Movie Review: Of Gods and Men

This French-made movie should receive an award for sheer guts. This is because it takes on the potentially inflammatory subject of Muslim and non-Muslim relationships. Yet, it does so in a way that does not diminish the humanity of the individuals involved - even the terrorists are treated with genuine humanity.

“Of Gods and Men” is based on a true story from 1996 where seven monks from a monastery in Algiers were beheaded by religious extremists. Knowing the movie will end in tragedy does not ruin it in the slightest. Instead, having a window into the future of these monks makes their faith, courage and sheer humanity even more poignant. The movie begins by depicting how these French Christian monks live in harmony with the locals villagers in the mountains of the Maghreb. The villagers are predominantly Muslim, but are deeply respectful of the monk’s presence in their lives. As for the monks, they maintain an equal respect for the villagers, giving free medical care, advice and other support while attending their religious festivals without seeking to convert.

Outside of the walls of the monastery, life begins to take a turn for the worse with escalating violence and terror posing a serious threat to the monastery. Against the increasingly aggressive advice of the local government, the monks determine to hold their post, in the hope that the peace and unity they live for could provide a shining light for others in these dark times. While the plot is driven by the constant threat of terrorist attack, it is clear that the heartbeat of this film is faith rather than fear. This does not prevent fear from inhabiting the many nooks and crannies of the monastery, however.

It is difficult to film ‘faith’ without being preachy, but director Xavier Beauvois certainly succeeds in doing so here. Certain scenes stick out in my mind, such as the one where after an argument with the local army outpost, helicopters fly past the chapel during mass, prompting the monasteries leader Brother Christian (Lambert Wilson) to begin singing a Psalm. When the other monks join in, the noise of the helicopters is gradually faded out while their rich, resonant voices take over. The scene culminates in a wonderful panning shot from the helicopters view, as we see a visual example of how faith can readjust our perspectives and allow us to hear not just the loud, whirring of violence and hurt, but also the quiet whisper of God.

Another significant scene is a ‘last supper’ kind of meal, where the monks argue whether they should stay or leave. As they do so the camera focuses on each face as smiles and tears transform them. We are taken from joy to heartbreak and back again through the conversation as each monk shares their faith, and their lack of it. Each member of the superb cast quietly, yet powerfully, manages to convey the journey through personal fears and anxieties that each brother faces.

There is no anger behind this film, and not even a hint of condescension. It is as if the director is determined to show the same respect to all humanity that the monks displayed. ‘Of Gods and Men’ mixes tender and tough into one, and as we view our capacity for awful violence, it is held up on the screen to be compared to the sheer beauty of human forgiveness and love. Where the movie really succeeds is that what sticks with you once the final credits roll is not the pointless brutality of the monk’s fate, but rather the sustaining power of faith.

Four stars out of five and highly recommended.

Movie Review: True Grit

“You pay for everything in this world. There is nothing free, except the grace of God.”

This is not another hoary old Western about revenge. This is a movie about ‘avengement’ with strong spiritual undertones, and there is a significant difference. When 14 year old Mattie Ross’ (Hailee Steinfeld) father is gunned down by an outlaw, this religious young woman swears to avenge his death. To avenge means the desire to see justice done, and in this sense justice is different from revenge. Her particular old West faith-based mindset believes deeply in wrongs being righted, and it is this desire that drives her and the film’s plot so strongly.

Directed by the legendary Coen Brothers, True Grit is based more on the original novel by Charles Portis than the John Wayne film (which won the “Duke” his only Oscar). After the murder of her father by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), Mattie swears justice will be done and hire a grumpy but tough-as-leather old lawman with “true grit” known as Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). Together with a straight-arrow Texas Ranger named La Boeuf (Matt Damon), they begin a hunt of Chaney, one that tests the will and “grit” of each trekker.

The Coen brothers are renowned for placing their own zany, rather enigmatic touch on their movies, but here they remain true to “True Grit,” allowing it to play a little straighter but still crafting an engaging, sometimes humorous story, with fascinating characters and sumptous cinematography. Jeff Bridges is simply brilliant as the ‘ornery’ Rooster, and stands a chance of winning his second Oscar in a row for this role. Matt Damon seems to possess an undeniably magic touch (his movies have now earned 2 billion dollars for Hollywood), and while ‘straight’ characters are notoriously difficult to make stand out, he succeeds admirably in developing several different layers for La Boeuf.

Balancing out these two Hollywood heavyweights is the real star of the show in newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, who at only 13-years old is even younger than the character she plays! Steinfeld delivers a superb performance, portraying a young woman who is cruelly robbed of her father, but whose faith sustains not only her, but ultimately the soul-wounded and cynical men who accompany her.

Faith is a big part of this movie, with hymns providing some of the background music, and a Bible verse quoted near the beginning. While Steinfeld’s character carefully measures life in terms of justice and what is owed to others, God’s grace still runs like a river throughout. In fact, there is a fascinating interaction between the ideas of redemption and justice as pursued under the operating legal systems by both saints and sinners alike - it should provide food for thought at the very least.

This is another excellent movie that comes highly recommended. Four (and a half) stars out of five. There is some strong language and violence, but overall “True Grit” remains true to it’s PG13 rating.

Movie Review: The King's Speech

So what could possibly be interesting about a stuffy British royal with an embarrassing stutter? You may have quietly wondered this amidst all the hullabaloo regarding possible Oscars for THE KING’S SPEECH. Well, allow me to allay those fears because THE KING’S SPEECH is well-worth all the hype. This is a gripping period drama that would fully deserve any awards coming its way as it is well-served with classy acting and a sparkling script.

THE KING’S SPEECH is a profoundly personal story about an unlikely friendship that impacted the course of human history. Prince Albert (Colin Firth) suffers from a terrible stutter and has grown up being mercilessly teased by his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and older brother Prince Edward (Guy Pearce). As a result, Albert or ‘Bertie’ as he is known by friends and family, is more than content to stay in the background while his more flamboyant brother struts his ‘princely’ stuff. Albert is horrified, however, when he learns that Edward plans to abdicate the throne due to his forbidden love for an American divorcee. Against his will, but bravely embracing his fate, Albert steps into the public limelight as King at a time when England is entering WWII and is in desperate need of assured leadership.

Albert’s wife, Elizabeth (the famed Queen Mother who died a few years back aged 101), does her best to help him get over his stutter, but nothing works. Finally, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter is also excellent as this fiery, strong woman) seeks the assistance of an unconventional Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), who offers to help only if Albert agrees to place himself entirely in his hands. Initially, they struggle to get along as they are poles apart culturally and personally. Yet, in the end it is these very differences that sparks a multi-layered friendship that is fascinating to watch. Albert shuns the spotlight because of past humiliations and deep wounds, while Lionel as a failed actor is desperate for any kind of applause and public attention. Lionel’s unconventional teaching style eventually impacts the soon-to-be King for the better, but the question on everyone’s lips is - will he be ready in time to speak the words of encouragement and hope that his war-threatened nation needs to hear?

Everything about this movie is sheer quality, but the interplay and relationship built up between Firth and Rush is what puts it a class above. Firth’s Prince Albert may be royalty, but he is also an underdog and that’s probably what gets the audience so emotionally involved with him. THE KING’S SPEECH is a breath of fresh air in an age of ‘dumb’ movies as it expertly weaves personal drama and historical truth in a way that is emotionally compelling, humanely funny and piercingly intelligent.

THE KING’S SPEECH is highly recommended to all. It has some strong language but no other adult content.

Movie Review: Made in Dagenham

It seems obvious when you think about it. If a woman does the same job as a man, she should be paid the same, right? Of course, but the sad reality is that is not how it often works. MADE IN DAGENHAM is a light-hearted look at the serious topic of why corporates and organisations have so often undervalued the work of women in this way.

MADE IN DAGENHAM is based on actual events in 1968, with Sally Hawkins putting in a quality performance as a rather ‘wall-flowery’ working wife and mom Rita O’Grady, who is transformed into a union firebrand as she confronts the corporate giant Ford.

Rita works alongside 187 other women for Ford in the London suburb of Dagenham. While the 55,000 men workers are housed in a clean, new facility, the women are forced to contend with sweatshop conditions in a facility dating back to the 1920s. They routinely strip down to bra and panties to deal with the conditions but generally deal with this indignity with humour and grace.

What they cannot deal with, however, is the fact they have been downgraded from semi-skilled to unskilled labourers, this despite the fact that sewing car-seat upholstery is specialized work. When their good-natured Union rep, Albert (Bob Hoskins), encourages them to bring their grievances to Ford, Rita, along with the shop steward Connie (Geraldine James), are fobbed off with minor concessions.

To the surprise of all and sundry, Rita takes the bull by the horns and instigates a strike, which eventually turns into a long-term strike that shuts down the plant. Their strike grabs the attention of the media and of the Labour government in power. The men, while initially supportive, become increasingly annoyed when the strike starts to effect their pay packets placing a fair amount of stress on the home lives of these courageous women.

Made in Dagenham is a movie with an important message, but deals with this serious topic in a fairly light-hearted and comedic manner. Everyone seems ready to see the lighter side of life in Dagenham apparently, and even when something terrible happens, you know that a laugh is just around the corner.

Strangely enough, this approach both weakened and strengthened the overall effect. While you sometimes felt the humour in some of the tougher situations was a little unrealistic, (this unrealism extends to how graciously the children handle a mother who suddenly abandons them in favour of her union work). On the other hand, some of the lighter touches were extremely well done and prevent the movie from taking itself too seriously and becoming overly heavy in the process.

This is a good, but not excellent movie. As mentioned it feels unrealistic in certain places, and is also a touch predictable in others. But still the acting is strong, the story-line enjoyable and you just have to respect the way these women fought for their cause. A cause, which if everyone thought about it for a little, is well, completely right. The good news at the end is that the actions taken by the real-life women, of whom Rita is a composite character, led to the Equal Pay Act of 1970 in the U.K.

Three and half stars for MADE IN DAGENHAM.

Movie Review: Winter's Bone

WINTER’S BONE is about a real-life hero. Now real heroes are not people able to leap tall building in a single bound, or have bullets bounce off their chests, no - real heroes are ordinary people who rise up to the occasion when they need to, and the central character here is just such a person.

17-year-old Ree Dolly (played by the truly gifted Jennifer Lawrence) is the only one left who can take care of her younger brother and sister in a rundown farmhouse in the Missouri Ozarks. Her mother is too mentally unfit to care for them and her druggie father is away helping out with her extended family’s illegal drug business. Ree is forced to track down her missing father, because he put up their house for his bail bond and then disappeared. Here Ree faces up to the most incredible challenges because her no-good relatives stonewall, threaten and even beat her up to protect their interests. Yet Ree perseveres because of her love for her siblings, knowing that she will lose the farm to bail bondsmen if she cannot find her father before his court date.

WINTER'S BONE is not always easy to watch because poverty, desperation and drug-addiction are generally difficult to encounter. Yet, it is vital to watch because it illustrates just how de-humanising poverty is. Many of Ree’s family members have had the goodness, their essential humanity, slowly squeezed out of them by their hard-as-bones life. Their undead ‘Twilight-like’ colouring and trigger-hair rages are symptomatic of loveless and hopeless existences. Yet Ree’s dogged perseverance - borne out of a love-inspired courage - slowly affects some of those around her, allowing them to find redemption in supporting her. Nowhere is this more clear than in the relationship she has with her drug-addicted Uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes). In the end, Teardrop helps her probably because he has given up on his own life, which paradoxically gives him more life in that short time then in all the years preceding.

WINTER’S BONE is a captivating, moral tale of courage, love and survival that reminds us that light can be brought to even the darkest poverty of human spirit. Four (and a half) stars out of five and highly recommended. Be aware that there is strong language and some violence (although most of it is off-screen).

Movie Review: Secretariat

I know what you are thinking. This is a movie about horse racing so it must be about an underdog. A horse that exceeds all expectations as it comes from nowhere to squeak home in a dramatic finale leaving viewers breathless from anticipation and dizzy from tension. Well, if that’s your thinking then you are entirely wrong. This is not a corny formulaic story built around a contrived plot and an unlikely loser coming good. This is a true story based on the exploits of what may be the greatest race horse of all time. This horse wins the biggest race of its life not by a nose hair but by 31 unprecedented lengths in a time that still hasn’t been matched. So what makes this movie so compelling is not the underdog stuff we have seen countless times before, but rather because it is about faith and greatness, and we are shown clearly how indisputably those qualities are linked.

Secretariat does not shy away from its faith connections. From its stirring (and appropriate) opening quotation from the Book of Job to its emotive finale played out to the tune of a renowned Gospel song, faith is a key element throughout. Embodying this faith is the powerful performance Diane Lane puts in as Penny Chenery (also Tweedy) who in 1969 sets aside her housewife duties to save her ailing father’s horse ranch and who becomes the driving force behind Secretariat’s rise to greatness. In the process she overcame the antagonism of family members, the chauvinism of a male-dominated sport, and the disbelief of the community in general. Her courageous perseverance eventually inspired both loved ones and detractors to see that greatness (to paraphrase the old saying) is 99% sheer grit, and 1% inspiration. Lane has a host of excellent actors alongside her including my favourite John Malkovich who plays Lucien Laurin, Secretariat’s French Canadian trainer. Malkovich brings to his role both dramatic strength and comedic relief.

The best part about Secretariat, however, is its story. While not a typical underdog movie because you know all along that Secretariat is going to win, you still find yourself holding your breath during the race scenes and wiping away the odd tear afterwards. This is because the story line is so authentically down-to-earth and yet ultimately inspiring, that you feel as if you can really smell the stables and reach out and touch the horse hair. A good story always makes you identify with the characters and feel part and parcel of its reality, and this certainly happens here. Yet, perhaps the best part of Secretariat is that it never forgets how much a story can be used to inspire others, and while it is unashamedly unapologetic about its rich, full message, it is still never preachy or contrived.

One of the best movies of the year. Four and a half stars out of five.

Movie Review: The Concert

THE CONCERT is a farcical comedy slash unlikely drama about an orchestra of some brilliant former musicians who impersonate the famed Russian Bolshoi symphony in order to pull off a remarkable musical comeback.

Thirty years before the events of this movie, Andreï Filipov (Aleksei Guskov) was the conductor of the Bolshoi, and globally considered a genius in his field, but his glittering career was brought crashing down by an argument with the ruling Communist party over the employment of Jewish musicians. Andreï was publicly humiliated, fired and denounced as an enemy of the people when the Communists interrupted a live performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Concerto”. Andreï was reduced to working as a simple janitor at the Bolshoi’s symphony hall while fighting alcoholism and dreaming of conducting an orchestra again.

Then one day Andreï intercepts a fax from Paris inviting the Bolshoi to play for them. Andreï uses this opportunity to band together his old musicians and finish the concert they started three decades previously. This pulling together of his old musicians - now in occupations as diverse as furniture removal men and suppliers of music for the porn industry - is where the movie becomes more than a little unlikely. The humour throughout is somewhat childish at times, but does manage to keep the overall tone light without diverting attention from the larger storyline. There is a satirical bite to it but again, the absurdism of many of the plot lines sometimes makes it a bit silly.

Andreï’s plan includes convincing the acclaimed French violinist Anne-Marie Jacquet (Mélanie Laurent from Inglourious Basterds) to play with his impostor orchestra for deeply personal reasons. These reasons come out during a climatic and deeply moving final scene (the final Concert of the title) that single-handedly manages to entirely redeem any weak points of the film and leave it as an above average offering. The combination of hauntingly beautiful music and compelling acting somehow wraps up every aspect of the film in a profoundly satisfying manner. The Concert contains strong themes of standing against injustice, personal and social redemption, and the beautiful possibilities of inner healing and how that can truly transform lives.

Three (and a half) stars out of five for THE CONCERT and warmly recommended to all.