Suffragette Review

The Plot

Carey Mulligan leads an incredible cast in this look into the Suffragette movement for women’s rights in early 20th century London.

The Good

It’s both incredible and yet still unsurprising to think that Suffragette is really the first film which covers such an important topic. With such an impressive cast behind it, the story is undoubtedly in safe hands.

Carey Mulligan makes for an engrossing central character as Maude Williams, a working wife who is thrust into the middle of a political and social protest that soon begins to hurt not only her life, but that of her family’s. The secret to Mulligan’s success is largely part to her own feeling of unimportance which writer Abi Morgan’s script pushes into the subconscious with great effect.

Though the film centres on Mulligan’s performance, in a big way she could just have easily been a sidelined character to let the film focus more on Meryl Streep’s Emmeline Pankhurst. Instead Streep is rather smartly underused, appearing in only one scene like some sort of suffragette rockstar. The remainder of the supporting cast members are fortunately given more to do, with Natalie Press’ Emily Davison being a particular highlight. That said however, director Sarah Gavron manages to use her cast to their full potential without making anyone seem more or less important than the other.

Though it doesn’t exactly cover the entire timeline of its subject matter (difficult considering equality is still problematic to this day) Morgan’s script tackles it with great respect as she picks out moments both small and large to highlight the struggles of the era. And the story certainly isn’t afraid to tackle the grittiest details of the suffering its protagonists went through, with one scene involving a prison force feeding which is particularly hard to watch yet still is important to see that these horrific ways in which suffragettes were treated should not and will not be forgotten.

The Bad

Though the underuse of Meryl Streep is a smart move, her appearance still slightly jars. Considering the amount of coverage she’s been getting in the advertising for the film, it’s still somewhat disappointing to have her appear in one brief, albeit important, scene.

Also, though there are no problems thematically, Suffragette eventually ends up feeling like a by the books historical drama. Perhaps due to its lateness, a film about the Suffragette movement was always going to become much bigger in the audiences imagination than in the finished product. Or perhaps it’s due to the level of importance that this film holds.

The Ugly Truth

Suffragette is a well written historical drama about a subject that is still a problem to this day. Mulligan’s performance is certainly an interesting way in which to present the story, however something still feels amiss…

Tom Hiddleston Is First BFI Ambassador

The BFI has announced that British actor Tom Hiddleston has become its first official BFI Ambassador. As the champion for film in the UK, the BFI’s charitable cause is to create a flourishing film culture and to drive the success of the industry. Tom’s new Ambassador role will be a life-cause to advocate for British film and the BFI’s vital work in building the next generation of film talent and film lovers in the UK.

Tom’s film career is testament to the medium of film as an art form in all its glory. In parallel to starring in Hollywood blockbuster hits – including Thor, The Avengers and War Horse, Tom has been a committed artistic influence in the development of British film, working with key British filmmakers including Joanna Hogg (Archipelago), Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea) and Ben Wheatley, who’s upcoming film High Rise stars Tom and is premiering at the BFI London Film Festival on Friday 9th October.

Tom Hiddleston said:

‘Film is an art form – one of the most powerful, accessible, democratic and transformative in our society. It allows us to see the world around us, and the lives of others. It plays a vital role in establishing our national identity and gives us confidence as a nation. The BFI looks after the most significant collection of film and television in the world. It should be treasured and protected, in the same way we treasure and protect all our great cultural collections, from art and music, to libraries and museums. The BFI’s mission is to ensure that our film culture is kept alive, and to inspire the next generation of film talent. It’s the reason the BFI exists and why I am committed to being a BFI Ambassador.’

Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO said

‘Tom is a hugely admired and influential actor who understands the full breadth of film culture. He moves fluidly from starring in the world’s most successful blockbusters to remaining engaged with – and loyal to – emerging British filmmakers where he is admiringly bold and risk taking in his choices. This potent combination demonstrates Tom’s innate understanding that greatness in film rests upon deep cultural foundations – something that Britain is exporting to the world. Tom will be an enormous boost to the BFI and I want to thank him for taking on this extremely important role on behalf of British film.’

A lifelong supporter of the BFI, Tom will help raise awareness of the BFI’s key activities as a cultural charity including its film programmes, film education, film preservation at the BFI National Archive and BFI led initiatives to build the next generation of film talent such as the BFI Film Academy.

George Miller Plans Mad Max Sequels

George Miller is already unsurprisingly in talks with Warner Bros. to  make at least one follow up to the surprisingly  good Mad Max reboot starring Tom Hardy as rugged post-apocalyptic road warrior Max Rockatansky. Miller has revealed that he is in talks with Warner Bros about adapting at least one of two potential scripts he already has prepared.

“After Fury Road was delayed we had dug down deep into the backstory, not only of the characters, but of every vehicle. How the steering wheels became religious artifacts, and things like that. So we ended up with two scripts, without really trying. We’re talking to the studio about it as we speak, but which one of the two stories will happen next, I’m not so sure.”

It’s hardly a surprise given the overwhelming positive critical response and solid global box office performance that the studio are eager to give Miller and Hardy another joy ride in the desert. Whether or not Charlize Theron’s scene stealing Furiosa returns is another less certain proposition.

 

Four Transformers Sequels Planned

Having hauled in over a billion dollars with Transformers: Age of Extinction Paramount now has a ten year plan for continuing the lucrative franchise until Optimus Prime turns to rust.  Transformers 5 was already in development, but now Transformers 6,7 and 8 are also being plotted. The studio is even exploring plans for additional spin-offs.

Steven J. Davis the head of Transformers toy manufacturers Hasbro had this to say about the news.

“We just finished an incredible experience, We decided that we wanted to plot out the next ten years of the Transformers franchise.”

Academy award winner Akiva Goldsman has apparently been guiding a huge team of writers on a  three month mission to plot of the future of the brand. That team apparently includes Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down); Robert Kirkman (Walking Dead); Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man); Zak Penn (The Incredible Hulk);Christina Hodson (Shut In); Lindsay Beer (the developing Short Circuit remake); Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari (Haunt);  Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spider-Man 2); Steven DeKnight (Daredevil); and Geneva Robertson-Dworet.

As Davis makes clear

“They plotted out the next ten years of Transformers. Similarly, we are doing the same in television and in digital. So stay tuned, Transformers 5 is on its way, and 6 and 7 and 8.”

Transformers 5 will be arriving in cinemas in 2017, giving fans a first taste of what they an expect for a decade of intergalactic robotic civil war.

Dark Shadows Writer Directing The Flash

Warner Bros has confirmed that Dark Shadows and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter writer Seth Grahame-Smith will make his directing debut with the The Flash. He will also be at least partly responsible for writing the project after the studio recently had Lego movie  duo Phil Lord and Chis Miller produce a treatment for the movie. The trio are also currently working on a lego batman movie together.

The film is set for release in march 2018 with Ezra Miller set to play fastest man alive Barry Allen. Dc has already had considerable success with the character in the tv series currently tied into their ever expanding small screen universe. The show interconnects with Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.

It will be interesting to see how armed with  bigger budget the movie seeks to surpass the high production values of the series. The studio will certainly be hoping that the film will prove more successful than past disastrous DC Adaptations like Green Lantern.