Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. In this blog, I will be taking you through some films I saw so far in 2024 and my thoughts on them. One of them was possibly the weirdest yet most entertaining film I've seen in my life, one where it tells the tale of a late British Icon, and the final one being my Nan's favourite films starring the late Patrick Swayze.
Saltburn:
The first film I saw is Saltburn on Amazon Prime, starring Barry Keoghan, Rosumand Pike, Richard E Grant and Alison Oliver.
The plot as seen on IMDb is as follows:
A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten.
This has got to be one of the weirdest films I've seen, and I can see why everyone was talking about it when it was released. But in some ways I kind of enjoyed it. I won't say much else in fear of spoilers but let's just say that if anyone mentions certain scenes like the bathroom, once you watch it, you'll get it.
Oliver Quick (played by Barry Keoghan), was the perfect example of how you should never judge someone before you get to know them. And I say that as well because yes he may seem like someone who just wants to fit in, but then once you watch the film you’ll know it’s a completely different story! And I do get why he wants to be friends with Felix, but even still I think it’s weird. And Felix himself (played by Jacob Elordi) is someone who yes is of higher class but is also someone who is kind and generous behind the financial wealth. But he definitely took it for granted, as if you watch the film, you’ll see what happens to him.
There are other characters who have made a big impact but things didn’t go according to plan. These include Sir James Catton, played by Richard E Grant, who is firm and definitely shows he is in charge, his wife Elspeth, played by Rosamund Pike, who took her kindness to Oliver for granted, and Felix’s sister Venetia, played by Alison Oliver, who I think kind of liked Oliver, but her teasing may have given him different ideas. Alison in particular was a good stand out for me, as after seeing her in Conversations With Friends, and being originally Irish, her RP accent is just incredible. I can’t imagine how much practice she has put into it, which just shows that consistency will pay off.
I don't think I have any downsides to the film, but my only point was that as mentioned before it was one of the weirdest films I've seen in a long time. But I guess in some ways it's also the most entertaining films, as what is normal nowadays?
Overall I would give the show a 4. There were some moments where I was expecting certain moments and I did cringe in some of the others, but lets just say the ending was the biggest surprise of them all. And I can see why ALOT of people were talking about it!
Back to Black:
The next film I will be mentioning is Back To Black, starring Melissa Abela and casted by Nina Gold.
This is a biopic film, which tells the story of global star Amy Winehouse, her music success, the struggles we face and how she became the well known and more importantly well loved music sensation that she is today.
For some reason I've always gravitated towards this star, and despite her death she still continues to hold a legacy. Melissa Abela who portrayed her was just brilliant. i haven't had heard of the name before this film, and after researching that she was in some stuff like The Barbie movie, I think this was her first time doing something like this. and what a good job she did, because as the movie went on, she sounded more like amy every time she sang. Yes there was training involved to get the technique right, the fact that she actually sang the songs just shows how much she dedicated into the role, as normally the actual voice of the singer would replace their dialogue. And also capturing moments like Glastonbury and when she won the Grammy was also something special, as they were moments that the public would remember.
There are other characters in the film that definitely impacted Amy’s life. One of them included her nan Cynthia (played by Lesley Manville). Their relationship reminded me of my relationship with my Nan, and Cynthia is the dream grandparent Amy could ask for. And I have a feeling that when Cynthia got ill and then eventually passed away, it didn’t help Amy knowing how much she was struggling already. Another person who definitely impacted Amy was her dad Mitch (played by Eddie Marsan). I loved his support for Amy, and even though he was uneasy with her relationship with Blake, I had a feeling he didn’t want to interfere incase it made things worse. And I can’t imagine how much he suffered when Amy’s passing was announced, as he was a good dad to her. And of course the final person to mention is of course Blake Fielder-Civil (played Derbyshire actor Jack O’Connell). I feel that they bonded over their own addictions, and therefore they can get a better understanding of each other. But again I can see why it made her hit rock bottom, and I can get why Blake did want to separate from Amy, but she knew she wasn’t keen on the idea.
I didn't really see any downsides to the film, but my dad did ask me the question who was responsible for Amy's death. That really got me in a pickle, as I know that the pressure of being in the spotlight constantly must've took it's toll, and also the death of Amy's nan Cynthia had a huge impact. Some were saying Amy's dad may have stepped up sooner to avoid something like this, some saying that it was Blake and how his lifestyle affected hers. But I guess it all depends on different people. Either way, what happened to her was horrific yes, but it's moments like this where I guess you never know what goes on in someone's head.
Overall, I would give this film a solid 5. It had drama, it had moments of warmth, and it was one of the first films where in a long time, I shedded a tear during the song Back To Black. I never did before, now after watching the film and everything leading up to it, it has a whole new meaning of it.
Dirty Dancing:
The final film I will talk about in this blog is Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey and the late Patrick Swayze.
This tells the story of spoilt girl Francis "Baby" Houseman, who learns a lot about life at a holiday place from working class dance instructor Johnny Castle. I finally saw this film after needing it in prep for a busy week coming up then, and I'm glad i watched it. Also because I'm in the process of working on a short story inspired by this film, i now have seen it to give enough evidence to prove that it was inspired by it.
The two leads have a chemistry like no other. Before the events of the film, it was clear to see that Baby was so focused on what she wanted, but after meeting johnny and filling in for his dance partner, she soon learns a whole new meaning about being equal and changing the world. Johnny himself also learnt a few things from Baby, and that even though it shows he doesn't have the luxuries like Baby, he soon learns to accept himself for who he is and not what others think he should be. Also after finding out that Grey and Swayze didn't always get on behind the scenes, their professionalism to put their differences aside is what i think makes good performers. But during the scenes where things got tense between Baby and Castle I think did help to let it out.
Yes there are other characters I could mention throughout the film, but for the purposes of this blog I'll only mention three, which I feel are the key characters to helping the film come together.
I felt like Penny (played by Cynthia Rhodes) played a key part in the story, as if she didn’t have the abortion, then it wouldn’t have brought Frances and Johnny together. And after seeing that baby is willing to help those around her, I feel that the two of them will become friends for life.
Baby’s dad Jake (played by Jerry Orbach) was someone who definitely judges someone before they got to know them. An example being when he’s around johnny, and based on the fact that he comes from a lower class background he automatically assumes he’s bad news. But at the end of the film, he really did mean it when he admitted he was wrong, and I’m glad his relationship with Baby has mended.
Robbie (played by Max Cantor) is the definition of a player. He’s the sort of person who seems perfect, but after what he did to Penny, his true colours definitely emerged. I’m just glad that Jake was able to spot the truth when Robbie said something he shouldn’t at the end of the film.
I don't have any downsides to it but more just questions on what happens after the film. Yes there is the ending and the iconic dance and lift to "I've had the time of my life", but I would be interested to give off some hints as to the relationship between Baby and Johnny after the film. Other than that I don't see any moments where I thought I didn't like it.
Overall, I would give the film a 4.95. A timeless classic I finally saw, and now it makes me want to do the dance itself.
And those were some of the films I watched throughout this year. Let me know if you've seen any of the three and what you thought of them, or which other films you have watched this year. Also keep a look out for part 2 of films that I've watched throughout this year.
See you soon for another blog. Until next time...
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)
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