Movie Review: My Week with Marilyn (2011)

Film: My Week with Marilyn
Released: 2011
Director: Simon Curtis
Stars: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Dougray Scott, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Emma Watson, Julia Ormond, Zoë Wanamaker, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi

Synopsis:
Based on the autobiographical books The Prince, The Showgirl and Me and My Week with Marilyn by Colin Clark.

Sir Laurence Olivier is making a movie in London. Young Colin Clark, an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When film star Marilyn Monroe arrives for the start of shooting, all of London is excited to see the blonde bombshell, while Olivier is struggling to meet her many demands and acting ineptness, and Colin is intrigued by her. Colin’s intrigue is met when Marilyn invites him into her inner world where she struggles with her fame, her beauty and her desire to be a great actress.

What I thought of it:
First off, Williams is absolutely incandescent as the enigmatic Monroe; she absolutely nails her voice, mannerisms and playfulness as well as embodying her anguish, depression and anxiety. No matter who they had approached with a view to filling this role, they could never have done better than this. She actually give Streep a run for her money as a contender for Best Actress at the Oscars. She won’t win, which is something of a tragedy, because, well, because she’s up against Strep and she kind of has it in the bag, doesn’t she? Either way, Williams deserves a hell of a lot of recognition and accolade for her work on this film.

Secondly, Redmayne really proves his metal; he gives a sensitive portrayal of Clark and is a wonderful foil for Williams. He’s a major up-and-comer and I think we’re going to see a lot more of him in coming years. I certainly look forward to seeing him in Les Misérables later this year.

And there’s the superb supporting cast which reads like a who’s who of British talent, from Brannagh (at times you’d swear it was Olivier on the screen), to Wannamaker, Ormond, Scott and Cooper in smaller but pivotal roles. Watson struggles a little to throw off the schoolgirl Hermione, but she’s fresh-faced and sweet here, and given a little time and experience off the Harry Potter films, I think she’ll come into her own. There’s also Dench and Jacobi to add even more class in their bit-parts.

I am now determined to read the books as this glimpse into a short period in Marilyn’s life and work is absolutely fascinating. Monroe is charming and frustrating in equal measure, but always alluring, and her appeal is as strong today, fifty years after her tragically early death, as it was at the height of her career.

Rating:

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesdays are hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?
Terry Pratchett – Snuff (Discworld 39)
I am now about a third of the way through and, as fans would expect from a Vimes / Watch novel, it is nothing short of sublime! Pratchett always seems to be at his best when Vimes it at the heart of the story and so far Snuff is no exception. I can hardly wait to turn the pages, but as it’s my reading-in-bed book, I don’t get to turn as many as I’d like!

Charles Dickens – Great Expectations (e-book)
Till now, I’ve only ever read A Christmas Carol, as I confess I was a little afraid of reading Dickens. However, I am finding this a surprisingly humourous read and am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Let’s just say I now have great expectations of this novel. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist the pun! *shame*  I’ll be some time with this…

What did you recently finish reading?
Charlaine Harris – Dead Reckoning
Full review HERE.

Stuart McBride – Birthdays for the Dead
Full review HERE.

What do you think you’ll read next?
Malinda Lo – Huntress
Prequel to Ash, which I loved.

Simon Scarrow – Praetorian
Eleventh in the fantastic Romans series.

These are the last of my Xmas gift books!

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)

Film: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Released: 2011
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: (Voices) Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Daniel Mays, Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook, Cary Elwes

Synopsis:
Based on the characters from the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé.

Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor.

What I thought of it:
Why this film hasn’t been nominated for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year Oscar  I will never understand! The animation on this movie is some of the most finely crafted I have ever seen. Just watching the movement of water or the reflection of light is startlingly real, but then you look at the expressions and natural movement of the characters and you get completely blown away! I swear, if it weren’t for the fact that the heads are abnormally large for the bodies, and the features exaggerated and charicature-style, you’d be hard pushed to believe that it was animated at all. If that isn’t a major achievement, I don’t know what is!

Surprisingly, the only category for which Tintin is nominated are Original Score (which, admittedly, is very good) – it has been completely snubbed for all the technical categories as well as the aforementioned Best Animated Feature. I take this as a sure sign that the world has gone completely mad, because this film is AWESOME!

The plot is exciting and fast paced, the voice talent is staggering, and, well, have I already mentioned how amazing the animation is? I think I did. Yes, I’m sure I did, but it’s worth mentioning again – THE ANIMATION IS BRILLIANT! And the writing – Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish are a triumvirate of genius who should never be allowed to part!

I sincerely hope there are more Tintin films in the pipeline because I, for one, would be dying to see them. And yes, the film is left tantalisingly open for that possible sequel, so that glimmer of hope is most assuredly burning.

If you haven’t already seen it, do so, as soon as possible, and marvel at just how far animation has come, as well as being swept along on an amazing adventure.

Hubby’s review HERE.

Rating:

Tuesday Memes

Teaser Tuesday
Snuff (Discworld 39) by Terry Pratchett

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

Vimes blinked. Things were looking up! Usually Sybil considered it her wifely duty to see to it that her husband lived forever, and was convinced that this happy state of affairs could be achieved by feeding him bowel-scouring nuts and grains and yoghurt, which to Vimes’s mind was a type of cheese that wasn’t trying hard enough.

page 31, Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Synopsis:
According to the writer of the best-selling crime novel ever to have been published in the city of Ankh-Morpork, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. And Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies and an ancient crime more terrible than murder. He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, and occasionally snookered and out of his mind, but never out of guile. Where there is a crime there must be a finding, there must be a chase and there must be a punishment. They say that in the end all sins are forgiven. But not quite all…

What I think of it so far:
I am now on page 115 and, as fans would expect from a Vimes / Watch novel, it is nothing short of sublime! Pratchett always seems to be at his best when Vimes it at the heart of the story and so far Snuff is no exception.

~***~

Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten books to save if the house were abducted by aliens (or some other major disaster struck)

Mine top few choices all be sentimental choices, really – all books that feature on my favourites list, apart from one which is actually worth quite a bit of money and, although it’s not one of my absolute favourites, I enjoyed it a great deal and it’s completely beautiful. The rest would be whatever I could grab from my shelves before the disaster struck, so I’ve left the rest of the list blank for that reason:

1. Philippa Gregory – The White Queen (special edition)
   I won this beautifully bound book and as it’s a numbered limited edition (only 750 available), these retail at £150 each. It’s also signed by the author, making it a bit more special.
2. Stephen King – The Stand (complete and uncut edition)
   One of my all-time absolute favourite novels. I don’t re-read it very often, but if it weren’t on my shelf and I thought I couldn’t re-read it, I’d be very sad.
3. Astrid Lindgren – Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter
   This is a childhood favourite and it’s every bit as magical now as it was when I read it at the age of twelve.
4. Margaret Wise Brown – Goodnight Moon
   This would have to be grabbed from Xander’s bookcase. It’s an old favourite which we read to him every night for about two years – he would have no other at bedtime! He still occasionally chooses this one now.
5. My Kindle!
   It’s loaded up with loads of books, but contemporary and classics, that I have never read and it would suck if I lost it!

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Movie Review – The Woman in Black (2012)

Film: The Woman in Black
Released: 2012
Director: James Watkins
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds

Synopsis:
Based on the novel, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.

A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.

What I thought of it:
I was brought up on Hammer Horror films, so it’s wonderful to see the greatest of the British horror production companies so firmly back on track with the latest film version of this novel. I’ve spent my entire life trying to find a film that will really scare me. Along the way I’ve found plenty that have made me jump, but none that have completely creeped me out. This, however, came very close. The best test of this came when I went to get a snack from the kitchen and felt like I was being watched from the darkened corridor… and nobody was there!

This is Radcliffe’s real coming of age – with this film, he’s leaving behind Harry Potter and schoolboy roles to take on a more adult one and, on the whole, it works very well for him. He still looks and sounds rather young to be playing a father, but he acquitted himself very well and I look forward to seeing where he goes next.

Having watched the made-for-television version (1989) in the latter half of last year, it was still fresh in my mind and I hoped that this remake would live up to my expectations, both of the earlier version and the promise shown in the trailer. It didn’t let me down. This is a genuinely creepy film that has some spine-tingling moments and several “made you jump!” shots too (I counted three times that I caught myself physically jerk, and that has to be some kind of a record for me!).

Ciarán Hinds is always a pleasure to watch – I’ve never seen him turn in a bad performance and he can make the worst material better just by being there on the screen. He certainly wasn’t wasted here and when he has really good material with which to work, he really shines – Hinds really should be marked as one of our national treasures.

One of my greatest worries was that we’d get a cop-out, Hollywood-ised ending, but I promise you, my fears were (mostly) ungrounded, so I must applaud the director for not frittering away a great ghost story for the feel-good factor.

And on a final note, I really must read the book because I’ve now seen TWO cracking adaptations and am just dying to check out the source material!

Hubby’s review HERE.

Rating:

Monday Memes

It’s Monday, What are you reading?

Hosted by Sheila at One Person’s Journey through a World of Books.

KEY:
E– E-book Challenge
G – 2012 Genre Challenge
BFF – Bookie Friends’ Favourites Challenge
BL – Bucket List Challenge
S – Off The Shelf Challenge
AZ – A-Z Challenge
C – Classics Challenge
R – Review for author or publisher
K – Reading for Kindle Klub Book Group

Charles Dickens – Great Expectations (E/BL/C)
Till now, I’ve only ever read A Christmas Carol, as I confess I was a little afraid of reading Dickens. However, I am finding this a surprisingly humourous read and am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Let’s just say I now have great expectations of this novel. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist the pun! *shame* I’ll be reading this for quite some time as it’s a long one…

Terry Pratchett – Snuff (Discworld 39) (S)
I’ve been a massive fan of the Discworld novels since the early 90s when I discovered them whilst on holiday in the Lake District. I’m only a short way into this latest book, but I already love it. For a start, it’s a Vimes novel, so you just know it’s going to be good; and he’s out of his comfort zone, so you know it’s going to be pretty great actually!

~***~

Cover Crazy

Hosted by The Book Worms

What I love:
The usual suspects: Black, white, red, silhouettes. These things always grab my attention, but I also love how the branches of the tree reach out and show branches of the story. It’s very clever in the placement of the title and author’s name too – one of the uppermost branches where they are unobtrusive, but set without the encircling branch, so it’s crystal clear.

Synopsis:

On the very morning Willie Upton slinks home to Templeton, New York (after a calamitous affair with her archeology professor), the 50-foot-long body of a monster floats from the depths of the town’s lake. This unsettling coincidence sets the stage for one of the most original debut novels since The Time Traveler’s Wife. With a clue to the mysterious identity of her father in hand, Willie turns her research skills to unearthing the secrets of the town in letters and pictures (which, “reproduced” in the book along with increasingly complete family trees, lend an air of historical authenticity). Lauren Groff’s endearingly feisty characters imbue the story with enough intrigue to keep readers up long past bedtime, and reading groups will find much to discuss in its themes of “monsters,” both in our towns and our families.

~***~

Musing Mondays

Hosted by Should Be Reading

What is the last book that you learned something from? What book was it, and what did it teach you?

Goodness! I don’t usually think of books in terms of what they can teach me. I’m a pleasure reader, so I read whatever I think will entertain me in some way, wether it’s by being pure escapism or making me think, but I never really choose books on a basis of what they might teach me. So ,other than text books while at school or college, I can’t think of a single book that jumps out at me.

No, that’s not strictly true. There is one book that I always say I’d want with me if I were stranded on an island somewhere, as it is not only a cracking read (and quite a good length too, so it would keep me going for a while) but is also packed with surprising survival tips. That book is Savages by Shirley Conran. I guess it has taught me all kinds of little things like digging a drainage ditch around your camp that runs downhill, so that your shelter won’t be washed away, and capturing a rat to test out any foodstuffs before you eat them yourself. So, I guess I’ll give that one an honourable mention.

Movie Review – Hugo (2011)

Film: Hugo
Released: 2011
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths

Synopsis:
Based on the novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Hugo is an orphan boy living in the walls of a train station in the 1930s in Paris. He fixes clocks and other gadgets as he learned to from his father and uncle. The only thing that he has left that connects him to his father is an automaton that doesn’t work; Hugo has to find its heart-shaped key. On his adventures, he meets with a cranky old man who works in the train station and his adventure-seeking god-daughter. Hugo finds that they have a surprising connection to his father and the automaton, and as he discovers it, the old man starts remembering his past and his significance to the world of film-making.

What I thought of it:
Another much-nominated film, directed by the recipient of the BAFTA Academy Fellowship award this year, but another disappointment. There are some sterling performances from heavyweights of the British film industry (Kingsley, Winstone) but there are also similarly familiar names in inconsequential roles that really didn’t need to be included as they added nothing to the story at all (Griffiths, de laTour).

Sacha Baron Cohen is turning out to be a joy to watch on-screen – he is fast leaving behind his days of Ali G and moving into the realm of character actor and I can see him becoming a force to be reckoned with as each time I see him perform, he makes me smile and surprises me with his versatility (I’m not talking about the likes of Borat or Bruno). Kingsley is, as always, nothing short of wonderous. He is a class act that adds something special to every production that is lucky enough to feature his immense talent. And the young leads (Butterfield, Moretz) are definitely stars in the making and we should all keep an eye on their future projects. I predict great things for both of them.

But here’s the rub. The film is dull. I was pretty much bored rigid for most of it, and as I am someone who adores cinema, I figured I should be the kind of person who would love this ode to its early history and one of its great founding fathers. I didn’t. I was, as I have already mentioned, left disappointed.

There are some gorgeous effects and some bizarre dreamlike sequences (I really wasn’t surprised to find this film was produced by Johnny Depp), and I can see it perhaps picking up a few Oscars in the way of visual effects and that sort of thing, but if this wins Best Picture or Director, I will once again be giving a heavy sigh and shaking my head.

And on one final note, I cannot understand why the source novel is called The Invention of Hugo Cabret when young Hugo doesn’t actually invent anything – he just fixes things.

My hubby’s review HERE.

Rating:

Movie Review – The Help (2011)

Film: The Help
Released: 2011
Director: Tate Taylor
Stars: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard

Synopsis:
Based on the novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett.

Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends’ lives — and a Mississippi town — upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter’s best friend’s housekeeper, is the first to open up — to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter’s life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories — and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly — and unwillingly — caught up in the changing times.

What I thought of it:
Given that this film has been scooping awards and nominations left, right and centre, I had high hopes of it. Unfortunately it didn’t really live up to my expectations. Yes, there were good performances, but not in my opinion, truly great ones (to be honest, I thought Bryce Dallas Howard was the best thing in it!). Yes, there was a fairly decent plot, but not a brilliantly dazzling one. There’s meaning in the whole civil rights movement that was happening in the 60s and I know the main point of the story is the struggle of the black maids to be accepted as, well, as being people, never mind equals, but if the maids in question had been white, and the story had been about the struggle of the lower classes to be accepted as equals, then there is no way this film would have so many nominations and awards under its belt.

It’s a pleasant enough way to pass the time, but at just shy of two-and-a-half hours, it’s too long by at least half an hour. If it had been cut a bit shorter, it could have been a lot punchier, but then, perhaps the director was aiming for a gentle ramble through Mississippi’s chequered past. Essentially, it boils down to a chick flick with a message.

Rating:

Stitchy Saturdays

Each Saturday, I will feature either something I’m currently stitching, something I’ve just finished stitching, or something I’ve just designed. I hope you’ll all join me in displaying some of your own work and leaving a link to your post in the comments below.

New Designs:
Design: Squeeze
Size: 114w x 49h
A small sampler charted for a single colour, but which can be stitched in several if desired.

Design: Hug
Size: 39w x 34h
An Assisi-style heart just the right size for a card or small git and suitable for any occasion.

Design: Mardi Gras Mask
Size: 83w x 30h
A versatile design showing a Mardis Gras mask – could be used for cards, cushions, bookmarks or, if stitched on plastic canvas, as an actual mask.

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if you would like a birth or wedding sampler (or for any special occasion, really) designed to stitch yourself, drop me a line with details and preferences:

kincavel_krosses@yahoo.co.uk

prices are very reasonable and will not break the bank!

All designs delivered via email in PDF format, so no delivery charges and you don’t have to wait an age to get them.

All payments by Paypal.

For examples of previous commissions, click here.

Friday Finds

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions:

• Anne Lyle – The Alchemist of Souls
• Gabriella Pierce – 666 Park Avenue
• Gabriella Pierce – The Dark Glamour
• R J Palacio – Wonder
• Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins & Trevor McCarthy – Gates of Gotham

They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

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