Hyde Park on Hudson

[Beate]

There wasn't a thread yet - probably just as well for such a pointless, boring and unfunny film but I review every film I watch so here goes.

The Barbican Screen 1 is a lovely cinema with a steep incline but they had to ruin it all when they turned up the air con to full blast during the film, making me shiver all the way through. Also, the rows went up so high that I really don't understand why the smallish screen wasn't set higher. I don't mind looking down, but it just felt such a waste of good screening space.

Saw ejwrank + daughter and managed to get rawsalsa in on my second win even though they couldnt' find the second pair on their guest list. The screening wasn't full anyway.

I don't understand what this film was trying to do. It wasn't funny, it wasn't informative, it wasn't interesting, it wasn't romantic. Laura Linney's character was a ridiculous pushover and Bill Murray was... Bill Murray. Which doesn't matter in a film like What About Bob or Groundhog Day but when you portray a famous politician, you better try to be a little bit like him. So what do we learn? Roosevelt was a womanizer with polio. The war was won because the stuttering king ate a hot dog. Hyde Park isn't just in London. I hate voice-overs.

5/10

[LondonCityNights]

http://londoncitynights.blogspot.co.uk/ ... ed-by.html

It's a deeply strange and confused film about creepy handjobs.

[spoiler]So, in the hot dog party, George VI's sausage is supposed to somehow represent a penis, right? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?![/spoiler]

[Beate]

I forgot to say that we scarpered before the Q&A or, as the Barbican calls it, "Screen Talk" with the director so I can't contribute anything meaningful to that part of the screening.

[ejwrank]

Well daughter and I quite enjoyed this film. It was languid and disjointed at times but we still felt it was worth a watch. The director did say it had been a radio play first (long before The King's Speech) and the film was a work in progress when The King's Speech came out so it had to be rejigged of course but it was not jumping on the bandwagon which many have thought.

The temperature in the cinema was ridiculous. It was boiling hot when we entered and then the air con came on full blast so we sat in our coats and scarves and still felt cold. Why can cinemas not get this right? Hackney P'house is another culprit and both should be doing better. I complained to staff when I left and have just written a complaint. Sort yourselves out.

[Beate]

How long was the Q&A? I think we bumped into the director outside before he came in.

[ejwrank]

Q & A was about 30 minutes. Yes, you probably passed the director as he came in from that direction.

[canadian_turtle]

Saw this with a voucher yesterday afternoon and have to agree with Beate for the most part.

Not sure what this film was trying to archieve, but it wasn't romantic, interesting nor did any of the leads appeal to me. Though I did think Bill Murray was excellent.

Favourite part was actually the visit of the British royals, at least they had character.

Regret wasting a voucher on it... 5/10

[prettyxcool]

ooh, thanks c_t - won't waste a voucher on it!

[Ms Thrifty]

I still plan to see it on Monday as it will fit in neatly before the preview of Song For Marion and I have one Cineworld voucher left. If I don't like it, I won't say I wasn't warned, but I do tend to prefer the slower, more narrative-based type of film to action, special effects, etc. And it has to be better than Lincoln, surely!

[funthing29]

Well that was a letdown. Nowhere near as entertaining as the trailer made it out to be. This film really has nothing going for it: so-so script, lack of wit or comedy, unremarkable performances, and bland characters. The end result is rather dull. 5/10.