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UnoriginalJess
Now to wrap up: I dislike paragraphs, I hate 'boundaries' in writing, I vehemently dislike bad acting and mutilated scripts, and I can't be bothered to continue anymore. Have a pleasant day.
Reviews
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
A miserable appropriation but a fun film
Chadha's Bride and Prejudice is an ambitious project that both succeeds and fails in its premise. Set in India, England and America, Chadha endeavours to transport Bollywood's extravagance and musical numbers to a western setting, and in this, she succeeds. Bride and Prejudice is indeed a fun and colourful film, replete with several song-and-dance routines. The Punjabi wedding dance song, in particular, is a joy to watch. The combination of Bollywood techniques to the Hollywood film is fun, and in this, Chadha succeeds.
As an appropriation of Austen's classic, however, the film fails miserably. At a basic level, the plot and narrative of Pride and Prejudice is unchanged, but if subtlety and wit marked Austen's novel, overuse of clunky satire is what marks Chadha's film. Seeming to prefer satire in the form of almost-painful caricatures to subtlety, and loud debates over what is the "real India" to wit, Bride and Prejudice often feels clunky and clichéd, and fails to display the level of charm one expects. Chadha's caricature of the Americanised Indian, Kholi Saab, is almost painful beyond the point of humour.
In addition to this, Bride and Prejudice is too obvious in its condemnation of loveless marriages; as though Mr Kholi's absurd caricature and painfully embarrassing comments such as, "Now we have the advantage of home ground" and "Such small caterpillars that turned into beautiful butterflies" are not absurd enough, Chadha feels the need to drill the idea into audiences heads that he is not a match for the spirited Lalitha. This is seen when Lalitha sings, "I don't want a man who's crude and loud/ Wants a pretty wife to make him proud" (the terrible use of rhyme doesn't do much to support the idea of Lalitha's intelligence and wit).
Furthermore, where oh where is the handsome but aloof Mr Darcy? Where is his stinging comment, "She is tolerable, I suppose, but hardly enough to tempt me" spurred Lizzie into an indignant rage? Instead we have Martin Henderson using the pathetic pick-up line, "I'm a hopeless dancer, but this looks like you just screw in a light bulb with one hand and pat the dog with the other". Where is the wit, the arrogance, the insult? Instead we are treated with a Darcy whose goofy comments hardly make one stiffen with insult or go weak at the knees.
Despite its failure as an appropriation, Bride and Prejudice is an entertaining film. Just make sure you don't go in expecting the same scintillating wit, sizzling exchanges and intellectual enjoyment one would receive from Pride and Prejudice. That, I am afraid, is somewhat scant in this film.
A Little Princess (1995)
A magical delight for all ages
Alfonso Cuaron's A Little Princess (1995) is a delight to watch. From the very first moment, when a tiny spec of colour blossoms from the dark screen to form a scene from one of Sara's stories, it is positively captivating.
As a film, it is an enduring work, worth more than the sum of its parts. Indeed, all aspects of the film work together seamlessly. The script is excellent and the cast is strong.
Liesel Matthews provides a sensitive and emotional performance as Sara Crewe, her wide eyes alternately filled to the brim with passion, or achingly desolate. Vanessa Lee Chester provides a strong performance as Becky, and Eleanor Brom's calm, calculated performance prevents Miss Minchin's character from becoming caricature.
Emmanual Luzbeki's cinematography is stunning and artistic. The soundtrack is charming, and the scenes are filmed artistically, with a level of openness and approachability that is much to be commended. A dream sequence in the middle of the film where Sara sees neighbour Ram Daas in the house next door and dances to the drifting snowflakes is a triumph in artistry. The banquet scene, with its sumptuous mise-en-scene, is made resplendent with the joy exuded by the talented young actresses.
As an adaptation, it is a powerful piece; though it strays from the novel, it is done so tastefully, in the style of the novel, and the climax is both heartbreaking and incredibly heart-warming.
A Little Princess is precisely the type of movie every child should watch- and every adult. It goes to the heart of what it means to be human; to suffer, to live graciously, to love, to take joy in the small things and to take comfort in each other. It is a magical experience, and completely satisfying to watch. After seeing this film, you would have to be heartless to forget it.
Clash of the Titans (2010)
'Clash of the Titans'? More like a tantrum of toddlers
The best I can say about this film is that it unintentionally amused me. From the very first voice-over, where the Kraken is intermingled with the Greek gods, to the moment where I realised that there were no eponymous titans that would feature in this 2 hour roar of testosterone, this movie provided scarce moments of accidental humour.
As for a film itself, though, it is a shocker. There is hardly anything redemptive about it. The changes to the original myth add nothing to the storyline- Io, the Goddess of Backstory, for example, is provided with a very flimsy explanation for being. The acting is dreadful- Worthington might have that rough-hewn look of a suffering hero, but his acting is as emotive as a plank of wood. He and Arterton share such a lack of chemistry that when her character tells him, "Calm your storm", the audience is left with little option but to laugh at the terrible dialogue.
Furthermore, the pounding, 'epic' music adds nothing to the supposed scale of the film. It is instead dizzying and uninspiring, mirroring the contrived nature of the plot. Finally, and this is perhaps the most potent of the film's weaknesses: none of the characters invite sympathy.
The gods are simply pathetic- the constant references to Zeus' "mercy" are blunt barbs at the Christian and Islam gods. Liam Neeson, who usually brings such gravitas to his roles, is left unusually bland and for once, he fails to fill the screen. The usually deliciously evil Ralph Fiennes is left looking somewhat foolish as he swooshes about in black clouds. As for the protagonists, Worthington's Perseus is a man who sulks and suffers one of the worst cases of self denial I have yet encountered. What's more, I still have no idea why Io refused to go away. And as for the soldiers of Argos- well, if they were the best the city had to offer, I can understand why the gods would have wanted to destroy the wretched place.
After watching 'Clash of the Titans', the only things clashing were my eardrums, and the only impression it left me with was a pounding headache.
August Rush (2007)
A stunning soundtrack can't save the drivel that is 'August Rush'
Part romance, and mostly sentimental mush, August Rush is the perfect example of a film that had the potential to be good, but failed miserably. Keri Russell, who plays Lyla, is clearly attempting the dreamy musician look, but succeeds only in looking dazed and confused, and Rhys Meyers (Louis) looks as though he is nursing a perpetual hangover. Together, they make the perfect intoxicated couple, so the audience is not at all surprised when we are introduced to Evan (the talented Freddie Highmore) and he wears a constant faraway expression and whispers in a hoarse voice.
The film is promoted as 'gentle fantasy' and 'a modern fairytale', and tells the story of supposed music prodigy Evan's attempts to find his estranged parents through the supernatural musical connection they share. Evan's musical gift is obvious from the start; in the opening scene, he is sitting in a field with an ecstatic look as he listens to the grass sing and whispers distantly about the omnipresence of music. This connection with music eventually drives him to escape the orphanage and walk unsteadily through strange roads until he ends up in modern-day New York. Once there, he is adopted and renamed 'August Rush' by Wizard (Robin Williams) the erratic street musician, who houses homeless children, buys them instruments, and exploits their musical talent.
The odd mix of beautiful music and talented actors with a terrible script and contrived plot is the rhythm and pulse for the next hour and fifty-three minutes. It must admitted that the music sequences- such as Highmore's first introduction to a guitar and to a local Gospel choir- have flavour and flair, and the music soundtrack is probably one of the best in recent films. Composer Mark Mancina evokes an otherworldly feel in his thrilling score, but director Kristen Sheridan fails to capitalise on this, and what could have been a truly inspirational and heart warming story is ruined by the clunky, cliché-filled script Nick Castle and James Hart seem intent on shoving down their audience's throats.
The film over-exaggerates August's musical genius, and the scene where he sees a pipe organ and, within the space of one day, teaches himself to play it- replete with pedalling and a thorough understanding of stop registration- is an insult to any musician. Whilst it is perfectly acceptable to ask an audience for suspension of disbelief, August Rush requires one to throw one's disbelief out the back door before muzzling it and putting it in cold storage. The sheer absurdity of many of the plot holes- most of which can be seen a mile off- is too much to handle, even from a film that peddles itself on its 'gentle fantasy'.
Whilst the final scene features a soul-stirring symphony, the ending is more than a little abrupt. Despite its near-redeeming soundtrack, August Rush is an ambitious failure as a film, and not even a solid effort from Freddie Highmore can divert the audience from its insulting, insipid script and cliché-ridden plot.