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Showing posts with the label Simon Russell Beale

Operation Mincemeat | Average Guy Movie Review

With the end of the North Africa campaign in sight, Allied commanders turn their attention to Europe. They plan to invade the island of Sicily, as a stepping stone to mainland Italy - something the Germans will anticipate. In order to convince the Nazi high command that the target is actually Greece, British intelligence launch one of the most audacious deception plans in history. One that involved floating a dead body in military uniform, and with a briefcase full of fake documents, off the coast of Spain and into the hands of the enemy. To hear that a dead man was used during World War 2 to deceive the Germans in a massive deception plan borders on ludicrous. It quite literally sounds like something out of a Hollywood movie, which of course it now is. But the more you think about it, the more ingenious it sounds. That's what comes across in John Madden's take on these incredible events, itself based on the gripping book by historian Ben Macintyre, and all cleverly narrated by

The Death of Stalin | Average Guy Movie Review

Armando Ianucci, the man behind Veep, In the Loop and The Thick of It brings us a satirical look at the death of one of the world's most infamous dictators. As the highest ranking members of the Soviet government scramble to deal with the crisis, things quickly devolve into a mad scramble for power. But who will be left on top when the dust settles? The genius of The Death of Stalin is that Ianucci has made a comedy about one of the darkest periods in our history, without shying away from the dark parts. Which is no mean feat given the subject matter! There's murder, political in-fighting, the rounding up of civilians for interrogation (and possibly worse), Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale) - the Head of the NKVD (Soviet Secret Police) - was a serial rapist who used his position to abduct women off the street. Everyone, and I mean everyone was afraid to speak because one wrong word could result in death or a one way ticket to a gulag. And yet watching these bumbling