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psjill-1
Reviews
The Five (2016)
Painful to watch....
Plot potential not fully realised; acting - in most instances barely adequate; writing - abysmal; (character development - limited and implausible; unbelievably stupid scripted behaviour, ridiculous plot lines, and an unsatisfactorily pat ending.) Overall, pretentious, disappointing drivel.
National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses (2016)
Bringing the best of the West End to the World
I saw this production of Les Liaisons Dangereuse yesterday with three friends and we all left the cinema with the same opinion. Brilliant dialogue, faultless performances, intimate staging - overall, couldn't be faulted. Janet McTeer and Dominic West gave virtuoso performances and were very ably supported by an ensemble cast that included Elaine Cassidy and Una Stubbs.
I love these National Theatre productions. When you can't get to London to see actors "in the flesh" and experience the excitement a live production generates, then these films of live shows are the next best thing. And in some ways they are superior viewing. Every nuance of performance and facial expression can be clearly observed - and you have the best seats in the house for a fraction of the cost of going to a West End show.
I put this production up there with two other favourites from the National Theatre - Warhorse and Frankenstein. Now, if they would only release them on Blu-ray or DVD, I would be a very happy bunny indeed!
Bridesmaids (2011)
A waste of space, time and celluloid......
To sum it up - this film is crass, unfunny, foul-mouthed (and I thought I was broad-minded!), poorly written drivel that masquerades as a comedy. There are a lot of American comedies that I find less than amusing nowadays and which seem to be focused on teenage boys and their bodily functions, but this female version really scrapes the bottom of the barrel. (Thank God for the Coen brothers! And for writers who understand that good comedy uses humour, subtlety, satire and wit rather than a sledgehammer to get a point across!) This film sets out to shock and that is, in fact, the only area in which it succeeds.
The women in it are (mostly) so awful that if you were a guy you'd choose to be gay, and as a woman you would choose to elope! A minute with this group of women is 60 seconds too long.