An Awfully Big Adventure
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Movie Reviews of An Awfully Big Adventure
Movie Review: On second viewing, I've changed my view. It's quite a fine movie.
Summary: 4 Stars
Five years ago I saw this film on the small screen and found it intriguing, but creepy, with a patronizing approach to some characters. I did love --and still do--the acting in this movie, particularly Rickman. So, I watched it again recently, on a larger screen. It's actually a really good film. It's very moody, but now I realize that the character depiction is realistic and not patronizing. Some characters are unsophisticated and naive, but on second viewing it doesn't seem a value judgment by the filmmakers. The lead character is very young, innocent, guileless, and dealing the best she can with her abandonment by her mother, not painfully dimwitted, as I thought five years ago. This is a period piece (post WWII) and the production values are superb. Is it a comedy or a tragedy? Both. It's British and maybe a bit quirky by American standards, but it's quite good. Both Hugh Grant's and Alan Rickman's roles are a departure for them and the lead girl is very believable and natural.Movie Review: dramedy
Summary: 4 Stars
This film is for adults only. A lot of the subject matter was sex and nudity was also involved. I was a little disappointed that it took so long for Alan Rickman to show up in person in this film but in order to create a history, it had to be done. I had to guess at the main character's age as I didn't hear anyone mention it except that she wasn't of "age of consent". The look of anguish on Alan Rickman's face near the end made the movie. The ending was a bit of a surprise so I won't reveal it.Movie Review: Great flick!
Summary: 4 Stars
I had to order it because nobody had a torrent on line. It's a great movie. Alan Rickman is legendary in this.Movie Review: Roar Of The Greasepaint, Smell Of The Crowd
Summary: 3 Stars
Here is a film that enthusiastically supports the negative stereotypes of "theatre people" cherished by hod carriers, gravediggers, truck mechanics, and short order cooks. It concerns a bottom of the barrel local stage company in post-war Liverpool, which functions as a repository of wretched refuse unable to find work in better venues. Virtually every despised group is represented; the troupe is teeming with homosexuals, alcoholics, cruel narcissists, manipulative wretches, and those guilty of sex crimes involving minors both male and female. We do not find people to like in this film, we only find people to pity - like Bunny, portrayed brilliantly by Peter Firth - and Stella, the tragically damaged and clueless protagonist. Georgina Cates is thoroughly convincing as Stella, yet another young girl who flees a harsh reality for the theatre's comforting deceptions.
I was amazed to discover that the trailer for this movie presented it as a comedy - Hamlet is funnier. Even the illusion of happiness - the theatre's stock and trade - is missing. What we have instead is a world where people play roles without knowing it, and are emotionally mugged in the process. The ringleader of this horror show is Meredith Potter; Hugh Grant is exceptionally good. (This movie was made before Grant found his niche as an affable cad and is certainly his best bit of acting ever.) Potter is the apogee of upper class English entitlement gone to seed; he is clever, thoroughly decadent, lacking in anything remotely resembling a conscience, and pathetic - though his cruelty makes it impossible for us to scrape together a farthing of empathy, our revulsion prohibits it.
The arrival of Alan Rickman - a consistently wonderful actor - as O'Hara, would seems to signal a battle of titans - admirable versus contemptible. And while watching Rickman play Captain Hook is pure delight, his O'Hara skirts around Potter and drifts off into a somewhat, if not very, bizarre backstory involving Stella's shadowy past. This derails the film and sends it off in a murky direction since it was never a who-done-it or a psychological thriller. O'Hara's connection to Stella and her mother may give us an "aha" moment - but ultimately it's a distraction because it doesn't inform what's happened up to that point. O'Hara has a grim realization that puts him in a very difficult position. But in the final analysis, Stella is still a girl "abandoned" by her mother and raised by relatives who trades the sadness of real life and for the sadness of fantasy life.
Good cinematography, good acting, poor pacing, and sloppy scripting. Would have been far more interesting to see how a loathsome creature like Potter might create great theatre through the dynamic tension between himself and a range of competing personalities cut from finer cloth.
Movie Review: Huh?
Summary: 3 Stars
Wow. I watched this movie with no preconception of what was to come. I hadn't read any reviews or seen a trailer. It was one of 4 movies in a Hugh Grant pack; the other 3 were all romantic comedies. From the picture on the cover I suspected it might be dark, might be a mystery....then I watched it.
The girl, Stella, was a bit odd to me. I couldn't figure out if she was crazy, dumb (as in really slow), or scarred from some terrible event in her up bringing. As I watched it, I assumed she was playing a 15 year old girl, and the actress did look very young to me. I couldn't understand why she was so suddenly "in love" with Meredith. I couldn't even figure out why she wanted to be involved the theatre, or why she didn't want to tip cab drivers? And I could only assume that the reason she did't know that Meredith had an obvious preference for men was because as a young girl, she wouldn't realize that there was such a thing as homosexuality. She seemed unintelligent to me (not just innocent). What did she want out of life? Where was her spirit?
Hugh Grant acted very well, and I enjoyed seeing him in a different type of role...but I couldn't figure out why his character seemed crazy. Was everyone in this film supposed to be crazy?
I kept meaning to shut the movie off, because it didn't make a lot of sense to me, and I couldn't figure out anyone's motiviation or any real plot, and sometimes I couln't even understand what they were saying (between the accent and speaking so softly)...but something kept me watching to find answers. Besides....I was waiting to see Alan Rickman.
I enjoyed Alan Rickman's acting very much. Somehow I was hoping he would be the hero to help "fix" things and clarify things. I quickly realized that wouldn't happen. The "suprise/shocking ending" was no surprise to me, as there had been subtle suggestions. I felt most for his character.
I didn't understand Stella's uncle at all. Why was he even in the movie? I got nothing from that but more confusion.
I'm not sure if it was just poorly scripted, or if the "story" that is was based on wasn't so hot, but I found the overall story not worth watching. Everything was just so sad and messed up. Much of the acting was very good. The ending, as horrid as it was, at least made some sense. I give the movie 3 stars, because I couldn't stop thinking about it.