INSOMNIAC SONG
MOVIE AND TELEVISION REVIEWS
DRAMA
The Book Thief
Starring: Sophie Nelisse, Geoffery Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer, Roger Allam
Directed by: Brian Percival
Rating: PG-13
Run time: 125 minutes
Synopsis: While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
The Book Thief is well acted and nicely shot. Seeing World War II from the eyes of children brings back the perspective that there were average people living their lives during the horrors of the war. The narration of Death keeps everything tied together well. Honestly, I would have liked more of his thoughts on her life throughout. Why was this little girl so important? Why did he follow her life so closely? All in all, I certainly came out of this one wanting to read the novel.
Rating: 3.5/5
DRAMA
The Hours
Starring: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore
Directed by: Stephen Daldry
Rating: PG-13
Run time: 114 minutes
Synopsis:In 1951, Laura Brown, a pregnant housewife, is planning a party for her husband, but she can't stop reading the novel 'Mrs. Dalloway'. Clarissa Vaughn, a modern woman living in present times is throwing a party for her friend Richard, a famous author dying of AIDS. These two stories are simultaneously linked to the work and life of Virginia Woolf, who's writing the novel mentioned before.
Three women are all entwined by the novel Mrs. Dalloway. Virginia Woolf, played by Nicole Kidman, is struggling with her sanity and writing the novel. Julianne Moore plays Laura, a 1950s housewife who is unhappy with her life. Clarissa Vaughn, played by Meryl Streep, is the embodiment of the title character from Woolf's novel. For anyone looking to see a movie by three award-winning actresses, this might not be the best one to watch. The Hours is superbly acted and directed. However, the subject matter is very heavy and often drags. Mental illness, suicide and sexuality are all common themes that run through each of the three storylines.
Rating: 3/5
DRAMA
Belle
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sarah Gadon, Matthew Goode, Tom Wilkinson
Directed by: Amma Asante
Rating: PG
Run time: 105 minutes
Synopsis: The mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle in 18th century England.
Dido Elizabeth Belle was a very real woman, born in 1761 to Maria Belle, an enslaved African woman in the West Indies. Her father, Captain John Lindsay, brought her to England and left her in the care of his uncle, William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. She was raised as an educated gentlewoman in their home along with her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray.
The film is mostly fiction as little is known about her life. A larger basis comes from a painting commissioned of Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray. The two are painted as near equals with Lady Elizabeth affectionately touching Dido's arm. This was very uncommon for the time with servants typically painted on a different eye level than their masters.
It also covers the Zong massacre, where sick slaves were thrown overboard from a ship. The owner then filed insurance losses for those lives. Her uncle, Lord Murray, presided over the case in 1786. The film gives Dido a bigger involvement than she would have actually had in reality. However, this works well for the film's purposes.
Despite the fictional fleshing out of her story, Belle is a lovely period film. It's well acted by a talented cast. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Sarah Gadon emerge as starlets to watch. Both play their respective ladies with grace and poise. However, if you're expecting action and high drama, you won't find it here. Belle is a historical romance with family and social drama as the major plot themes.
Fans of historical romances like Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility will enjoy it. I do wish more of the relationship between Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray had been explored. What was it like to be her equal and yet not? How did that dynamic shape both young women? I feel that it was a lost opportunity to use the talented cast to their fullest potential.
Rating: 3.5/5