www.capitol-city.com

6/16/97 Today's movie:	My rating:
Brassed Off	Full Price Feature!

Distributed by Miramax MPAA rating: R

Brassed Off is a tiny little British movie about the coal mining town of Grimley, the Tory party's coal mine closures, and the Colliery Band trembling on the edge of packing it all in. It may not sound like much, but it was a wonderful movie - "Pete Postlethwaite's best film this summer!" Pete Postlethwaite is really amazing as the colliery band leader - emotions track across his cheekboned face leaving deep footprints. Ewan McGregor (you know, Trainspotting alum turned young Obi-Wan Kenobi) is similarly translucent - if the sound had cut out of the film, we still would have known exactly what was going on, just by watching him and Pete. Steven Thompkinson plays Postlethwaite's son, a man in a terrible position in town, with more layers than an onion. Tara Fitzgerald is fine as Gloria, the Grimley native who is an outsider as well. My writing skills are insufficient in such a brief medium and without giving away plot points to fullt recommend this film. I don't know much about Tory/Whig British politics or the Margaret Thatcher detractions, but the plight of these desperate miners does not need to have a political background to have power. Brassed Off has a great deal of comedy as well, and at the beginning I would have descibed it as "sweetly funny," but then the movie becomes much more than a catch phrase. You dialect hounds out there will fancy the Yorkshire sounds and music fans will love the band's performances. The cast is filled with comfortable, real faces and viscerally real performances. Please go see it! Pay full price! karina

to 1997 Movie index

Rating System (from Best to Worst):

Full Price Feature Matinee Price only Definite Rental Catch it on HBO Just wait for the Network Premiere Avoid at All Costs

© 1997 Miramax, all rights reserved Movie Reviews by Karina Montgomery © 1997 Capitol City Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved

back to top 10 movies of 1997

Front Page * Capitol City Arts * Music-City / Venues * Contact Capitol-City

Register w/ Capitol-City * Advertising Rates * Capitol Area Listings * Austin Life