James McAvoy back catalogue rewatch #13, The Conspirator
So, I actually managed to see three films this weekend, while also going out to dinner with friends and having a real, non-internet life. This is pretty much a win in my book! Two of the three films were awesome, one less so. Let's start with the James McAvoy film:-
26. The Conspirator
Everyone knows that John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln, right? But this story is about the trial of the other conspirators in that assassination and, specifically, their landlady who was assumed to be in on it. James plays a beardy Union war hero who's actually a lawyer in civilian life, and he's asked by Tom Wilkinson to defend the landlady (played by Robin Wright from The Princess Bride) against Evil Kevin Kline. Beardy James McAvoy is actually incredibly cute and very good at being moral and making good arguments. He's like a civil war Charles Xavier. In fact, I'm pretty sure the author of this X-men WIP story has seen the film. Anyway, it's an extremely good, if very depressing film about not making assumptions about people which hold true for peacetime as much as in war. And I heartily recommend it!
Happily, although this film hasn't even come to the cinema in the UK, let alone DVD, there are already some lovely tumblr pics for me to use.
"Did you think I would leave you dyyyying, when there's room on my horse for two?" Seriously, Beardy James McAvoy is such a hero that he makes the medics take away a more-injured soldier first, leaving him on the battlefield at the start of the film.
Post war: Beardy James McAvoy BADLY flirty with his sort-of-fiance. Bless.
Law is SRS BSNS
James and Tom - the beard grows on you. Plus James has Charles hair, which is very attractive.
Civvies. Tragic hat clearly stolen from Fassy in Jonah Hex!.
Basically there's a bloody excellent cast, a great story, and if you like watch courtroom dramas and James in uniform then this is the film for you.
The other films I saw this weekend were the Smurfs and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is a stunning film. Brilliant cast (including the WONDERFUL John Lithgow), brilliant CGI acting from Caesar The Ape and a story you REALLY care about. Honestly, I can't rate this film highly enough. There were that many callbacks to the original it was untrue, including actual quotes from the film ("It's a Madhouse! A MADHOUSE!"), clips from the film shown in the background, references in the plot, and it made this film a GENIUNE prequel rather than a reboot. THIS IS HOW PREQUELS SHOULD BE MADE, Y'ALL! Seriously, is this the summer of amazing prequels or what?
My hubby made me laugh when we left the cinema, saying of James Franco "He was great. I didn't feel like he was going to cut his arm off at any point". Anyway, James Franco and Andy Serkis (who was the CGI ape basically) made this film utterly. This is what it's all about:-
GO SEE IT! It was one of those films where lots of the cinema audience stuck around during the credits and caught the great coda. You definitely need to do that if you watch it in the cinema! Great ending.
Sadly, the final film I saw this weekend was pants.
The Smurfs in 3D
I don't recommend this film, not even if you're obsessed with Sir Neil of Patrick Harris. I was utterly disappointed in it. The film was terribly bland. Gargamel was awful. Azrael was horribly animated. I didn't CARE about any of it. Don't bother, go see Planet of the Apes instead. I mean, the 3-year-olds probably thought the cat-sick jokes were funny, but for an adult it's the mental equivalent of Swagger Jagger.
Bomb.
Dude, seriously. Why are you even..?
26. The Conspirator
Everyone knows that John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln, right? But this story is about the trial of the other conspirators in that assassination and, specifically, their landlady who was assumed to be in on it. James plays a beardy Union war hero who's actually a lawyer in civilian life, and he's asked by Tom Wilkinson to defend the landlady (played by Robin Wright from The Princess Bride) against Evil Kevin Kline. Beardy James McAvoy is actually incredibly cute and very good at being moral and making good arguments. He's like a civil war Charles Xavier. In fact, I'm pretty sure the author of this X-men WIP story has seen the film. Anyway, it's an extremely good, if very depressing film about not making assumptions about people which hold true for peacetime as much as in war. And I heartily recommend it!
Happily, although this film hasn't even come to the cinema in the UK, let alone DVD, there are already some lovely tumblr pics for me to use.
"Did you think I would leave you dyyyying, when there's room on my horse for two?" Seriously, Beardy James McAvoy is such a hero that he makes the medics take away a more-injured soldier first, leaving him on the battlefield at the start of the film.
Post war: Beardy James McAvoy BADLY flirty with his sort-of-fiance. Bless.
Law is SRS BSNS
James and Tom - the beard grows on you. Plus James has Charles hair, which is very attractive.
Civvies. Tragic hat clearly stolen from Fassy in Jonah Hex!.
Basically there's a bloody excellent cast, a great story, and if you like watch courtroom dramas and James in uniform then this is the film for you.
The other films I saw this weekend were the Smurfs and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is a stunning film. Brilliant cast (including the WONDERFUL John Lithgow), brilliant CGI acting from Caesar The Ape and a story you REALLY care about. Honestly, I can't rate this film highly enough. There were that many callbacks to the original it was untrue, including actual quotes from the film ("It's a Madhouse! A MADHOUSE!"), clips from the film shown in the background, references in the plot, and it made this film a GENIUNE prequel rather than a reboot. THIS IS HOW PREQUELS SHOULD BE MADE, Y'ALL! Seriously, is this the summer of amazing prequels or what?
My hubby made me laugh when we left the cinema, saying of James Franco "He was great. I didn't feel like he was going to cut his arm off at any point". Anyway, James Franco and Andy Serkis (who was the CGI ape basically) made this film utterly. This is what it's all about:-
GO SEE IT! It was one of those films where lots of the cinema audience stuck around during the credits and caught the great coda. You definitely need to do that if you watch it in the cinema! Great ending.
Sadly, the final film I saw this weekend was pants.
The Smurfs in 3D
I don't recommend this film, not even if you're obsessed with Sir Neil of Patrick Harris. I was utterly disappointed in it. The film was terribly bland. Gargamel was awful. Azrael was horribly animated. I didn't CARE about any of it. Don't bother, go see Planet of the Apes instead. I mean, the 3-year-olds probably thought the cat-sick jokes were funny, but for an adult it's the mental equivalent of Swagger Jagger.
Bomb.
Dude, seriously. Why are you even..?