Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium – Timeless

Blur: Live at Wembley Stadium

Blur: Live at Wembley Stadium Rating

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The film “Blur: Live at Wembley Stadium,” directed by Tony L, is a concert film that shows the well-loved alternative/rock band Blur performing their songs to hundreds in Wembley. The sense of camaraderie, love of their music, and craft were evident in every number and every shot.

The guitar, piano and drums were amazing to watch and skillfully played. The vocals, while not the conventional vocal style of many pop artists, suited the genre quite well and reminded me of other bands such as The Killers and Coldplay (if they played grungy rock). Whether it be due to the sound mix quality of the film itself or the stage sound mix, it was difficult to understand what the lead vocalist was saying sometimes. Despite this, it was clear that they held their own and seamlessly lead each song with talent and professionalism. Transitions were well done and on point. All solos worked well and provided the right amount of dynamics to draw in the audience.

The shots and colours were fairly high quality and offered inviting and attractive visuals. The use of space onstage was creative and took advantage of the size of the stage. The use of lighting and contemporary stage design added to the aesthetic and complimented the music genre well. Purple, orange, and blue filters over the projections of the band members added a very 90s aesthetic, which I enjoyed.

Their use of props was especially interesting and uniquely added character to the show. For example, the use of megaphones and tall cardboard cut out of a polar bear. This also contributed to interesting musical dynamics in that the siren on the bear’s megaphone was turned on during the end of one of the songs and complimented it very well. Lighting was also cleverly placed at this point. It is clear that a live show was especially important to them, and the work they put into engaging the audience in these ways was impressive, and amusing and expressed the band’s personality well.

 

Audience interaction and inclusion in the film added a sense of community surrounding the band and the experience. The clapping in unison at the beginning of their fourth song was a great example of this. Another was the request of the mask of Darren to be put on. many in the crowd placed a mask over their face and raved along to the relevant song, which the lead guitarist led vocally. Hearing the crowd sing along and added a wholesome vibe to the show.

An understandable note I have was the presence of two men in white coats, adjusting instruments and amps on stage during songs. While it makes sense that there would be people to help with this, it seemed disruptive on more than one occasion. Some of the shots were good quality, but slightly spoiled by the running back and forth of the stagehands/roadies. One of which, almost got hit in the face by a guitar a few times, which I found concerning.

At one stage, towards the end of a song, it seemed something had gone wrong with one of the instruments or pedals because the lead guitar cut out, and the lead vocalist requested the audience sing acapella with them instead. The lead guitarist initially seemed nervous about the issue but was soon comforted by the seamless way everyone rallied to finish the song. It was a beautiful moment, whether intended or not, that became one of my favourite moments in the film.

At every moment, Blur showed that they, without a doubt, know how to put on a show. Yes, time may have passed, but this show is TIMELESS.

The British Film Festival 2024 runs from Nov – Dec 8.

To book tickets to this or other films click https://britishfilmfestival.com.au/ for session and venue details.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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Hard Truths: British Film Festival

Hard Truths

Hard Truths Rating

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Set among the lush gilded halls of the Palace Cinemas in Como begins this year’s British Film Festival here in Melbourne for 2024! Upon arrival, I was guided towards a table filled with glasses, offered a glass of wine (which, of course, I take), and then showed towards Cinema 1. Whilst my heart is beating fast from almost running late and my feet are throbbing from not choosing the comfiest shoes to run almost late in, all this is left at the door as I am welcomed by a plush chair and ample foot space (thank goodness).

As an audience, we are officially welcomed to the Media Night of the British Film Festival and shown some trailers of upcoming movies (many of which look incredible) before the movie starts. I highly suggest checking out the program as this year’s running has such an intriguing mix of stories to view by some promising, talented, established directors and actors.

And then, the movie starts. As an audience, we follow the story of Pansy, a short fused woman who appears to be in a deep hole of depression, frustration and anger. Pansy, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste and directed by Mike Leigh (All Or Nothing, Happy Go Lucky) plays a character whose emotions are on her sleeve and affect those around her to a detrimental point.

Now, while this movie does have a somewhat linear plot, I still came away a little confused. It felt a bit like the movie was trying to follow all of the main characters but, in the end, left so many loose ends. I suppose if the movie was trying to mimic real life, then this approach feels very realistic. However, the ending felt abrupt.

 

On the flip side, this does not diminish the acting ability of the actors in this film. Each character felt deeply thought out, thoroughly lived in and exciting to watch. Jean-Baptiste acted with such a tangible sense of rage and grief that it was so easy to get caught up in it all. I laughed at a few of her insults (almost rivalling Shakespeare in their wit) and cried along with her too. But it was hard to view such a continually confrontational character which did break my immersion for longing to psychoanalyse her right then and there. Instead of focusing on the story, I wanted to focus on the character of Pansy as that seemed more directly interesting to me.

Some other honorary mentions go to both Michelle Austin (who played Chantelle) and David Webber (who played Curtley). Austin’s portrayal of a tender sister (and tender character all round) who coaxes her sister slowly out of a deep hole of grief had me longing for a sister of my own. And Webber playing Curtley shows a stark contrast to the other people in his life, consistently withdrawn, quiet, a human doormat for Pansy to walk all over. I felt bad for this character, but it was also really hard to watch Curtley not stand up for himself. He was so in his shell and, as an audience, it was really difficult medicine to take knowing that almost everyone has someone like Curtley in their life and yet don’t always know how to help.

In summary, this film has a tremendous array of portrayals of the British middle class, but also accesses a confronting amount of emotions which are hard to sit with whilst watching the story unfold. I wish it made more sense to me, but perhaps I am in the minority. I think it would be worth a rewatch just to see what I potentially missed. I will, however, be looking at the rest of the program for the British Film Festival and attending what I can as there are a large number of films in it that pique my interest. This festival is on until the 6th of December and is worth checking out even just for the ambience of the Palace Cinemas!

The British Film Festival 2024 runs from Nov – Dec 8.

To book tickets to this or other films click https://britishfilmfestival.com.au/ for session and venue details.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!