Tuesday 28 October 2014

Serena 2014

Susanne Bier directs this very tedious film starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Based on a novel of the same name about a North Carolina timber businessman in the Depression era and his very ambitious wife, the film follows the growth and death of their relationship, and the effects of euphoria and despair on two people.

The problem here is that in some ways we see shades of There Will Be Blood (2007), but very quickly they disappear leaving behind an empty carcass of a film, devoid of depth. The main characters never once become likeable or even identifiable and never once are they compelling. Their motivations and reactions just don't make any sense. The film feels like a dead weight, which you can't wait to get out of - except it drags on for ever. A surprisingly bad offering from some stellar names.

Sunday 26 October 2014

This Is Where I Leave you 2014

Dysfunctional families, cheating partners, desperate circumstances and a plethora of topics better left unsaid as they are part of the journey that is this sweet film - This Is Where I Leave You stars Jason Bateman and Tina Fey (both brilliant), Jane Fonda (unbelievably good), Rose Byrne, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton (all very compelling) and many more.

There is no end to the different storylines and plot twists this film has, but at the end of the day, all it leaves you with is the warmth and comfort that family and friends, how ever dysfunctional, bring you. In that, and in the many other lessons learnt through the course of the film, it delivers its message well, and is at times almost profound. Nothing spectacular, but it allows for enough laughs, cringes and tears, for it to be a very successful specimen of its genre. Definitely worth the watch.