stephaniewuk Reviews

Prime (2005)

Charming. A Very Nice Idea Indeed.

[7/10 · 10 June 2006]

Though it is a total chick flick, this is overall a nicely written and well-played out piece which focuses on relationships where there is an age difference; a slight role-reversal where it is in fact the woman who is older (although by no means less attractive; indeed the casting of the youthful-looking Thurman is perhaps a little unfair but at the end of the day the lead still needs to be attractive to be believable). The fact that Rafi's new young lover is in fact the son of her therapist in whom Rafi confides provides plenty of comic scope which Meryl Streep, one of my least favourite actresses, does well and the contrasts between Streep's personal and professional lives offers insight into the boundaries of the business that is psychotherapy. I loved the ironic twist of that; Streep's character spends her working life helping people deal with harsh realities and ends up having to cope with one herself.

Thurman does her job wonderfully well in this film which, given that she has had to deal with divorce in her own personal life, must be noted and she is supported well by Bryan Greenburg.

Titanic (1997)

Excellent But In A Typically Hollywood Way

[9/10 · 3 June 2006]

...the script is dire, the storyline obvious and the special effects not entirely convincing but there is something about this film that means I simply have to give it a good grade - I owe it to the 17-year-old girl I was when it was released who saw it four times at the cinema. I was addicted to it, as was my most cynical of friends. The combination of an already compelling story about one of the worst disasters in maritime history, attractive leads in Winslet and Di Caprio and a ashamedly gushy script means it assaults the emotions, captures the imagination and made it one of - if not the - biggest films in the history of cinema. A part of me does wonder if it was right to make a film about this, especially given James Cameron's egocentric obsession with it; my grandfather won't even watch it as he grew up in Ireland in the years following the catastrophe and it was very much mourned there. But the thing is that it was made and did its job very, very well. I bet you you know exactly what I mean!

Shooting the Past (1999– )

One of His Finest Works

[10/10 · 2 June 2006]

I'm a fan of Poliakoff but not as well acquainted with his works as I should be. However, I can safely assume that this very well-written gem is one of his best works in years followed closely by The Lost Prince in 2003.

His ability to explore relationships and analyse the modern world via an intelligent, subtle script rather than more gratuitous means adds to the enjoyability of his writing.

The staff of a photograph library in London face sudden - or as it turns out not so sudden - closure and are forced to find a home for their wondrous collection at Christmas of all times. The story follows the attempts of the very capable, though also very different members of the team, and the results are amazing.

If you were less impressed by Poliakoff's later works such as Perfect Strangers and Friends and Crocodiles as I was, don't be put off; this is every inch the thinking person's cup of tea and a riveting piece of drama.

The Object of My Affection (1998)

Yay Aniston!

[7/10 · 2 June 2006]

Aniston does well in this, one of the few film jobs she has secured since finding fame in the hit-US sitcom Friends that allows her to move away from the stereotype of her character Rachel. I like Aniston as an actress; she is natural, sensitive and has a comic flare but to make it really big on the big screen and go further with her career she must get out of those fluffy Hollywood romantic comedies that she seems to get frequently cast it.

She wisely accepted the role of Nina, a social worker in a deeply- troubled relationship who becomes best friends with her new flatmate, a recently dumped gay man. Emotional turmoil ensues, however, when she falls pregnant by her controlling boyfriend and falls in love with this gay man.

Though the script takes itself a little too seriously at times and is riddled with typical US sentimentalism, it is a sensitive and very human piece where Aniston, who admitted to being stretched as an actress on this film, does a good job, demonstrating range.

As far as I am aware, this film was not a box-office smash but it is enjoyable and did go down well with the critics. Aniston needs to do more films like this and more people need to be prepared to watch them. She's good.

A Woman at War (1991 TV Movie)

Gripping Though Glossed...

[6/10 · 2 June 2006]

...if you are looking for a thrilling story set during the Second World War, this is likely to satisfy you. If you are looking for an faithful adaptation of Helene Moszkiewiez's autobiography then forget it. A lot of what is portrayed here is vamped-up romanticised Hollywood gloss done so in order to unnecessarily embellish what was already an interesting story. Though it is gripping in parts and Martha Plimpton is well-cast as the intrepid young Jew who fools Nazi officials into giving her a job as a Gestapo spy, I would like to point out a few serious flaws in the re-worked plot. Firstly, Helene was not academic and had no intention of going to university. Far from it, in fact; she hated school. Secondly - and this correction is absolutely necessary - she did not have any romantic relationship with Franz Bueller. Having met him, he introduced her to the ways of the Resistance and she posed as his fiancée throughout the Nazi occupation, but he was in actual fact a double-agent whom she was glad to see hanged for treason at the end of the war. His romantic interests in fact lay elsewhere, mainly with a mistress and two children. Helene herself actually did marry her admirer Albert (although I can't actually remember if he died in the circumstances that were played out in the film). The Jew-catcher part was true although not the chase scene. He was himself Jewish - and saved his own skin by agreeing to help catch Jews for the Gestapo with his amazing ability to "detect" a Jew based on one glance - and though he did alert her bosses to their pretty young employee's true ethnic identity, he was not believed and was reprimanded for making what seemed an utterly erroneous observation. His claim was ignored and he left her alone, eventually being shipped off to join his already forsaken wife and children in the death camps.

I'm sorry but I do not like real-life stories being corrupted so just to keep it in the Hollywood mainstream. The story was fascinating. Helene Moszkiewiez was a remarkably courageous polymath who lived entirely on her wits and was not a woman to be messed with. When watching this film I was gripped and intrigued - it is a good film - but not a patch on the book

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Only the Small Screen Can Do It Real Justice

[4/10 · 2 June 2006]

Though it is better than the previous film adaptation of the novel made in the 1950s, I think it is something of a challenge to do Austen well on the big screen. The only truly successful adaptation of an Austen novel was Emma Thompson's beautiful, faithful and very, very well done Sense and Sensibilty a decade ago. Still, considering Austen's novels were long and wordy we can't all expect such great adaptations.

Knightley is sprightly enough as Elizabeth Bennett but not as arch, charismatic or pretty as Elizabeth Bennett is supposed to be. Matthew MacFadyen also lacks the charm that was so crucial to Mr. Darcy's character. A lot of important things such as Elizabther's close relationship with her father Mr. Bennet, the love she had for her sister Jane and of course the potential love affair between herself and Mr. Wickham were not gone into in enough depth. Without the emphasis on the other relationships existing between the characters that Austen wrote so well her stories can get boring. Better explored in depth and dealt with on the television.

Brenda Blethyn was perfectly cast as the nervous Mrs. Bennett but - and this is the major but - why were the family so rural? It is true that they were not a wealthy or noble family but they were gentry, wealthier than the average middle-class family is today and they were represented as peasants. Even Mr. Darcy would not have married a peasant; they simply would not have had the occasion to meet.

At least it was better than the big screen version of Emma.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Entertaining Enough But Glad I Got a Concession On The Ticket

[4/10 · 2 June 2006]

Having not read the book I think my review of the film may well be savaged by devoted fans of the best-selling novel although considering I was not particularly impressed by it, perhaps it will coincide with the views of those who were thrilled by the book and feel let down (as is often the case) with movie adaptations.

Audrey Tatou gives a solid performance as the beautiful and doe-eyed Sophie (the only thing I have seen her in is Amelie and she shook the character off quite well) Hanks is OK although not particularly charismatic as Robert Langford.

Though the story is essentially quite silly, difficult to follow and even dull in parts (I think this is why you should read it first) the film is on the whole entertaining enough - the final twist in the tale nicely rounding off what was an interesting spin on, dare I say it, the traditional "story".

Dan Brown cannot be given full marks for originality, however; anyone who has seen "Dogma" will notice a similar twist in the plot line. Like JK Rowling and her Harry Potter books, Brown simply got scribbling at a time when people wanted something a little controversial and juicy to read. Ron Howard cashed in on that just in time, while Code was fresh in people's memories and before Brown's other books got popular.

I'm inclined to agree with other reviewers of this movie about whether or not Catholics should be offended by its content. Don't be. It's just a story created for entertainment value; if anything it gives the Church free publicity!

Confetti (2006)

Well-Intended Feel Good Film

[19 May 2006]

I wanted to like this film more than I actually did. This is a warm, enjoyable, though slightly lacklustre, feel good romantic comedy headed by the new wave of British comedy talents who have hit British television screens in recent years. Anyone who is familiar with Alan Partridge, The Royle Family, People Like Us or The Office will recognise the cast although it doesn't quite match the comic tones of those programmes.

The worthy motto of the story is this: marry for love and love alone which is why the most solid and normal of the three couples, played by Jessica Stevenson and Martin Freeman, eventually win the competition for having the most original wedding. The other two couples are there principally to provide the humour and although I did not laugh out loud at all the jokes, I saw where they were coming from.

Go and see it for a feel-good British romp. Certainly an alternative to The Da Vinci Code - especially as tickets for that are running out.