2014
WATCH
THEGAYUK FEB/MARCH
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20 FEET FROM
STARDOM
Up until the 1960's singing stars
on TV and Records were
supported by very wholesome
and rather genteel white female
singers. They were known by
other musicians as 'readers' as
they came in and sang exactly
what was on their music scores
without any deviation.
This is a bitter-sweet story, that
luckily ended up sweet at the end.
The overriding feeling is that despite
some of their professional set backs...
particularly in Darlene Love's case...
these remarkably legendary women
possess such a wonderful zest for life,
overflowing with exceptional good
humour and their love and respect
for each other. Completely infectious
just like the music. And they are all
still a part of the industry that they
love so much, despite all their ups
and downs. ∎
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Review by Roger Walker-Dack
PHILOMENA
It's Anthony's 50th
birthday, a fact that Jane
discovers when she finds
her mother Philomena
crying over an old
photograph.
Dame Judi Dench reunited
with Mr Frears (Mrs
Henderson Presents) is
flawless as Philomena, who she
reveals has this wonderful
sense of wicked humour, and
on certain matters is a lot more
worldly than we ever expected.
Her rigid belief in her faith
regardless of all the evil she
uncovers is both remarkable
and totally convincing, albeit
hard to approve off. Despite all
that she went through, she asks
for very little... 'I'd just like to
know what he thought of me, I
have thought about him every
day'. And she does at least get
that. It is a breath-taking
performance.
to its conclusion they develop a
close bond together and a deep
respect for each other.
This movie will probably end
up on my Year's Best Movie
List... I think it best to go into
this movie knowing no more of
the plot than what I have
revealed here. Although I
should perhaps share that you
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KILL YOUR DARLINGS
The cinematic fascination
with The Beat Generation
c o n t i n u e s r e g a r d l e s s .
Following on the heals of Walter
Salles’ take on Jack Kerouac's 'On
The Road' which the Critics were
quick to dismiss when it recently
had a limited release in US
theatres. We have this new movie
which, set in the mid 1940's, is
essentially a prequel to the
movement that was about to
begin. It's Lucian Carr's story, a
c e n t r a l f i g u r e i n A l l e n
Ginsberg's coming out, and the
wittiest member of their clique at
University, who ended up killing
his obsessed older ex-lover David
Kammerer who just wouldn't
leave him alone. ∎
will require more than one
pack of kleenex handy, and
also if you had a low opinion of
the morals of Catholic Nuns
before this, you will discover
that they are even more
despicably evil than that. Urgh!
Such a treat. ∎
Steve Coogan plays Sixsmith
rather drolly as a total nonbeliever and in the
investigation itself is the 'bad
cop' to her 'good cop' role. He
and Philomena hold different
views on almost everything,
but as the search moves closer
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