never let me go
(+) I saw NEVER LET ME GO! I think it was better than I expected after the critics kind of soured on it but there were many obvious problems I had with it. It was also a little harder to suspend disbelief watching the movie than with reading the novel. Overall, it was a good but not terribly memorable adaptation. I don't think any of the three actors are at their best here but they are still very good. Sorry but no nominations, imo (Garfield gets one for The Social Network in my book though). But I LOVED Rachel Portman's score. She does so well with this kind of film.
I really really liked the first part of the movie with the kids at boarding school. It just started off wonderfully. The mood was kind of serene yet vaguely creepy. The child actors were fantastic. Whoever did the casting for this movie deserves some major props for find these kids, especially young Cathy and Ruth who look EXACTLY like kid versions of Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley. I really liked the how the part blended the mystery of the boarding school and these children with the introduction of the character's personalities and relationships. The friendship between Cathy and Ruth was very well-drawn just from a few short scenes, as well as the budding romance between Cathy and Tommy. And I have to say, young Ruth seemed much more true to the character (who's very charismatic and assertive) from the book than the older incarnation. I also loved Sally Hawkins in her short role as a new teacher at the school and her scenes with the kids are great.
The middle section was definitely the weakest. By this point, Cathy, Tommy and Ruth are 18 years-old and played by Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley. They've moved from the school to a farm and deciding what to do with their unusual lives. The love triangle was rather tedious and vague. Tommy is such a passive character that it's hard to believe someone as outgoing as Ruth really wants him (well, she wants for him for her own reasons). There are also plenty of quiet longing looks between Tommy and Cathy that drag on and aren't terribly engaging. I just didn't feel much chemistry between any of the three actors. Individually, they were quite good and I certainly cared about them as characters but their relationships to each other were quite boring. Cathy and Tommy have loved each other since childhood but both are so kind and passive that they don't do anything about it, and just allow Ruth to manipulate them. This dynamic feels really familiar from chick flicks and sit-coms where you have two best friends, one who's naive/caring and the other who's manipulative/extroverted. You always wonder why the nice girl lets her best friend treat her like crap. At some point, you just want to tell her to go after what she wants for once. People who didn't like Keira Knightley in the film, I suspect most of their problems with her came from this part. Ruth just wasn't charismatic enough to overcome her manipulative nature. Garfield also felt a little unsure in this section but his character didn't get much to do here.
The last third of the film takes place ten years later when the three have gone their separate ways. (POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT if you have no idea what the purpose of these kids is) This part is actually quite well done. The actors definitely step it towards the end. Knightley does a great job as Ruth when she's sickly and remorseful. Tommy also becomes a much more interesting character when he starts to near his end, while still a bit naive and boyish. Carey Mulligan was fantastic in this part as well. In the end, I probably wouldn't nominate any of the actors here. Garfield is much better in The Social Network and will probably get nominated for that anyways.
I do think that the movie is rather cold. It's fairly light on dialogue and heavy on music/narration, which sometimes doesn't allow the audience fully in. I did feel for the characters though. I just wasn't particularly engrossed by their childish love triangle. The kids did a nice job with that but when they became adults, it was just a little trite. It's kind of how I felt about Slumdog Millionaire - I loved the children's part of the movie but somehow it just seems not as interesting when they become adults. Still, I quite liked it. The cinematography is very nice. Kind of gloomy but still beautiful. Most of the problems probably stem from the screenplay but the actors make the most of it.
(+) I might go see THE SOCIAL NETWORK again with some people who want to go. This movie is getting some of the most insane reviews I've seen in recent years. Admittedly, I think some of the critics are a little over-the-top but I'd hate for it to get a nasty backlash because of it. It really is a great movie. I just don't think you can make these judgment calls on whether it's comparable to monumental classics or if it's the best movie of the decade (unless its the 2010s, in that case, you basically mean it's the best movie of this year) without letting a few months/years pass. A lot of movies get fantastic reviews when they come out but in the long run, don't mean a whole lot in film history. You don't really know this soon. That said, I had no idea that Kevin Spacey was the executive producer of this movie. I mean, I saw it in the credits and was kind of surprised. Third Oscar coming I guess?
(+) I don't have much to say about TV. I liked HIMYM, Modern Family and Big Bang Theory. The Britney Spears episode of Glee was random and kind of stupid. The music wasn't even that good - they picked some of Britney's less interesting songs and seriously, Lea Michele needs to stop overdoing it on pop songs. There's no need to look like your family's been murdered while singing Hit Me Baby One More Time.