Month / April 2021

by theactivespectator

The Other Boleyn Girl – Review

Rating: 12a Cast: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas Directed by Justin Chadwick  Written by Peter Morgan (screenplay) and Philippa Gregory (novel) Length: 115mins

In Justin Chadwick’s debut feature film, The Other Boleyn Girl, we jump back in time to a pivotal moment in English history and land in the midst of one of the most notorious monarchs, King Henry VIII. Straight off the bat it’s important to recognise that artistic licence is applied and that some of the Historical facts are debated, but it’s an opportunity to experience an interpretation of one of the Queen famous for her demise.

The plot follows the Boleyn siblings, primarily the two sisters Anne and Mary as they reach adulthood and have set sights set on potential husbands. Through a bit of family meddling and taking advantage of issues with the Kings marriage, the King meets both girls and while initially favouring Anne, becomes captivated with the ‘other Boleyn girl’, who is newly married. The Boleyn’s are summoned to court and thus begins the competition for the Kings attention. It’s not a particularly surprising storyline as Anne Boleyn’s fate is one of the memorable in Royal history, but it’s an interesting take to consider other members of the family. 

From start to finish this film is full of incredible talent. In playing the quarrelsome siblings, Portman and Johansson conjure admirable performances, working as best they can with the dialogue and situations they’re afforded. Portman creates a scheming and flirtatious Anne while keeping the hot headed reactions of a young, inexperienced woman while Johansson leans more to a sweet, innocent sister. Choices that are reactionary to the dialogue, no doubt, and clearly separate the sisters, however there is a slight risk of the characters feeling a bit shallow. It’s easy to criticise these more obvious choices, but there is also plenty to defend. The film is long, the story and it’s characters are very famous and so you could certainly argue that in exploring the focal characters in more depth could mess up the through line of the story and therefore extend the film and throw it off balance. I personally think they made the right decisions within characterisation and the cast were perfect for what they needed. 

Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of incredible actors, there isn’t time to truly analyse all of the performances, but the casting department did a phenomenal job and the outcome was brilliant. 

Aesthetically, the film looks great; the grand settings, beautiful costumes and intricate detail within hair and make up really help transport the audience into a different time and allows the story to be told without a second thought. 

This movie stirs me in an unusual way. It’s deeply sad to see a family torn apart and as we know the ending is all but happy. It’s an entertaining watch, and in reminding us of elements of History it’s helpful to see how society has progressed and possibly, how it hasn’t. I would recommend watching this film, but it’s not perfect and as with every Historical film it’s worth checking the facts. 

by theactivespectator

Promising Young Woman – Review

Rating: 15
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge and Laverne Cox
Directed by Emerald Fennell
Written by Emerald Fennell
Length: 114mins

A fantastical, yet honest depiction of the fallout from a young woman’s past, ‘Promising Young Woman’ tells the story of Cassandra, a café worker and ex-medical student who looks to take revenge on the predatory men who she encounters on nights out. A debut feature from actress and ‘Killing Eve’ showrunner Emerald Fennell, the film has garnered a great amount of attention from critics and audiences alike.

Firstly, Carey Mulligan’s performance in this film is brilliant, as she brings an intensity which both drives the narrative forward, and hints at something more painful hidden beneath. Within the film itself, her character is constantly putting on a performance for others, and Mulligan shows she is capable of such a range by creating convincing and contrasting changes to her role as Cassandra. Mulligan is the reason why many people will have been drawn to ‘Promising Young Woman’, and once again doesn’t disappoint.

Thematically, the film deals with some heavy ideas surrounding rape, and believing those who have experienced such trauma. There are already a number of films which tackle such a topic, but I imagine in the years to come a great many more will appear in the mainstream, with ‘Promising Young Woman’ showing itself as a step in the right direction for these stories. The film, however, does lean more towards the fantastical side of the way in which such confrontations may play out. It was often difficult to become immersed in a scene because of how one-sided the writing would feel in favour of Mulligan’s character, and whilst there is definitely a place in cinema for indulging in scenarios which are so favourable towards the victims, when it comes to telling a truthful recollection of such events, it must be acknowledged that rarely things play out so easily. This isn’t true of the whole film however, and the writing is at times both thought-provoking and measured, but there are a number of scenes in a short period of time which lack such a balance.

From a compositional standpoint, ‘Promising Young Woman’ doesn’t hold back from developing its exposition through sound. Moments of tension or danger are precisely shown through sudden crescendos in the score. Of course, such a technique is utilised by almost all films, but ‘Promising Young Woman’ in particular applies it to even the smallest moments of drama. Whilst this does mean that there’s a greater amount of tension within these moments, it can also mitigate the overall effect of the score when it comes to larger, and more dramatic scenes later on.

A well-made, if occasionally flawed film, ‘Promising Young Woman’ will hopefully be the beginning of more female-led movies which directly tackle themes of trauma and trust when it comes to sexual abuse. No matter who you are, I would recommend giving ‘Promising Young Woman’ a watch, even if it is just for the strength of Carey Mulligan’s performance.

by theactivespectator

Letters to Juliet – Review

Rating: PG Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Gael Garcia Bernal, Vanessa Redgrave and Christopher Egan. Directed by Gary Winick Written by Jose Rivera and Tim Sullivan Length: 105mins

Letters To Juliet tells the story of Sophie, a wanna be writer who takes a romantic trip to Italy with her somewhat distracted finance. While he seems to be more interested in sourcing ingredients for his New York restaurant than spending time with her, Sophie finds herself captivated by the local tradition of lovelorn women writing letters to Shakespeare’s Juliet and joins the team of women of whose job it is to write back to these unhappy souls.

When Sophie (Seyfried) finds a letter that is 50 years old, written by a young British girl about a Tuscan boy she met and fell in love with, she writes to the girl and soon Claire (Redgrave) and her grandson Charlie (Egan) arrive in Verona with the hopes of finding her long lost love, Lorenzo. The story is simple and extremely predictable but is connected with some truly beautiful shots of the Italian countryside. The warmth of the friendship between Sophie and Claire is really lovely and makes for a very easy romantic watch. Where a realist might suggest that Sophie help Claire check out the possible Lorenzo by using her phone, Letters to Juliet sends the three of them to visit the candidates in person, leading to a series of false leads and at last, of course, to the real Lorenzo Bartolini. 

This has a very specific audience, the simplicity and predictability of the plot is clearly for a young romanticist. Hoping that the sweet warmth as everything comes together will distract from problems that would almost certainly exist in reality. I remember watching this as a young teenager and thinking it was one of the best films i’d ever seen, but having re-watched it, it seems it just was  a very satisfying entertainment where very little goes wrong. While ‘nice’, it doesn’t have the depth to be considered amongst the best in it’s genre. The characters are broad, comforting stereotypes that are played well – particularly by Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave but it almost seems a waste to have talent such as theirs crawling through a particularly cheesy plot. 

Letters to Juliet is definitely lacking in substance, but the idea at the core is a story of love lost and reunited. While a bit of a soppy melodrama where the ending is predestined from the setup, it’s a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours, especially for a PG audience.

by theactivespectator

The Dig – Review

Rating: 12A
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin and Ken Stott
Directed by Simon Stone
Written by Moira Buffini and John Preston
Length: 112mins

Not too far from Active Spectator Headquarters, a great Anglo Saxon burial site was discovered in 1939 by archaeologist Basil Brown and the landowner Edith Pretty. 2021’s Netflix release, ‘The Dig’, looks to tell the story of the find, and the people who worked to unveil the treasures hidden beneath the ground. 

‘The Dig’ is a really beautiful film, with the flat Suffolk landscape creating the perfect backdrop for the outdoor labour undertaken by the characters. Whether a darker tinge floods the sky, or the glow of a sunset lights a scene, the film captures these moments really well and creates some visually stunning moments. Furthermore, the pre-war costumes and set design works both accurately within the context of the period, whilst also becoming another interesting aesthetic detail within ‘The Dig’. 

At the heart of this story is the actions of Ralph Fiennes’ Basil Brown, as he tries to do what he believes is right after making such a grand discovery. The idea that future generations have a right to know what the lives of their ancestors was like is a recurring theme throughout the film, and is perhaps no better explored than by Fiennes’s character. Furthermore, the actors efforts to accurately pull off a Suffolk accent went as far as learning from those in the local community, and that type of detail comes through really clearly within his character.

Overall, the acting is great from the whole cast, but Carey Mulligan stands out in particular as delivering one of the best performances. Her role as the mother of a young child and someone dealing with a recent loss creates a conflict which divides her character, and highlights how important this particular discovery is, as well as the way in which we individually can influence history and create a legacy.

‘The Dig’ is a fairly simple and easy to follow story, but the messages it explores and the way it presents them to the audience makes it stand out as a particular highlight for the start of this year. Through the performances, cinematography and dialogue, Simon Stone creates a film which lulls you into its environment and characters, and delivers some interesting ideas and themes whilst you’re there.

by theactivespectator

Darkest Hour – Review

Rating: 12A Cast: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ronald Pickup. Directed by Joe Wright Written by Anthony McCarten Length: 125mins

In 2017 Joe Wright directed this undeniably captivating account of Winston Churchill’s ‘darkest hour’ in 1940 as Hitlers forces were gathering across the channel, poised to invade. While the subject matter naturally prepares it’s audience for a tension-building portrayal of such an important period of Great British history, it’s not only the plot that is worthy of it’s audiences attention. This is not so much a period war drama, rather a detailed political thriller presenting a leader up against not only one of the sheer enormity of Hitlers Nazi Germany, but political swipes within his own Government.

While obviously the key plot points are guided by historical fact, it’s important to recognise that there are moments of fiction written into the film. It’s an interesting opportunity to remind a contemporary audience that big issues did not simply vanish the moment Churchill took over as Prime Minister, and with such a famous outcome it seemed to be a difficult challenge for the filmmakers to really paint the picture wherein the characters didn’t know the outcome of the events of the story. 

Darkest Hour collected a fantastic array of nominations and wins throughout the 2018 awards season, with Gary Oldman’s performance as Churchill winning most of the prestigious ‘best actor’ awards. It’s clear that without Oldman this films success may not have been so prolific. He manages to demonstrate Churchill’s courage effortlessly while still presenting the ‘grumpy old man’ with glimpses of humour. While Oldman is the main draw of the film, his co-stars of Lily James and Kristen Scott-Thomas bring a really lovely balance to the other characters on screen throughout.

Joe Wright is a reliable filmmaker with a very impressive list of filmography. You can’t help but notice the large scale features on that list including Anna Karenina, Atonement and Pride & Prejudice, with Darkest Hour fitting in nicely with the aesthetic of some of his previous works. Darkest hour is  a crowd-pleasing historical epic that knows when to keep moving and when to dwell on a moment.

There seems to be a renewed appetite for wartime movies in recent times and this one is an important watch amongst the others. Darkest Hour manages to exhibit Churchill’s daring bravery while not fully absolving him nor idolising him, rather it humanises him. I would suggest that for the sake of history this film is a necessary watch, but even if you have no interest in history it is Gary Oldman giving a masterclass for over two hours and that alone is reason to watch Darkest Hour.