Cyrano, The Batman and The Duke

 

A fine adaptation from the stage musical. However, I agreed with the BBC film critic Mark Kermode that some of the songs in Cyrano were unremarkable. But they were only a vehicle for the lyrics that express feelings, better than dialogue. And the pictures with these songs were quite fantastic. I guess that liking the music of The National helps (Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Matt Berninger, and lyrics with Carin Besser - I have just the one album). The song before the battle will stay with me for a long time. Wherever I Fall is quite something, as is the song over the final credits, Somebody Desperate. I was pinned to my seat. I also thought Every Letter was outstanding. And this from someone not a great lover of musicals. So no Mark, this was a brilliant film, especially the last half hour. The screenplay was only just so so, but Joe Wright's direction made up for it. Peter Dinklage was predictably great but I found Haley Bennett lightweight. Then we get a wonderful cameo from the brilliant Monica Dolan. I'm very glad I decided to see this underrated movie. 

When I realised after watching The Batman that it was directed by Matt Reeves (whose Cloverfield  I thought was great) I did see some similarities in the two movies. The dark, gritty photography, great sound and the concentration on making a fantasy movie seem as realistic as possible. Batman has no super powers, all those here are merely mechanics. Which made it much more interesting. Here is a "normal" human being excessively trained with expensively developed props and gadgets. He doesn't want to kill the bad guys. Robert Pattinson is somehow not the actor I know. He is much better in this. And Andy Serkis deserves an award for his tiny supporting role. 

I loved The Duke, it was so much fun. The writer Richard Bean (renowned for his brilliant play One Man, Two Guvnors - the most laughs I have ever had in a theatre) has adapted a true story into something poignant and heart warming. Director Roger Michell for his last movie has brought superb bravura  performances from Jim Broadbent as Kempton Bunton, and especially Helen Mirren. Hers is far and away the best acting I have seen for years. It was wonderful. 

One interesting fact, Kempton says he prefers Chekhov to Shakespeare. I agree for the more modern writer's big four plays, but he cannot match the far more prolific Bard.