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clarewashbrook
Reviews
Franklyn (2008)
One of my top films EVER
I am easy to amuse but not that easy to impress. This seriously impressed me. This is a new direction for British films and it is awesome. Not only is it fun and enjoyable but it is intelligent, existential and thought-provoking.
This is a somewhat unquantifiable film - this genre busting (can't explain without spoiling the plot) structure and plot will undoubtedly reduce the audience of this film but it is also what makes it stupendously good.
There is NO exposition - nothing is explained. Be intelligent enough to work it out or not. There are puzzle elements which will have you going back again and again, attempting to divine the significance of an architectural moulding or a tattoo.
Like the film, this review will probably dip down in the ratings because I'm not quantifying an unquantifiable film.
What can I say to fix something solid in mind? It follows four emotionally messy characters on their individual quests - three in modern day London and one in a futuristic theologically diverse dystopia. Their paths are converging. This is the story of how and why. There are occurrences which could be parallel dimensions, magic, insanity...you have to watch to decide; you won't be force fed a solid perception.
This film is genius. It is not, however, for the dim. It will be a cult film for an intelligent elite. Which is exactly what GREAT fiction is.
If you want an unusual adventure, an original plot, no formula - watch this! It will blow you away!
Peter Pan (2003)
Truest version
This film makes the ultimate movie faux pas - it sticks to the original story! Whilst this means that it will inevitably fail at the box office - what it means to us viewers (and literary obsessives)is that this is the most genuine and satisfying film of Peter Pan ever!
Many people do not realise that this story began life as a stage play and it is wonderful to see that history acknowledged and homaged with the traditional dual casting of one actor as both Mr Darling and Hook. This is essential for understanding the subtext (for adults).
It is a beautiful film and has one of the best feel-good moments ever in it - I dare you not to cry during "I do believe in fairies"! Jason Issacs is on form in his best role to date - beats Lucius Malfoy within seconds! There can be no other Tinkerbell after this and if one could direct a "there is no such thing as fairies" at just the Disney Tinkerbell and Julia Roberts and be certain that no other fairy would be harmed then every viewer would scream it at maximum volume - there can be no other.
It is a beautifully imagined and realised world which feels right and believable all the way through. It is a film which ought to have no "making of" because it damages the magic - something which this film has in abundance!
The Ex (1996)
Ex-tremely funny
My husband wanted to watch this film because the review in the paper said that it was better than Fatal Attraction. Well, not liking either Michael Douglas or Glenn Close, I would have to agree. Not for conventional reasons though.
This is one of those films that needs to be watched late at night when you don't want to watch something that really requires thought but don't want to go to bed yet.
Yancy Butler is a really enjoyable bad-guy. She is not the best of actresses, in fact she isn't even good but she is perfect for this role in this film. Everyone else in it varies from pine to oak, including the slightly disturbing boy who comes across as a warped Pinocchio.
SPOILER: The ending goes a step or two too far, complete with the cliché not quite dead, up with a roar, still gonna get you moment and then there's a shot of Pinocchio with his frozen wooden smirk which makes you wonder if they were going for chilling or just forgot there was botox in the make-up.
Regardless, it's a hilarious eighty odd minutes and despite being a bad film, you would have to be lacking the humour gene to not enjoy it somewhat. Don't pay for it but if you're in that kind of apathetic telly mood then this is just right.
Shooting the Past (1999)
Truly the best of British television.
Poliakoff classically explores the individual's response to change. Again he showcases the value of the eccentric and individual in a world consumed by finance and transitory values.
Here the focus is a photograph collection, an access point to the history of the individual. It is the people who matter. The guardians of the visual history of our hearts and journeys, defending the right for it to exist in the wake of the number cruncher tsunami and also the deceased souls whose journeys are chronicled in the photographs.
This is an exploration and expose of modern values facing off against history. An allegory of America versus England, where each take off their masks and stand for what they value - money versus history, profit versus story, power versus texture.
Unbeatable by any other writer. Valuable beyond the merit of all other television writers. This is more than a must see; it is imperative that you learn from it! A disguised moral tale, if you will and if you are willing to listen.