Tuesday, 17 November 2015

"The Grand Budapest Hotel", directed Wes Anderson


Movie, 2014

A witty, colourful and fast paced character study and homage, perhaps, to a grander Europe in the early twentieth century, played for thrills, action and - occasionally - a palpable tenderness and poignancy. Within this star-studded chocolate box of a movie are some well-worked themes and devices, and yet there's also something refreshingly original  - the mixture of bathos and comedy sitting on top of the whirlwind of fun is quite remarkable and rewards attentive viewing.




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Sunday, 15 November 2015

"Inherent Vice", directed Paul Thomas Anderson

Movie, 2014

Murky, muttering and suitably confused, confusing slow burn frenetic adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's LA private eye caper. The film's pace and its fairly hefty length draw those in who get hooked in the first place from opening scenes depicting a stoned PI, his returning lover, a massage parlour frequented by an Aryan Brotherhood gang, a nasty slick-cut nemesis policeman and some pretty sweaty interactions between and involving each of them. Possibly not destined for classic mainstream status, but a good adaptation all the same.

"Inherent Vice film poster" by Source (WP:NFCC#4). Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inherent_Vice_film_poster.jpg#/media/File:Inherent_Vice_film_poster.jpg

Sunday, 8 November 2015

"Voyage in the Dark", by Jean Rhys

Novel, 1934

Hugely evocative novel set in a modernising London and focusing on the challenges, loves and  friendships of Anna, a young Caribbean chorus girl. This is an account of despair, drunkenness, abortionists and questionable morality, but nonetheless, life's vitality shines through. Some really keen writing which descriptively tells its story and sets seedy, desperate scenes, with occasionally flights into more modernist streams of consciousness.

"Mr Holmes," directed Bill Condon

Movie, 2015

A retired, infirm and fake-nosed Sherlock Holmes finds his truculent housekeeper, her plucky son and his apiary giving him plenty to think about while he's trying to get on with the business of retiring. A film in which plenty of flashbacks, narratives and themes swirl without fully knitting together. An enjoyable watch but one ultimately stifled by its central character and certain well-meaning but slightly suffocating Englishness. Not at all bad - could have done with a few edits here and there.

"Mr. Holmes poster" by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mr._Holmes_poster.jpg#/media/File:Mr._Holmes_poster.jpg