Jimmy's Hall (2014) by Ken Loach

"Why is an old tin hall so dangerous?" 

Links:

• Review by The Irish Times
• Timeline of Irish history
• Home Rule, Easter Rising and War of Independence (1912–1922)
• Free State and Republic (1922–present)
• Jimmy Gralton

Questions:

1. What are the themes of Ken Loach's film?
2. How is the Church depicted?
3. With which character do you most identify?
4. Would you like to have a "Jimmy's Hall" in the area you live in?!
5. Why is Jimmy a great leader?

To do:

1. Research the life and times of Jimmy Gralton (does the film give a true picture of Gralton's life?).
2. Write a review of the film (who is Ken Loach, what is the film about, what do you think of it?).

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Review from The Guardian: click HERE!

Argo

Argo, a quite truthful film about making a movie but not for real...

Review from The Guardian

Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, was released in 2012; it’s a thriller about the American hostage crisis in Tehran in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution.

This movie focuses on the character of Tony Mendes, played by Affleck himself. He was the CIA agent who freed the American hostages who had managed to hide in the Canadian Embassy.

Nowadays, Hollywood movies rarely bother with historical accuracy, but this movie (which won the 2013 Best Picture Oscar) sticks closely to the facts. The director has done a great job: every camera shot will give you the impression of being in the thick of the action. We are there, with Tony and the hostages, at every single moment. For example: the scene when the hostages left in the American Embassy get interrogated will really make you sweat!

Affleck has really captured the intensity of the emotions that Tony Mendes, the hostages, and the CIA staff felt during the rescue operation. Also, we learn a lot about the US's foreign relations at the end of the '70s.

Article by Gauthier Genes (Sainte-Marie)

Which are the greatest documentary films of all time?

Click HERE to read a BBC News article!

WW1 started one hundred years ago... What are the films from that period or inspired by that period?

Shoulder Arms by Charles Chaplin (1918)

List of films from or about WW1 (Wikipedia)

The King's Speech

The King's Speech is a movie by Tom Hooper. It won four Oscars in 2011.

This is the true story of George VI (played by Colin Firth, Oscar for Best Actor), a shy man with a stammer, who had to become King of Britain after his brother Edward VIII abdicated to marry a woman who had already been married twice.

The film shows George VI's fight to overcome his fear of speaking in public, with the essential help of his wife (played by Helena Bonham-Carter) and his language therapist (played by Geoffrey Rush), who has quite unconventional methods.

This movie is really a deeply moving story, about courage and loyalty, and friendship, and the two hours of film doesn't seem long at all. The actors are brilliant and the movie is also quite funny!

Article by Mickael, Hadrien & Floriane from Sainte-Marie

Captain America, clever propaganda

The cinema adaptation of the adventures of Captain America, one of the very early Marvel heroes, is great!

'Captain America: First Avenger' is about how Steve Rogers, frail and timid, becomes a volunteer in an experimental program that transforms him into a super soldier.

Though the story is fairly predictable, this is a film full of action, a fun mix of genres, and good actors. We recommend it to all fans of super heroes.

The strip cartoon Captain America was important in the US propaganda campaign against the Nazis (he first appeared in 1941). This film shows how Steve Rogers is used by the propaganda machine; the movie thus becomes a critique of American jingoism (then and now). Paradoxically, the film then becomes itself a kind of propaganda movie because Steve as Captain America does, despite the silly costume, become a real hero, symbolizing American individualism, courage and flair.

Article by Nicolas and Antoine from Sainte-Marie