For my rating of this film go to bottom of post. but don’t! read my o so insightful paragraphs..

Welll it was in teresting… it was like watching the evolution of a city on fast forward, thru the eyes of a resident who grew up there – who happens to be the film’s director and narrator Terrence Davies.

if you’re looking to “understand” a culture, a rhythm, a nation, better…how it is what it is today, then you’ll appreciate it (not saying you’ll thoroughly enjoy it…) for that. it’s like a chilled out video history lesson. ..makes you glad tho i have to say for not having grown up in england decades ago …as the author did allude to.. it was boring, time wasted away, the city was grey and uneventful..yet he acknowledges later on in the film, as he chronologically approaches ‘modern day’ that he ironically misses those times (o nostalgia..who can stop’ha

you might want to wait till its on dvd as even i had trouble understanding what he was saying at times – in part accent, in part due to historical/cultural quotes & references not part of my N.Amer life or decade of growing up.

Sometimes watching it, the older pple around me would laugh and i realized Terrence was reminding them of something they had experienced themselves growing up in england (i’m not a spy — they spoke with accents before the film started!) ..a few times i thought how my grandmother from england, were she alive today, would have loved this film.

watching this film on dvd with the cc (closed caption) on would be great for us younger ‘folk’ = to catch the poetic,latin comments by terrence, his humour that i knew instinctively was coming out witty but i cldnt always catch what he said.

the last part of the movie brings the city into the 21st century and even looking around the scenery presented you wonder..is this really a suitable place to be named the 2008 European capital of culture?? ….. i havent been there yet (i’m waiting for a call from the Wombats ha) and i do want to go and i appreciate this film for my 1st glimpse of it..but i do have to say, i hope its a bit more advanced,modern than what i saw at the end of this film. then again, i travel to some v. poor places,countries..and their magic makes me take many many more pictures than when in say, rome. and on that note, arrivaderci and goood night, TO

ps met the High Commissioner of the UK after the film – told him about my show…and you may be hearing music from his son next year (not that far away kiddies) as he’s apparantly in a rock band back in England. small world….

overall rating: 7/10 (for its historical, learning, and first person benefits – from a visual perspective that no books or reading could transmit)

from an ‘entertainment’ perspective rating is 5/10 (ps the older you are, the more entertaining it’ll be)
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It plays at the Ottawa European Film Fest. I’ll be there and post a review afterwards in case you can’t make it…

http://www.cfi-icf.ca/index.php?option=com_cfi&task=showscreening&id=88

Here’s my pre-humust (ha) review:
It’s Liv-pool dah-ling… the cultural capital of Ingg gland – so should be interesting to see how it’s development and urban choices (dont even know what i mean by that ..sound knowledgeable tho has affected or brought it to where it is today.

havent been to the ‘pool ..YET (so go jump in the pool you friendly fires!) so this’ll be a good backgrounder… peace out TO