The Jane Austen Book Club

Tags

2000's, Amy Brenneman, Drama, Emily Blunt, Hugh Dancy, Jimmy Smits, Kathy Baker, Kevin Zegers, Lynn Redgrave, Maggie Grace, Marc Blucas, Maria Bello, Robin Swicord, Romantic Comedy, The Jane Austen Book Club

Film Title

The Jane Austen Book Club

Director

Robin Swicord

Starring

• Kathy Baker as Bernadette
• Maria Bello as Jocelyn
• Emily Blunt as Prudie
• Amy Brenneman as Sylvia
• Maggie Grace as Allegra
• Hugh Dancy as Grigg
• Jimmy Smits as Daniel
• Marc Blucas as Dean
• Kevin Zegers as Trey
• Lynn Redgrave as Mama Sky

A thoroughly charming romantic comedy drama about the joys of reading, friendships and the ups and downs of love, The Jane Austen Book Club may be predictable but it is so lovely, funny and given heart by a talented cast that it more than makes up for the feeling that you’ve seen something similar.

In California, the eponymous book club is set up by the lively and loving Bernadette, who is something of an authority on the works of Jane Austen. Part of the inspiration comes from meeting Prudie, an unhappy and prim French teacher who is married to Dean, a man who seems to busy with his work and other ventures such as watching basketball to pay her any attention. Prudie is also somewhat enchanted by one of her handsome students Trey. The other half of the inspiration comes in the form of good friend Sylvia, who is currently in the process of separating from her philandering husband Daniel after he admits to having an affair. Also joining the club is dog breeder Jocelyn, who has never really been in love, Sylvia’s adventurous lesbian daughter Allegra who delights in daring stunts and seems to always get injured in the process. And not forgetting the one man of the bunch, science fiction geek Grigg, who is brought in by matchmaker Jocelyn tries to set up with a broken-hearted Sylvia. The amusing thing is that Jocelyn tries to force Grigg on Sylvia without realising that he actually likes her, though it’s obvious to everyone else where the affections of Grigg lie. Over six months, they will read the six books by the legendary Jane Austen and meet to discuss them with one another. As the reading of these classic books continues, each member’s life begins to resemble many of the aspects contained within the books. Romance, repair and camaraderie ensue within the group as they all become more enlightened on love through the reading of literature.

Writer-director Robin Swicord does a very successful job at bringing these characters and their stories to life. In her writing, she really has a knack for showing us the changes they make both in terms of funny moments and touching ones. Swicord just knows how to bring them to life and make a fairly predictable and none too new story seem very interesting and filled with warmth. Wit, romance and friendship all feature heavily throughout this movie and by the end it does you make you feel very cosy. Now it must be said that sometimes the pacing is a bit off within The Jane Austen Book Club, but there are enough distractions to settle this flaw. Mainly, there is the examination of how Austen’s work still rings true today that keeps events ticking over nicely. It seems that even after all these years, Jane Austen’s witty look at relationships and romance is still just as fresh and keen as ever, as the six members navigate their way through life and love, while finding their lives somewhat mirror the characters that populate the work of Austen. A well-chosen soundtrack compliments the tone of finding love and discovery within the movie very well.

A finely assembled cast adds up to a wonderful ensemble film where the characters are given time to grow. As the mind behind the book club Bernadette, Kathy Baker is delightfully warm-hearted, bohemian and matriarchal in every sense of the word. Maria Bello is natural and good-hearted as Jocelyn, who begins to play matchmaker much like the character of Emma, yet doesn’t realise that love is staring her right in the face. The talented Emily Blunt manages to blend poignancy with a sharp brittle quality as the unhappy Prudie. The character could have easily been extremely unlikable, but in the hands of Blunt, we at least see why Prudie acts the way she does to others and that she just needs an outlet for her feelings that she finds in the book club. Amy Brenneman is sympathetic as Sylvia, who doesn’t know how to react to her husband’s cheating but later regains her confidence. A youthful humour along with the impassioned way of throwing herself into love is provided by Maggie Grace, who resembles the character of Marianne in Sense and Sensibility. While the women of the story are the main focus, the men also get a look in, especially in the case of Hugh Dancy, who plays the sole male member of the book club. Exuding affability and geeky tendencies, it’s hard not to like Dancy in this movie because of his energy and spirit. The other guys in the movie(Jimmy Smits, Marc Blucas and Kevin Zegers) have smaller roles but still have things to do and a great cameo from Lynn Redgrave as Prudie’s pot-smoking hippie mother is really funny.

A cosy, warm-hearted film full of humour and pathos, The Jane Austen Book Club is far from original but filled with life and verve that is enjoyable nonetheless.

The Dark

Tags

2000's, Abigail Stone, Horror, John Fawcett, Maria Bello, Maurice Roëves, Sean Bean, Sophie Stuckey, The Dark

Film Title

The Dark

Director

John Fawcett

Starring

• Maria Bello as Adelle
• Sean Bean as James
• Maurice Roëves as Dafydd
• Sophie Stuckey as Sarah
• Abigail Stone as Ebrill

The Dark is a strange little horror film that took me more than a little by surprise. Mixing Welsh mythology, strange occurrences and the levels one is willing to go to bring a child back, it is frightening to say the least. Although the ending becomes way too confusing, The Dark up until then is a generally effective horror flick with eerie, gothic menace.

Adelle brings her teenage daughter Sarah to a remote Welsh farmhouse in order to mend her relationship with both her daughter and estranged husband James. But before any fixing of fractious relationships can begin, a tragedy befalls Adelle and James. Whilst searching the rocks near the cliff side, Sarah vanishes and is presumed dead. Adelle refuses to believe that her daughter is dead, but secretly feels maternal guilt for feeling that she wasn’t there for Sarah. In flashback, we see the broken relationship between the two of them and how it has affected them. Not long after, Adelle finds a young traumatized girl in the old abandoned abattoir, who bears a strong resemblance to her daughter . In the midst of this tragedy, Adelle discovers the strange and disquieting history of the farmhouse from the farm hand Dafydd. The farm was once owned by a minister who believed in ancient folklore. According to Welsh folklore, there is a place called Annwyn, which is the afterlife. He had a sickly daughter by the name of Ebrill, who he gave to the ocean. He then convinced his followers to sacrifice themselves by throwing themselves into the oncoming waves in order to bring his daughter back. She did return, but this time tragic consequences followed as a result. The girl who Adelle found appears to be Ebrill, but James doesn’t believe this at first and thinks Adelle is diving into something she shouldn’t. Adelle becomes convinced that Ebrill has taken Sarah’s place and that her daughter is still alive. This throws her into the realms of folklore and terror as she attempts to find an answer.

John Fawcett creates a creepy atmosphere of tension and ominous warnings by using the Welsh setting and mythology to chilling effect. The cliffs and raging waves that are repeatedly seen add to the strange history of the place and the revelations that Adelle uncovers whilst in mourning for her lost daughter. Some of the scares within The Dark may be cliché, but they don’t half make you jump all the same. Plus, under the grey and melancholy colours that saturate The Dark there is many a startling use of imagery, particularly in two gruesome scenes of trepanning and a menacing flock of sheep that charge without warning. Where The Dark stumbles is its final half, in which the story becomes too confusing and hard to follow. Which is a shame considering the gothic menace and chills it has conjured up before this lapse into uncertainty and confusion.

Maria Bello is great as Adelle, capturing her sense of guilt and belief that her daughter isn’t gone with her moving delivery and intense determination. Sean Bean, though more than a little underused, at least gives his character a touching sensitivity and broken heart as we watch him mourn his daughter, but worry about the actions of his estranged wife. Maurice Roëves is interesting as the farm hand aware of the tragic and sinister history of the farm. While Sophie Stuckey is seen too infrequently as Sarah, Abigail Stone gives the role of the returning Ebrill a haunting menace and sadness.

A generally eerie and menacing horror film, only let down by the baffling ending, The Dark is a good enough movie to give you chills.