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From a re-imagined novel to the life of a cult writer through the eyes of a cult director to a celebration of a madcap Miss World competition, the film reviews on The Arts Desk this week cover a wide spectrum.
One of the more offbeat movie releases this week was 'The British Guide to Showing Off', a documentary charting the story of the Alternative Miss World competition. Director Jes Benstock has fashioned the story into a glowing scrapbook-style piece, compiled from early archive fragments and more recent TV and personal footage.
Essentially a chick flick attempting to be something more, is 'Sun Flower and the Secret Fan'. It tells two parallel stories of laotang, the special best friendship between two women that is pre-arranged from birth, one in the modern day and one in the 19th century. The movie cannot reach beyond its tired formula although it was beautifully filmed, but it still proved to be particularly disappointing.
Traditional period drama is eschewed in Andrea Arnold's take on Emily Bronte's classic novel 'Wuthering Heights'. The director tackles the novel with a degree of authenticity, but not altogether successfully. Hand-held cameras are used and the savage winds provide the only soundtrack. Arnold largely dispenses with dialogue, which given the power of the novel's language, is one of the main disappointments of the film.
'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. Johnny Depp plays the lead role but his performances are becoming mere caricatures. Overall the tone is slapstick rather than elegiac as in the novel, and the film seems to be unsure of itself.
Finally in this week's DVD releases, Graham Fuller took a fresh look at Wim Wenders' 1982 neo noir 'Hammett'. The film is a gem, with a distinctive Wenders feel, humorous yet melancholy, with a dark and claustrophobic atmosphere.
One of the more offbeat movie releases this week was 'The British Guide to Showing Off', a documentary charting the story of the Alternative Miss World competition. Director Jes Benstock has fashioned the story into a glowing scrapbook-style piece, compiled from early archive fragments and more recent TV and personal footage.
Essentially a chick flick attempting to be something more, is 'Sun Flower and the Secret Fan'. It tells two parallel stories of laotang, the special best friendship between two women that is pre-arranged from birth, one in the modern day and one in the 19th century. The movie cannot reach beyond its tired formula although it was beautifully filmed, but it still proved to be particularly disappointing.
Traditional period drama is eschewed in Andrea Arnold's take on Emily Bronte's classic novel 'Wuthering Heights'. The director tackles the novel with a degree of authenticity, but not altogether successfully. Hand-held cameras are used and the savage winds provide the only soundtrack. Arnold largely dispenses with dialogue, which given the power of the novel's language, is one of the main disappointments of the film.
'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. Johnny Depp plays the lead role but his performances are becoming mere caricatures. Overall the tone is slapstick rather than elegiac as in the novel, and the film seems to be unsure of itself.
Finally in this week's DVD releases, Graham Fuller took a fresh look at Wim Wenders' 1982 neo noir 'Hammett'. The film is a gem, with a distinctive Wenders feel, humorous yet melancholy, with a dark and claustrophobic atmosphere.
About the Author:
Steve Alexander is a writer who enjoys reading the latest film reviews in the UK. For more information and film reviews, visit theartsdesk.com.
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