film recs: rupert graves...
The reccing continues!
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» Ioan Gruffudd
» Paul McGann
» Sean Bean
Rupert Graves
(Born 30 June 1963 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England, UK)
Title: A Room with a View
Year: 1985
Rupert plays: Freddy Honeychurch
Other notable cast members: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Denholm Elliott, Simon Callow, Judi Dench, Daniel Day-Lewis
Summary: Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, makes her first visit to Florence, Italy in the early 1900's. There, she meets a quiet yet eccentric young man named George Emerson. Upon her return to England, Lucy must decide whether to follow through with her marriage to her stotic fiance, Cecil, or follow her heart and her growing attraction to George.
Why I love the film: E.M. Forster, the author of the novel the film is based on, has a rare talent of deceiving his readers until the very last minute, when things are revealed that make the characters shine in a different light, which I appreciate a lot. The film is very faithful to the book, wonderfully filmed, and the cast fits perfectly. Those who have seen Daniel Day-Lewis in My Beautiful Laundrette won't believe that it's the same person playing Cecil Vyse. Helena Bonham Carter has a very unique, exceptional beauty and is wonderful to look at. Maggie Smith is always excellent but particularly so when she's awkward, clumsy and trying so hard to please the people who mean something to her. And Rupert's character Freddy is the most adorable person ever. He's funny, silly, witty and has a hilarious nude scene with Julian Sands and Simon Callow that can truly be called the highlight of the film. Very worth watching!
Title: Maurice
Year: 1987
Rupert plays: Alec Scudder
Other notable cast members: James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Denholm Elliott, Simon Callow, Phoebe Nicholls, Ben Kingsley
Summary: Two male English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society, Clive gives up his forbidden love, Maurice, and marries. While staying with Clive and his shallow wife, Anne, Maurice finally discovers romance in the arms of Alec, the gamekeeper.
Why I love the film: Another E.M. Forster adaption, and a very excellent one too. There are a couple of things that didn't make it into the film for reasons of length, like the ones involving Dickie Barry, but I didn't really miss them. It was a bit strange for me at first to see James Wilby play Maurice, to be honest. Firstly, he's described as dark-haired in the novel, and secondly, I had previously seen Wilby in Lady Chatterley as the tiresome, annoying Clifford Chatterley, but it says a lot about his acting abilities that I didn't cringe at any time during Maurice. In fact, I thought he was perfect for the part, just like everyone else in the cast. And even though this isn't the first film of Rupert's that I watched, it's the one where he caught my attention. His performance as Alec is just amazing, and I couldn't stop thinking about the beautiful, dark-eyed boy for days and days. ;)
Title: The Madness of King George
Year: 1994
Rupert plays: Captain Greville
Other notable cast members: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Rupert Everett, Amanda Donohoe, Julian Wadham
Summary: The true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales, particularly focusing on the period around the Regency Crisis of 1788.
Why I love the film: I actually thought it was a comedy after having seen the trailer, but it's a lot more than that. It's an account of the events that surrounded the digestion illness of King George III, and even though it has (inevitable) comical elements, it's also serious at times and makes you think about the power of Parliament and how easy it seemed at the time to strip a king of all his rights. The cast is wonderful, especially Helen Mirren as the king's German wife, and Rupert Everett as the fat Prince of Wales who wants the throne and is prepared to go very far for it. The only thing that doesn't quite show in the film is that Prime Minister Pitt was an alcoholic, for Julian Wadham plays him rather soberly, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less. Rupert plays Greville, a new member of the court and the most loyal servant the king has in this film, though he is a bit of a rebel as well. Oh, and I suppose it's some kind of unwritten law that all my favourite actors must at some point in their career have played a role that requires wearing a uniform. XDD
Title: Different for Girls
Year: 1996
Rupert plays: Paul Prentice
Other notable cast members: Steven Mackintosh, Miriam Margolyes, Robert Pugh
Summary: Karl Foyle and Paul Prentice were best mates at school in the Seventies, and Paul regularly saved and protected Karl from their schoolmates' nasty bullying. When they meet again in present-day London, Karl has become Kim, a post-operation transsexual who wants nothing more than lead an orderly, unspectacular life. Prentice, on the other hand, has charm but is a social disaster stuck in a dead-end job. A failed dinner date ends in public exposure and winds him up in court, and Kim has to decide between keeping a low profile and saving her former schoolmate.
Why I love the film: Oh, so many reasons! First and foremost, it is - in my opinion - the best film that deals with being transgender. It's very respectfully done, doesn't point the finger or try to teach a lesson, doesn't accuse, but makes you feel good watching it. I especially loved how Kim Foyle isn't what you'd call a "perfect" woman considering her outward appearance - she still has quite obvious male features, which is what a lot of transgender people simply have to live with (including myself, though I'm pre-op, obviously) - but in the end that doesn't matter at all and doesn't interfere with her happiness. And Paul Prentice is one of the most entertaining characters I've ever seen in a film. He's hilarious, a bit of a punk, doesn't care what people think, lives in a state of perpetual adolescence, always seeks adventures, and is very much like what I'd imagine to be the perfect guy for me.
Title: Intimate Relations
Year: 1996
Rupert plays: Harold Guppy
Other notable cast members: Julie Walters, Laura Sadler, Elizabeth McKechnie
Summary: Harold Guppy moves into the Beasley household as a lodger. Before long Mrs. Beasley falls for him and eventually ends up in his bed. Her 13-year old daughter Joyce is aware of what is happening and threatens to tell Mr. Beasley unless she is also allowed share the bed with Harold and "Mum". "Mum" seems to think there is no harm in this, as long as Joyce doesn't take part in the physical activities. Harold gets caught up in a web of deceit and blackmail and each time he tries to break free of the grasp of "Mum" she threatens to tell the police that he has been abusing Joyce.
Why I love the film: It's based on a true story, the murder of Lydia Leakey and her daughter Norma by their lodger Albert Goozee, and I'm always very interested in films like that. Also, it's really well acted (no surprise when one of the leads is Julie Walters!), and it's disturbing (though not very graphic) and weird and most fascinating (especially the personalities of the three main characters) until the end.
Title: Mrs Dalloway
Year: 1997
Rupert plays: Septimus Warren Smith
Other notable cast members: Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone, Oliver Ford Davies, John Standing
Summary: Clarissa Dalloway goes around London in the morning, getting ready to host a party that evening. The nice day reminds her of her youth at Bourton and makes her wonder about her choice of husband-she married the reliable Richard Dalloway instead of the enigmatic and demanding Peter Walsh, and she had not the option to be with Sally Seton for whom she felt strongly. The events in her day run parallel to those of Septimus Warren Smith, a veteran of World War I suffering from shellshock whose situation escalates as his life draws toward inevitable suicide.
Why I love the film: I wouldn't say it's my favourite film ever or anything like that, but I found it a lot more enjoyable than the book. The mix between action and voice-overs was very well done, and the characters were also a lot more likeable than in the novel. What impressed me the most is Rupert's portrayal of Septimus Warren Smith because this character must have been extremely difficult to play, and he does it perfectly. I almost didn't recognise Rupert in the role at first, he was so completely different from how we usually see him on screen, and even though I knew before that he's an amazing actor, this film takes his amazingness to a new level.
Title: Room to Rent
Year: 2000
Rupert plays: Mark
Other notable cast members: Juliette Lewis
Summary: Ali is a young Egyptian screenwriter determined to succeed in London. But he has little money, his student visa is about to expire, and he has been thrown out of his lodgings. And so Ali moves in with a succession of eccentric and colourful London flatmates: Mark, a gay photographer, Linda, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, and Miss Stevenson who is convinced that Ali is the reincarnation of her long dead Egyptian lover. All the while Ali is in search of an elusive British visa which unexpectantly leads to finding the love of his life.
Why I love the film: It's funny, charming, colourful and also slightly satiric, and Saïd Taghmaoui is hilarious as the very creative but also very clumsy Ali, who never seems to waste an occasion to put his foot in his mouth. And, on a slightly shallower note, it's always a pleasure to see Rupert Graves kissing guys. ;)
Title: The Forsyte Saga
Year: 2002-2003
Rupert plays: Young Jolyon Forsyte
Other notable cast members: Damian Lewis, Gina McKee, Ioan Gruffudd, Ann Bell, Barbara Flynn, Ben Miles, Christian Coulson, Lee Williams
Summary: In Victorian England, the Forsytes have risen from the working class to the nouveau-riches. When Soames, a rich and successful partner in the family law firm and a staunch upholder of the old moral code, traps the penniless Irene, who does not return his love, in a fiery, tormented marriage, the family is cruelly ripped apart in a bitter feud.
Why I love the film: I suppose the book as well as the film are intended for people who enjoy gossip rags, yellow press, and all kinds of scandal. I don't, but I still found the miniseries highly enjoyable, and that's mostly because of the amazing performance of the cast. They bring the characters to life and make the story extremely exciting, especially since everyone is flawed in a way, but even the most flawed of them have some good traits. For instance, you sometimes find it hard not to sympathise with Soames Forsyte even though he's basically an idiot. The series covers three generations, which is a challenge for both the actors and the make-up artists, but they all did a good job. Also, the story is not as predictable as most of the others of its genre. Things don't always turn out as I would have liked, but then again, that's life, and in retrospect it all fits together.
Title: V for Vendetta
Year: 2005
Rupert plays: Dominic
Other notable cast members: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Ben Miles, John Standing
Summary: Adapted from David Lloyd's graphic novel of the same name, "V for Vendetta" tells the story of Evey Hammond and her unlikely but instrumental part in bringing down the fascist government that has taken control of a futuristic Great Britain. Saved from a life-and-death situation by a man in a Guy Fawkes mask who calls himself V, she learns a general summary of V's past and, after a time, decides to help him bring down those who committed the atrocities that led to Britain being in the shape that it is in.
Why I love the film: Because it's one of the best films ever, and the fact that it didn't even get one Academy Award nomination shows what a bunch of idiots are sitting in that committee. I'm a sucker for dystopian universes, this one dealing with (amongst other things) the issue of governments secretly launching attacks upon their own people to establish a totalitarian military state. It's fascinating, frighteningly realistic, and extremely well filmed. The cast is so brilliant that I wouldn't want to pick anyone out specifically. Even if you're not into political films at all, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one because it's so much more than that. And it has a quite amazing "homage" to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
Title: Death at a Funeral
Year: 2007
Rupert plays: Robert
Other notable cast members: Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Daisy Donovan, Alan Tudyk, Kris Marshall, Peter Vaughan
Summary: This isn't how Daniel imagined his father's funeral. The coffin contains the body of a complete stranger! As soon as this fauxpas is corrected, the catastrophe unfolds. A guest who took a hallucinogenic drug by mistake believes that the coffin is moving. Daniel's brother Robert suddenly refuses to pay half of the funeral costs. And then, a stranger threatens to reveal juicy details from the life of the deceased...
Why I love the film: It's so fucking funny, I just couldn't stop laughing, and once the film was over my stomach hurt. XD Honestly this is British comedy at its best, and the cast is awesome. Especially Alan Tudyk shines as Simon, who wants to impress his fiancé's family (who don't approve of him) but then accidentally swallows a pill that is not valium but a hallucinogenic concoction and spends the entire funeral making a fool of himself. One wouldn't believe Alan isn't English but American, really! I don't want to reveal too much of the film, so I'll just say go and watch it, it's brilliant.
Title: The Waiting Room
Year: 2007
Rupert plays: George
Other notable cast members: Anne-Marie Duff, Daisy Donovan, Ralf Little, Phyllida Law
Summary: Two complete strangers, Anna and Stephen, are brought together by chance by an elderly man who waits for his wife on a station platform. Their fateful meeting acts as a catalyst for them to examine and challenge what's going on in their different relationships, and make hard but positive decisions for themselves. If they can change their lives maybe they can meet again.
Why I love the film: It's not the best film of all times, definitely not, but it never claims to be, either. It's quirky and funny and unusual and quite authentic, and I enjoyed it. Of course the ending is predictable, but the "getting there" isn't, and it's overall very convincing. And on a more shallow side, I enjoyed seeing Ralf Little naked, and also Rupert in the role of George, who is having an affair with his neighbour and being rather an idiot, but not the bad kind.
Title: Clapham Junction
Year: 2007
Rupert plays: Robin Cape
Other notable cast members: Tom Beard, David Leon, Phoebe Nicholls, Paul Nicholls, Samantha Bond, Richard Lintern, James Wilby
Summary: 36 hours in the lives of a number of gay men in Clapham, South London.
Why I love the film: Because it's a very sober, realistic attempt at a movie about homosexuality and all its facets, and it doesn't try to prettify things or be politically correct. It's got shocking moments as well as beautiful ones, disappointing ones as well as happy ones, and you may think me a proper pervert now but that scene of the 14-year-old kid seducing his adult neighbour really made a lasting impression on me, it was so beautifully done. And fans of Maurice will be amused about the fact that Rupert Graves and James Wilby made another film together, even though they don't have many scenes together in this one.
Title: Marple: A Pocket Full of Rye
Year: 2008
Rupert plays: Lancelot Fortescue
Other notable cast members: Julia McKenzie, Matthew Macfadyen, Ben Miles, Liz White, Hattie Morahan
Summary: When Rex Fortescue dies while sitting at his desk in the city, it's determined that he was in fact poisoned...
Why I love the film: People keep saying that Joan Hickson was the perfect Miss Marple and therefore don't care about the other Marple films, but I thought this one was extremely close to the book and very well done. The cast fit to the characters, especially Matthew Macfadyen as the rather dull Inspector Neele was perfect, and I wasn't surprised that Rupert was given the character of Lance at all. XD Oh, and it's always very exciting for me to discover (more or less unknown) actors I've seen somewhere else, like Liz White (Life on Mars) or Hattie Morahan (Bank Job). An altogether very enjoyable Marple film and one of the most faithful to the book that I've seen so far.
Other Rupert films I've seen but didn't include in the list:
» The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996): Mrs Graham/Huntingdon is a boring, tiresome emo trying her best to seem like a martyr at all times. The kid Arthur is stupid and annoying. Mr Huntingdon is presented like the über-villain but is more a victim of his time, and I don't understand the fuss the film makes about him. The only really likeable characters are those of James Purefoy (Lawrence) and Toby Stephens (Markham), but even they have the disadvantage of being completely taken in by that emo woman. And when I thought there would at least be a happy ending (meaning that Markham married someone else), I was disappointed there as well. What a pointless film.
What do you think? Have you seen any of these? Did you like them? Have you seen any that I haven't seen? I want to know everything! XD
» Jack Davenport
» Ioan Gruffudd
» Paul McGann
» Sean Bean
Rupert Graves
(Born 30 June 1963 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England, UK)
Title: A Room with a View
Year: 1985
Rupert plays: Freddy Honeychurch
Other notable cast members: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Denholm Elliott, Simon Callow, Judi Dench, Daniel Day-Lewis
Summary: Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, makes her first visit to Florence, Italy in the early 1900's. There, she meets a quiet yet eccentric young man named George Emerson. Upon her return to England, Lucy must decide whether to follow through with her marriage to her stotic fiance, Cecil, or follow her heart and her growing attraction to George.
Why I love the film: E.M. Forster, the author of the novel the film is based on, has a rare talent of deceiving his readers until the very last minute, when things are revealed that make the characters shine in a different light, which I appreciate a lot. The film is very faithful to the book, wonderfully filmed, and the cast fits perfectly. Those who have seen Daniel Day-Lewis in My Beautiful Laundrette won't believe that it's the same person playing Cecil Vyse. Helena Bonham Carter has a very unique, exceptional beauty and is wonderful to look at. Maggie Smith is always excellent but particularly so when she's awkward, clumsy and trying so hard to please the people who mean something to her. And Rupert's character Freddy is the most adorable person ever. He's funny, silly, witty and has a hilarious nude scene with Julian Sands and Simon Callow that can truly be called the highlight of the film. Very worth watching!
Title: Maurice
Year: 1987
Rupert plays: Alec Scudder
Other notable cast members: James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Denholm Elliott, Simon Callow, Phoebe Nicholls, Ben Kingsley
Summary: Two male English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society, Clive gives up his forbidden love, Maurice, and marries. While staying with Clive and his shallow wife, Anne, Maurice finally discovers romance in the arms of Alec, the gamekeeper.
Why I love the film: Another E.M. Forster adaption, and a very excellent one too. There are a couple of things that didn't make it into the film for reasons of length, like the ones involving Dickie Barry, but I didn't really miss them. It was a bit strange for me at first to see James Wilby play Maurice, to be honest. Firstly, he's described as dark-haired in the novel, and secondly, I had previously seen Wilby in Lady Chatterley as the tiresome, annoying Clifford Chatterley, but it says a lot about his acting abilities that I didn't cringe at any time during Maurice. In fact, I thought he was perfect for the part, just like everyone else in the cast. And even though this isn't the first film of Rupert's that I watched, it's the one where he caught my attention. His performance as Alec is just amazing, and I couldn't stop thinking about the beautiful, dark-eyed boy for days and days. ;)
Title: The Madness of King George
Year: 1994
Rupert plays: Captain Greville
Other notable cast members: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Rupert Everett, Amanda Donohoe, Julian Wadham
Summary: The true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales, particularly focusing on the period around the Regency Crisis of 1788.
Why I love the film: I actually thought it was a comedy after having seen the trailer, but it's a lot more than that. It's an account of the events that surrounded the digestion illness of King George III, and even though it has (inevitable) comical elements, it's also serious at times and makes you think about the power of Parliament and how easy it seemed at the time to strip a king of all his rights. The cast is wonderful, especially Helen Mirren as the king's German wife, and Rupert Everett as the fat Prince of Wales who wants the throne and is prepared to go very far for it. The only thing that doesn't quite show in the film is that Prime Minister Pitt was an alcoholic, for Julian Wadham plays him rather soberly, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less. Rupert plays Greville, a new member of the court and the most loyal servant the king has in this film, though he is a bit of a rebel as well. Oh, and I suppose it's some kind of unwritten law that all my favourite actors must at some point in their career have played a role that requires wearing a uniform. XDD
Title: Different for Girls
Year: 1996
Rupert plays: Paul Prentice
Other notable cast members: Steven Mackintosh, Miriam Margolyes, Robert Pugh
Summary: Karl Foyle and Paul Prentice were best mates at school in the Seventies, and Paul regularly saved and protected Karl from their schoolmates' nasty bullying. When they meet again in present-day London, Karl has become Kim, a post-operation transsexual who wants nothing more than lead an orderly, unspectacular life. Prentice, on the other hand, has charm but is a social disaster stuck in a dead-end job. A failed dinner date ends in public exposure and winds him up in court, and Kim has to decide between keeping a low profile and saving her former schoolmate.
Why I love the film: Oh, so many reasons! First and foremost, it is - in my opinion - the best film that deals with being transgender. It's very respectfully done, doesn't point the finger or try to teach a lesson, doesn't accuse, but makes you feel good watching it. I especially loved how Kim Foyle isn't what you'd call a "perfect" woman considering her outward appearance - she still has quite obvious male features, which is what a lot of transgender people simply have to live with (including myself, though I'm pre-op, obviously) - but in the end that doesn't matter at all and doesn't interfere with her happiness. And Paul Prentice is one of the most entertaining characters I've ever seen in a film. He's hilarious, a bit of a punk, doesn't care what people think, lives in a state of perpetual adolescence, always seeks adventures, and is very much like what I'd imagine to be the perfect guy for me.
Title: Intimate Relations
Year: 1996
Rupert plays: Harold Guppy
Other notable cast members: Julie Walters, Laura Sadler, Elizabeth McKechnie
Summary: Harold Guppy moves into the Beasley household as a lodger. Before long Mrs. Beasley falls for him and eventually ends up in his bed. Her 13-year old daughter Joyce is aware of what is happening and threatens to tell Mr. Beasley unless she is also allowed share the bed with Harold and "Mum". "Mum" seems to think there is no harm in this, as long as Joyce doesn't take part in the physical activities. Harold gets caught up in a web of deceit and blackmail and each time he tries to break free of the grasp of "Mum" she threatens to tell the police that he has been abusing Joyce.
Why I love the film: It's based on a true story, the murder of Lydia Leakey and her daughter Norma by their lodger Albert Goozee, and I'm always very interested in films like that. Also, it's really well acted (no surprise when one of the leads is Julie Walters!), and it's disturbing (though not very graphic) and weird and most fascinating (especially the personalities of the three main characters) until the end.
Title: Mrs Dalloway
Year: 1997
Rupert plays: Septimus Warren Smith
Other notable cast members: Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone, Oliver Ford Davies, John Standing
Summary: Clarissa Dalloway goes around London in the morning, getting ready to host a party that evening. The nice day reminds her of her youth at Bourton and makes her wonder about her choice of husband-she married the reliable Richard Dalloway instead of the enigmatic and demanding Peter Walsh, and she had not the option to be with Sally Seton for whom she felt strongly. The events in her day run parallel to those of Septimus Warren Smith, a veteran of World War I suffering from shellshock whose situation escalates as his life draws toward inevitable suicide.
Why I love the film: I wouldn't say it's my favourite film ever or anything like that, but I found it a lot more enjoyable than the book. The mix between action and voice-overs was very well done, and the characters were also a lot more likeable than in the novel. What impressed me the most is Rupert's portrayal of Septimus Warren Smith because this character must have been extremely difficult to play, and he does it perfectly. I almost didn't recognise Rupert in the role at first, he was so completely different from how we usually see him on screen, and even though I knew before that he's an amazing actor, this film takes his amazingness to a new level.
Title: Room to Rent
Year: 2000
Rupert plays: Mark
Other notable cast members: Juliette Lewis
Summary: Ali is a young Egyptian screenwriter determined to succeed in London. But he has little money, his student visa is about to expire, and he has been thrown out of his lodgings. And so Ali moves in with a succession of eccentric and colourful London flatmates: Mark, a gay photographer, Linda, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, and Miss Stevenson who is convinced that Ali is the reincarnation of her long dead Egyptian lover. All the while Ali is in search of an elusive British visa which unexpectantly leads to finding the love of his life.
Why I love the film: It's funny, charming, colourful and also slightly satiric, and Saïd Taghmaoui is hilarious as the very creative but also very clumsy Ali, who never seems to waste an occasion to put his foot in his mouth. And, on a slightly shallower note, it's always a pleasure to see Rupert Graves kissing guys. ;)
Title: The Forsyte Saga
Year: 2002-2003
Rupert plays: Young Jolyon Forsyte
Other notable cast members: Damian Lewis, Gina McKee, Ioan Gruffudd, Ann Bell, Barbara Flynn, Ben Miles, Christian Coulson, Lee Williams
Summary: In Victorian England, the Forsytes have risen from the working class to the nouveau-riches. When Soames, a rich and successful partner in the family law firm and a staunch upholder of the old moral code, traps the penniless Irene, who does not return his love, in a fiery, tormented marriage, the family is cruelly ripped apart in a bitter feud.
Why I love the film: I suppose the book as well as the film are intended for people who enjoy gossip rags, yellow press, and all kinds of scandal. I don't, but I still found the miniseries highly enjoyable, and that's mostly because of the amazing performance of the cast. They bring the characters to life and make the story extremely exciting, especially since everyone is flawed in a way, but even the most flawed of them have some good traits. For instance, you sometimes find it hard not to sympathise with Soames Forsyte even though he's basically an idiot. The series covers three generations, which is a challenge for both the actors and the make-up artists, but they all did a good job. Also, the story is not as predictable as most of the others of its genre. Things don't always turn out as I would have liked, but then again, that's life, and in retrospect it all fits together.
Title: V for Vendetta
Year: 2005
Rupert plays: Dominic
Other notable cast members: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Ben Miles, John Standing
Summary: Adapted from David Lloyd's graphic novel of the same name, "V for Vendetta" tells the story of Evey Hammond and her unlikely but instrumental part in bringing down the fascist government that has taken control of a futuristic Great Britain. Saved from a life-and-death situation by a man in a Guy Fawkes mask who calls himself V, she learns a general summary of V's past and, after a time, decides to help him bring down those who committed the atrocities that led to Britain being in the shape that it is in.
Why I love the film: Because it's one of the best films ever, and the fact that it didn't even get one Academy Award nomination shows what a bunch of idiots are sitting in that committee. I'm a sucker for dystopian universes, this one dealing with (amongst other things) the issue of governments secretly launching attacks upon their own people to establish a totalitarian military state. It's fascinating, frighteningly realistic, and extremely well filmed. The cast is so brilliant that I wouldn't want to pick anyone out specifically. Even if you're not into political films at all, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one because it's so much more than that. And it has a quite amazing "homage" to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
Title: Death at a Funeral
Year: 2007
Rupert plays: Robert
Other notable cast members: Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Daisy Donovan, Alan Tudyk, Kris Marshall, Peter Vaughan
Summary: This isn't how Daniel imagined his father's funeral. The coffin contains the body of a complete stranger! As soon as this fauxpas is corrected, the catastrophe unfolds. A guest who took a hallucinogenic drug by mistake believes that the coffin is moving. Daniel's brother Robert suddenly refuses to pay half of the funeral costs. And then, a stranger threatens to reveal juicy details from the life of the deceased...
Why I love the film: It's so fucking funny, I just couldn't stop laughing, and once the film was over my stomach hurt. XD Honestly this is British comedy at its best, and the cast is awesome. Especially Alan Tudyk shines as Simon, who wants to impress his fiancé's family (who don't approve of him) but then accidentally swallows a pill that is not valium but a hallucinogenic concoction and spends the entire funeral making a fool of himself. One wouldn't believe Alan isn't English but American, really! I don't want to reveal too much of the film, so I'll just say go and watch it, it's brilliant.
Title: The Waiting Room
Year: 2007
Rupert plays: George
Other notable cast members: Anne-Marie Duff, Daisy Donovan, Ralf Little, Phyllida Law
Summary: Two complete strangers, Anna and Stephen, are brought together by chance by an elderly man who waits for his wife on a station platform. Their fateful meeting acts as a catalyst for them to examine and challenge what's going on in their different relationships, and make hard but positive decisions for themselves. If they can change their lives maybe they can meet again.
Why I love the film: It's not the best film of all times, definitely not, but it never claims to be, either. It's quirky and funny and unusual and quite authentic, and I enjoyed it. Of course the ending is predictable, but the "getting there" isn't, and it's overall very convincing. And on a more shallow side, I enjoyed seeing Ralf Little naked, and also Rupert in the role of George, who is having an affair with his neighbour and being rather an idiot, but not the bad kind.
Title: Clapham Junction
Year: 2007
Rupert plays: Robin Cape
Other notable cast members: Tom Beard, David Leon, Phoebe Nicholls, Paul Nicholls, Samantha Bond, Richard Lintern, James Wilby
Summary: 36 hours in the lives of a number of gay men in Clapham, South London.
Why I love the film: Because it's a very sober, realistic attempt at a movie about homosexuality and all its facets, and it doesn't try to prettify things or be politically correct. It's got shocking moments as well as beautiful ones, disappointing ones as well as happy ones, and you may think me a proper pervert now but that scene of the 14-year-old kid seducing his adult neighbour really made a lasting impression on me, it was so beautifully done. And fans of Maurice will be amused about the fact that Rupert Graves and James Wilby made another film together, even though they don't have many scenes together in this one.
Title: Marple: A Pocket Full of Rye
Year: 2008
Rupert plays: Lancelot Fortescue
Other notable cast members: Julia McKenzie, Matthew Macfadyen, Ben Miles, Liz White, Hattie Morahan
Summary: When Rex Fortescue dies while sitting at his desk in the city, it's determined that he was in fact poisoned...
Why I love the film: People keep saying that Joan Hickson was the perfect Miss Marple and therefore don't care about the other Marple films, but I thought this one was extremely close to the book and very well done. The cast fit to the characters, especially Matthew Macfadyen as the rather dull Inspector Neele was perfect, and I wasn't surprised that Rupert was given the character of Lance at all. XD Oh, and it's always very exciting for me to discover (more or less unknown) actors I've seen somewhere else, like Liz White (Life on Mars) or Hattie Morahan (Bank Job). An altogether very enjoyable Marple film and one of the most faithful to the book that I've seen so far.
Other Rupert films I've seen but didn't include in the list:
» The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996): Mrs Graham/Huntingdon is a boring, tiresome emo trying her best to seem like a martyr at all times. The kid Arthur is stupid and annoying. Mr Huntingdon is presented like the über-villain but is more a victim of his time, and I don't understand the fuss the film makes about him. The only really likeable characters are those of James Purefoy (Lawrence) and Toby Stephens (Markham), but even they have the disadvantage of being completely taken in by that emo woman. And when I thought there would at least be a happy ending (meaning that Markham married someone else), I was disappointed there as well. What a pointless film.
What do you think? Have you seen any of these? Did you like them? Have you seen any that I haven't seen? I want to know everything! XD