Here we are again for our grand, spectacular, 252nd film! Did you miss the celebrations for the 250th? Yes, so did we!
Anyway this week it's a biopic, we do love a good biopic and hopefully this is one, sit back relax, put them feet up and wonder about;
The Theory of Everything
Where shall we start with the Theory of Everything? Well, it you didn't know already, it follows the early life of Stephen Hawking, from college days to just after A Brief History of Time is published and everything in between. It is based on Jane Hawking's book; "Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen" which we implore you to read, either before or after seeing this absolutely superb film!
The film traces quite brilliantly the personal battles of Stephen as he is diagnosed with Motor Neuron disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to be exact. The diagnosis comes when his superb cosmologist mind is working through theories in his early period at Cambridge University and just when his relationship with Jane Wilde is starting to blossom. So we get a multi-layered story which not only focuses on the scientific facts and theories, but you have the romance from the relationship between Stephen and Jane, plus you have the over-arching story of Stephen and his remarkable, and it is truly remarkable, life.
There's really not much more to say about the story, it is fascinating, it is very real and it is totally inspiring. Yes, we like the Prof!
However, this is a film blog and not a Stephen Hawking fan site, so to the film. First and foremost much kudos should go to Eddie Redmayne for his Oscar winning portrayal of Stephen Hawking. Redmayne clearly studied Hawking carefully, for he mimics with tender accuracy the body language, subtle nuances and facial expressions of Hawking. Taking a somewhat difficult subject matter and portraying it with such pathos and endearance is just sheer brilliance and a credit to Redmayne. That Oscar is well deserved.
Alongside Redmayne you have the delightful Felicity Jones, who we have seen in a few TNiFN films; Cheerful Weather for the Wedding and the more recently seen; Cemetery Junction. Jones is ideal as Jane Hawking, a seemingly weak and shy individual, but this outer view belies the inner strength of a determined woman, who has vowed to stick with Stephen to the bitter end, which in the early days was only going to be about two years, but how things changed? More details to be found in the book or the film.
Surrounding these two main characters you have a multitude of supporting cast members each of whom play their small or slightly larger parts to progress the story with energy, sympathy and humour. And that's what we keep coming back to; the story. Aside from the totally magnificent acting from Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones it is the exceptional story that delights the viewer of this film. Many people may have shunned the idea of a film about Stephen Hawking, thinking it may be too high brow, intellectual, steeped in science or not a biography that they would necessarily choose, but the thing is it is based on Jane Hawking's biography of her life with Stephen and this is where that twist comes in, it's not all about the wondrous and extraordinary life of Stephen, it is the sub stories, how his life has affected others. It's not just about the brilliant mind of one remarkable human being, but a touching, moving and endearing story of a genius and those that surround him.
We're running out of superlatives here! Just watch the film, you will not be disappointed. This review might not be brilliant, but the film is.
TNiFN Rating 95%
IMDB Link
Tuesday 28 July 2015
Tuesday 21 July 2015
Saving Mr. Banks - 21st July 2015
This week we take a short hop back to 2013 with Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson as we watch the biographical story of P.L. Travers;
Saving Mr. Banks
You really cannot go wrong with a Tom Hanks film, but team him up with the sublimely talented and wonderful Emma Thompson and you have a sure fire hit on your hands.
Saving Mr Banks is a biographical account how how author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) is cinematographically seduced, for want of a better phrase by the inimitable Walt Disney (Hanks). P.L. Travers wrote the children's story; Mary Poppins and Walt wants to bring the story, that he read to his children, to the big screen. However, he hadn't bargained on the voracious and tenacious Mrs Travers, who holds this very personal story very close to her heart, the characters after all are family to her.
The film juxtaposes a childhood thread of Helen Goff (before she became P.L Travers), set in Australia in the early twentieth century, against the 1960's version where she is being coerced by Mr Disney to allow him to portray her dearest of characters on film. The viewer drifts between the 1900's and the 1960's, as the intertwined story unfolds. On the one hand you have the young Helen growing up with her loving, but heavy drinking father, set against the Disney studio team trying to develop the story with music and animation, both of which Mrs Travers cannot abide. And it is this to and throwing, that provides a multi-layering of story as we see the organic growth of the film; Mary Poppins, set against the sometime tragic and sometime happy moments of the young Helen Goff growing up. It is these moments, these fleeting glimpses in history, that has provided the basis for the original Mary Poppins book and now the movie version too.
That organic growth is very evident when the musical talents of Robert and Richard Sherman (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman respectively) work through the songs for the film and it is quite delightful and amusing to see a dramatisation of how they could have possibly developed. Set this against that powerful, strict and stiff upper lipped force that is P.L. Travers and you have yourself a keen Anglo-American battle, which is just fun to watch.
Emma Thompson is quite simply superb as Mrs Travers, ideally suited for the role and practically perfect in every way, to coin a phrase stolen from some film! Also, and yet again, Tom Hanks is on the money as the king of the Magic Kingdom. His mannerisms and perfect Missourian drawl of Walt Disney is just brilliant and they are both a joy to watch.
Whilst on the subject of the cast, there is one character that may get over looked, but we believe he plays a pivotal role in the film; Paul Giamatti plays Ralph the driver supplied by Disney to ferry Mrs, as he calls her, around and they strike up an unlikely but palpable friendship which adds so much to story. At first their relationship is quirky and provides a modicum of levity to the story line, but as it develops Ralph becomes a real friend to Mrs Travers.
In summation, the two stories mingled together is such a beautiful way to run this story line out, hopping back and forward those sixty or so years from childhood beginnings of the saga, to it playing out in the transformation of the characters to film, it's touching, emotional, heartfelt and charming, with a little bit of whimsy thrown in for good measure. The cast are marvelous, the soundtrack familiar and yet touching. The stunning Australian scenery, played out against the Hollywood backdrop is all so easy on the eye and wonderfully shot.
In short a really lovely, pink and fluffy film. Which should score quite highly from the massed panel here at TNiFN Towers.
TNiFN Rating 89%
IMDB Link
Saving Mr. Banks
You really cannot go wrong with a Tom Hanks film, but team him up with the sublimely talented and wonderful Emma Thompson and you have a sure fire hit on your hands.
Saving Mr Banks is a biographical account how how author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) is cinematographically seduced, for want of a better phrase by the inimitable Walt Disney (Hanks). P.L. Travers wrote the children's story; Mary Poppins and Walt wants to bring the story, that he read to his children, to the big screen. However, he hadn't bargained on the voracious and tenacious Mrs Travers, who holds this very personal story very close to her heart, the characters after all are family to her.
The film juxtaposes a childhood thread of Helen Goff (before she became P.L Travers), set in Australia in the early twentieth century, against the 1960's version where she is being coerced by Mr Disney to allow him to portray her dearest of characters on film. The viewer drifts between the 1900's and the 1960's, as the intertwined story unfolds. On the one hand you have the young Helen growing up with her loving, but heavy drinking father, set against the Disney studio team trying to develop the story with music and animation, both of which Mrs Travers cannot abide. And it is this to and throwing, that provides a multi-layering of story as we see the organic growth of the film; Mary Poppins, set against the sometime tragic and sometime happy moments of the young Helen Goff growing up. It is these moments, these fleeting glimpses in history, that has provided the basis for the original Mary Poppins book and now the movie version too.
That organic growth is very evident when the musical talents of Robert and Richard Sherman (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman respectively) work through the songs for the film and it is quite delightful and amusing to see a dramatisation of how they could have possibly developed. Set this against that powerful, strict and stiff upper lipped force that is P.L. Travers and you have yourself a keen Anglo-American battle, which is just fun to watch.
Emma Thompson is quite simply superb as Mrs Travers, ideally suited for the role and practically perfect in every way, to coin a phrase stolen from some film! Also, and yet again, Tom Hanks is on the money as the king of the Magic Kingdom. His mannerisms and perfect Missourian drawl of Walt Disney is just brilliant and they are both a joy to watch.
Whilst on the subject of the cast, there is one character that may get over looked, but we believe he plays a pivotal role in the film; Paul Giamatti plays Ralph the driver supplied by Disney to ferry Mrs, as he calls her, around and they strike up an unlikely but palpable friendship which adds so much to story. At first their relationship is quirky and provides a modicum of levity to the story line, but as it develops Ralph becomes a real friend to Mrs Travers.
In summation, the two stories mingled together is such a beautiful way to run this story line out, hopping back and forward those sixty or so years from childhood beginnings of the saga, to it playing out in the transformation of the characters to film, it's touching, emotional, heartfelt and charming, with a little bit of whimsy thrown in for good measure. The cast are marvelous, the soundtrack familiar and yet touching. The stunning Australian scenery, played out against the Hollywood backdrop is all so easy on the eye and wonderfully shot.
In short a really lovely, pink and fluffy film. Which should score quite highly from the massed panel here at TNiFN Towers.
TNiFN Rating 89%
IMDB Link
Tuesday 14 July 2015
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - 14th July 2015
Tuesday Night is Film Night needs to stop all this monkey business and quit aping around and sit down to watch a film, but what shall we watch gibbon half a chance? Take the cheese on toast from under the gorilla mother and sit down!
Who writes this rubbish?
Tonight we are watching;
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
It is good to catch the sequel of a film we've already seen, (see Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a really good sequel. It is set in a post apocalyptic earth, where a Simian flu virus has wiped out most of the inhabitants of the planet. Outside San Francisco the small pocket of apes that were around at the end of the first film have evolved and are now living in communal surroundings and have developed skills like basic building and making fire. They have noticed that the humans are now scarce and have not been seen for at least three years, that is until a small band of human survivors, who have set up a community in the centre of San Francisco try to find a small hydro electric power station near to the apes home. The plan being to supply power to the city and try to reestablish a human presence on earth. However, they did not bank on finding a colony of evolved apes who can communicate with humans.
Caesar, from the first film (played by Andy Serkis) is still the dominant male in the colony and when the human search party is captured it is Caesar who negotiates and eventually starts to trust the humans to work on the hydro electric plant. Malcolm (Jason Clarke) brokers a treaty with Caesar, but things start to breakdown, on both sides, as human and ape rebels shall we say, start to distrust either side and their own leaders.
Does that sound all a bit confusing? It isn't really, watch the film and the story will unfold quite clearly and you will find human nature is echoed in ape behaviour, where trust becomes mistrust and where respect and loyalty breeds contempt and disorder. Far fetched as the storyline may be, but the behaviour of the on-screen apes and humans are not so different to reality, when it comes to living together with people or in this case a species with different beliefs.
Is that a bit heavy for a film review? It's either philosophical thoughts or monkey jokes here!
Anyway you look at it, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a great film, with a good storyline. It goes without saying that the CGI effects are outstanding, making the simulated action very real and believable. Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman are really good as the leading human actors, as are Serkis (Caesar) and Toby Kebbell who plays Koba, the rebel ape. The film starts with a brief synopsis of the pandemic that has struck the earth, so it's not necessary really to understand the plot of the first film, but it is advisable to watch it to get the full depth of story that links the second film to the first.
Perhaps not as good as the first film, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is still a gripping drama to watch and is worthy of a viewing should you find the time and enjoy a bit of far fetched monkey business.
TNiFN Rating 76%
IMDB Link
Who writes this rubbish?
Tonight we are watching;
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
It is good to catch the sequel of a film we've already seen, (see Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a really good sequel. It is set in a post apocalyptic earth, where a Simian flu virus has wiped out most of the inhabitants of the planet. Outside San Francisco the small pocket of apes that were around at the end of the first film have evolved and are now living in communal surroundings and have developed skills like basic building and making fire. They have noticed that the humans are now scarce and have not been seen for at least three years, that is until a small band of human survivors, who have set up a community in the centre of San Francisco try to find a small hydro electric power station near to the apes home. The plan being to supply power to the city and try to reestablish a human presence on earth. However, they did not bank on finding a colony of evolved apes who can communicate with humans.
Caesar, from the first film (played by Andy Serkis) is still the dominant male in the colony and when the human search party is captured it is Caesar who negotiates and eventually starts to trust the humans to work on the hydro electric plant. Malcolm (Jason Clarke) brokers a treaty with Caesar, but things start to breakdown, on both sides, as human and ape rebels shall we say, start to distrust either side and their own leaders.
Does that sound all a bit confusing? It isn't really, watch the film and the story will unfold quite clearly and you will find human nature is echoed in ape behaviour, where trust becomes mistrust and where respect and loyalty breeds contempt and disorder. Far fetched as the storyline may be, but the behaviour of the on-screen apes and humans are not so different to reality, when it comes to living together with people or in this case a species with different beliefs.
Is that a bit heavy for a film review? It's either philosophical thoughts or monkey jokes here!
Anyway you look at it, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a great film, with a good storyline. It goes without saying that the CGI effects are outstanding, making the simulated action very real and believable. Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman are really good as the leading human actors, as are Serkis (Caesar) and Toby Kebbell who plays Koba, the rebel ape. The film starts with a brief synopsis of the pandemic that has struck the earth, so it's not necessary really to understand the plot of the first film, but it is advisable to watch it to get the full depth of story that links the second film to the first.
Perhaps not as good as the first film, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is still a gripping drama to watch and is worthy of a viewing should you find the time and enjoy a bit of far fetched monkey business.
TNiFN Rating 76%
IMDB Link
Tuesday 7 July 2015
Dinner for Schmucks - 7th July 2015
Tuesday Night is Film Night wanders back to 2010 for a comedy starring Steve Carell. Tonight we serve up;
Dinner for Schmucks
Dinner for Schmucks? Film for schmucks more like. Ludicrous.
Scathing first line, but true unfortunately. The DVD case states "Outrageously funny". Unfortunately this is not the case, it was and we quote one of the panel here at TNiFN Towers; "....weird, but mildly amusing".
To cut to the chase and fill in some synopsis detail, Dinner for Schmucks is about Tim, played by Paul Rudd, who is after a promotion at work. He makes a move to hook a big customer and gets the chance to prove himself. This is when he finds out that his superiors have this strange ritualistic evening, where they host a dinner celebrating the idiocy of their guests, so when Tim is invited, he just needs to bring a guest, this is when he runs into Barry (Steve Carell), who is a part time taxidermist and luckily, a complete idiot.
The rest of the film plays out some convoluted and farcical premise that Tim will lose his girlfriend, due to the antics of Barry and the fact that Tim is chasing this materialistic promotion, which actually goes against his beliefs and if you ally this with the fact that his girlfriend is appalled by this dinner idea as well, then you end up with some bizarre scenarios which are interspersed with a modicum of comedy.
There's roles for some homegrown talent in the form of David Walliams and Chris O'Dowd, but even their combined performances cannot rise this diatribe of drivel out of the mirthless mire we find it in.
The films follows this really strange idea of a story, laid over the top of a formulaic feelgood romantic comedy, with little romance and slightly less comedy. There are a few laugh out loud moments, but these are crammed into the official trailer that lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. Really how they justified filling 114 minutes of film with this vapid and feeble story is beyond us.
The actual "dinner" scene was funny, but filled about a fifteen minute segment near to the end, if they had concentrated more of this and less on the procrastination to get to this pivotal plot moment, then perhaps it may have been funnier. Steve Carell was very humourous, but he generally is, but Dinner for Schmucks was not the best vehicle to showcase his talents. Which is a shame, as we had high hopes for this comedy caper.
If you want a gift boxed, expensive and shiny coaster for your coffee cup, then buy this DVD.
TNiFN Rating 48%
IMDB Link
Dinner for Schmucks
Dinner for Schmucks? Film for schmucks more like. Ludicrous.
Scathing first line, but true unfortunately. The DVD case states "Outrageously funny". Unfortunately this is not the case, it was and we quote one of the panel here at TNiFN Towers; "....weird, but mildly amusing".
To cut to the chase and fill in some synopsis detail, Dinner for Schmucks is about Tim, played by Paul Rudd, who is after a promotion at work. He makes a move to hook a big customer and gets the chance to prove himself. This is when he finds out that his superiors have this strange ritualistic evening, where they host a dinner celebrating the idiocy of their guests, so when Tim is invited, he just needs to bring a guest, this is when he runs into Barry (Steve Carell), who is a part time taxidermist and luckily, a complete idiot.
The rest of the film plays out some convoluted and farcical premise that Tim will lose his girlfriend, due to the antics of Barry and the fact that Tim is chasing this materialistic promotion, which actually goes against his beliefs and if you ally this with the fact that his girlfriend is appalled by this dinner idea as well, then you end up with some bizarre scenarios which are interspersed with a modicum of comedy.
There's roles for some homegrown talent in the form of David Walliams and Chris O'Dowd, but even their combined performances cannot rise this diatribe of drivel out of the mirthless mire we find it in.
The films follows this really strange idea of a story, laid over the top of a formulaic feelgood romantic comedy, with little romance and slightly less comedy. There are a few laugh out loud moments, but these are crammed into the official trailer that lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. Really how they justified filling 114 minutes of film with this vapid and feeble story is beyond us.
The actual "dinner" scene was funny, but filled about a fifteen minute segment near to the end, if they had concentrated more of this and less on the procrastination to get to this pivotal plot moment, then perhaps it may have been funnier. Steve Carell was very humourous, but he generally is, but Dinner for Schmucks was not the best vehicle to showcase his talents. Which is a shame, as we had high hopes for this comedy caper.
If you want a gift boxed, expensive and shiny coaster for your coffee cup, then buy this DVD.
TNiFN Rating 48%
IMDB Link
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