8 is not enough

I'm slowing down a bit. I saw my 8th movie for the year last night.

Becoming Jane

2 second synopsis - the story of Jane Austen's life.

The thing that really stays with me after seeing this is the beauty of the cinematography, the clarity of the diction, the shininess of Anne Hathaway's hair, and my delight in seeing Maggie Smith as a grande dame again. She does it so very well. This was darker than the other British author pic I've seen this year - Miss Potter.

Very early in the film there was a shot of Mrs Austen leading her predominantly female family group to the Hall, and they were reflected in the water, looking like a mother duck leading her ducklings. The water moving over the reflected dresses was just stunning. I really think that whoever shot this film loved working with water - there were so many textured shots with water that were just stunning. It probably helps that water is my element of choice too.

I was a bit stunned by how shiny Anne Hathaway's hair was all the way through. It just looked freshly washed. I can't imagine that anyone living in those times could wash their hair as often as she appeared to. Oddly enough, no one else had hair that shiny. Maybe it is just genetic - it was just odd.

Having seen so many of the Jane Austen adaptations for film and tv (Colin Firth anyone?) I found myself comparing a lot of the "types" in the film to the adaptions. Julie Walters as Mrs Austen was not as overbearing as Mrs Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, although I can see where the character came from. She has some of the strongest lines in the film, and does it very well. One of the funniest scenes is very early in the film, and belongs to her and James Cromwell as Mr Austen. He was not as insipid as many of the male characters in Austen's books.

I found myself very sad though, for all of the women who had no control or choice over their lives, and were neatly pigeonholed into socially acceptable behaviours. It contrasted so strongly with the strong female characters of Mrs Austen, and Lady Gresham. Yet these women were still in the roles that society gave them.

And a new addition to the list - James McAvoy - he was in the Last King of Scotland, but he looks fabulous in Austen time :)

Choc top anyone?

It's been a big year for movies this year. So far I've been to the movies 6 times. I suspect that is more times than I went last year. I really enjoy the experience of going to the movies, and even more now, that most cinemas have the liftable armrests so I can snuggle. Is that just me?

I thought I'd actually make the effort to write what I thought about some of them, so that I don't forget. I wonder too, if I'll think of them differently if I see them again on DVD.

Music and Lyrics
I'm a sucker for a romantic comedy, and Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore are two of my faves. Hugh Grant is a disturbingly good 80's hair band pop star and just revels in some of the dancing and performing he does. He has that glint in his eye that says he isn't taking it seriously, but he is having a damn good time doing it. Lots to giggle at, and I had fun, even if the boy was so tired he kept yawning, even while he laughed.

Dreamgirls
Man, Jennifer Hudson can sing. Every time she opened her mouth she blew me away. I got a bit annoyed by the breaking into song mid conversation though - that was getting really annoying. I know that moving a musical from the stage to the screen can be just a little awkward (anyone else see the movie Hair? bad, just wrongtown) but they did a pretty good job. I just wished that the conversation/singing was a little more seamless. Eddie Murphy did a stellar job - I really enjoy watching actors move out of their comfort zone and doing something different. I suspect this is the only Eddie Murphy movie I'll be seeing this year - might skip Norbit. The last Eddie Murphy movie that had him playing multiple characters that I enjoyed was Coming to America.

The Pursuit of Happyness
OK, happyness is spelt wrong and really annoyed me. I understand why, but I don't have to like it. It still gave us one of the best exchanges of the movie. Run, Will Smith, run. Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (to give him his full & credited name) was just adorable, and totally lit up the screen. The father/son relationship was really strong, and I think the movie did really benefit from the real life relationship of the Smiths. Damn Will Smith is one of those very likable actors, but he managed in this film to stop me remembering that he is Will Smith. Last time he did that for me was Ali. So nice not to see a film where the lead actor isn't just being the lead actor.

Miss Potter
I need to say upfront that I really don't like Renee Zellweger. There is something about her that just really annoys me, I don't know what it is, it could be a completely irrational thing, but I just don't like her. Gwyneth Paltrow has the same effect. Shame really, because they both star in some of my favourite movies. I was really looking forward to seeing this - I loved Beatrix Potter books when I was a kid, and thought she had done amazing things buying up huge chunks of England and bequeathing them to the National Trust to protect them from development. I was disappointed that the movie didn't mention the way that she learnt the anatomy - I was always fascinated that she would boil the corpses of animals so that she could study the skeletons. I really wanted to see Renee Zellweger doing that. Yes, I'm twisted. I'm always happy to see some Ewan McGregor on the big screen too. Confession time, I cried at one point.

The Queen
Helen Mirren deserved every award she got for this film. I suspect that it will find its way into media studies courses within the next 5 years too. I really hope that the editors get all the awards they deserve for this too - they did a masterful job. I was intrigued that anyone would have the temerity to create a film around the Queen's reaction to the death of Princess Diana. After watching it, I really wanted to know if anyone in the royal family had their press secretary co-operate with the film makers - at deep throat level of course. I cried in this one too - not as much as I did watching the funeral first time around though.

Charlotte's Web
Better for DVD. Fern didn't need a boyfriend. I really thought we were going to have the whole cinema to ourselves until a family came in during the ads. Weird. It was good, but it didn't blow me away.

Casino Royale
This one gets a special mention - it was nearly this year when I saw it. Daniel Craig = very yummy Bond. I would have liked tighter editing towards the end of the film - it dragged a bit and didn't add a huge amount to the story. About 25 minutes could have been compressed into 5 with no impact. The stunts were spectacular, and everything you expect from a Bond film.

Movies I'm looking forward to seeing this year
Bridge to Terabithia, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (mmm, Alan Rickman, and yes, I will cry), The Simpsons Movie, Shrek the Third, Man of the Year, Meet the Robinsons, Razzle Dazzle, Scoop, The Good German, Bobby

Movies I've missed and need to see on DVD
Little Miss Sunshine, Happy Feet, The Devil wears Prada, Marie Antoinette.

What movies have you seen and recommend? What don't you recommend? What are you hanging out to see?