#90: Wilde (1997) August 20, 2007
Posted by badblokebob in : Drama, Romance, adaptations, 4 stars, 1990s, British films, true stories, 2007, Biography , add a comment1997 | Brian Gilbert | 112 mins | TV | 15 / R
Stephen Fry leads a starry British ensemble in this biopic of poet, novelist, playwright and genius Oscar Wilde. The film focuses not on Wilde’s literary achievements and public life, but on his private relationships with various men, and in particular his obsession with the young Lord ‘Bosie’; of course, eventually, all of these things collide. Fry is perfectly cast as Wilde and Jude Law is suitably horrid as the spoilt, stroppy and thoroughly dislikable Bosie, whose selfishness brings about Wilde’s downfall. Also worthy of note is the ever-excellent Michael Sheen in a smaller but vital role; he’s a criminally under-acknowledged actor.
#89: Mrs Brown (1997)
Posted by badblokebob in : Drama, Romance, 4 stars, 1990s, British films, true stories, 2007, Biography , add a comment1997 | John Madden | 101 mins | TV | PG / PG
Period drama focusing on the friendship between Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown, alongside political threats faced by the British monarchy in the 1860s. There are undoubtedly some parallels to be drawn with recent Oscar-winner The Queen (British Queen retreats to Balmoral to escape the public eye amidst political events threatening the monarchy’s future, etc), but the real treats here are the performances. Judi Dench is fantastic as ever as the Queen, a character more complex than the stereotypical “we are not amused” image; and comedian Billy Connolly is surprisingly effective in a rare serious role.
#63: Monster (2003) July 16, 2007
Posted by badblokebob in : Drama, Crime, 2000s, 4 stars, true stories, 2007, Biography , add a comment2003 | Patty Jenkins | 105 mins | TV | 18 / R
Charlize Theron uglies up (and wins an Oscar) portraying Aileen Wuornos, one of America’s first female serial killers, in this ‘true crime’ biopic. The film focuses on her 9-month relationship with Selby, played by Christina Ricci, which is also the period in which she killed several men (many of them, especially initially, not undeserving of their fate). Theron gives a truly transformative performance that, with the obvious aid of the script, helps you understand Aileen, her actions and her motivations, and reveals a lot about her character without resorting to tacky flashbacks or unwieldy info-dumps.
#61: Capote (2005)
Posted by badblokebob in : Drama, 2000s, 4 stars, true stories, 2007, Biography , add a comment2005 | Bennett Miller | 109 mins | DVD | 15 / R
It is, unsurprisingly, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar-winning lead performance that dominates this movie. While the title might suggest a biopic, the film actually concentrates on the five year period in which Truman Capote researched and wrote his non-fiction novel In Cold Blood. While this process forms the structure of the plot, the title gives away what the movie is actually ‘about’ — in and around the mechanics of the murder investigation and Capote’s work process, it’s the character of the man, and how it’s affected, that is really revealed to the viewer (in a subtler way than my blatant highlighting of it here would suggest).
#50: Ray (2004) May 21, 2007
Posted by badblokebob in : Music, Drama, 2000s, 4 stars, true stories, 2007, Biography , add a comment2004 | Taylor Hackford | 152 mins | TV | 15 / PG-13
It’s easy to see why Walk the Line has been described as “Ray with white people”; but Ray has also been described as being an outstanding performance in an average film, and I’d pretty much agree with that too. Jamie Foxx is indeed an amazingly accurate Ray Charles (based on the little I know of the man, anyway) and deserving of his Oscar. It would be unfair to say such a performance is wasted in this film, but it is true that no other element is quite up to the same level. While Ray is good, I personally thought Walk the Line was a better film.
#47: Bonnie and Clyde (1967) May 8, 2007
Posted by badblokebob in : Drama, Romance, Crime, 4 stars, 1960s, true stories, 2007, Biography , add a comment1967 | Arthur Penn | 112 mins | download | 18 / R
“You’ve heard the story of Jesse James, of how he lived and died; If you’re still in need of something to read, here’s the story of Bonnie and Clyde”.
Bonnie and Clyde is a significant film for several reasons, but I’m not going to give another film history lesson! It brings together several well-executed elements to create a compelling whole — good performances, showcased in at least one key scene for every actor; merging Hollywood feature and New Wave influences; themes of media influence, Robin Hood-esque antiheroism, what family is, and no doubt several more; plus a few exciting action sequences just to round things out.
#37: The New World (2005) April 9, 2007
Posted by badblokebob in : Drama, Romance, 2000s, 4 stars, Adventure, true stories, 2007, Biography, Historical , add a comment2005 | Terrence Malick | 130 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13
Slowly paced and beautifully photographed, this is about as far from Disney’s telling of the story (in Pocahontas, of course) as you could get. This is not a bad thing, as the pace and photography combine to make for a serene unravelling of story and mood. It only begins to wear a little thin around the time Christian Bale’s character turns up — sticking to the facts of a story, and in the process damaging the film, is sadly a regular flaw in real-life tales such as this. I also loved the sound design, imbued as it was with the small sounds of nature, all creaking timber and rustling grass.