OUT OF THIS WORLD WITH "INKHEART"

Now, I know. It may not make sense to some. Brendan Fraser is not everyone’s idea of a leading man. I kind of understand why. But this film kinda got me. It may be because I am such a book worm and simply love the idea of characters coming out of books. It may be just that I found the idea original. And to be fair, there have been plenty of films about people going into books but not that many in the way of people going into books. And let’s be fair. We all love a good story. If the effects are good and the stroryline half-way decent and original, it gets forgiven most things in my book. (In my book – see what I did there? Oh never mind...)

Ok, so our hero is Mo (Brendan Fraser). He has a very good relationship with his daughter Meggie who he raises single handed. He restores books for a living and is passionate about books, but there is one especially that he has been looking for, for a very long time. Until today. The book is rare, this is true, but not particularly valuable or popular. But the book has a different kind of value to Mo. Unbeknown to his daughter, Mo has a talent. He can bring characters in books out into real life, simply by reading the book. And of course what has gone out, must go in and that is precisely what has happened to his wife Resa – Meggie’s mother. Mo’s only hope, all these years, has been to find another copy of the book and confront the villains that had emerged from it all those years ago, in the hope of getting his wife back... But with all his talents and now with his daughter to think of, can Mo really beat some villains that are truly out of this world?

Now, as you can guess from the general tone and actors, this is definitely not a film that will change your world and your perception of cinema. However, it has a lot going for it. First and foremost, with its graphics, monsters, dragons and magic, it is EXACTLY what I needed to watch at that particular time, on the evening of a tiring weeknight. It all comes down to my argument about entertainment at the end of the day. You can look down your nose at this kind of thing all you like. You can claim “oh but you knew the end all along” etc. But at the end of the day, the film claims to be no more than a tall yarn that will transport you to another universe for a couple of hours. It succeeded with me. Brandon Fraser may not be the future King Lear, however he is brilliant in his role here. It is not completely unsimilar to his previous roles in the Mummy franchise if you think about it. You know, the typical “good man” battling supernatural forces of evil... You know that has made me think how really subtle the phenomenon of typecasting can be... I mean, the Mummy and Inkheart have virtually nothing to do with eachother subject and genre-wise and yet... I don’t know. Maybe it’s a strong face like Brendan Fraser connecting them that connected the dots in my head... It’s a funny old world, eh? 

IN A WORLD OF "GODS AND MONSTERS"

My my, we seem to be hot and heavy on the true stories this week. But fear not, this is not another harrowing crime. Although the story is harrowing, not to mention a true story, no murder is involved. Like Heavenly Creatures it is also the true story of a strong and unlikely friendship and also one of the most striking and beautiful films I have seen in a long time. But well, starring such a great talent as Sir Ian McKellan in the leading role, I seriously doubt the film could have “flopped” if it wanted to… God I thing that guy is BRILLIANT. But moving on…
Gods and monsters chronicles the last days of the 30’s film director James Whale. Known as the director of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein back in the day, Whale (Sir Ian McKellan) has pretty much retired. He has just had a rather severe stroke, his health is failing, and it seems he has nothing else left except to wait out his days, albeit in some comfort, in his residence in Hollywood. He is looked after by his housekeeper the faithful Hannah (played by the legendary Lynn Redgrave) and life seems to be turning increasingly into a monotonous string of days, one of which looks much like the other until the new gardener Clayton Boone (Brendan Frazer) comes into his life. Now Clayton, an ex-marine and mildly homophobic is a little dubious about the job and Whale’s interest in him at first (to those who don’t know, Whale was gay). But as time goes on their friendship develops into something very real. Whale sketches Boone and they exchange stories of their lives… The friendship will end up somewhere neither of them expected it would…
Oscar ®award for Best script, nominations for Best acting… I have become a little jaded over time I have to admit. So films that wind me so completely I have to actually stop in the middle, have a smoke and pour myself a third glass of wine have become rare. I ended up having four glasses of wine in total and two cigarette breaks. McKellan is absolutely stunning as Jimmy Whale who, despite his very strong façade is devastated by the loss of ability brought on by his stroke, intensely nostalgic remembering, among other things, the horrors of the trenches in the First World War and his days at the top of his career as a filmmaker. Boone is at a loss as to how he must help and support his new friend without getting mixed up in “funny business” . And the deeper we get into the story, the more we learn about what is going on behind Whale’s mask, the more torn up we are inside. This is a beautiful, touching story of friendship surviving odds, age gaps and even our own prejudices. It’s good to know that some of the “good things” in life are stronger than all that… No?