Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

One of the best films this year

Hater: Taken from IMDB
"I was in Venice last week so saw this film before its general release. I've been inspired to write the review because of the sheer volume of PR the producers are throwing at this movie ahead of its UK release, making out that it the greatest thing since Citizen Cane and a sure-fire Oscar winner. My main feeling at the end of the film was, "What was the point of that? Why on earth would someone want to remake a 70s spy drama as a carbon copy of countless BBC efforts". There was no attempt to bring anything new to the genre, no hint that they might be making some comment about the modern world (or even the Cold War world) or telling us something we didn't know. If you are over thirty (and you're the target audience) you have seen this all before. The roles are not exactly taxing for the actors who get to speak in their usual RADA accents and be as stiffly upper-lipped as possible. The plot itself is pretty silly (yes, I know it's based on all the Kim Philby type cases but I'm referring to the specific twists and turns of the storyline) and the pace of the action plodding. It's by no means the worst film ever made, just completely unnecessary and on the whole not entertaining."

Too much opinion really, completely unfair when you consider the shed load of positive reviews it’s had.

Lover: Quoted from Anthony Quinn (Film critic for the independent)
"With this new adaptation of John le Carré's Cold War classic we could be looking at the most unglamorous spy movie ever made. It is set (almost inevitably) in the early 1970s and comes wrapped in about a hundred different shades of brown. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the anti-Bond movie par excellence. Instead of sex and speedboats we get a dinosaur museum of predigital telephones, drab duds and anonymous office space. A dab of colour in this setting is like a party balloon emerging from an ash cloud.”

Just because I couldn’t put it better myself really.

What I thought:
It’s very telling that at the time of writing this I cannot find a single bad review of this quiet masterpiece of a film. Just watch the trailer and you know you’re in for a treat, just look at the cast headed by Gary Oldman; you have Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, John Hurt and Benedict Cumberbatch and that’s only touching the surface of the talent involved. You’ll be happy to hear that everyone one them performs at the peak of their abilities and tying it altogether is Tomas Alfredsons sublime subtle shooting style, tying many a thread together to make a web of intrigue that is the best who-dunnit in years.

If it sounds like I’m gushing it’s because I am, it’s not too often a film like this comes along. I like the fact that I haven’t read the book or even seen the ever praised series with Alec Guiness. It made this adaptation the first time I have seen this story and I was blown away by how simple they made it to follow what could have been a complex story with more questions than answers.

That’s not to say there’s no reason not to concentrate, making sure your watching this film in detail will only reward you more. As the plot thickens and the chess pieces move into place, it’s such a delight watching all the strands come together. Gary Oldman is as good as you may heard, the power he holds in words is worth a 100 folded up newspapers wielded by Jason Bourne or even laser watches put to good use by Bond.

I’m not completely full of praise, though there are some stand out moments during the film that are nail biting as you would expect, the rest just serenely trickles past in a flow of superb acting and great shooting. I’m trying to say it’s not as much a nail biter as I was expecting basically but that’s small criticism of what is easily one of the best films of the year and surely at least an Oscar nod For Oldman.

In Cinemas now
Running Time: 127 mins
Cert: 15

New Film: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

A brilliant one here Gary Oldman leads an incredible cast in this thriller.



Synopsis
The spy thriller features a stellar cast including Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Konstantin Khabensky, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Roger Lloyd Pack, and Mark Strong. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (“Let The Right One In”) it is a Working Title production for STUDIOCANAL.

Set in the 1970s, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY finds George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a recently retired MI6 agent, doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent reappears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the Circus, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage. Tasked with investigating which of his trusted former colleagues has chosen to betray him and their country, Smiley narrows his search to four suspects - all experienced, urbane, successful agents - but past histories, rivalries and friendships make it far from easy to pinpoint the man who is eating away at the heart of the British establishment.

The screenplay is by Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor and the film, which was shot in London, Budapest and Istanbul is produced by Working Title’s co-chairmen Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and Robyn Slovo. The executive producers are Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin, Douglas Urbanski, Peter Morgan, Olivier Courson, Ron Halpern and John le Carré.

The Kings Speech

A Thoroughly enjoyable English f f f f f f film

Lover: Taken from IMDB
“No spoilers here. I would like to let everyone know that this is an excellent film. I enjoyed it this week at the Mill Valley Film Festival in Marin County, CA. Given the outstanding cast and director, and my fascination with historical figures, I had high hopes for this film, though mixed with a certain resignation that I might be disappointed. There was no way I could have imagined how wonderful "The King's Speech" would be. There was abundant humor without the film ever becoming a comedy, drama without dreariness, and many deeply moving moments. I can't praise this film enough. It boosted my appreciation of the human capacity to become our best selves, and rise to meet even the most daunting challenges.”

A tad on the dramatic side but there is no doubt that The Kings Speech is an inspirational story.

Hater: Taken from IMDB
“I watched the movie in a local cinema the other night,I should admit I was caught in the web of marketing and media frenzy,,half way the show I lost my interest and with difficulty and hundreds of yawns I could go through the dragging,,,this could've been a play instead of a movie,,all the hype and media rush is because it was nominated for golden globe,,and we usually have a sort of pack mentality,the leaders(critics,golden globe etc.)said it worth to watch and we rush to see it,,believe me it is not. the title reveals a lot,the name of the movie is "the king's speech" so it is all about kings and queens and speech therapy and a very time consuming effort for George VI to become the next king after the previous George V,all the happening is about the period between two King Georges,if you wait for DVD you won't lose anything!!”

I knew what I was getting myself into with The Kings Speech a slow moving story of how one good man conquers a speech impediment under huge stress with the help of another good man. Anyone bored with the kings Speech is in the cinema for the wrong reasons.

What I thought:
Acting; that’s what I think of when I think of The Kings Speech. More specifically when actors take on real people, where is the line drawn between a brilliant piece of acting or just a very good impersonation. In Speech you get examples of both, at one end you have an almost pantomime impression of Winston Churchill by Timothy Spall and on the other a certain Oscar winner. Colin Firth has come a long way since wet shirts and high collars; he’s starting to brush off his bumbling English appeal in favour of grandeur.

Of course to play the stuttering monarch does include some of the English fool; however what it also required was an impressive take on a speech impediment and courage. A King asked to speak to his people on the break out of yet another war, when that King is infamous for his poor public speaking. Geoffery Rush of course is utterly sublime and though I haven’t seen The Fighter, I think it’s a crime he didn’t get that Oscar.

It’s just a slow moving film sure but a pace that suits its lead, the lessons with Lionel Logue skip by the best. With humour and an almost heart-warming ‘bromance’ it’s a pleasure to watch these two actors play off each other. The Kings Speech is an inspirational tale that despite Oscar will not be everyone’s cup of English Tea, for most though it’s a funny and moving story of an important moment in the history of The English Monarchy.

Bridget Jones Diary

Lover: Taken from IMDB
“Bridget Jones's Diary is full of lighthearted fun. The cast is wonderful - especially true for Colin Firth. His performance is magical. Being given such a thin material to work with, playing a `dreadful cold fish', he has artfully shown Mark Darcy's kindness and charm that gradually wins everyone's heart. This would be an impossible mission for actors other than Colin Firth. I enjoy every minute of his performance. In my opinion, they should give this nice boy more camera times - that's the only complain I have about this movie. Besides this complain, I have to congratulate the whole production team for successfully creating a movie of such weightless fun, and at the same time being honest and sincere to the human emotions. It is very hard to believe that this movie is Sharon Maguire's first one. I never read the book. So, you can trust my observation to be totally independent of the book. If you wish to have some fun and also like to dream a little bit, this is definitely the movie for you. BTW. If you enjoy watching drama and haven't seen Colin Firth's "Pride And Prejudice" (BBC), do yourself a favor and rent it. He is *really* a great "Character Actor" - one of the most talented alive.”

Very full of praise for Colin Firth and why not he is very likable in this. However it’s very easy for Colin Firth to play his Darcy in most things he’s in. It is weightless fun but being honest and sincere to human emotions is a bit of a stretch, a woman’s maybe not a man’s.

Hater: Taken from IMDB
“Renee Zellweger's ludicrous British accent is only one of the outrages perpetrated in Sharon Maguire's film of the Helen Fielding bestseller about the life and loves of a thirty-something single woman. This is a film that could set the feminist cause back thirty years with its shamelessly aggressive belief that women have careers only to make themselves more available to men and that life isn't worth living if Mr. Right doesn't come along. Zellweger spends the entire film trying to convince us she's got the accent down but she's only a caricature--and a blank one at that. Maguire, meanwhile, spends just as much effort trying to convince us that a natural beauty like Zellweger is fat and plain--it's a sham (much like Janeane Garafolo is in `The Truth About Cats & Dogs'). The rest of the cast is uninspired; even the dependable Hugh Grant, trying to play against type as a cad, barely registers a pulse and Colin Firth, as Mr. Right, is curiously unlikable. The script (by Fielding and two other-male-writers) is shallow and tedious.”

That has to be the biggest problem with this film that Renee Zellweger is parading as a middle aged British woman. I stress the word parading as she really does over play it a bit and all with an awful attempt at a British accent. It’s just the best example of just how wrong Americans can get not just us brits but the rest of the world.

What I thought:
Beside my obvious anger at the casting of Miss Zellweger I don’t mind Bridget Jones, for a chick-flic it has enough silly humour that can appeal to both the sexes; From the brilliantly portrayed ‘fight’ between Firth and Grant to the strange relatives and crude Christmas Jumpers. To review this properly however I need the opinion of the appropriate audience. My wife liked Bridget Jones but noted that it was not as good as the book and the sequel even less so. The most frustrating thing though and I agree with her, is with the wealth of female acting talent available on our own shores the creators decided to cast an American.

Not much else to say on this one I’m afraid and I feel a bit like a cheat, it’s a chick-flic that has been out for a while so it’s a little hard for me to talk about in length. However the great thing about having your own blog means you can re-visit reviews as new things pop up.