Showing posts with label COlin Firth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COlin Firth. Show all posts
A Single Man Review
Posted by Should I See It
on
Saturday, March 27, 2010
, under
A Single Man,
Academy Award Nominee,
COlin Firth,
Julianne Moore,
Matthew Goode,
Nicholas Hoult,
Tom Ford
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Film: A Single Man
Director: Tom Ford
Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult.
Plot: A gay college professor in 1960s Los Angeles struggles come to terms with the death of his lover. The film follows him on the day he intends to commit suicide.
Let me be clear, A Single Man is not a movie for choc top eating or popcorn munching. Any noise emanating from the audience is a distraction. Not only because this film is very quiet (literally), but this film requires focus in order to fully appreciate the beauty and the detail. Director (and former fashion designer) Tom Ford has been criticised for overdesigning the film, but the highly stylised visuals works in its favour. Going into the film I did expect it to look good (what else can you expect from the man who single-handedly revived Gucci?), but what I did expect was for Ford to be a decent storyteller. Every frame has been carefully constructed to let you a little bit more into George’s world: to show what it’s like for a man struggling to get through the day as normally as possible. I felt as though I was watching film as art as opposed to film just telling a story.
The film tends to lose a little bit of pace in the final act. The minimal dialogue wears a little thin and the film has a little bit of a struggle to keep itself moving all the way to the end.
Thankfully we have Colin Firth in the leading role to distract us from the pacing problems. He gives a wonderfully un-Colin-Firth-like performance as George, the man at the centre of the story.
Without Firth’s skill, without his ability to withhold and yet display so much, George would disappear, swallowed by the heightened visuals. But Firth holds his ground. You only need to watch Firth's face as he is told of his lover's death. The camera presses slowly in. You see his disbelief, his struggle to maintain control, his anger that he cannot attend the funeral. It’s truly a marvellous scene, for which Firth deserved the actual Oscar, not just the nomination.
As for the supporting cast: Matthew Goode plays George’s lover Jim, seen through flashbacks, gives a performance that I actually for once, like. But I felt his character lacked definition. But then I suppose its George’s idea of Jim that’s important. George cannot live without him, whatever type of man he might be.
Julianne Moore’s role as George’s perpetually drunk friend Charley, is a little more than an extended cameo.
Nicholas Hoult is good, as college student Kenny, who takes an interest in George, but not quite up to par with Firth. I see a lot of potential in him, but maybe I was distracted by the amount of make up or fake tan that he was wearing. I’m pretty sure he had more make up on his face that the rest of the cast combined (females included).
However, I did find the relationship between George and Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) to be a little disconcerting: mainly because of the whole teacher/ student thing. I also am uncomfortable with George replacing Jim with Kenny. People tell me that George want replacing Jim, he just found something to live for…. But I disagree. So much is made of the age difference between George and Jim and George and Kenny that the film seems to be drawing an intentional parallel between Jim and Kenny. Is there really that much difference between one you can’t live without and the one that you can live for?
The film tends to lose a little bit of pace in the final act. The minimal dialogue wears a little thin and the film has a little bit of a struggle to keep itself moving all the way to the end.
Thankfully we have Colin Firth in the leading role to distract us from the pacing problems. He gives a wonderfully un-Colin-Firth-like performance as George, the man at the centre of the story.
Without Firth’s skill, without his ability to withhold and yet display so much, George would disappear, swallowed by the heightened visuals. But Firth holds his ground. You only need to watch Firth's face as he is told of his lover's death. The camera presses slowly in. You see his disbelief, his struggle to maintain control, his anger that he cannot attend the funeral. It’s truly a marvellous scene, for which Firth deserved the actual Oscar, not just the nomination.
As for the supporting cast: Matthew Goode plays George’s lover Jim, seen through flashbacks, gives a performance that I actually for once, like. But I felt his character lacked definition. But then I suppose its George’s idea of Jim that’s important. George cannot live without him, whatever type of man he might be.
Julianne Moore’s role as George’s perpetually drunk friend Charley, is a little more than an extended cameo.
Nicholas Hoult is good, as college student Kenny, who takes an interest in George, but not quite up to par with Firth. I see a lot of potential in him, but maybe I was distracted by the amount of make up or fake tan that he was wearing. I’m pretty sure he had more make up on his face that the rest of the cast combined (females included).
However, I did find the relationship between George and Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) to be a little disconcerting: mainly because of the whole teacher/ student thing. I also am uncomfortable with George replacing Jim with Kenny. People tell me that George want replacing Jim, he just found something to live for…. But I disagree. So much is made of the age difference between George and Jim and George and Kenny that the film seems to be drawing an intentional parallel between Jim and Kenny. Is there really that much difference between one you can’t live without and the one that you can live for?
Should I See It?
A Single Man Official Site here.
Praise the Virtuous
Posted by Should I See It
on
Friday, September 25, 2009
, under
Ben Barnes,
COlin Firth,
Easy Virtue film review,
Jessica Biel,
Kristin Scott Thomas,
Stephan Elliott.
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Film: Easy Virtue
Director: Stephan Elliott
Starring: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes
Plot: Set in England in 1928, young John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) marries glamorous, and older, American Race Car Driver Larita (Jessica Biel) much to the displeasure of his family. Her arrival upsets the family’s very British landed gentry sensibilities.
Director: Stephan Elliott
Starring: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes
Plot: Set in England in 1928, young John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) marries glamorous, and older, American Race Car Driver Larita (Jessica Biel) much to the displeasure of his family. Her arrival upsets the family’s very British landed gentry sensibilities.
Easy Virtue’s biggest asset is undoubtedly its director, Stephan Elliott. Elliott, who also brought us Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has an energy and, most importantly, a vision for the period piece. In less capable hands, Easy Virtue would be considered tired, outdated and, well, boring.But there is something incredibly refreshing about Easy Virtue. Usually the ‘period country house drama’ is a showcase for glamour and beautifully preserved buildings. But in Easy Virtue, we see the idyllic country setting is deteriorating. Hidden amongst all the laughs, is the knowledge that the devastation of the Great Depression is lurking just around the corner. There is something poignant about Mrs Whittaker’s (Kristin Scott Thomas) desperation to cling onto a social order that is becoming obsolete.
Elliott’s directorial style is enhanced by wonderfully adapted screenplay of Noel Coward’s 1924 play of the same name. Elliott (who also serves and screenwriter) and Sheridan Jacobs provide dialogue that has more witty lines than I can remember; “she’s a lot like death by drowning; quite pleasant once she stops struggling”, being one of my particular favourites.
The soundtrack keeps the film bouncing along nicely. While there are plenty of period songs, lots of Cole Porter and Noel Coward himself, the real surprises are the versions of ‘Sex Bomb’ and ‘Car Wash’ that are almost unrecognisable with their 1920s style orchestrations.
Solid performances also abound. Kristin Scott Thomas is superb as always. Colin Firth has moved from playing the dishy hero to playing the dishy dad. But don’t worry ladies, the dark and broody Colin Firth still abounds, sporting plenty of stubble. Ben Barnes is probably the biggest surprise. He exhibits a youthful charm that he lacked in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Barnes also contributes to the soundtrack, demonstrating a lovely, smooth tone that makes me hope he will play Billy Crocker in Anything Goes one day.
But the real scene stealers are Katharine Parkinson and Kimberley Nixon as the Whittaker daughters. Parkinson is incredibly funny, with some of the best line deliveries in the film. Nixon, almost unrecognisable from her role in BBC’s Cranford, is delightful. Nixon is definitely and actress to look out for over the next few years. She is clearly talented, but there is a warmth about her that is appealing. Given she makes the right choices, she is certainly in line for a successful career.
Unfortunately the films biggest down fall is its leading lady, Jessica Biel. What should be the film’s greatest asset, is a dead weight dragging the film down and stopping it from reaching its full potential. Lines such as “it’s awfully dispiriting” fall awkwardly, and her British cast mates run rings around her in every scene. Biel is certainly glamorous, but her athletic figure seems out of place in the waif world of the twenties. Also, Biel is only 27, not nearly old enough to be the ‘harlot sneaking into the nursery’ that Larita accuses herself of being.Biel, as an actress, is an outsider here. She does not fit in a film with British greats Firth and Scott Thomas. And while her conspicuousness should work in the context of the film, it unfortunately does just the opposite. She is swallowed up by the Britishness surrounding her, instead of rising above it. Her performance feels like a performance.
Mostly because of Biel, the films more dramatic third act feels awkwardly at odds with the rest of the film. But the other performances make it worth it.
Should I See It?
Fortunately the film is strong enough to withstand Biel's performance. There is still 97 minutes of fast paced frivolity to enjoy. A definite yes.
Easy Virtue Official Site here
