Devils Knot.

Although based on a true story, Canadian stage and film director Atom Egoyan’s movie Devils Knot (2013) is the rather un-compelling retelling of a incident involving the murder of three eight year old boys in Arkansas in 1993.  The suspects, who became known as the West Memphis Three, were charged and convicted of the killings. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, with the other two, Jessie Misskelley Jnr and Jason Baldwin, sentenced to life imprisonment. Did they carry out the crime or was it a miscarriage of justice?  The film stars a wooden Colin Firth as Ron Lax, an investigator who assists the defence team pro bono because of; the film informs us, his objection to capital punishment and Reese Witherspoon as Pamela Hobbs, mother of one of the young victims.

 

West Memphis Three.

The actual 'Three'.

The problem with this movie is it lacks any element of surprise and turns out to be a plodding retelling of a well known story already covered by Mara Leveritts book, on which the movie is allegedly based, Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, published in 2002 but also there is the three part documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky which is said to be far superior. Which raises the question why bother?

Magic in the Moonlight.

How can the same man direct and write such an ultra award winning film like Blue Jasmine (2013) and then direct and write such “sugar coated claptrap” as Magic in the Moonlight (2014). I suppose it’s my fault expecting so much from Woody Allen’s new project, why was I so surprised that he had descended back to the level of the disappointing Midnight in Paris (2011) or his labouring farce You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010). Even the normally competent Colin Firth could not pull the amateur script out of its cheesy mire!

 

Even the beautiful settings can't save this dreadful film!

Set in 1928 the story involves a globally famous illusionist (Firth) who has been asked by a friend to expose a medium who has duped a very rich family who reside in indecent spender on the Cote d’Azur.  Both the son and his mother believe that Sophie Baker, a very weak Emma Stone, has supernatural powers, the son Brice, played by a ukulele strumming Hamish Linklater, offers to marry her and promises her personnel riches beyond her wildest dreams while mother Grace, a very disappointing performance by the normally excellent Jacki Weaver, promises Sophie the money to set up a school for psychics if she can put her in touch with her dead husband.  The story revolves around whether Sofie will be exposed and will she fall in love with the misanthrope who has been sent to unmask her. The real question is do we really care, none of Allen characters are anywhere near likable - even Sophie!

 

"Please don't cast me in another Woody Allen film"

The beautiful settings can’t disguise the weaknesses in this dreadful movie, I’m sure that you would get a far better production of this quite stagey narrative from your local amateur dramatic group at the church hall, the acting is as frightful as the weak script. Give this a miss!!

Before I Go To Sleep.

You can almost guarantee a full house at my local cinema, the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, when certain criteria are met. The film must star household names, and its story should be based on a best selling book. At this weeks RBC Film Club the criteria was well and truly met with a complete sell out proving the point. 

Showing was the second film directed and written by Rowan Joffe Before I Go To Sleep (2013). His debut feature film you may remember was Brighton Rock (2010) a remake of the 1947 film of the same name. He has also been responsible for writing the screenplays for other movies including Last Resort (2000) and The American (2010).

The evening was hosted by a very welcoming Rachel Findlay who explained that Joffe’s adaptation was based on the debut novel of English born author Steven “S J” Watson published in the spring of 2011. It soon became a bestseller in many countries, having been translated into over 40 languages. Watson studied Physics at the University of Birmingham before moving to London where he worked at various hospitals and specialized as an audiologist in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing-impaired children. He worked on his book in the evenings and at weekends. It was Ridley Scott that bought the film rights shortly after the book was published and it was Scott that hired Rowan Joffe to direct and write the script.

Rachel explained that because of the plot twists in the movie she would refrain from giving too many details about the film so as not to spoil it for the audience members that had not previously seen the film or read the book. But I think its safe to say that’s it’s a psychological thriller in the vain of say Henri-Georges Clouzot or perhaps Roman Polanski, but to be fair not quite up to their class.

Can you imagine waking up each day not knowing who you are....

Christine Lucas is in her forty’s; she is suffering from anterograde amnesia brought on by a traumatic incident that took place ten years earlier. She wakes each day with no recall; not knowing who she is or who the man is sharing her bed? He tells her he is her husband Ben, her only contact with the outside world, that is until she starts seeing a Dr Mike Nasch a neurologist at the local hospital who gives her a camera to record her thoughts and progress each day, and calls her every morning to remind her to watch the video in the camera hoping that this will lead to her regaining her memory.

....even with a loving husband by your side!

The story is very seductive and the movie is fine until its spoilt by a very cheesy ending that’s not really required and does not increase your understanding or enjoyment of the film. Basically it’s a “three hander” with the always excellent Ms Nicole Kidman playing Christine, RBC heart throb Colin Firth as her husband Ben, with a non villainous Mark Strong portraying Mike Nasch. All play their parts with a believability that is a credit to both the story and the film.  And despite its disappointing ending and the slating it got from some of the critics it still offers a pleasant diversion for those of you that enjoy a good intelligent thriller.

The Railway Man.

Eric Lomax and Takashi Nagase.

The consequences of war, or should I say the consequences of politicians sending young boys to war, is clearly portrayed in the former Royal Signals officer Eric Lomax’s autobiography published in 1995. It tells of his experiences as a prisoner of war during WW2 following the fall of Singapore and how he and many other prisoners were forced to help build the Burma Railway under the command of the Japanese military, a railway that cost the lives of 100000 men. For the second time The Railway Man has been adapted for the screen, the first in 1995 for Television starred John Hurt and now we have the feature film with Colin Firth ably taking the role of the older Lomax with Jeremy Irvine (War Horse (2011), Great Expectations (2012)) portraying the younger version. The story is told with intelligent use of flashbacks combining Eric’s current life with his time in Thailand building the railway. 

Early days building the railway.

Directed by Australian writer Jonathan Teplitzky and adapted for the screen by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson it is a remarkable account of how one human being can survive torture and extreme deprivation at the hands of another. The story starts in Scotland in 1980 when Lomax meets a Canadian nurse called Patti Wallace, a woman 17 years his junior, who after leaving his first wife married her in 1983. It’s not long before Patti (Nicole Kidman looking a touch more dowdy than she did in The Paperboy (2012)) realises that her husband has been psychologically damaged by his time in the camp and has severe problems coping with the after effects of his treatment there. But its not until she manages to get fellow veteran Finley (played by a miss cast Stellan Skarsgard) to tell her (via flashbacks) what went on during Eric’s time as a captive of the Japanese that she begins to appreciate the problems and nightmares he is suffering. Finley also explains to Pattie that the only way Eric is going to get any rest bite from his on going torment is to go back to the scene of his traumatic experiences and confront his torturer Japanese officer Takashi Nagase (Hiroyuki Sanada/Tanroh Ishida) who Finley has discovered is still alive.

 

Patti Lomax with Nicole Kidman.

The movie goes some way to explain the meaning of what we now call post traumatic stress disorder, how it comes about and its aftermath. Lomax suffered for 40 years of his life, almost destroying his second marriage and making his own life a miserable existence for a good amount of his life time. Not helped by the ridicules British stiff upper lip scenario and the code of silence that prevailed even between comrades who shared the horrors of war.  As one critic opined ‘this isn’t a war film but one about making peace with the past’[1]

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[1] Kate Stables Sight and Sound.

Gambit 2012.

The very British art forger Major Wingate explains in one of his many voiceovers ‘an optimist is simply a man who hasn’t heard the news’ but I would suggest an optimist is a man who hasn’t seen Gambit (2012)! Because make no mistake this is nowhere near as good as the promise of a Coen Brothers script would have you believe, think more The Ladykillers (2004) than No Country for Old Men (2007) if you get my drift.

Harry Deane and Lionel Shabander

This is the remake of the 1966 film of the same name originally directed by Ronald Neame and starring Michael Caine, Shirley Maclaine and the late great Herbert Lom. The idea for this remake has been about for around 15 years with various line-ups of cast and crew ending up with Michael Hoffman in the directorial chair. It was Hoffman who directed  The Last Station (2009) an interesting film about the final months of Leo Tolstoy’s life which starred Christopher Plummer as the Russian scribe and Helen Mirren as his wife. Gambit 2012 stars Colin Firth as Harry Deane Art curator, a character that attempt’s to get laughs by constantly being punched in the face and being stranded half way up the outside of The Savoy Hotel in London without his trousers! Cameron Diaz, with a dreadful Texas drawl that really grates, plays cowgirl P J Puznowski. Also involved is Alan Rickman who must have been drunk, drugged or skint to have agreed to play the part of the arrogant media mogul Lionel Shabandar. The afore mentioned Major Wingate is played by Tom Courtney.  The films plot involves Deane conning his abusive boss Shabandar into buying a fake Monet with the help of Major Wingate and the Texan rodeo queen Puznowski.

Major Wingate and P J Puznowski.

Although setting this remake in the 21^st century Hoffman has attempted to remake it as a swinging sixties pastiche including animated credits, a Mancini style score and the obligatory glossy London setting. Stupidly I’m naive enough to think that something described as a lighthearted comedy would be at least amusing rather than just embarrassing. Sitting through this 90 minute ‘comedy’ with out so much as a titter let along an actual fully blown laugh raises the question of why remake a film that was not particularly well acclaimed in the first place? 

The Kings Speech

Bertie and Elizabeth.

When a film is hyped up and wins as many awards as The Kings Speech (2010) it usually turns out to be some what of a disappointment, for example Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire I could never understand what the fuss was about, a mediocre offering at best. But I must admit that the Tom Hooper directed film is in a class of its own. Its premise is simple; it’s about a man who’s given a job of work to do and is ill-equipped to carry it out! After the death of his father George V in 1936 and the abdication of his brother Edward V111 who expressed a desire to marry the American double divorcee Mrs Wallis Simpson, Albert Duke of York, known as Bertie to his family, reluctantly became King George V1. During this period in history was the advent of what we know now as mass media in fact George V was the first monarch to address his “subjects” via the radio and there lies the problem. Bertie was incapable of giving any kind of speech without badly stammering and with the outbreak of war looming the new King, along with his wife Elizabeth, would be required to become figureheads with a need to regularly address the nation. Various speech therapists were tried without success until Elizabeth approaches an unorthodox Australian therapist called Lionel Logue, the rest is history.

Coronation Day 1937.

Unless you have been living on Mars you will be aware that The Kings Speech was nominated for 14 and won 7 British Academy Film Awards, three of which were well deserved acting awards. Colin Firth, for the second year running, won Leading Actor for his brilliant portrayal of a King coping with a serious disability, Geoffrey Rush, who dominates ever scene he’s in, for the role as Logue and Helena Bonham Carter splendid as Bertie’s wife Elizabeth. There is no doubt that the strength of this movie is in the acting, the best of which involves the interactions between Firth and Rush. This successful British film will hopefully do very well at the upcoming Oscars and more importantly has put bums on seats at the RBC cinema well into May!