A Royal Night Out (2015) film review

Year: 2015
Running Time: 97 minutes
Director: Julian Jarrold
Writer: Trevor De Silva and Kevin Hood
Cast: Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Emily Watson, Rupert Everette, Jack Reynor

A Royal Night Out will open in Australian cinemas on May 14 and will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. To open in the UK and Ireland on May 15.

Tremendous fun and wonderfully nostalgic, A Royal Night Out champions it's way to finding a terrific balance where it is respectful to those it portrays in the film as well as being charming and hilarious. In Buckingham Palace on V.E. Day 1945, the heir to the throne, Princess Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and her sister Princess Margaret (Bel Powley) watch with envy as London celebrates long-awaited peace with the end of World War II. The two finally convince their reluctant parents, King George VI (Rupert Everett) and Queen Elizabeth (Emily Watson) to allow them one night out on the town without the fanfare that typically follows them everywhere they go. What follows is a night of many adventures that neither of the princesses will ever forget.

A Royal Night Out is a thoroughly enjoyable and very easy watch. While there is not a great deal of story, it is well and truly forgiven as a result of how much fun it truly is. The spots that the princesses find themselves in are a tad predictable, but as they are played out by such strong characters and reasonably original (as one has never seen the two princesses on screen in these situations before) it is accepted and enjoyed. What is so remarkable about the film and what director, Julian Jarrold and writers, Trevor De Silva and Kevin Hood should be commended for, is that it is fun and hilarious without being disrespectful to those involved. One can laugh at the misfortunes of Princess Elizabeth and the carefree and party girl edge that Princess Margaret possesses without feeling even a little bit guilty, which is good news for royalists.

While what happens outside the palace walls in the film is fictional, it notion that the princesses were allowed outside to take part in London's peace celebrations is in fact true. In recent times, it is inconceivable how royal figures such as Prince William and Prince Harry could possibly not be noticed if they venture into the public (as has been seen thanks to the tabloids) as their images are so recognisable due to almost daily coverage on the television, in print and online and a more laid back attitude from their superiors to having them mix in society. In 1945, images of the princesses were seen more in print and it was unheard of for royalty to be socializing outside their class so the lack of recognition they receive is much more believable. One can only imagine that Queen Elizabeth II did in her younger years desire a moment of normality and it can be expected that many of the things she says in the film would not be far from the truth. Indeed, they are things that any member of the monarchy including those current younger members would desire and that is go wherever they want and be just another face in the crowd. Princess Margaret does also have similar notions, but when she states that this many be her only time to go out and have a good time, one cannot help but giggle knowing the party princess she was the earn the reputation of being in years to come.

The film is also a wonderful piece of nostalgia and a fitting tribute to that night of celebration in London that will make many wish they were right there, although the film ensures that it's audience feels as though they are. The costume design by Claire Anderson is truly exquisite and the production design by Laurence Dorman very impressive. The film itself is not an overall emotional experience, but there are some scenes which are in fact quite emotional due to the design and direction. In particular the first look at the celebrations in Trafalgar Square is breathtaking and the dancing scene at Chelsea Barracks radiates freedom and happiness. The soundtrack is also a great deal of fun and fitting of a joyous party in 1945.

The two lead roles of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret are ones that despite this being a comedy and slightly fictional come with extremely high expectations. It has been proven in the past that portrayals of royalty in film are very much hit or miss, but Sarah Gadon and Bel Powley do extremely well in the roles of the young princesses. Gadon personifies the young Queen Elizabeth II with the grace in which she carries herself and her desire to enjoy herself, but inbuilt inability to really let herself go. She is exceptionally strong in the role and has the presence that her character should on screen.

Bel Powley is an absolute riot and hilarious as Princess Margaret. Playing the 14 year old princess, she still has a playful childish charm that is mixed with her wish to be older. Her charming naivety is used as a source of humour and is the cause for many giggles throughout the film. Powley is an absolute delight. Emily Watson also does well and is the perfect embodiment of the regal mother. Rupert Everett is fine, but although he is regal in his approach, does not personify that particular king a great deal.

A Royal Night Out is a great deal of fun and wonderful tribute to the royal family and their sense of duty. A treat for royalists and a party film like no other.

7/10

Maps To The Stars (2014) film review

Year: 2014
Running Time: 111 minutes
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Bruce Wagner
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Olivia Williams, Evan Bird, Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, Dawn Greenhalgh

Maps To The Stars was the Opening Night film at the 2014 Canberra Film Festival and also screened on November 1. Will be released in Australia on November 20 and distributed by Entertainment One.

Maps To The Stars isn't the leisurely stroll down Hollywood Boulevard that many may be expecting, but it is completely compelling with its intensity, valiance and dark satirical nature. David Cronenberg's latest is a brilliant and in depth study of Hollywood as a culture and the personalities often found in it's midst. The enticing, but incredibly evil screenplay is supported by superb performances by it's cast, particularly Julianne Moore and Evan Bird. There is nothing nice about Maps To The Stars, but that is what makes it brilliant.

As a young woman, Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) alights the bus in Los Angeles and gets into a limo driven by aspiring actor, Jerome (Robert Pattinson), she appears to be just another hopeful that has come to Hollywood with stars in her eyes. However, Agatha is the estranged daughter of the high profile Weiss family who brought disgrace on the family many years earlier and was sent far away from her younger brother, Benjie (Evan Bird) who is a troubled teenager star not as concerned with his sister's return as his mother, Christina (Olivia Williams) and father, Stafford (John Cusack). Stafford finds out about his daughter's return to Los Angeles from one of his clients, actress Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore) who Agatha has started working for. Havana suffers with classic Hollywood problems of her own, fuelled by the spectre of her actress mother, Clarice Taggart (Sarah Gadon) who died in a fire when Havana was young.

Maps To The Stars paints an incredibly dark portrait of modern day Hollywood that doesn't shy away from the ugly side of the industry that the power people work so hard to cover up. Despite having a confronting and evil personality which many will find too much to forgive, the film is awfully sure of itself and committed to it's purpose and what it is representing. Maps To The Stars has been likened to films such as Sunset Blvd which are technically making fun of the industry that they are made in, but this modern day Hollywood tale doesn't have a problem showing it's audience the uncensored and often shocking world of debauchery the stars live in. Bruce Wagner's screenplay is brutal and twisted, but brave and brilliant in the way that it doesn't give the audience the satisfaction of knowing exactly where it is going.

Although it is a satire and exaggerated for entertainment value, there are elements of the film which are intriguing case studies of the industry's culture and certain Hollywood stereotypes. There are the little idiosyncrasies in the characters that those who are familiar with Hollywood types will recognise and other relatable cultural aspects of the town such as the minimal degrees of separation between everyone and the paranoia (and often truth) that everyone is only out for themselves. Maps To The Stars also shows how the world of excess that comes with fame and fortune can seem idyllic on the surface, but it is this excess that leads to the evil doings that are read about in the media and seen in the film. The more people have, the more they have to get in trouble with. The film seeks to answer the question that many ask after reading about celebrities in tabloids who go rogue, how do they go off the rails when they live such a charmed life? They have access to far more that they need and as a result, have far more that they can lose.

The depth of character in Maps To The Stars is extraordinary. While the film is first and foremost a case study of Hollywood and it's inhabitants, the characters also exhibit characteristics which are not mutually exclusive to that group of people. Havana Segrand, played flawlessly by Julianne Moore is an incredibly well crafted character who's characteristics represent those not only of such a Hollywood star, but also of a damaged person as such. Havana represents the child of Hollywood who has grown up in the shadow of her beautiful and talented mother. Now facing the reality of becoming a Hollywood "has been" and actively trying to avoid self-destructive behaviour (which doesn't always work), she feels her mother's ghost even more so. She see's in the mysterious Agatha a chance to redeem herself in her mother's eyes, due to the similarities between the girl and Clarice. Havana is an example of one who did not have the relationship with her parent that she would have and is continuously looking for a way to feel atoned. Moore is spectacular and makes the character of Havana one who is intriguing and, like many celebrities who are on the path the disaster, the audience cannot wait to see what she does next.

The Weiss family are an extremely troubled with many secrets which they try to keep hidden from the world as well as from themselves. Whether in the public eye or not, it is not uncommon for children to repeat their parents mistakes as they learn from them just by watching as they grow up. This is the case with Agatha and Benjie, but in particular Agatha who understands to an extent what is happening while Benjie is too young. Evan Bird is wonderful as Benjie Weiss. He is incredibly hard to like as he represents the spoiled and arrogant child star, but at the same time is fantastic to watch. He is the representation of the young star who truly misses out on being a child due in part to being introduced to alcohol and drugs at such a young age. Even though he is a character one loves to hate, he is sympathized with at certain moments in the film where he is on the verge of feeling real emotion, but stops himself in order to protect his persona even only in front of himself.

Mia Wasikowska shows her superb acting range in Maps To The Stars as Agatha is many things. Although eighteen, she is still very much the little girl that her parents neglected. Her father says "I don't know who she is anymore", and Agatha feels much the same way about herself. Her identity is lost somewhere in her parents and brother's identities, but she also looks to Clarice Taggart for clarification. She also tells herself and Jerome lies that make her feel better about herself and forget where she comes from. Agatha is an extremely twisted character who seems dangerous and psychotic, but also just very confused about who she really is.

Maps To The Stars is a rare film that delves deep into the world it exists in and tells an intriguing narrative at the same time. It's confronting look at the world of excess that exists in Hollywood in the twenty-first century will not be to the liking of many, but will entertain those who appreciate the reasoning behind the madness.

8.5/10

Dracula Untold (2014)

 

Year: 2014
Running Time: 92 minutes
Director: Gary Shore
Writers: Bram Stoker (characters), Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (screenplay)
Cast: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Charles Dance, Art Parkinson, Diarmaid Murtagh

Dracula Untold will open in Australian cinemas on the 2nd of October 2014 and is distributed by Universal Pictures. Opening in the United Kingdom also on the 3rd of October and the United States on the 10th.

As a new retelling of Bram Stoker's famous creature of the undead, Dracula Untold is an atmospheric and entertaining hybrid of the historical picture and supernatural fantasy. However, unlike other films based on Dracula, it is not as much a horror film as a historical drama with moments of pure human emotion and captivating images from the Transylvanian dark ages. As an origins film, there is the guaranteed ending, but the screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless gives greater depth to the story which offers welcomed suspense and surprise to this untold story of Dracula.

Although Prince of Transylvania, Vlad Tepes (Luke Evans) has achieved long awaited peace for his country, the threat from the Turks and their leader, Mehmed (Dominic Cooper) is never far away. When Mehmed demands soldiers from Vlad's kingdom for his army, Vlad seeks the help of a supernatural evil in the mountains (Charles Dance) in order to protect his kingdom and save lives. This creature of the dark strikes a sinister deal with Vlad in which he will hold the same powers as he for a number of days in order to save his kingdom, but must not lose his self control or he will become what he is forever. However, Vlad will whatever he needs to do to save his people and protect his wife, Mirena (Sarah Gadon) and son, Ingeras (Art Parkinson).

Dracula is a phenomenon which society will never grow tired of. Gary Shore's retelling of the origins of the mythical creature is an original cinematic experience for the character in this snapshot of a small period in time in which Vlad the Impaler became his alter ego. Whilst the subject is one which the audience is well aware its outcome, there is still a degree of unpredictability in its story which is a welcomed surprise, though it's ending does tend to stroll into the not so unfamiliar territory of cliché. Dracula Untold aims to be as much of an epic motion picture event as it possibly can in a running time of 93 minutes, but evidently tries a little too hard too impress in particular battle scenes which make it seem a little more comical than intended.

Visually, Dracula Untold very much resembles a cross between The Lord of The Rings/ The Hobbit and Game of Thrones, but this is not something which will generally be acknowledged as a negative aspect of the film. For many this similarity will lie with the presence of actors from both of these franchises, but it is more the medieval battles scenes and royal thrones which will prompt this comparison. However, the film is wonderfully atmospheric and the time period is captured in it's intriguing atmosphere of beauty and dread. As a whole Dracula Untold is not surprisingly a dark film in mood and visuals. There are some exquisite landscape shots and incredible production design and art direction. The battle scenes are quite spectacular, if not a little over-exaggerated and shot in an erratic fashion.

Luke Evans is perfect for this role which shows a different side to Vlad/Dracula than is traditionally seen, which is that of a father, husband and leader as well as a monster. He is extremely enigmatic and believable as the man who has a dark side that he insists on hiding from those who love him. Evans has wonderful on screen chemistry with Sarah Gadon and Art Parkinson, who both are also very good and bring an emotional edge to the film. Gadon is right on cue with her show of passion for her husband and maternal instinct for her child, while Parkinson is a real stand out and performs with emotion beyond his years.

As a film which relies more on the historical side of the beginnings of Dracula rather than on the not uncommon horror aspect of his story, Dracula Untold opens this story up to a greater audience. The film is an original spin on a character who has been seen in film and television countless times over the years and allows cinema audiences to find out who was the man before the monster.

7/10