Film you recently watched: part 3

Away Bus (2019) - Ghanaian action comedy.

A lot of good, well interesting at least, world films are available on a YouTube channel called World Movie Central. Today I enjoyed this one from Ghana. It is mainly in English, but with some bits (especially the shouting rants) in Twi and the subtitles lagged about 10 seconds behind which was really distracting. The subtleties of some parts of it were lost on me I'm sure.

Anyway, these 2 sisters find out their mother is dying (from 'cracked ribs' apparently after falling over). However, fortunately an operation to repair said ribs will save her life. But it *must* be carried out within 12 hours, they can stabilise the ribs until then, but after that it's curtains.

The mother rolls about groaning in bed with a drip in and a big plaster on her head. 10,000 Ghanaian Cedis are needed (about £1200 according to Google) for urgent rib repairs. What will the girls do? They're desperate.

Their mate is a pickpocket and he tells them it would be a good idea to rob a bus. He provides 3 pistols. I remain unsure of whether all or some of these were fake. Fakeness of the guns was certainly raised several times as an issue, but I'm not sure if it was confirmed.

So the girls and their mate rob the bus, get all the passengers belongings and phones etc into a bin bag, including a quite funny and very well acted little preacher boy in braces and bow tie who did a good satire several times about the Ghana preachers I suppose. Always chasing money. "This isn't enough to build a church! It's not even enough for an information centre or a radio show!".

Then a bigger badder gang with real machine guns etc show up and rob the robbers! This is where I lost track a little bit as there was lots of angry shouting and instructions, people hiding and the guns changing hands several times between robbers group 1, robbers group 2 and bus passengers. Police show up and idiotically tell them this isn't a good place to stop because there are loads of armed robbers and then leave again. Memorable lines:

Tough bus passenger lady: "Have you come to waste out time also?! I come from Accra. We eat bullets and sh*it them out the next morning! Kill me, go on. I want to die. Hurry up!".

To be fair, she did get shot later in the film. And she was the only one too.

Upset bus passenger: "God will curse them in his own time! When they try to spend the money it will make them shįt and when they try to charge the phones, their house will catch fire!"

Thief bus passenger: "let me join you! I'll help you. I'm the chief of the robbers at the bus station in Bofogo. If I haven't robbed you at least once, then you're new in Botofogo".


Well at the end of the round and round of the guns, it was robbers group number 1, the daughters and the pickpocket fella, who ended up with the guns and robbers group number 2 all tied up and gagged. The bus passengers are all thankful to group number 1, especially after they explain that it is just for their sick mother. Cops come and catch the tied and gagged robbers group 2.

Strangely, this big fat fella on crutches and with a vest, sunglasses and the most mahusive thick gold chain you've ever seen shows up and starts giving orders to the cops. "Take em away boys!" That sort of thing. I had thought he was the head of robbers group number 2 - the kingpin criminal. But as I say, there was a LOT of excited shouting in Twi and this was one of the twists and turns I didn't really understand.

In the end the girls get back to the hospital with the cash, but too late. Mum has gorn orf upstairs already. The ribs have seen her off.

Moving final scene as the daughters roll about in the dust crying and screaming and beating their chests.

The End.


Clive's Verdict: A medium enjoyable rob com. Gave a good feeling of what life must be like in Ghana. There were some funny lines in it, but it wasn't really a comedy. More of a shouty intrigue drama. I don't think I'll be catching a bus in Ghana any time soon.

6/10

 

I finally got round to watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny last night.
I loved the first three, hated Crystal Skull.

I was enjoying DoD until the ending, which I won't spoil. But what were they thinking?!

 

I have just watched Saltburn, on the recommendation of my daughter. What a pile of old s**t.

 

She may not be perfect but that sounds like an unwarranted attack on a family member.

What was the film like?

 

Apocalypse Now: Final Cut

How the Yanks unfairly lost the war. All very gritty and with some nonsensical dialogue that makes it hard to follow. They all appear a bit loopy.

I was glad that 'Clean' got his just deserts and got shot on the boat. That's what you get in karma for shooting up that boat of innocents over a puppy. No sympathy.

Awww how sad that a tape is playing from 'mom' hoping he gets his 'hiney' home in one piece. Oh those heartstrings.

Of course the slopes, ginks, Charlies, gooks etc don't have any moms. Or at least we don't get to hear about their heartbreak in any of these Yankee Vietnam films. I suppose it was always the same in any country's movie output.

As with most of such films, this one concentrates on the brave valour and heroism of the bold, bare chested, machine gun blasting Yankee doodles. I'd suppose that many international audiences, knowing the outcome of that war and the morality of the US invasion, would be like me and firmly on the side of Charlie, which makes it a strange viewing experience. Oh no! Says the film. 2 Yankees have got blown up and done the high dive off their watchtower thing. Woohoo! Thinks the viewer.

OK as an action film I suppose with some good special effects, but pretty brainless war bang bang bang stuff in general.

 

I haven’t seen it in years, but I remember I felt the message was that the US behaviour in Vietnam was insane and cruel. We are taken to the heart of darkness and at the centre is an American.

 

I saw Kes at the cinema last week. First time I've seen it on the big screen. An absolute masterpiece. The school footy practice scenes with Brian Glover are wonderful

 

Just seen Late Night with the Devil….very original twist on a horror movie