Synopsis: When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their attitudes towards life. While the upper class children were confident and self-assured, those from middle and working class backgrounds were resigned to a challenging life of hard work. This premise was put to the test every seven years when the same group were interviewed about the progression of their lives. 49 years in the making, the changes that occurred to the original 14 make for fascinating television and are in many ways the stories of all our lives. From success and disappointment, marriage and childbirth, to poverty and illness, nearly every facet of life has been captured on film. Now, at the age of 56, the group are once more brought together and, with the benefit of hindsight, assess whether their lives have been ruled by circumstance or self-determination.
Happy New Year! Mirroring the lull that follows the high energy end-of-the-year countdown, this first week out of the gate is a pretty quiet one in theaters. (Minus the two extremely violent films that top the docket. Blood and gore: yay!) This phenomenon isn't particularly surprising, but it does l...
Read More »There are few projects in the history of cinema as ambitious or accomplished as Michael Apted's "Up" series. Started in 1964, the concept at first was to capture the socio-economic condition and how it affected children, but it soon turned into a decades-spanning look at life itself. E...
Read More »Once begun as a singular look into how class systems affected British children in 1964, director Michael Apted's “Up” series has instead grown into a pleasantly surprising portrait of aging and diversity, insomuch as it remains a wonder to consistently see a new chapter pop up. Consider it a shock t...
Read More »This weekend sees the wide releases of J.A. Bayona's well-received, heart-tugging tsunami drama "The Impossible," starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, and of Gus Van Sant's divisive fracking drama "Promised Land," starring co-screenwriters Matt Damon and John Krasinski.
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