Susan Hated Literature

Dir: Oliver Stone
Writ: Stanley Weiser

• Josh Brolin … George W. Bush
• Elizabeth Banks … Laura Bush
• Ellen Burstyn … Barbara Bush
• James Cromwell … George Herbert Walker Bush
• Richard Dreyfuss … Dick Cheney
• Ioan Gruffudd … Tony Blair

This is an odd sort of a film. I mean, it clearly isn’t meant to be full of praise for George W. Bush. But at the same time it is almost gentle in its treatment of him. Presenting him as a somewhat simple-minded, but well-intentioned, fool. With Daddy Issues.

The film cuts back and forward in time. From W. as a drunk, to W. as president. It looks at his relationship with his father. With that decision not to go after Saddam in the first Gulf War and W.’s insistence that America do so in the second. And every so often inter-cutting W. and his love of baseball.

I enjoyed it. I suppose. But it really isn’t anything special. The acting is all fine and well, but it lacks any real sort of insight. If you are going to have a character-study, even a humourous one, then you really need to study the main character. Instead we seem to get a collection of scenes from George W. Bush’s life. Maybe we’re supposed to provide the analysis ourselves, I dunno, it just didn’t really work for me.

One to save for the dvd release I think.

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Dir: Sam Raimi
Writ: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, & Alvin Sargent. Based on the comic by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

• Tobey Maguire … Spider-Man/Peter Parker
• Kirsten Dunst … Mary Jane Watson
• James Franco … New Goblin/Harry Osborn
• Thomas Haden Church … Sandman/Flint Marko
• Topher Grace … Venom/Eddie Brock
• Bryce Dallas Howard … Gwen Stacy
• James Cromwell … Captain Stacy
• Bruce Campbell … Maître d’

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first two spiderman films; I enjoyed them but didn’t LOVE them. They were good, solid entertainment. Two was probably a little better, though I may feel that way because I recently rewatched it when it was shown on the telly a few weeks ago. This one isn’t so good. It is too long. There are too many characters. And worst of all, unlike the second, it has no heart to it.

It felt stop-start, as though they had too many characters and story-lines and couldn’t figure out to make then all work together properly, nothing seemed to fit.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Spiderman, or of Peter Parker for that matter, and in this film I just couldn’t care less what happened him. James Franco was more interesting as Harry. There was nothing to grip the viewer, and while the special effects were excellent you really need a good story to hang them on. This was all pretty curtains and no foundation.

And the cocky version of Peter Parker? That was just weird and stupid. Yes at first it was a little entertaining to see him strut, but after 2 seconds it became creepyfing, and disturbing. And the dancing! wtf!

There is nothing hideous and terrible about the film. You’ll watch, you’ll be entertained and maybe a little bored, I do recall checking my watch and thinking with a sinking heart that there was still an hour to go, but it picked up a little, so I wasn’t eyeing the exit all the way through. Totally worthy of a meh. Too many storyiideas with not enough development

I also took issue with the amount of time Parker wandered about in his Spidey outfit, only with the mask off. Either he has a secret identity or he doesn’t. Half the city should know who he really is if he has as little care as that.

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Dir: Julian Jarrold
Writ: Kevin Hood & Sarah Williams

• Anne Hathaway - Jane Austen
• James McAvoy - Tom Lefroy
• Julie Walters - Mrs. Austen
• James Cromwell - Rev Austen
• Maggie Smith - Lady Gresham
• Joe Anderson - Henry Austen
• Laurence Fox - Mr. Wisley
• Ian Richardson - Judge Langlois

There really isn’t all that much to this film, which is loosely based on the life of Jane Austen, it is watchable but not memorable. The film amps up the real-life flirtation between Austen and Tom Lefroy to turn it into a full blown romance, with elopement and other such excitements thrown in. There may be some who are annoyed by the historical inaccuracies, I didn’t really care. However, knowing it was based on Jane Austen’s life means that there really was no point in the whole “will they won’t they” drama. You can’t keep an audience guessing when they know the ending.

Apart from that I found the first half of this film quite slow. Hathaway didn’t have the personality or screen presence to engage, and McAvoy was far too believable as the rogue to ever repent. And then there is the fact that Lefroy is Irish, and so obviously one of the “evil English invaders” oppressing Ireland, so he was never going to be in my good books Watching a romance between two characters that you don’t really like, and when you know the ending, isn’t really all that great. I did enjoy Fox’s Mr Wisley though, Jane should’ve chosen him from the beginning. Would have made far more sense.

I also had a bit of a problem with the whole love story. Once Lefroy tells Jane that Show Spoilers ▼

The second half was an improvement, but it didn’t blend properly with the beginning. The whole film felt unbalanced, as though they weren’t sure whether this was to be a light-hearted romance or a sad tale of unrequited love. But on the plus side the costumes were pretty, and every thing looked nice.

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Dir: Stephen Frears
Writ: Peter Morgan

• Helen Mirren - HM Queen Elizabeth II
• Michael Sheen - Tony Blair
• James Cromwell - Prince Philip
• Sylvia Syms - HM The Queen Mother
• Paul Barrett - Trevor Rees-Jones
• Helen McCrory - Cherie Blair

This is an odd sort of film. Parts of it are very good, but other parts, well I just don’t think they work. The film is mostly set in the few days surrounding the death of Diana, as the British public went into public mourning over the “People’s Princess” while the Royal Family seemed to remain aloof and distant. Thereby earning a lot of criticism from their subjects.

Maybe my main problem with the film was that I never understood the huge out pourings of grief over Diana, and I really don’t get why she still manages to sell papers, almost 10 years after her death. The hundreds of thousands of people who went into the streets in tears didn’t know her at all, yet her death still impacted hugely on them. And the Queen of England didn’t appear to get it either. Prefering to stay in Balmoral with the family, dealing with the family’s grief in private. In a dignified manner.

And Helen Mirren does a good job at portraying this woman raised to be dignified and in control. Raised in a different generation so that to some she appears cold-hearted and distant. The rest of the casting I wasn’t so impressed with. James Cromwell is too dignified to really excel as Prince Phillip, although on occasion he does get it right. While many of the other actors looked to similar to the characters they were portraying and so came across more as a skit show rather than as actors. And I wouldn’t be happy if I was Cherie Blair as written for this film.

Also the fact that “the boys” were never shown was a bit of a mistake from the story’s perspective, although I can see why the film makers would want to respect the privacy of William and whatever the other one is called. And I suppose you could argue that the film is about the Queen, not the family, but it didin’t really work for me.

Overall I felt the film was effective in parts, especially in its mixing real footage of the time, but it just didn’t work as a whole. As a character study of the Queen, yes. But apart from that it wasn’t great, maybe because instead of characters we got imitations of the other main players.

Or then again, maybe it is just the fact that I really don’t seen the point in having a monarchy at all, and that political opinion coloured my interpretation of the film.

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