source: Save the Cinema

source: Save the Cinema

source: Save the Cinema

A pretty cool true story, but the film itself? Rather poor. 'Save the Cinema' is simply too on the nose for my liking, it's cringey in a fair few bits and even pretentious in others. It does have a good cast, though that aside it struggles to get away from the fact that it feels like a made-for-television Christmas-esque movie - literally so with the plot. Samantha Morton, Jonathan Pryce and Tom Felton are as solid as you'd expect, though the Welsh accents kept taking me out of it - Pryce was born in Wales admittedly, yet even his accent sounded off... might just be me though. I didn't overly like any of that trio's, or their co-star's tbh, performances though, I just like Morton/Pryce/Felton from others things more than anything. I wouldn't say this is a bad film, it's just a really lousy one in my opinion. I could see it finding an audience though.

Perfect to watch anytime as it's a lovely story and also true. Can't beat a good feel good. Get your popcorn and feet up and relax to this and anything with Samantha Morton in is always a winner for me.

A nice gentle film with a very strong cast telling the old story of a lone voice inspiring others to action. Based on fact and set in Carmarthen it shows the proud inhabitants standing up for something they really believe in. I enjoyed it very much.

A great film for the whole family to enjoy. Based on a true story. Had me smiling the whole way through. A piece of local Welsh history I never knew. It shows how the local community can fight against the bureaucracy successfully. Uplifting feel good movie.

This new Sky Movies offering, "Save the Cinema", is short on finesse but strong on Welsh charm. It's also based on a true story that I only fully dredged from the deep recesses of my brain as the film was running. Positives: Notwithstanding my reservations about this one (as below), this was a heart-warming tale of Welsh grit and determination. It really has a lot in common with last year's "Dream Horse" in this regard. It's also (bizarrely) based on a true story. Note: I have deliberately NOT described the "bizarre" aspect of the story here, since I hadn't had that spoiled and it made the film far better for me. Although the facts hovered on the edge of my memory, I only progressively recalled them as the film went on! Aside from the leads, a wide array of Welsh acting talent is given the chance to perform including comedian Rhod Gilbert, Owain Yeoman, Owen Teale and the very attractive Erin Richards, as the mayor's assistant and love interest Susan. It also pins its Britishness to its sleeve (probably making it a tough sell outside the UK) by featuring Wynne Evans, the "Go Compare" man. It emerges that he has a genuinely interesting link to the film. It's also great to see Tom Felton on the big screen and NOT playing a villain for once! After roles as Draco Malfoy and the zookeeper in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (a brilliant and under-rated performance in my book) I thought he might end up as the dodgy property developer. But no! Negatives: I thought the script was really pretty ropey: - The film clunks along with many lines that you really wouldn't imagine anyone saying in reality. At times Liz muses to herself out-loud as a device to move the plot along, when a "show-don't-tell" approach would have been perfectly sufficient. -- There's a conflict injected between Liz and her husband David that seems false and purely added for dramatic effect. -- At times the film overly signposts where its heading, killing any sort of suspense in the story (a 'goodnight' scene with Jonathan Pryce being a prime example). Summary Thoughts on "Save The Cinema": This movie was clunking along, in my opinion, at around the 5/10 level for most of its running time. As Douglas Adams would have put it, it was "mostly harmless". Its ace-in-the-hole was the bizarre historical event that comprises the finale of the movie: an event that caused something irritating to get in my eye and an unexplained lump develop in my throat. For this reason alone, I added on the extra point. "Save the Cinema" is available on Sky / NowTV Cinema (at least, it is in the UK) (For the full graphical review, please check out #onemannsmovies online. Thanks).

A bit like Finding Your Feet - a cast of great actors given a rather tedious script. Entirely predictable with two dimensional characters. The film actually starts well with a show from the eighties and moves forward to the actors as adults and parents. That part actually works. After that it gets a little tedious.

Save The Cinema- My Rating 10/10 Every now and then a movie comes along that totally enchants me and I think thank goodness for Independent movies like Maudie (2016) and Minari (2020) I was lucky enough to get a preview of this new 2022 movie based on true events and I hope it's shown in Australia very soon. Save the Cinema "is a British drama film written by Piers Ashworth and directed by Sara Sugarman, based on the true story of Liz Evans, a hairdresser and leader of a youth theatre in Carmarthen, Wales, who began a campaign in 1993 to save the "Lyric" theatre from closure. Almost 30 years have passed since one of the biggest films in history remarkably had its UK premiere in the Welsh town of Carmarthen . It was back in the summer of 1993 when Jurassic Park, one of the highest grossing films of all time, had its UK release. When Liz Evans contacted Steven Spielberg in a last ditch attempt to save the Art Deco "Lyric Cinema "from the wrecking balls of greedy developers. I put "Save the Cinema ." right up there with other great British movies like Brassed Off , Calendar Girls, Pride, and Made in Dagenham to mention a few. This movie is a great example of Community action to put heritage and art ahead of the tricky manipulative and corrupt actions of the greedy so called custodians of power and development. The cast of the movie is delightful Liz Evans who at first single-handedly tries to save the village Cinema before getting the community of Carmarthen on side is played with humour and passion by Samantha Morton. It was delightful to see Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter give a beautiful adult performance as local postman Richard Goodridge. Every member of the ensemble cast is wonderful in Save The Cinema including Jonathan Pryce as Mr Morgan the village elder, Erin Richard's as Susan the romantic interest of Richard Goodridge the Postman. Also a stand out performance from Susan Wokoma as the zany but sweet assistant hairdresser she adds plenty of humour to the film. I read that the musical excerpts from the children of Carmarthen who Liz Evans coaches takes place on the stage of the actual Lyric Theatre as well as some exterior and interior shots . There's a delightful scene where the villagers watch an old movie played on the original projectors which had been unused for decades but worked perfectly without so much as a cleaning. A 35mm copy of the 1941 classic movie set in a Welsh Village had to be located to add the rousing Welsh Anthem scene . 35 mm film that vintage deteriorates rapidly if not stored professionally but the elderly projectionist they obtained it from had luckily taken care of it and it provided a perfect print for this beautiful scene. Top marks to Director Sara Sugarman and Screenplay writer Piers Ashworth for producing one of the most entertaining and enjoyable movies I've seen in years. I can't wait to see this on a Cinema Screen as it seems an insult to watch it on a television screen but at least I've seen it.