|
FILM:MARCH 2008
|
|
FILM:May 2008
|
| I liked HONEYDRIPPER
(cert. PG 2hrs. 2mins.) which is an unusual
film written, directed and edited by John
Sayles. Starring Danny Glover as Tyrone, a
former piano player, who, in a small town in
Alabama in 1950, is the broke owner of the
Honeydripper Lounge which although now
mostly empty has a real old blues singer (Mable
John). Across the road a lively club
catering for younger folk attracts a big
crowd with up to date music. |
|
| Tyrone sacks the blues
singer, who dies soon after, and books a
well-known guitar player in a last chance
effort to drum up business. When the
guitarist fails to turn up he has to employ
a young man, Sonny (Gary Clarke Jnr.) with
an unusual hand-made guitar. A simple story
is enhanced by some great music as the new
rock and roll style using a guitar battles
with the old-style piano. Showing the
genesis of rock and roll in the Deep South
the film is well-written, has good
photography and through small touches like
showing separate “white” and “coloured”
entrances gives a real flavour of life at
that time. |
|
|
IN BRUGES
(cert. 18 1hr.46mins.) stars the lovely,
though unshaven, Colin Farrell as Rafe, who
along with fellow Irish criminal Ken (Brendon
Fraser) has come to the beautiful old city
of Bruges to hide out after a killing that
went wrong. Only Rafe does not appreciate
Bruges and in a series of very funny scenes
we see his disinterest in the Belgian city
and attraction to a young woman he meets.
|
| While Ken enjoys tourist
attractions Rafe mopes. Ruled by their
absent boss (Ralph Fiennes) the men become
involved with a dwarf American actor, Dutch
prostitutes and other unusual characters.
While it is not the usual Farrell here, he
nevertheless has a certain charm about him
and Gleeson is completely at home in his
part. You will need to be quite strong to
face THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK
(no cert. 1hr. 27mins.), a documentary that
explains the genocide of black Africans that
is happening in Darfur. It exposes the
terrible attacks being inflicted by the Arab
dominated Government using militia called
the Janjaweed (devil on horseback) through
the eyes of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian
Steidle. Brian had been an official military
observer but resigned to tell the world what
is actually happening in Darfur, showing
photos as evidence of the brutal
slaughtering of men, women and children. The
film features interviews with many of those
who have lost all or some of their families
and women tell how they have been taken,
raped and returned only to find that their
men then left them because they brought
shame to their communities. More than
400,000 have been killed in Darfur and
almost 3 million forced from their homes. If
the thought of visiting a cinema to see this
is too much then it will be released on DVD
shortly and probably shown on the BBC. |
| Although a documentary, too,
SHINE A LIGHT (cert. 12A
2hrs. 2mins.) is a very different film from
the one above. For a start Martin Scorsese’s
documentary was filmed at the Beacon
Theatre, New York 2006 in front of a wildly
cheering audience which included Bill
Clinton, his wife and mother. Secondly a
concert starring the Rolling Stones is a
lively, noisy affair full of the Stones’
well-known songs. |
|
| Once the bad boys of pop –
as indicated in interviews filmed over the
years and inserted into this documentary –
they show themselves as true survivors where
many of their contempories, including
members of the Beatles, have passed away.
Displaying an obvious love for performing,
Mick Jagger never stops moving. Even when
standing still he generates energy and to
see him literally running across the stage
and skipping down towards the audience shows
us how to really keep fit. The extremely
wrinkled faces of Mick, Keith Richards and
Ronnie Wood have somehow morphed into each
other so that they now look alike and only
Charlie Watts, with his quiet persona and
un-dyed hair looks fairly smooth skinned.
There are interesting backstage moments and
the Stones are joined by others on stage
including the sweet-voiced Jack White who
shows up Mick’s not very musical voice.
There are some droll touches from Scorsese
including him saying, “We want the effect,
but we can’t burn Mick Jagger.” I would
really like to see them live in concert but
the film was very noisy and I gather that
being present at an on-stage performance
would seem even louder, so, I guess, I’ll
just enjoy the film, which indeed I did. |
|
|
THEATRE TIP:
MAY 2008
|
| Heralding spring we have one
new musical and three plays – not bad for
the London Theatre. |
|
|
THE JERSEY BOYS
(Prince Edward) is another story of the rise
from a poor background through hardship to
become one of the foremost pop groups of the
60s, in this case Frankie Valli and the Four
Seasons. The difference with this group is
that they were from and appealed to the
blue-collar workers of America. |
| Telling how Frankie, Bob
Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi came
together and the ups and downs of their
subsequent relationship this is a lively
show with many of the group’s songs
delivered in an almost exact copy of the
originals’ style. Frankie had (well, to be
accurate, presumably has as he is still
living) this unusual high voice which Ryan
Molloy reproduces authentically. The story
and some of the scenes mark the difference
between a tribute show and a musical like
this. And, of course, there are some very
well-known songs such as Sherry and Big
Girls Don’t Cry and Can’t Take My Eyes Off
You that had the audience literally dancing
for joy. |
| GOD OF CARNAGE
(Gielgud) is a very well-written play by
Yasmina Reza translated by Christopher
Hampton, beautifully acted by Ralph Fiennes,
Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ken Stott.
Director Matthew Warcus manages to develop
the characterisations of all four using
subtlety at the beginning as the two couples
meet to discuss in a civilised manner the
hitting of the 11 year-old son of one of the
couples by his fellow pupil, the son of the
other couple. This gradually changes to
antagonism and fighting not only between the
couples but also with each other. The
red-walled set and evocative lighting assist
in the presentation. This is a witty play
which clearly shows its Gallic origins. |
 |
| It is highly recommended as
is NEVER SO GOOD at the NT:
a new play by Howard Brenton outlining
Harold Macmillan’s rise to become Prime
Minister from 1957 to 1963 and how this
fitted into the end of the post-war era and
the start of a more prosperous period.
Looking back in this way gives Macmillan a
more significant place in history than
perhaps we realised at the time. Pip Carter
as the young Macmillan and Jeremy Irons in
the senior role give believable impressions
of the man although Irons is much better
looking than Harold ever was. As he speaks
to the audience Macmillan has some witty
asides, “In politics one learns to play the
tart.” he offers near the beginning. Later
he rehearses his “wind of change blowing
through Africa.” speech showing his more
serious, intellectual vein. This is an
interesting though somewhat crowded
production. Dances of each period are
executed vigorously on stage. The title
comes, of course, from his “Most of our
people have never had it so good.” One feels
sorry for him when he hears from his wife
about her long-term affair with Bob (Robert
Boothby), although he says he already knows.
There are also good cameos from Anna
Carteret as his mother and Anna Chancellor
as his wife, Dorothy.
A modern play but with a somewhat
old-fashioned feel about it is
VISITING MR GREEN (Trafalgar
Studios) by Jeff Baron. A very American
atmosphere in this Manhattan home of widower
Mr Green (Warren Mitchell) who has lost his
wife, Yetta, after 59 years of marriage. He
is called on by young Ross (Gideon Turner)
who has been given community service as a
punishment for reckless driving. As the two
become closer they learn of each other’s
solitary life, Mr Green because he is too
depressed to eat properly or care for
himself and Ross who is too afraid of his
father to express his real sexual
orientation. Mr Green uses Yiddish
expressions so we have a glossary in the
programme, but from the mouth of Mitchell
they are clearly understood anyway as he is
so expressive. At 82 Mitchell completely
inhabits this part and Turner is very good
as a young man helping the older one cope
with his present life while facing his own
demons. The slightly out of date quality
about the play is brought about by our doubt
that in today’s very Jewish New York the
young man would be wary of showing either
his Jewishness or his gayness. |
|
|
For me the peace episodes
were more effective than the war in
WAR AND PEACE (Hampstead Theatre,
London till 11 May, Cheltenham Everyman
15-18 May). Staging this vast novel with its
myriad characters is always going to be
difficult but Nancy Meckler and Polly Teale
have co-directed a production which is full
of movement and characters that move the
story along at a cracking pace. |
| Staged in two parts there
are some memorable performances: Barnaby Kay
is a thoughtful Pierre, and Louise Ford
manages to begin as a very young Natasha and
develop into a mature woman. There is a very
moving performance by Sophie Roberts as
Sonia expressing unrequited love and
remaining loyal to Nikolai even after
rejection. The various events are
well-staged in a minimalist fashion and the
story is surprisingly easy to follow given
the length and density of Tolstoy’s book.
Helen Edmundson has managed the adaptation
with a straightforward and comprehensive
skill. |
|
|
|
[films/theatre/inserts/googlead1.htm]
[films/theatre/inserts/googlead1.htm]
[films/theatre/inserts/googlead1.htm]
|
|
[films/theatre/inserts/googlead1.htm]
[films/theatre/inserts/googlead1.htm]
[films/theatre/inserts/googlead1.htm]
|
|
