Movie Review - London Road

London Road

2015

BBC Films / Cuba Pictures

BBC Two

5.25 / 10

This musical is based on the National Theatre stage production which is based on actual events that took place in London Road Ipswich.

In 2006, London Road had a problem with prostitutes who had moved into their street.  Not only were the working girls touting for business but they were having sex in view of the residents.  Then five of the women's bodies were found and one of their neighbours was charged and convicted of the offence.  This is the story of the residents' thoughts and feelings during the incident and their attempt to recover from the stigmatism which was caused.

Musicals aren't my favourite type of movie though I did like the classics.  Though the music and songs are more contemporary in this film.  Unfortunately, it's that same music and songs that injure the film.  I liked the idea of the songs encompassing and including the tenants' actual comments, however, there just isn't enough of them and the lyrics end up being repeated too much.  This repetition is very annoying and nearly had me turning it off a couple of times.  It would have been nice if Adam Cork, who composed the music, had spread his wings a little more as most of the songs are very similar and add to the monotonous feel.

Luckily the filming by director Rufus Norris is interesting and well crafted to suit the music and songs, as well as the narrative when you have the residents speaking.  It's also these acting sequences that hold the film together as the are very well skilled at their craft.  It's these elements and not the musical ones that make you relate to the characters and understand just what they were going through.

If it hadn't been a musical then I believe this would have been a much greater film.

If you like contemporary musicals this may be for you.  If you're thinking about watching this for members of the cast - Olivia Coleman or Tom Hardy, be aware that they are not in this film for long.  In fact, none of the cast is, and I like the movie more because of this.  Each actors playing the residents appear to have the same screen time.  Though, if you're a studying filmmaker or you're just interested in well-made and shot movies then I'd recommend this for you.

Movie Review - My Old Lady

My Old Lady

(2014)

BBC Films / Cohen Media Group : BBC Two / Curzon Film World / Universal Pictures Entertainment.

8.25 / 10

The trailer for this film pushes it towards being a comedy, though what you actually get is a profound observation of life and the ways that our decisions have effects on others, sometimes not for the best.

The story starts out on a comedic level with Kevin Kline's character, Mathias Gold (which he portrays charmingly), turning up at an apartment in Paris, which his father owned, only to find an old lady living there.  Mathilde Girard, played perfectly by Maggie Smith, is the tenant who had sold her apartment to Gold's father on a life lease; this means he has to pay her a monthly stipend until she dies, at which point the apartment then becomes his.  This stipend now passes onto Mathias.

Being in desperate need of money he decides to go ahead and sell the apartment along with the ongoing contract.  However, as we progress through the film we are introduced to Mathilde Girard's daughter, Chloe who is portrayed beautifully by Kristin Scott Thomas, who is utterly opposed to both Gold and his plans.

As the obstacles build up to his scheme other secrets and lies are revealed which takes the movie into a melancholic and bittersweet province.  This adds depths to all the characters as they start to reveal their true selves and feelings towards one another.

Credit is due to the main actors as they pull this off seamlessly and make you empathise with them.  The writer of the play, as well as this screenplay and director of the film, Israel Horovitz does a magnificent job of taking everyday life and placing it under a microscope.  The change from comedic to bittersweet is so smooth and realistic that it draws the audience into the film more without them realising that the entire attitude has changed.

The only thing I found slightly irksome was the happy ending.  This is certainly one way the story could go, but there are a couple of others too - one, not so happy - the other, totally bleak.  With the feel of the story towards the end, I think the happy ending was thrown in to let the audiences know that everything works out in the end...  However, this is not the sentiment at the heart of the movie, because of this the ending feels strange and a little strained.

This is a wonderful piece of storytelling and film-making and is worth a viewing, especially if you like to see life as it really is.