Film Review: NOW IS GOOD (2012)

Director: Ol Parker
Writers: Jenny Downham (novel ‘Before I Die’), Ol Parker (screenplay)
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 10^th September 2012

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 7^th July 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Now I know this isn’t my usual fayre but I thought I’d take myself a little out of my comfort zone for a change. I opted for this one partly because I was intrigued by it and partly because it has such a good cast. What could go wrong I hear you say (okay, maybe not), but I have been stung before and so it was with fingers crossed that I hit ‘Play’. Well I survived and I’m happy to report it’s definitely not a dud and I’ll tell you why after this very brief summary.

The film tells the story of the last few months of the life of Tessa Scott (Dakota Fanning). You see, she has terminal cancer and has decided to come off chemotherapy so she has a chance to tick a few things off her ‘list’. She is aided by her best friend, Zoey (Kaya Scodelario), but things don’t quite go according to plan. Tessa lives with her father (Paddy Considine) and her little brother, Cal (Edgar Canham). Her mother (Olivia Williams) has separated and lives elsewhere. Her father is always hopeful of finding a cure whereas her mother cannot cope and is almost in denial. Tessa meets and eventually falls for the neighbour’s son, Adam (Jeremy Irvine), but as you can guess, it’s a doomed romance. I really don’t want to say any more, it’s one of those you are best watching for yourself.

At the start of the film I was relieved to see that one of the production companies involved was BBC Films. To me that’s always a mark of quality and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. At the centre of it is a quite brilliant performance from Dakota Fanning; she just gets better each time I see her on screen. She even got her English accent spot on! Also worthy of note were Paddy Considine and Jeremy Irvine, they both had challenging roles that they pulled of quite excellently. Yes, it’s all emotional but that only works if you care about the characters and that’s just why I found this one worked so well. All the characters were well rounded and you knew exactly how they fitted. A very well written script brings it all together. Add to that some great performances and you’re definitely on the right track. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I for one have to say I really enjoyed this one despite the inevitable sad ending.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.6/10.

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 7,801 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1937264/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 56/100 (based on 25 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 64/100 (based on 1,774 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/now_is_good_2012/

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LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/nowisgood/index.html
Trailer:

Film Review: WAR HORSE (2011)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers (Screenplay): Lee Hall & Richard Curtis
Writer (Novel): Michael Morpurgo
Running time: 146 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/History/War
UK Release date: 13^th January 2012

Watched at the cinema Tuesday 17^th January 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Ever since I first saw ‘Jaws’, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and E.T.’ I have been a fan of the work of Steven Spielberg. He is an excellent storyteller and I love the look and feel of his films, particularly those made for a broader audience. After the disappointment I felt after seeing ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (I hadn’t seen ‘The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn’ at the time of writing so couldn’t comment on that one), it was with a little trepidation that I entered the cinema to see his latest offering. I shouldn’t have worried; the critics had given it a warm reception and I have to say they were right. With ‘War Horse’ Spielberg hits all the right notes! I will give you my thoughts on it after this brief summary.

We start before the outbreak of World War I, young Albert lives with his parents Ted and Rose on a small farm on Dartmoor (that’s in Devon, England for those that don’t know). Ted has always been a drinker and one day he comes back from the local horse auction with a thoroughbred colt. Rose is not best pleased but Albert promises to break him and that he will even get him to plough their field. This he does, but as war breaks out Ted has to sell the horse, called Joey by the way, to the army. Albert is heartbroken not only because he is losing his beloved horse, but also because he’s too young to volunteer so he can be with him. He vows that they will be together again as they part company. We now follow Joey and his trials and tribulations in the war. He ends up seeing things from both the British and German side and even spends some time in the care of some French civilians. I will not say any more here because I really don’t want to give the game away… or have the Spoiler Police riding after me again.

Beautifully shot with some quite stunning scenes; I really love the cinematography on this one. This is all backed up with a really great score by John Williams, he has collaborated with Spielberg for many years and I think this is one of his finest pieces of work to date. As for performances, well nobody put a foot wrong; Jeremy Irvine did a great job as Albert Narracott, as did Peter Mullan as Ted and Emily Watson as Rose. Also worthy of note were Niels Arestrup as Grandfather, David Thewlis as Lyons, Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls, Benedict Cumberbatch as Maj. Jamie Stewart and Celine Buckens as Emilie. Finally, of course, I cannot end this section without a mention for the horses that portrayed Joey in the movie; they all did a tremendous job, as did their trainers.

Before seeing this film I had talked to several people about it; many of which stated that they couldn’t watch a film like that in the cinema, it would be too upsetting. I admit, yes, there are some upsetting moments in the film, but I didn’t find it all that bad. I may have reacted differently watching it at home alone, but I don’t think that would have affected my enjoyment of it in any way. There are many plusses in this film that outweigh the few minuses; yes, it’s a bit on the sentimental side, but it’s still a beautifully made sprawling epic and well worth a look (IMO)… Recommended.

My score: 8.6/10.

IMDb Score: 7.4/10 (based on 9,616 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1568911/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 188 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 76/100 (based on 23,610 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_horse/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Albert Narracott: We will be together again.

Major Jamie Stewart: Gentlemen, it is an honor to ride beside you. Make the Kaiser rue the day he crossed swords with us. Let every man do himself, his King, his country, and his fallen comrades proud. Be brave.

Grandfather: Can you imagine flying over a war and you know you can never look down? You have to look forward, or you'll never get home. What could be braver than that?

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.warhorsemovie.com/
Trailer: