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| There ain’t nothing like
our Dame Judi |
MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS Directed
by Stephen Frears
Certificate 12A
DAME Judi Dench is lovingly wonderful as the wealthy widow who,
apparently, has no qualms about bringing a bit of good healthy nude
theatre into the heart of London’s theatre district in director
Stephen Frears’ nifty and naughty crowd-pleaser.
Dench could be said to fully inhabit the role of Mrs Henderson,
a woman used to the pleasures of colonial India who returns to England
to bury her husband only to find herself bored with what widowhood
in the 1930s typically had to offer women of her calibre.
Told that widows are allowed to ‘buy things’ she does
just that, gutting the Windmill Theatre in Soho without a clue what
she is to do with it.
Enter Bob Hoskins – looking remarkably suave in one of his
best performances in a while – as Vivian Van Damm, an irascible
theatre manager who needs a gig.
Oil and water mix as the irrepressible Mrs Henderson and charmingly
stubborn Mr Van Damm go into business together, uncovering the minor
pleasures but more of the major pitfalls of showbiz until Mrs H
erupts with the perfect plan: why not bring beautiful naked girls
onto the stage? In a scene-stealing role Christopher Guest cuts
a swathe in his comic role as Lord Cromer, the one man who dictates
the censorship laws. Kelly Reilly is particularly good as one of
the sassy Windmill beauties while Will Young (pictured) acquits
himself well in his big screen debut as the troupe’s apparently
token gay singer and dancer.
This period piece is unashamedly concocted to glean every Bafta
known to mankind as well as put paying bums on seats.
Frear’s tale moves along at a cracking pace, wasting no time
with exposition.
Galloping forward on Martin Sherman’s pliant, nimble script
packed with terrific one-liners and scintillating deliveries, it
is a beautiful balance of comedy, commerciality and deeper meanings.
Lighting up the big screen
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED Directed by Liev Schreiber
Certificate 12A
ADAPTED from the best-selling novel, first time director Liev
Schreiber tackles the elegiac story of a neurotic young writer (Elijah
Wood) who travels to the Ukraine.
In order to find the mysterious woman who saved his grandfather
from the Nazis, Jonathan takes a surreal road trip with the Ukrainian
lunatic fringe. Or so it seems. His ‘fixer’ Alex (beautifully
played by Eugene Hutz) is a young man from Odessa who speaks hilariously
broken English (“I am a premium dancer.”) Alex’s
grandfather is their driver on the way to discovering the woman’s
identity, never mind that he is blind and will go nowhere without
his vicious dog Sammy Davis Jr Jr. Told in a dreamy, painterly fashion,
Schreiber’s direction comes off more theatrical than cinematic
but Wood is perfect as the rather fragile and determined seeker
of the truth.
This is a strangely touching, lyrical and comedic look at a simple
journey which brings with it enormously deeper meanings.
Also showing
The Exorcism Of Emily Rose
The spiritual and legal implications of an exorcism gone wrong collide
in this entertaining if uneven courtroom drama that pivots on a
tremendous performance from Tom Wilkinson. Laura Linney and her
constantly changing hair do their best in the thankless role of
lawyer for the defence.
Flightplan
Jodie Foster dons her ‘concerned mum’ mask in this improbable
in-flight thriller.
Set in a breathtakingly beautiful aeroplane which is impossibly
huge and comfy-looking even in economy class the tension builds
too slowly, leaving the audience to work the plot out before the
in-flight snacks are served.
Mad Hot Ballroom
A group of New York children learn the wonders of ballroom dancing
as they learn the laws of competition and the limits of their own
talents in this delightful documentary by Marilyn Agrelo. At the
end of their road to glory is a trophy, typically American in that
it is taller than most of the dancers themselves.
Transporter 2
Jason Statham looks good in a suit – and rescues a kidnapped
child as well in this ridiculous, giddy sequel co-written and produced
by Luc Besson. This is a sub-James Bond thriller featuring worthwhile
fight sequences, spectacular stunts, mega explosions, a villainess
with raunchy lingerie and two machine guns. Matthew Modine and Amber
Valletta (pictured) co-star.
Atash
Scripted and directed by Tawfik Abu Wael, this austere drama
centres on a Palestinian family’s struggle to survive. The
debut of this Arab-Israeli filmmaker uses an amateur cast to powerfully
if slowly illustrate the growing rift between a traditional disciplinarian
father whose authority is challenged by his teenage son.
Pick of the indies
Noel (Odeon Mezzanine)
Perhaps the most independent release this week, this is an interesting
if terribly American dramatic comedy that deserves a closer look.
Directed by Chazz Palminteri (Bullets Over Broadway, A Bronx Tale)
this is an intriguingly uneven examination at how the holidays go
wrong for a handful of New Yorkers – from the jealous, stiff
cop (Paul Walker) and his beautiful girlfriend (Penelope Cruz at
her most beautiful and likable yet), a waiter with an unusual obsession
(Alan Arkin) as well as the emotionally bruised book editor (Susan
Sarandon).
There are darker shades among the upbeat glitter with Marcus Thomas
as the dysfunctional man who had such a good time at the hospital
Christmas bash when he was 14, he will go to extremes to end up
there again.
Robin Williams appears in a cameo/supporting role as an ex-priest
but here, more of a modern version of It’s A Wonderful Life’s
angel Clarence.
It pays to take a little extra care in choosing one’s seasonal
viewing; despite Palminteri’s TV-style direction – the
film is not terribly cinematic but it moves along at a Sex In The
City style pace – this patchy piece of Americana strikes the
right chord with some brilliant performances, especially from Arkin,
on how some ordinary people confront their Christmas blues: American
sentimentality with a cast to die for. |
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Angelino's finest are put to the test
WE came across Angelino Wines, sandwiched between two colourful and
aggressively self-promoting Australian wine sellers, at Islington’s
London Wine Event at the end of October.
Its owner is Farrell Anglin, whose imagination was caught by a lecture
on the history of wine making at Southgate College.
FULL STORY
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