8.30pm
I have been to screenings at the excellent Rooftop Film Club and was very impressed. Seating is in directors' chairs and there's lovely food and drink and blankets to keep warm in cool weather. Here is a list of their upcoming attractions.
Chicago Reader review:
A garrulous, unpopular high school student (Hailee Steinfeld) seethes when her studly brother (Blake Jenner) begins dating her only friend (Haley Lu Richardson). This is the first feature by writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig, and despite the conventional teenpic narrative, her protagonist is richly conceived: in contrast to the stereotypical four-eyed nerd, she's uncool in the way that most teenagers are, hovering awkwardly outside of social circles and storing up bitterness for every perceived slight. Steinfeld (True Grit) is well cast in the role, proving she can shine with the right material; the supporting cast includes Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, and Hayden Szeto.
Leah Pickett
Here (and above) is the trailer.
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