The Old Guard

The Old Guard aka Les Vieux de la Vieille

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Jean-Marie Péjat fixes a bicycle

You might not have seen 1960’s The Old Guard (aka Les Vieux de la Vieille), a charming French comedy of manners of the old school. But you might have seen Last of the Summer Wine, the British comedy currently holding the record for longest-running TV sitcom in the world. Since it ran 1973 to 2010 it’s a record in not much danger of being broken any time soon. They are almost identical in plot, tone and basic premise. Three old codgers, one of whom hasn’t seen the others for many years, reunite to reminisce, bemoan the lack of respect oldsters command these days and indulge in the sort of childish larks that exasperate … Read more

The Old Guard

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The cast of The Old Guard in a group shot

Dark hair, dark shades, dark clothes, it’s Badass Charlize Theron who turns out for The Old Guard, a superhero adventure with a mournful air and an eye on a franchise. There are four distinct Therons – the actor (Monster, In the Valley of Elah), the babe (Gringo, The Devil’s Advocate), the snark (Young Adult, Tully) and the buttkicker (Aeon Flux, Atomic Blonde). She’s good at them all but it’s the last in that list that we get here. Though at 45 Charlize isn’t bouncing out of the helicopters the way she once did. But if Tom Cruise can do it… and he’s 13 years older. Theron plays androgynously named “Andy”, head of what looks … Read more