Thursday April 18
Sherlock Holmes:A Game of Shadows [M-Net.22.30]
Drive [M-Net.02.05]
Friday April 19
LISABETH SALANDER COMES TO LIFE- ROONEY MARA IN THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOOO
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo [M-Net.00.00]
Saturday April 20
The Sitter [M-Net.01.00]
One Day [M-Net.02.50]
A Little Bit Of Heaven [M-Net. 04.50]
Sunday April 21
Apollo 18 [M-Net.0050]
J EDGAR AND FRIEND
J Edgar [M-Net.03.45]
Monday April 22
Zilch
Tuesday April 23
A TOUCHING MOMENT BETWEEN ELIZABETH AND BERTIE
The King's Speech [M-Net.02.50]
Man About Town [e.tv.22.50]
Wednesday April 24
Shanghai [M-Net.23.25]
A Little Bit Of Heaven [M-Net.01.20]
***
THE KING FACES HIS MORTAL ENEMY- THE MICROPHONE
The King’s Speech [M-Net.Tuesday.02.50] is on the box again this week. If you’ve been living in Outer Mongolia for the last couple of years, and this your first viewing of the award winning movie, you are in for a treat. Fortunately, for the rest of us, The King’s Speech is one of those rare films that can be enjoyed twice or even three times.
MERYL STREEP BECOMES THE IRON LADY
Another movie that is doing the rounds at the moment is The Iron Lady, the film that tells the story of controversial politician Margaret Thatcher. Her performance as Thatcher won Meryl Streep her second ‘Leading Role’ Oscar last year. Although the movie is not on this week, there are some fascinating links to The King’s Speech. History has a way of folding in and over on itself.
THATCHER (RINGED) AS A YOUNG GIRL
Margaret Roberts was born in 1925 and was a small girl, living in a flat over her father’s grocery store when the events that make up The King’s Speech played out on the world’s stage.
BERTIE BECOMES GEORGE VI
In 1935, George VI’s father George V was still King, while his brother David was Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. As second son, Bertie’s stammer was not that important. By 1937 all that had changed, Mrs Simpson had stole the new King’s heart, he abdicated to marry her and suddenly Bertie found himself King George VI and his stammer became a huge problem.
MAGGIE WITH BERTIE'S DAUGHTER
The lives of The Royal Family and Baroness Thatcher continued to overlap over the next five decades, Thatcher became Prime Minister to George’s daughter Elizabeth...
AND HIS OLDEST GRANDSON
and was PM during a great deal of the marriage of George’s grandson Charles, to Diana, Princess of Wales. The Iron Lady is another fascinating chunk of modern English history; look out for its next showing on M-Net.
THE WIRELESS WAS A MENACE TO THE KING'S SPEECH
A big difference between the two movies, Meryl Streep almost becomes Maggie Thatcher, Streep has the amazing ability to morph into any character she plays, on the other hand, neither Colin Firth nor Helena Bonham Carter try to look or sound like the historical figures they are portraying, but somehow it doesn’t matter at all, so compelling are their performances.
ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON
Staying with history in a way, a recent survey showed that more than 60% of people interviewed believe that Sherlock Holmes really existed. Didn’t he? Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows [M-Net.Thursday.22.30] once again has Guy Ritchie behind the camera and Robert Downey and Jude Law in character as Holmes and Doctor Watson.
THE LOVELY IRENE ADLER
The movie, not to be taken too seriously is great fun, with standout performances from Stephen Fry as Mycroft and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. A Game of Shadows is maybe not as good as the first outing but still worth a place on the couch and a bag of homemade popcorn.
DICAPRIO AT FULL THROTTLE
The retelling of 20th Century history is very popular at the moment, and Clint Eastwood, who has a flair for turning American history into film has done a fine job on J Edgar [M-Net.Saturday.03.45], a movie that narrates some of the absorbing facts in and around the life of J Edgar Hoover, first director of the FBI and the ultimate man of shadow.
LEO WITH HIS SCREEN MOTHER JUDI DENCH
Leonardo Dicaprio is breathtaking as Hoover, as is Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson, Hoover’s deputy and close (some say very close) confidant. Judy Dench has a punchy little part as his mother from hell
WORDS OF WISDOM
...and Naomi Watts is super cool as the enigmatic Helen Gandy, who spent a great deal of her working life carefully smudging evidence and detail, both before and after Hoover’s death.
J EDGAR WITH JFK AND RFK
J Edgar is painstaking made and a little on the long side, but Hoover was a man of many parts and guises, rubbing shoulders with many prominent Americans, from Lindbergh to two generations of Kennedys.
APOLLO 18 USES THE 'FOUND FOOTAGE' TECHNIQUE
If you enjoy conspiracy theories, the movie Apollo 18 [M-Net.Sunday.0050] might suit you very well. I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment, suffice to say that when walking on the moon, you had better watch your step. Sci-fi with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
BEN AFFLECK WITH HIS ARM AROUD GEORGE CLOONEY. HIS OSCAR FOR PRODUCTION (FINANCE) RATHER THAN DIRECTION(CREATIVITY)
Ben Affleck has become noteworthy this year for directing Argo, the Oscar winning movie of the year, while not even being nominated for the directional toilings; which was very stupid decision on the part of the Academy. Methinks, the oversight will do his career the world of good, everybody loves a gallant loser.
AFFLECK-BEADLESS MAN ABOUT TOWN
Affleck is in Mike Binder’s Man About Town [M-Net.Tuesday.22.50] this week. He renders a deft and able performance as the Hollywood talent agent in all sorts of personal and public trouble. This cleverly scripted movie is one those where Hollywood hold a mirror to its rather spotty face.
TWICE CURSED JONAH HILL-HORRIBLE KIDS AND A TERRIBLE SCRIPT
And now, two really bad movies! The Sitter [M-Net.Saturday.01.00] is a huge waste of Jonah Hill’s talent. Maybe the situations looked funny, written on a beer mat after a long session in a trendy pub somewhere— I can’t think of any other reason to validate the time and money spent on it.
A LIITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN-AKA SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL DENTIST
Even worse is A Little Bit of Heaven [M-Net.Saturday.04.50 and Wednesday.01.20], a romantic comedy that is not romantic or vaguely amusing.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG PLAYS GOD AND WINS
This movie blithely ridicules the talents of (among others) Kate Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal, Kathy Bates and Peter Dinklage. To add insult to injury, Whoopi Goldberg is cast as God, which is a poke in the eye for both her and HIM.
WHY DO ROMANTIC COUPLES ALWAYS HAVE A RUNNING SCENE?
Much more pleasing to the eye and senses is One Day [M-Net.Saturday.02.50] is based on the novel of the same name by David Nicholls; let me say at the outset that the novel is better. However, Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway are rather touching as the sometime lovers.
DIRECTOR LONE SCHERFIG
Hathaway’s English accent slips and slides a little but on the whole, the action is moving and the tears obligatory. However, Danish director Lone Scherfig keeps her finger firmly on the pulse and pace; none of the characters are allowed to wallow too much.
DAVID FINCHER
Staying with matters Scandinavian, David Fincher was given the fairly arduous task of making an English language version of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo [M-Net.Friday.00.00]. He does a fine job, brilliantly painting his canvass in shades of white and gray.
DANIEL CRAIG IN STEVE MCQUEEN MODE
The cast is well chosen and adroit. Daniel Craig is suavely urbane as Mikael Blomkvist, while Rooney Mara is rough and grungy, with just a slight touch of vulnerability as Lisbeth Salander. Daniel Craig, with his look of world weary intent often reminds me of the late Steve McQueen. Christopher Plummer and Stallan Skarsard head a stellar supporting cast, with Joely Richardson in a small but pivotal role.
ROONEY MARA IN CHARACTER
Of course, some people are always going to prefer the Swedish originals, but this movie sets a stark tempo all of its own and is one to look out for. As everyone knows, the Millennium Trilogy is made up of three titles, the second in the series; The Girl Who Played With Fire is not yet before the cameras, why? Who knows?
STALLAN SKARSARD
It would make a perfect sequel. Sad. When you think that other rubbishy titles, too many to name, spawn second and even third sequels before you can say franchise.
GOSLING AS AN URBAN COWBOY
Drive [M-Net.Thursday.02.05] with a fine performance from Ryan Gosling has the feel of the Old West to it. Gosling, like cowboy heroes of old, knows that his chosen path does not include happiness or fulfillment.
DRIVE DIRECTOR NICOLAS WINDING REFN, RYAN GOSLING AND THE SIDE OF HOSSEIN AMINI'S CHEEK
Yet he knows that in a different world, he and Carey Mulligan could have had something akin to happiness. Drive is fast moving and the tension never lets up, another winner from the pen of Hossein Amini.
A BETTER SHOT OF MR AMINI
Hossein Amini is also responsible for Shanghai [M-Net.Wednesday.23.25], a film starring John Cusack and Chow Yun- Fat (remember him as Jodie Foster’s King in the 1999 version of Anna and the King.) Shanghai has only had spotty release worldwide, but is not bad at all.
JOHN CUSACK IN SHANGHAI
The action is set in Shanghai in 1941, there is a murder and mayhem while brooding feelings of film noir abound. Just for luck, there is a Nazi subplot.
THE VERY TALENTED JOELY RICHARDSON
If I had been in Outer Mongolia for the last year or so, my pick would be The King’s Speech [M-Net.Tuesday.02.50], as I haven’t, how about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo [M-Net.Friday.00.00]