The Pursuit of Happyness

Will Smith plays a down and out portable osteo-density scanner salesman turned multi-millionaire, starring alongside his adorable son.

This film is another opportunity for Will Smith to shine. He is one of the best actors and potentially the most magnetic screen presence about today. From the tinkling piano music that opens the film, you can tell exactly the type of feel the film was going for – based on a true story – man strives after American dream –at great cost - against the odds – comes good in the end – with plenty of speeches and powerful emotive scenes – like Patch Adams. And the director did it perfectly, if you like that sort of thing, even throwing in a few cute knock knock jokes and a commentary on the American constitution.

I think I would put myself in the camp of ‘I like this sort of thing’. Although it’s easy to be cynical about it after the time, I found myself thoroughly on Will Smith’s side (except when he didn’t pay the taxi fare). Disaster after disaster mounts against him, even though you know he’ll make it, we are put through the mill emotionally as we watch the film.

Dan Castelaneta, best known as the voice of Homer Simpson, I think, plays an excellent cameo role, though I enjoyed the fact that this was what Homer Simpson really looks like.

The message the film gave me left me a little dissatisfied. On the one hand, there was the fatherly role, with Gardner (Smith) determined ‘that his son would know his father’, together with his tenacity and hard work. However, the goal in the film seems to be money almost more than relationships and although Gardner succeeds, there seems to be a lot of other people in the film who are in desperate need of help and have no way out. Perhaps though that is the appeal of the film – the majority of people are looking for the lucky break, frustrated and waiting for it to happen. Perhaps, the film says…perhaps your time will come. Hold on and believe in yourself! (Incidentally, I disagree – if you need help in anyway, visiting a local church is a good way to find a supporting community of people.)

The Painted Veil

A hastily married couple face up to their differences against the backdrop of a 1920s cholera epidemic in China.

Edward Norton and Naomi Watts produce and act in this period drama about reconciliation of the two protagonists. This film, which is based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham is an emotionally powerful film exploring human relationships with each other and with God. The cholera epidemic adds an edge to the drama which revolves around the desire for forgiveness.

I loved the way this film built up the relationship between Norton and Watts. Norton is a notable absentee in much of the film, which follows Kitty’s (Watt’s) loneliness and feeling of utter helplessness. We are prepared for a tragic ending throughout the film, hoping for the husband and wife to forgive their differences. A glimmer of hope is offered, but very quickly eclipsed as a fresh wave of cholera patients arrive at the town.

The tension of colonial authority is another issue that dances around the fringe of this film. Though it is not fully developed, the comment by a Chinese soldier – ‘I would feel differently about you if your guns were not pointed at my people’ is one of the most poignant and resonant in the film. There seems to be a detachment between the actions of the democratically elected government and the individual.

The way tragedy is piled up in the film is the only question I have about whether I enjoyed the film or not. As I mentioned before, one glimmer of hope is very quickly extinguished and a seeming reconciliation is tainted by the inability to enjoy it. It is not a dissatisfying ending, but, in my opinion, if there had been a longer scene expressing the delight of the villagers at their salvation, the tragedy would not have felt so spliced in.

There is a lot more that I would like to say about this film, and I may write again another time, but for now, the last thing to briefly mention is the final scene, which I thought had a touch of class. I enjoyed the way it slickly showed through revisiting a past acquaintance, how Kitty had changed totally through her experience.

Mamma Mia

A young girl invites her three potential fathers to her wedding, hoping her real father will give her away. Based on the hit West End musical based on Abba’s hits before it.

This film, it goes without saying, could have gone without seeing. I took my seat as one of five-seven blokes in the cinema (you can’t be too sure in the dark) and sat through the whole thing, which had its moments, but generally left me cringing throughout. Part of the point in fact was to have characters ridiculously bursting into song, and backing singers appearing from nowhere to enter the fray. Some songs were good, Meryl Streep and Julie Walters produce great performances (on the whole), but I feel the film could have been done better. Sometimes even Streep looked like she was in attacks of spasms, but may be that was dancing.

I don’t want to be horrible about the film, because it’s easy (in this case more than others), so what I would say is that it looked a lot of fun. If I were a multi-million pound actor, I would probably have agreed to be in this film. But would have regretted it later.

The Darjeeling Limited

Three brothers meet a year after their father’s funeral to go on a spiritual journey together to find their mother who has become a nun in the Himalaya’s.

I watched this film with my brother and neither of us were particularly sure what to think about it. The Darjeeling, starring Adrian Brody and Owen Wilson, also has cameo roles from Bill Murray (in a fantastic scene at the start) and Natalie Portman. While Portman’s role is unnecessary, in my opinion, it raises questions about the ironic self-awareness of the film, which effectively involves three brothers carting their baggage around India before leaving it behind, joined together again.

The way the film was shot as well as the repetition and echoes in the film betrayed the fact that a lot of hard thought and preparation had gone into how the Darjeeling was structured. Generally, I came away with the feeling however, that I was supposed to like the film because it was clever and made me laugh in a few places, but that I was supposed to enjoy it grudgingly as I searched for hidden meaning within it.

The film explores brotherhood – Owen Wilson playing a dominating role which echoes their mother later on, Adrian Brody hoarding their Dad’s old things, the passing back and forth of a belt as a present – and the healing power of communication and simply being together without words. Some of the more poignant details are when the brothers seem to find more sense of fulfilment by shopping for ridiculous paraphernalia in the market place and swapping drugs than in the temples and shrines. While praying in ‘one of the holiest places in the world,’ the youngest brother asks the oldest ‘is it working?’ to receive the reply, ‘it has to be’.

I don’t know what values this film was advocating, if any. Perhaps that is the riddle of it. Certainly brotherhood seems to be the key to unravelling the film’s complexity. If I’m honest though, Adrian Brody put in the only performance that I enjoyed, and I never really felt that the three were brothers. Despite many memorable moments, I was not very interested in the development of the relationships – perhaps it was too clinical and structured, or perhaps I missed what the writer was on about. In fact come to think of it, that is the overriding feeling you get at the end of the Darjeeling; a feeling that you have no idea what the writer was getting at.

Hancock

A drunk superhero discovers who he is and finds meaning in helping other people, particularly a struggling PR man and his wife.

Will Smith has achieved many great things, but none so fantastic as holding together a plot that was so full of holes you could drain spaghetti from it. You come out of watching Hancock thinking, ‘well, that was a bit different’ and it definitely does not follow the Hollywood pattern which one would expect. For its difference and tension, it is an amusing and captivating film and Will Smith’s protagonist is likeable even when totally destructive.

The most entertaining scene in the film is an argument Hancock has in the kitchen with the stunning wife of the PR man. I loved the tension at that point and the humour created was simple but gripping. Visually the most captivating scene, where two gods fight each other is also the point of most questions and plot holes. I think it was a mistake to make that fight so public and the timescale makes the scene look like an inserted afterthought. As a writer it showed me that people don’t have to be throwing buses at each other to have a heightened sense of tension, but simply knowing something that you don’t want someone else to find out is truly compelling.

Hancock stands as exactly the kind of film you would want it to be. The self-sacrifice at the end is typical, but no less powerful and I think it is a very well written drama, with perhaps a few major creases.

Facing the Giants

A School American Football team plays its way through the State championships despite adversity. The film follows the struggles of the coach and his wife through the turmoil of not being able to have children. Their struggle is one of faith and trust in God at every step, even in the teeth of the situation.

What makes this film special is that there were only five professionals involved in the whole project. Every other actor, technician etc. came from a single church with a vision to make a film. Alex Kendrick, who directs, writes and stars in the film produces a tear-jerking performance as he struggles through difficulty with God’s help.

Highly emotional scenes run alongside this sometimes stereotypical, but often surprising drama and there is as much excitement off the pitch as on. This film is an extraordinary achievement and shows what people can do when they get together. Some scenes must be forgiven for their novice quality, but it is rarely the acting that lets the film down. The film is marked throughout by an endearing, playful and witty sense of humour, which in light of the intensity of the film is an achievement in itself.

The issues raised by the film are put forward in a way that draws you into the team and the characters involved. We are as delighted as they are when they win and as disappointed when they lose. The most powerful message in the film is the transformed attitude of the Christian team that they will praise God even in defeat. This attitude is mirrored by the coach’s wife who will praise God despite not having the baby she desperately wants. It shows the conviction of the people involved that whether things are going well or badly, God does not change and he deserves praise in every situation.

Mr. Magorian's Wonder Emporium

The owner of a magical toy shop decides to pass the trade on to shop manager Molly Mahoney who struggles to accept the responsibility, but in the end, finds the magic touch that sets everything straight again.

It is easy to see why this film is in the shadow of 'The Golden Compass', with its relatively simple storyline and effects, but from the opening credits, this film is captivating and imaginative and a lot of fun. Dustin Hoffman, who plays Mr. Magorian, is as you'd expect, an eccentric and very watchable character.

My favourite character was the young boy Eric, who had a wonderful hat collection. His story is the search for a friend. Henry, the accountant brought in to set all Mr. Magorian's affairs in order, goes through a journey of imaginative awakening.

I found the film very compelling, since there was no doubt about what was going to happen from the start, which focussed the attention on the character's reactions. Musically, the film is absolutely excellent and definitely adds to the excitement and character of the emporium.

Other than a few badly delivered lines and some child-acting, which I'm happy to gloss over, the film's main disappointment came in the final scene. Having been musically and visually excellent and kept the tension high waiting for this moment, it suddenly seemed to come too quickly. I don't want to spoil anything, so if you're thinking of watching the film (and I recommend it), you may want to stop reading.

Molly Mahoney is a musical prodigy, but she is not able to find a finish to her piece, as beautifully as it begins. In the final scene, she is told that she must believe in herself and that is where the special 'sparkle' comes from. I don't like this message, because confidence and ability are different things, but anyway...

As Molly begins to believe in herself, the shop comes to life, and it was exactly the ending to be expected. The problem was that the kids who were in the shop were instantly amazed at everything that was happening in the shop, whereas only two days before, the shop had been doing exactly the same things. The gap between discovering how to run the shop was only two days, which in film terms did not seem long enough. As a result, the ending felt rushed, even though the film hadn't felt long at all.

The other problem with the ending was that the music, I felt, was being drowned out by the visual effects. There was almost too much happening on the screen, so that the amazement of everything was lost. It didn't help that Mahoney was conducting unconvincingly and out of time. I imagine it was a hard scene to shoot, but although separately taken the visual effects, the acting and the music would have been fine, the final effect was not as powerful as I'd been expecting.

Not to take away from how much I enjoyed this film, because I did, and it made the ending so much more disappointing.