Review No.31: J. Edgar

Usually appearing in a biopic is a key to Oscar success and usually you're guaranteed at least a nomination however this year it seems that in the actor category the Academy Awards have bucked that trend with only Brad Pitt nominated for playing a real-life character. That's bad news then for Leo DiCaprio who was hoping to get another Oscar nod for his turn as infamous FBI head honcho J Edgar Hoover in a film directed by Academy favourite Clint Eastwood however that wasn't to be. The film is split into two parts one in which Hoover is narrating his autobiography to Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl and the other which follows his ascension to the position and his relationship with his deputy Clyde Tolson. The suggestion is made throughout that Hoover and Tolson are lovers but despite a declaration of love their relationship never blossoms mainly due to Edgar's mother, a great turn from Judi Dench, who tells him that she'd rather have a dead son than a gay one. The other recurring theme is that of Hoover's inflated ego and his belief that he had been involved in a lot more arrests than he actually had been so when Tolson confronts him towards the end of the film our belief in the story that Edgar has been narrating changes. The main case featured is of the kidnapping and later death of the Lindbergh baby and Hoover's involvement in that investigation but once again his personal life clouds his judgment.

A lot of what's good about J. Edgar can be found in its actors namely DiCaprio who over the past few years has proved himself to be a reliable actor and his performance here is reminiscent of the one he gave in The Aviator. Equally as impressive is Arnie Hammer who is known to most as the twins in The Social Network here he only has to worry about playing one character and he seems more comfortable playing the unspoken relationship between Hoover and Tolsen. If anybody was going to get an Oscar nod I feel it was Judi Dench her Mrs Hoover is a mixture of the mother from The Manchurian Candidate and Lady MacBeth and it is the only character that I have seen her play recently that has any substance to it. Unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives as Eastwood's direction here seems to be both long-winded and a little big short-sighted. There are only a couple of references to Hoover's penchant for dressing in women's clothes and I also found this very episodic rather than entertaining. Another point of note is the make-up as in the final scenes both DiCaprio and Hammer don a large amount of old-man prosthetics and neither looks particularly convincing. It's a shame that this film wasn't nominated for any awards but after watching it I'm not that surprised that it hasn't.

Verdict: Some brilliant performances are marred by poor direction and shoddy make-up so at the most I can give this 6/10

Review No.23: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

As I arrived for my free preview screening of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel I thought there wouldn't be many people out and about on this cold Sunday morning but how wrong I was. Getting to my local Odeon I found a large queue outside the cinema of mainly more mature customers waiting to get in which isn't surprising seeing as the film is about characters in the latter stages of their life. The film is almost like The Expendables of seasoned British thespians with a cast including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton and Tom Wilkinson. The first scene we see is of Dench's widow Evelyn who is trying to sort out her internet provider now her husband has passed away as he left with a mountain of debt she has to move out of their home. Also suffering with money woes are Nighy and Wilton's married couple who invested all their money in their daughter's internet company and are still waiting to see the money. Celia Imrie plays a grandmother who wants to fly her wings while Ronald Pickup's Norman is still on the lookout for love. All of them are tempted to move away and find out about a luxury resort for people in their autumn years the only catch is that it is located in India. Wilkinson is also tempted by this offer as he grew up in India and has a secret that he's never told anyone and finally there's Maggie Smith's Muriel who is going to India for a different reason as she can get her hip operated on a lot quicker. They find out that the Marigold Hotel isn't what they thought as owner Sonny, Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel, is still desperately trying to renovate the establishment left to him by his late father. During their stay some of the characters find the joy they've been missing while others realise that it is time for the end of certain things and the affect that these residents have on Sunny is also a positive one as he makes a decision about his own future.

I can appreciate that this sort of film isn't for everyone and if you've already switched off during the plot synopsis then you'll have no interest in seeing this but I'm glad I saw it as I probably wouldn't have had it not been free. The best thing here is the performances but that's to be expected with the crop of acting talent available and standouts for me were Dench as the widow who is having to stand on her own two feet for the first time and Wilkinson a man who's been trapped by a secret which he is trying to put right with his return to India. Maggie Smith also does well with her woman who at the start is presented as a bit of a racist but as time goes on learns to appreciate the similarities between those she meets and her own life. But with five or six plotlines going on at once some characters get left in the shuffle with Imrie and Pickup getting the least screentime and Wilton being disserved with playing the pessimistic moaning woman a similar part to the one she portrayed in Calendar Girls. However within the script there is enough laughter and some tears to justify the moments when characters talk like no ordinary person would ever speak. John Madden's direction also picks up on the tourist culture of India and will probably see a lot more people think about holidaying in that area if they have enough cash. The transposition between old India and modern India is a theme here as is the question have you ever really lived even if you've grown old? This was a lovely old-fashioned film with a good story and some fine performances despite it being cheesy as well as slightly predictable it kept me smiling throughout as well as keeping my attention which a lot of films fail to do these days.

Verdict: While this isn't everybody's cup of English Breakfast Tea I personally found it engaging, well-acted and engaging so personally I'll award it a 7/10