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vinnieh

Monthly Archives: November 2016

Only You

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 58 Comments

Tags

1990's, Billy Zane, Bonnie Hunt, Comedy, Joaquim de Almeida, Marisa Tomei, Norman Jewison, Only You, Robert Downey Jr, Romantic Comedy

Film Title

Only You

Director

Norman Jewison

Starring

  • Marisa Tomei as Faith Corvatch
  • Robert Downey Jr. as Peter
  • Bonnie Hunt as Kate Corvatch
  • Joaquim de Almeida as Giovanni
  • Billy Zane as the False Damon Bradley

An effervescent and good-hearted romantic comedy that takes place largely in beautiful Italy, Only You makes for a divinely experience, watching as destiny and fate unravel in fun ways of the loving kind.

In flashback, we are introduced to Faith Corvatch, a young girl who is playing around with a Ouija board with her brother Larry. only-you-movie-posterShe asks who her soul mate will be and strangely enough, the board spells out the name Damon Bradley. Her belief that this person will be her true love is given greater anticipation and growing power by a trip to the carnival where a fortune-teller informs her of the name she got from the board. This causes Faith to become all dreamy about the soul mate she hopes to meet in the future. Cut to present day and Faith is now a teacher, who still believes in fate but hasn’t found any clue about the signs from her childhood. At the current minute, she is engaged to podiatrist Dwayne, who is often more busy with work than her . Out of the blue, Faith receives a phone call from the alleged Damon Bradley who is in Italy. Throwing caution to the wind as her destiny could finally come into fruition, she abandons plans of her wedding and takes a plane to Italy. Joining her is Kate, her best friend and sister-in-law, who is currently going through the motions of her marriage to Faith’s brother and considering what to do. Kate is reluctant to come along as she is the more pragmatic one, but Faith wins her over and the two head off on a journey into the unknown. marisa-tomei-only-youWhile searching for the alleged man of her dreams, Faith encounters Peter Wright, a witty shoe salesman who appropriately enough meets Faith when she loses one of her stilettos. Hearing her mention the name of her beloved, he pretends to be Damon Bradley as he is immediately love struck by the kooky girl he sees. Though when it comes out that he isn’t Bradley, Faith is annoyed and begins to question the prophecy. The subsequent events lead to consequences that she never saw coming as she attempts to deny growing attraction to Peter. Can Faith make sense of the mystical signs or actually open her eyes to the possibility of Peter as a match?

Norman Jewison directs with an ease and light touch, which makes Only You pleasing to the eye and heart. At times, it may seem like he is riffing on the success of his previous romantic venture of Moonstruck, but his graceful and fun hold on events has a marked difference and more of a mystical tone than the aforementioned film to set them apart, but with both still being wonderful flicks. The best way to summarise Only You is to say that it is an old-fashioned romantic comedy in a contemporary setting, with a few surprises. Cynics will no doubt groan at something like this, but it is supposed to be something of a fairy tale so the leap of faith and magic are to be expected and to be honest, they are difficult to resist once they get a grip on you. faith-and-kate-only-youOnly You isn’t the sort of film that requires a real depth of thought to it as it is light and frothy, though it has moments of bittersweet emotion that help bring substance to the fairy tale side of it. I’m sure everyone has a bit of romance within them that they can see in this film. I mean, you have Italy looking suitably sublime and glowing with magic that is a classy touch(as lensed by the great Sven Nykvist). And there is a genuine unpredictability to Only You, as the wild goose chase takes in numerous comic events and switches as the search for Damon Bradley doesn’t go in the way Faith expected. If you don’t get a laugh or chuckle out of his movie, you really have no feeling of humour as Only You is delightfully written with spirited glee. A gliding and archaic score from Rachel Portman fits the bill of being lusciously composed and amusingly romantic in the tradition of Old Hollywood love stories.

Marisa Tomei exudes a doe-eyed and earnest appeal, that is as playful as a pixie. The character that she plays with her flighty and offbeat qualities could have become an annoyance quickly in the hands of a lesser actress, but not to worry as Tomei is a gifted girl who makes Faith’s eccentricities and actions warm and winning from the very start. marisa-tomei-and-robert-downey-jrAnd you can’t talk about Tomei in this film without mentioning how adorably sweet and innocent she is, which suits Only You down to the ground. Robert Downey Jr. has a good time as the man who isn’t the one supposedly destined for Faith, but willing to do what it takes to win her heart. Watching as his puppy dog eyes and sleight of hand antics attempt to win her over, plus Downey Jr. has a real physical sense of comedy to him like particularly in his priceless facial expressions. Bonnie Hunt is another standout performer in this film, lighting up the screen as the downtrodden and realistic woman, who finds that a certain suave gentleman takes an interest in her. Hunt has a real way with droll one liners that register many laughs while backing things up with a sensitive showing of uncertainty within the character. Joaquim de Almeida works well with the part of the businessman intent on wooing Kate, and though the part doesn’t call for any great shakes on the acting front, he brings more to it than others could have. Billy Zane is on hand to provide another twist in the story in a very amusing part.

harks back to the romance and comedy of old with a lively confection of a film bound to make you laugh and swoon.

Another Look Back at Older Reviews

27 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie opinions and thoughts

≈ 28 Comments

Tags

A Look Back

I genuinely enjoyed the reception of the last post I did of this ilk. I also liked bringing attention to some of my older work that some of my followers may have not seen before. Now here is the second installment of this feature. I hope you all find something good to read of mine.

The Virgin Suicides

Spider

Candyman

Death on the Nile

Murder on the Orient Express

Wrong Turn

 

 

Gone Girl

25 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 119 Comments

Tags

2010's, Ben Affleck, Carrie Coon, David Fincher, Gone Girl, Kim Dickens, Mystery, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Fugit, Rosamund Pike, Thriller, Tyler Perry

Film Title

Gone Girl

Director

David Fincher

Starring

  • Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne
  • Rosamund Pike as Amy Elliott-Dunne
  • Carrie Coon as Margo Dunne
  • Tyler Perry as Tanner Bolt
  • Neil Patrick Harris as Desi Collings
  • Kim Dickens as Detective Rhonda Boney
  • Patrick Fugit as Officer James Gilpin

Based on the addictive novel by Gillian Flynn(who also wrote this screenplay), Gone Girl, under the calculating and precise direction of the excellent David Fincher springs to unnerving life as a mystery of perceptions plays out in dark and surprising fashion.

Nick Dunne, a former writer who was laid off in the recession, comes home on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary after a drink with his sister Margo, to discover that his beautiful wife Amy is missing. gone-girl-posterThere appears to have been a struggle as the living room is in disarray, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The case of Amy’s disappearance captures the public’s imagination as she is the basis behind a highly successful book series created by her parents, entitled Amazing Amy. Yet this case of Amy’s vanishing is not going to be a cut and dry case like everyone first thought. Nick’s behaviour, which seems somewhat apathetic and shifty, is interpreted by the media in a negative light and the finger of suspicion points his way due to his seeming lack of empathy or care. Other things don’t add up like a large pool of blood that someone mopped up and the detectives, Rhonda Boney and her partner James Gilpin, become suspicious of Nick’s actions. Most damning of all is the fact that Amy’s life insurance was bumped up significantly just before her vanishing and the biggest shock is a diary of Amy’s is discovered with ominous writing. It slowly comes to light that behind the seemingly happy marriage lay resentment and angst for both Nick and Amy. Soon Nick is in hot water as people turn on him and the voracious media descends on him, who speculate that he was behind his wife’s disappearance and possible murder. But just what has happened to Amy? To tell you all that would spoil the shocking surprise, so you better get watching to find out.

David Fincher is one of my favourite working directors. He has this innate ability to infuse his movies with a clinical and detailed view that engages the brain and keeps you on edge. Those skills are exhibited in Gone Girl to a high degree, as he directs with a scalpel like dedication to the material that busts apart the supposedly idyllic nature of marriage to expose something rotten. His fingerprints are all over this film and his attention to the little things that people may think of as just innocuous, stands this film in good stead as nothing is as it seems. nick-dunneGillian Flynn adapts from her own book and I found this to be a very good string in Gone Girl’s bow, as we are getting the author’s seal of approval and her vision brought to the screen. Having read the book, I can say that the movie is very faithful to the source, with only the slightest changes here and there for good measure. Flynn does a golden job of the script that pulls into question with some dark humour the way that the media jumps on things and can easily make villains and victims with just a few choice words. Gone Girl is one of those movies that is hard to talk about as so much of it hangs on the mystery of everything, but I’ll do the best I can to describe my feelings and promise there will be no spoilers. amy-elliott-dunneAll I’ll really say is that Gone Girl emerges as a twisted and compulsive film in which so much of it challenges our views of what we see and how there is not always a simple answer to everything( very much so in this dark exercise in tension and mounting curiosity). The visual essence of the film adds another thing to gild an already impressive lily, with the muted blues and burnt golds playing a key part in setting the mood of the film and sustaining a great deal of uncertainty that Nick( and the audience) finds themselves in. A throbbing, electronic score captures the growing surprises of the narrative of which there are a good many and really sets the dark and ghoulish mood of Gone Girl. Even when we get flashes of the happier times that Nick and Amy had in the past, there is something uneasy and ambient about the score that suggests otherwise.

Ben Affleck is marvellously effective at putting the audience on edge as to what Nick’s intentions and feelings are. One minute we pity him and the next we are not sure of him as he is very ambiguous and Affleck plays that to the hilt. The casting of Affleck is pretty inspired as he himself has been at the centre of the media circus regarding his own private life, so maybe that in turn brings more to the part. As good as Affleck is, the biggest standout star of Gone Girl is Rosamund Pike, in what is a career defining performance. rosamund-pike-as-amy-gone-girlLike the film itself, Rosamund Pike’s portrayal of the beautiful missing Amy is hard to go into without giving away key parts of the story, but like before I’ll try to be concise. Rosamund Pike is quite simply a marvel in this movie, in every sense of the word. The part of the elusive Amy is a dream one for an actress and Pike makes it her own, adding an opacity in the beginning to give her a deep mystery. Yet as the story goes on the character is shown significantly different in each part, as Pike masterfully pulls away the layers of the character to reveal someone who is very different and more unpredictable that initially thought. Rosamund Pike has been seen in the past in largely supporting roles, so the challenge of playing the lead of Amy just goes to show how fantastic she is in adapting to the part so well. Rosamund Pike is just spectacular in the role and makes a very deep impression. The other members of the cast are no slouches either and sink their teeth into meaty roles. Carrie Coon was appropriately sarcastic yet loyal as Nick’s sister whose the person to go to for advice, though her belief in her brother does take something of a bashing in the process. Tyler Perry was a welcome surprise portraying Nick’s lawyer, who has a reputation for getting people off even when the evidence is stacked against them. There is something arch and winking about Perry’s work, as he knows exactly how to play the media to get a result. Neil Patrick Harris oozes a strange sort of smarmy charisma and pining as someone that connects to Amy’s past and then we have a well cast Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit playing the scrupulous detective and her partner, respectively.

An almost forensic and highly compelling examination of what is behind the surface image and the accountability of the media on the people it preys on, Gone Girl is simply put a mesmerising thriller, boasted even higher by the direction of David Fincher and the two central performances from Ben Affleck and especially Rosamund Pike.

Macbeth

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 49 Comments

Tags

2010's, David Thewlis, Jack Reynor, Justin Kurzel, Macbeth, Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Tragedy, William Shakespeare

Film Title

Macbeth

Director

Justin Kurzel

Starring

  • Michael Fassbender as Macbeth
  • Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth
  • Paddy Considine as Banquo
  • Sean Harris as Macduff
  • Jack Reynor as Malcolm
  • David Thewlis as King Duncan

Shakespeare’s classic play Macbeth is one that is often committed to film many a time, but this version of the tragedy has enough clout and striking atmosphere to distinguish it from the crowd.

The film begins on a Scottish battlefield as civil war is raging. Lord Macbeth is fighting for the cause of King Duncan against the opposition. macbeth-2015-posterThe battle is a bloody one and following events will also change for Macbeth. After the battle, Macbeth encounters a group of witches who tell him of a prophecy that he will be king. The other part of the foreshadowing is that his friend and fellow fighter Banquo’s descendants will also be kings in the future, as Macbeth’s child has died. This prophecy, in particular the fact that he will become king, haunts and consumes Macbeth, who is unsure of how to react to it. Yet spurred on by the deep ambitions of his manipulative wife Lady Macbeth, he goes through with the deed and kills King Duncan. The King’s son Malcolm sees what has happened yet flees, leaving the throne wide open to Macbeth, who already holds a significant title. Macbeth, thanks to the murder he committed with the help of his wife, is crowned King just like the prophecy of the witches said. michael-fassbender-macbethBut the grips of paranoia seize Macbeth and he is haunted by his actions. People grow suspicious of Macbeth and his ways, in particular Banquo and Macduff. This brings out the depraved cruelty within him that begins to wipe out anyone who stands in the way of his tyrannical rule. Soon Macbeth is spiraling into full-on delusional behaviour and outright savagery, as what was once good inside him shatters in the wake of his viciousness and ambition.

Adapting anything from Shakespeare must be a challenge, as you want to  stamp your own impression on the material and not just follow suit of everyone else, though keeping the feeling of the play is crucial to. No one need worry though with Justin Kurzel in the director’s seat. He makes this Macbeth bold, uncompromising and daring in style and content. macbeth-and-lady-macbethI’ve always seen Macbeth as something of a cinematic work, and Kurzel holds control over events like a maestro conductor with a dazzling repertoire of celluloid techniques that thrust the story into visceral and dark life. Mist and oppressive setting of the film gives grandiose and spooky ambience to Macbeth, that ensures that the coldness and savagery we witness practically seeps off the screen into our conscience. Gothic splendour exudes from almost every frame before we get an orange-red climax that is an exhilarating spectacle of overflowing anguish and corrupting darkness in which Macbeth faces off with Macduff. Macbeth should also be praised for adhering to the text in a largely faithful manner. It doesn’t try to bring anything up to date and has the verse intact, allowing the actors to savour the lines they are given. A Celtic influenced score matches the events beat for beat as treachery and murder ultimately take hold of almost every character.

At the heart of the film there is Michael Fassbender, who is searing as the eponymous character. Displaying a an engulfing ferocity that becomes more impossible to contain, Fassbender truly draws out the menace and cruelty of Macbeth. Yet in quite a few instances he humanizes the character a little bit, so you can practically feel the anguish and growing paranoia from the moment he stabs Duncan and begins his downward spiral. Fassbender is truly on fine form as Macbeth, wrapping his voice around every syllable with a commanding performance of intensity and suffering. Matching him move for move is Marion Cotillard as the driving force which is Lady Macbeth. lady-macbeth-marion-cotillardShe’s a calculating woman of dark ambition that Cotillard plays to the hilt with a sometimes mask like detachment that serves the character well and gets the audience to puzzle over what is going on in her head. With the added sub-plot of her losing a child, Cotillard works wonders in unfurling that maybe Lady Macbeth has filled the devastating void left my her loss with a ruthless and cruel plots of which she has control over. It’s a different interpretation of the character that is all the better for the uniqueness that Cotillard provides, especially in the later scenes of a guilt-ridden woman knowing that a lot of her husband’s descent is by her own hand. The excellent supporting cast is strong and includes David Thewlis, Paddy Considine , Sean Harris and Jack Reynor. Each of these respective actors is fine in their roles, though the film ultimately belongs to Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.

A visceral, violent and bold retelling of the play, Macbeth brings the action to the cinematic heights yet never sacrifices the intimacy or verse of the source material. Shakespeare never looked so brutal and entrancing as it does here.

Wild

21 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 55 Comments

Tags

2010's, Based on a true story, Drama, Jean-Marc Vallée, Kevin Rankin, Laura Dern, Michiel Huisman, Reese Witherspoon, Thomas Sadoski, Wild

Film Title

Wild

Director

Jean-Marc Vallée

Starring

  • Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Stayed
  • Laura Dern as Bobbi Grey
  • Thomas Sadoski as Paul
  • Michiel Huisman as Jonathan
  • Kevin Rankin as Greg

Based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed, who embarked upon a self-reflective journey to get her life back on track, Wild is a quietly stirring film that unfolds quite beautifully and gains excellence from a physically enduring performance from Reese Witherspoon.

We pick up with one Cheryl Strayed in 1995; a young woman hiking 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to the Washington-Oregon border. wild-movie-posterThrough flashbacks, we get to glimpse Cheryl’s life up to this point and what drove her to embark on this journey. The biggest event is the death of her beloved mother Bobbi, who always retained a positive outlook on life even when the odds were stacked against her. Her death subsequently left a hole in Cheryl’s life that she tried to fill with drug abuse and promiscuity. This had a knock on effect on her marriage to Paul, which ultimately ended in divorce when he couldn’t get through to her. Now on the journey, despite a lack of experience in hiking, Cheryl is attempting to forgive herself and come to terms with what her life has become after it fell completely apart. The journey she takes is one of both mental and physical anguish; her shoes are too small, she doesn’t have all the right materials and being a novice at hiking is not exactly helpful to her in the arduous voyage. Though she considers at various stops giving up because of how harsh and painful the journey is, something ultimately pulls her back and with the people she encounters, Cheryl grows stronger and finally begins to take stock of everything she has been through and the ways in which her travel will change her.

Films where characters go on journeys of self-discovery and change can often come off as saccharine and clichéd. Wild is thankfully not one of those films as it retains a natural quality that keeps it rooted in emotion and feeling throughout, without needing to go for big scenes of drama. Jean-Marc Vallée gives deep drops of intimacy to the proceedings through expressive close-ups and having Cheryl’s experience link to her past. He also isn’t afraid to show the darkness of Cheryl’s life in detail, where other films would shy away from doing so in order to keep something of a nice vibe. We are given the chance to witness Cheryl’s life, warts and all, and can really understand why she would want to just get away from all of it. Wild MovieWild in itself is something of a contained story, which might seem strange as it is about a long trek, but what I mean is that the story is largely Cheryl’s and how events have impacted on her and her growth along the way. The film eschews bellowing histrionics for rumination and nuance( thanks to the assured direction of Jean-Marc Vallée and sensitive Nick Hornby script-which brings sprinkles of heart and small bits of humour to the film), which stand Wild in good stead as we gain a significant understanding of Cheryl through the flashbacks presented. And talking of flashbacks, the way they are placed within the narrative is seamlessly done and never becomes confusing as to which time frame we are in. From a visual standpoint, Wild is a lovely looking film, particularly at showing both the beauty and harshness of nature in the wilderness that can be very unpredictable. There are those out there who will sniff at Wild and say that not a lot happens within the story and that it isn’t anything particularly new. This is to miss the subtlety at work as everything is rooted in something of a realness that grows on you as the film continues. Quite a lot happens within the film, it just transpires in small vignettes of triumphs and tests that Cheryl must go through and endure to fully get herself together again. There are a few niggles in the narrative that slow it a bit, yet these are few and far between, as Wild stays on a relatively equal and level footing thanks to the talent both behind and in front of the camera. Music is used in a most complimentary fashion that joins together moments from the past with the present in Cheryl’s reveries.

Wild’s ace in the pack is Reese Witherspoon in a revealing performance that carries a large chunk of the film on her shoulders. She keeps Cheryl grounded in the long run of the story but also delves with nuances, into the wealth of emotional turmoil that still haunts her. Reese Witherspoon WildI admired the way that Reese Witherspoon showed off a very different side to herself in this film; she really made the part feel organic and natural from the very first moment we glimpse her. She gives an authentic, raw and fearless energy to the part that displays Cheryl as flawed but still relatable to the audience as we understand her sadness and want her to succeed. It has to stand as one of her best performances, as it is mightily impressive watching her reflect and react to the things that have been thrown her way, both mentally and physically. Supporting Witherspoon is the lovely work from Laura Dern as her mother, largely seen in flashback. Dern projects such a ray of sunshine to the film that you can see why Cheryl would go into a real tailspin as her lifeline of happiness is gone. Thomas Sadoski is well cast as Cheryl’s ex who still tries to be of help to her, even after their divorce. Michiel Huisman and Kevin Rankin each play people Cheryl meets a long the way, and who each give her something to spur her on.

The odd wandering bit of film can be forgiven as Wild wisely retains a modesty and reflection that makes for a subtle yet moving film, headed by a commanding and committed Reese Witherspoon, in one of her best roles.

A Look Back on Older Reviews

20 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie opinions and thoughts

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

A Look Back

The other day, I found myself looking back on some of my older reviews. I thought it was interesting to look at how my writing style had improved and changed since the blog’s inception. So it dawned on me that I should do a post for everyone out there with links to my older reviews to see what you all thought of them. Feel free to comment on them as I for know that my style has definitely changed, but I do so love hearing your thoughts to. How do you rate my writing style in the beginning to how it is now?

Meet Me in St. Louis

Judgment at Nuremberg 

Mildred Pierce

The Witches of Eastwick 

Moonstruck 

Agnes of God

A Single Man

20 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 40 Comments

Tags

2000's, A Single Man, Colin Firth, Drama, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult, Tom Ford

Film Title

A Single Man

Director

Tom Ford

Starring

  • Colin Firth as George Falconer
  • Julianne Moore as Charley
  • Nicholas Hoult as Kenny
  • Matthew Goode as Jim

An emotionally rich and soulful debut from fashion supremo Tom Ford, A Single Man is a film not to be missed, as it delves into themes of grief, contemplation and love.

It is 1962; George Falconer is a gay British professor living in California, who lost his partner Jim to a car accident eight months ago. a-single-man-posterHis grief is very strong and he just attempts to get through the days, which is becoming more and more difficult as life without Jim is completely unbearable in George’s eyes. A Single Man unravels across a sole day in which George is faced with a decision that could be final. George is so haunted by the memories he shared with this soul mate that on the day in which the film takes place, he is contemplating suicide to end his suffering. Throughout the day, he comes into contact with many people who populate his life and could potentially sway his decision of committing suicide. There is his boozy friend Charley, who he once had a relationship with but she is now somewhat lonely and craving any sort of attention and love. We also have Kenny, one of George’s students who pines for his professor’s attentions after hearing him give a rousing lecture which is different from his usual style of teaching. Through these respective meetings, George starts to see things differently for possibly the very first time since losing Jim. But will any of these encounters or events truly persuade George that he should go on with life, instead of ending it all?

Tom Ford, in what was his debut as a director, suffuses A Single Man with both beauty(gorgeous black and white flashbacks of happier time with Jim ) and wealth of emotion(George’s morning routine of putting his clothes on in an armour like fashion, while he narrates his struggle of presenting himself). a-single-man-flashbackFord is a visionary to be sure, but his greatest talent lies in his exploration of the central character’s journey and seating us right at the heart of it, giving us the full clout of it all. Also worthy of note is the way that sexuality is resented in A Single Man. The setting is the 60’s when homosexuality was still a taboo and while there are coded references to this knowledge, the character of George is presented in a very matter of fact way. His romance with Jim is shown with the respect and love of any other relationship in movies, which is how it should be. Kudos to Tom Ford for displaying he relationship like this and not sensationalizing it. The premise of A Single Man sounds like a real downer and yes it does have an air of sorrow throughout, but it also feels very alive and vibrant as George considers opening up to possibilities and beauty in the world, just as he does battle with thoughts of ending it all. The stupendous cinematography clearly enriches this, capturing the grey parts of George’s world that quite literally become golden when he opens his eyes to life’s possibilities the last time in his life. julianne-moore-a-single-manColour is key is this film and it just adds another layer of sophistication and beauty to this moving story that refuses to let go of you once it has pulled you in. The visuals have to be some of the best that I’ve seen in a movie for a while, because of powerfully they accentuate the narrative and drive the events along with scrupulous depth. A powerful music score evinces the emotions at play with degrees of shaded nuance to them. The score is sublimely conducted and matches events with nary a wasted note present.

Colin Firth is astonishingly fantastic in a role that fits him like one of the character’s suits. colin-firth-a-single-manHe is a master of restraint and burrows quietly into the devastation and contemplation of George. He is put quite simply, a marvel in the part of stoic sadness and rumination that reveals so much with the tiniest of gestures. Firth has rarely been better than he is here and this for me is a defining role for him that I won’t forget in a hurry. Julianne Moore provides sterling support acting as the drunken party girl, who covers her crushing loneliness with bravado while still carrying a torch for George, despite knowing that nothing will come of it. Nicholas Hoult sensitively stars as the love struck student who wants his professor to open up more and makes the character quite sweet and supportive in the long run. Matthew Goode plays the deceased partner of George’s in vivid flashbacks with a charm and ease that it isn’t hard to grasp why George’s world is falling apart without his shining light.

A deeply moving and sensuous piece of cinema, A Single Man brings out a whole array of thoughts that leaves you feeling so many different things. Anchored by the composed work of Colin Firth, A Single Man is a beautifully rendered and haunting film that grips and moves you in every conceivable way.

Music I’ve Been Listening To Part 3

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Music reviews and opinions

≈ 49 Comments

Tags

Music

Musical NotesI noticed that the musical content on my blog had been a bit lacking of late, so I decided to correct that anomaly. Here are some of the songs and music that I’ve been listening to recently. My taste is very wide in music.

 

 

 

I’ve Got 2000 Followers!

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Awards and Achievements

≈ 101 Comments

Tags

2000 Followers

I just saw on my blog that I have over 2000 followers and that has made me really happy. I love hearing feedback and support from everyone who follows me, you are so special and a constant source of inspiration for me. I never expected to gain this many followers, but now that I have that, I can’t help but feel ecstatic. I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you to all of you fantastic people who make my day every time you view my blog. You have feeling like the gif below. Thank you for that feeling.

party-gif

The Virus Is Gone

15 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Announcements

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

Announcement, Update

I am happy to report that the virus that has been plaguing me has gone. All I have is a slight sniffle now, which is subsiding quickly. I wanted to thank all my followers with being so patient and understanding when I haven’t been online. You are the best. I’m thrilled to be over that cursed virus.

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