Filmknitter

Never Let Me Go & Ondine

I saw both of these a couple of weeks ago now and, owing to generally being busy, didn't get chance to blog about them, so excuse the sparse reviews as I've forgotten most of my thoughts on these two generally enjoyable films. Never Let Me Go is based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's ostensibly a sci-fi story but not what I would describe as sci-fi. Tron 2, this is not. Our three main characters, sensible Kathy (Carey Mulligan), spiteful Ruth (Keira Knightley, and boyish Tommy (Andrew Garfield) are denizens of a mysterious boarding school called Hailsham. As with the novel we are given very little context but are aware from the start that these children aren't normal. There is no mention of parents and from the veiled subtext of their teacher's conversations about and with them we come to realise that these children are kept apart from the rest of the world for a reason. However the mystery of their existence is only half the story. The bones of the plot is the relationships between the trio, and this is fleshed out in the second half of the book as we discover their function in this parallel world to our own.

The film is kept delightfully loyal to the book, which I enjoyed but was eager to see on screen. I was frustrated by the lack of context and disappointed by the 'revelation' at the end. However I suspected tht in the film they would have to give at least a little more context because whereas in a novel an author can deliberately omit description of the world to keep readers in the dark; in a film, by its very nature, the audience has to be shown a lot more. I was not disappointed. Director Mark Romanek has realised the book beautifully and it was great to finally 'see' Hailsham and its environs, as well as the medical centres where Tommy, Kathy, and Ruth end up. The characters themselves are impeccably cast. Miss Knightley is perfect as the beautiful and misleadingly confident Ruth, Andrew Garfield has the perfect look as boyish and fragile Tommy, and Carey Mulligan is stellar as Kathy - I loved her just as much as I did in the book, if not more. She has such an appealing look and nature that you can't help but side with her against Ruth. The (anti)climax of the story was also more satisfying to me somehow, perhaps because you get to see exactly what the mysterious donations entail. The book does a good job of conveying the creepy nature of the medical centres, but obviously seeing the harsh reality in gory objective detail, rather than through Kathy's schooled eyes makes it more disturbing. As with the book, this isn't crowd-pleasing sci-fi type action, but it's a gently English story that will make you think about where technology might take us.

I missed Ondine at the cinema but wanted to see it because it looked like an unusual love story in a pretty location, and also it stars Colin Farrell with long hair, chunky fishermen's sweaters, and a thick Oirish accent. Yum. Fisherman, Syracuse (Farrell), is out on his boat one day when he finds a young woman (Alicja Bachleda) caught up in his nets. She seems disoriented and scared so he hides her away in his mother's old cabin by the shore and tries to find out who she is and why she was floating around off the coast of Ireland. His wheelchair-bound daughter, Annie, meanwhile discovers Ondine and decides that she is a 'selkie' - a Celtic mermaid - the legend of which seems to tie up with Ondine's discovery and the little she confesses to them. As Syrcause and Annie become more enchanted by Ondine they find out that her back-story is a little less like the fairytale they imagine.

Ondine is not a film that everyone will enjoy, it's all rather soppy, and full of whimsy and Irish stereotypes, but it's charming and genuinely romantic too (in fact Farrell and Bachleda got together while filming and now have a daughter). This is a fairytale but it's a bit of a grimy one - Syracuse is an ex-alcoholic and Annie's mother, played by Dervla Kirwin, and her new husband are still heavy-drinkers, which causes a tragedy near the middle of the film. It's not a ground-breaking plot but I liked the twist and the revelation of who Ondine really is. Colin Farrell looks appealingly rustic and is an entertaining hero - he goes to his local priest (played by Stephen Rea), not because he is a devoted Catholic, but because there is no branch of AA in town so he treats the confessional as such - confessing to how many units he has or hasn't drunk that week. The character of Annie is slightly twee but again enjoyable, she is a savvy young thing and it's fun watching her run rings around her devoted father in her electric wheelchair. Watch it for the pretty locations and pretty central couple; perfect fare for a Sunday afternoon with your knitting and some chocolate.

Milk

'Milk' was not a film I expected to like. I skipped it at the cinema because I'm really not a fan of biographical dramas, especially when they are about politicians, and doubly so if they're about politicians I've never heard of. However, I was intrigued by the film because it was a serious drama about an openly gay man, and not purely about the fact that he was gay, which is a rare beast in Hollywood. Harvey Milk was, for the first four decades of his life, a businessman who kept his sexuality secret, until at the age of 40 he met the love of his life, Scott Smith, and moved with him to Castro Street, a gay community in San Francisco. Here they opened a camera shop but as Harvey became more involved with the community and became more aware of prejudices against homosexuals he decided to run for Supervisor and became a committed politician. Despite campaigning and failing three times, his support increased with each campaign until he was finally elected in 1977. During his first year in office he successfully headed a number of initiatives supporting equal rights for various minorities before, at the age of 48, being shot by a former colleague. His death was mourned by tens of thousands of supporters, who marched through the city that evening.

So, despite not having particularly high hopes for this film, I actually really enjoyed it and was surprisingly moved by it. Milk's story is both inspiring and tragic, but instead of being a heavy-going and depressing biographical drama this is also very entertaining; mainly thanks to the character of the man himself, it would seem, and the people who surrounded him. I thoroughly recommend watching the accompanying documentaries where we meet the real-life Cleve Jones, Anne Kronenberg, Danny Nicoletta etc, all of whom very obviously loved Harvey Milk and are testament to his spirit and political power. Sean Penn very thoroughly inhabits the character of Milk and seems to have achieved a very accurate portrayal. To the point that for most of the film I couldn't remember which actor was playing him, despite being familiar with Penn. His supporting stars are also excellent: Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones - both tough and adorable, Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg - a much-needed strong female character, James Franco as a very attractive Scott Smith, and in slightly odd but very successful casting, High School Musical's Lucas Grabeel as photographer Danny Nicoletta.

The issues in this film, of equal rights for homosexuals and other minorities, are ones that are still very relevant today, particularly in the US and this is a good reminder of why we need politicians like Harvey Milk, who are prepared to stand up and push boundaries in order to ensure we live in a truly equal society. Frankly I think this should be required viewing in American high schools; especially in the Bible Belt.

In The Loop and Shutter Island

An odd sort of week film-wise as I watched two films outside of my comfort zone. 'In The Loop' is a big-screen version of satirical TV comedy 'The Thick of It', which I have never seen, not being a huge fan of political comedy. However, I rented this film after hearing it raved about last year and not wanting to spend money on a cinema ticket to see something I wasn't sure of. Not having high expectations meant that I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It's fairly simplistic and goes for the easy targets but, having a slightly childish sense of humour, I found its politically incorrect and overly sweary humour very funny indeed.

It's centred around an apparently harmless but ineffectual minister, Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), who makes an ill-advised remark about a potential war and subsequently finds himself a pawn in an international game of political chess; leading up to a war that no-one seems to know anything about, other than that it's imminent. Gina McKee as his long-suffering advisor and Chris Addison as the new whizz-kid in the office try to restrain Simon from making any more stupid remarks, aided and abetted by Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), the foul-mouthed Scottish Communications Chief who is really the star of this show. Capaldi signing off a phone call with the immortal phrase "fuckitty-bye" is possibly my comedy highlight of 2010. 

On the other side of the pond we have the delight of seeing James Gandolfini as Lt Gen Miller, conspiring with Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy) to stop the war, and using a paper written by Karen's aide Liza (Anna Chlumsky, her of 'My Girl' fame) as the Macguffin that they believe will help them. Gandolfini obviously relishes his role and is very funny as the enraged bull-like Miller, stampeding around proclaiming that he's a pacifist. Ravid Rasche as Linton Barwick, the man who is trying to start the way, is also a delight. There are so many good characters and hilarious one-liners in this film that I can't begin to tell you about them all, but I can recommend seeing the film. It's short, pithy, brilliant, and at the same time absolutely terrifying, as it's close enough to reality to make you wonder if this is really what happened in London and Washington a few years ago.

Shutter Island is Scorsese's latest, and the fact that it's a bit of a scary one would ordinarily put me off (not a fan of horror). However, Empire have been getting very excited about this over the last year or so and it intrigued me enough to go along. As it turned out I'm glad I did. It's a pleasant enough mixture of Scorsese's hard-boiled characters and twisty plot development, a few jumpy bits to keep you on your toes, and some impressively drawn sets and dream sequences. It's 1954 and Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are US Marshals summoned to the mysterious asylum on Shutter Island, ostensibly to investigate the escape of one of the inmates. However, as they investigate the disappearance it becomes clear that all is not as it seems and Teddy himself begins to experience flash-backs to the traumatic events in his past, mixing them with the stories of the people he talks to in the asylum.

It's no 'The Departed' this, but it's enjoyable enough for a Saturday afternoon. The story is more compelling than your average horror, though my companion and I worked out the twist within the first ten minutes, but there's enough additional mystery to stop it seeming too predictable. There's an excellent cast, pulled in by the lure of a newly Oscar-endorsed Scorsese, including Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, and Patricia Clarkson. Di Caprio, now settled nicely into his role as Scorsese's latest muse, is furrowed of brow and tortured of brain as Teddy Daniels and provides an intriguing central character. The story keeps you guessing to some degree right up to the final scene, though it's not tied up quite as neatly as I would have liked (what's with the Nazis??). I wouldn't see it again in a hurry but it's an entertaining watch and I'm glad I saw it on the big-screen as there's some impressive photography and CGI to enjoy.

Flushed Away

Another week sadly devoid of cinema visits :( However I did watch 'Flushed Away', sent to me by Lovefilm. I gave this one a miss when it was on in the cinema, despite its Aardman credentials, as I thought it looked a bit hit and miss. I can now confirm that it this is the case, but it's possibly a little more hit than miss. The story is simple enough - a pampered pet rat by the name of Roddy (voiced, oddly, by Hugh Jackman - could they not find an English actor?) is cruelly evicted from his Kensington home by an uncouth sewer rat. Flushed down the toilet Roddy finds himself in a rat version of London, built in the sewer pipes, complete with Tower Bridge and Picadilly Circus, all constructed from rubbish that has been swept through the pipes. Naturally the naive young town-rat gets into trouble after falling in with rat-thief Rita (Kate Winslet) and falling foul of evil overlord The Toad (Ian McKellen) when they steal his much prized 'ruby'. Cue much hilarity as Rita and Roddy try to escape the clutches of The Toad's hench-rats, as well as his French cousin Le Frog (voiced magnificently by Jean Reno).

This is all pretty standard kids fare in terms of story and characters but what made it worth it for me was the detail in the animation, and the humour, both of which I attribute to Aardman's involvement. The CGI itself is iffy, but the design can't be faulted. Everything in the rats' world is created from rubbish and there are many delights to be found if you look close enough e.g. Rita's steel toe capped boots, created from metal bottle-tops. I can't say I warmed to either of the main characters - Roddy is your typical upper-class English drip, except that his accent occasionally tends towards the Australian twang, courtesy of Jackman. Rita is slightly more interesting but mostly annoying. What makes up for this is The Toad, voiced by Ian McKellen in full-on evil nemesis mode, and the ninja frogs, headed up by the brilliant Le Frog. All of these characters are hilarious and you have to love the physical comedy opportunities created by a band of ninja frogs, accompanied by one frog in French mime mode, which the animators take full advantage of. The other delight to look out for is the slugs, who pop up at the slightest excuse, either screaming in terror at the characters, or pulling off impromptu songs. Truly hilarious and that perfect Aardman brand of cute - in the same mold as Shaun and the sheep in 'A Close Shave'. Rent this if you like Aardman, it's light-weight entertaining stuff and perfect for a weekend night in.

American History X

In yet another brilliant character role, Ed Norton gives us Derek Vinyard, a white supremacist whose obsessive beliefs were fuelled as a teenager when his father, a fireman, was shot whilst at work. It's unclear who Dennis Vinyard was actually shot by but in his rage Derek holds all non-white Americans responsible, blaming their presence for the criminalising of the Vinyard family's Venice Beach neighbourhood. The story is told through flashbacks, shot in black and white, mixed with present day, shot in colour. Three years ago Vinyard was jailed for the murder of two black men, and the film begins with the day he is let out (the reason why he only got three years becomes clear in the film.) The story of how Vinyard became caught up in the white supremacist community is told by his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) who is set the task of writing an essay on his brother as penance after he submits a history assignment about "Mein Kampf", in support of Hitler. Danny's storytelling is threaded through with the present day story as Derek emerges from prison a changed man; we learn why through his own flashbacks when talking to Danny. However, prior to his confinement Derek was the local poster-boy for the neo-nazi community, and they don't respond well to his new perspective.

My flatmate recommended me to watch this film after renting it and extolling its virtues, and it definitely lives up to her praise. This is a film that presents important, and still pertinent, issues, that are relevant not just to America. However it doesn't preach. Derek isn't a stupid hick, too caught up in his narrow-minded views to question their validity. He is an intelligent young man who has been damaged by the loss of his father at a sensitive age, and fallen into bad company. His turnaround is handled cleverly and I was glad to see that he comes to question his beliefs through common-sense and his friendship with a black prisoner, rather than through some religious revelation or similar. This is an intelligent film that doesn't adhere to stereotypes and presents the issues and characters fairly, not as black and white as they could appear. It also stars Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko from DS9!) as the influential Dr Sweeney, inspiring in his faith in the Vinyard brothers, and his determination to help them.

This is a beautifully shot film; the colour changes are particularly effective in distinguishing flashback from present day. The use of slow-motion and a classical score makes for some perfect shots - the shower scene in the prison stands out particularly in my mind. This scene is also notable for its explicit but artistic handling of an oft' joked about occurrence in male prisons. Rape is a crime that is well known in jails, but this film really makes you realise just what it means for the victims. The rape scene and the following conversation between Derek and Sweeney is one of the most affecting sequences in the film. I found the whole film fascinating and compelling, and it really surprised me how much I enjoyed it too. Although it is violent, it is not gratuitously so, and like Sweeney it doesn't present its protagonists as inhuman or beyond redemption. Each character has their own reasons for turning to neo-nazism. This is an important film and one that is well worth watching for its exposition of an alien world.

Control

Control is a biographical account of the tragically short life of Joy Division's frontman, Ian Curtis, who committed suicide at the age of 23. Directed by Anton Corbijn, who also shot their music video for 'Atmosphere', it is a stylistic portrayal which tells us more about the music than it does about Curtis himself. It begins with Curtis in his teens, as he meets the girl who would become his wife, Deborah Woodruff (played in the film by Samantha Morton). It covers his experience with the band and ends with his death.

I can't say I'm familiar with Joy Division, though I have heard of some of their songs, but I was completely unaware of the tragic story of their original lead singer (after Curtis's death they became 'New Order'). Having seen the film I now understand and appreciate their music, but can't say I feel any closer to understanding Ian Curtis, and watching the film couldn't be called an enjoyable experience. It's unendingly bleak and portrays Curtis as a taciturn dullard whose only signs of life appear when he's at work, either at the Job Centre at the beginning of the film, or on stage where his frenetic performance seems to sap all energy from him meaning that off stage he just mopes around like a wet hen most of the time. I've no idea whether this is an accurate portrayal of Curtis, but if it's not then Corbijn has done him a disservice. The film is shot entirely in black and white, which makes some shots look achingly gorgeous, but does nothing to detract from the general feeling of gloom. I had high hopes for the film during the first half-hour where the excellent cast is introduced, including Sam Morton, the hugely acclaimed Sam Riley as Curtis, and a host of promising young actors as the band including the brilliant Tony Kebbel as their foul-mouthed and dryly funny manager, Rob Gretton. Their rise to fame is like a dream story for a young band, through a mixture of talent and ballsiness they get recognized by Tony Wilson and are signed to legendary label Factory Records. However, after what appears to be the beginning of an uplifting success story, Curtis begins to suffer epileptic fits and also meets a young French journalist called Annik, with whom he begins an affair. The combination of his illness, which his medication could not control, and his guilt over the affair apparently leads him to hang himself in the kitchen of the home he shares with Deborah.

Whether it's the film or Curtis himself that I dislike isn't clear, but I just couldn't get a handle on either. I guess it would be difficult to make a happy film about the guy, but it's incredibly hard to know Curtis through this film. It makes it clear that he was a talented singer, but having him speak so few lines means that to viewers like me, who are unfamiliar with the band and their story, he seems cold, unknowable, and slightly pathetic. At one point Annik says to him, after sitting in silence, "You're so depressing, Ian", which really sums up the entire film for me.  Watch it if you're a fan of Joy Division, if not then don't bother, it will depress the hell out of you and it will teach you little about the man it claims to reveal.

Revolutionary Road and Delicatessen

'Revolutionary Road', like Sam Mendes' other celebrated film 'American Beauty', is set in suburban America in the home of a well-to-do family. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio play April and Frank Wheeler, a young couple with two children, who have lost the magic and excitement of the early years of their relationship and now struggle to regain it. April's plan is to move to Paris with the kids before they get too old, but after Frank gets a promotion at work he goes off the idea and they stay where they are. April trained as an actress but never got anywhere and is now confined to the neighbourhood playing the 50s homemaker. After discovering she is pregnant for a third time April's mental state takes a turn for the worse and the film ends with a tragic event, that you can't help feeling could have been prevented.

I wanted to see this film because of the award nominations it's received, but I can't say I'm a big fan. I love American Beauty and Jarhead, but just couldn't find anything of the subversive humour and zingy dialogue of those two films in Mendes's newest production. Revolutionary Road is pretty much about the everyday and the mundane, and how April and Frank fail to break out of the 50s mould of having 2.4 kids and a big house, and this being the pinnacle of achievement. However, I just found myself getting exasperated with them. There are numerous points in the movie where they have the chance to change their course, and they just peter off into nothing. I appreciate this is the point of the film, but I found it very hard to be sympathetic or empathetic with the Wheelers and by the end of the film I was astounded as April's vivacious personality completely fails her and instead of taking the obvious way out of her situation she sets in motion the events that lead to her death. Technically the film is very well put together, and once again I greatly enjoyed Thomas Newman's score. DiCaprio and Winslet give excellent and realistic performances, as do the supporting cast, but sadly this wasn't enough to save the film for me. The story just wasn't exciting or interesting, and wasn't even saying anything new - these issues have been covered just as well in films like 'Far from Heaven' or 'The Hours'.

The other film I watched this weekend,  was much more enjoyable. Lovefilm sent me 'Delicatessen', and I am pleased to report that it was an absolute delight. I've seen Amelie and A Very Long Engagement, and adored both, and had high expectations of Jean Pierre Jenuet's earlier film (released ten years before Amelie). Delicatessen is set in an apartment building presided over by the butcher who sells his wares from the titular deli on the ground floor. But all is not as it seems, the meat which the various occupants purchase from Clapet, the butcher, is not animal but human. The film begins with Clapet hiring a new 'handyman' in the form of the ever-excellent Dominique Pignon, playing Louison. What Louison doesn't realise is that he's intended to be the next victim of the cannibalistic butcher, unless Clapet's pretty daughter Julie can save him.

Obviously this film is a lot darker than the other Jeunet films I've seen, but that didn't taint my enjoyment of it at all. As with Amelie and Engagement, the film handles pretty dark subject matter with a very lighthearted touch and hilarious French humour. I especially enjoyed the attempted suicides of Aurore after hearing voices in her kitchen, and also the sex scene between Clapet and his wife, in which the rhythmic bed springs are heard throughout the house and merge with Julie's metronome and cello playing, and the old-woman's knitting upstairs. It's whimsical scenes such as these that add to the expertly judged tone of the film. The film also looks very distinctive, stylised and almost cartoon-like, it reminded me a little of the artwork of Chris Riddell which is just as darkly comic. I can't wait to buy this film so that I can see it again and would recommend any Amelie fans to give it a try. It may have less broad appeal than that idealistic romance, but its 90 minutes are full of quirky joy from start to finish.

The Hours

I arrived home this evening with a terrible urge to watch this film, and so I did. It's the kind of film that I watch when I need to appreciate my own life more. Unlike with most of my favourite films I don't want to be the characters, I don't want to live their lives; quite the reverse in fact. It's not that I think these character's lives are so terrible, merely that, much as I enjoy watching them, it makes me glad that my life is so uncomplicated and that I have so much freedom compared to, Laura Brown for instance. The other reasons I love this film is how beautifully put together it is.  I adore the first 15 minutes or so, following the three women as they wake up, get up, and decide what they will do with the day.  It's where their lives are most closely tallied: they all wake up to an alarm of some kind, they go into their bathrooms and look at themselves in the mirror.  It's that assessing examination, which becomes something like begrudging acceptance or satisfaction, before the spell is broken and they are brought back to the business of getting ready.  It's very intimate and very real, and I love it.  I also adore Philip Glass's music, composed for the film, which fits it so perfectly but doesn't fade into the background like so many instrumental scores.  I'm a fan of piano music generally but this is truly beautiful and is almost like a fourth main character, tying the three plot-lines together.

Our three characters are Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman and that nose), Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep), and Laura Brown (Julianne Moore). The film runs the length of one day in each character's life. Virginia Woolf is living in 20s Richmond after a nervous breakdown and this is the day that she will begin writing 'Mrs Dalloway', one of her most famous novels. Clarissa Vaughan lives in New York in 2001, like the central character of Mrs Dalloway, she is throwing a party that day in honour of an old friend who has won a prize for his poetry.  Laura Brown is a 50s housewife in suburban America, expected to be the perfect wife and mother, all she wants is some peace and quiet to read her book: Mrs Dalloway.  Each of them are suffering through some kind of mental turbulence, for whatever reason, and this day will prove to be important in some way to each woman.

Apart from all of the aesthetic stuff mentioned earlier I also enjoy the story of this film, at times it's a wee bit too melodramatic for me, but overall I like the characters and the actors are perfectly cast.  I think Nicole Kidman is my favourite, she is perfectly English and repressed as Woolf, conveying her mental and physical fragility and showing us how Woolf struggled with her life and her writing.  Meryl Streep plays my second favourite character - Clarissa is a breath of fresh air, maybe a little pretentious but with a lot of strength of character.  Laura Brown is perhaps the one I struggle to like, she is so insipid and useless, admittedly she has been forced into a role which she maybe wouldn't have chosen if she had had the freedom to do so. But when we later discover how she fits into Clarissa's life it is difficult to sympathise with her, even though it reveals her independent streak.  The supporting cast are equally excellent - Ed Harris as the dying poet is heartbreakingly brilliant, Stephen Dillane as Leonard Woolf, Miranda Richardson as Vanessa Bell (Virginia's sister who she obviously has quite an intense relationship with), Toni Collette as Laura's glamorous friend (her finest moment is when her perfect mask slips), and Allison Janney and Claire Danes as Clarissa's partner and daughter respectively.  I love seeing the relationships between women in this film - Clarissa's relief at seeing her daughter is tangible as is Virginia's when Vanessa visits with her exuberant children. 

I have to be in the right mood to watch this film but when I do I really enjoy it. It's not for everyone but it's a film that makes you think, and is so much more than merely a biographical drama or a literary adaptation. It's also a strong film which is centred on women, which is always a good thing.

DVD viewings

Sadly the cinema still holds nothing to tempt me (though hopefully that will change with a few films due out that I'd like to see on Friday including 'Inkheart' and 'Dean Spanley') so here is a review of the two DVDs I've rented and watched over the last week.

Firstly, Caramel, which I heard a lot about when it was at the cinema this summer, but never got round to seeing.  I don't feel a great loss at not seeing it on the big screen but I'm very glad I rented it.  A study of the life of four women working in a beauty salon in Beirut, Lebanon, it was directed by, and stars, Nadine Labaki who plays Layale, the owner of the salon.  She employs three other women: young Nisrine, a Muslim who is about to be married; Jamale, a divorcee who is heading for middle-age and trying to pretend she is still young; and Rima, the quietest of the four, who has secrets of her own.  Also in the picture are two elderly sisters who live across the street: gentle Rose and her senile but sprightly older sister Lilli. 

What I liked about this film was that it presents these women in a completely accessible way and manages to convey how difficult it is for women in Lebanese society while remaining light-hearted and entertaining.  We are made to realise how different life is for men and women, but the male characters are not presented as misogynistic ogres. I loved the sweet policeman who watched Layale from his office across the road but obviously feels such a beautiful woman wouldn't look twice at him.  One of my favourite scenes was the policeman sitting in his office providing his side of the phone conversation he can see Layale having through the window of her salon.  I also liked the sweet storyline between Rose, who is a seamstress, and one of her clients, a dapper elderly Frenchman, even if it doesn't end the way you wish it to.  The film shows that despite the terrible recent war, and the restrictions placed on women by society and religion, Layale and her friends experience freedom and enjoyment through their work at the salon and their friendship and support of each other.

I rented 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' after it was in Empire's top 500 films of all time, the little precis in there made it sound intriguing enough even despite my usual aversion to films that are older than I am.  However, this was a very pleasant surprise.  It's exactly the kind of classic film I do enjoy.  The humour is dark, the characters are interesting and the sets are sumptuous (I want to live in Edith's country house, or failing that, Louis's bachelor flat).  Louis is the youngest descendant of an old artistocratic family : the D'Ascoynes.  However, due to his mother's unfavourable marriage to a foreigner she was disowned by her family and Louis deprives of his inheritance.  After growing up in poverty his mother dies and is denied a place in the family vault.  Louis realises that the only way he's ever going to get anywhere in life is if he can lay his hands on the D'Ascoyne family fortune, and his rightful place in the cream of society.  In order to achieve this, and to wreak his revenge on the cold-hearted D'Ascoynes, he plots to kill off the eight members of the family who stand between him and his inheritance.

The eight D'ascoynes are all played by Alec Guiness, in a stroke of genius that is underplayed but still hilarious and much more admirable than similar attempts at humour by Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor, for instance.  I loved Lady Agatha in particular and only wish we could have seen more of her before her untimely end due to the unfortunate meeting of a hot air balloon and Louis's admirable archery skills. Louis himself, played by Dennis Price, is a delight.  Sympathetic and yet endlessly scheming he is a great central character to take us through the film.  I liked him less when he was being callous with Sibella, but then she is really equally callous with him.  The trouble I often have when watching old films is the blatant sexism and/or racism that was accepted in early movies.  However, here the female characters are perfectly acceptable.  Sibella, as I have said, is almost as scheming as Louis and Edith is honourable and good without being sickly-sweet and pathetic.  My favourite scene of the film is possibly when Louis and Edith are taking tea together in her garden and we see a mushroom cloud of smoke appear over the wall beyond them - indicative that her husband, another D'Ascoyne, has just been cunningly dispatched by Louis.

The Princess Bride

I recently introduced Lindsey at Matching Curtains to 'The Princess Bride' and wrote a review of it as a guest blog for her.  I thought I'd better stick it in here as well for posterity.

The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favourite movies.  Since my first viewing in my early teens I have been pretty much obsessed with it, I can quote from the script at length, I wrote my GCSE English coursework on it, I created a fan-site when I was about 15 (now, sadly, no more), ‘Buttercup87’ remains my internet name on various forums and message-boards, I would have had it on my name-badge as my favourite film when I worked at the cinema but at the time I was too cool to be walking around with a badge proudly proclaiming that I was ‘Sarah – The Princess Bride’.  Instead I went for Fellowship of the Ring, and the badge-manufacturers spelt it wrong.  That taught me!  Anyway, yes, so this has been my favourite film for nigh on a decade now and there are no signs that I will grow out of it any time soon.  With every re-watching I appreciate it more, I sigh over Westley’s lovely hair, I laugh at Fezzik’s silly rhymes, I gasp at the skill of the fencing match on the treacherous Cliffs of Insanity, I bore my fellow watchers with random facts about the actors and the movie…

The truth is that The Princess Bride is the perfect family film, as Grandpa (Peter Falk) tells us at the start of the film it has fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…  It’s become a cult classic, beloved of children, students, parents, grandparents and anyone who likes a good yarn really.  It’s based on an equally brilliant book, by William Goldman, which is well worth a read if you like the film as it contains much more detail such as Fezzik and Inigo’s back stories, the name of Buttercup’s horse, the details of the quest for the miracle pill to revive Westley; and the sequences with the lightning-sand and The Machine are even more scary and intense than they are in the movie.  It’s basically a fairy tale – Westley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright) meet on her father’s farm, fall in love and Westley leaves to seek his fortune on the high-seas.  Not long afterwards Buttercup hears that Westley’s ship has been attacked by the Dread-Pirate Roberts and she is consumed by grief.  She eventually consents to marry the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), ruler of the land, though she does not love him.  However, before the wedding can take place she is kidnapped by three ‘lost circus performers’: Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) – the brains of the outfit, Fezzik (Andre the Giant) – a giant, providing the brute strength, and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) – a master of the blade who has no gift for strategy and has fallen in with Vizzini to pay the bills.  These three criminals have been hired by blood-thirsty Prince Humperdinck to start a war with Gilder, the country across the sea.  They escape Gilder with Buttercup in tow, but before they get too far they realise they are being followed by a mysterious man in black, who turns out to be none other than the Dread-Pirate Roberts.  Besting Inigo’s magnificent fencing skills, and beating Fezzikat hand-to-hand fighting, he also outsmarts Vizzini and takes the princess for himself.  As he drags her towards the nightmarish fireswamp, with Humperdinck and his crony Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) in hot pursuit, we realize that all is not as it seems and before the end of the film we have been privy to a fight with an oversized rodent, some horrendous torture, another round of grief from Buttercup, the drying-out of an inebriated Inigo, a miracle from a huffy miracle man, a duel to revenge the death of Inigo’s father, a wedding service conducted by Peter Cook sporting an amusing speech-impediment, a holocaust cloak being used to devastating effect, and, finally, a happy ending.

Despite being over 21 years old now this film has stood the test of time excellently; sure the Grandson’s computer game looks a little out of date these days, but the jokes are as sharp, the sentiment as poignant and the fight scenes as exciting as they were in ‘87.  Even the minor special effects haven’t dated too much thanks to the fact that there is no CGI used.  The main reason this film has lasted so well, in my opinion, is thanks to Goldman’s screenplay.  It’s endlessly quotable, here are some of my favourites:

Vizzini:    He didn't fall? Inconceivable!
Inigo:      You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Fezzik:     You be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted.

Dread Pirate Roberts: You mean, you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?

Dread Pirate Roberts: Look, are you just fiddling around with me or what?

Dread Pirate Roberts:  I'm no one to be trifled with. That is all you ever need know.

Westley:    Ha! Your pig fiance is too late.

Valerie:    Liar! Liar! Liar!
Miracle Max: Get back, witch!

Valerie:    I'm not a witch, I'm your wife, but after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want to be that anymore.

Fezzik:     The dread pirate Roberts is here for your souls!

Inigo:      Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Westley:    I'll explain. And I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog-faced buffoon.

Useful for any situation, I think you’ll find. 

In summary I adore this film.  I’m a big fan of fairytales and traditional story-telling and I love the way Goldman pokes fun at the very conventions he makes use of.  Admittedly the humour in the book is a little more knowing and wry, and the film is toned down and the characters made more generic, but the bonus with the film is the brilliant cast that really bring them to life.  I still have a massive crush on Cary Elwes, despite the fact that he’s looking quite a lot older and fatter these days, has defected to the US, and his most successful role in recent years was in ‘Saw’.  Robin Wright is perfect as Buttercup – the most beautiful woman in the world – and is currently married to Sean Penn, having portrayed Forrest Gump’s girlfriend.  Out of the supporting cast my favourite character has to be Inigo Mantoya, played by Mandy Patinkin (now sadly out of the movie game somewhat) and the fencing match between Inigo and Westley is easily my favourite scene. 

I end this rather effusive review with a recommendation that if you haven’t seen this film already, go out and buy yourself a copy of the DVD (there’s even a special edition being released just in time for Christmas) as I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do.