Roundup of Films
February has been a great month for films so far, so I am going to make a few recommendations.
The Queen follows the public and private world of Britain’s royal family in the week following Princess Diana’s death in 1997. Trapped in a world of formal traditions and duty, The Queen and her family failed to tap into the nation’s need to engage in public displays of grief. For a few days, Britain (stirred up by the media) hated the royal family for being so detached and almost blamed them for Diana’s death. Helen Mirren will probably win an Oscar for her amazing portrayal of Queen Elizabeth, because you totally believe that she has become this character. The other characters are not so convincing. Michael Sheen comes across like a weedy caricature of Tony Blair. Mark Kermode said the whole enterprise seems like a very worthy UK television drama rather than a major feature film. Still, The Queen is a very good story that is worth watching just for Helen Mirren’s performance.
I also saw Christopher Nolan’s new period movie called The Prestige. It is set in London at the turn of the twentieth century and it is about a feud between a couple of performing magicians. You don’t have to like magic tricks to enjoy this film. Nolan is great at creating atmosphere and surprise as the two conjurers obsessively try to uncover each other’s secrets and settle old scores. It is also helped by a great cast of watchable actors including Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johannsen and Michael Caine. David Bowie has a cameo role and his accent is very funny. I liked this film very much.
Pan’s Labyrinth is a wonderful new Spanish language film by Guillermo Del Toro. It is a scary fantasy piece set at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1944. Ofelia is a sensitive girl who takes refuge in fantasy books and her imagination. She and her pregnant mother have been summoned to live in the Spanish countryside to be with Captain Vidal, Ofelia’s step father. He is a cruel and ruthless soldier brutally suppressing a guerilla unit who have taken refuge in the forest. While all this is taking place, Ofelia realises that she has a connection with a magical subterranean world populated by fairies and fauns who give her three tasks to complete before full moon. The film is full of imagination and possibility against the backdrop of human conflict and cruelty. The animations, music, acting and cinematography are all stunning. It is magical without being twee and sentimental. Pan’s Labyrinth is perfect story telling and is the best film I have seen for a long time.