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From celebrated director Jane Campion comes a biopic of nineteenth century Romantic poet John Keats, exploring his romance with Miss Fanny Brawne, beginning in 1818.

Director: Jane Campion
Starring: Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, Paul Schneider
Running time: 119 mins approx.

Critically acclaimed for her early 90s period drama The Piano, New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion has created a beautiful and heartbreaking film in her latest effort, Bright Star. Exploring the life of John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his doomed love affair with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), the film is beautifully shot – Campion makes excellent use of colours, textures and lighting to a wonderfully romantic effect. One scene in particular in which Fanny reads one Keats’ love letters takes place in a wooded sea of violet-hued bluebells, the bright purples and swathes of green perfectly contrasting each other. Throughout the film Campion uses her pastoral setting very well, utilising the landscape, trees, woods and flowers to create a believable and stunning world for the characters to fall in love in.

And fall in love they surely do. After an initially frosty first meeting, the feisty Fanny Brawne enlists Keats to teach her about poetry and language. At first, Fanny is not much enamoured by the young poet but this feeling changes rapidly after she notices Keats’ anxiety and affection for his brother who lies seriously ill. The two then meet with quickening frequency and find themselves entangled in a passionate love affair that sets the wider community gossiping. However, with Keats’ own health in serious speedy decline, a dark shadow is cast over the lovers’ affair, one that even the strongest love cannot overcome.

The gentle and tragic story of Bright Star is very well directed with the exception of a few scenes which are too languorous – it appears that Campion was aiming to create moods of tension and repressed passion but instead these scenes simply run out of steam.

Consequently the second act is slow and needs more dynamism and drama to keep the film interesting. However, in terms of acting, Bright Star certainly excels. Abbie Cornish is very good as the headstrong Fanny Brawne, simultaneously eliciting sympathy whilst not being an instantly likeable lead heroine. However, as her love for Keats blossoms, so does our fondness for her, to the point that her sorrow in the film’s tragic conclusion is heartbreaking. Cornish’s performance in this particular scene is excellent – Cornish presents Fanny feeling the emotional pain physically and with an arresting intensity.

As Keats himself, Ben Whishaw is haunting, having a suitably poetic quality about him. He is at all times thoroughly convincing as the young poet, being attractive, quiet and possessing a certain beautiful melancholic air. The only problem with Whishaw’s portrayal of Keats is that the character could at times do with some angry passion to measure the tender embraces and pained looks that seem to dominate his relationship with Fanny.

Bright Star is a beautiful, gentle and tragic romance that combines wonderful production design with good storytelling to haunting effect.

Rating: MMMM

Rating: MMMM

Review of ‘geezer’ director Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic character (and the world’s most famous detective) the inimitable Sherlock Holmes.

Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, Rachel McAdams
Running time: 128 mins

Infamous British gangster-thriller director Guy Ritchie’s take on the world’s most famous detective may not be the most faithful or accurate depiction of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Victorian detective, but his new Sherlock Holmes film is likely to be the most fun.
At the point in which the film begins, our heroes, the eponymous Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Doctor John Watson (Jude Law) are soon to be separated from being London’s brilliant and unrivaled ‘consulting detective’ partners by Watson’s impending engagement to his love Mary (Kelly Reilly). However, before the pair are to part ways, one more case must be solved – one that requires all of Holmes’ remarkable powers of deduction, observational skills and helping hands of Dr Watson. It is a case unlike any Holmes has ever confronted, apparently defying the laws of logic and science, one that terrorises London in a chain of strange and ritualistic murders and one that is seemingly orchestrated from beyond the grave by the recently deceased Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong).

The first point of praise for Ritchie’s film is that the plot of Sherlock Holmes is well conceived and structured, being complex and intriguing enough to be a believable case that Holmes and Watson have to solve, but straightforward enough for the audience not to be lost. Some parts are messy but never confusing, and the film as a whole is so damn entertaining that even the odd plot contrivance can be forgiven. There is a wonderful tension between the scientific and the gothic, capturing the tone and flavour of two Victorian phenomenons, coupled with a glimpse of the forward march of progress so omnipresnent in the late nineteenth century. The script is well written, clever and funny, is pleasingly lacking in the “me old china” -isms of Ritchie’s repertoir and perhaps more importantly, captures the brilliance and intelligence of Conan Doyle’s original character.

As is to be expected from a Guy Ritchie movie (in the face of his previous work, Lock, Stock, Snatch, Revolver), there is a certain amount of fisticuffs and bare-knuckle fighting in Sherlock Holmes which some might feel incongruous with the tone of the original source material. Surprisingly, however the inclusion of the violence is not to the detriment of the film – the scenes where Holmes takes on a prizefighter in a boxing match are coupled with a voice-over of him explaining his punches and techniques, presenting the violence as another facet of his detective skills.

In terms of performances, the central pair are without a doubt the stars of the show. Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes is excellent, intensely likeable and very charming. Likewise, Jude Law as Watson is also very good. The two together are brilliant, exuding charisma and a fantastic physical comedy that elevates the film above being simply entertaining and makes in out-and-out fun – their bickering ‘old married couple’ act is very well done, to the point where the relationship becomes the heart of the film and the mystery plays second fiddle – this is not a criticism however as the friendship dynamic between the two men worked so well, being funny, poignant and enjoyable.
Mark Strong as the villanous Lord Blackwood is deliciously evil and suitably gothic but never descending into camp devilry, maintaining a malevolent sensibility that is genuinely creepy. The only piece of characterisation that perhaps doesn’t work as well as the rest is Rachel McAdams as Holmes’ female foil and ‘love interest’ despite her being a crucial part of the film’s climax.

Sherlock Holmes is a good, solid, enjoyable and hugely entertaining action blockbuster that packs as many laughs as it does punches – Downey, Jr. and Law’s comic timing is fabulous. Go see.

Rating: MMMM

On the sofa with the 2008 glossy adaptation of Noel Coward’s 1920s set comedy of errors, Easy Virtue.

Director: Stephan Elliot
Starring: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes
Running time: 92 mins

Based on Noel Coward’s original play, Easy Virtue is set in late 1920s England and sees young John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) bring his blonde bombshell new wife Larita (Jessica Biel) home to meet his family. The couple are greeted somewhat frostily however, as Mrs Whittaker senior (Kristin Scott Thomas) does not approve of her son’s choice of bride – what ensues is a tense battle between the two women with unexpected consequences.

The film’s narrative follows a neat three act structure, with some great sight gags, poignant scenes and as one might expect from a Coward-scripted drama, dialogue of the highest wit and calibre. The costumes are perfectly designed and created (Larita’s blouse and trouser combinations in particular), with the photography subtle and dramatic in turn. The production value is high throughout the film, with the exception however being the film’s music. Instead of a low-key score with traditional and realistic select tunes from the likes of Cole Porter (these are in attendance, although few in number), instead we are ‘treated’ to songs modern songs orchestrated in a 1920s style – Tom Jones’s ‘Sex Bomb’ for instance, which as soon as one recognises that familiar melody, becomes increasingly irritating. These numbers effectively ruin what would otherwise be a solid and credible musical score, with some tunes sung credibly well by members of the cast (Jessica Biel sings ‘Mad about the Boy’ to great aplomb).

In comparison with some dodgy choices with Easy Virtue’s music, Stephan Elliot must be praised for his casting, as both Kristin Scott Thomas and Jessica Biel are perfect in their respective roles as the stubborn battle-axe mother Mrs Whittaker and glamorous American Larita. Biel presents Larita as a complex and intriguing character with hidden depths and a spirited, passionate past, whereas Scott Thomas demonstrates again her fantastic range and ability to transform what might be two-dimensional roles into well developed characters. However, as Mr Whittaker, Colin Firth seems uncharacteristically lacking in presence, leaving Coward’s fabulously witty dialogue to fall flat at times – a real waste of such good excellent source material. Similarly Ben Barnes, while looking very much the part as the gorgeous young hero, lacks depth. His two younger sisters in comparison are played very well by Katherine Parkinson (Jen from the IT Crowd) and Kimberley Nixon, creating a wonderful chorus effect when coupled with Scott Thomas’s matriarch.

Easy Virtue is a beautifully shot and crafted film, with some good performances, a very well structured plot (undoubtedly due to Coward’s theatrical text) and enough laughs to keep audiences smiling after the credits roll – but is unlikely however to be as memorable as other period pieces of recent memory.

Rating: MMM

Review of British television show ‘Gavin and Stacey’ first published in a January 2009 issue of Spark*, the newspaper of Reading University Students’ Union.

“Oh?! What’s occurring?!?” asks Nessa, arguably the best conceived character of the plethora of offbeat personalities in BBC Three’s Gavin and Stacey. And what exactly is occurring with the show is something short of magical. Gavin is a boy from Billericay, Essex. Stacey is a girl from Barry, South Wales. Together they are the glue that holds together two very different social worlds that collide when Gavin and Stacey’s phone-call romance blossoms into relationship that “stretches across two nations”.

To make a comment on the plot of Gavin and Stacey would give away each series finale, and also it is unquestionably difficult for one reason: nothing much happens (although this is more true of the second series than the first). And surprisingly, this lack of major set-piece event is what makes the show truly inspired. To generate such witty and at times very poignant drama from admittedly day-to-day goings on, like Pam (Gavin’s mum) sending Mick (Gavin’s dad) to Tesco in search of vegetarian food.

Having said this, the sitcom certainly has its share of hilarious and comical situations, but the mileage from it really comes from the characters. Mathew Horne as Gavin and Joanna Page as Stacey are both excellent, giving convincing, sympathetic and wonderfully endearing performances. Despite them being the respective hero and heroine, it is other characters that steal the show – namely Bryn, Nessa and Smithy.

Rob Brydon is on top form as Stacey’s Uncle Bryn, an eccentric who gets very very excited about small things like his new sat-nav or digital camera, “It’s got sepia… although I think it’s faulty because it just makes everything look brown…” The aforementioned Nessa, Stacey’s best friend (played to perfection by the show’s co-writer Ruth Jones) is a wonderful creation, with such a colourful past that it is sometimes hard to keep up with her hilarious back-story. A few gems in Nessa’s past include: dating both Mohammed Al Fayed and Dodi Fayed, being one of the original members of All Saints, travelling the world on a cruise ship and working as a drug smuggler. Fellow co-writer James Corden plays Smithy (Gavin’s best mate) with aplomb, juxtaposing perfect comic timing with genuine pathos.

Gavin and Stacey is a genuinely heart-warming show which is both very sweet (but never overly sentimental) and utterly believable. The dialogue is uncompromisingly real, with none of the stagey sitcom writing seen in shows of lesser calibre, where everything is delivered with awful self-conscious smugness. Although not included in the series 1 and 2 set, the Christmas Special shown in December 2009 was an absolute joy, delivering yet more fresh, witty and wonderful Gavin and Stacey goodness. It’s enough to make you fancy a “tidy” omelette. Fabulous.

Rating: MMMMM