Mr Holland's Opus (Richard Dreyfuss)

(Amazon UK link)

It's rare for us to go to the cinema. A good friend of mine, knowing this, said in 1995 that if we didn't see any other films that year, we should see 'Mr Holland's Opus'. Brilliant for all the family, she told us. Not to be missed...

Circumstances did not conspire, and we didn't see it. Indeed, I had almost forgotten about it until a few years ago when I spotted, at an online store, the DVD of this film on special offer. I ordered it immediately, and we watched it as a family not long after. We were unanimous in thinking it a wonderful story, superbly done.

Three of us have just watched for the second time. There are not many movies I can re-watch in such a short space of time, but Mr Holland's Opus was probably even more enjoyable this time around. I would go so far as to say that it's possibly my all-time favourite film.

The overall plot is a ‘feel-good’ story about a young man, Mr Holland - Richard Dreyfuss - who wants to compose music. However, he takes a job teaching music in a high school to provide a reliable income for himself and his wife. It’s only ever going to be temporary, or so he thinks at first. But the years roll by, and he finds himself more and more drawn into the life of the school, making an incredible difference to many of the students.

There’s another whole storyline involving Mr Holland’s wife and son, which is incredibly moving, and brings tears to the eyes at times, even seeing it for the second. I imagine it will continue to do so if and when I see this film again - as I certainly hope to in a few years time.

Richard Dreyfuss is a great actor, but must surely be associated in my mind forever as Mr Holland. He was almost fifty when this film was made, but somehow he manages to be as realistic at sixty as he is at the start of the film, playing a young man in what would appear to be his late twenties.

If you're the kind of person who only likes films with fast car chases, great excitement, sex and violence, then don’t bother with this. But for anyone who likes a slower pace of life, who is interested in schools, or music, or children with special needs, or indeed if you simply enjoy films with great characterisation, I would highly, highly recommend this.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews

Heaven can Wait (Warren Beatty and Julie Christie)

(Amazon UK link)

I've no idea how we came to have this movie on our shelves. Perhaps it was on special offer at one of the sites offering three for ten pounds. Or perhaps we thought it would be better than it was, and added it to one of our wish-lists.

Whatever the circumstances, we sat down to watch 'Heaven can Wait' last night. It was a strange and unusual plot, yet rather unmemorable.

The basic idea is that an American football player (Warren Beatty) is in an accident, and almost dies... but an over-enthusiastic angel takes him to heaven anyway so that, as far as anyone knows on earth, he has indeed passed away.

By the time the mistake has been discovered, his body is no more, but the rules state he has to go somewhere, as he doesn't yet have a place allocated in Heaven.

So he returns to earth in the body of a millionaire who has just been assassinated, and rather confuses his family...

There was a lot of potential for drama, or humour.. Unfortunately, it wasn't realised.

Not a bad movie, I suppose, but not a great one either.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Donny Osmond)

(Amazon UK link)

I liked the songs from the 1970s musical 'Joseph', which I saw live once or twice when schools performed it. But had never thought that a TV or movie version would really be worth seeing - after all, it's just a group of people on stage. Right?

No. Not in this version, anyway. My son bought it, having seen it somewhere else, and insisted that we watch it. Expecting to be bored, even though Donny Osmond was one of the heartthrobs of my youth, I was absolutely riveted.

The musical has been done as a surreal stage production, involving a school with its Headmistress - played brilliantly by Maria Friedman - singing the narration of the story.

Donny Osmond is wonderful as Joseph, the rather obnoxious favourite son of Jacob in the Bible, who ends up in prison, rising quickly to great heights in Ancient Egypt.

Despite having seen it a couple of years ago, I was happy to watch it again last night with relatives who thought it sounded interesting - and who also enjoyed it very much. There are some excellent routines; it's a very clever idea that works extremely well.

This is one of the few musicals I could watch repeatedly.

(Note: I did then watch and review' Joseph' again, four years later)

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews

The Court Jester (Danny Kaye)

(Amazon UK link)

I can remember seeing and enjoying the classic film 'The Court Jester' on television when I was a teenager. I had always enjoyed records featuring Danny Kaye's songs, and thought this film - with the famous 'Chalice from the Palace' scenes being most memorable - very amusing.

So I was delighted when I learned that it had finally been released (and digitally remastered to improve the quality) on DVD. It went on my wishlist, and I received it for my birthday.

Although it's not really my husband's kind of film, we had relatives staying who wanted to see it, also remembering it fondly from previous years. So we saw it last night.

The story features Danny Kaye as a naive young man, employed to be a court jester, despite not actually being very good at jestering. It's part of a complex plot to undermine the evil ruler who has usurped the true king. The real king is a baby, and is in the jester's care..

The plot is remarkably complicated. I'm not sure I ever fully untangled it in my mind, either as a teenager or an adult. But it didn't really matter. Danny Kaye is brilliant in his comic timing, and the story moves rapidly, from situation to situation.

The confusion with the chalice was a lot more complex than I had remembered. I had forgotten the 'vessel with the pestle' and even the 'flagon with the dragon'. I never did quite remember which one held the 'brew that is true'. But it was cleverly done, and amusing. My other favourite recalled scene was when the process for knighting the jester is speeded up more and more rapidly. But that one went by so fast that I almost missed it. It wasn't quite as amusing as I had expected.

Other than Danny Kaye, the acting is a bit wooden in places. The plot is so ridiculous that it wouldn't really work for today's tastes. But I enjoyed it anyway, and hope to see it again in a few years.

Recommended if you like 1950s style silliness with a few songs thrown in.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews

Notting Hill (starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts)

(Amazon UK link)

'Notting Hill' is one of those films that Amazon kept on recommending to me. I like Hugh Grant very much as an actor, I'm growing to like Julia Roberts as an actress, and my preferred genre is the light romantic comedy films, where the humour is light rather than slapstick. So it went on my wishlist, and I received it as a gift.

What an absolutely delightful film it is, too! William - superbly cast as Hugh Grant - is a not-very-successful bookshop owner, getting along well enough when into his shop comes Anna (Julia Roberts).

Anna is a popular and beautiful actress, and William doesn't really know how to relate to her... particularly when, meeting her again, he spills something down her front.

There's not much more I can say about the plot without giving the story away. Actually, there isn't really a whole lot of plot. It's a character-based film, gently paced, with several moving moments. The chemistry between the two principals is excellent. We thought it was very well done, the tone set right from the start.

I suppose it could be summed up as a light and somewhat predictable romance story, but it's one of those that leaves the viewer warmed and inspired.

A little surprisingly 'Notting Hill' is rated 15 in the UK although there's no violence, almost no bad language, and only the subtlest of sex scenes. The US rating of PG-13 is perhaps more suitable.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews

Chocolat (Juliette Binoche)

(Amazon UK link)

In recent years, I've realised that while adaptations of book on film are often disappointing, they can nonetheless, if well-cast, offer a depth of understanding that is somehow more rounded than the individual impression one gets from a book alone. In addition, movie versions allow me to introduce my husband to stories I have enjoyed which he is unlikely to read.

I had slightly mixed feelings about the book 'Chocolat' by Joanne Harris, which I read a little over a year ago. But, with the small French village location, I thought it could make a good film. Reviews were good, so it went on my wishlist.

The story is similar to that of the book. Juliette Binoche stars as Vianne, which she does in a believable way. Judi Dench is superb as the elderly Armande, estranged from her uptight - and upright - daughter. Johnny Depp makes a wonderful, passionate Roux. The photography is indeed good, and the scenes were set far better in my mind than they had been while reading the book.

The antagonism of the townfolk to this carefree, sensual chocolate-maker is well done, contrasting their rigid style of traditional Christianity with the freedom and luxury that Vianne tries to introduce. In the book, the priest is the most vehemently outspoken against Vianne, the 'bad guy', whereas in the film it's the mayor who is the most unpleasant character; I have to admit that I preferred that; I don't think the book was meant to be anti-Christian, but against rigidity and refusal to acknowledge the joy of life.

Other than that one change for the better, the film kept pretty close to the book, as far as can be done, and we both enjoyed it. The 12 rating (or PG-13 in the US) is probably about right, since there is some sensuality and violence, though nothing too explicit or gory.

Recommended for adults and older teens.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews

Jane Eyre (Sorcha Cusack, Michael Jayston)

(Amazon UK link)

Charlotte Bronte's classic novel Jane Eyre has been one of my favourite books ever since I first read it as a young teenager, for English Literature at school. Shortly after I had finished reading it, there was a five-episode BBC television adaptation of the book, which I enjoyed very much. However, there have been many other films made of this classic, and I did not think I would ever be able to watch this particular version again.

So I was delighted when, in 2006, this BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre was finally brought out on DVD. I watched it with my husband and teenage son, just one episode at a time, and we all enjoyed it very much.

Knowing the basics of the story in advance (as my husband did) did not spoil it, any more than knowing it well after re-reading several times over the years. There is melodrama, and some moments of extreme tension, even when I knew exactly what was coming.

With an episodic version of a book, made for TV, it's possible to keep much more closely to the original story than can be done with a 90-minute movie. I felt that this series kept very well to Charlotte Bronte's story, omitting little, and including much of the actual text of the book. Michael Jayston is excellent as the craggy Mr Rochester who employs Jane (Sorcha Cusack) as a governess for his ward.

The BBC always seems to do a superb job with period drama of this kind, even with a limited budget, and I was very glad to have been able to watch this again.

Definitely recommended. Rated PG in the UK, and unrated in the USA, but unlikely to be of much interest to children under the age of about 10 or 11.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews