Miss Potter (2006)

My shameful lack of up to date reviews goes on. And I just can't muster up any enthusiasm to write a full review of this disappointing and ultimately dull film.

Is it fair to criticize a biopic for its poor characterization? Couldn't the director and stars simply reply 'well, why bother watching the film if the characters don't interest you?' Clearly, that will not do. Not only would a director with this attitude be very unlikely to sell tickets for her films, it is perfectly reasonable to expect nuanced, sophisticated characterization from a biopic. For one, you might just not really know the characters - as was the case for me here. Indeed, a biopic will live and die on its characters and whilst this doesn't irredeemably guillotine its audience we are still subjected to a slow lingering cinematic demise equivalent to those unfortunate souls who fall into Saarlac's pit.

In short, this is a dull, uninteresting pastiche of cliches, contrivances and annoyances lumped into 90 poorly put together minutes. The end result is very unsatisfactory and it falls well below the emotional waterline which it is trying to tread. The film does eventually find it's feet in the last third, but it's too late to save it from mediocrity.

Very briefly, the film tells the story of Beatrix Potter's attempts to have her books published and the young editor Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor) who falls for them and her. Renee Zellweger, who I like, is disappointing as Beatrix and the character feels annoying and largely charmless, which I, like the film itself, am sure she wasn't. McGregor is given little to do and is even denied the one scene which might have added an extra layer of emotional meaning to the film. The best aspect of the characters is certainly Ruppert Potter's (Bill Paterson's) awesome sideburns.

Okay, I'm being unnecessarily mean, but some of the accolades showered on this are way wide of the mark, particularly that dreaded adjective "enchanting". Whilst Beatrix Potter clearly was an interesting character, she is anything but enchanting here and I just found the characterisation and development annoying and cliched. Emily Watson, as Millie Warne, Norman's sister, is probably the best thing in it (as she often is) but that is not saying much.

I just can't recommend this. It's not awful, and the last part of the film is far more satisfying that the clunky moments that lead up to it. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood and this is better than I give it credit for but, regardless of whether I was in the mood or not, this is certainly not recommendation quality. I think a

C

is fair...

I await disagreement.

The Proposition (2005)

I had started watching this before, recorded the end, then recorded over it. Whoops. I was totally engrossed, I remember, but had to switch off for some important reason which I can't remember. So when I saw it cheap the other day, I couldn't resist. So was my £3 investment worth it? Was the film worth the wait?

This John Hillcoat helmed film, set in late 19th century Australia, centres on the Burns brothers, Arthur (Danny Huston), Mike (Richard Wilson) and Charlie (Guy Pearce) and how their fates become tragically intertwined by the titular proposition. That proposition - made by pensive, idealistic sheriff (an excellent Ray Winstone) - offers (bloodthirsty outlaw) Charlie the opportunity to save both his and his younger, vulnerable, brother Mike's, lives by killing (even more bloodthirsty and outlawish) brother Arthur within nine days. If it sounds convoluted, it isn't. The film grips in its twists and turns in a similar, if slower and more thoughtful, way to last years No Country For Old Men. At least - just like in fact NCFOM - for its brilliant and lavish first hour, which sees human, character-driven, drama and taught plot development given equal footing by director Hillcoat.

This is becoming the era of the 'postmodern' Western. This is not straight Western fare in the traditional manner, but probably belongs in the same sought of company (owing to its treatment of the subject matter and the depth it places in both character development and issue-based metaphor as well as perspective) as No Country..., The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (the pick of the bunch and a genuine classic) and, for some (though not necessarily me) Unforgiven (another undoubted classic) as well as a bunch of others. This adds another layer of interest because it's an Australian Western, although similar themes (racism, "civilising" the wild, lawless, frontier, violence, brutality, the disappearance of morality) are inevitably explored, and very effectively too.

The intriguing, Machiavellian, plot and story is driven along apace by excellent performances from the ensemble cast. Pearce, Huston and Wilson are brilliant as very different brothers, Winstone is superb as the harassed, thoughtful and troubled lawman and there are notable supporting performances from the rest of the cast, including a compellingly drunk John Hurt. The standout, however, is a brilliantly snivelling and pretentious turn by David Wenham as upper-class Brit Eden Fletcher, who hires Captain Stanley (Winstone) in the first place. He delivers the films best lines and adds a different layer of immorality and stupidity to the piece. Emily Watson, on the other hand, is strangely ineffective - a great shame for those who, like me, adore her.

As I say, the ending is something of a disappointment, though not totally ineffective. It is one of those where characters suddenly start behaving inexplicably contrary to the emotional and psychological universe they have inhabited for the rest of the film. That lets it down. It's still well worth watching, though the ending slides it down from what would certainly have been an A grade of some kind. A shame as there are further brilliant elements. The cinematography is stunning - all wide, sunkissed, panoramic vistas of the outback hanging and looming large over the great pantheon of deadly, taught, violence through which the characters blindly stumble. And the soundtrack adds excellent backup to the cinematography and captures the film's mood brilliantly. It's not a flawless piece, but its still full of decent performances, taught, well put together scenes and an overall feel well worthy of a recommendation. It's a pity that the ending does not live up to the gripping and relentless first two acts.

B+