A Round Up Of The Latest Film Reviews By The Arts Desk
This weeks film reviews on The Arts Desk look at a re-imagined classic novel
, the life of a cult writer through the eyes of a cult director, and a celebration of a madcap Miss World competition.
Only the third feature film from cult "Withnail & I" director Bruce Robinson, "The Rum Diary" is an affectionate homage to the Hunter S Thompson, in his pre-LSD days in the early 1960s when he was a talented, eager young journalist on the cusp of forming gonzo. "The Rum Diary" itself is the novel Thompson attempted to write at that time about US reporters in Puerto Rico (based on his own experiences) but did not manage to complete and publish until 1998. Johnny Depp plays the Thompson-esque lead, Paul Kemp, effectively reprising his similar role as Thompson in Terry Gilliams "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". This was one of the film's main issues for Nick Hasted, who feared that Depp's performances are becoming mere caricatures. Robinson for his part has produced some fine scenes, but overall the tone is slapstick rather than elegiac as in the novel, and the film is left seeming unsure of itself.
Sarah Kent was thoroughly charmed by one of the more offbeat movie releases this week, "The British Guide to Showing Off", a documentary charting the story of the Alternative Miss World competition, run since 1972 by Andrew Logan. One big jamboree celebrating all manner of transformation and dressing up, from glamming it up to cross-dressing, fetishism and anything that takes your fancy, fans include Zandra Rhodes and Grayson Perry and former winners include Derek Jarman, appearing as Miss Issippi. Compiled from early archive fragments and more recent TV and personal footage, director Jes Benstock has fashioned the story into a glowing scrapbook-style piece that is packed to the rafters, not just with material but also enthusiasm for this joyous event and, thanks to the irresistible charm and eccentricity of Logan, it is deeply involving too.
Traditional period drama is well and truly eschewed, observes Alexandra Coghlan, in Andrea Arnolds take on Emily Bronte's classic novel "Wuthering Heights". The director tackles the novel with a degree of authenticity, but not altogether successfully. She maintains the tough approach of her previous films, the feral passions of the novel translating into plenty of brooding and brutality on the moors, with hand-held cameras and the savage winds providing the only soundtrack. She foregrounds physicality (with especial emphasis on the protagonists childhood) to great effect but largely dispenses with dialogue, which given the power of the novel's language, is one of the films main disappointments. But also, sadly, are the adult Cathy and Heathcliff (Kaya Scodelario and James Howson). The pair fail to connect, blunting the tragedy and dulling the passion so integral to this story.
A big-budget co-production from China - one of the countries fast eclipsing the West in terms of economic success - that counts Rupert Murdoch as its chief backer, "Sun Flower and the Secret Fan" is essentially a chick flick attempting to be something more, thought William Ward. It tells two parallel stories - one in the modern day, one in the 19th century - of laotong, the special best friendship between two women, pre-arranged from birth, with the titular fan, inscribed with the earlier story providing the bridge between them. Though beautifully filmed, the movie cannot reach beyond its tired formula, with the modern-day section, in poorly acted English with an unimpressive turn by Hugh Jackman, proving particularly disappointing.
And in this weeks DVD releases, Graham Fuller took a fresh look at Wim Wenders 1982 neo noir "Hammett" - a fictional biopic of American detective writer Dashiell Hammet. Despite its troubled production history and the fact that it was a box-office flop on release, the film is a gem, with a distinctive Wenders feel, humorous yet melancholy, with a dark and claustrophobic atmosphere.
by: Steve Alexander
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