Maybe the last of the proper dramas before the summer blockbuster season. In many ways On Chesil Beach is the definitive story of Britain in the fifties. Not much seemed to have changed since Victorian times as a young, very newly married couple on the first night of their honeymoon, struggle to come to terms what to do in the bedroom. Communication is always the biggest problem. Edward (played mysteriously wooden by Billy Howle) cannot even explain to his father what happened. or didn't happen. Perhaps he was more angry at himself at the time. Saoirse Ronan is her usual brilliant self as Florence.
There are some star cameos from Emily Watson, Anne-Mare Duff and Samuel West. Just a shame we saw so little of them. Director Dominic Cooke portrays the stuffy and awkward scenes with sensitivity. Some early flashbacks include some fine Chiltern scenery (probably insisted upon by local Ian McEwan who adapted his book for the screenplay. But why oh why did he let them change the ending! However, the music by Dan Jones was exceptional. as was the choice of classical tracks.
Now we are well into the summer blockbusters with yet another Jurassic World spin off. (I purposely avoided the super hero and Star War movies). I was surprised that the volcano heavily touted in the early reviews was over within the first half hour. At least the rest of the film had some originality in terms of location. Respected director J. A. Boyona was cramped by the repetitive action sequences, but overall, it was worth the visit.
As was Ocean's 8. I wasn't expecting too much from yet another instalment of a franchise. The main attraction was that it looked good on the big screen. The large budget had been put to good use with big set piece scenes. However, the all female gang are not given a good enough script to show off their talents. Sandra Bullock and Anne Hathaway are perfectly fine in their star roles, but Cate Blanchett seems to disappear half way through? The film concentrate on the intricacies of the heist rather than characterisation, which is a shame. But overall this is a fun movie that does not overstay it's welcome.
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