April book and film review

BOOKS

A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME, by Anthony Powell
Vol V- Casanova's Chinese Restaurant
Vol VI- The Kindly Ones
Vol VII- The Valley of Bones
The Dance goes on. In volume five, our hero, Nick Jenkins, continues to hobnob with the great and good of London society; indeed he has managed to snag Isobel, daughter of an Earl. His long time acquaintance, Kenneth Widmerpool, on the other hand, bit off more than he could chew with his Earl's daughter, whose engagement has collapsed.  Volume six, "The Kindly Ones" which, I am informed, was a placatory term used to describe the Furies, is seen by some to be the best of the twelve, and also perhaps the only one that can be read in isolation. And it is true there are some unforgettable scenes, especially when the bright young things gather at a country mansion and the owner (heir to an Earldom of his own), who has developed an interest in photography, is persuaded to photograph a series of human tableaux to illustrate the Seven Deadly Sins.
"The Valley of Bones" brings us finally to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Nick volunteers for a Welsh regiment, and whose first posting is to the less than glamorous, rain-sodden fields of Northern Ireland. Will he ever see action? We'll have to wait and see.

Will I hang in to the conclusion of this classic book of 20th century English literature? Damn right.

FILMS

CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1964) D- Orson Welles. A corpulent knight is befriended by the Prince of Wales, and they carouse together uproariously. But when the prince ascends the throne as Henry V, he distances himself from his potentially embarrassing drinking pal. Welles drew from Shakespeare's histories to paint a vivid portrait of Sir John Falstaff, and acts him to a T. But the production is often clumsy, with inexplicable editing and poor sound synchronisation, which is an unforgiveable error. Even so, you can't seem to take your eyes off it, despite the many little annoyances.

JACK AND JILL (2012) D- Dave Dugan. Adam Sandler invites his twin sister (also played by him) for Christmas, but is mortified by her gauche behaviour. But everything changes when, of all people, Al Pacino falls for her. Now Sandler wants Pacino to be in a commercial he's planning, and as his sister cannot appreciate the Great One's charms, he goes into drag to ensnare him himself. A really rather good little offering, with Pacino wickedly funny in his self-portraying cameo role.

CARS (2006) D- John Lasseter, A race-car gets pulled over for speeding, and has to help out fixing the road in a hick town until he has redeemed himself. I tend to have problems with heavily anthropomorphised films, but if you just give that away for 90 minutes you will discover a real gem of 21st century animated features. The graphics are stunning, and the voice characterisations (including Paul Newman in his last film) are spot on. Top marks.

A FANTASTIC FEAR OF EVERYTHING (2012) D- Crispian Mills and Chris Hopewell. Simon Pegg is researching 19th century serial killers, but becomes so consumed by his project he becomes afraid of every shadow. As it turns out, with good reason... Pegg (this time sans Frost) gives good VFM as the paranoid journo, but really there isn't enough substance to sustain a thin script. Pity. I like him.

ROXIE HART (1942) D- William Wellmann. A pretty young thing (Ginger Rogers, and they don't come a lot prettier) is prosecuted for a murder she didn't commit, and a shyster lawyer realises he can make his name by defending her. Sounds familiar? Should be. It's an early version of Chicago, heavy on the irony, and beautifully drawn together by Wellmann, who for my money was one of Hollywood's greatest directors.

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (2012) D- Rupert Sanders. Evil queen Charlize Theron hears there's a threat to her "most beautiful woman in the kingdom" status in the shape of Kristen Stewart (that guy in the magic mirror has no taste) and determines to do her in. Unfortunately Snow White turns out to be a superior urban guerrilla, so this project is harder to carry out than she thought... A new take on the old story, competently made, but to this observer lacking in real bite (except out of the apple, of course).

ALONG CAME POLLY (2004) D- John Hamburg. Newlywed Ben Stiller takes his bride to St Barts for their honeymoon, but they've scarcely hit the beach before she falls for a French SCUBA instructor. Mortified, he comes home alone and hits waitress Jennifer Anniston on the rebound. But is he really over his wife? And do we give a shit? The prospect of an uptight, risk-assessing man maybe/maybe not finding happiness with an anarchic free spirit is the tension around which this film revolves, and all we see on the screen is highly professional. Just not funny enough.

WAR HORSE (2012) D- Steven Spielberg. A thoroughbred horse is requisitioned by the army and sent to the trenches in the Great War. Will Joey survive the most hellish conflict in human history?
Alfred Hitchcock once said that the aim of a movie is to make the audience experience emotion, and though Spielberg is no Hitchcock, his greatest talent is to enable the audience to do just that. From films like Jaws, through ET: the Extraterrestrial (remember how nearly all the shots in that were from the POV of a ten-year-old?) to this offering, Spielberg has cast his spell over the movie-going public to the point where, like his illustrious predecessor, moviegoers, most of whom have little interest in the director of a film, will be attracted to a product made by the bearded one. War Horse is perhaps a typical example of his best work: improbable, fabulous even, but still capable of arousing powerful emotions in those who experience it. It may not be a great film, but its impact is undeniable.