Effie Gray Review

The Plot

Inspired by real life historical events, the film delves into the infamous marriage between celebrated Victorian Art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Euphemia Gray. Exploring the torments of a famously troubled union at a time when women were perhaps more vulnerable to cruel oppression.

The Good

Dakota Fanning is a rare commodity, as a celebrated child actress who has successfully transferred that precocious success into credible mature stardom. The beautiful young actress does fine work as titular heroine Effie Gray, handling a British accent and balancing despair with stoic determination. She thankfully also avoids portraying Effie as either a self-pitying victim or hysterical.

Emma Thompson in addition to providing the film’s screenplay, generously also gifts the film with a charming cameo as a kind hearted matriarch of high society. It’s an indescribable relief to see her character take a sympathetic motherly interest in Effie’s increasingly desperate plight.

As much as the film is an open hearted lament to the historical oppressions of women in Victorian society, it may find some resonance with an audience currently considering how women are still widely objectified, trivialized and controlled by cruel and vindictive forces.

The Bad

Effie Gray delivers such an accurate portrayal of the crushing emotional pressures of a loveless and oppressive marriage that it’s often hard to find any trace of redeeming hope or optimism. Those expecting some kind of achingly romantic period drama will no doubt feel dismayed by the utter lack of romance.

It’s only really bearable to watch people suffer if there’s ultimately a rewarding sense of meaning or purpose.  Unfortunately Effie’s dire circumstances lack the necessary explanation or dramatic significance to justify joining her on that slow and painful journey. Perhaps if the film had taken the time to establish the motivations behind the mismatched couple’s unlikely marriage it would have given some context for the cruelty she subsequently endures.

In the film’s efforts to be subtle it seems to miss out crucial emotional details. It’s simply unclear why Ruskin marries his pretty teenage bride only to immediately begin shunning her physically and emotionally. His apparent disdain is never truly confronted. This was perhaps purposefully intended to preserve a sense of mystery or ambiguity, but feels more confusing and subsequently disinteresting.

Likewise, Tom Sturridge has little opportunity to generate any truly convincing sparks of romance with Effie, as young and comparatively kind painter Everett Millais. Aside from being a clearly superior match to the disdain of her sullen husband, there’s not much to identify the young pair as star crossed lovers.

The Ugly Truth

Effie Gray is a sincerely made period tale that paints a tragically glum picture of the painful frustration of being trapped in a claustrophobic and increasingly hate fuelled marriage. Dakota Fanning and Emma Thompson’s script do their best to ensure Effie is a sympathetic figure, but largely fails to reward supportive audiences with enough joy and understanding.  Only those with an eager appetite for corsets and consternation are likely to be truly satisfied.

Gone Girl Review

The Plot

When a beautiful young woman Amy Dunne suddenly disappears under suspicious circumstances her seemingly distraught husband soon finds himself at the centre of intense scrutiny from the press, public and police. As facts twist and become both more and less clear even audiences are gripped by the question, did Nick Dunne murder his wife?

The Good

Fresh from the recent achievements of The Social Network and House of Cards, Director David Fincher adapts Gillian Flynn’s bestselling page turner into a gripping piece of typically dark and captivating cinema. Much like his efforts adapting The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Fincher combines his unique visual style and clever casting with celebrated source material.

Zodiac, Seven and Dragon Tattoo all proved that Fincher is definitively capable of detailed crime procedurals, but much like the Social Network was about more than just the birth of Facebook, Gone Girl is not simply about a missing person’s investigation. Gone Girl casts a cynical eye over mass media and its increasingly pervasive influence on public perceptions. It’s a darkly comedic theme that affords the film most of its wickedly sharp one liners.

Everything you’ve heard about how good Rosamund Pike is in Gone Girl, is true. The British actress finally freed from the tiresome task of mid-tier rom coms unleashes a performance so surprising and memorable that it completely redefines her career. Don’t be fooled by the trailer, she isn’t just a piece of evidence to be found, her character evolves in complexity as the film’s twisted plot slowly unravels itself.

Ben Affleck  will inevitably be once again easily forgotten come awards season, but his performance as the by turns bemused, likeable and suspiciously smug husband remains an integral component in Gone Girl’s success. Trading subtly on audiences real life love/hate attitudes toward Affleck himself, it is difficult to imagine any other actor in the role.

Fincher completes his cast with familiar faces like Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry in unfamiliar roles, alongside impressive newcomers. The overall result of a well-crafted script and an impressive ensemble of acting talent is a film that demands to be watched.

The Bad

Though David Fincher has already won an army of fans and critical acclaim, his films continue to fixate on dark themes of murder, sexual violence and psychosis. Unsurprisingly this isn’t always appealing for a blockbuster audience in search of light hearted escapism. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was a faithful interpretation of a compelling crime thriller, but it failed to connect with a wider audience at the box office. Gone Girl is likely to escape that fate, due to word of mouth and a particularly unmissable performance from Rosamund Pike.

The Ugly Truth

Gone Girl treads an impressive line between conventional thriller and black comedy, no doubt leaving fans of the original book and the uninitiated both equally shell shocked and impressed. The film skilfully plays with audience expectations in classic film noir tradition, making it one of the most memorable crime thrillers in recent years. Rosamund Pike also puts one bloody hand on an Oscar with a transformative performance 

’71 Review

The Plot

Set in 1970s Belfast, ’71 follows Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) a British soldier fresh out of training who is sent to Northern Ireland in the heart of the troubles. It’s not long after  his regiment arrives that violence breaks out and Hook finds himself cut adrift from his comrades. Now Hook must survive the night and find his way back to the army base before he’s caught by the enemies on Belfast’s dangerous streets.

The Good

Director Yann Demange brings a raw realism to the look and feel of 1970’s Belfast and sets the tone for the film quickly. With gritty backdrops of Irish streets and a dull grey tone to accompany the film’s dark story, Demange has certainly proven his talent in his first feature length film. With a simple yet effective story, Gregory Burke’s script leaves a lot for O’Connell to chew over. With the sectarian hostility being the films main interest, portraying it through the perspective of a young British soldier gives an interesting and often captivating depiction.

O’Connell is undoubtedly the star of this fearless drama. Much of the action is built around the tension he brings to the screen as Hook tries desperately to stay hidden with the help of a young loyalist boy, played by Corey McKinley. Though McKinley’s thick accent becomes often hard to understand, in spite of this he gives a strong performance for a young child actor and injects welcome humour in an otherwise dark storyline.

The Bad

Although it stays tense and thrilling throughout most of the 96 minute running time, ’71 occasionally suffers from overlong scenes which somewhat diminish the film ever so slightly. While it works in most areas, one or two scenes could have been helped with a touch of trimming down. As well as this, David Wilmot, who plays Boyle, Hooks main threat in the film, could have done with a bit more to do. Wilmot brings a menacing and often terrifying performance in ’71 but is not focused on as much as he could have been.

While Demange’s filmmaking style and techniques work incredibly well for much of the film, his chase sequences are left quite messy with a Bourne-esque shaky cam effect in use which some will find dizzying and feels a touch overused at times.

The Ugly Truth

Yann Demange has done incredibly well with his first feature length, tackling the tough subject of the Irish sectarian conflict. Setting it through the eyes of a young British soldier certainly gives it an interesting perspective and lead actor Jack O’Connell gives his all. Although it struggles with maintaining the tension at parts, ’71 still manages to come out as an incredibly strong drama which will keep you entertained and enthralled.

Speed The Plow Review

The Plot:

Two friendly but jaded Hollywood executives celebrate their good fortune after landing a major star for a sure fire box office hit. But after an encounter with a seemingly naïve young secretary, one of them struggles with an awkward newfound conscience.

The Good:

David Mamet’s Hollywood satire is a deceptively simple but sharp three hander that slices through the familiar clichés of shameless egos, insincerity and self-serving agendas that so often seems to fuel show business. 16 years after its Broadway debut the play is still an accurate and acerbic character assassination of sordid studio executives.

With leading man Richard Schiff unable to perform due to illness (a worrying sign less than a week into performances) his role is filled tonight by understudy Adam Morris. Morris is perhaps most familiar for playing a dim witted Robin Hood in cult classic kids TV series Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. This evening he does an admirable job of playing fast talking movie mogul Bobby Gould. He hits his marks and works through the frantic banter with competence, albeit occasionally lacking some of the gravitas and nuance that you expect West Wing star Schiff might have offered.

Stage veteran and Four Lions comedy star Nigel Lindsay is another saving grace for tonight’s production. He delivers most of the laughs with a consistently entertaining performance as foul mouthed and violently ambitious wannabe producer Charlie Cox. His snarling sweaty performance helps capture some of the fire and wit of Mamet’s writing. He’s evidently the most familiar and at ease with the material, helpfully dragging his less assured co-stars along.

The Bad:

Lindsay Lohan has had her credible teen stardom steadily eroded away by a decade of self-inflicted scandal, disappointments and tabloid journalism. It has left her with unenviable notoriety and very vocal critics. As such, news of her stage debut in London was quickly dismissed by most as ill-advised stunt casting and a misguided bid for career redemption. Sadly on the basis of Lohan’s initial performances, those accusations seem painfully accurate.

West End audiences expect perfection, perhaps a reasonable request when tickets cost up to £90 each. At times the troubled former film star falls so short of those high standards it threatens to become a source of cynical amusement.

During the first act, despite her limited stage time and sparse dialogue, Lohan is an evidently nervous and distracting presence. It’s awkward watching her fumble to make her minimal mechanical contributions amongst the fast paced scenes. It’s also immediately clear that prematurely wearied features and real life Hollywood infamy are a poor fit for playing a supposedly naïve young woman. At just 28 Lohan already feels too familiar and worn out to convincingly play the wide eyed ingénue.

During the second act Lohan finally gets the opportunity to deliver meaningful chunks of dialogue, albeit with many of them literally read from a book. As has been widely reported, tonight during one of the few off-book monologues, she is indeed prompted for a line by an embarrassed voice from off stage. It’s an inexcusable low point in an overall unsatisfactory and uneven performance.

Even if you generously excuse the occasionally fluffed line as a symptom of early run nerves, it can’t disguise the fact that it’s a performance that would at times be more at home in a school play than at the pinnacle of live professional theatre.

Finally it’s worth noting that after the curtain fell on an awkward on stage apology from Lohan for Richard Schiff’s absence, theatre goers who waited patiently by the stage door for nearly an hour to at least have their program or ticket stubs signed, were informed that she had just ducked out of a side exit to avoid facing them. Leaving fans with a final disappointing act of self-sabotage.

The Ugly Truth:

Speed The Plow remains a quick witted piece of relevant and amusing material, but sadly this current production doesn’t yet seem equipped to capture that. It’s worth acknowledging that the show still has a long run to polish out the obvious flaws of its early previews. Perhaps guided by a recovered Richard Schiff and a quickly improved display from Lohan the production may still find its feet.

An Interview with the charming and highly talented Richard Schiff below:

Camp X-Ray Review

The Plot

A young American soldier stationed as a guard at Guantanamo Bay finds herself discovering an unlikely and at times reluctant connection with one particular ‘detainee’, throwing into question her view of right and wrong.

The Good

Guantanamo Bay and the questionable ethics behind America’s infamous prison camp for ‘evil doers’ has been the subject of much political soap boxing and geo-political debate. The success of Camp X-Ray is that it doesn’t allow itself to ever be distracted from a simple but compelling human drama by political controversy. The film isn’t driven by any overt political agenda and doesn’t waste time with heavy handed dialogue and sermons. Defying expectations and assumptions, this isn’t a film about American foreign policy or religious extremism. It’s actually a much more simple but poignant examination of incarceration and freedom.

Twilight star Kristen Stewart is a very good fit for the increasingly troubled Pvt Amy Cole. Having long ago perfected a pained but stoic expression, she easily captures the constant unease of her character. Her typically restrained performance matches the claustrophobic surroundings and situation perfectly.

Peyman Moaadi is an absolute revelation as Ali, the detainee who forges an unlikely bond with Stewart’s young soldier. The film wisely avoids making the issue of his guilt or innocence ever feel like a relevant question. He is neither an evil enemy combatant nor a symbolically innocent victim. He is simply a rational man stripped of dignity and at times sanity by 8 years of oppressive confinement. His performance is the true heart of the film and the source of much of its emotional credibility.

Watching the film’s two leads exchanging furtive conversations mostly through a tiny prison window gives the audience an even greater sense of the true claustrophobic reality of this place and these people’s lives. Whether tinged with humour or hatred, their exchanges are consistently honest and intensely intimate. The ultimate affect and the film’s biggest achievement is to give the audience an immersive experience which is somehow both horrific and hopeful.

The Bad

Kristen Stewart divides audience opinions almost as much as Guantanamo Bay divides political opinion. Those unimpressed by her acting talents or media persona will no doubt find plenty of ammunition to criticise her performance as awkward or sullen. However those criticisms perhaps wilfully miss the entire point of this film. Her character deliberately wears a gaunt troubled expression as a permanent piece of armour, against the hatred and oppression which surrounds her, meaning that when a rare smile does break through it actually truly means something.

Those hoping for some kind of an examination of the complex political and military realities that lead to the continued existence of the infamous Gitmo prison may be disappointed that the film doesn’t delve into these issues. However in truth the film gives audience an insight into the human experience of those working and imprisoned inside. Proving a far more persuasive and subtle voice of protest than any number of grandstanding speeches about justice and freedom.

The Ugly Truth

Kristen Stewart continues to establish herself as a credible dramatic talent outside of the assured box office success of the Twilight Saga. Helping Camp X-Ray deliver a compelling insight into one of the most mysterious and controversial places on earth. Though the film leaves audiences to draw their own political and emotional conclusions its impact is undeniable.