2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!
ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
SnoopyStyle It's the 90s Yorkshire, England. Gloria Mullins (Tara Fitzgerald) is assigned to her hometown of Grimley to evaluate the coal mine. The Thatcher government is closing coal mines all throughout the country and replacing them with nuclear power. The Grimley Colliery Brass band is a beloved tradition and almost as old as the mine. Gloria plays the flugelhorn and s the band. She reconnects with childhood love Andy Barrow (Ewan McGregor). Sick band leader Danny Ormondroyd (Pete Postlethwaite) tries to rally the dispirited men.This is not necessarily a feel-good movie. It has the light quirky moments in a movie dealing with some darker working class matters. This is a place broken by the inevitable closure. This is not an uplifting story about the little guys overcoming great odds to save the mine. There is no solidarity. It is a great slice of a crumbling pie. Tara and Ewan are a good looking pair. It's Pete Postlethwaite that truly steals the audience's heart.
oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- Brassed Off, 1996. A 100 years old coal miners brass band hit economic and social troubles when their coal mine's labor problems threaten to shut the mine down along with the band organization.*Special Stars- Pete Postlewaite, Ewan McGregor, Jim Carter.*Theme- Taking a social stand and speaking out is as important as making band music.*Trivia/location/goofs- UK, Yorshire. This film's band music caused a resurgence of interest in band music. Wtach this film for first-time on camera performances for many British and Scotish leading character actors.*Emotion- A thoroughly enjoyable character driven film plot about regular people's struggles with work, family and goals. It's a memorable film for it's themes, good casting, writing, and production.
halima-shaline This is British Cinema at its very best and has been my favourite film of all time since I first saw it on the big screen. I cannot think of two more powerful performances committed to celluloid than those of Peter Postlethwaite and Stephen Tompkinson. There is so much emotion in "Brassed Off" that anyone who fails to be moved must have a heart of stone...if indeed they have a heart at all. People I know (or reviews I have read) that didn't like the film have criticised the intense political messages within it, but in my opinion these folk are missing the point entirely. It's true that there is a fierce undercurrent of anti right wing leaning running through the movie, but to portray the characters any other way would be factually inaccurate. Some may view Thatcher as a Saint, but characters like those in Brassed Off can only ever view her as an evil tyrant. Anyway I'm going off on a tangent now. My point is this: Brassed Off is a very humane picture that paints a picture of early eighties folk who have been robbed of their livelihood, yet still manages to be funny, charming, heartwarming, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A truly wonderful film.
gcd70 Strong, emotional drama about the little guy struggling against the rising tide, which includes enforced redundancy. Writer/director Mark Herman's film is really only an outcry against the 140 plus pit closures in England that have seen half a million jobs lost.Though strong and entertaining throughout, this is no classic drama. The comedy, patchy at best, does reaffirm that the poms have the funniest sense of humour in the world.Pete Postlethwaite is in top form, and he and his on screen son Phil (Stephen Tomkinson) give two dramatic turns that are the movie's biggest positive. Ewan McGregor is good too, though he doesn't get a chance to display his raw talent. Tara Fitzgerald, as the only female player in the colliery band, is also enjoyable. from Jim Carter, Ken Colley, Philip Jackson and Stephen Moore back these thesps up well. Trevor Jones backs up his orchestration of some snazzy brass numbers with his own melodic score. Recommended for music lovers.Monday, February 16, 1998 - Hoyts Croydon
