Silver Screen Weekends – A Guide To The Movies…Past, Present and Future #2

Posted by on Feb 10, 2012 in Art & Craft | 0 comments

It’s Oscar season, and studios are falling over themselves to push their best offerings into the limelight before the prestigious ceremony takes place at the end of the month. Competition is looking very tough, with some particularly strong contenders emerging from Britain this year.

Here we take another look at the past, present and future; what to catch at the cinema, what is soon to come and what is being released on DVD. This should keep your cinematic taste buds tantalised until next time…

In The Cinema – Present

Shame

(Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale)

British director Steve McQueen had a tough act to follow after his feature debut ‘Hunger’ (2008) was met with 5 star reviews and a culmination of awards and nominations. Reuniting with Michael Fassbender in the lead role, ‘Shame’ explores the taboo topic of sex addiction in Brandon, a man whose desires require excessive amounts of fulfilment in order to maintain a seemingly ordinary state of mind. His carefully constructed, private world around him allows him to do this – that is until his sister arrives uninvited and backs him into a corner. Sissy (Carey Mulligan) is just as troubled as her brother but whilst she craves intimacy, Brandon repels it, and it’s through this conflict that the full extent of their dysfunction is exposed.

‘Shame’ is a powerful, daring piece of cinema that’s beautifully shot and with admirable performances and commitment from the actors (Fassbender in particular is remarkable) – be careful who you see it with (!) but make sure you see it.

One To Rent – Past

One Day

(Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Rafe Spall)

Based on the widely cherished novel of the same name by David Nicholls, ‘One Day’ faced a great deal of criticism upon its release, namely due to the trouble Anne Hathaway had at grasping the Yorkshire accent. The shame of it is that it over-shadowed the genuinely touching and relatable storyline, from ‘An Education’ director Lone Scherfig.

The story follows Emma and Dexter (Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess), who meet on graduating night of university on July 15th 1988. It’s on this date that we revisit the pair, whether together or apart, over the next 25 years to see how their decisions get in the way of their happiness.

Fans of the book have widely opposed the casting decisions, and the general consensus is that Hathaway’s accent is too distracting. Once you can look past it, the film progresses, the characters develop and Scherfig steers the stilted format into a smooth narrative. Unlike the book, the film ‘One Day’ does lean into rom com territory and lacks emotional gravitas but is made well worthwhile by Sturgess and the supporting cast.

Coming Soon – Future

The Woman in Black

(Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Rafe Spall)

Based on Susan Hill’s 1982 novel which was later turned into the successful stage production still running in the West End, the story of ‘The Woman in Black’ is classic, spine-tingling stuff.

Young lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is sent to a remote English village to monitor an estate of a recently deceased woman. After an odd reception from the locals and several strange occurrences in the house, Kipps starts to learn of the ominous woman in black, whose haunting presence hangs heavily in the crumbling, creaking house.

A classic ghost story, this offering by James Watkins is sure to be met with mixed reviews due to its old-style suspense techniques that some audiences will be desensitised to, but others will be starved of. Whilst Radcliffe is used to holding his own against veteran actors, it’ll be interesting to see if he is capable of shaking off the scar of Harry Potter and embodying an older, more haunted character. It’s not a huge leap, and the premise of the story encourages me that this will be a movie worth seeing upon its release on 10th February.

Hope these films keep you going over the weekend and fingers crossed it snows again, which gives me another excuse to stay in and watch some DVDs! Have a great week!