Paddington

Tags

2010's, Adventure, Ben Whishaw, Comedy, Hugh Bonneville, Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Michael Gambon, Nicole Kidman, Paddington, Paul King, Peter Capaldi, Sally Hawkins, Samuel Joslin

Film Title

Paddington

Director

Paul King

Starring

• Ben Whishaw as Paddington Bear
• Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown
• Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown
• Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird
• Nicole Kidman as Millicent
• Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown
• Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown
• Peter Capaldi as Mr. Curry
• Jim Broadbent as Mr. Gruber
• Michael Gambon as Uncle Pastuzo
• Imelda Staunton as Aunt Lucy

A sprightly, adventure-filled and heartwarming take on the classic stories of Michael Bond’s marmalade loving, eponymous bear, Paddington is one of those movies that it’s hard to find fault with. Primarily, this stems from the fact it’s so much fun and an utter delight of comedy, heart and wonder.

We begin in the jungles of Darkest Peru, where we discover an English explorer happening upon two very intelligent bears with a love of marmalade. In time, he teaches them about modern life and even gets them to talk. Before heading back to civilisation he promises them a home in London if they should ever need it. The two bears, named Pastuzo and Lucy, have a nephew with them many years later; a curious and fun-loving bear who shares their taste for marmalade. But their harmony is shattered when an earthquake hits and kills Uncle Pastuzo. Aunt Lucy is getting older and can’t take care of Paddington as she once could. she remembers the explorer’s words of promise about there always being a home in London. Stowing her nephew into a cargo ship, she bids him farewell in the hope he will find a happy, new home. Upon arrival in London, he is met with hostility and all hope for a lovely, caring family to take care of him seems lost. That is until he encounters the Brown Family at Paddington Station. The mother, Mary, gives him the name Paddington and being a kind, considerate person, she offers to house him in her home. Her fussy and killjoy husband Henry, who is obsessed with keeping things risk-free, is completely against the idea of Paddington living with them. The children Judy and Jonathan, are thrilled to have Paddington with them, despite their father’s trepidation. Paddington is most curious to know more about the professor who visited Darkest Peru all those years ago and roping the family into things, he gets them into a whirl of unintentional mischief and laughs. But there is an evil taxidermist by the name of Millicent who has discovered Paddington and will stop at nothing to make him part of her sinister collection, now on his tail. Cue much mayhem, thrills and adventure for the bear and the Brown Family.

Paul King directs with an enormous amount of heart, humour and deeply felt love that explodes from almost every frame. It will take someone with a real damp view of life to not smile or have fun with a movie such as this. King just pushes all the right buttons of raucous humour, heartfelt sentiment and just plain adventure in a way that is spellbinding and an utter delight throughout. sense of magic and feel good factor it has going for it. It’s adventure of the highest level that proves totally sprightly and accessible to all ages. The blending of CGI in the title character and the real-life surroundings, that are continuously colourful, is seamlessly done. On a visual level, Paddington scores major points. The bright as a button colour scheme and adventurous ways of showcasing this zany fable are here in a glorious pot of love. And speaking of love, the film truly gets across the message of accepting people and loving one another beautifully and with clarity. The humour covers a wide spectrum from the mischievous and playful(Paddington accidentally flooding the Brown’s bathroom for starters) to nods and winks to older members of the audience, without missing a beat or getting overstuffed. It’s rare to come across a film such as Paddington that can be a ball for everyone watching. It has a style and care to it that many movies that aim for every age can sometimes miss in the long run. The high-reaching and upbeat score are on full duty; bringing out the simply amazing story and film that it accompanies. Put quite simply, you couldn’t ask for a more enchanting movie than Paddington.

Ben Whishaw beautifully voices the title bear with a childlike adventure and sense of mischief. His relaxing tones and enthusiasm can be heard so well that it’s really difficult to imagine another person voicing Paddington with the same skill as Whishaw has. Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins play well off one another as total opposite mum and dad. Bonneville is staid, careful and unwilling to entertain fancy notions, Hawkins is imaginative, lovely and slightly zany. Both consummate actors invest a lot into their respective roles(which also goes for pretty much the entire cast, who are finely assembled). The ever-dependable Julie Walters has a whole bundle of fun as the elderly relative of the Brown’s, whose quick wit and precision with cleaning ensures things are up to her tidy standards. Nicole Kidman is a dark delight as the villain of the piece; a Cruella like woman who wants to add Paddington to her collection. Kidman is both menacing and tongue in cheek funny, while also embodying something seductively devious too. It’s obvious that she had a really fun time playing this type of character just from the looks on her face. Child actors Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin are ideal for the roles of the Brown children who take the bear under their wing. Peter Capaldi is very amusing and slimy as the local nosy neighbour getting in trouble with the evil taxidermist, while Jim Broadbent provides sage as a man who helps point Paddington in the direction of what he seeks. Briefly found voicing Paddington’s relatives in Darkest Peru are Michael Gambon and Imelda Staunton, whose pathos and warmth are felt from the get go, despite only being on the screen for a short duration.

Hilarious, riotously entertaining and aimed at all ages, Paddington takes its place as a firm favourite that will pull you in with its message of family and its massive beating centre that is the lovable bear.

Cassandra’s Dream

Tags

2000's, Cassandra's Dream, Clare Higgins, Colin Farrell, Drama, Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Sally Hawkins, Thriller, Tom Wilkinson, Woody Allen

Film Title

Cassandra’s Dream

Director

Woody Allen

Starring

• Ewan McGregor as Ian
• Colin Farrell as Terry
• Tom Wilkinson as Uncle Howard
• Hayley Atwell as Angela
• Sally Hawkins as Kate
• Clare Higgins as Dorothy

A dramatic thriller from Woody Allen that suffers from odd pacing, a none too special script that rehashes old ideas Allen has explored in other movies more successfully and lack of involving events, Cassandra’s Dream had currency but nearly every element conspires against it and we’re left  watching a sub par film from a talented director.

Ian and Terry are two cockney brothers; the oldest Ian helps his somewhat  lax father in his restaurant, whereas Terry works as a mechanic in a local garage and is engaged to the sweet Kate. What binds both of the brothers is the sense of financial dissatisfaction. This is heightened even more when Ian meets the beautiful but demanding actress , who he becomes very attracted to. Having always had aspirations to set up hotels in the Suns of California, inspires Ian to make some money to fulfill his dreams but also benefit her in the long run. Terry, who is prone to booze and excessive gambling despite being a well-meaning man, falls into debt and owes a lot of money to loan sharks who know how to hurt. With both brothers desperate for monetary stability and fast, help seems to come in the shape of their Uncle Howard, who they have always looked up to. He has helped the family in the past and being a self-made man, has worked his way up to being a millionaire. Yet for all this hard work, a lot of his deals have been on the very shady side. He agrees to endow his nephews if they first do one thing for him. It appears that one of Howard’s associates is threatening to expose some of his less than savory antics. The cunning and sinister Howard says the only way to stop his crook tactics in business from being exposed is to have the man killed, which he asks Ian and Terry to carry out. Both brothers are shocked by what he is asking them to do, but both come round to the idea( despite Terry becoming still twitchy about the lack of morality.) The brothers eventually manage to carry out the murderous deed successfully, but it begins to change their relationship. Ian, who wanted the money to keep up with high maintenance Angela, decides to think as if nothing happened as he becomes enamoured with the lump sum coming his way. On the other hand, Terry becomes eaten up by unspeakable guilty that consumes him more and more each day that leads to the shattering of him and his brother’s close friendship and spells very bad circumstances for both men.

While it must be stated that Woody Allen is a very gifted director and writer, Cassandra’s Dream doesn’t really paint his talent in the best way because of a number of issues and inconsistencies. You see Cassandra’s Dream is billed as a dramatic thriller with a morality theme at the centre(much like many of Allen’s later movies), yet it is curiously neither thrilling or dramatic. Granted, there are a few scenes with a bit of tension, yet none of them feel very suspenseful or at all that riveting. The way that the pace varies from very quick to a snail-like drudge does not help matters whatsoever. Cassandra’s Dream may be set in London like Match Point, but whereas that movie really had an urgency and dealt with themes of ambition, a sense of wealth and the cruelty of life, the same can’t be said of this misstep. A lot of it feels very clichéd and unlike some of his other work, many characters aren’t interesting enough as people to invest in or relate to. Thankfully there is at least some respite to be found in a gloomy visual style and a moody score from Philip Glass, that lends a degree of darkness to the film which it sorely lacks throughout a lot of it.

One other thing that keeps Cassandra’s Dream at least bearable is most of the cast, who rise above the somewhat checkered source material to turn in good work despite the script’s shortcomings. Despite them both sporting dodgy cockney accents, Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell impress the brothers in predicaments and torn apart by their actions. Ewan McGregor makes Ian likable and the most ambitious of the two, who seems to become more avaricious after committing murder and wanting the good life. Colin Farrell is the real standout, wearing his heart on his sleeve as the nervous Terry. Never has Farrell shown so much vulnerability and gentleness before, but here he really makes quite the impact with this change of pace as the emotionally tormented man forced into a dire situation that ruins him from the inside. As excellent as Tom Wilkinson is as the scheming and blackmailing Uncle Howard, I would have preferred to see more of him as I am a big fan of Tom Wilkinson. That doesn’t mean that he was bad here, he is far from it, he just feels shortchanged and not featured enough in the story, especially as his actions have a lot of effect on the story. Despite the underwritten nature of their characters, Hayley Atwell and Sally Hawkins do their best as the demanding, opportunistic Angela who bewitches Ian and the caring and tolerant Kate, who starts to worry for boyfriend Terry. The same can’t be said of Claire Higgins who is criminally wasted as the boy’s mother.

With little in the way of thrills or tension, Cassandra’s Dream falls very flat and despite some good parts, none can make up for the disjointed quality of what ranks as one Woody Allen’s weakest outings as director.

Blue Jasmine

Tags

2010's, Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Blue Jasmine, Bobby Cannavale, Cate Blanchett, Drama, Louis C.K., Peter Sarsgaard, Sally Hawkins, Woody Allen

Film Title

Blue Jasmine

Director

Woody Allen

Starring

• Cate Blanchett as Jasmine
• Sally Hawkins as Ginger
• Alec Baldwin as Hal
• Bobby Cannavale as Chili
• Andrew Dice Clay as Augie
• Louis C.K. as Al
• Peter Sarsgaard as Dwight

A strong drama/tragedy from the pen and direction of Woody Allen populated with acerbic dialogue and an exceptional cast headed by an award-winning Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine emerges as one of his most scathing and seriously darker films.

Jasmine was not so long ago a wealthy socialite with everything she could ask for. That is until it was revealed that her husband Hal was a fraudster and who was subsequently arrested for his shady dealings. Now penniless and recovering from a nervous breakdown, Jasmine heads to San Francisco to stay with her adopted sister Ginger. Ginger is less well off than Jasmine, but is hard-working and never bemoans it. Yet while she is doing Jasmine a favour by putting her up, she may have wished she hadn’t . You see Jasmine is not an easy or at all pleasant person to be around. The once rich society princess has a sense of entitlement that causes her to sneer at Ginger’s choices in lifestyle and men, like her latest boyfriend grease monkey Chili. In between popping pills, wittering on to herself about the old glories and hitting the booze whenever she can get her hands on it, Jasmine completely starts to unravels emotionally as her bubble bursts. Jasmine alienates those around her and people like Ginger’s ex husband Augie, who was ripped off by Jasmine’s husband are far from happy to see her swanning back into town as if nothing has happened. Through flashbacks, we begin to get a picture of her life before that she clings to with alarmingly delusional flights of fancy that are leading her down the dangerous path to another nervous breakdown.

The dark drama within Blue Jasmine unfolds very well, courtesy of fantastic and withering direction from Woody Allen. I especially liked the way he cut the flashbacks with the present. It isn’t anything complicated or flashy, it is events shown when a certain topic is brought up about Jasmine and we get answers from it.  There is a reminiscent quality about the structure of the flashbacks, which is very apt seeing as Jasmine is still completely in the past and refusing to step out of it. While Woody Allen is a master of comedy, he is also pretty adept at crafting drama. If you want a drama from him, look no further than Blue Jasmine. Humour may have a part in the movie, but like the dark tone of it, the humour comprises of scalding one-liners, biting indictments of the rich and watching Jasmine continue to delude herself that her life is still flashy and amazing. I’m liking seeing Woody Allen direct drama as he has a definite flair for this dark type of drama, tinged with bits of black comedy and vicious wit. Sure at times the narrative can flounder a little, but that is a very minor flaw in what is a very successful movie. A bright visual style showcasing San Francisco is laced with a biting irony at the darkness of the story as Jasmine heads towards the razor’s edge of insanity. A soundtrack of blues and jazz underpins the dark, tragic and pathetic nature of Jasmine’s plight, which is in one way done by her own hand.

What really dominates Blue Jasmine is the bravura performance from Cate Blanchett, that garnered her a well deserved Oscar. The character of Jasmine must have been difficult to play because of how much her emotions veer from one to the other, but Blanchett effortlessly turns in a performance that doesn’t hit a false note. The character of Jasmine is not likable; she’s bitchy, snotty and holds contempt for those who she judges to be beneath her station. Yet with Blanchett in the role, she invests it with not so much a sympathy but a reason that Jasmine is a victim of her own selfishness who simply can’t let go of her past riches and is pathetic, strangely tragic and emotionally ruined to say the least. You simply can’t take your eyes off Blanchett in her portrayal of the slowly disintegrating Jasmine and it stands as one of her best performances. Sally Hawkins provides a great foil to Blanchett’s bitchy Jasmine in the form of down to earth Ginger. She gives her part a genuine niceness tempered with a quiet strength that is soon unleashed as she grows weary of her sister’s behaviour and disapproving attitude. Ginger is a character that you can relate to more because she is rational and while not exactly thrilled at her social standing, works hard enough and sacrifices to make ends meet. Alec Baldwin, shown in flashback is the charming shark who lead Jasmine right up the garden path. Baldwin portrays the smooth operator with a smug and scheming personality with relish. Bobby Cannavale, boasting a blue-collar attitude and big heart is very good as Chili, whose temper is ignited by the way Jasmine looks down upon him. Andrew Dice Clay is well cast as Augie, who was duped by one of Hal’s schemes and came off a lot worse, while Louis C.K. is good as another possible love interest for Ginger. Rounding out the proceedings is Peter Sarsgaard as a wannabe politician who indulges Jasmine’s delusions of grandeur.

With a biting, tart wit and deft direction, Woody Allen conjures up one of his strongest films of late, that is jet-black in terms of humour and is more akin to a tragedy. And with Cate Blanchett on absolutely stellar form as the socialite fallen on hard times and slowly adrift in a sea of delusions, what more could you ask for?

Never Let Me Go

Tags

2010's, Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, Charlotte Rampling, Drama, Keira Knightley, Mark Romanek, Never Let Me Go, Sally Hawkins, Science Fiction

Film Title

Never Let Me Go

Director

Mark Romanek

Starring

• Carey Mulligan as Kathy H
• Andrew Garfield as Tommy D
• Keira Knightley as Ruth C
• Sally Hawkins as Miss Lucy
• Charlotte Rampling as Miss Emily
• Isobel Meikle-Small as Young Kathy
• Ella Purnell as Young Ruth
• Charlie Rowe as Young Tommy

Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go is a haunting evocation on the subject of mortality. Capturing the mournful undercurrents of the story and featuring three impressive central performances, Mark Romanek directs this poignant story of the human soul.

To the outside world, Hailsham looks like any other boarding school. Yet it is far from it. In the opening frames of the movie, the audience sees things that seem somewhat different to the expectations of an English boarding school. The students scan their wrists on sensors around the school and take unnamed tablets every morning. For Kathy, Tommy and Ruth, this is the way they have been brought up, yet there is the lingering feeling that something isn’t quite right about the schools ethos. Narrated by Kathy, we witness the three central characters growing up in this peculiar environment in which they are forbidden to pass the boundary separating the school from the outside world. This isolating existence adds to the enigmas surrounding the trio. When they learn their destiny from their new teacher Miss Lucy, which I won’t divulge for fear of spoiling it, it changes everything about them. Years later, the characters are grown up and have left Hailsham for somewhere else. Yet there is still the searching for answers regarding their fate that plagues quiet Kathy, awkward Tommy and jealous Ruth. Kathy is in love with Tommy but as she doesn’t want to upset the balance of friendship stays quiet as he courts Ruth. The jealousy and tenuous link at many times almost breaks as they navigate their way through realisation, grief and love. For the trio, a normal life is not an option and various questions are posed throughout Never Let Me Go surrounding the human soul and the nature of existence. Poignant, poetic and profound, Never Let Me Go asks many questions of us an audience and all we can do is witness the sadness, emotions and strange beauty of the film that will haunt almost anyone who sees it.

Alex Garland’s screenplay sensitively depicts the realisation of events and the effect it has on the close friendship shared between these characters with no knowledge of the outside world. By parts science fiction and drama with a romance at the heart, Never Let Me Go manages to balance these with stunning and powerful results. Mark Romanek’s subtle direction frames the story in melancholy and evocative colours which allows the story to reveal certain surprising points with a quiet unpredictability and intelligence. Rachel Portman contributes a stunning score of love, anguish and closeness that really lends the film a massive emotional impact as these characters decipher their shocking destiny and are faced with difficult decisions.

What really gives Never Let Me Go an emotional heart is the three central performances of Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley. Carey Mulligan is the most effective in her portrayal of Kathy, who narrates the story. Some may say the role seems passive, when actually it is filled with quiet, determined emotion and a certain weariness that Mulligan excellent embodies with deep pathos and skill. It is a role filled with passion, intelligence and power that Carey Mulligan delivers with deep emotional weight. Andrew Garfield contributes a wide-eyed naive quality to Tommy as he journeys through a discovery for the truth whilst dealing with his feelings for both Kathy and Ruth. Garfield is very subtle but hugely impressive in this role, and when he releases his emotion later on in the film it is such a harrowing moment. Rounding out the troika is Keira Knightley’s performance as Ruth, whose jealousy burns as she sees how Kathy clearly adores her boyfriend. But Knightley intelligently doesn’t make Ruth a one-dimensional character, she shows us the caring side that want to hold on to her friends and the aggressive side that surfaces when provoked.  All of the actors portraying the characters as children are exceptional as they have an uncanny resemblance to their older characters and possess deep emotions for people so young. Sally Hawkins has a brief but highly emotional role as the teacher who informs the students of their destiny and Charlotte Rampling is suitably imperious and enigmatic as the headmistress of Hailsham.

Crafted with poignancy and full of deep, far-reaching themes, Never Let Me Go is a haunting film that will live long in the memory.