Review No.4: Albert Nobbs

At this time of year the majority of the films being released in the UK are seen as awards contenders and that is true of Albert Nobbs the second film I've reviewed to be directed by Rodrigo Garcia. It seems that Albert Nobbs was in fact a pet project of Glenn Close who starred in the stage version of the story and has since been trying to get it made as a film. Obviously Close is in the lead role of Nobbs a butler working in 19th Century Ireland. However Albert is not all he seems and is in fact a woman posing as a man in order to get a more prestigious job in various houses and hotels in the country. Albert's secret is discovered by Hubert Page a person in Albert's situation but a woman posing as a man who has found a wife. Hubert gives Albert the confidence to pursue Mia Wasikowska's young maid Helen to be his wife and work alongside him at the tobacconists shop that he wishes to run but Helen's head is already turned by Aaron Johnson's roguish Joe who wants to use Albert's affections for his own gain. Things get in the way of Albert's plans including disease, unwanted pregnancies and death but it would be spoiling it to reveal any more than that.

One thing I can say about Albert Nobbs is that it looks lovely and everything about the period detail has been carefully researched. Fans of Downton Abbey will love the look of the hotel, the Irish streets and the upstairs-downstairs feel this has. Close is the main attraction here and is likely to be the biggest threat to Meryl Streep's Oscar win as she is doing both an accent and a gender-swap if only Nobbs was based on a true story she'd have it in the bag. However it is Janet McTeer who gives the best performance as Hubert Page someone who, to me at least, is more convincing as a man and is the most multi-layered character here. The main problem for me was the story which never was sure what it wanted to be and ended up being over-cluttered with the sub-plot involving Joe and Helen seeming incredibly clichéd and I also thought their was an over-abundance of characters with Jonathan Rhys Meyers coming off the worst with his dashing cad only appearing briefly. Though this film looks great for me I thought there was some sloppy storytelling which is surprising seeing as this was on the stage first but then again not all theatre work translates well to the screen.

Verdict: A sumptuous cinematic treat is slightly tarnished with a crowded cast and uneven script so I will give it a very respectable 6.5/10

Review No.1: Mother and Child

So here we are the first review of a film released in the UK in 2012. And it is one that originally appeared in the US in 2009. Mother and Child is directed by Rodrigo Garcia, whose other film Albert Nobbs is being reviewed very soon, but more importantly produced by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu director of Babel and 21 Grams. Like those films Mother and Child features various stories that link together as the story goes on with all three stories featuring themes of motherhood. Annette Bening stars as Karen a woman who gave up her baby when she was a teenager with this child now being a thirty-something lawyer named Elizabeth played by Naomi Watts. We follow the story of both of these women who have been affected by the adoption with Karen being very cold towards most people and Elizabeth being very matter-of-fact and throwing herself into her work as a lawyer. The third story follows Kerry Washington's Lucy trying to adopt a child with mixed results and as you would expect this story interlinks with the others before the film's end.

Mother and Child definitely has its moments and most of that comes from the performances, Watts especially shines in a role which is quite hard to sympathise with but she is able to convey a woman who has gone through emotional hardships and as a result of this has become cold. Annette Bening is also great although Karen is a character that is hard work she eventually softens when she forms a relationship with her co-worker played by Jimmy Smits. And I would be amiss if I didn't mention Samuel L Jackson as Elizabeth's worthy boss he puts in a turn that is very understated something you don't see from Jackson very often. Mother and Child's main problem is that it outstays its welcome and everything seemed to be drawn out so that the final scene would have more significance but for me I felt that there was at least some parts that could've been cut and some characters who weren't afforded much time to develop. Overall Mother and Child is a solid drama with some strong performances but there's nothing that marks this film out than more than that.

Verdict: For a solid drama a solid 5.5 out of 10 should do the trick.