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Reviews
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
The laughing and crying game.
I am not sure which I did most. Kitten is a delight from start to finish. The optimism in the face of prejudice and sadness is amazing. Being a Bryan Ferry fan for his whole career meant I recognised him but his soft voice leaves you for just a while wondering if Mr Silky String is actually dangerous . Then the silk fetish ( kinda perfect for Bryan) makes you gasp. The whole Chanel no 5 saving Kitten and the scene in which it's used against violence on a bigger scale is brilliant. The fact that he never tells his mother who he is is just heartbreaking . His little half brother is wonderful too as smart as Kitten . The talking Robins is a rather magic realist touch but lovely. Cillian Murphy should have won every award going that year .
A Different Loyalty (2004)
Certainly different .
If treason is "different then Kim Philby's "loyalty" to Britain was very different. I watched this film for Rupert Everett after reading his auto-biography . I know little about Kim Philby , I am still puzzled as to why Sharon Stone wanted the names changed. The start of the film is awful , rather corny but I don't think the budget was enormous. It had to set the scene of M.I.6 and that there were traitors within. We just about get that idea. As the right names are not used the escape of Burgess and Mc Clean is a bit odd . If you have watched "Another Country" you might have some idea of what decided Guy Burgess to betray the U.K .
We are then taken back to Beirut in the early 1960s with Sharon Stone playing a bored American woman( whose husband is always away) who falls in love with "Leo" ( Kim) . How accurate the love story is portrayed I can't be sure . After she marries Leo and then he just walks out only to disappear Sharon is very good as a distraught woman left alone , afraid and almost helpless . She is helped by Leo's best friend ( also in M.I.6) .The Lebanese authorities are onto the case , obviously the whole of the western allies would have been horrified as Philby was a quite high-ranking official. She leaves for London with Leo's children , her own daughter has gone back to the U.S with her father. If this movie makes us look up more information about all of the Cambridge spies then it was worth making. I think "Another Country" leaves me feeling that Burgess was just bitter about his treatment as a homosexual ( and really it's fair to say with good reason). I don't know what made Philby a Soviet sympathiser but as an intelligent man he must have been rather saddened by the reality of his chosen country. We see Sharon's character try hard by visiting him in Russia to decide between her country , her daughter possibly and the man she loved but didn't have a clue about his politics. On first viewing I could not understand her choice but in the context of the times Russia really was the enemy of freedom and her life would have been one of being followed and suspected until she died . It's a reasonable attempt to tell an important story with two very good actors but it's budget couldn't cope with such a vast subject. It needed a series , not a film.
South Kensington (2001)
Boloni.
This must be one of the worst movies ever made . What is worse is that I have a version dubbed into English. I bought it for Rupert Everett and it is so weird not hearing his wonderful voice. If it's a chick flick then why is only one man ( Rupert) worth looking at ? I think it's a movie dug up because Sienna Miller is in it . It seems to be about two Italian me staying in the house of a half-Italian aristocrat who is desperate for money so takes in lodgers. The best of it is Mo ,Rupert's dog. It has no storyline except lots of men going out and staying in with lots of ladies. If you can get it really cheap then have a good laugh.I think watching it with no sound might remove some of the hamminess. Some things to look out for are Rupert's character a supposed aristocrat buying a tabloid and how close two of the leading ladies look which makes it more confusing.
Dance with a Stranger (1985)
A lot of history behind this .
The only fact I knew the first time I watched this is that Ruth Ellis was the last woman to hang in Britain. I think it is impossible to judge without knowing more facts about the two main character's lives. So I will have to judge the film as if they were fictional characters. At the start you get the impression that David is very immature , despite being "cocky" he is desperate for love. Ruth seems to be a very hard and grasping woman , very confused and maybe a little ashamed of her profession. Although Rupert Everett is perfect for a man any woman with eyes would fall for he is maybe a little too young looking . He plays a cad but not with enough conviction for me to not feel pity for him all through the film. The same applies to Ruth so ashamed of her class she can't even enter David's parent's home. She appears to love her son and want better for him which is touching. The character I have most trouble with is Desmond, is he a masochist ? Although I can understand Ruth's insane jealousy I can't forgive her final act. I was quite stunned by the lack of human empathy as she walks over and empties her gun. Had I been on a jury I would have had to ask for exemption as I would have felt I needed to be an expert in mental illness. She might have been a psycopath , she certainly appears to be one . I never the less could not have made any decision that would have resulted in her hanging as it helps no-one. This review is much harder than I thought it would be , it is an excellent film but I need to know more.
St. Trinian's (2007)
Colin and Rupert are a perfect combination.
I think fans of the two leading men would enjoy added benefits . They should get the references to their past films . I think the one to "Another Country" made me laugh the most but I can't say why. The crazy goings on were not that special it was the small touches like the wonderful Camilla Fritton and Colin's dead straight acting. I enjoyed the inclusion of "Ampleforth" in the quiz show knowing it was Rupert's old school. Russell Brand surprised me by his performance as I am no fan but he was very good. The girls were a bit difficult to judge . I liked the little ones but the older ones were annoying. It's certainly not shocking though ,certainly not more so than the originals. If you buy the D.V.D then like me you might find many of the deleted scenes better than many in the film. If you enjoy it but haven't seen any of the films referred to do yourself a favour and see what a brilliant actor Rupert is in straight films .
Hearts of Fire (1987)
My head is on fire.
I am a Rupert Everett fan so I knew I had to see this despite a horrible memory of watching it years ago when I had no idea who R.E was. The main problem is that only R.E seems capable of acting and he's trying to hold himself back. What is even stranger is a folk star a girl who plays what I'd describe as heavy metal and a New Romantic are all supposed to be a mix that will work. The best thing you can do is read Rupert's description of this fool of a girl jumping out of bed when she hears he's gay .........a groupie who'd hung about with The Doors I read somewhere .Dylan is worse than awful , it's a mess with no story and no real idea of who it's trying to appeal to. I gave it 3 for Rupert's stand-out acting in one of the worst films ever.
Gli occhiali d'oro (1987)
Incredibly moving.
I have to watch this movie in Italian which I don't speak. Thanks to Eva and my Spanish I can understand it. I might have missed some of the more subtle nuances but this will be a beloved movie all my life. It is so important to show films that highlight that it wasn't only Jews who were victims of fascist hatred. This is one of Rupert Everett's best yet so little known. It should be available in every country and language. It moved me more than "Captain Correlli" or "Tea with Mussolini" . The demise of the doctor is sickening and the cowardice of the majority of David's fellow students deplorable. These were the intellectual elite who should have been able to see through the lies and hatred of fascism. As a friend said maybe we would all do what Nora does to try to save herself but she is a fool. You probably could hide Jewish roots but very rarely I am sure. How much better to keep your dignity and know that with so much hatred these evil people would lose because they would make most of the World their enemy. I recently found out that Ferrara is noted for rain and bicycles all of which feature along with the beautiful settings .I look at David's little sister and then I want to weep for all the children killed by that evil. This film should be used for educational purposes , as beautiful as it is I can't call it mere entertainment. There is a book that I have on order that will fill out more detail. How sad that it might be only Eva and I who have bothered to celebrate this movie .
B. Monkey (1998)
A hidden gem .
I am not a lover of gangster movies , am very squeamish so I avoided this for a long time. I wanted to watch Rupert Everett's films after reading his extraordinary auto-bio. There are some excellent reviews here already , far better than anything I could write. I have never seen Jared Harris in anything but he is perfect in this roll. He even tries to talk down psychopaths with primary teacher talk. The pencil in cheek scene was particularly amazing for me as it happened to my daughter so she was home-educated as a result. The chaos of an inner-city school is perfectly portrayed. There probably is too much sex but I wasn't bothered it probably brought in a few viewers and frankly having breasts myself they don't bother me. Rupert Everett was excellent as the louche drug addict who seemed to be giving up on life bit by bit. Towards the end he is frightened but is too far gone to really know how to help himself. The channel had a discussion on addiction on before which made it rather more poignant. The cold killer gangsters were good , Bruno was chilling because as a Mum I wonder how easy it is to become a rent boy/gangster desperately seeking love . I am not so sure Monkey/Beatrice will stay a happy housewife but that's another story.
Separate Lies (2005)
Unbelievable characterisations..
This film is well put together as an example of the film maker's art, well shot, nicely staged, with a quaint English feel that will probably go down well with Americans and those English people who like to use the word quintessential. However I just cannot get into the characters in this story The cleaner , a woman shunned by the local community, with only the support of her husband and family, is distraught when she suspects that he has been run over and killed, by a former employer, who had formerly had her prosecuted for theft ( which she had committed). She understandably would like to see justice, until she finds out that it was not her former employer driving the killer vehicle, but her current employer (his lover), at which point she thinks well that's alright then, and all grief and seeking of justice goes out of the window, and she joins in the conspiracy to cover the incident that led to her husbands death.
The Tom Wilkinson character who finds out that his wife has been unfaithful to him (with Rupert Everett's character), initially forgives her and they try to patch over the rift. Reasonable enough, but later on when he finds out that he has been duped and that his wife is still seeing her lover, he has a brief outburst of anger, then steps aside and later on is apologetic about having got in their way...he even goes to the chaps funeral after said wife's lover has died of cancer. I just can't see many men paying their respects to the wife's lover (unless of course he was more than happy to see the back of woman, but there is no hint of that in this story).
The Rupert Everett character is portrayed as an entrepreneurial businessman, with a fondness for the good life, and he then starts up a dalliance with Tom Wilkinson's wife, the genuine Mrs Dull. This is only one step up from kissing a coma. Surely he could find someone more exciting, or who at least does not look like a pained puppy all the time. And why doesn't he take up with someone else and leave Mrs Dull high and dry? After all he is supposed to be a philanderer and she is not supposed to mean more to him than an afternoon's pleasure now and again.
At least this is one for the Tom Wilkinson fans to enjoy, I never knew the guy had a fan club until after I saw this movie. Oh and the Rupert Everett fan club should enjoy this as well if only because he looks gorgeous even when supposedly dying of cancer .
Tolérance (1989)
You'll need a lot .
Being able to tolerate this film is an art in itself. I ordered it after reading the chapter on it in Rupert Everett's autobiography .It started badly with a lot of horrible , dirty , insane looking French "Incroyables" . They are covered in make-up , beauty patches , dirt and look like extras from an Adam Ant video . I love beautiful clothes , sets and designs . I have a few doubts about the authenticity of the costumes which just add to the feeling a pop video maker was let loose. The main characters inherit a hermit from an English relative ( think Rasputin) who they seen unsure what to do with . The sheer insanity and decadence of these people is vomit inducing .The gluttony of their lives made the gorge rise in my throat. The hermit asks to learn debauchery ( although he knows it already being a criminal who used the fashion for hermits as a disguise) . He cleans up lovely being Rupert Everett whose chuckle and mannerisms shine through the layers of make-up and lurid outfits.
One character collects severed heads in the hope he will discover that after the chop they can communicate. This is based on fact .It was reported that King Charles 1st swore after his execution.I think this is medically impossible .The nauseating atmosphere is not helped by his penchant for carrying what looks like a "hat" box. The lady of the house is called Tolerence and Horace Walop ( the hermit) arranges with her to appear that he has served her to the Academy of Gastronomy. If he had it would be rather odd that she appears later. At the end Horace is be-headed and his head glows. I don't know enough about beatification to be sure but Saints have been beatified for throwing stones off roofs . Rupert himself mentions being able to see the room of a particularly odd Saint who really believed she had a physical relationship with Jesus . His Catholic schooling might have helped him understand this film. It is messily edited and badly photographed , no masterpiece.
Unconditional Love (2002)
Go and buy..that's an order!
This movie is the most moving and funny movie I've seen in a very long time. As a housewife ( "homemaker") and a fan ( Rupert) I found it to be sympathetic . Anyone who misinterprets Dirk's angry outburst has it wrong. Kathy Bates is not really an actress I know but she is perfect , the whole cast is perfect for their roles. Julie Andrews had me in stitches .I am watching it after reading Rupert's auto-biography so the inclusion of her was even more fun. It is at times terribly moving .I am not really a fan of the type of music in the film but you get drawn in to the romance and find you are singing the songs for days .This movie deserves to be more widely available .Our favourite scene involves Dirk and a gun and his trousers , watch it and see !
To Kill a King (2003)
Intelligent film.
On first viewing I was not really satisfied with this film. Who could deal with such a vast subject in one film? It was clever to not tackle the whole war but concentrate on a shorter time frame. I have no knowledge of any of the actors except James Bolam. I would not have cast Rupert Everett on looks , height etc but how little that matters . He is really excellent , he uses his eyes to great effect .The King's continued belief that he will be rescued , the British people really do love him are obvious at first . It is the pain and fear in his eyes that really seals it for me .His walk to the block ( being fondled and clawed at by the commoners is obviously repellent and terrifying). There is something about the whole scene that really reflects King Charles's inner faith that this is his second wedding day ,this time to Jesus . Tim Roth plays Cromwell with a touch too many Hitler like stances but he is so much better than Richard Harris. I think many historians do think Cromwell had mental illness. The Govt. by his New Model Army reminds me of The Taliban .I would have been on the side of Parliament but like many English people welcomed back the monarchy after his rule. I have little knowledge of Fairfax but the relationship between the two is worth reading about if this film is anything to go by. The sets are fantastic ,the actual Hampton Court was worth it . I am sure that even Civil War buffs should acknowledge it's intelligence . I only wish the creators could have made a series. Things worth looking out for are the severe uniforms worn at the King's trial ,note a love of buttons ( Cromwell truly was a dictator worthy of Pinochet). The King's absolute lack of understanding the ranting man who made no sense to his perception of his place in the World.The bewilderment of Cromwell that anyone should see things other than his way. If you weren't sure on first viewing give it a second and third chance. I don't see any flirting between Charles 1st and Lady Fairfax b.t.w just a lonely man desperate for company of his class and a woman in awe of the most important man in the country in her eyes.