Arthur

Arthur
Year: 2011
Director: Jason Winer
Cast: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig

In My Own Words
It always takes a bad day followed by a visit to the cinema to remind me why I love movies so much. It doesn't matter what it is going on in your life, while you are in a cinema, you forget everything which is going on outside and lose yourself in the film. The world of film provides ua all with an escape and with all the crazy things that are happenning in our lives and in the world at this point in time, an escape is something we all need at times. When you need that escape, I really love the movies which are out in the cinemas at school holiday time. There is always a comedy or an animation or two to watch which will always put you in a better mood once you make the trip to the movies. It doesn't even matter whether the film is half decent or not, just as long as it isn't is light and fluffy and fun.  Last night when I got home I found myself in a bit lower a mood than usual and I put on "The Country Girl" with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. Now forgive me, but this was the first time I had seen "The Country Girl" and it was a lot sadder than what I thought it would be. My mother rang me while I was in the middle of watching it and got mad at me for watching a depressing movie which would only enhance my bad mood! Quite clearly I should have made the trip to the cinemas last night to see "Arthur"! However, even after seeing it today, I feel like a new person! It really is amazing the power a film can hold over you by way of escapism.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
Once again, we approach another remake with caution. "Arthur" was originally made back in 1981 with Dudley Moore as Arthur, Liza Minnelli as his love interest and John Gielgud in his Oscar winning role as Hobson, Arthur's servant. 30 years later, Arthur is now Russell Brand, who resembles Moore only in his haircut for the film and Hobson is now Arthur's nanny and played by Helen Mirren. While the 1981 "Arthur" was worthy of 4 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins, the 2011 version can be described as just good enough. It's fun, but just a bit too silly to be completely hilarious. Sure, there are definitely some laughs but it is a case of seeing the funniest parts in the trailer. Arthur is a child trapped in a 30 year old's body. He loves his toys and spends the money he has inherited from his parents on such extravagences as parties with numerous women and booze. In order to get him to calm down and act like an adult, his distant mother decides to give him an ultimatum, marry Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner) or say goodbye to the millions. This happens at the same time that Arthur meets free-spirited Naomi (Greta Gerwig) who he immediately falls for. Arthur is faced with the biggest decision he has ever had to make, marry a woman he feels nothing for and keep his millions, or keep the girl of his dreams and lose all the money.

"Arthur" is a case of Russell Brand playing Russell Brand. He mixes up the roles which he plays in the movies he partakes in, but they are not a great stretch from each other. In all honestly, Brand will probably never be an accomplished dramatic actor, but he still doesn't do too badly in the dramatic scenes. The chemistry between him and Helen Mirren on screen strengthens throughout the film, as it should be. Unfortunately, the strength of the chemistry between Brand and Great Gerwig on screen is extremely weak and they physically do not look right together. On her own, Gerwig actually does do a very good job as Naomi and she is just delightful with a great amount of character.  In this film, it does feel that Brand has had to tone down his sense of humour to fit in with the film's PG rating. At the beginning of the film, after about 5 minutes it almost feels as though you are going to start to find Brand's Arthur extremely annoying, but by halfway through the film he has actually became quite likable. His character does seem to be extremely overdone in proving that he has a childlike mind. You can see why the director, Jason Winer has made Arthur this way as to make a point, but it is so overdone that Arthur just seems creepy.

However, the script does allow for Arthur to have some very funny dialogue, even though a lot of it is in the trailer so it doesn't seem as funny the second time you have seen it. The script does tend to miss out on some pivotal moments of Arthur's development, particularly towards the end. "Arthur" does tend to get really qute silly at times, but there really is something in this film for everyone.  The best thing is, Winer has made "Arthur" his own and it really is different from the original. Yes, it is not as good as the original, but it is a different film. Gone is the massive Arthur laugh from Dudley Moore and it is replaced by Brand and his own Arthur. The decision to make Hobson into a nanny rather than a servant does work as well as it adds to the immaturity of Arthur's character. The decision also to make Naomi into a tour guide who is running from the police because she doesn't have a license makes her more endearing and perfect for Arthur'sa love interest, rather than Linda (who was played by Liza Minelli) who was running from the police as she was trying to steal a tie for her father.  A remake that isn't trying to be the original is always worthy of praise.

"Arthur" is a good film for the holidays. It is entertaining enough, doesn't require the use of too many brain cells and is a bit of fun. It does border on the funny/silly border, but has something for everyone no matter how frustrating it can be at times.
5.5/10

The Last Station

The Last Station
Year: 2009
Director: Michael Hoffman
Cast: Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti

In My Own Words
Today I am sure I was the youngest person in the cinema to watch “The Last Station”. I’m not entirely sure why that was, but don’t get me wrong, it didn’t bother me at all. I don’t particularly see why “The Last Station” has been particularly stereotyped as being just for the older audience. Maybe it’s because in Sydney it was advertised as closing the Seniors Film Festival at Dendy Cinemas 2 weeks ago, or maybe it’s because Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer are headlining it. Or maybe it is because the combination of Leo Tolstoy, romance and the early 20th century time period just do not seem even remotely interesting to the youth of today. I’m not quite sure that many of the young generation today would know who Leo Tolstoy is, unless they are avid readers like myself. I myself think that “Anna Karenina” is one of the beautifully written books, so I was overjoyed to know that there was going to be a movie about the great man and that Christopher Plummer was playing him. I really believe Plummer did the role complete justice, as did Helen Mirren in playing Countess Sofya.

I have always had a love hate relationship with films which are filmed in a non-English speaking country, but have English dialogue. “The Last Station” is another one of these films. Sometimes I think I would prefer to see a film set in a country and spoken in the same language as it would make it more realistic, but at the same time I understand why such films are done in English as it increases the audience scope. So many people get put off by the idea of going to see a film in a foreign language as they feel like it is work watching as well as having to read at the same time. Some films with the foreign country and English dialogue can really irk me, especially when the dialogue also has the wrong accent, but this film was not one of them.

By the way, does anyone else have the problem where anytime they see Christopher Plummer, all they can think is “The hills are alive with the sound of music…” No? Maybe it’s just me. Anyway, these are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“The Last Station” is one of those films which you watch, and forget that you are actually watching actors act. Although the film can seem a bit slow in parts, the acting is absolutely superb and is to be celebrated. The film may not suit all film goers, as period piece author biopics are not to everybody’s liking. “The Last Station” retells the last year of celebrated author, Leo Tolstoy’s (Christopher Plummer) life. In particular, it focuses on Tolstoy’s relationship with his wife, Countess Sofya (Helen Mirren). As a result of mixed political views, their marriage of 42 years was extremely turbulent, but could also be extremely passionate and loving. The film completely captures the raw emotion of their relationship, as well as the relationships of Tolstoy and the Countess with all the people closest to them.

Although the film is there to tell the story of Tolstoy’s last year, it is more about the characters. The direction by Michael Hoffman is spectacular in this way, as he brings out the best in all the actors who take part in the film and it is unbelievable how the audience feels as if they personally know and empathize with each of the characters. Unfortunately, being a character driven film, this does slow down the pace of the film which some audience members will find to be a disadvantage, while others will realize that every moment in the film adds to the realism of each of the characters. The visuals are also quite stunning of the Russian countryside in which Tolstoy and his family made their residence. The only downfall with the direction is that some of the landscape panning shots are a little too fast and do not allow for the audience to take in all of what they see on screen.

Both Plummer and Mirren earned themselves Academy Award nominations for their performances in “The Last Station” and this is not a surprise at all. Mirren is absolutely superb as Countess Sofya. She shows so many emotions within the film and does each perfectly. Mirren has said of this film that she did not look too much into how the Countess was in real life, but created her own interpretation of how she believed the wife of Tolstoy should have been. She excels at this and definitely brings the character to life. Plummer is also wonderful as Tolstoy, created a completely lovable characters whom the audience immediately falls in love with. James McAvoy is also brilliant as Valetin Belgakov. When he meets Tolstoy for the first time is particularly a stand out moment, showing the true emotion of a pupil meeting his hero for the first time.

“The Last Station” cannot be missed by anyone who is a Tolstoy fan, or a fan of great acting. There are many moments which linger once the film is finished and make this one of the finest biopics of the year.
8/10