Film Review: ANNA KARENINA (2012)

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Tom Stoppard (screenplay), Leo Tolstoy (novel)
Running time: 125 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Drama
UK Release date: 7^th September 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 31^st August 2013.

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

This is probably not the kind of film you would normally associate with my good self. Well, I like a challenge and it’s good, every now and then, to step outside of your comfort zone and try something a little different. Now, I must confess to having seen the (I think) 1948 version of this story back when I was very young on a wet Sunday afternoon when we only had three TV channels to choose from. I remember being very bored and swore never to watch this kind of twaddle again; my sister seemed to enjoy it though. And so, well outside of my comfort zone, I sat down to watch a more modern take on the story. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

A married woman, Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley) leaves her home in St Petersburg to visit her brother Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen) in Moscow. He is having trouble with his marriage and has asked her to smooth things over with his wife. Whilst there she meets Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and immediately falls for him. A tempestuous affair ensues and it soon comes to the notice of Anna’s husband, Karenin (Jude Law). Despite his many warnings, she continues the affair and soon finds herself ostracised from society. What is she to do? We also have a sub-plot about a young man, Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) and the young woman he has fallen for, Kitty (Alicia Vikander), who happens to also be smitten by Vronsky. Complicated stuff, but you know it will all work out in the end; or will it?

Beautifully shot using a very theatrical style. In fact the majority of the action uses a theatre as its backdrop and I even spotted a section of stop-motion animation at one point. Sumptuous costumes, for which it won an Oscar, and some brilliantly choreographed set pieces are the backbone of this production. Of course we must not forget it is a drama and there’s plenty of that with some really excellent performances to back it up. Keira Knightly went up in my estimation with this one; as did Jude Law; they both put in great performances. Also worthy of note was Aaron Taylor-Johnson; who I have watched with interest over the past few years and is rapidly growing into a very fine actor (& yes, he is that guy from ‘Kick-Ass’). I was a little concerned that it may be a case of ‘style over substance’, but as it wore on I became more and more engrossed in the characters and the storyline. I guess this shows that the drama did manage to shine through (at least for me). The only thing that let it down was the fact the sub-plot involving Levin and Kitty didn’t really have a lot to do with Anna and Vronsky by the time we saw the last of them; it seemed a little disjointed. Over all though, a very worthy watch and one, I’m sure my sister would definitely enjoy!

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.7/10.

IMDb Score: 6.6/10 (based on 39,114 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781769/

MetaScore: 63/100: (Based on 41 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 64/100 (based on 176 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 52/100 (based on 48,652 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anna_karenina_2012/

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http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaKareninaTheMovie
Official Site (UK): http://www.annakareninamovie.co.uk/
Trailer:

Film Review: NEVER LET ME GO (2010)

Director: Mark Romanek
Writers: Kazuo Ishiguro (Novel), Alex Garland (Screenplay)
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 11^th February 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 15^th January 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember hearing about this film when it came out; I was slightly intrigued by it at first, but then I heard it was a bit of a love story and shelved it for a bit. Well, it resurfaced this week and, despite my reservations I decided to give it a look. You’ll be pleased to know I was pleasantly surprised. Some really great performances are the highlight of this heartbreaking tale set in an alternate reality. I will tell you more after this brief summary.

At an idyllic school called Hailsham in the countryside, three children; Kathy, Tommy and Ruth become friends. From the beginning you can tell there is something odd about this school it is not until one of the teachers, Miss Lucy, tells the students of their purpose that the audience, along with the children, begins to understand. [I will not say here what it is as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the film.] The story is told through the eyes of Kathy  and you can tell that she is attracted to Tommy, but Ruth gets to him first. At the age of eighteen they are allowed to leave and go to live in a place called ‘The Cottages’ with teenagers from other schools. By now Tommy and Ruth have become a couple and they begin to explore the world around them. They hear about something called a ‘deferral’ for couples that are in love [don’t worry, that will make sense when you see the film] and Kathy can’t bare it any longer and leaves to become a carer. She later hears that Tommy and Ruth had broken up. Little does she know but their paths are due to cross again and it is this meeting that will decide their fate. I will not say any more or the Spoiler Police (Alternate Reality Division) will be removing my organs (again).

This film is beautifully made with a great musical score by Rachel Portman, it really captures the mood of the piece. Great cinematography combines with the great British countryside to give the plot the room it needs to breathe. The thing that stands out most though is the performances of the three main characters; Carey Mulligan as Kathy, Andrew Garfield as Tommy and Keira Knightley as Ruth all put in really great performances. I must also give a mention to their young counterparts; Izzy Meikle-Small as Young Kathy, Charlie Rowe as Young Tommy and Ella Purnell as Young Ruth were all excellent also. Honourable mentions go to; Charlotte Rampling as Miss Emily and Sally Hawkins as Miss Lucy.

This is a bit of a heartbreaker of a film, filled with a lot of emotion because the audience are allowed to get to know these characters and become invested in their fate. I have to admit to feeling very sad by the end. It’s beautifully made with great care and so hats off to the filmmakers for making it as enjoyable to watch as it was. As I’ve already said, it’s quite heartbreaking at the end but still well worth a look… Recommended.

My score: 8.3/10.

IMDb Score: 7.2/10 (based on 35,146 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 70/100 (based on 162 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 70/100 (based on 29,621 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_let_me_go_2010/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Kathy: My name is Kathy H. I'm 28 years old. I've been a carer for nine years. And I'm good at my job. My patients always do better than expected, and are hardly ever classified as agitated, even if they're about to make a donation. I'm not trying to boast, but I feel a great sense of pride in what we do. Carers and donors have achieved so much. That said, we aren't machines. In the end it wears you down. I suppose that's why I now spend most of my time not looking forwards, but looking back, to The Cottages and Hailsham, and what happened to us there.

Kathy: It had never occurred to me that our lives, so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed. If I'd known, maybe I'd have kept tighter hold of them.

[last lines]
Kathy: I come here and imagine that this is the spot where everything I've lost since my childhood is washed out. I tell myself, if that were true, and I waited long enough then a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field and gradually get larger until I'd see it was Tommy. He'd wave. And maybe call. I don't know if the fantasy go beyond that, I can't let it. I remind myself I was lucky to have had any time with him at all. What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.

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

Film Review: LONDON BOULEVARD (2010)

Writer (Screenplay)/Director: William Monahan
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 26^th November 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 13^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this came out it didn’t make any big ripples in the pool of critical acclaim. Just another British gangster movie was the vibe I got from various sources. Even so, when it recently aired on TV I decided to give it a look. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised to find a very understated, but at the same time, quite violent film that I quite enjoyed. It does have its faults though; I’ll get to them after this very brief summary.

When Mitchel is released from prison having done a three year stretch for an assault he finds it all too easy to slip into his old ways. An old friend, Billy Norton, sets him up with somewhere to live and takes him out collecting protection money in the high rise flats. It’s not what Mitchel wants though and he is tempted with an offer of a job looking after reclusive actress, Charlotte. Her assistant (for want of a better word) Jordan shows him the ropes but he is always being dragged back into the world he is trying to escape. A big crime boss, Gant, wants him to steal from Charlotte, but he has become very attached to her. Can Mitchel get away from the life that sent him to jail or will he be sucked back into that life to protect what he holds dear? There is much more to it than that but the Spoiler Police have threatened to take away my PC if I say any more.

A very well made film with some interesting performances. I thought Colin Farrell did a decent job as Mitchel, although I did find his English accent a bit odd. Keira Knightley also put in a decent turn as the slightly paranoid Charlotte. David Thewlis as Jordan and Anna Friel as Briony (Mitchel’s sister) were excellent. Finally, Ben Chaplin as Billy Norton and (of course), Ray Winstone as Gant both did excellent work also.

I found the film quite confusing at first, there were many threads that started and didn’t really seem to go anywhere. Once the Mitchel/Charlotte storyline gets established though, it does become more coherent. As I said at the beginning, it’s quite violent and so maybe not one for the more squeamish. Rather a lot of time is spent on establishing Mitchel as a gangster and not enough on his blossoming romance with Charlotte. This meant that I ended up not really convinced by their relationship in the end and so it didn’t quite work (for me). It is still worth a watch though and I’d still deem it… Recommended (just).

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 13,450 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1213648/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Mitchel: You don't want me to be a gangster. Nobody wants’ me to be a gangster, 'cause I could not stop if I started.
Mitchel: You'd be the first to die.

Charlotte: If I fell in love with you, what would you do about it?
Mitchel: Everything.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/london-boulevard
Trailer: