basics...
18 years after it first appeared in cinemas Jurassic Park was re-released in a shiny new digital print, so of course we had to go and check it out.
brilliant...
I've seen Jurassic Park so many times over the last couple of decades, including at the cinema in 1993, on my friend's pirate video copy (that I taped over with Neighbours...), on VHS, on DVD and now back on the big screen, and it's never looked better. Everything else about the film remains several notches above excellent, from the plot, which complements the sterling source novel, to the cast of fine actors. There's a lot of humour, a lot of suspense, dashings of real terror and awe inspiring special effects. While some of the CGI may not look as pristine as today's efforts, much of it surpasses expectations to remain fresh and real. One of the greatest joys about seeing the film again in the cinema is being able to hear John Williams' epic, magistic, instantly recognisable score blasting out all around. I would probably have been happy to just sit with my eyes shut and listen, since I can probably construct the whole film in my head anyway. Despite the number of times I've seen Jurassic Park, it never gets old. I can find no fault, and each viewing brings further chances to savour the perfectness of the whole and its parts.
briefly...
Quite simply one of the finest films that has ever evolved.
basics...
An ensemble comedy with Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest and a young Keanu Reeves, Parenthood does exactly what it says in the title, illustrating the torment and positive attributes of being a parent through the lives of the large Buckman family.
brilliant...
This film is an excellent advert for parenthood, and I say this as someone committed to never having children. Although there are numerous pitfalls shown, such as Martin's toddler who likes to head butt things, Wiest's teenage son (Joaquin Phoenix, back when he was 'Leaf', I'm not sure which one is the better name) who's just discovered masturbation, or Martin's brother (Tom Hulce), who's old enough to know better yet keeps running to his father for assistance. The ensemble works really well together, with Martin and Moranis getting the most laughs. It's easy to see why Wiest was singled out with an Oscar nomination for her role as a single mother dealing with the aforementioned moody son and a sexually active daughter (Martha Plimpton) while neglecting her own barren lovelife. There's nothing especially profound expounded by Parenthood, but the result is charming, funny and emotionally satisfying. Oh and the grandma is excellent.
but...
Maybe there could have been a few more laughs.
briefly...
A film that makes you appreciate children and the joys of parenthood without actually having to deal with the little horrors.
basics...
My first visit to the newly refurbished City Varieties in Leeds was also my first there ever. It's a small theatre, oddly long, but just right for a stand up comedy show, which is precisely why we were there, for a couple of hours in the company of Ed Byrne.
brilliant...
It's not just the fact he's Irish and mates with Dara O'Briain that made Byrne remind me of the Mock the Week host, it's also the way both come across as intelligent and geeky alongside the big belly laughs. I really enjoyed the fact that Byrne isn't offensive, but neither is he bland, he's got something to say about religion and obesity, yet he articulates his points in such a way as not to be mean spirited, and with no concomitant affect on the comedy. I laughed all the way through - the audience participation bits were particularly funny and let Byrne show his skills as an improviser. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
briefly...
Intelligent, occasionally extremely geeky observational comedy delivered with aplomb.
basics...
The story of five year old Jack, kept prisoner along with his Ma in the titular Room and their subsequent escape into the scary and exciting world of Outside.
brilliant...
Told from the point of view of an intelligent toddler, Room is by turns charming, funny and horrifying. Initially skeptical about how the book could sustain a plot within the one location, I was pleased when fairly quickly the central paid escaped and then the story became even more interesting as Jack had to adjust to a whole world he didn't even know existed outside of TV. The use of first person narration through a child's eyes put me in mind of The Incredible Adam Spark in the skewed, innocent approach to complex ideas and experiences. I really felt for Jack and the way his whole world was ripped away, causing him to question everything he thought he knew. Unaware of the true horrors that his Ma has experienced in her long years of confinement, raped nightly and giving birth to a still born girl before Jack came into her life, Jack is unable to understand why his mother wants to escape, and then why she cannot cope with his demands in the real world. Her overdose is frightening for Jack and the reader - I feared what would happen to the delicate young protagonist without his one constant by his side. Room is a powerful, meaningful yet pleasurable read, full of funny details and invention, and thankfully the ending feels real and appropriate, and overwhelmingly satisfying.
briefly...
Touching, comic and harrowing, Room feels more like an experience than a story. To see the world through the eyes of a child, and to be able to compare the events with real life dramas of recent years really make the story come alive.
basics...
Both the second and third shows at which I was a Playhouse volunteer, The Go-Between is a brand new musical adaptation of the book by LP Hartley (apparently, I've never heard of it) in which a 12 year old boy acts as a messenger between a high society lady and her bit of rough farmer lover. Needless to say, it doesn't end well.
brilliant...
The Go-Between is a charming production, that wins out mainly on the performance of the young Leo, Jake Abbott, who is rarely off stage in a role that requires singing, acting, and quite a bit of running around. I was less keen on his co-star for the two shows I saw, played by John Cairns, but I think that was more because his character Marcus is less likeable and more obnoxious than any fault in the acting. The adult cast provided solid support, particularly in Sophie Bould's Marian, the female portion of the central love triangle - hers being the best voice and one of the more interesting roles. There is good use made of the limited stage space, even with a grand piano and pianist present all through.
but...
The story is supposed to be a reminiscence of youth by the much older Leo (played by... I don't know, his name's not in the programme!) and apparently everything that happened that summer when he was 12 has turned him into a disfunctional old man. We see plenty of him commenting on the action and moping about and making ominous exclamations about how he should have left things alone... but I never really understood (or cared) for older Leo and what his problems were. Young Leo's story was much more wonderful and had a great deal of depth. I was also a little disappointed that this 'musical' was really a sung play, with no particular songs. It felt like it would have worked just as well if not better as a straight forward play.
briefly...
If I'd had the choice I wouldn't have watched this twice, but each time the charming child performances held my attention, they really did shine.
basics...
A Saturday night game show that is not only watchable, it's often uproariously entertaining. Alexander Armstrong presides over a modern sort of You Bet where the contestants must use their special skill to win a challenge. If they succeed, the panel of comedians/celebrities each awards them a sum of money, and it's up to them to guess how much. If they overvalue themselves, they leave through the fail door.
brilliant...
We were completely hooked by Epic Win, it's so gloriously daft and knowingly stupid, without insulting the viewer or taking the piss out of the contestants. Some of the challenges involved: a guy who loves crisps having people breathe crisp-breath in his face to guess the flavour; a Smurf fanatic identifying the small blue guys just from their silhouette; a fishmonger guessing the fish by being slapped in the face with one; and a bendy girl who kicked herself in the head so many times in a minute. Aside from the ridiculousness of the challenges, there are funny intro sequences, top puns from Armstrong, and the almost constant presence of Micky Flanagan on the judging panel, who is a dab hand at a wry put down and is able to properly value some of these utterly worthless 'skills'. This is what I call Saturday night entertainment! I do hope it comes back, I want to see the fail door, the epic-centre and hear commentator Joe Lycett's 'Epic WIN' catchphrase again.
briefly...
Saturday night entertainment that is as knowing and funny as Harry Hill, but on the BBC.
basics...
Written by, directed by and starring Steve Buscemi, Trees Lounge is an indie movie that focuses on the multi-hyphenate star's Tommy as he goes through a bit of a mid life crisis in a pokey little US town.
brilliant...but...
I thought that this was a really nice little comedy-drama, with quirky characters and some great casting, including Samuel L. Jackson, Mimi Rogers and Daniel Baldwin. As ever with these indie character studies, not a great deal happens. Tommy has a bit of a thing with a teenage girl (Chloe Sevigny)... and that's about it, other than him driving around in an ice cream truck. I had memories of Junebug, which also had the same feeling of 'nice movie, what's the point?' Buscemi is a great director and it's good to see him in a lead role as a normal human being and not some weirdo. He's really sympathetic here, although there seems little motivation behind his disintegrating life. The supporting cast are an assortment of oddballs and hicks and there's a general good humouredness about the whole that left me satisfied.
briefly...
Nothing much happens, but sometimes that's ok, especially if it allows Buscemi to do his thing.
