The shack (Sam Worthington)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s seventeen years since I read the bestselling Christian novel ‘The Shack’, which caused some controversy in American evangelical circles. I recalled disliking the first section which was cliché-ridden and described a heart-breaking family tragedy. But it got better. The main part was unexpected,  inspiring, and moving in places. 

I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the film that was based on - or, at least, inspired by - the book, which was made in 2017. But my husband acquired the blu-ray, so we decided to watch it last night. 

The opening is quite disturbing; 13-year-old Mack (Carson Reaume) lives with a seriously abusive father who drinks too much and becomes violent. This is hidden behind an overly-religious front, demanding that children obey their parents, and expecting his wife to obey him. When Mack’s mother can’t take it any more, she leaves, and Mack takes matters into his own hands. 

The Man Who Invented Christmas (Dan Stewart)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m not entirely sure how the film ‘The Man who Invented Christmas’ arrived on my wishlist. Perhaps Amazon had recommended it to me based on other films I had rated well. Or perhaps someone else had suggested. In any case, I was pleased to receive it as a Christmas gift. It seemed like the ideal film to watch towards the end of the Christmas period.

This film is a fictionalised story set in the mid 1840s, based around the writing of Charles Dickens’ classic novel ‘A Christmas Carol’. Dan Stevens is superb as the author, who would have been around thirty at the time. I had only seen pictures of Dickens as a much older man, so it took a moment’s readjustment of my mental images. But I quickly realised that it was probably a very realistic setting.

I didn’t know much about Dickens’ life, other than that he had a happy childhood until his father was thrown into a debtors’ prison, and Charles had to go and work in a factory, giving up his education. It didn’t stop him reading and working as a journalist, and eventually a novelist. But I had no idea about his family life - he was married with several children - nor that for a while he was in debt, and in doubt as to whether he could keep going.

I assume that most of the story involving the writing of his famous Christmas book was in the imagination of the script-writers, but it all feels quite realistic. Charles feels rather worthless after a successful American tour, and unable to write, all the more so as his publishers pressurise him and his debts mount. He’s an angry person who has not forgiven his father for his childhood traumas. He is also very angry about the way that the poor are treated. This comes across in several of his novels. Charles Dickens was responsible for raising public awareness about some of the horrors of poverty and the workhouse.

But the film is mainly about the slow progress made on the novel ‘A Christmas Carol’, along with several flashbacks. As the character of Scrooge (brilliantly played by Christopher Plummer) develops, so some of Charles’ hangups also reveal themselves. It’s cleverly done. The story of the novel is so well-known that of course we knew what would be coming, but the way the plot emerged, rather slowly, feels entirely believable.

Morfydd Clark deserves a mention as Charles’ long-suffering wife Kate. He is a man of many moods, and she looks after her household, uncertain when he’s going to fly into a temper, patient about his many quirks. There are several children, and Charles is clearly fond of them; at times he seems to be a excellent father, at others he almost entirely ignores them and his wife.

There’s plenty of low-key humour in the book, including times when Charles hears a new name, or watches a type of person whom we know is eventually going to be put in one of his future books. Dan Stevens has some very expressive looks, too, that say almost as much as some of the dialogue. And there’s plenty to think about too - we see glimpses of cruelty, and poverty, and the hopelessness of those without family or work. But they’re not over-done; there’s nothing gratuitous.

The film title, of course, is hyperbole since Christmas relates to the birth of Christ 1840 or so years earlier, and also the ancient legends of St Nicholas. But apparently the popularity of his book changed ideas about celebrating Christmas in the minds of the general public, in particular encouraging them to help those less fortunate than themselves.

The PG rating reflects the lack of bad language, nudity, violence and so on. But I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone unfamiliar with ‘A Christmas Carol’, nor to a sensitive child who might be upset at the flashbacks to Charles’ later childhood.

Other than that, I would highly recommend this film, which absorbed us fully and gave an excellent insight into Dickens’ circumstances as a young man, as well as some more imaginative fantasy scenes involving dreams and visions.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Wife (Glenn Close)

(Amazon UK link)

I hadn’t heard of the film ‘The Wife’ until I spotted it on my husband’s wishlist earlier in the year. It looked good, so I ordered it for his recent birthday, and we watched it last night. I had no idea what to expect, but was quickly engrossed in the story.

Having said that, the opening scene almost put me off entirely. Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce) is a bearded writer, apparently in his 60s, though he looks older. He’s woken up in the night and is eating in the bedroom. He then gets into bed with his wife Joan (Glenn Close) and there’s an implied scene of intimacy. Nothing is shown explicitly, but plenty is implied. Not at all a good way to start a film, although it does set the scene and atmosphere pretty well. 

It quickly improves. The couple are awakened - probably in the same night, though that isn’t clear - by a phone call. It’s someone from Sweden, telling Joe that he has won the Nobel Prize for literature. He thinks it might be a scam at first, but it’s entirely real. Before long he, Joan and their adult son David are on their way to Stockholm for the ceremony.

It quickly becomes clear that Joe is not a likeable person. He’s a philanderer, and he shows little interest in his son, who is also a writer. The two keep clashing, while Joan attempts to keep the peace. To add to the impression of Joe as a rather selfish person, there are flashbacks to the late 1950s when he is a ‘professor’ (what we would call a lecturer in the UK) at an Ivy League university; the young, star-struck Joan (Annie Starke) is one of his students. Harry Lloyd, who plays the young Joe, comes across as egotistical and sexist. He’s married, and has a baby daughter; yet he encourages Joan as she falls in love with him, and the two start an affair.

The main part of the story is set in the 1990s when the couple have been married for thirty years and Joe has produced a vast number of novels. He appears to be unfailingly generous in the way he thanks his wife for looking after him, and insists that she is the love of his life. And yet this continual praise falls rather flat, partly due to his known infidelities over the years, and partly because it somehow doesn’t ring true. Joan evidently doesn’t like it, and it’s not that she’s a shy, retiring kind of person. She is elegant, supportive, and mostly very loving…

It’s a study in character, and also revealing about attitudes. I hadn’t realised that, even in the late 1950s, it was difficult for women to be published. Those early scenes are very well done, contrasting with the later ones. Of course even the modern ones seem a bit dated; the cars are old-fashioned, and people still used telephones with wires rather than mobile phones. But for those touches, however, the story could almost have been current.

And while Jonathan Pryce is good, and Max Irons as the moody, often angry David is also good, it’s Glenn Close, as the eponymous wife, who steals the show. She’s elegant, organised and a peacekeeper, staying with a rather unlikeable husband. At least, until things come to a head in Stockholm. I believed in her, totally. The actress was 70 when this film was made, but looks no more than about 50.

Christian Slater deserves a mention too, playing the rather sleazy Nathanial. He is a reporter who wants to write Joe’s biography, and who keeps trying to get snippets of juicy information. I didn’t trust him, but even he has a likeable side. And he’s the catalyst for some high drama and revelations towards the end.

There’s some mild humour in the film. We smiled a few times, and it was good to have a little light-heartedness in what was overall a surprisingly intense and moving story.

Brilliantly made, other than that rather trite opening scene. My only minor gripe is the immense amount of ‘strong’ language, which is what has raised the rating of this to 15 in the UK, R in the stricter ratings of the United States. An occasional instance in context is understandable, but it seems excessive in this film. The story is unlikely to be of interest to children or younger teens anyway.

Very highly recommended.

There's a 'making of...' extra on the DVD edition we have, with some short interviews and snippets with various actors and production staff. Reasonably interesting, but nothing special.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Gifted (Mckenna Grace)

(Amazon UK link)

Sometimes I see a review or recommendation of a film, and know it’s one I’m going to like. I added the 2017 film ‘Gifted’ to my wishlist some months ago, and was delighted to receive it for my recent birthday.

The star of this film is seven-year-old Mary, perfectly cast by Mckenna Grace, who was nine. She’s sweet and feisty at the same time, her timing is impeccable, her range of emotions is excellent. Her subtly expressive face made us smile, even laugh aloud once or twice.

Mary is an extremely gifted child who has been brought up and educated by Frank (Chris Evans - also perfect for the part). But as the film starts, she’s about to start first grade at a local elementary school. Frank wants Mary to make friends, and to think of herself as normal. She is very reluctant, and on her first day distinguishes herself by her astonishing mathematical ability.

Thankfully Mary’s teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate) recognises that she has a very gifted child in her class rather than seeing her student as being rude or obnoxious. But Frank is unwilling to have Mary enrolled in a school for gifted children. We learn that Mary’s mother was also supremely intelligent but something of a social outcast, and very unhappy, and Frank doesn’t want that.

Into the mixture comes Evelyn, Mary’s grandmother, who wants Mary to be pushed, to ‘reach her potential’. Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) is elegant, narcissistic and unprincipled, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She is beautifully contrasted with Roberta (Octavia Spencer) who is Frank’s landlady, and also Mary’s best friend. Roberta wants what is best for Mary, and loves spending time with her.

So there are legal battles and emotional scenes. Through the film there is the continual question of whether it’s better for this delightful child to pursue her evident talents, to the exclusion of everything else, or attempt some semblance of normality. That’s exacerbated by the fact that she finds it hard to get along with other children, preferring adult company, and loving complex maths concepts and problems.

The acting is so good and the script so believable that we were very quickly drawn into this film, wondering at times if it was based on a true story (apparently not). We were rooting for Frank, appalled and yet impressed at Evelyn. Although she is evidently self-centred, and cares little for Mary as a person, she can - at face value - offer her a much better life.

There are boats, and a one-eyed cat; there’s some humour, and some delightful scenes with Roberta. There’s a love interest for Frank, but it’s quite low-key and never really resolved. There are also some highly-charged scenes between Frank and Evelyn, and between Mary and Frank, moving us almost to tears at times.

The rating is 12, which seems about right despite the main character being a seven-year-old girl. There are a few instances of ‘strong’ language, and an implied bedroom scene, although nothing explicit. But the emotional impact of the story could be stressful for a younger child, as could the theme of a custody battle of this kind.

There are some extras - short scenes with the cast, which give interesting insights into the making of this film, and also some deleted scenes. We could see why most were deleted, but they were all well done and added a little to the story.

Overall, we both thought ‘Gifted’ an absolutely wonderful film, and would recommend it highly to any adults or teenagers who like this kind of light-hearted yet deep heartwarming drama.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews<

Goodbye Christopher Robin (Will Tilston)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m not quite sure why Amazon recommended the film ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ to me, but I’m very glad they did. I put it on my wishlist about six months ago, and was given it last Christmas. We watched it last night, and were totally mesmerised. It’s one of the best films we’ve seen for a long time.

It’s based on the true story of AA Milne, author of the two books about Winnie-the-Pooh and two books of children’s poems. We knew very little about the author before watching this. It’s entirely possible that there were inaccuracies or artistic license taken. But the extras at the end, and a little research done today suggest that, in essence, the film is very true to life.

Young Will Tilston is the star of this film, as the young Christopher Robin. It was his first role in a film, yet he is entirely believable. But the story starts shortly before he was born (after an initial sequence showing his parents, rather older, receiving a telegram). Alan (Domhnall Gleeson) and Daphne (Margot Robbie) are the parents concerned, known to all as Blue and Daff. Alan has just returned from World War I, without physical injury but with quite serious post-traumatic stress. This gives him flashbacks and terrors that his wife finds difficult to deal with.

Daphne is delighted to find that she is pregnant, but the birth is traumatic. She doesn’t know what to expect, and she is devastated to give birth to a boy. She’s terrified that he will go off to war one day, and refuses, at first, to bond with him. Alan isn’t at all sure what to make of the baby either. His handling is amusingly awkward. And when the baby is six weeks old, the parents go to Italy for a holiday without him, leaving him in the care of his new nanny, Olive (Kelly Macdonald). It seems shocking to us in the 21st century, but was evidently not unusual for a hundred years ago.

Christopher Robin is known as Billy Moon to his family and nurse. He has quite a happy childhood, cared for very well by Olive. He is given many gifts by his parents, including large numbers of stuffed animals who are the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and the rest. Daphne likes to play with her son sometimes, and is very good at animal voices. But she’s a socialite and quite selfish, and much more interested in having fun. Alan is a writer who has felt blocked since the war. This causes a great deal of tension between him and Daphne, particularly after they move out of London to the countryside.

Circumstances force Alan to take more notice of his son and the two of them start to bond in some quite moving scenes. Christopher Robin asks his father to write a book for him, and is thrilled - at first - when the book takes shape, illustrated by his father’s close friend Ernest (Stephen Campbell Moore). The film becomes lighter as they play ‘Pooh-sticks’ on a bridge, climb trees and play games in the woods.

The first book, when published, is far more successful than anyone could have imagined. It caught the imagination of the UK public, and eventually the rest of the world. It’s explained as a kind of childhood innocence, something that people are longing for after the horrors of the war, and the resultant depression and widespread starvation.

Then the press get involved, wanting photos and interviews. Olive tries to protect her charge, but Daphne is keen on publicity. As becomes gradually clearer, her son is something of a pawn, drawn into more and more public appearances. As this happens, he feels less and less as if his parents really care for him.

His teenage years are shown only briefly, with some horrendous bullying. Fame has done him no good at all with his peers, and he emerges from school a bitter, angry young man (played extremely well by Alex Lawther). He then signs up for the army, at the start of the second world war, and we don’t know what the outcome will be until almost the end.

It could have been a depressing story. But it’s extremely well made, with acting so realistic that we were drawn right into the film. Our emotions were tugged, feeling for Christopher Robin who really only wants to be loved. He comes across as a thoroughly nice, caring child who is willing to do almost anything if it will make his parents care.

As well as being an excellent film, it was eye-opening as far as the real AA Milne and Christopher Robin were concerned. I had not really thought of them as three-dimensional people before, nor what fame of this kind might have done to an impressionable, cute and young-looking child. Indeed, I hope that the young actor will not suffer in a similar way for his instant stardom.

‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ is rated PG, which is fair, but not necessarily helpful. There’s nothing ‘adult’, nor any nudity, and only the very mildest of bad language. But there are some quite gruesome war shots, and some other scenes or moments that could be disturbing to a young child. I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone below the age of about twelve.

However, the scenery is gorgeous, the settings realistic and the pace exactly right to hold our interest without racing through the story. All in all, we thought it a wonderful film. There are ‘extras’ with brief cameos of some of the main actors and a bit more background, which we enjoyed watching afterwards.

Highly recommended to adults and teenagers, though it may change the way you think about AA Milne's children's books in future.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Florida Project (Brooklynn Prince)

(Amazon UK link)

My husband thought the film ‘The Florida Project’ looked interesting, so put the blu-ray on his wishlist last year. He usually asks for thrillers or fast action films that he watches on his own. But he sometimes adds a couple that he thinks I will like too, and this was one of them. He was given it for Christmas last year, and we decided to watch it last night.

The film opens with some small children - with the slightly unusual names of Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), Scooty (Christopher River) and Dicky (Aiden Malik) - running wild. We see them behaving very badly to some new residents of the area. Moonee, we soon learn, lives in a run-down motel with her mother Halley (Bria Vinaite), who is a stripper. I found it hard to understand Halley’s accent, but the gist is clear. She loves her daughter, and occasionally they have fun together. But most of the time she neglects her in favour of smoking weed.

The children get in trouble with the new resident, but then Moonee makes friends with her daughter Jancey (Valeria Cotto). Halley has trouble paying her rent and tries various methods of earning money, none of them legal, and some of them shocking. The children are mostly full of mischief (at best), downright obnoxious at worst.

And there’s a hard-working, honest but often frustrated manager of the motel complex, called Bobby (Willem Dafoe). He tries to help people where he can, and be flexible when possible; but he has to do his job. And it’s a very difficult one at times. Bobby stands out as a person of integrity who genuinely cares about the folk he comes across, particularly the children.

There really isn’t much story. About half an hour into the film, we were both wondering where it was going. People were interacting, and day-to-day life was progressing, but there didn’t appear to be any plot. The locations were depressing, and none of the characters were at all likeable, other than, perhaps, Bobby.

However, we kept watching. The film flows well; the children are excellent and believable as actors, though it seemed surprising that Moonee is so bright, given the state of her mother. But their behaviour is terrible - they steal and beg, and cheat… and nobody seems to care.

The front of the blu-ray box claims that this film is ‘pure cinematic joy’, and that every moment is ‘glorious’. I think the reviewers must have seen a different film. There was no joy in it at all. On the contrary, it’s very depressing to think that people might live this way, and that children could grow up with so few morals. We didn’t see any glorious moments, either. Good acting, yes. A good pace, certainly. A few cute one-liners, mostly involving Moonee. But nothing remotely joyful or glorious.

There’s no actual nudity or explicit scenes, but a great deal is said or implied, including a couple of very unpleasant visitors to the complex. And there’s a lot more ‘strong’ language than I am comfortable with. The rating is 15, which I suppose is fair, but I can’t imagine most teenagers being at all interested in this.

As for the ending, it’s abrupt and so open-ended that we couldn’t believe, for a moment, that it had actually finished.

We wondered if the ‘extras’ would help us understand a bit better, but the ‘making of’ film was disjointed and uninteresting. We started watching the ‘interviews’ with cast, which started with lots of commentary from the actress who played Halley. It was interesting to learn that she had never acted before this film, and did a crash course in acting beforehand. But there was no interviewer, and after five minutes of monologue, we gave up.

On the plus side, the film has given us an insight into an American State we knew almost nothing about, and a look at a lifestyle that’s entirely foreign to us. We’ll probably remember images from it for a while. But I can’t imagine wanting to see it again.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Wonder (Jacob Tremblay)

(Amazon UK link)

Sometimes, when I add something to my wishlist after an Amazon recommendation, it turns out to be a good choice. Sometimes acceptable, sometimes very good. And just occasionally we find a film that is outstanding. Based on a novel (which I had not heard of) ‘Wonder’ comes in the last category. It’s one of the best films we have seen for a long time.

I expect the film was recommended to me because I have given good ratings to other films with Julia Roberts in it. But it’s not Julia Roberts who stars in this. She plays an excellent supporting role as a mother of a child with severe facial disfigurement. But the child himself, Augie, is the star of this wonderful story. Played by the young Canadian actor Jacob Tremblay, Augie is a ten-year-old boy who was born with a severe genetic condition.

Over the years, we learn, Augie has been in hospital many times undergoing different surgeries. His sight and hearing have been restored, and a great deal of plastic surgery means that his face, while unusual, is not unpleasant or difficult to look at. He has been homeschooled so far, but his parents feel that he should go to ‘Middle School’ for fifth grade.

Augie finds his face embarrassing and usually goes about wearing a space helmet. But the school principal and staff do all they can to help him adjust. He is very bright, particularly gifted in science. But one boy in his year verbally bullies him, and at first Augie is either ignored or shunned. He finds his first few days miserable, but gradually children get to know the real person inside. He’s kind, helpful, and has a great sense of humour…

There are other stories in this film too. The second part of the film features Augie’s older sister Via (Izabela Vidovik). She’s a likeable girl who has evidently felt neglected, sometimes unloved, as her parents focus all their attention on her brother. She knows it’s not his fault, and she understands. She just wishes she could talk to her parents and spend time with them. Then her best friend stops speaking to her too, and life looks grim until she’s invited to the school drama club…

It’s a film about the importance of looking beyond appearance, about honesty and friendship, and about unconditional love. There are some very poignant moments as well as some amusing scenes; the pace is excellent and we found ourselves engrossed in the story, barely noticing Augie’s different appearance after the first few scenes. And towards the end I found myself moved to tears in an emotive conclusion to the film.

The acting is excellent; Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson make believable parents, and some of the most amusing exchanges are between Augie and his dad. The school staff, particularly the head and Augie’s form teacher, are entirely believable, and the classmates too in their reactions and behaviour.

The rating is PG, which seems about right to me. There are a couple of quite intense scenes with some fighting, although it’s fairly tame and nobody is seriously injured. There’s no ‘strong’ language, and no scenes of intimacy, though there are some childish slang terms and some kissing.

We were slightly disappointed that there was no 'extra' documentary about the making of the film; there was just one brief one about the music (something which was good, but we barely noticed it). However there are some short YouTube films available explaining - for instance - how Jacob Tremblay was made up each day to look like Augie.

All in all, we loved this film and would recommend it highly to anyone, including children of about eight or nine and upwards.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Downsizing (Matt Damon)

(Amazon UK link)

My husband watched the film ‘Downsizing’ on a transatlantic flight. He liked it so much that he put it on his wishlist, and was given it last Christmas. Our adult son was staying for a couple of weeks so we decided to watch it last night.

The blurb on the back gives an outline of the story - that scientists, trying to find ways to reduce environmental damage and to use less of the earth’s resources, discovered a way to reduce the size of animals and people, to a fraction of their original sizes.

It’s rather slow to get started. We see scientists discovering how to make this idea work, for the first time. Then we see the lecture where eminent scientists describe their discoveries, and also show a group of ‘small’ people, no more than 5 inches high, who are living in a community. It sounds idyllic.

Time moves forward, and increasing numbers of people decide to take this option. They sell up their properties and possessions, because in ‘Leisureland’ money goes a lot further. People living in small apartments as regular people can buy mansions once they’re small. There’s said to be no crime, and no need to work unless people wish to. Big and small folk interact in mostly friendly ways; we see dinners and conferences where they chat, and share ideas, and as time progresses the idea of downsizing becomes well-known all over the world.

The main protagonist of the story, once the scene is set - and it’s a bit of a long-winded opening - is Paul (Matt Damon). He is an occupational therapist who is happily married to Audrey (Kristen Wiig) but they’re living in quite a small apartment. She would love to move to a bigger place, but they can’t get a mortgage. So she’s more and more tempted by the promises of luxurious living in Leisureland, and persuades her husband to opt for downsizing.

So they sell up and make their farewells, and travel to the hospital where the procedures take place. It starts to feel quite worrying by this stage. They have to sign all kinds of disclaimers, and we learn that while in most cases the procedure goes well, it can cause severe injury, even death. Moreover, the procedure is permanent. There is absolutely no going back.

I knew something bad was going to happen, and indeed, it does. Far from being hilarious, as the blurb on the back of the DVD stated, or even humorous, the film becomes desperately sad at this stage. It never really recovers from it. It is a slow-moving film throughout, too. There are scenes from parties that go on and on; scenes of nature that are quite pretty, but, again, continue for far too long. The medical parts were all longer than they should have been, as well. An hour into the film, nothing much had happened.

It got a bit more interesting after that, and the story certainly raises some interesting issues. It provides much to think about too, although the idea of downsizing people in this way is so ludicrous (I hope…) that it’s technically satirical rather than dystopian or sci-fi. But there wasn’t any humour in it. There was just deep sadness. At Paul’s predicament - he soon regrets what he has done - and in the essential humanity that means there are slums outside Leisureland despite all the initial promises. There are also people downsized against their will. Later in the film, we learn of the possibility of people, large and small, being wiped out entirely.

Other than being far too long (we all agreed the film itself should have been downsized significantly when it was edited) it was well produced. Matt Damon is excellent in his role. Had we known in advance that it was meant to be a futuristic and very sad film, I think I would have appreciated it more. I suppose there were one or two mildly amusing moments; but they mostly involved misunderstandings and poor English from a wonderful but also very distressing Vietnamese refugee with a prosthetic leg (brilliantly played by Hong Chau).

The 15 rating (R in the more cautious United States) is mainly due to rather an excess of bad language - a particular ‘strong’ word is repeated several times near the end. There is some side-view nudity too, but only in a medical setting. There is also some recreational drug usage, although it did not add anything to the film. As the subject matter is so heavy, I wouldn't suggest that anyone younger than fifteen or sixteen should see it anyway.

I think I’m glad I watched this film, as it certainly gave much to think about. But I doubt if I’ll want to see it again.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Wilde Wedding (Glenn Close)

(Amazon UK link)

From time to time Amazon recommends films to me, based on what I have previously liked or bought. One such recommendation was ‘The Wilde Wedding’. I assume that’s because this is in the ‘rom-com’ genre and I have enjoyed several films of this kind.

It starts well. The teenage Mackenzie (Grace van Patten) is narrating, and also filming events as her somewhat dysfunctional family members start to arrive for the weekend. She has a good style of delivery, and sets the scene well. She informs us that her grandmother is getting married again, but that she’s absolutely not allowed to refer to her as a grandmother….

Glenn Close stars as Eve Wilde, who is about to get married to her fourth husband, Harold (Patrick Stewart). Her adult children aren’t too sure about this, nor is her favourite ex-husband, Laurence (John Malkovich). But the family, extended family, former family members and friends gradually gather in a huge house where the wedding is to take place.

I found the sheer number of people rather overwhelming; it was hard to keep track of who was whom, as more and more people kept arriving. None of them was particularly memorable. I thought that perhaps this didn’t matter, but then much of the film involves conversations and some rather sordid illicit liaisons. In fact, there’s not much more to the plot which seems to be a farce rather than a comedy, with very little actual romance until towards the end.

The acting was good - and we found ourselves, more than once, reminded of Meryl Streep; Glenn Close is not related to her, as far as we know, but seemed to have her mannerisms and expressions, and even her tone of voice in several places. I don’t know if this was deliberate or not.

But there really isn’t much story. There are a few good lines, and one or two scenes which we found amusing, but on the whole we found it rather trite. We kept watching despite some scenes which we would prefer not to have seen, and, happily, the film was redeemed by the ending.

Perhaps it was trite; perhaps it was predictable. But it was absolutely the right ending, giving a much more positive message than the rest of the film about the importance of friendship and genuine liking and trust in any relationship.

The UK's 15 rating reflects the adult (but not too explicit) nature of the film; the US rates it as R, probably due to the bad language, the sexual content and the use of recreational drugs.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Time of their Lives (Joan Collins, Pauline Collins)

(Amazon UK link)

This is another film which Amazon recommended to me, and which I thought sounded interesting. So I put ‘The Time of their Lives’ on my wishlist, and was given it for my birthday, earlier in the year. After a long trip out of Cyprus, where we didn’t see any DVDs at all, we decided to watch this one. We had no idea what it would be like, but the case proclaimed that it was a ‘hilarious feel-good film’. So it seemed like a good one to watch.

Joan Collins stars as Helen, a former film star, who now walks with a stick and has fallen on hard times. She looks glamorous in an exaggerated style, and is very demanding. A chance meeting with Priscilla (Pauline Collins - who I assume is not related to Joan Collins) leads to the two of them embarking on a journey to France. Helen wants to attend the funeral of someone she used to be close to. She also hopes for the opportunity to find some more work as an actress.

Priscilla is a far more interesting character than Helen, in my view. She’s in a rather depressing marriage, oppressed by her husband and a rather demanding adult daughter. Her decision to accompany Helen on her trip is made spontaneously, with some apprehension. She soon discovers that Helen is just as domineering as her husband - and artificial, too. I didn’t like Helen much, while feeling some sympathy for her as we gradually learn more about her history.

There are some quite poignant scenes once the two arrive in France, and we found the film, on the whole, more depressing than amusing. There are some light-hearted moments in the journey, admittedly, and an unlikely meeting with a millionaire but that leads to something quite shocking, and a dramatic turn in the story.

It’s hard to say much more without giving spoilers. There’s really not much plot, as the film is character-based primarily. It focuses on the contrast between the two women and their gradual realisation that they do have some things in common. I never quite believed in their growing friendship, however; Helen is too self-centred, it seemed to me, ever to be a real friend to anyone.

Having said all that, the film is very well made, with some pleasant scenery, and we could believe in most of the characters. The more amusing scenes were nicely done with good timing, and the poignant ones made a clear contrast. We were quite engrossed in the storyline and a bit surprised when it ended quite abruptly.

Had it been billed as a drama, or a bittersweet story of friendship, we might have appreciated it more. It wasn’t really a feel-good film at all, in our view, and certainly not ‘hilarious’. But it wasn’t a bad film, and we may well watch it again one day.

The rating is 12A and I think that's probably right. There's very little bad language, some non-frontal nudity, and the end of a clearly intimate scene. But since the film features women whom I assume were meant to be in their sixties, it's unlikely to appeal to children or teenagers.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's DVD Reviews

Hampstead (Diane Keaton)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often I browse my recommendations on Amazon, and come across films I have never heard of. That happened earlier in the year when it suggested I might like ‘Hampstead’. Diane Keaton stars, and I have liked some of her other films. The reviews were mostly positive, so I put it on my wishlist and was given it for my recent birthday.

There seems to have been quite a spate of films about middle-aged or elderly people in recent years. Or perhaps it’s just that I’m seeing them because I have liked or bought others. On the whole we like them, as we’re in that stage of life, and this was quite a positive one on the whole.

Keaton stars as the recently-widowed Emily who lives in a pleasant block of flats in Hampstead in the UK. She’s a bit of a misfit; the only American, in the area, although she has evidently lived there for many years. The other upper-middle class very British women in the building try to involve her in their community meetings and campaigns, but she’s not really all that interested. Nor does she want them to introduce her to suitable gentlemen friends…

Wandering around the neighbourhood she comes across a shack where it’s rumoured an old tramp lives. And indeed, when we first meet Donald (Brendon Gleeson) he’s just received a letter from the council, asking him to leave. He has a flourishing garden and isn’t doing anything wrong… but he looks like a down-and-out.

So the main part of the story is about these two misfits meeting, irritating each other, becoming unlikely friends, and learning surprising things about each other. It’s also about a battle to save Donald’s home, one which catches the imagination of the local people and gets quite out of hand. At a deeper level it’s about pride, and independence, and the importance of accepting help sometimes. It’s also about being free to be oneself, to flout conventions, to move beyond the strict confines of society’s expectations.

Diane Keaton’s role is not very different from other parts I’ve seen her in, but she does it very well and her personality fits that of Emily ideally. I didn’t remember seeing Brendon Gleeson anywhere else; he is wonderful in his role, and there’s quite an onscreen chemistry between the two. Other characters are somewhat caricatured in their enthusiastic snobbery or downright unpleasantness, but that allows for some comic moments; the pace is excellent, I thought, and the whole well scripted and beautifully made.

Sometimes I didn’t catch all the conversation. It wasn’t that Keaton’s accent is hard to understand but there was quite a lot of muttering. Perhaps that was intended, so as to give the impression of conversation rather than any important dialogue. I don’t think I missed anything.

The rating is 12, which we thought about right. There’s a fair amount of bad language, although I don’t recall anything else that would make it unsuitable for children; there's a love story but it involves implications rather than anything explicit. However it’s unlikely to be of much interest to anyone below the age of about thirty. Overall we enjoyed it very much.

Apparently this film is based on a true story, but we decided not to watch the extras so don’t know any details.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's DVD Reviews