Hanna, Attack the Block and Never Let Me Go

Mix a young female Jason Bourne with a fairytale thriller, put on a soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers, and you have Hanna, an original take on the action assassin genre. But it is all a bit of a mess. Joe Wright is a clever director, and many of the scenes work well. But taken together they defie logic. It would have helped to have the basis of the plot explained aroung halfway instead of waiting until the silly ending. Saoirse Ronan is excellent as Hanna, as are Olivia Williams and Jason Flemyng as the hippie parents who take her under their wing. But what is Tom Hollander doing as one of the villains. He must have been instructed to camp it up.

After watching the trailers for Attack the Block, I couldn't wait to see the movie. The concept of aliens landing on a South London housing estate was just too good to be true. The leader of a teenage gang of hoodies unwittingly kills a young alien. Big mistake. It's not long before the hideous creature's friends are up for revenge. This makes for a brilliant comedy horror from writer-director Joe Cornish. He has a good ear for the slang of our "heroes", and this is well delivered by the young cast. OK, the limitations of the budget makes for a low key spectacle, but the film is none the worse for that. Jodie Whittaker and Nick Frost bring a clever adult counterpoint to the exuberance of the boys. There are a few distinctly irresponsible actions from the gang, but in the end this is a fantasy and they are included for a reason. In my view, a movie that is even better than Shaun of the Dead, and that is saying something. One last memory, the exterior photography of the the lit tower block seeming like a gigantic spacecraft was fabulous.

I had to see Never Let Me Go. One of my favourite books by Kazuo Ishiguro and a story that I knew would be so difficult to replicate on screen. And I have to say that I felt director Mark Romanek failed to find the essence of the novel, but that was probably to be expected. It is quite a harrowing story, and this certainly comes out in the movie. But there is a feeling of happiness and friendship in the book that is missing here. So all we are left with at the end is the sadness of the character's predicament, and the horror of what put them there. I also felt the times at Hailsham and The Cottages were rushed to spend longer with the final section. The acting is very good, Carey Mulligan excellent as our narrator (why do I love narrators in books but can't stand the concept on film), and she is well supported by Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield.

Olympic Tickets

When I checked my bank statement online, I knew straightaway that we had been successful for just one of the Olympic events that we had applied for. It was for two tickets to the very first session of Athletics on Saturday morning 4th August 2012 at the Olympic Stadium. Hopefully, Jessica Ennis will be competing in the first two disciplines of the Heptathlon.

But what is even better is that we will be there when the athletics starts and we have the tickets we wanted, the middle of the five prices, instead of being in the cheapest seats for an evening session. I didnt get anything for the cycling or gymnastics and Alison was unsuccessful in all her applications. But next year we are on our way to the Olympic Park and the stadium. That is as good as we would have wished for.

Manchester City win the FA Cup

After thirty five years, the team that Alison has supported all her life has won a trophy. There have been many ups and downs during that time. We have seen them relegated to the third tier of English football, joined the away supporters behind the goal at Oxford United's old ground, and been regularly humbled by lower league opposition in various cup competitions. But that is all at an end. Qualification for the Champions League and winning the FA Cup all in the same week. Extraordinary.

On Friday, Alison was thrilled when she came back from swimming to see balloons in City blue outside the front door. The internet is just brilliant when you need to buy something so specific. And there are a few left for next time.

Water for Elephants, Thor and True Grit

For the first time for ages, I went to see a movie on the day of it's opening, before any reviews here had been published. "Water for Elephants" is an interesting story, but it may have been better to read the book instead. Yes, there were some spectacular sets, depression era America has never looked so good. An early scene when the big top is erected is superb. But the romance between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon never catches alight. There would always have been awkwardness in a relationship between a younger man and an older woman, but it does not make for easy viewing. Christoph Waltz's portrayal of the husband with a sinister side would have been great if he had not totally reprised his role from "Inglourious Basterds". I had thought a romantic melodrama would have been right up my street, so why it it feel so dull?

The reviews of "Thor" had been mixed, but I went expecting more, given the director was Kenneth Branagh. I should know by now that superhero movies nearly always disappoint. There was just too much CGI and not enough story. It starts off fine, as Thor is banished to earth for being far too cocky. But ultimately the final battle scenes are prolonged and boring. I should know by now.

I had to see "True Grit", mainly because of rave reviews and Oscar nominations, and apparently back to form for the Coen brothers. But somehow I had forgotten that this was a western. And I don't like westerns. So no matter how much there is to recommend, and there is a lot, for me it is just another western. The best thing about the film is the cinematography. Roger Deakins deservedly won the BAFTA (but only nominated for the Oscar) for the sweeping landscapes. They might have looked even better on celluloid instead of digital.

Tring Book Club - Room by Emma Donoghue and Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse

These two novels are why I go to book club. I would never have read them otherwise, and both were good choices. "Room" was nominated for the Booker prize, and is narrated by five year old Jack. The author, Emma Donoghue, admits it was inspired by the Joseph Spritzel case but it was in thinking about how she and her young son might cope in similar circumstances that brought about this story. There are only hints early on as to how mother and son arrived in their predicament, and this makes for a fascinating but unsettling introduction. The middle section changes completely into a thrilling action piece which is quite shattering. I was unprepared for the last half of the book, and again found it quite provocative as Jack and Ma have different problems to overcome. But all through, the writing and storytelling were very good, surprisingly so given what could have been a bland and awkward tale.

I have never read anything by Kate Mosse. "Labyrinth" and "Sepulchre" are long historical novels that are definitely not my thing. But I was interested in a short novel based in the south of France between the wars and telling the story of Freddie, still grieving for his brother,  as he tours the foothills of the Pyrenees. The author knows the location intimately and it shows. The description of one village that Freddie arrives at after his car breaks down is as good as it gets. The whole story has a great atmosphere and a tantalising twist. Good stuff.

Revenge of the Giant Face

The beginning of Chapter Five "Revenge of the Giant Face"  subtitled  "Night of NATION'S PRIDE Premier" from Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" is definitely my favourite five minutes on film. The first chords of David Bowie's "Cat People" over the captions is only the start. As his vocal comes in, the beautiful Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus leans seductively by the  fabulous huge circular window of her cinema, contemplating the terrible revenge she has organised for that night. It is only on repeat viewings that I now see the startling editing which comes next. Four times we gradually get closer to Shosanna, as each shot melts into the other. This is film making at it's peak.

I mentioned on a previous posting (11th August 2010) about how Shosanna initially applies rouge as warpaint during the ultra close up as she applies her make up. The song ends as she dons hat and veil and makes her way to the balcony where she watches all her victims gather. (Melanie Laurent was absolutely brilliant in this film, warranting awards and nominations for best actress from a number of film societies.) I cannot think of a more dramatic sequence from any movie. Perhaps one from "The Godfather" comes close.

Limitless, Source Code and Fast Five

Instantly forgettable, but quite reasonable entertainment at the time, "Limitless" is a decent enough thriller that keeps up a high pace throughout. I agreed with Mark Kermode that normally you would avoid any film with Bradley Cooper, but here he finds just the right vehicle for his unwarranted ego. The drug he takes allows him to race through writing his unstarted novel and take on Wall Street, before the expected side effects have him being chased by NYPD and some Russian mafioso. All spoilt by some very poor digital cinematography.

I had high hopes for "Source Code". And whilst it did provide some good moments, overall it was a bit of a let down. Jake Gyllenhaal was very good, but the scenes on the train got a little too repetitive for me, and it came something of a relief as we finally hit solid ground. But there was enough to keep me interested throughout, watching as gradually our hero gets to grip with the problem he has to solve. Well directed by Duncan Jones with a good supporting cast including Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga, excellent in the first role I have seen her in since "Up in the Air".

It has been hard over the last few weeks to find anything worth the visit to the cinema, all thanks to a prolonged Easter break. So you can tell how I was scraping the barrel in going to see "Fast and Furious Five". It did have some reasonable reviews, and I have to say it was not all fights and car chases. If there was one reason to see the movie on the big screen, it is for the photography of Rio. That was always worth looking at.