Film: Never Let Me Go (2010)

This dystopian science fiction alludes from the beginning to its subtly sinister plot lines, lovingly unfurling the tangled mesh of friendship, love and tragedy through narrator Kathy (Carey Mulligan). The superb acting and truthful portrayal of such complex characters, the main trio Kathy, Tommy and Ruth, who are all completely aware of what they are but have not yet understood who they are. This science fiction delves into the recesses of the human mind and questions humanity and emotion as states of mind and whether we have the ability to learn/develop these things or whether we are born with them.

The film is beautifully shot with much attention to lighting which romantisises certain scenes in contrast to the darkness of the plot. Like the book (by Ishiguro) the film is split into 3 parts which are symbolic and synominous with the stages each character will reach. Surprisingly the understated screenplay manages to capture and convey the ambience to the novel whilst moving it more into the realms of a love story but retaining its hypnotically tragic rhythm.

This is a highly emotional drama (with credit to the novel I was tearful as the film began) is Kathy's thoughts as she tries to unravel how she felt and what happened to her and her closest friends as they grew up. **SPOILER** Although on first glance, 2 women, 1 man, this appears to be a simple love traingle set against a ticking clock - each character must soon become a Donor. Look closer and really listen to what each of them say and you realise that the love story is that of the two friends Kathy and Ruth and how they felt that the external love for another was pulling them apart.

The theme of familial love or love for a friend/s is depicted as the strongest most enduring and the audience comes to see that these three mismatched characters formed themselves a family and it is this love which is juxtaposed with the clinical coldness of the faceless society and sciencentific development they are the victims of. It's a weepy one but definately worth it...

Related Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_let_me_go_2010/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/feb/10/never-let-me-go-review

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Let_Me_Go

Film: The King's Speech (2010)

This is a heartfelt and incredibly moving recount of the insecurities and battle of the stuttering King George VI (Colin Firth) who finds his voice, literally and metaphorically, to give assurance to a nation ill at ease at one of the great crisis points in history, WW2.
More than anything this narrative is carried by the performance and representation of the bromance between the King, or Bertie as he is often called, and Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) his speech therapist.
Do not be put off by the serious drama archetype or the story's basis in fact, this is an incredibly witty film with fanatastic comedic repore between Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bohnem Carter), King George and Lionel Logue, making this an emotionally stimulating and funny film. The dialogue is well thought out, the acting is brilliant and the final ambience of the film is uplifting and empowering. Loved it.

Related Links:
http://www.kingsspeech.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_kings_speech/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/06/the-kings-speech-review

Film: True Grit (2010)

I haven't seen the 1969 adaptation of True Grit but I was blown away by the latest reimagining. The three main characters (again the use of a trio to lead the film is a success) Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) and LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) are perfectly matched as rival, allies and verbal sparring partners. Do not be decieved by the Cowboy genre or the serious drama of the plot, True Grit is extremely entertaining and witty which balances the suspence and dark undertones.

In terms of genre this film stands out from the backdrop of serious drama and superhero films filling the cinema yet also stands out as a Western films as well. There are guns, horse riding, bent moral codes, revenge and a love of sorts that stand out as classic props or icons in any western but this narrative is led by a female protagonist of just 14 years old, she hires Cogburn to help her track down her father's killer and bring him to justice. It is Mattie's determination that drives the plot and throughout there is exploration of each character and the discovery of who has the true grit refered to in the title. It is key to note that it is this admirable quality which brings the trio together and defines the actions of each of them.

Cinematically the soundtrack is beautiful, particualarly the final song, "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" (written by Elisha A. Hoffman and Anthony J. Showalter) and with a shocking end to the tale this film should be considered not only as a stand alone adaptation but as pure brilliance.

Related Links:

http://www.truegritmovie.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmhBUxUDPTA

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065126/

Film: Black Swan (2010)

This is a suspenceful masterpiece of fear and mystery. The interwoven narrative of the tale of Swan lake perfectly mirrors and foreshadows the unravelling of 'perfect' ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman). The dual nature of the role of the Swan Queen ballerina who plays both the 'delicate' white swan and the 'dangerous' black swan implies the light in darkness within us all and therefore also the protagonist who, in her pursuit of perfection - to be both the white and black swan, the audience sees her descent into darkness. The antiquity of this tale gives Nina's breakdown almost poetic in style.

Hallucinations and imagined sequences are effectively used to show Nina becoming more and more unhinged by her paranoia and jealousy. The director has attempted to parallel the competitive strain that ballerina's put on their bodies to the break down of Nina's mental state. The dark lighting on screen and fearful ambience cause the audience to question everything as to whether it is in Nina's head or reality. The psychological horror element of Black Swan is brought through in small glimpses of shocking and flinch-making blood and pain.

There are brilliant plot twist and the narrative although led by Natalie Portman, who is phenominal, is supported by wonderful performances from Mila Kunis (Lily - a rival ballerina), Vincent Cassel (Thomas Leroy- the manipulative choreographer) and Winona Ryder (Beth - an older ballerina who has been pushed out of the company) who only appears briefly but is terrifyingly brilliant in the role.

The interplicing of the reaction shots with the actual ballet and performance are intriguing and brilliantly balanced and the look of the film, almost drained of colour in many places (would have been beautiful and even more terrifying in black and white) give it a classic and stunning image.

The ending is wonderfully done with understated dialogue (a style throughout the film which is both effective, eerie and realistic because ballet is free of speech, meaning is held almost entirely in movement) but predictable if you know the tale of Swan lake.

Related Links:

http://www.blackswanmovie.co.uk/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/20/black-swan-review

Film: Love and Other Drugs (2010)

This Rom-com is refreshingly adult and doesn't conform to the typical and over used narratives. Both of the main roles Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Maggie (Anne Hathaway) are played convincingly and with integrety by the leads, which is one of the main strengths of the plot.

There is an honest portrayal of the struggles and pitfalls within their relationship, with Maggie's continued struggle with Parkinson's disease as the catalyst for both their meeting and their problems. The title refers to their romance and Jamie's job as a drug rep.

Both characters are given screen time to develop individually as well as as a couple and despite sex being the starting point and, possibly, the glue of their relationship the sense of romance and deep love is front lined through soft lighting in many places and the beautiful, silent home made films. This film is interesting and charismatic and is hard to type cast into any particualr genre yet comes across better because of this. The mish-mash of themes does distract slightly from making this film great and the overall feeling is slightly depressing but it is fairly funny, most credit for this goes to Josh (Josh Gad) Jamie's brother.

Related Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758752/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love-and-other-drugs/

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox/loveandotherdrugs/

Film: Tron: Legacy (2010)

This is an reimaging, and building on, of an incredible world first brought to screen in the 1980's and its realism is, surprisingly, heightened by the use of modern 3D.

With, apart from 'Avatar', unrivaled CGI creates a world of possibilities and is used for incredible light battles and exciting futuristic motorcycle races and recreating a youthful Jeff Bridges face for the character of Clu. He is the antagonist, a creation of Jeff Bridges' other character, this one aged, Kevin Flynn who was lost inside the 'animated internet' game he designed and trapped in his own cyberworld utopia. Over the years under the rule of Clu this world has become cruel and uniform, although it is poignant that these two characters should share a face...

The narrative is from the perspective of Sam (Garrett Hedlund), Kevin's son, whose story beginning overlaps with where Kevin's story ended in the original 'Tron'. Despite the "absent father who was idolised by his child and thereby left them damaged personnally" is a plotline which has been seen hundreds of times, it is my belief that it is not always the story that matters but the way in which is told and this narrative is definately unique!

There is intrigue, suspense and action which, fortunately, doesn't overshadow the complex character interactions. The issues raised in this film, despite relating to a cyberworld, has much revelance to the physical world of today as well as playing with the contemporary concepts of virtual worlds and technological advancement. It contrasts the spontaneaity of life with the automated, formulaic approach of machinery reminding us all how precious being alive is - a sobering lesson for our protagonist Sam.

Following Sam rather than the already defined protagonist, Kevin (Jeff Bridges), allows us, the new audience, to rediscover the wonder and danger of Tron through fresh eyes and this lets us bond with Sam who, in Batman style, is at the beginning a bit of a lost soul who clearly puts on a 'i-dont-care' front. His growth mirrors the arc of the plot through to its dramatc finale.

Another interesting character is Quorra (Olivia Wilde), and finally a female action character who doesn't conform to the, now, boring stereotype. She is crucial to the plot and despite being a little under used adds a feminine and half-way character between the father and son.

The message of the film doesn't feel forced, but like any great Sci-fi asks the audience to redefine the boundaries of what is right and wrong and how much of what we do is the product of how we were made: nature vs. nurture. This thrilling film even has hints of romance and the intangeable bonds of familial love, impressing that as limitless and wonderful as the internet is the real world has just as many wonders to discover and in todays world sometimes that is a hard thing to remember...

Related Links:

http://www.disney.co.uk/tron/index.jsp

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104001/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10011582-TRON_legacy/

Film: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

This was yet another brilliant Harry Potter page to screen adaptation creating the tension, fear and angst seemingly effortlessly. The movement of the film was slow, like that of the book, but never dragged as lovely scenic shots of the changing seasons kept the pace. The scriptwriter did a wonderful job of trying to juggle the many plot and sub-plot developments at the foreground of the narrative but due to the condensed style of the film some scenes of dialogue seemed forced and randomnly squashed together.

The graphic art for the Tale of Three Brothers was gorgeous, as were the seemless transitions back into the film and the camera angles during the chase in the woods were incredible and really simulated the pace and drama of that moment.

Disappointingly the two deaths that made me cry in the books didn't have the time to have the same impact in the films. **SPOILERS** Hedwig's death was very sudden and rushed amongst all the commotion for any sadness to be played out and Dobby's death although touching seemed a bit too wordy. The loss of these too characters are pivotal in terms of Harry's character, they are symbolic of his true loss of childhood, but I suppose in the time frame they were given these moments are gems of raw emotion and supported by acting talent. The acting of the three main leads, who had never before had to carry the narrative of a Harry Potter film alone, rose to the challenge and delivered brilliantly. One should only look at the argument scene in the tent between Ron (Rupert Grint) and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), and the despair and isolation epitamised in Hermione's (Emma Watson's) scenes to see how much they have matured.

The motif of the radio overvoiced, as the trio travel, listing the names of those missing or dead really drives home how important these last missions are and that now it is the wizarding community who are under seige not just Harry himself. However, the grand scale created through sweeping pans of isolated countryside, similar in style to that of the Lord of the Rings epics, doesn't quite create a grand feel for the finale. There was a lack of climax because this film is only representative of half of a book and thereby disrupted the regular law of narrative: Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and then New Equilibrium.

This film is probably one in which audiences who have read the book will have the greatest advantage of understanding and in order to retain the right ambience throughout this film the director has definately had to make the assumption that the audience will already have an understanding of the plot. However the heightened emotion and narrative of this film centers entirely on the trios friendship which comes across brilliantly, particularly through the dialogue free scenes. The love between these characters, both platonic and romantic, comes to the fore of the story and is stretched to extremes yet remains totally beliveable.

Despite this I felt that the complex narrative was managed beautifully making this an enjoyable and exciting film. The film plays with your emotions spinning on a dime from a jokers line to a devasting piece of news, we are kept on edge by the ever prevalent sense of danger. This adds to the anticipation of 'Part 2' and as a massive fan of the books and films I would have been perfectly happy with a short interval and then return to watch the second half, but now we must wait on the edges of our seats for another 6 months!

Related Links:

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/dvd/

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0926084/

http://thehummusoffensive.blogspot.com/2011/01/harry-potter-and-deathly-hallows-part-1.html