Blue Story (22nd November 2019)

[SteveAWOL]

Making all the wrong king of headlines this weekend but also garnering favourable critic reviews...

Cinema chains pull gang film after 'machete' brawl

Vue and Showcase have dropped the movie, while Odeon is pledging "security" around screenings.

www.bbc.co.uk

Blue Story (2019)

Best friends Timmy (Stephen Odubola) and Marco (Micheal Ward) go to the same high school in Peckham but live in neighbouring London boroughs. When Marco's beaten up by one of Timmy's primary school friends the two boys wind up on rival sides of a never-ending cycle of postcode gang war in which...

www.rottentomatoes.com

 

[barnaby jones]

Saw that trailer a few weeks ago, have to say I thought it looked like complete garbage.

 

[nheather]

I’ve seen the trailer a few times and it makes me feel uncomfortable unsure whether it should be allowed.

I haven’t seen the film, so I need to give it to the benefit, but just from the trailer it doesn’t appear to suggest that gang violence is bad, in fact it looks like it is being glorified. The rapper at the end of the trailer does say that he doesn’t confone violence but it is understandable - I have a problem with this because it is not understandable and I fear that ultimately the film will send out the wrong message and will only fuel the current rise in gang-related knife crime.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[richp007]

I'm sure the production aren't too upset over the extra publicity.

 

[PlexShaw]

I don't really have much interest in seeing this as I'm not the target audience but I certainly wouldn't base a decision on whether it should be released or not on how it appears in the trailer. It should also be noted that film was given a 15 by the BBFC (for "very strong language, strong violence, threat, sex, drug misuse") and they would absolutely have taken the theme and context into account when reaching that decision.

 

[barnaby jones]

^ not a gang member then

 

[PlexShaw]

^ not a gang member then

Funnily enough, no I’m not.

I’m sure ex-gang member Nigel is more knowledgeable on the subject matter though.

 

[wolfie138]

"drug misuse" ~ so if they'd used crack the right way, they could've avoided that.

 

[PlexShaw]

"drug misuse" ~ so if they'd used crack the right way, they could've avoided that.

I know you're being facetious, but someone asked the BBFC about that on Twitter recently (as it used to be "drug use"). They use the word "misuse" these days as it can also include the misuse of legal drugs and to keep it more in line the with the legal act (Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).

 

[Fillumgeek]

Major cinema chains not showing their movie, I'm sure the makers are not happy about that.

Seem an odd overreaction to one incident in Birmingham. I hardly imagine the culprits saw a machete on screen and immediately ran home to get one out of their 'machete and weapons' cabinet.

 

[lucasisking]

Major cinema chains not showing their movie, I'm sure the makers are not happy about that.

Seem an odd overreaction to one incident in Birmingham. I hardly imagine the culprits saw a machete on screen and immediately ran home to get one out of their 'machete and weapons' cabinet.

Vue ban and Showcase ban (now lifted). A temporary precaution as they need to consider the safety of their customers. Those scrotes in Birmingham were brandishing their machetes near where little girls were queuing up for Frozen.

Of course it was planned ahead but it was clearly fuelled and inspired by the 'postcode turf war' depicted in the movie.

Ironically, in the US the incident is being reported as 'fight breaks out at showing of Frozen II' with no mention of Blue Story (which they wont have heard of).

 

[dannius]

Seem an odd overreaction to one incident in Birmingham. I hardly imagine the culprits saw a machete on screen and immediately ran home to get one out of their 'machete and weapons' cabinet.

To be fair, Vue reported that in the first 24 hours there were over 25 ‘significant’ incidents across 16 different sites where the film was showed. They didn’t appear to have pulled it just because of one incident.

 

[Sonic67]

If you are taking your kids to see Frozen II and there's a load of gang members in the lobby, are you going to be happy?

BBC-backed gang film Blue Story banned from Vue cinemas after record number of 'serious incidents' in 24 hours including mass brawl outside screening

Blue Story, a BBC-backed gang film, has been banned from Vue cinemas following 25 'significant incidents' at 16 cinemas on the day it was released, including a mass brawl involving youths armed with knives and machetes outside a screening in Birmingham.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Blue Story, a BBC-backed gang film, has been banned from Vue cinemas following 25 'significant incidents' at 16 cinemas on the day it was released, including a mass brawl involving youths armed with knives and machetes outside a screening in Birmingham.

 

[Sonic67]

Seem an odd overreaction to one incident in Birmingham. I hardly imagine the culprits saw a machete on screen and immediately ran home to get one out of their 'machete and weapons' cabinet.

No, they seem to have turned up with it.

 

[PlexShaw]

And it's now returning to Vue Cinemas by the weekend apparently...

Blue Story returns to Vue after film was banned following Birmingham brawl

Security at screening will be 'beefed up'.

metro.co.uk

I'm going to this on Saturday morning, as I've read up a bit more about the history of its creation and that's piqued my interest.

 

[Fillumgeek]

No, they seem to have turned up with it.

View attachment 1225287

Sad to see, and I stand corrected.

I haven't seen this film so I don't know what its message is. Suspect when it does get some showings, this small indy film which would have had little chance of financial success might actually
get some. And hopefully, idiots with weapons stay at home.

 

[PlexShaw]

Suspect when it does get some showings, this small indy film which would have had little chance of financial success might actually get some.

It should be noted that the film was number 3 at the UK weekend box office, with only Last Christmas and (obviously) Frozen 2 beating it. All whilst playing on less screens than all bar one of the films in the top 10.

 

[John3:16]

My son saw this movie and said it was a good film with a very anti-gang message. Don’t believe everything you read. See the film for yourself before passing judgment.

 

[PlexShaw]

My son saw this movie and said it was a good film with a very anti-gang message. Don’t believe everything you read. See the film for yourself before passing judgment.

Agreed. I was quite impressed with it (even though it's a bit rough around the edges) - and it's fairly clear the film has a very strong anti-gang/violence message, despite what some corners of the media would have people believe. In fact, the gang "brawl" bits are brief, not really stylised at all (which is to its credit IMO - the gun shoot-outs seem almost pedestrian in the way they're filmed, for example) and firmly focus on those characters who are injured or killed in them.

 

[lucasisking]

I dont think anyone in the media has said the film is 'pro' gang violence. In fact I dont recall anyone saying anything one way or the other, until the incident in Birmingham.

 

[PlexShaw]

I dont think anyone in the media has said the film is 'pro' gang violence. In fact I dont recall anyone saying anything one way or the other, until the incident in Birmingham.

Fair enough, but it does seem to be heavily implied though.

We're also seeing these types of comments by people who only appear to seen the trailer (there's even one such post in this thread).

 

[Sonic67]

Boy, 16, arrested over Cineworld stabbing

A 20-year-old man was stabbed in a fight at the cinema in Nottingham.

www.bbc.co.uk

Two people have been arrested over a stabbing at a cinema in Nottingham city centre.

A 20-year-old man was taken to hospital from Cineworld at 20:15 GMT on Sunday, after a fight at the entertainment complex.

 

[PlexShaw]

And? There's no reference whatsoever to Blue Story in that news item.

 

[PlexShaw]

There are some news items stating that Cineworld have cancelled some screenings of Blue Story in Nottingham. However, looking at this news item, it would seem that this is because:

A Cineworld spokesperson confirmed screens nine to 14 were closed due to police investigations and some films were moved around as a result.

Cineworld cancels showings of gang film Blue Story in Nottingham after stabbing

Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident

www.nottinghampost.com

I've just looked at the Cineworld Nottingham listings and they are quite limited today but seem to be back to normal tomorrow, which would back that explanation up.