Calvary (John Michael McDonagh, 2014): Trying to be a Good Man

SHORT NOTES

Calvary is a brilliant, powerful film. I've seen some people complaining about there not being enough comedy in it. But this is not like The Guard at all, it's a serious and disturbing drama. I laughed a couple of times but they were black, black laughs. What got to me most was the whole atmosphere of disrespect for the priest played by Brendan Gleeson. He's such a decent man, but his parishioners seem to have nothing but contempt for him. The picture it paints of Ireland is an exaggeration for sure but I know plenty of Irish people who are a bit similar to the characters here, doing anything they can to prove they're not under the thumb of the church. And I don't think I've ever seen a film that made me feel so sorry for its leading man. To me it said something profoundly moving about trying to be good in a modern world where it's fashionable to sneer at goodness, and everyone is supposed to just be concerned with their own pleasure (and where the Catholic church as a whole is mocked and despised because of a small percentage of bad priests). I've noticed that the reviews of the film outside Ireland have been much stronger than those inside it. I wonder if people there are offended by the bleak picture it paints of their country. But to me that side of it is immaterial. I don't take it as representative. All I care about is that as DRAMA it's astonishing.

The Last 50 Movies I've Watched

1. Anchorman
2. A Streetcar Named Desire
3. The Interrupters
4. David Holzman’s Diary
5. Stone Reader
6. Marlene 
7. Filth
8. God Bless America
9. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
10. Le Weekend
11. Senna
12. High Anxiety
13. Grosse Pointe Blank
14. The Circus 
15. Billion Dollar Brain
16. Mission Impossible 4
17. Mean Girls
18. This Gun for Hire
19. Bambi
20. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
21. Mayor of the Sunset Strip 
22. Body and Soul
23. One Two Three
24. Dumbo
25. Child’s Pose
26. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
27. The Asphalt Jungle
28. Mr Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
29. Patience After Sebald
30. Project Nim
31. Pride and Prejudice (2005)
32. You Can Count On Me
33. Unknown
34. Point Blank
35. Thor: The Dark World
36. Cluny Brown
37. Stories We Tell 
38. Roman Holiday 
39. Five Graves to Cairo
40. Owning Mahoney
41. George Harrison Living in the Material World
42. The Darjeeling Limited
43. Zero Dark Thirty
44. Superman (1978)
45. Fail-Safe (1964)
46. Wayne’s World
47. The Letter 
48. Harper
49. Husbands and Wives
50. The Wrestler

Of these the best were Stone Reader, Senna, Grosse Pointe Blank, The Circus, Billion Dollar Brain, Mission Impossible 4, Mean Girls, This Gun for Hire, Mayor of the Sunset Strip, Body and Soul, One Two Three, Patience After Sebald, Pride and Prejudice, Stories We Tell, Roman Holiday, George Harrison Living in the Material World, Zero Dark Thirty, Fail-Safe, The Letter and Husbands and Wives

The Last 50 Movies I've Watched

1. Robinson in Space
2. Singles
3. The Hunt
4. Act of Violence
5. Silent Movie
6. Prisoners
7. The Paper Chase
8. Liberal Arts
9. They Drive by Night
10. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
11. Macbeth (1971)
12. Cosmopolis
13. Enough Said
14. Father of the Bride (1950)
15. Rush
16. Her
17. About Time
18. The Wolf of Wall Street
19. Gravity
20. Alan Partridge Alpha Papa
21. Captain Phillips
22. Starter for Ten
23. The Act of Killing
24. Mammoth
25. Bernie
26. August: Osage County
27. The Arbor
28. The Great Beauty
29. Inside Llewyn Davis
30. Redentor
31. Behind the Candelabra
32. Brave
33. 12 Years A Slave
34. Blue Jasmine
35. Oliver Twist (1948)
36. All is Lost
37. Dallas Buyers Club
38. Suddenly Last Summer
39. The Browning Version (1950)
40. American Hustle
41. Room 237
42. Dirty Wars
43. Nebraska
44. Blue is the Warmest Colour
45. Mission Impossible 3
46. Hard Eight
47. The Spirit of ‘45
48. Philomena
49. Hot Shots Part Deux
50. The Verdict

Of these to me the best were Silent Movie, Prisoners, Macbeth (1971), The Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, Bernie, August: Osage County,The Arbor, Redentor, Brave, 12 Years A Slave, (the final half hour of) Suddenly Last Summer, Nebraska, Mission Impossible 3, Hard Eight, The Spirit of ‘45 and Philomena.

A lot of the big films of 2013, like Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Jasmine, All is Lost and Dallas Buyers Club, I thought were pretty good but nothing outstanding. American Hustle was a real disappointment. 

London (Patrick Keiller, 1994): 90 Screenshots