Testament Of Youth

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms/film/testament_of_youth

I saw Testament Of Youth as part of my FDA accreditation course. It was the second film they'd shown to us, the first being the hilarious vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows. When the film was announced there were whispers in the auditorium, clearly from fellow bloggers who had heard of the film, or perhaps from people who were familiar with the book by Vera Brittain on which the film is based. I am sad to say that I was ignorant to both, but as a keen film fan of most genres, I was interested to see what this film was about.

I will admit that I might have felt a small pang of disappointment when I realised it was a "war" film, so let me start right away by saying that I was in no way disappointed by the end of the film, and it gave me a whole new perspective on what to expect from a "war" film.

For those as unfamiliar as I was, the story is told from the point of view of young Vera Brittain, who's only want in life is to go to university. She loves books and hates her cooped up home life, and her happiest day is when she wins a scholarship to Oxford. Little does Vera know that the First World War is just around the corner, and with it, her life will change forever.

To say more would be a great disservice to a beautifully crafted film, a wonderfully woven and detailed story and some of the most heartbreaking performances I have seen in a long time. Testament Of Youth pulled me in completely, it compelled me to watch and it made me feel every emotion that brave Vera feels.

At the time, it was the first film I had seen Alicia Vikander in, and despite my misgivings that this unknown young lady could hold my attention for the full span, let alone have me singing her praises afterwards, she did just that. It's a shame that her more widely released film Ex_Machina did not allow her to show her full range of talent as she is honestly tremendous here. As is the 'better known for Game of Thrones' actor Kit Harington. They are ably supported by the always amazing Hayley Atwell, Dominic West, Emily Watson and Miranda Richardson.

After watching (and crying through) Testament Of Youth, I wanted so much to read Vera Brittain's book on which the film was based. I sought it out at my local library and found an absolute monster doorstop of a novel. I mean no disrespect to Ms Brittain when I say that I managed to read about 2 chapters of the book before I gave up with it. The members of my book club will tell you that I do not give up easily, but I found the book completely unreadable. I really do have the utmost respect for Ms Brittain to overcome what she went through in the war and then write it all down for the world to read. But her book was written in a very different language to today's English. In many ways that's a good thing, especially in the day and age of text speak, but it's a case of why use 5 words if you can use 50. Every sentence is written in such a convoluted way that it's hard to decipher what she's really telling us.

I therefore doff my cap to the screenwriter Juliette Towhidi who has done such a fantastic job of converting this mammoth book into not just a watchable movie, but a memorable and beautiful movie. One which I urge all of my readers (yes, all two of you) to see. 9 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 25th October 2014
UK Release Date - 16th January 2015

Cast Overview:
Alicia Vikander ~ Vera Brittain
Kit Harington ~ Roland Leighton
Hayley Attwell ~ Hope
Taron Egerton ~ Edward Brittain
Dominic West ~ Mr Brittain
Emily Watson ~ Mrs Brittain
Miranda Richardson ~ Miss Lorimer
Colin Morgan ~ Victor Richardson
Anna Chancellor ~ Mrs Leighton
Joanna Scanlan ~ Aunt Belle

Director ~ James Kent
Writer ~ Vera Brittain (Book) and Juliette Towhidi

Pride and The Riot Club

http://www.theriotclub.co.uk/

UK Release - 19th September 2014

I know what you're thinking. How on earth do these movies have anything remotely to do with one another. Well, truth is, they have a lot in common.

The first is that they are both British made. The second is that they share quite a few cast members (and probably crew too). And the thing is that after I saw Pride, I wanted to review it. But it had been out a few weeks by then and I kinda felt as though I'd missed my window (the same as I did for Guardians of the Galaxy - but don't worry, that one will come). Then I saw The Riot Club and I just knew I would have to combine my reviews in order to really get my point across.

So while I'm relatively calm, I shall start with Pride...

http://www.pridemovie.co.uk/

UK Release - 12th September 2014

As you might have gathered, Pride is a movie about gays (I say this with a hint of a Welsh accent and I promise you it's meant in the kindest regard). But my god it's so much more than that. It's about a time when people actually gave a shit about what was happening to their friends, their neighbours, and they stood up and fought back when things were being done to their friends and neighbours which weren't right. Most of them being done by the UK government at the time. It's set in 1984 during the miners strike, when at the Gay Pride March in London, a group of gay and lesbian activists decides to raise money to support the families of the striking miners. The only problem is that the Miners Union is embarrassed to receive their support. The activists are not deterred by this. They decide to ignore the Union and go direct to the Miners. They identify a mining village in Wales and set off in a mini bus to make their donation in person. And so begins the extraordinary story of two seemingly alien communities who form a surprising and ultimately triumphant partnership.

Yes, most of that I got from the official Pride movie website, but it describes it so beautifully that I decided I couldn't do better. Anyway, my point is that even though I tend to steer away from British movies, and despite that fact that I read a pretty awful review for Pride, I thought it was bloody brilliant (again to be said with a Welsh accent). It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me feel. Where sadly, a lot of movies lately have not. If it's still on near you, I wholeheartedly recommend you see it and be pleasantly surprised. 8 out of 10.

And so, into the depths of hell we go. From one surprisingly great British film, to one I am sorry to have given money to. Not only that, I'm also disgusted to live in a country where the type of people depicted in this film are all too real. 

The Riot Club -

Set amongst the privileged elite of Oxford University, The Riot Club follows Miles (Max Irons) and Alistair (Sam Claflin), two first year students determined to join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of a single evening.
The Riot Club is directed by Lone Scherfig, who most recently helmed 'One Day', and the Best Picture Academy Award nominee 'An Education'. It is produced by Pete Czernin and Graham Broadbent of Blueprint Pictures ('The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', 'Seven Psychopaths').
Screenwriter Laura Wade has adapted her critically-acclaimed play, with development support from the BFI Film Fund and Film4. 'Posh' premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2010, before transferring to the West End.

I write about film, not for a living but because it is my great passion in life. If there is a discussion about films of any kind in my day job office, I will bend my ear to try and hear it and join in. A debate about film is even better, different views and ideas all being thrown in. If my review sparks debate then so be it, but I just want to preface what I'm about to say; I am not saying this to be controversial, or in fact to start a debate. I am saying this simply because it is how I feel.

The Riot Club made me feel physically sick. Bravo film-makers, you have made a film so vile it actually made me gag at one point. I honestly don't understand why anybody wanted to be involved in this film. It's sick, it's depraved, it's filled with horrendous characters that you can only pray you never meet anyone like. Knowing only too well that sadly, people like this, people who get away with murder because daddy can buy them out of jail, are all too real. And in fact most of them are today running our great country. 

I am sad that the BFI put it's name to this film because it will forever tarnish them in my mind. I will always wonder if the next BFI backed project will be just another Riot Club. 1 out of 10. 

I find it so infinitely fascinating that two movies, both made here, both about parts of the rich history of Britain, both with some of the same actors, can be so very different. Here endeth the lesson on British Film.

Cast Overview Pride:

Mark ~ Ben Schnetzer
Joe ~ George MacKay
Gethin ~ Andrew Scott
Mike ~ Joseph Gilgun
Steph ~ Faye Marsay
Jeff ~ Freddie Fox
Jonathan ~ Dominic West
Dai ~ Paddy Considine
Sian ~ Jessica Gunning
Hefina ~ Imelda Staunton
Cliff ~ Bill Nighy

Cast Overview The Riot Club:

Alistair Ryle ~ Sam Claflin
Harry Villiers ~ Douglas Booth
Rachel ~ Jessica Brown Findlay
Miles Richards ~ Max Irons
Lauren ~ Holliday Grainger
Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt ~ Sam Reid
Dimitri Mitropoulos ~ Ben Schnetzer
Jeremy ~ Tom Hollander
James Leighton-Masters ~ Freddie Fox
Charlie ~ Natalie Dormer

The Awakening

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms/film/the_awakening

It was only last week that I saw the trailer for The Awakening. I understand the lengthy process of film making but this seems to have come out of nowhere to me. I hadn't read anything about it in the run up to its release and only had the trailer to whet my appetite before deciding to go and see the movie.

But the trailer was enough and I did go and see the film this weekend. The tale is one of a boys boarding school in the 1920s which is being plagued by a ghost. One of the teachers at the school, Mr Mallory (Dominic West), is prompted by the matron (Imelda Staunton) to visit novelist Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) who is famed for disproving ghost sightings and seances. Florence visits the school and sets booby traps for boys she believes are wandering around the school at night frightening other pupils. It's only when she has a horrifying encounter of her own that she starts to wonder if her hoax theories are true after all.

I'm very glad that I saw the trailer for The Awakening or I might have missed this small British film entirely. And while I think it would work as well on DVD as it does in the cinema, there is something quite frightening about a pitch black room and a screen so big they make the terror that much bigger and therefore all the more scary.

Eerily shot at Manderston House on the Scottish border, with very little in the way of effects, it's all about the set up and the environment. At its core this is a haunted house movie. But unlike the Paranormal Activities of this era, The Awakening evokes reminiscences of films like The Others, which although I didn't love, I could appreciate it had originality and was genuinely eerie to watch.

The Awakening is very similar in that respect, more of an old school ghost movie. So many scary films these days it's all about murderers or CGI so it's nice to see a good old fashioned haunting. And it really is the simple touches, the use of darkness, an unfamiliar and large house where you don't know what's hiding behind each corner, a sound in another room, the camera passing by someone that your main character hasn't noticed, all of these things are much scarier than the big shocks which are designed to get a scream from the audience. I guess because the things you imagine are often much worse than the reality.

There are enough scares and jumps here to keep modern horror fans entertained, and good enough acting in between the scares and jumps for everyone else. Like The Others, The Awakening also has a twist in the end. And I am happy to say that although we had our guesses, neither me or my companion guessed the twist. And I even came up with a further question at the end. I won't spoil it for anyone wanting to go and see but I'll ask you to comment if you've seen it and have your own theories. And if you haven't seen it, don't scroll down to the comments! 

Worth a watch but you might need to hide under your coat when she's looking through the spy hole. 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 12th November 2011

UK Release Date - 11th November 2011

Cast Overview:

Rebecca Hall ~ Florence Cathcart

Dominic West ~ Robert Mallory

Imelda Staunton ~ Maud Hill

Isaac Hempstead Wright ~ Tom

Joseph Mawle ~ Edward Judd

Director ~ Nick Murphy

Writer(s) ~ Stephen Volk and Nick Murphy