Johnny Simmons

Now, I'd love to see Romola Garai take on the role of Heavenly in a Sweet Bird Of Youth remake. Get Annette Bening for the role of the princess, Ben Foster perhaps for Chance and we've got a smash. Anyone with me?

          

Damn, this is overdue. What was it...months ago....that Univarn published this fine list of actors who never get the love they deserve (Castor and Ruth followed with lists of their own). If you’re a good debater you can make a case for any number of actors not getting their due, but sometimes it’s especially piercing when some actors just never get that single role that you could point to as encapsulating all the talent they have....or worse the role will come and no will see the film (or care about the performance) – something as incidental as timing could be their downfall. These five actors immediately come to mind when I think of actors who don’t get their due. Some have already given brilliant performances, but they still have not reached that level of fame that their peers have....who knows why? More importantly they’re all relatively young thespians who seem to have so much potential but never get recognised for it. This is my shout-out to them...

                                      

I was fascinated by Garai’s work in Atonement, she topped my supporting actress list that year...and yet of the five principal players she earned the least buzz for her performance. I’m still not sure why, because I still can’t think of anything in particular that’s off-putting about her performance. Saoirse’s Briony’s strongpoint was her eyes, Vanessa’s was her eyes – what Romola has is a countenance that you can’t help but find sympathetic (which is why she’s the perfect person to encapsulate the imaginary Briony of the middle act). It’s the same sort of thing she does in I Capture A Castle – a film I’m not fond of, but a performance that soars despite confinements from the script.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: Florence in Greenberg; don’t get me wrong – Greta Gerwig was lovely in Greenberg but wouldn’t that role be lovely for Romola? Effusively charming, adult and yet innocent and altogether winsome without being too perfect. I suppose that if she ever has a chance of getting the fame she deserves she might need to leave the British roles behind (which is a shame, because I think the British are just awesome).

                                    

I’m still absolutely flummoxed as to how Woody Harrelson swept through being nominated for every important precursor last year for The Messenger when Ben Foster turned up at nary a one. Where is the justice? The Messenger remains as one of my favourite films from the 2009, and much of that had to do with the quiet intensity of Foster’s protagonist. What makes him so special, though, is his ability to play quiet and brooding and switch instantly to loud and explosive. And he’s been at it so long, surely he deserves to catch a break.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: It’s too easy, but I’m calling him for Jem, the role Jeremy Renner originated in The Town. Renner WAS my favourite part of the film, but I’d have loved to see Foster that irrepressible showboating sidekick. If there was one thing I didn’t like about Renner’s Jem was how lacking in personality he was, he was officious enough but never charismatic which is something I think Ben could pull off.

                                 

I don’t believe that I’m the only one who’s been championing for dear Ms. Washington to get more recognition. Truth is, it’s especially difficult being a black actress in the business – but Kerry’s as adept at playing in the typical black picture as she is in something more generically prestigious. Acting has many facets – voice, body language, facial expressions, but I’m particularly fond of Kerry’s speaking voice. It’s especially crisp and expressive, and she always does well with large bits of dialogue.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: I wonder what it would have been like to see Kerry take the lead in Veronika Decides to Die. That’s a movie that went by unnoticed (shame) but the quiet passion of Veronika is something I think Kerry could handle beautifully – if given the chance.

             

Ah, Ben Whishaw. I’m a fan and Bright Star turned me into a raving fanatic. Someone tell me again why that movie went by with so little notice? Actually, don’t tell me – there’s no good reason. It’s clichéd, but Whishaw is like the epitome of the sensitive artist which is perhaps why his Keats’ doesn’t seem like acting – but that deliberate poignancy he puts into his performances (re Brideshead Revisited) is something brilliant to watch.

 A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: With all that sensitivity, isn’t he an obvious choice for Tommy in Never Let Me Go? After being floored by he and Carey last year, I’ve put the hopes of seeing the two in a film of things I want to happen...and as fine as Garfield is, Whishaw opposite Carey would have just been incredible.

Rosamund Pike seems sort of ageless to me, since seeing her in Die Another Day all the way through Pride & Prejudice and An Education she never seems to age, if anything she seems younger. It’s weird how her characters seem to be on a mental regression from the steely to the quite silly Helen. It’s her talent as an actor, though, and she doesn’t come off like any of these characters in interviews. She’s able to embody a wide array of supporting players on the sidelines, which proably accounts for her being forgotten.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: How old is Cattrall’s Amelia supposed to be in The Ghost Writer? I love her in it, but I wonder what someone younger like ROsamund would have done with the role. We know she can handle the ice-queen role well and though the thought of her against Brosnan is not particularly appealing (because Brosnan is terrible) I like the idea of her playing this role.

                  

Cinematic weddings often fall into two groups – the stiflingly exaggerated or the slight and miserly. The only wedding in Atonement is a slight one, in nature not in implication. It is less important for the actual event and more important for a memory it precipitates. Paul Marshall, the chocolate giant, and Lola are getting married and teenaged Briony shows up for reason I’m never too certain of – perhaps she’s shocked about it happening and turns up to ascertain “evidence”.

I know I keep on harping on about how much I love Romola here, but she really is my favourite Briony – by a long shot; even though (or maybe because) she has so much difficulty to trudge through. Two asides strike me about the wedding almost immediately. For a character with so much money the chocolate giant’s wedding is sparsely attended. Does he have so few friends? I completely get that in the fabric of Atonement it’s not a happy wedding but good grief this ceremony looks bleak. 

 Look at poor Briony’s face. On that note, what is Briony wearing? I suppose it is some variation on nurses’ uniforms in the day but it looks like a cross between a misguided superhero costume and a freaky looking angel…but I should be the last person criticising clothes…

And what is up with the look of the “happy” couple. Lola just emanates bitch (no offense Juno).

              

Somewhere in between this Romola Briony remembers Saoirse Briony and her discovery of the Lola and Paul, butt no captures of this…I don’t want to kill the already dire mood.

Look at this shot carefully, something will come up soon…but while we’re there….why is Lola so pissed at Briony? She didn’t rape have sex with seduce do anything to her. Did she? 

 I love that look on Romola’s face though. So poignant….

And there…the final shot. Where have all the people disappeared to so quickly?

                 

This has to be the weirdest screen wedding…but that final shot is still gorgeous. 

ATONEMENT: Reviewed

I figured I could perhaps have done a review of the films of the decade, but I’m already doing one list of favourites why do another? What was intriguing me was the idea of recapping my favourite performances of the year in the male and female categories. So, forget the preamble I’m recapping my favourite males and females of the last decade. Fifteen for each: note this is my list and my list alone. You probably won’t agree, but take the journey. I should warn you – they’re spoiler filled, so don’t continue if you still wish to experience the first time thrill. So without further ado, the first on my list…

           

I am ridiculously fond of Atonement (proof); the word fond actually doesn’t even begin to explain it. It’s the type of movie that works so well put together as it does individually and I never can decide on a favourite performance from it. Of course Robbie Turner is the only significant male of the lot so he has it easier than the others in the film. Robbie Turner is the son of a housekeeper – Grace Turner. She’s in charge of the Tallis household, Robbie is actually going to medical school because of the kindness of the Tallis, though he’s still a second class citizen. Briony introduces us to Robbie. She has just completed her play and invites him to come see it. “I don’t think that’d be appro-…” – but he doesn’t finish his sentence, though we can guess what it entails. We watch as Robbie tends to the gardener as Cecilia and Briony lie indolently on the grass. “Why don’t you talk to Robbie anymore?” Briony asks. Cee responds – “I do. We just move in different circles is all.”

That line of Keira’s seems like a throwaway one, but it lies at the root of Atonement in more ways than one. McAvoy and Knightley have an overpowering chemistry together and they shine in each other’s presence. The breaking of the vase is one of these moments. McAvoy sells his emotions here, though his words are few. Despite the bravado of his teasing his embarrassment is palpable as he turns away from Cecilia – ever the gentleman, almost. His stuttered attempt at an apology is charming, though lost on Cecilia. It’s that moment (in addition to the heat) which leads to that licentious letter. It’s one of the more difficult scenes, though we don’t realise. We have to believe that Robbie is still the charming, innocuous young boy and still believe that he would write this letter, even if as a jest. We see him walk with the envelope as he delivers it to the wrong messenger. I love the moment where he realises the mistake and he screams…Briony. If only she’d stopped…

The next few scenes occur in a flurry, an attempted apology, a confession and then the consummation of a long realised affection, but I won’t go there. Again. The last shot of a peaceful Robbie is him coming back with the twins, it’s painful to realise that whilst he tries to help the Tallis’ they are putting the final nails in his coffin. The confused look on his face is wrenching. It’s that moment that changes Robbie Turner, and we’ll notice how James plays the Robbie, the solider, just a slight bit different from Robbie before. There’s a something hardened about him, that still sad. His slight reunion with Cecilia is poignant and it’s a strong acting moment for him and Knightley and I love how he (stupidly) tries to run after the bus as Cecilia leaves him. His tears for the schoolgirls is eerie even if we don’t decide to think of them as vestiges of the Briony that was. The scenes Dunkirk are the obvious emotional scenes (it’s a wonder so few major award bodies remembered him). His memories of his mother are heartbreaking.

Before that twist, I always wondered why he was so uninhibted when meeting Briony again (a resplendent Romola Garai), but of course it makes sense when we realise the whole. The final shot of he and Cecilia in thier imaginary ending works because of the narrative and because of the inhibition they share (in an imagind world). Atonement depends on McAvoy's brilliance. I don’t doubt that many will disagree with me on this, but I was very impressed with James McAvoy here, a true performance of the decade.

       

Up until two nights ago I had never seen I Capture the Castle. I’d heard some vague banter about it across the internet – blah, blah, blah. But nothing substantial. I’d never checked it out on IMDB, not on Rotten Tomatoes or gone to see what any body important thought of it. Well thanks to TNT I caught it the other morning.

                                 

If you’ve heard the phrase coming of age dramas [a cliché by now] then you know what this movie is about. Cassandra is a young English girl living in 20th century England. I don’t care enough to check out the period but I’ll guess it’s the sixties. Her father is a novelist who after releasing a mildly successful first feature has spent twelve years on the sophomore effort. The family is colourful in the largest sense. Their stepmother Topaz, is a nudist model, her brother Thomas is the archetypal know it all, wise beyond his years younger brother. And there is Rose, her older sister who is frustrated with their meagre circumstances and vows to wed a rich man. The Mortmains were once upon a time fairly well off, but now they’re living in partial squalor even though for some inexplicable reason they have a gardener who still refers to the children as Ms. So and so. Of course, the gardener is in love with our ingénue, and she uncertain of her feelings does not believe she can feel anything but filial lover for the poor sod.

                                 

The film meets a plot point when two Americans come to the area. They are the nephews of the Mortmain’s now deceased landlord. Of course, they’re rich and of course Rose sets her sights on them. And of course it leads to much dramatics. I can’t write anymore of this film – plot wise, and if you do decide to see it, I won't spoil it for you.

                                                                        

I didn’t like this movie. It’s not a bad movie. Well, not a very bad movie, but it was so pretentious. Why, you may ask, did I stay up at four in the morning to see it? Well, in addition to my insomnia I was curious to see Romola Garai in the lead role. You’ll probably recognise Garai as teenaged Briony from Atonement, a role I think deserved some accolades. Garai is competent in the role, but the script it just gets worse and worse as it continues. The first forty minutes or so, though not excellent, are good enough. In fact for that time I was harbouring on a B, B+. Then, the middle came and it started getting a little ludicrous... Me in my naiveté figured it would pick up towards the end, but alas no.

                                          

The film is chequered with some fairly good performances. Tara Fitzgerald as Topaz is excellent. A silly role in all, but she’s almost luminescent. I wonder what she could have done with a proper role. Rose Byrne is capable as Rose…but the role is so stupid sometimes I just wanted to slap her. And I’m a non violent person! Henry Cavill , in the thankless love struck gardener role shows promise. It’s a pity the story doesn’t care about him. In fact the acting is not terrible. But, essentially all the characters are caricatures…and putting it all together made it almost insufferable.

                               

In the end I think I was the wrong audience. Maybe, girls would be more receptive to the film. I can’t be sure. I’ve never been one to baulk at an overly sensitive film. Once it’s well made I really don’t mind. But this just screamed, stereotypical chick flick. And that sucks, I think you ladies deserve much better than this ostentatious and insipid fake.

                                               

Sure at the end Cassandra’s sister Rose makes the right decision, the decision I was hoping she’d just make and get on with it. But by that time I was yawning. And not just from sleep depravation. I didn’t care anymore.