SCFZ poll: Mike Leigh

[flip]

Polling the films of director Mike Leigh

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Leigh films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Tuesday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: greg x, rischka, dt, silga, kanafani, brian d, greennui

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

[flip]

Life is Sweet
Nuts in May
Naked
High Hopes

seen nine, might watch one more soon

[ofrene]

seen 3

Another Year

[flip]

you can select our next director if you like, ofrene!

[ofrene]

you can select our next director if you like, ofrene!

Steven Spielberg

[mesnalty]

Seen 4:

1. Happy-Go-Lucky
2. Secrets & Lies

[greennui]

Seen 16.

Meantime
Life is Sweet
Naked
Another Year
Happy-Go-Lucky

[Umbugbene]

Seen 3

Naked

[connordenney]

I've only seen three. Close call but I'll cast my vote for

1. Another Year (2010)

[rischka]

i have 10

secrets & lies
topsy-turvy
another year
life is sweet
a sense of history

i ADORE jim broadbent

[kanafani]

I've seen 19. Most of them I've watched ages ago, so I can't tell them apart really. I really like his early TV movies, so I'll throw one in there.

Topsy-Turvy
Secrets & Lies
Abigail’s Party
life is sweet
Naked

[thoxans]

meantime

*seen four (hated career girls and happy-go-lucky)

**and naked was my fav when i was young and foolish, but i've grown to really dislike that film. sure, it has a few good monologues here and there from thewlis, but really his tics and fits and quirky demeanor now just come off as mostly annoying to me. the unnecessary juxtaposition of thewlis' character with that other stupid one-dimensional character is really poorly done, and not nearly interesting enough in its meager collocations. there's nary an interesting shot in the film, but of course leigh has never been known as any sort of a shot-maker. really, it's a drab, ugly, sometimes-eye-rolling affair that has been a real slog for me to sit through, the last couple of times that i tried to watch it

[rischka]

i agree on naked, it's really a shame it's his most noted film. there is lovely character work throughout his oeuvre :ugeek:

[sally]

seen 5.

1. nuts in may

how could the same man make naked?

[kanafani]

Hey I watched Naked when I was young and foolish and I really liked it back then. Maybe my old and foolish self would despise it. I guess we'll never know.

[Roscoe]

TOPSY TURVY
NAKED
VERA DRAKE
HAPPY GO LUCKY
MR. TURNER

In re: the tics and stuff in performances in Leigh's films -- yeah, I get what you mean, it can be a drag. When it works, as I think it does with Thewlis as Johnny and Ms. Hawkins in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, it works very well indeed. When it doesn't, as with whatshername the nurse at the end of NAKED who comes home to find the house a mess and she gets so upset she can't finish her sentences leaving Thewlis to finish them for her, they're just damned annoying gimmicky tricks. Mileage will clearly vary as to which performances and which films do which.

[josiahmorgan11]

naked

[Curtis, baby]

Seen 16. Mike Leigh is a pimp and Naked is primo sadboy shit

Naked
Another Year
Life is Sweet
A Sense of History
High Hopes

[thoxans]

Naked is primo sadboy shit

yeah but nah yo idk it just ain't there after a while cuz the sad shit just ain't real enough in fact it's the type of sad shit that becomes so trite after the real shit gets too real

imo...

[Caracortada]

Seen 8. He proves that movies about ordinary people can be more interesting than those about heroes.

1. Secrets & Lies
2. Vera Drake
3. All or Nothing
4. Happy-Go-Lucky

Worst: Naked

[john ryan]

Seen 11

1. Secrets & Lies
2. Life is Sweet
3. Topsy-Turvy
4. Naked
5. Another Year

[Silga]

Seen 2:

Mr. Turner


But I also loved Another Year. Might watch two more if I find enough time (possibly Career Girls and High Hopes).

[thoxans]

guess i oughta check out a sense of history, esp seeing how it’s available in full on tha tube

[thoxans]

Another Year

caught like thirty minutes of it years ago and really really liked what i saw, enough for it to stick in my mind all these years later. if i had the time, that’s the one i’d like to watch in full as a possible addition to my current slim list

[Silga]

Lesley Manville is a true standout in Another Year. And she upstages not just anyone, but Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen.

[oscarwerner]

seen 11.
1. Mr. Turner (2014)
2. Vera Drake (2004)
3. Secrets & Lies (1996)
-----------------------------------------------
my favorite top 3. Other films seem to me at a good similar level, difficult to judge....

[wba2]

1. Naked

Leigh seen: 2

[brian d]

seen 4 (didn't really love any of them)

mr turner
topsy-turvy

[pcdevitt]

Watched the only 4 Mike Leigh films that I've seen in 2014.
Throwing in votes for: Mr. Turner & Happy-Go-Lucky.

[flip]

welcome to scfz, pc! just a request to everyone posting a ballot - please set it off from any commentary, so when i skim through the thread to tabulate, i notice it easily (otherwise i might skim over a post thinking it was just part of the discussion).