Margaret (2011) Film Review

Lisa (Anna Paquin) is a teenager growing up in New York, trying to work out school and boys and a long-distance relationship with her father, and a challenging relationship with her mother. And then she witnesses a woman get hit by a bus and tries to figure out how this fits in with her life.

It’s an interesting film. There are scenes where the action happens in the distance, but the sound is of the events that are happening just off camera – conversations, fights, music, even just roadworks. And other scenes where dialogue is happening but the vision is something totally else. It’s strangely beautiful and mysterious. Unfortunately, for me, I feel like Anna Paquin is just so closely tied to Sookie that I found it very difficult to buy her as anyone else. There is a scene early on with a lot of blood and high emotions, and I couldn’t help feeling that it was all a bit True Blood. And once I got that in my mind, I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

I liked it for the first, perhaps, two hours, but then I just got fed up with the drama that Lisa creates all around her, and the way people either confront her or just go along with her drama. By the end I just was fed up with it all.The accident scene was wonderful, made so in part by the wonderful Allison Janney. And the cast in general is very impressive, with Mark Ruffalo, Jean Reno, Kieran Culkin, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick.

 

Tais-toi! (Ruby & Quentin) (2003) Film Review

Ruby (Jean Reno) has stolen a lot of money from a gangster and ended up in prison with Quentin (Gerard Depardieu), the most annoying man in the world. While Ruby is plotting to escape, Quentin follows, dreaming of the pub they will run together one day; The Two Friends. Quentin hinders as much as he helps, and neither the police nor the other crooks are any good at taking charge.

It’s silly funny, with lots of fabulous slapstick and ridiculousness (Quentin manages to injure Ruby’s leg just after fixing his dislocated shoulder), though it is very dated. The cross dressing and homophobic slurs would have been perfectly in place in the sixties and seventies, but 2003? At least it was enjoyable to watch Jean Reno and Gerard Depardieu together on-screen.

 

 

Mission : Impossible (1996) Film Review

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is an agent working for a secret spy organisation, but when one of their missions goes haywire leaving several of his colleagues dead, he is suspected to be a traitor. It is up to him to clear his name – and the only way to do this is a ridiculous and exciting break in to the pentagon to steal a computer file from an office with the most insane series of security protocol. And lots of exciting stuff happens – including a helicopter flying in the channel tunnel attached to the train. Crazy and awesome.

This is a great action film with everything you could ever want in an action film. Intrigue, excitement, explosions, the odd bit of humour and, of course, Tom Cruise. He’s a great action hero (just don’t bother with Jack Reacher), especially when he runs. I love Tom Cruise running.