january 2011 book and film review

BOOKS

MIDDLEMARCH, by George Eliot. Yes, I only read 1 book this month, but what a book! I admit I tried to read it a few years ago and gave up after only a few pages, but I am made of sterner stuff these days. This time I was equal to the formidable task of plumbing the depths of this extraordinary, 900 page classic tale of provincial life in early 19th century England. Its scope, its intelligence and insight into the heights and depths of the human psyche, made it for me one of the greatest of all novels in English. Be patient, take it slow and you'll be in for an unforgettable reading experience.

FILMS

ALICE IN WONDERLAND, 2009 (D-Tim Burton). OK adaptation of Lewis Carroll's children's classic. The book itself is very dark, with frequent mentions of death and other threats a child might face, and this darkness is reflected to some extent in the film. And of course Johnny Depp is always good value for money.
HUSTLE, 1975 (D-Robert Aldrich). Really rather awful cop/buddie story, made in an era when you couldn't see a movie that didn't star Burt Reynolds. Don't bother.
DEADLY PURSUIT, 1987 (D-Roger Spottiswoode) FBI man Poitier recruits reluctant Berenger to help him find a murderer hiding deep in the Oregon forests. Pretty routine stuff.
MAN OF THE WEST, 1958 (D-Anthony Mann) Classic good-guy Gary Cooper is tempted out of retirement for one more heist by old friend Lee J Cobb. Mann tells it like it was, with realistic drama and frightening violence. Worth a look.
ELECTION, 1999 (W-D-Alexander Payne)Splendid piece of movie making with Reese Witherspoon as a plain, but driven schoolgirl and Matthew Broderick, the teacher who tries and fails to thwart her ambitions. Strongly recommended.
MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, 2008 (D-Ivan Reitman). Uma Thurman as the girl with super powers but who can't handle being dumped. Quite amusing, but it aint Ghostbusters.
CLEOPATRA, 1934 (D-Cecil B Demille) The "original", with Claudette Colbert as the scrumptious destroyer of male ambition. Her beauty (and humour) keep the film afloat. Just.
THE BOOK OF ELI, 2010 (D-the Hughes brothers) Yet another one of those post apocalyptic dystotopia movies, with Denzel Washington as the good guy, guarding a precious book (shades of Farenheit 451 here) by memorising it. To be honest, it barely lingers in the memory
THE KING'S SPEECH, 2010 (D-Tom Hooper) Quite the best British film, oddly, since "The Queen", and perhaps even better than that notable offering. Peter Firth is excellent as George, and Geoffrey Rush likewise as the unqualified, but effective, speech therapist. Make time for this one: you won't regret it.
LE DINER DE CONS, 1998 (D-Francis Veber) Trendy Parisians organise a dinner where they have to invite an idiot for their general amusement. But one guest underestimates the havoc a well meaning twit can wreak when let loose. Hilarious stuff.