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Miss Potter – miscast

Tweet Miss Potter – Chris Noonan Innocence is by definition unknowing. The ‘magic of childhood’ isn’t something a child experiences but an effort by adults to describe the palpable, heart-stopping delight they see in the eyes of children entranced, absorbed in a picture, a story, a game. Or poignantly, cherished memories of their own childhood. […]

Cold Mountain – literature and music 1 – cinema 0

Tweet Cold Mountain – Anthony Minghella For Anthony Minghella it seems there is nothing like a good book: The English Patient (Ondaatje), The Talented Mr Ripley (Highsmith) and now his much praised adaptation of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain. In so far as this demonstrates a faith in good writing, I’m with him all the way. […]

Birth – Kidman, ice-maiden – all ice, no maiden

Tweet Birth – Jonathan Glazer A.W Kaufman. Remember the name: a Casting Director who has managed to miscast a whole movie, with the inevitable exception of Lauren Bacall of whom one must say you can’t make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse. For me there is not a credible performance in this odd […]

The Phantom Of The Opera – Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s 1 trick pony

Tweet The Phantom of The Opera – Director Joel Schumacher You are on the edge your seat throughout the PTO: will the stupefying banality of the screenplay and lyrics, outstrip that of the music? It’s a close call, but after 142 interminable minutes I think the words won by a brass neck. There is after […]

The Break-up – crass, patronising, dumb-ass

Tweet dead-duck The Break-Up – Peyton Read Charmless, witless, pointless, meritless, brainless. Less-less. (August 2006)

Juno – too cool for school, Hollywood cool

Tweet Juno – Jason Reitman Juno McGuff is up the duff. Dad, Mac MacGuff (J.K Simmons) and stepmom Bren McGuff (Allison Janney) are shocked but cool; as only parents in a cool Hollywood movie can be. At 16 Juno is already too cool for school. We know this because she rejects testosterone-driven jocks in favour […]

The Home At The end Of The World – adult, touching, real

Tweet The Home At The End Of The World – Michael Mayer This is an impressive little film that received a shamefully limited release. With a screenplay by Michael Cunningham (The Hours) of his first novel, director Mayer has fashioned a tender, grown up film about complex relationships. It is about belonging without ownership; ownership […]

Bride and Prejudice – a cultural mishmash. parodying itself

Tweet Bride and Prejudice – Gurinder Chadha For once I’m at a complete loss. I need guidance. Cinematically this film is a cross between Blue Hawaii and an execrable advert for my local Indian restaurant. I loved Bend It Like Beckham which really seemed to explore with humour and perceptiveness the boundaries of assimilated or […]

The Hero – oriental in tone, stunning visual style

Tweet The Hero – Zhang Yimou It is rare that one can recommend a film simply because of its stunning visual style. The cinematography (Christopher Doyle), editing and especially vibrant colour throughout create a movie that, irrespective of anything else, is always fascinating to watch. I have not seen a film before where a different […]

Far From Heaven – Douglas Sirk’s form but not his substance

Tweet Far From Heaven – Todd Haynes Spoofs of James Bond movies never seem to work because they play off a genre which itself lives on the very edges of credibility. The problem for me with FFH is similar in that its director, Todd Haynes, tries faithfully and lovingly to recreate the already emotionally florid […]