A LEGEND LOOKING BACK ON A LEGEND, AS PORTAYED BY A LEGEND... "MR HOLMES"

It’s always a risk to meet celebrities and personal heroes in real life, isn’t it? Who knows what they are like in real life, their public persona is, after all, there to please. In real life, well, they can get away with pleasing a lot fewer people, let’s put it that way. And there you have it, dreams destroyed in instants.

And boy oh boy wouldn’t the long suffering Mrs Munro (Academy Award nominee Laura Linney) know it… She and her little boy Roger (Milo parker) are housekeepers to the famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Sir Ian McKellan). You would think this was an honour, an adventure and a thing to be proud of. The problem is though, that Holmes in real life (unlike his legend) is getting old and he is doing it with very bad grace indeed. He is battling the first stages of dementia, which makes his personal torture double because he is also looking back on his life wracked with regret, regret concerning a particular case that really didn’t go Holmes’ way… The problem is, Holmes can’t exactly remember what happened. And for this reason he can’t figure out if there is a way back from this tragedy… His only source of joy is Roger, a bright and talented boy who adores Holmes. However Roger is only nine and his mother does not approve of this unlikely friendship so his assistance may well be too little too late…

  

I loved this film for so many reasons. First up, amusingly enough, Holmes himself contemplates the legend of Holmes and frankly finds lacking a lot. And quite a few bits added on. It’s a wonderful reflexion on celebrity and the legend created around the famous. It is almost as if celebrities aren’t allowed to be human beings with the occasional bad day and bad mood. More importantly they don’t always have control over what the public imagine them to be and therefore by default “become” something or someone they can barely recognize themselves. Consider the case of Mr Holmes then, who on top of all of that is now also suffering from dementia and having to struggle with his own demons. Or if you would prefer, consider any other star that has to cope with pleasing the public with their performances on stage and off while fighting big and scary personal demons. Think Amy Winehouse or Kurt Cobain…   Sure Mr Holmes spells out the same message in the safety of a nice little whitewashed cottage on the coast, but it is basically the same story and it ain’t pretty…  

On top of all of that, Mr Holmes is an unflinching gaze directed at old age. The skill of Ian McKellan is truly extraordinary as he portrays, in turn, a greying but still very much on form Sherlock Holmes on his last case and contrasts it quite beautifully to the frail old man desperately trying to hold onto his memories, his sanity but maybe most importantly his former self.  As I watched McKellan I couldn’t help but think that it couldn’t have been an easy part to play, not least because he himself is 76 years old. Although he is on top form in the film (and in real life as far as we can tell!) one cannot help but wonder if at times he felt that portraying this aging celebrity looking back at his life and his public persona cut a little too close to home. But then again, this is what it takes to be a truly great actor. You cannot worry about “looking good” if you want to do the part justice. You can only go straight forward, warts and all, and this is what creates performances like McKellen’s where we feel truly sorry for Holmes and feel  - perhaps for the first time – that he has become a real person.

I actually love this last point too. Think for example of Holmes’ more famous modern incarnation in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch. A combination of modern technology and latest fashions means that Holmes is more like a superhero than anything else. Except that his superpowers are quite “human” and even though they are definitely improbable in real life, they are definitely not impossible. In short, the ideal kind of superhero for our disenchanted times… Now we finally see Holmes with the mask off – as it were. And even Holmes (McKellen) cracks a giggle as he watches the “legend of Holmes” in the cinema. There is something wonderfully self-reflexive about this latest addition to the canon of Holmes reenactments watching itself on a (albeit fictional) cinema screen. But I guess this Holmes is slightly different. Just as Cumberbach’s Holmes is a superhero without “super” powers, a more realistic Holmes would not be completely invincible. Old age and death come to us all after all, and Homes’ ultimate battle with his greatest nemesis – dementia – is one that all of us can sympathize with on some level.

For all that though, Mr Holmes is very much an upbeat film. I recommended it to my grandmother and mother, and both are particularly partial to “happy” films. Yes it is melancholy and thought provoking in places, but the friendship between Roger and Holmes – with Roger potentially taking the baton from Holmes in some unseen future – is a sight to behold.    

THE UNEXPECTED JOURNEY CONTINUES : "THE HOBBIT 2: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG"

Hehehe. I literally squeaked when I saw this on the in-flight entertainment on the way back from Japan. I missed this one. I don’t know how it happen – well I do. I wanted to see it in 3D or IMAX. One wants to save up, make it an occasion, go with friends. But as it often happens when you try and “overcomplicate” things I just couldn’t organise it somehow – and then, as it were, it was gone. So now that we have given in and watched the film on a tiny in-flight entertainment screen,  what can we say about the second half of our unexpected adventure?

Well, our party has crossed the Misty Mountains, but that is by no means the end of their troubles. They have to get through the infamous Mirkwood Forest to arrive at the human settlement at Lake-town, all this in time for the one appointed day where the secret door to Lonely Mountain can be discovered. And even then, although it seems to be a simple matter of Bilbo fulfilling his contract, well, it’s easier said than done. I mean, we’re talking about finding a single magical stone in an unimaginably large hoard of treasure, without waking out a sleeping, terrible dragon.  And all of this would have been a good deal simpler if Gandalf had actually stayed with them but he has… Gone off somewhere… Yeah, actually, what’s with that?

So if you’re a fan, you know exactly where we are in the story – isn’t it getting exciting! This chapter of course introduces us to Legolas. And on a side-note I had completely forgotten how much of a proverbial “badass” Legolas was. Watching him and Tauriel fight was definitely one of the highlights of the film for me. I know , I know, I moan a lot about special effects and the excessive usage thereof, but come on. We are watching this film so we can be transported to a magical world of elves, dwarves and hobbits. Movie magic literally goes without saying. And come on – most if not all of us rather likes the elves. (Oh yes we do. )And I (still) have nothing but praise for the magical world Peter Jackson has created for The Hobbit. It is not quite the same reaction I had to the Harry Potter films. For those, bizarrely a large part of the characters and settings looked almost as if they had been plucked directly from the inside of my head (the one notable exception being Lupin – he was so unlike what I had imagined it actually upset me and made it hard to concentrate on the film for a short while, but that’s a completely different story). But this world is so beautiful, so organic and so sensitively created that even if I (probably) didn’t quite see it like that myself I literally can’t imagine it being any other way. Just open the door and step right in.

Acting-wise, of course everyone is on point. I find it hard to imagine Sir Ian McKellan as anyone OTHER than Gandalf and Martin Freeman is the perfect everyman trying desperately to keep up with the otherworldly madness going on around him. There is a certain “Britishness” to his acting that I think really “makes” Bilbo. Not least, it mustn’t be forgotten, because Tolkein himself was British – so surely that fits? And of course we have a few new additions to the “family”. The most talked about was, without a doubt, Smaug, voiced over by Benedict Cumberbach. Firstly, I genuinely wouldn’t have known it was him if the fact hadn’t been bandied all over the known world for months. Ok that sentence looks weird but you know what I mean. It doesn’t sound like him. And bizarrely it sounds just as absolutely terrifying as a talking dragon should. And, all humans out there (ehm) we finally have someone representing us too! Yay! We finally get to meet Bard (Luke Evans) face to face and we even have an appearance from Stephen Fry as the rather oily master of Lake-town. So basically what we get is a wonderful magical world reconstructed lovingly by Peter Jackson, with a goodly dollop of Britishness and British humour injected in. That’s basically my idea of perfection in so many different ways.

But the thing about a film like The Hobbit is that it is one of the best representatives of a very specific genre. If you like fantasy (you probably couldn’t tell, but I do) you’ll love this. If you don’t, you’ll steer well clear and honestly feel as if you haven’t missed a thing. I don’t blame you. I mean, I don’t understand where you’re coming from at all, but I don’t blame you. It takes all sorts to make a world. I just need a sojourn or two in different worlds from time to time that’s all.

AN ADVENTURE WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: "THE HOBBIT : AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY"

I am not going to even pretend to be objective about this one. I, like many other diehard fans, have been waiting for it for a long, long time. Like a lot of said fans, I watched the film within days of it being released to cinemas. I intend to see it a few more times. The same way I did with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. So if you’re expecting an honest critique of Peter Jackson’s cinema, boy oh boy are you at the wrong post. Oh come on. Be a love. I am brutally honest in a lot of stuff I write. I’m allowed to rant and rave about a film or two. Besides, at the end of the day, who can say their opinions are completely objective? We are all shaped by our own personal experiences in life and have our own subjectivities and… Yeah. You get the picture ;)

So, this, as you know (probably) is the first film in the trilogy that will make up The Hobbit trilogy. I am not about to tell you the story in complete and utter detail, the chances are you already know it off by heart (ehm) or  don’t mind just finding out at the cinema when the time comes (in which case, I really don’t know what to do with you). Basically, The Hobbit is the story of the discovery of the Ring that will form the backbone of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is the story of Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman, one of my favourite actors EVER) who first went on an “unexpected adventure”. The main aim was to help a dwarf prince and his loyal band reclaim their fatherland. This, as you can imagine, is not a straight forward matter to start with. But then, just as they finally escape the lair of the Orcs, a mysterious ring makes its way into Bilbo’s possession. The first film leaves off at this point, but as you know, this is the sinister beginning of a whole different can of worms.

I can promise you one thing. I have heard this from complete novices to the franchise and from purists much stricter than myself alike: it just flies by. Logic coupled with all the time measurement devices known to man tell us we have almost spent three hours watching the film. I would happily watch a second Hobbit film at least that long without stopping. The story combined with the effects creates a universe so engrossing that you are just sucked in. It is a wonderful opportunity for escapism for all my fantasy junkies. And this is also a brilliant opportunity to get introduced to the genius of Tolkein if you haven’t already done it.

Cinematically of course, Peter Jackson is completely and utterly the man for the job. He is the number one name I think of when I think of epics, films on a grand scale. People criticise him about a lot, from being shallow to combining and mismatching concepts. I think, although some of the criticisms may have a foundation, he is overall a brilliant entertainer. And this is why he has done such an amazing job with The Hobbit. And of course, the acting. Martin Freeman is getting a bit typecast I feel, as the “everyman” that, bewildered and quite unwilling, gets pulled into an unbelievable adventure. But I also feel that this ability to portray this role “makes” a lot of films too. Think about it, who is he representing as this “everyman” swept off his feet? Why, us of course! The audience! The people who, quite literally, walked in off the street to watch the film. Suddenly, we are grabbed out of our everyday lives and immersed in a world of fantasy. Now, our immersion is metaphorical (or psychological. Not sure which concept goes better to be honest) and Mr Freeman is often, if not always, physically immersed in his adventures. But he reacts exactly in the way we probably would have. And having such a wonderful “representation” of ourselves on the screen in front of us immerses us in the film even further.

And lastly, but my no means least; I cannot possibly close this entry without saying a word or two about the AMAZING Sir Ian McKellan. I read somewhere while the film was still in production, that Sir Ian actually broke down and cried from frustration on one of the sets because he was actually the only “live” person in the scenes and he had to act with a lot of his companions being represented by tennis balls on sticks, later to be “converted” into real people. I read in the comments to this article that “oh he’s old, he should “get with the new generation”.  Oh I could not disagree more. His true talent lies in his ability to adapt and change. It seems he was frustrated; he was pushed to his limits. Yet in the finished product, he is Gandalf as we all know him. He pulled it off. Could a younger actor be so versatile? I doubt it. This kind of thing does have a serious amount of experience involved. So the moral of the story is people, don’t be ageist. Respect your elders.

But first, if you haven’t already, PLEASE go see The Hobbit. It is definitely an adventure you will not forget in a hurry. 

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?