Spencer

Tags

2020’s, Jack Farthing, Kristen Stewart, Pablo Larraín, Psychological Drama, Sally Hawkins, Sean Harris, Spencer, Timothy Spall

A piercing movie about the iconic Princess Diana as her marriage truly unravels and the scrutiny begins to take a toll, the unexpected and enthralling Spencer is aided by up close direction and a sensational portrayal destined for awards notice by Kristen Stewart.

The film takes place over the Christmas Holidays at Sandringham Estate where the Royal Family gathers. Princess Diana(Kristen Stewart) is late to the proceedings , which is noted by everyone else as something scandalous and controversial. Diana is obviously estranged from her husband Prince Charles(Jack Farthing) and is feeling the emotional strain of feeling on the outside of everything as her marriage continues to crumble . The main things that are keeping her reasonably steady are her two young sons , Prince William and Prince Harry, and her loyal personal dresser Maggie(Sally Hawkins) . We also have Equerry Major Alistair Gregory( Timothy Spall) and Royal Head Chef Darren McGrady(Sean Harris) are trying to in their own way to get through to her, but coming up against some resistance as they are members of the very machine Diana is up against. But it’s not going to easy for the rebel in Diana as mounting tension within  and her mental state beginning to collapse take hold of her. Diana attempts to navigate dangerous terrain as she flouts tradition and must eventually decide on the course of action for her precarious future. The days at prove crucial in her quest for freedom and identity.

Pablo Larraín seems to have a real fascination with and his gifts for cutting through the mystique are very much on show here in Spencer. We never quite know whether any of this actually transpired in the way shown, but it’s intriguing and startling nonetheless. One can see similarities with  Larraín’s other film of Jackie; where they diverge is in how unusual and how disturbingly heightened Spencer is overall, whereas Jackie was largely rooted in a sense of reality. But both movies are equally effective at deconstructing what we think we know about two famous women and are great companion pieces. Spencer is quite different from what you usually think of when something takes influence from a true story. While it does cover some familiar beats, it also deviates in its execution. For example, there are moments in this film that are truly horrifying and veer into psychological torment . In one instance, Diana hallucinates ripping a necklace of pearls that are around her neck and eating them rapidly with her soup. With the camerawork constantly keeping her in tight almost suffocating close up, we are witness to the horrors of a woman trapped in a cage and striving to escape as hallucinations and possibilities arise for Diana. Symbolism is ever present with mentions and allusions to entrapment and a desire to escape to a better time. Also watch for a tense scene between Charles and Diana around a pool table, it’s most certainly memorable as things begin to boil over. A striking and often very haunting score from Jonny Greenwood matches the heightened psychological and visual take on this story . It’s truly a fine weapon in this movie’s artillery and not easily forgettable with its prominent glides up and down in tempo and sense of gloom.

At the heart of Spencer is the sublime work from Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. Stewart nails the famous mannerisms( tilting of the head, breathy voice and demure grace) while diving deeply into the river of sorrow of a woman clearly on the edge and starting to rebel. An inner fire, of sarcasm and also candour comes through as her mental state begins to worsen in paranoid fashion and Stewart unearths strength and a painfully human vulnerability that alternate almost simultaneously. I really think that Kristen Stewart should be expecting many an award nomination come the season for it and she thoroughly deserves it for her finest performance to date. The main other people who stand out are Timothy Spall, Sean Harris and Sally Hawkins . The ever impressive has a certain mystery about him as the who it at first appears is not in favour of Diana, but who it transpires has some sage advice for the rebel royal. Spall as always is a class act and is wonderfully cast. Sean Harris, who is always a welcome presence on screen, effectively plays the role of the cook who has sympathy for Diana and genuinely tries to advise her on things , even though he can’t really do much in terms of power or authority. Then we have Sally Hawkins who has an immensely reassuring aura as the royal dresser adept at playing the game and is sometimes quite unexpected in her actions as the film goes on. Jack Farthing his moments but is not really the crucial focus here as effective as he is in only a handful of scenes. The main cast is really good and pretty well assembled, but Spencer is truly a film where Kristen Stewart is the true MVP and what you won’t forget once the credits role. It’s truly her show and she delivers exceptionally. 

Brutally intimate, uncompromisingly heightened and daring, Spencer is another triumph from Pablo Larraín and has a simply stellar performance from Kristen Stewart at the heart of it

Chicken Run

Tags

2000's, Chicken Run, Comedy, Imelda Staunton, Jane Horrocks, Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Phil Daniels, stop motion, Timothy Spall

Film title

Chicken Run

Directors

Peter Lord & Nick Park

Voice Cast

• Julia Sawalha as Ginger
• Mel Gibson as Rocky
• Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Tweedy
• Tony Haygarth as Mr. Tweedy
•  Jane Horrocks as Babs
• Imelda Staunton as Bunty
• Lynn Ferguson as Mac
• Benjamin Whitrow as Fowler
• Timothy Spall as Nick
• Phil Daniels as Fetcher

Synopsis: A band of desperate chickens trapped in a prison-like farm, seek the help of a cocky American rooster in order to escape from being made into chicken pies by their sadistic owner and her oafish husband.

A glorious stop-motion send-up to Prisoner of War movies such as “The Great Escape”, Chicken Run possesses something for every one of every age to enjoy. It has the comedy to engage young children but a serious, emotional side that adults can equally relate to. There is humour, pathos and thrilling action sequences that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The stop-motion is just fantastic to look at.

The main aspect I liked about this film was the array of different characters. The film establishes the five man band rule commonly featured in Prison Dramas;

• There is the main focal point and hero Ginger

• The perfect foil to the hero Rocky

• The big guy and local cynic Bunty

• The ditzy chick of the bunch Babs

• The smart one in the form of Scottish Mac

The old school Fowler, who always speaks of his RAF days, acts as a mentor to the other chickens as he introduces discipline to them and eventually comes up with the main method of escape.  

This reminded me of how humans are usually in one way or another put into groups such as this with each individual having a unique or special quality.  I also think that the various nods to POW films are funny and inventive, this is clearly shown in the opening scene in which Ginger and the others attempt another escape at night, only to be thwarted by Tweedy and her two evil dogs.  The scene is a clear homage (and spoof) of “The Great Escape”.

Poultry Prison

Whilst the humour is hysterical throughout the film, there are equally emotional and sad moments as well. The many escape attempts of the chickens make the audience feel sympathy for them. One of the most memorable scenes occurs near the beginning of the film; the chickens have all lined up as the evil Mrs. Tweedy comes to inspect their egg count. The scene is reminiscent of POW films in the set-up of the chickens behind a chain-link fence and being under the rule of another power. The scene is deliberately filmed from low-angle shots to give the sense that Mrs. Tweedy is the one in control and the chickens are cowering beneath her. As she continues to menacingly patrol up and down the lines, she notices on her records a shortage of eggs from a certain chicken named Edwina. The terrified Edwina is then taken away to what all of the chickens refer to as “The Chop”, in other words where they are to be killed. Ginger leaves the line and climbs to the roof of one of the pens. Although we don’t actually see Edwina being killed (we just see the shadow of Tweedy raising the axe), it’s the sad reaction of the other chickens as the thud of the axe comes down that leaves a lump in the throat and a tear in the eye. The scene is further saddened as an upset Ginger watches a flock of birds fly over the fence, symbolizing her desire to escape from the farm and live in freedom.   

Rocky the Rhode Island Red

Despite this, or maybe because of it, Ginger tries to boost morale with another escape attempt, to which the others are not so sure. This leads the way for the arrival of Rocky, a rooster who, unbeknownst to the rest of the chickens, can’t fly but has been blasted from a cannon as part of a circus act. He promises to teach them how to fly but later has a crisis of judgment with himself.  Rocky makes for an interesting character as shown by his brittle arguments with his polar opposite Ginger. He is the perfect foil to the character of Ginger. They are like chalk and cheese in terms of personality.

 Tweedy’s evil plan

One of the most exciting sequences comes after the arrival of the pie machine. Before this, the selfish and heartless Mrs. Tweedy has grown tired of collecting eggs and seeks a new way of making money for herself.  With the machine built, Tweedy wants to test it out and takes Ginger to be the first victim. The reaction of the other chickens as they panic intensely lightens the mood before the action begins. Rocky then decides to rescue her and he silently enters the farm. Ginger is strapped to restraints as the machine starts and edges her closer towards the dropping chute.  The music that underscores this scene adds an adventurous and action-packed feeling. Rocky then finds himself searching for Ginger whilst trying to avoid the various instruments of death such as the roller to flatten the pastry. To slow the machine down, Rocky sticks a carrot into the gravy producer causing the pressure to rise. After finding themselves in the oven, Rocky falls into the pies whilst Ginger manages to find the exit. To stop the exit from closing Ginger uses a spanner to wedge it open; she then goes back and manages to save Rocky just in the nick of time.  After escaping from the machine they find a poster of Mrs. Tweedy’s chicken pies and decide to show the other chickens what she is up to.

Rocky becomes a hero

The scene changes how Ginger sees Rocky as a character. Before this she sees him as being arrogant, but after saving her she starts to see him as a hero and takes a shine to him. This is also when Rocky begins to feel like a fraud and starts to feel for the other chickens. This is especially evident after Fowler, who originally looked at Rocky with a disdainful eye, gives him a medal of honour for his rescue of Ginger. After this, Rocky decides to run away, this is a move that upsets the chickens, as they all believed he was the answer to their prayers. Fowler non-intentionally gives them an escape idea of building a crate to fly out of the farm.  They work against the clock to build it whilst Mr. Tweedy attempts to repair the machine for his merciless wife. In this quest, they are aided by two sticky-fingered rats known appropriately as Nick and Fetcher, who provide some great comic scenes.  As they attempt to fly away, Tweedy tries to thwart the plan but Rocky heroically returns and aids them.  By doing this, Rocky has gone from being the anti-hero to the hero.  A nail-biting climax follows as a demented and evil Tweedy again tries to cut off the escape plan in psychopathic fashion.

If you are looking for a film that has laughs, sadness and glorious effects then “Chicken Run” is the film I would advice you watch. This film will seriously make you reconsider eating chicken pie ever again.