Stand By Me

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092005/

Much like my review for The Thing, I feel I should prompt my readers to cast their eyes over one of my personal blogs, Wherever, Whatever, Have A Nice Day, before you read the below review as I feel it's important that you know where I'm coming from.

Most of the classic films I have reviewed this year have been seen at my favourite independent cinema, The Prince Charles Cinema in London. Stand By Me was no exception. I can't thank them enough for letting me tick another film off my cinematic bucket list. I just wish a certain little lady had been here to watch it with me.

For those who've never seen Stand By Me, it's a story of 4 boys who live in a small town in Oregon called Castle Rock. One of the boys, Vern (Jerry O'Connell) overhears his brother talking to a friend about how they witnessed the accidental death of a boy who had since been reported missing. They'd stolen a car and driven out to a lake and saw the boy get hit by a train. They don't want to tell the cops because they'll get in trouble for stealing a car. Vern immediately runs and tells his friends, Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix) and Teddy (Corey Feldman). They realise that if they 'found' the body themselves, while on a camping trip, they'd be hailed as heroes. So they set out on a 30 mile trek to find the body of a dead kid. But they end up discovering more than they bargained for along the way.

So you've read the blog post right? Then you know that Stand By Me is the film that made me discover River Phoenix. The actor who's life (and death) has had the biggest impact on my life, the decisions I make, the people I mix with, ultimately, he shaped my integrity and the things I believe in. So that makes Stand By Me a film that had a HUGE impact on my life. It kinda made me the person I am today. 

So what do I think of it? Well excuse me for saying d'uh! I love it of course! Parts make me laugh, parts make me cry and when Gordie shouts "TRAIN!!!" I still get nervous even though I know they make it across the bridge! As my brother just pointed out to me (though it wasn't really necessary), Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix give career defining performances. Performances which show vulnerability, courage and ultimately, strength. They portray complex emotions that their youth could surely not have prepared them for. And along with Feldman and O'Connell they show us a friendship that has lasted long after the camera's stopped filming.

Rob Reiner does a beautiful job of directing his young cast, never making the audience feel like they are inappropriately watching a bunch of young boys in the woods. He instead makes you feel like you are one of the gang and on their side no matter what they are doing, talking silly around a camp fire, trudging through a leech infested swamp or standing up to the bullies. I couldn't imagine any other director handling the material as well as he did.

Which brings me to the novella. Which, don't be too shocked, I have actually read. And love. With the exception of a few extra scenes that are in the story but not in the film, it's virtually exactly the same. Which as I know from reading IT by Stephen King, and watching the adaptation, is not an easy thing to do. I take my hat off again to the screenwriters and Reiner for sticking so close to the source material.

The only niggle I have is that the PCC's copy of the film hadn't aged very well and it meant that the film skipped dialogue during some of my favourite scenes. For this I deduct half a point as it did somewhat spoil the overall experience. If I was watching a perfect copy, it would have been a perfect 10. As it stands, Stand By Me gets 9.5 out of 10.

Review dedicated to my best friend, Miranda Abigail Tennant, who died 3 years ago today. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

Viewing Date - 4th December 2011

Original UK Release Date - 13th March 1987

Cast Overview:

Wil Wheaton ~ Gordie Lachance

River Phoenix ~ Chris Chambers

Corey Feldman ~ Teddy Duchamp

Jerry O'Connell ~ Vern Tessio

Kiefer Sutherland ~ Ace Merrill

Casey Siemaszko ~ Billy Tessio

Gary Riley ~ Charlie Hogan

Bradley Gregg ~ Eyeball Chambers

Jason Oliver ~ Vince Desjardins

Marshall Bell ~ Mr Lachance

Frances Lee McCain ~ Mrs Lachance

John Cusack ~ Denny Lachance

Director ~ Rob Reiner

Writer(s) ~ Raynold Gideon (Screenplay), Bruce A Evans (Screenplay) and Stephen King (based on his novella The Body). 

The Thing

http://www.thethingmovie.net/

For background on what I think of the original 'The Thing' go here. I should point out that this review is for the prequel which is on general release at the moment and which is also called 'The Thing'. Note I said prequel and not remake. This is not a re-telling of the 1982 film but a film about what happened before that film. Gottit? Good. Let's move on.

For anyone who's not seen the 1982 film The Thing starring Kurt Russell, it's about a bunch of American researchers stationed in the Antarctic who witness a dog being shot at by Norwegians in a helicopter, who have come from their nearby base. The helicopter crash lands, killing both Norwegians on board, which leaves the Americans with no idea why they were trying to shoot an innocent animal. The Americans decide to head over to the Norwegian base to find out what's going on. Once there they discover what the Norwegians found under the ice, an alien ship and a creature that they estimate had been there for more than 100,000 years. This film, as I pointed out, is not a remake of that, but a prequel, showing what happened to the Norwegians who found the ship and the creature and what happened when it thawed out.

I don't feel the need to go any further into the synopsis as in spite of this not being a remake it does follow the very familiar pattern of the first 'Thing'. That's not to say that this is a bad move on behalf of the film makers. It would after all be kind of hard for them to change the pattern as what happens to the Norwegians in this film is almost identical to what happens to the Americans in the first film - the alien takes over the base, one person at a time.

There are differences however, a lot more time is spent on the alien ship for one. Fans of the original will be happy to see a scene involving a test to see who is 'Thing' and who is human has been given a new lease of life, but is still as nerve wracking to watch as the original scene was. 

There are a lot of jumps in this movie but not really anything new in terms of plot. Plus I kinda think that one of the things which makes the original so scary is not knowing what the creature looked like originally. You only ever saw it in it's copied state or mid-transformation. While you don't get to see it clearly in this film, you do get more of an idea of what it looked like before it changed. 

I also wasn't keen on the use of CGI as I'd heard they were going to make this the old fashioned way to mirror the first film. But in the end they went down the CGI route, I'm guessing because this is quicker and less costly than model making. But I did love the effects in the original, even if they seem laughable to audiences now. 

I did come away liking The Thing 2011 though and felt it did wrap things up nicely, providing you stay and watch the extra bits that appear throughout the end credits. It's not as good as it's predecessor but it's enjoyable none-the-less. 7.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 2nd December 2011

UK Release Date - 2nd December 2011

Cast Overview:

Mary Elizabeth Winstead ~ Kate Lloyd

Joel Edgerton ~ Carter

Ulrich Thomsen ~ Dr Sander Halvorson

Eric Christian Olsen ~ Adam Finch

Kim Bubbs ~ Juliette

Jørgan Langhelle ~ Lars

Jan Gunnar Røise ~ Olav

Stig Henrik Hoff ~ Peder

Director ~ Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr

Writer(s) ~ Eric Heisserer (Screenplay) and John W Campbell Jr (Short Story 'Who Goes There')

My Week With Marilyn

http://myweekwithmarilynmovie.com/

I'm sure what I'm about to say will be a shock to a lot of my regular readers and to a lot of my friends too. I have never seen a Marilyn Monroe film. I don't consider myself a fan of hers and in truth I've never been that intrigued or beguiled by her as most people are. I am however, intrigued by the way she died. As a lot of people are. I think there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

I also think she was beautiful, a shining star of her era, and I think her death was a tragedy because she never got to reach her full potential. That's why, despite my lack of enthusiasm towards Marilyn herself, I wanted to see this adaptation of a supposedly true story. A window into the life of one of the most iconic women in the world.

The film is set during the time that Ms Monroe (Michelle Williams) spent in England filming 'The Prince and the Showgirl' with Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). The third assistant director on 'The Prince and the Showgirl' was Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), who had been hired as a favour to a relative who worked for the studio making the film. During his time on set Colin gets to know Marilyn and becomes one of the few people she trusts and she relies on him as a confidante. They become ever closer when Marilyn's husband, playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott), leaves the UK to go back to his children in the US, leaving Marilyn in a strange country and feeling alienated from the cast and crew who she's convinced all hate her.

I saw this movie with my best friend who is a lifelong Marilyn fan. And what a difference this made, it gave me an insight into the 'true story' this film is based on that I wouldn't have otherwise had. I was reliably informed that a lot of 'borrowing' went on in this film, something which has been backed up by articles I've read since seeing it. Things we know happened have been interwoven into the screenplay to make everything else all the more convincing.

Colin Clark's memoirs after all can't really be contested, as the one person who could confirm or deny their contents wasn't here when the books were published. And although the film doesn't quite confirm an affair between the two it is certainly implied that they were very close. And no matter how lonely Marilyn felt, I find it hard to believe she would have been so open and 'friendly' with a guy like Colin.

I digress however as this is a review of the film and not my opinion on a book I've never read. Though it's hard to review one without mentioning the other. One of the main reasons I wanted to see this (as I'm not a Marilyn fan) was Michelle Williams. As mentioned in my Blue Valentine review, I have been a fan of Miss Williams for a number of years now. And while she is good in the title role, she's not at her best. I would definitely say "don't believe the hype" in this case, that way you might be pleasantly surprised rather than mildly disappointed with her performance. You can tell that she's put a lot of research into her character, and it pays off to some extent, but she just doesn't quite pull off Marilyn. 

But then I defy you to find someone who could. This is the problem with making films about film stars of old. They had old school Hollywood glamour on their side, they were icons of the silver screen. How does one imitate that? Clearly the answer is that they don't as Michelle, try as she might, just can't capture that star quality that Marilyn seemed to ooze from every inch of her. I mentioned above that I've never seen a Marilyn Monroe film. This is true. I have however seen bits of Marilyn Monroe films. And seen enough images and interviews etc to believe I know what I'm talking about when I say she oozed star quality. There's a reason she's the icon she is, no-one has come close to matching her je ne sais quoi. Whatever it was that she had that made her so appealing, no other movie star has ever captured it. And I don't think they ever will. 

That said, Michelle Williams does a good job of an impossible task and you don't come away annoyed or angered by her performance. And I think that's the most you can hope for. Branagh and Dench on the other hand are both fabulous in their respective roles of Sir Olivier and Dame Thorndike. Dench doesn't have an awful lot to do but you relish every time she's on screen and she fills her character with such likability that I can only hope Sybil was as nice in real life. And from the little I've seen of Laurence Olivier in The Prince and the Showgirl I think Branagh's portrayal of him is spot on. Unfortunately for Branagh I imagine he'll be largely overlooked as all the talk will be about Williams. Finally, Redmayne, although still a little too weird looking for my tastes, is fittingly bland in his role of Colin. That's not to say he's not good, it's just that his is the least showy of all the lead roles and he plays this to perfection. Support is ably supplied by Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson and Zoe Wanamaker amongst others.

Overall, an interesting, if a little indulgent film but one which I imagine is more fiction than fact. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 28th November 2011

UK Release Date - 25th November 2011

Cast Overview:

Michelle Williams ~ Marilyn Monroe

Eddie Redmayne ~ Colin Clark

Kenneth Branagh ~ Sir Laurence Olivier

Judi Dench ~ Dame Sybil Thorndike

Emma Watson ~ Lucy

Julia Ormond ~ Vivien Leigh

Dominic Cooper ~ Milton Greene

Dougray Scott ~ Arthur Miller

Zoe Wanamaker ~ Paula Strasberg

Derek Jacobi ~ Sir Owen Morshead

Geraldine Somerville ~ Lady Jane Clark

Michael Kitchen ~ Hugh Perceval

Toby Jones ~ Arthur Jacobs

Jim Carter ~ Barry

Director ~ Simon Curtis

Writer(s) ~ Adrian Hodges (Screenplay) and Colin Clark (based on his books 'My Week With Marilyn' and 'The Prince, the Showgirl and Me')