Trance

Another film offering from Sky Movies Premiere to look at. Not only that, but this time a film helmed by the great, the iconic (the Lancashire lad!) Danny Boyle; the highly fast-paced, intricate, stunning, gripping psychological thriller that is Trance. Generally, I enjoy thrillers, but that is not to say I automatically enjoy thrillers. I know of quite a few people that will happily sit down, watch and then praise a film broadly based on the fact that it was penned as "a good thriller". I am sure that there are fans of every genre of film who may well act like this when it comes to viewing also (I'm not sure if I have one; perhaps mine is yet to develop). I did not know initially upon watching this film that it was helmed by Boyle, but I did know it was a thriller, and the trailer, story and premise looked intriguing enough to initially engage, but even so I had a slight streak of skepticism running through me upon approaching this one. I happily admit that I could not be more wrong. Trance is a fantastic whirlwind of action, drama, hints of comedy, mind-bending yet genius concepts and twists, great music, beautiful cinematography, and an end result that left me in awe and appreciation of this great film. Danny Boyle has often traced his love of film to the classic Apocalypse Now (which is one I haven't seen incidentally) saying that it "eviscerated" his brain. If there was a film I had to choose thus far from the great man's repertoire that had a similar effect on me, then Trance would be it.

In terms of plot, I really do feel that to elaborate upon and get into that of Trance upon this humble blog would be wrong. For one thing, it is so monumentally complicated, twisting and turning (though certainly not in a negative way, quite the contrary) that I would struggle in various places, and for another as I say, it is so wonderful to behold - I simply urge you to watch it. I shall just give you a very brief rundown. In essence, the film focuses on James McAvoy as Simon Newton, an art lover and auctioneer who is very much forced, so it seems, into the hands of professional art thief Franck, played by Vincent Cassel, and hypnotist Elizabeth, played by Rosario Dawson. They are all connected to a highly valuable stolen painting, yet only the former knows its location, yet is unable to remember, thus the latter two must do everything they can to extract the lost information from him, in time to claim their respective prizes...and thus the beautiful madness ensues from there. But really, that is a very very small glimpse of a synopsis of a film that really does speak for itself. There is so much more than that, and trust me it is worth being experienced first hand.

I will however also, just mention the three central characters and the three greatly talented people behind them, as this really is a case where we have three integral components to a great film. I have long been a fan of James McAvoy, with every addition to his ever growing body of great work. From The Last King of Scotland, to Starter For Ten, to his iconic portrayal of a young Charles Xavier in X-MEN: First Class (and in the hotly anticipated Marvel mega-movie release coming soon that is X-MEN: Days of Future Past!) I really do feel that at a minimum, 9 times out of 10 McAvoy's unique magnetism and watch-ability results in endearingly wonderful performances. And Trance is no exception. Brilliantly played, timed and delivered, James McAvoy is well and truly the leading man here, and deservedly so. 

Like McAvoy, I have been aware of Vincent Cassel's presence for some years also, in greatly popular films like the Ocean's series and Black Swan. But to me, this is the first film I have seen where he really does come into his own, and in a great way that fits in with the whole feel of Trance so well.

Last but not least, we have the beautiful, beguiling and brilliant Rosario Dawson. Again, consistently great in various films over the years, and wonderfully superb in Trance. It is supremely difficult, but if I absolutely had to pick a star break-out performance from the film, it would have to be her. She is layered, ethereal, gritty, light, powerful and supremely cast and, like her fellow co-stars, is suited to this film in almost every way conceivable. Again, apologies for not going into more detail with regards to these characters and the great actors behind them, but this is really very much a case of me not wanting to drop any potential spoilers for you.

I think you can safely garner - I rather liked this one. But please, as always, do not take my word for it by any means. I urge you to go forth and watch; I'm pretty damn sure Trance is not one you'll want to miss.

The Musketeers: Series One roundup

As with the conclusion of the latest series of Stella a few days ago, I felt I ought to briefly revisit the Musketeers, after first looking at it on this blog a few episodes in. Unlike Stella however, this is not going to be a double whammy case of me singing many praises. Indeed, I am still none too sure about BBC One's The Musketeers, even after ten whole episodes, yet I could concede there has been some development from when the show first entered the arena and onto our TV screens. So, here's another quick look, at The Musketeers.

In essence, my opinion is still the same as it was when I first reviewed the show. Yes it is entertaining with some good points, but the bad points, be they actor, story or believability-related, certainly weigh heavily on the whole essence of the show, and I for one when watching it, could not escape the feeling that this could go horribly wrong. In fact, after each week and each episode went by, I was still woefully unsure as to whether this new prime time series deserved to continue. Yet someone obviously did think so, as the Musketeers was indeed renewed for a second series, apparently at a time when we had only seen 4 episodes. Admittedly the renewal didn't surprise me too much, but the timing did. Nowhere near episode 4 did I feel there was much worth saving, and nor either did critics and other viewers, giving the show decidedly mixed reviews at best. However renew it they have, so I feel I should highlight some growing positive points, that I felt did emerge by the time the last episode was broadcast.

I ridiculed the writer's decision to highlight a major plot reveal related to Athos, played by Tom Burke, very early on in the show (i.e that his murderous wife still lived) as I felt they missed a great opportunity to build tension. I still stick by this opinion, but I was happy to see that, after a few episodes that were stagnant on the subject, they were able to turn it round slightly, and take the character arc into what was, while not a gripping direction, certainly a watchable one.

Another Musketeer that, certainly plot-wise, had some development was swarthy Aramis, played by Santiago Cabrera. By the end of the series, things have certainly kicked off in his corner, without wishing to give too much away. Once you see what's coming, Aramis' story could be seen as a bit too predictable, but I would infinitely prefer this to nothing at all.

With regards to the other two main Musketeers though, oh dear. None too gentle giant Porthos is mostly the designated muscle or comic relief, and when he is occasionally segued into more serious stories, the required results do not often happen. And whilst newbie D'Artagnan is the focus of many story lines and in some sense a lot of plot progression (as we literally see him go from farm boy to fully fledged Musketeer) for me he is still not really watchable at all. I'm really at a loss to explain why this is, and I wish it was not so. The writers are surely very ambitious for the character of D'Artagnan and rightly so, but actor Luke Pasqualino doesn't give anywhere near the right amount of passion, conviction and emotional range to make his character believable, watchable, or most of the time even entertaining. 

There are good casting decisions, as I said last time, that have proven consistently so as the series has gone on. Hugo Speer and Tamla Kari always deliver good solid performances I feel, as does Peter Capaldi, whose malevolent Cardinal still steals the show slightly for me. Again, I reiterate it is a great shame that Capaldi is now set to leave the Musketeers, as I feel he would be very much needed in series 2. Still, The Musketeer's loss is Doctor Who's gain I suppose!

Talking of D'Artagnan though, his story is a good example of one final point I wish to make about the Musketeers. Even when we see him fully achieve his dream of becoming a Musketeer in episode 8, what he has striven and worked for for so long (though Luke Pasqualino's "emotional range" in this episode to me is almost cringe-worthy) this story is still sandwiched between two sidelines of an episode-long love affair from Porthos and the Cardinal vs. the captain. This has been common throughout the series. Yes, I fully agree multi-layered plots are a very good thing, but in the case of the Musketeers it very rarely feels well done at all when watching it. It's almost as if, at it's conception, the minds behind the show went mental with all these plots, sub-plots, characters and inventions, and as the series went on they panicked and started grasping at limp ideas to bring them all back in, trying to give them all screen time and make them relevant to the story. The result I feel, whilst containing a few gems, often renders a fast-paced, though quite confusing mess.

So yes, I maintain that if you are not interested in too much structure, solid acting and character development, or literary accuracy; if you're just interested in an action-packed, well scored, hour-long Sunday night romp, then the Musketeers is definitely one to watch. As I say, it is entertaining and does have merits. I just feel that if they want to stay in people's minds and on their tellys for some time to come, they better up their game and rectify quite a few things to do so. 

Blandings: back with a second bonkers series & all the better for it!

Affectionate, charming and barmy comedy Blandings concluded its second series this weekend, and like the first, it had me tittering away and left me feeling warm hearted and eagerly awaiting more. Based upon the works of P.G. Wodehouse, when Blandings first graced our screens this time last year, rather modestly and quietly it must be said, it was met with mixed reviews by critics, some declaring it incoherent idiocy and some a comedic gem. I think I could see both sides really, but I along with many others tuned in to six cracking episodes and I thoroughly enjoyed the second seven, which presented more madcap goings on at Blandings castle, in broadly the same wonderful manner.

Firstly, I think we should take a look at the new additions to the Blandings family, which in my opinion only carry the programme from strength to strength. Julian Rhind-Tutt would be a fantastic character as the eponymous Galahad without his fantastic interplay with all the other characters; this affable cheeky chappy is well worth watching any which way. Yet his warm and endearing relationship with his daft brother Clarence, his swarthy tutor-ledge of Freddie, and his aloof brush-offs of Connie are all fantastic to watch.

Also new to the cast, a surprising but positive change, was the replacement of Mark Williams with comedian Tim Vine as tipsy butler Beach. Now don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Mark Williams generally and in Series One of Blandings thought he was very good too. Yet as Beach, I feel Tim Vine might just have edged it, incorporating that much more charm, twinkle and expression into the often exasperated but always essential butler of Blandings. 

I introduced a lot of characters there, featuring other core members of Blandings, so let us turn to them. One area where I feel Series Two is subtly but effectively different, is in the character development of Freddie, played by rising star Jack Farthing. Yes, Freddie is still insanely posh and twittering, strapped for cash, ever telling tales of the "Pink Pussy" and often without a clue at all. Yet he has a tad more luck with the ladies, despite not managing to keep one for longer than an episode (and without the trademark "hair raise" of Series One, which while funny and non too subtle innuendo-wise, did get a bit tiresome to me). What's more the writers have smattered in a few moments where Freddie is sincere, empathetic, and even slightly cunning, making him a much more well rounded character which I feel is definitely a positive improvement.

Core too is Lady Constance "Connie" Keeble, played by the wonderful Jennifer Saunders who is pretty much delivering more of the same from Series One into Two, which is fine by me. Still incredibly socially conscious, ambitious, domineering, scathing, highly amusing but still with a little heart - Connie is very much a presence at Blandings, whose relationship with her brother Clarence is still fraught with ingenious wordplay, chemistry, innuendo and hilarious one-liners.

Of course, we cannot forget Clarence, the Earl of Emsworth himself. It would be easy to soon tire of this character's dithering, forgetful, brainless attitude to life that renders him in essence "a bit of a twit". And yet, and yet! Nothing further from the truth could be so! Brought to life by the great Timothy Spall, Clarence is the star of Blandings if ever there was one, throughout each episode without fail. His endearingly dithering character is played masterfully, down to the last intrinsic mannerism and detail, rendering Clarence one of the most lovable characters in television. Not only that, but his nature and the nature in which his lines are written, are formula for some absolutely cracking lines and moments, that are nothing short of funny as a bare minimum, and breath-takingly hilarious the rest of the time. Indeed, Timothy Small proves his acting prowess and ability again and again within the batty world that is Blandings, and if he is only ever remembered for Clarence (which is considerably unlikely) then I feel he should be proud.

Yes, Blandings has now gifted viewers in their millions two series of pantomime antics that are crafted and delivered in a truly unique fashion. So this really is me celebrating both series and their core elements, as well as marking the end of Series Two. I don't believe it has been announced as to what the future will hold for Blandings, but if you ask me, it certainly has more to give and should be allowed the opportunity to do so in all its glory. Capital!