Director Tate Taylor’s adaptation of the best-selling novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a reminder of the conditions and struggles black people in the USA contended with during Civil Rights movement in the sixties. White graduate Skeeter (Emma Stone) returns to her southern hometown with aspirations to become a great writer. The only job she can get in town to kick her off on her aims is a job writing the housekeeping column in the local paper. She asks her friend if she can enlist the help of her housekeeper Aibileen (Viola Davis) to get the answers to problems. From there she starts to absorb the ill-treatment of the black maids just because of their colour. When Skeeter has the opportunity to be published by a mainstream publisher if she tells the stories of the maids, she takes the challenge. Aibileen writes her own accounts and gradually persuades her friend, the feisty Minny (Octavia Jackson) to also contribute. Passion at the wrong-doing the maids encounter eventually inspires contributions from more women. Viola, Octavia and Emma all give outstanding performances. The film is a tear-jerker but also make you laugh. You will become immersed in the lives of the women, the friendships and cruelty that they are subjected to. The Help is out this week.
Theatre review: The Kitchen
12 OctTensions are high among the restaurant staff from the start in the revival of the 1950’s play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker at the National Theatre, London. Chatter amongst the cosmopolitan employees centres on the quirkiness of German cook Peter (Tom Brooke), his temperament and the latest instalment in his relationship with the married Monique (Katie Lyons). The cast is numerous in this production directed by Bijan Sheibani – the stage is filled with several cooks and waitresses. In between cooking, the staff argue and fight. People get burned. Some are chased – all in the heat of the kitchen. The realistic cooking scenes are sometimes choreographed with the actors performing similar actions to the invisible food in various locations simultaneously. Though some actions inspire fascination, the story doesn’t quite grip enough to make you care about the characters.
Live music review: Metronomy
5 OctA defining period in the Barclaycard Mercury-prize nominated band Metronomy’s gig was the uplifting sight of keyboard player/saxophonist Oscar Cash being wheeled around the stage from right to left and then back again as he played the synthesizer on the band’s song The Look. The group’s Royal Albert Hall gig this week was fun from beginning to end.
Bassist Gbenga Adelekan drove the funkiness and energy of their electropop repertoire. Anna Prior, shimmering vivaciously in a green sequin catsuit wowed as the exuberant drummer and lead singer/keyboardist/guitarist/founder Joseph Mount topped it all off with his melodious voice and love for the audience.
No one was sitting by the third song and there was certainly no cause to sit down again. Each band member sported their trade mark oversized circular lights which flashed in time to the music in different sequences. They whipped through tracks from their most recent album The English Riviera and 2008’s Nights Out. All of the songs worked live except for one of my favourites on the latest album. In Love Underlined, the swirling overlay music sounds running through the track overpowered the band’s instruments and the Joseph’s voice both times that I’ve seen them live. Apart from this imperfection, it was one big party that seemed over too soon.
Film review: Drive
3 OctMoody but captivating, we are sucked right into the double-life of movie stuntman Driver (Ryan Gosling) in the film Drive. In this adaptation of a book by John Sallis, the Danish director Nicolas Refn Winding introduces us to Driver, who has no other name but moonlights as a getaway car driver when he’s not on set or working his other job as a mechanic. Driver has a five minute rule that makes him totally committed to his criminal colleagues for five minutes and then his priority is getting away no matter whether they have successfully rejoined him.
He’s a man of few words and few friends. However, he falls for neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) who lives two doors away with her son. They share a gentle love which exists mainly through shy embarrassed looks and the occasional touch of hands. Things get complicated when her husband (Oscar Isaac) returns from jail and needs help fending off criminals who want to call in protection money. In an effort to protect Irene and son from the menaces that threaten to hurt them, Driver agrees to help out on a job. From there things go wrong and Driver finds himself up against gangsters.
What makes this ultimately extremely violent film, very special, is the subtlety of two lead characters who express their love in an underplayed, shy but touching way – not all sudden love has to be aggressive. There are no over-the-top gestures or overt sexuality but just depth of feeling. It also makes the Driver’s behaviour in the latter part of the movie more compelling.
In other ways, the film is slick, tense and several violent scenes are shocking. Refn Winding picked up the best director award at the Cannes Film festival and it’s easy to see why as this movie has more unexpected dynamics than the usual gangster flick.
Musical review: Rock of Ages
12 SepIf you’re looking for a hilarious night of glitter garnished spandex and the flowing locks of rockers, you should get yourself over to the musical Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London. It’s been a huge success in the US and now it’s on these shores. Set in an LA bar in the eighties, you can join the angst but mainly fun as the bar tries to save itself from demolition and two of its staff struggle with an obstacle-strewn romance. Justin Lee Collins stars in the musical alongside Shayne Ward, ex X-Factor winner who is completely unrecognisable as a self-obsessed lead singer in a metal band. The show is full of classic songs from Bon Jovi, Guns n’ Roses and more for you to sing along too. Best of all, it really doesn’t take itself seriously at any point. Not one for the kids though…
Film review: The Big Picture
3 AugIn The Big Picture, an adaption of the book by Douglas Kennedy, Paul Exben (Romain Duris) has everything – a successful career, an attractive wife Sarah (Marina Fois), two young children and a wonderful home. He’s about to be left in control of the law firm he works for by his ill boss Anne (Catherine Deneuve) when a chain of events means that he loses everything.
Paul discovers that his wife is having an affair. When he finds out who her lover is, he confronts him and ends up fleeing his life having killed him unintentionally. We’re then invited to watch Paul trying to escape his past and develop a new persona as a photographer.
This Eric Lartigau directed film hinges on how much sympathy for Paul and his plight we can muster – a very difficult challenge. His story and the fact that he’s someone you wouldn’t automatically warm to are hard to overcome. But it is a very watchable film though maybe a little too long.
Live music review: Ice Cube and Naughty by Nature
2 AugRapper Ice Cube, formerly of NWA, is more often seen in a movie these days but he graced our shores for a live gig at the O2 Indigo venue in London recently. Preparing the audience for the man himself was Naughty by Nature of Nature of Hip Hop Hooray and OPP fame. Old skool rap seemed refreshing after so many years out of the limelight. There was a true party atmosphere, even when Naughty by Nature had to soothingly talk to some guys in the audience who were a little perturbed to be visiting nineties hits.
Ice Cube was on stage with a swagger after his upbeat colleagues left the stage. He still has an edge that was mesmorising as he took us back to his roots from NWA to solo ground. Ice Cube kept the audience enthralled with his tough tales and rhymes.
Film review: Horrible Bosses
1 AugThree disgruntled and boss-bullied friends take their anxiety to the extreme in the Seth Gordon directed film Horrible Bosses. Engaged dental nurse Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) is routinely the object of unwanted crude approaches by Dr Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston). Finance staffer Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) suffers under the slave-driving undermining management of Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) and chemical company employee Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) is subject to the ridiculous cocaine-fuelled direction of Bobby, the son of his much-loved late boss Jack Pellitt (Donald Sutherland).
Eventually all three friends agree that their horrific working days should stop and decide to end their bosses careers and lives permanently. What follows is an amusing and mishap-laden adventure to carry out their plan. Jamie Foxx gives a star turn as their murder consultant. The bosses are skilfully played, especially Kevin Spacey as Harken. Dale Arbus is the most hilarious of the employees. Go along for constant chuckles as it’s a rare comedy that keeps you laughing throughout.
Wireless Festival 3 July: Pulp, Grace Jones, Metronomy etc
18 JulA little Metronomy who played at Wireless:
http://youtu.be/h_V8HiDxqgA
Despite the best intentions, I found myself drifting back in time when Pulp played the Wireless festival in Hyde Park this year. When one of their best known songs features your name over and over again and references the year 2000 – you can’t help but look back. The past can be a dangerous place to delve into. Either it’s painted with a certain rose-coloured perspective that didn’t really exist or, alternatively, you may see only pain. The purpose of life is to experience, learn and be wiser in the present and appreciate the joy that people can bring to your life if you don’t get caught up in some image that really isn’t important. Therefore I threw off the past and concluded that Pulp hadn’t really changed that much from when I’d seen them in the nineties. Yes, they have grown older but Jarvis is still a show-man regaling us with tales and jumping around the stage. The set focused on the A Different Class album but my friend and I concluded that maybe it could have benefitted from a bit more of the edgy This is Hardcore. But, as this was when their popularity seemed to start to wane those years ago, maybe it was possibly a wise move to limit it in a comeback gig.
Grace Jones, who was on stage before them, was fabulous of course. How she manages to slink around the stage in those heels and hoola hoop all through Slave to the Rhythm just has to be seen.
Metronomy added much perkiness earlier in the day. I only wish their set was longer. I was also intrigued by whether The Horrors would smile and I can reveal that the keyboard player let one slip out every now and again while other band members hid behind their hair. TV on the Radio were lively while The Hives coordinated their formal evening wear perfectly.
Film review: Huge
7 JulBudding comedian Warren (Johnny Harris) is finding it hard to wow audiences with his stand-up routine. A challenge one night from nerdish audience member Clark (Noel Clarke) inspires him to propose a partnership. In Ben Miller’s first directorial movie, the two set off to crack the comedy circuit with depressing results. In one disastrous turn, they gate-crash the Comedy Awards and end up falling prey to a savvy media executive (Thandie Newton). The British movie switches between being mildly amusing and low-level pathos but ultimately doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Cherrydial 