Miss Sloane Review
The Plot
Elizabeth Sloane a feared and highly in demand Washington Lobbyist abandons her high powered post to instead champion a piece of anti-gun legislation that seems surely destined to fail. In so doing she faces fierce battles against public opinion, wealthy gun manufactures and even her former employers, testing the limits of her own ruthless resolve.
The Good
Jessica Chastain is a unique commodity as a performer, readily eschewing Hollywood stereotypes in the pursuit of genuinely complex and nuanced roles. Playing Miss Sloane Chastain deploys her full arsenal of ice cold composure and subtle fragility. The film deliberately avoids exploring exactly what drives her character to be so obsessively determined to win at all costs.
It’s rare for Hollywood’s dramas to leave its heroes or antiheroes ambiguous. It seems studios often lack the confidence to allow audiences to make their own imaginative assumptions and are usually instead determined to forcefully spell out character’s motivations and emotional backstories. Ultimately it’s refreshing to maintain a certain mystique behind some of Miss Sloane’s more reckless and self-destructive tendencies. The character makes vague hints about her clearly troubled past but then swiftly dismisses heavy handed attempts by others to make assumptions about her intentions and motives.
Another way in which Chastain’s performance aggressively defies expectations is by treading a fine gender neutral line. She manages to make Miss Sloane a shrewdly calculating designer dress clad alpha predator without ever fully succumbing to the lazy stereotypes that so often demonize or oversimplify figures of fiercely feminine power.
Around Chastain a solid supporting cast of familiar faces such as Mark Strong, John Lithgow, Sam Waterstone, Michael Stuhlbarg and Gugu Mbathat-Raw help flesh out the sordid world of Washington political dealing and power plays. Special mention should also be given to Jake Lacy for his brief but meaningful contributions as a surprisingly chivalrous male escort.
Overall the film works its way through a series of twists and dramatic turns as the two sides of the bitter American gun law debate fight for the hearts and minds of the public and consequentially the political elite. Independent of audience’s actual political leanings on the subject, the film is truly less about the moral arguments surrounding this issue and more about the way the powerful and determined seek to cynically control the outcome of seemingly broken political systems.
The Bad
There are endless big screen examples of amoral political power games making for exciting vicarious viewing. Indeed Netflix award winning House of Cards is about to delve into its fifth series based around the delights of following scheming power hungry characters operating without moral limits at the highest levels of political influence. Stacked against the endless array of similar tales there’s not necessarily quite enough to mark Miss Sloane out as something truly unique or essential in an already crowded genre.
Despite a solid cast and competent dramatic composition from director John Madden, ultimately the film’s supposedly jaw dropping moments never quite land with the full force expected from such punches. Supposed twists are perhaps a little too easily telegraphed by an audience overly familiar with these types of dramas. Perhaps predictability is one of the prices the film pays for creating instant confidence in Miss Sloane’s calculated efficient trickery.
The Ugly Truth
Miss Sloane holds audience attention firmly thanks mostly to Jessica Chastain’s composed star turn, a solid supporting cast and the timeless appeal of ruthlessly amoral political intrigue.
The Dark Crystal Age Of Resistance Trailer
Netflix has released a brief teaser for their forthcoming ten episode prequel series to cult classic 1982 film The Dark Crystal. Reuniting the original film’s conceptual designer Brian Froud with the wondrous creative talents of the Jim Henson Creature Shop the new series takes place long before the events of the film finally fulfilling Jim Henson’s long held but tragically unfulfilled dream of expanding the fantasy world the film created.
Netflix described the series as a return
“to the world of Thra with an all new adventure. When three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power, they set out on an epic journey to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.”
Director Louis Leterrier (Now You See me and The Incredible Hulk) will executive produce and direct the series. Lisa Henson the Jim Henson Company CEO sepaking about the appointment said
“Louis Leterrier is passionate about the world of The Dark Crystal and has an incredible creative vision for the series. He brings this passion to every facet of the production.”
Netflix’s Cindy Howard speaking about the prequel series added
“The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance will combine the art of puppetry perfected by the Jim Henson Company, with Louis’ vision, powerful storytelling and a mix of cutting-edge digital imagery and visual effects. I can’t wait for families around the world to see how we bring these unique characters to life.”
Love In Idleness Review
The Plot
As World War 2 draws to a close the domestic bliss between a millionaire Cabinet Minister and a widowed housewife is thrown into turmoil when her young son returns home from Canada. The situation triggers a series of fraught and witty exchanges about politics, love and the class system.
The Good
Though set during the dying stages of World War Two the emotional core of Rattigan’s tale of family drama and love are all immediately timeless and deeply current. In particular the awkward tensions in this newfound family are used to play out the angry philosophical frictions between far left and right wing politics. It’s a happy irony of history repeating itself that those economic and social backdrops fit almost perfectly with the news headlines of present day. Armed with this the revived production feels oddly more contemporary than ever.
Love In Idleness is built around charismatic strong performances from its three leads. Eve Best is a breezy delight as the middle class housewife revelling in her newfound upward social mobility and genuine love. Edward Bluemel is perfectly sulky as the adolescent son struggling to contain his immature contempt for the upper class and his mother’s newfound romance. Anthony Head is also typically well-polished as Sir John the successful tycoon and reluctant politician trying to stay calm in the face of a greedy former wife, wartime pressures and a genuine threat to his romantic happiness.
Special mention should also go to an alluring Charlotte Spencer, who shamelessly steals scenes as shameless Lady Fletcher, Sir John’s soon to be ex-wife. Armed with slinky dresses, flamboyant hats and ostentatious fur stoles she is a fun catalyst for dramatics.
Rattigan’s two act piece has generous amounts of fun by sparring its core cast against one another. Eve Best and Anthony Head capture perfectly the uninhibited honesty and comfortable affection amongst a mature couple learning from their youthful mistakes. By amusing contrast Bluemel’s melodramatic antics are a fitting caricature of misplaced teenage angst. Rattigan’s skilful work in gradually reconciling the two with laughter rather than genuinely abrasive squabbling is warmly enjoyable.
The combination of the cast’s readily available charm, Rattigan’s nuanced writing and Trevor Nunn’s expert direction helps to deliver a production that delights audiences with a rich blend of gentle comedy, perceptive social commentary and sincere satisfying romance.
The Bad
Those accustomed to the more typically outrageous comedy styles of more recent West End hits like Book of Mormon may find Rattigan’s 1940’s wit a little tame by comparison. However a steady stream of audience laughter on opening night illustrates the timeless appeal of good natured and well-crafted banter. Likewise a generous run time of 2 hours and 45 minutes is certainly value for money, though overly harsh critics might feel it lends for a more languid pace as the play works through a series of fairly simple dilemmas.
The Ugly Truth
Love In Idleness is a welcome slice of charmingly composed and good natured British comedy that feels timely and relevant in spite of its period setting. An outstanding ensemble cast breathe fresh life into Rattigan’s fine writing to deliver a triumphant West End revival.
Review by Russell Nelson
Our Ladies Of Perpetual Succour Review
The Plot
Six rebellious convent schoolgirls take advantage of a trip to Edinburgh to compete in a choir competition by instead embarking on a series of increasingly wild misadventures shamelessly fuelled by booze and sex.
The Good
All-female productions and genuine originality are sadly both rare commodities even in the West End. Our ladies delivers both as it offers up a boldly puerile and poignant tale of dramatically misspent youth.
The cast members do a compelling job of not just portraying the six wanton schoolgirls but also simultaneously taking turns portraying the motley assortment of teachers, boys, bouncers and weirdos that they cross paths with their wild ride of bad choices. The shows six young stars deserve significant praise for bringing an entire world to life with convincing impressions, smart staging and a splash of imagination.
Musically Our Ladies provides a unique juxtaposition of elegantly harmonised choral music and karaoke style classic rock. Numerous classic tunes from operatic rock masters ELO give the show regular injections of punchy toe tapping fun. The production does well to avoid the usual pitfalls of so called jukebox musicals by using the well-known pop hits to emotionally punctuate key moments in the story rather than heavy handily trying to construct a narrative around the songs themselves.
While the show regularly falls back on catchy musical escapes and a steady stream of naughty humour it also frequently injects flashes of bitter tragedy that immediately create an additional and perhaps more meaningful layer to what could otherwise have easily been merely a guilty vicarious pleasure.
Having grabbed amusing attention with the contrast between choir girl stereotypes and reckless uninhibited teen delinquency, the play thankfully proceeds to push further and gradually reveal each character’s genuine adolescent struggles. The production ultimately sneaks in surprising nuance and fragile sincerity amongst a barrage of brash shameless antics.
The Bad
The production sets out to be provocative, raucous and often downright filthy. This will amuse and entertain many but undoubtedly also prove less palatable for those with more conservative theatrical tastes. Strong Scottish accents and the relentless barrage of shamelessly fouled mouthed slang will also prove a special test for both those with delicate sensibilities and tourists.
Those with a natural ear and appreciation for fierce Scottish banter will be able to enjoy it and the six stories it gradually reveals, however it could easily prove a barrier for those that may struggle to either comprehend or condone it.
While Our Ladies has much to offer it’s sometimes unclear exactly which audience the show best targets. Filth ridden adolescent comedy and the vintage classic rock soundtrack potentially appeal to very different audiences. Older ELO fans may find the characters harder to connect with, while younger audiences probably wouldn’t be allowed to watch it in the first place.
The Ugly Truth
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour hits some impressive high and low notes to offer up a truly unique antidote for anyone bored with more typical safe and sanitized west end musical theatre. Outstanding harmonies and a charismatic young cast help turn a challenging script and compact stage into an arresting display of wild entertainment.
Review by Russell Nelson
BAFTA TV Awards Winners
