Pitch Perfect (2012)

This film is an example of one of my pet hates. It was released in September in the US and is already available on DVD there. Why we have to wait for films so long is beyond me.

Was it worth waiting for? Yep, it was a fun film, with lots of great comedic performances. Music is good and cringe-worthy in metered doses, which is in keeping with the theme.

Plot is tried but true, alternative girl goes to college, convinced she doesn't need friends, meets friends, but doesn't like them at first, meets guy, plays cat and mouse, all works out in the end, even makes up with her estranged Dad.

Am I giving anything away? Of course not. Unless this is your first ever Hollywood film, you will see it all coming a mile off, but that is not why you would go to see this film.

In Australia, the appearance of local girl Rebel Wilson has been a big advertising point for this film, and although she is nowhere near the lead in this film, she steals more than her fair share of scenes. She remains Rebel, accent and all, and plays a character who is the "second best singer in Tasmania" (prompting me to try and think of famous Tasmanian singers........... Comment if you can think of any, because embarrassingly, I can't.) Not sure about her mermaid dancing though.

The entire film revolves around inter-college A-Capella singing and the problems of bringing that into the 21st Century. Think of it as Glee meets Bring it On, and you are getting close. Lots of inappropriate dancing and weird renditions of songs that don't fit add to the fun. (Look for the Sock-apellas singing F' You).

Will it change cinema? Of course not. Will it change your life? Only if you life is EXTREMELY sad. But is it worth $16 a ticket and just under two hours of you time? Yeah, it's a bit of holiday fluff. Or wait for the DVD. Either way, if you enjoy the boy meets girl at college genre, it will not be an unpleasant experience.

Two more quick things. In Australia it is rate M, in the US PG13. Go with the US on this one.

And also, if you are a fan of the Christopher Guest improv movies (For Your Consideration, Best in Show, etc) look out for John Michael Higgens and Elizabeth Banks as the witty 'commentators' at the performance shows. A nice little undercurrent going on.

3 and a half Orsons

Parade's End (2012 - TV Series)

As with so many recent  television productions from England and the US, this is a program that has screened in it's own country months ahead of when the Australian commercial networks deem it appropriate for Australian audiences to watch. It is already available, quite legally, on DVD from amazon.co.uk, for less than $20. Frustrating in the extreme.

There are two terms that usually mean quality in television drama. BBC in the UK and HBO in the States. So when you see something that is a co-production of both networks, it's a fair bet that it will be worth watching.

Whilst this is definitely watchable, it has ups and downs in the plot meaning that sometimes it is a little hard to follow.

The story revolves around a stiff-upper lip establishment bachelor, seduced on a train by one of the early 20th Century 'bright young things', looking for someone to cover her pregnancy to a married man. No, I am not spoiling the plot, this is all revealed in the first 10 minutes.

What follows is a love triangle of a difference. Over five episodes, she sleeps with many, he sleeps with none (even her) and he meets the one he should have married in the first place. We go from wanting to slap the wife, shake the husband and tell the girlfriend to move on.

But having said that, you do get dragged into the program, that covers the Great War and the different treatment of the rich and the poor. Christopher Tietjens (played by Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock) is dry and rarely show passion. His performance is strong, but often his deep baritone voice is hard to hear and understand. Rebecca Hall as the wife, Sylvia, is delightfully hate-able, and a smattering of classic British character actors keep things moving (watch for a rare moment of Rupert Everett in bed with a woman.........).

I found the program interesting enough to make me want to watch the next episode, but not captivating enough to become a favourite.

Knowing Australian television, it will either not be screened up against anything interesting, or screened against 4 other interesting programs. Anyway, we probably have 6 months to wait to find out.

I give this 3 and a half Orsons.

Quartet (2012)

This is the first film that Dustin Hoffman has directed. Having won two Academy Awards for best actor, and been nominated for countless others, can he direct a film that is of the same quality as we would expect from one of his acting performances?

All I can say is, "Dustin, what took you so long?"

The film is about Britain's musical royalty living together in a retirement home, where everyone who has been a star must accept the onward march of age, and that they are no longer in charge of everything........... their bodies, their minds or their own destinies.

And to tell us the story, we have Britain's acting royalty. Maggie Smith (2 Oscars), Tom Courtney (twice nominated), Pauline Collins (nominated), Billy Connolly (should have been nominated), Michael Gambon (The Singing Detective, oh, and Dumbledore), Andrew Sachs (Manuel!) and it goes on and on. Faces we know, faces we remember.

It is a very different film from something like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this leaning more to the occasional 'drawing room comedy' moment, but the English are brilliant at giving us films that tell us true stories of the perils of aging.

The residents of Beecham House are trying to save it by holding a gala concert. They need to raise enough money to keep it running, and they have just lost their star attraction to a 'turn'. But a new resident turns everything upside down, being the ultimate diva, also the ex-wife of another resident, and unwilling to help with the gala.

The film is immensely enjoyable and leaves the audience uplifted and wishing for more. It reminds us that the English value and celebrate their older actors, in all manner of shapes and sizes. They do not require them to have ridiculous amounts of plastic surgery and body doubles. A lesson that Hollywood could learn, and soon!

Thank you Dustin for making your first not only British, but damn enjoyable.

A solid 4 Orsons out of 5.

Sidebar……

Just a quick note from my phone. I was just asked in the foyer of the cinema, whilst turning my phone back on, if I was already posting my review……

Keen or what, Bindi? Also happy to hear that the Marble Orsons has prompted you to dust off your copy of Citizen Kane!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Another film that comes from material I know quite well. I first read the book of The Hobbit when I was at high school (thanks to my brother Neil for insisting I read it). I have read it once or twice since, and of course having seen the Lord of the Rings film trilogy brings its own set of expectations.

Anyone worried that Peter Jackson would not be able to give us anything that lives up to his masterpiece need not worry any longer. The Hobbit gives another great epic, with a little more comedy, lots of blood and gore and a big buddy pic thrown in for good measure.

It was a little confusing at the start if you know the book, as there is a prologue that ties the film to what we know from the previous trilogy, giving us Ian Holm as the aging Bilbo, and a quick glimpse of Frodo. Also quite a detailed explanation of how the Dwarves became dispossessed of their kingdom. Although necessary, probably a little lengthy.

Martin Freeman plays one of my favourite reluctant travelers (the other being Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which he also played) and gives a nicely balanced performance with the typical self-effacing British comedic style. He knows when to allow the situation and the set do the work, so doesn't overact.

Ian McKellen is of course perfect as Gandalf, but somehow comes across as a little older and more disheveled than in LOTR. Its good to see him sustain the cheeky intensity that makes him one of the great film characters of recent years.

It is very difficult not to come up with spoilers, but we see many creatures that are familiar, such as elves, goblins and orcs as well as Gollum. The CGI is of course brilliant, but seemed a little more obvious in the opening scenes, somehow laboured, so that it is a little jerky. Maybe it works better in 3D, but we saw it in 2D. (Note to film-makers, people with sight in one eye can't get the effect of 3D).

I had been wondering how they would split the book into three, as the novel is only as long as the first installment of LOTR. But the ending point did make sense, and I must say I didn't think there was anything that was unnecessary or any scenes that were too long.

Just a word to cinema-goers. No-one expects you to keep your phones off these days. The occasional check of the time has become accepted. But checking it every five minutes for some sort of sports scores? Not acceptable, and it won't be in my time. Sorry I kept 'accidentally' kicking your seat.

Is The Hobbit worth your time? Darn tootin' it is. It is good enough to finally forgive Peter Jackson for his version of King Kong. It's taken a lot Peter..............

I give this 4.5 Orsons out of 5.

Les Miserables (2012)

Being a Les Mis fan can take many forms. I am one of those who can sing every word, tell you the history of the musical, and who played what in the original London, New York and Australian productions. 

Therefore seeing something so dear to your heart can be a perilous move. But fear not, dear fans, the film has done the musical more than justice, it has taken the show to a new level, different from the stage experience, but more than a great film. It is a moving experience with many award worthy performances. 

Anne Hathaway is the stand out as Fantine, causing the husband to pass me a hanky only half way through her big number. 

Hugh Jackman is perfect as Valjean, although there was some mumbling around the ladies afterwards that his singing wasn't good enough. They have completely missed the point of the different experience that filming close up gives to being on stage in a theatre. 

I have been waiting since the original London production for someone to do the character of Marius justice, as no-one has ever come close to Michael Ball in my opinion, but Eddie Redmayne is fantastic. Also, Russell Crowe does a brilliant job with my favourite character of Javert, his voice is not close to Phillip Quast, but in this production the intensity of the man is perfectly portrayed by Mr Crowe (nice beard too, Rusty).
  
There is buzz about Hugh Jackman for the award season, but there are several other performances that were fantastic, and that, in a lesser film, would have stood out. I haven't even mentioned Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter............. they were brilliant as well. 

The main thing to remember if you have seen the musical, particularly if you have seen it as many times as me, or listened to the soundtrack as often, that you have to let some of the songs morph to the new medium......... they don't need to be as big in such an intimate rendition.
  
There were no weak performances, and only a couple of niggles that annoyed me. There was a little sound problem during Jackman's solo of "Bring Him Home", Amanda Seyfried is gorgeous as Cosette, but has a really annoying vibrato in her voice, and a camera technique that gives you the claustrophobic feeling of 19th Century France but was a little confronting and could give you a little bit of travel sickness.

Otherwise, the best film I've seen in years. 

5 Orsens out of 5!

Beginning.......

This is going to be a blog where I review and comment on films, television, music and other entertainments.

It's not for gossip about celebrities, so if that's what you are looking for, you won't find it here.

It's the business time for blockbuster releases in Australia, so obviously most of these early posts will be about films, both new release and ones I revisit on dvd. Television comments will return when decent television returns after the bulk of the summer has gone.

Feel free to share you own opinions, but remember my blog, my rules, haha.

I have named it the Marble Orsons in honour of Orson Welles, star and auteur of my favourite film, Citizen Kane. All reviews will be scored on a scale of Orsons, 5 being the highest, and I reserve the right to go into the negatives.....................

Siggy Glass