Matt wants us to show more films about football and recalls a childhood trip to the cinema when he never got to see a film. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewGeorgewh.
What was the first film you saw at film club?
Mona Lisa, screened in tribute to Bob Hoskins.
What’s been your favourite film at film club, and why?
Probably Aguirre, Wrath Of God (Werner Herzog, 1972) which I’d not seen before. There was a remarkable atmosphere upstairs at the Lord Palmerston for that one. I’d also like to mention all of the excellent Shorter Film Festivals.
What’s been your least favourite film?
I’ve taken something from every film and certainly never been tempted to join the walkouts. Billy Wilder’s One, Two, Three unaccountably beat The Lost Weekend, Some Like It Hot AND Sunset Boulevard. It’s not a patch on any of those, but it was filmed in Berlin just before the Wall went up, so that was interesting.
Which film that you voted for are you most annoyed has lost the vote?
The link from Kubrick’s The Killing was non-linear narratives, and Nicholas Roeg’s Bad Timing would have been better than Stanley Donen’s Two For The Road.
What’s a favourite film of yours you’d love to see at film club?
Right now, absolutely anything, as we’d be through this, but Jean-Luc Godard’s A Bout De Souffle, which has lost a couple of votes. Apocalypse Now is always good to see with others, but is way too long for a Tuesday evening.
Tell us a theme and three choices you’d put up for the vote.
Football. Mainly to annoy Nigel and Wayne. But even they might enjoy these: 1) Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. (Douglas Gordon & Philippe Parreno, 2006). They filmed Zinedine Zidane, the greatest player of his era, in one match in real time using 17 cameras, focusing only on him. Preferably to be screened with Mogwai playing the soundtrack live. 2) The Pass (Ben A Williams, 2016). Based on the John Donnelly play you may have seen upstairs at the Royal Court. Russell Tovey and Arinze Kene are teenage Academy players sharing a hotel room before making their debut in a dead rubber Champions League. What happens that night resonates over the next decade. 3) The Damned United (Tom Hooper, 2009). Adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace’s novel, Michael Sheen is mesmerising as Brian Clough during his ill-fated 44-day spell as Leeds United manager in 1974. Look out for Stephen Graham and Martin Compston as players.
Is there a book about film that you’d recommend to other members?
F Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished The Last Tycoon. He worked in Hollywood for years and the lead character is based on Irving Thalberg, the producer nicknamed The Boy Wonder who died suddenly after rejecting Gone With The Wind.
What’s your earliest memory of going to the cinema?
A rerelease of Dumbo with my brother and sister. The queue was so long we didn’t get in. I’ve still never seen it.
What’s your most memorable cinematic experience?
I went to see Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at the Cannon 1 -3 in Bristol. There was just an elderly couple there, and they walked out after five minutes. About five minutes after that another person came into the cinema and sat right next to me. The film had already unnerved me and I couldn’t concentrate at all after that.
What was the last film you saw outside film club and would you recommend it?
The Falling (Carol Morley, 2014), which we’d recorded when first shown on TV years ago, and never got round to seeing. Not as good as her extraordinary Dreams Of A Life, but well worth seeing.
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