2012 - year of culture?
In the first two weeks of the year I managed to attend five cultural events. I'm not sure it is possible to maintain this sort of record, for both logistical and financial reasons. Indeed, I haven't been to either theatre or cinema since, although I have read two books. However, it did make me feel that the year had got off to a good start for cultural experiences. Read on to find out if you agree:
The Ides of March
Good critical buzz, very impressive cast. I enjoyed it, but I was a little disappointed. There are good lines, and excellent scenes, in both acting and scripting terms, but I'm not sure that the overall plot hangs together all that well. I had been intrigued as to how Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti could be included in the same film. It turned out that they effectively had the same part, and it showed some of the differences in their styles. Or did it? Could they have played each other's part just as well?
Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker
My first Bourne ballet was an early one, receiving a popular revival at Sadlers Wells. I know enough about ballet to see how he was twisting the rules to make a statement about what he wanted the art form to be and do. In a way, too much action and too many characters to follow everything, but once things settled down into a more traditional second half (well, not very traditional in costume or set design, but still), somehow I enjoyed it slightly less. I go to ballet rarely, but will almost certainly look out for more Bourne productions.
Shame
No Oscar nominations. I can't say this was a travesty, as I haven't seen all the performances nominated for best actor, but this was a very strong one by Michael Fassbender. Carey Mulligan in support was good too, as usual. The rest of the film, I don't know. There was a Q&A with the director after the showing I saw, and it wasn't clear that the audience had understood the film. As it is a film designed to raise awareness, this may be a weakness. Not at all suitable for all audiences, but well worth seeing if the subject matter doesn't horrify you.
Meet Alice
So, you find (with difficulty) the organisers on a canal tow path, and they send you off individually at ten-minute intervals. You encounter Alice (or do you?), and then spend about ten minutes on a narrowboat. What happens there almost certainly depends to a significant extent on how involved you want to get. I got the sense the actors were slightly disappointed in me, although I did contribute a little towards the end. Weird, but interesting. Also brave, especially not asking for any money but accepting donations. I hope they covered their costs.
The Artist
A film of many nice moments, created by people with a clear love of silent cinema. They know their subject too: some very nice cinematography, good use of archive footage, and occasional exploitation of the form to do things the "talkies" can't. Perhaps slightly heavy-handed and sentimental in places for me, but it's always enjoyable seeing a worthwhile story told with skill. I hope that at least a few of the many people who won't watch black-and-white films (let alone silent ones) have had their minds changed (or indeed opened) by this film.
The Ides of March
Good critical buzz, very impressive cast. I enjoyed it, but I was a little disappointed. There are good lines, and excellent scenes, in both acting and scripting terms, but I'm not sure that the overall plot hangs together all that well. I had been intrigued as to how Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti could be included in the same film. It turned out that they effectively had the same part, and it showed some of the differences in their styles. Or did it? Could they have played each other's part just as well?
Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker
My first Bourne ballet was an early one, receiving a popular revival at Sadlers Wells. I know enough about ballet to see how he was twisting the rules to make a statement about what he wanted the art form to be and do. In a way, too much action and too many characters to follow everything, but once things settled down into a more traditional second half (well, not very traditional in costume or set design, but still), somehow I enjoyed it slightly less. I go to ballet rarely, but will almost certainly look out for more Bourne productions.
Shame
No Oscar nominations. I can't say this was a travesty, as I haven't seen all the performances nominated for best actor, but this was a very strong one by Michael Fassbender. Carey Mulligan in support was good too, as usual. The rest of the film, I don't know. There was a Q&A with the director after the showing I saw, and it wasn't clear that the audience had understood the film. As it is a film designed to raise awareness, this may be a weakness. Not at all suitable for all audiences, but well worth seeing if the subject matter doesn't horrify you.
Meet Alice
So, you find (with difficulty) the organisers on a canal tow path, and they send you off individually at ten-minute intervals. You encounter Alice (or do you?), and then spend about ten minutes on a narrowboat. What happens there almost certainly depends to a significant extent on how involved you want to get. I got the sense the actors were slightly disappointed in me, although I did contribute a little towards the end. Weird, but interesting. Also brave, especially not asking for any money but accepting donations. I hope they covered their costs.
The Artist
A film of many nice moments, created by people with a clear love of silent cinema. They know their subject too: some very nice cinematography, good use of archive footage, and occasional exploitation of the form to do things the "talkies" can't. Perhaps slightly heavy-handed and sentimental in places for me, but it's always enjoyable seeing a worthwhile story told with skill. I hope that at least a few of the many people who won't watch black-and-white films (let alone silent ones) have had their minds changed (or indeed opened) by this film.