#dench arnold

[sunshineandlyrics]

Dame Judi Dench (and Arnold Schwarzenegger) recite Shakespeare (27 October 2023) x

[mariacallous]

This article is from 2019

Joan Plowright, who celebrates her 90th birthday today, is the senior figure in a remarkable generation of actors including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins, all celebrated in the film Nothing Like a Dame. Her marriage to Laurence Olivier inevitably made her part of showbiz aristocracy but Plowright brought to British theatre a quality of earthiness and emotional directness shared by near-contemporaries such as Albert Finney, Peter O’Toole and Billie Whitelaw. As the daughter of a Lincolnshire newspaper editor, she could hardly be called working-class yet she was part of a movement that helped British theatre shed its aura of evasive gentility.

You could, for the sake of convenience, divide Plowright’s working life into three phases: her Royal Court period, her National Theatre years and her post-National freelance career.

Rather than catalogue her performances, I would pick out three that illustrate her capacity to give us the unvarnished truth. She came to prominence in the Royal Court of the 1950s but, although I missed her in The Country Wife and the double bill of Ionesco’s The Chairs and The Lesson, where she played a wizened crone and a preyed-on pupil, I did catch her as Beatie Bryant in Arnold Wesker’s Roots – which quickly became a landmark in postwar drama.

The point about Beatie is that she is the daughter of Norfolk farmworkers who, on returning home, first parrots the opinions of her London boyfriend and then, when he fails to turn up, discovers her own voice. Wesker’s play is part of a long line, harking back to Shaw’s Pygmalion and anticipating Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, about female self-realisation. Everyone who saw it remembers the ecstasy that illumined Plowright’s features as she realised she was at last speaking, and thinking, for herself. But Plowright caught no less well Beatie’s potential for joy in the scene where she danced round the stage as her mother clapped to the rhythmic excitement of Bizet’s suite from L’Arlésienne.

Olivier claimed to be “knocked off my feet by her performance”. By 1961 he and Plowright were married and she became a vital part of his inaugural Chichester Festival theatre seasons, which provided a launchpad for the National Theatre company. It can sometimes be tedious to bang on about old productions but anyone who wishes can still find on DVD Olivier’s Uncle Vanya which played at Chichester in 1962-63 and then at the Old Vic. It was one of the great Chekhov experiences of the 20th century, and Plowright’s performance as Sonya, hopelessly in love with Astrov (played by Olivier), was a model of stoic endurance in the face of unfulfilled passion.

The great moment comes at the play’s end when Sonya is left alone with her uncle to face a future of loveless toil. It would be easy to play Sonya’s final consoling speech sentimentally. Instead Plowright, looking at the desolate features of Michael Redgrave as Vanya, struck a note of almost buoyant optimism as she claimed: “When our time comes, we shall die without a murmur … we shall see a light that is bright and lovely and beautiful … we shall rest.” Plowright caught perfectly Sonya’s note of defiant faith in a way that brought tears to my eyes at the time, and that still does when I watch or listen to that performance.

Plowright went on to do many fine things at the National including a strong-willed Maggie in Hobson’s Choice, leading her chosen groom off to the marriage bed by his ears, a deeply sensual Masha in Three Sisters and a single-minded Portia in The Merchant of Venice who first preaches mercy and then displays a vindictive cruelty to Shylock. She was an integral part of the National company at the Old Vic, but the determination to avoid any sense of favouritism – and the fact that she had three young children to bring up – meant that her potential was not always fulfilled. I would love to have seen her play Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth, or Hedda Gabler.

After the National, however, Plowright achieved much. She did Shakespeare at Chichester, Chekhov in the West End, two fine plays by Eduardo di Filippo and enjoyed a late-blossoming film career often under the direction of Franco Zeffirelli. But, if I had to pick out one performance that revealed her unrivalled capacity for earthy truthfulness and emotional honesty, it would be that as Poncia in Nuria Espert’s production of Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba at the Lyric Hammersmith, and then the West End, in 1986. The character is the servant to the tyrannical heroine (played by Glenda Jackson). Everything about this performance was perfect, from the way Plowright evoked a lifetime of household drudgery, by smoothing the nap of folded linen, to the hint that she shared the same longing for life and gaiety as Bernarda Alba’s imprisoned daughters.

This is a quality that has characterised much of Plowright’s work: the ability to combine down-to-earth practicality and common sense with an irrepressible joie de vivre. From reading Plowright’s fascinating memoirs, And That’s Not All, you realise how much the National in its early years – and Olivier in particular – owed to her quiet wisdom. Looking back over her rich career is to be reminded of how much she has been a force for change in British acting.

[theprincipleofescalation]

The funniest movie that will never be made.

From me and my brothers fevered imaginations to your screen allow me to introduce to you the funniest movie that will never be made.

A word for word, shot for shot remake of the Princess Bride with the following cast.

Christopher Walkin as Westley

Judy Dench as Buttercup

Jeff Goldblum as Vizzini

Peter Dinklage as Fezzik

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Inigo Montoya

Nicholas Cage as Prince Humperdinck

John Malkovich as Count Rugen

William Shatner as the King

Rowan Atkinson as the Albino

John Cleese as the Priest

Alexander Skarsgård and Kate Winslet as Miracle Max and his wife Valerie.

with

Fred savage as the grandpa and Finn Wolfhard as the grandson .

Is this a good remake? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

But is it the funniest possible combination of actors me and my brother could conceive of?

YES!

[argentangelhelps]

Thank you so much for the Audrey Hepburn vibes fc! I've eventually chosen Kaitlyn Dever.. if it is okay, can I please ask for some faceclaims who can play her mother, father, an older sister, or brother (I haven't decided which one) and grandmother, please? Thank you so much!! ♡

hope this helps! mother christina hendricks (1975, american) drew barrymore (1975, american) kathryn hahn (1973, american) mary shelton (1974, american) paige turco (1965, american)

father billy burke (1966, american) christian slater (1969, american) matthew mcconaughey (1969, american) peter krause (1965, american) ethan hawke (1970, american) warren kole (1977, american)

older sister jessica madsen (1992, english) maika monroe (1993, american) meghann fahy (1990, american) willa fitzgerald (1991, american)

older brother drew starkey (1993, american) dylan arnold (1994, american) jack quaid (1992, american) joe keery (1992, american) kyle allen (1994, american) kyle gallner (1986, american)

grandmother helen mirren (1945, english & russian) meryl streep (1949, american) judi dench (1934, english & irish) julie andrews (1935, english)

[alexlacquemanne]

Octobre MMXXIV

Films

Quartet (2012) de Dustin Hoffman avec Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, Sheridan Smith, Michael Gambon, Andrew Sachs et Gwyneth Jones

Bob le flambeur (1956) de Jean-Pierre Melville avec Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corey, Daniel Cauchy, Guy Decomble, Simone Paris, André Garret, Claude Cerval et Colette Fleury

Indian Palace (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) (2011) de John Madden avec Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Celia Imrie, Dev Patel, Ronald Pickup et Penelope Wilton

Grosse Fatigue (1994) de et avec Michel Blanc et aussi Carole Bouquet, Philippe Noiret, Josiane Balasko, Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Clavier, Guillaume Durand, Charlotte Gainsbourg, David Hallyday, Estelle Lefébure et Gérard Jugnot

L'Air de rien (2012) de Grégory Magne et Stéphane Viard avec Grégory Montel, Fred Scotlande, Céline Milliat-Baumgartner, Michel Delpech, Martine Schambacher, Miossec, Jérôme Huguet, Benoît Belleville et Pauline Moulène

Code Mercury (Mercury Rising) (1998) de Harold Becker avec Bruce Willis, Miko Hughes, Alec Baldwin, Chi McBride, John Carroll Lynch, John Doman, Peter Stormare et Kim Dickens

Le Privé (The Long Goodbye) (1973) de Robert Altman avec Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, David Arkin, David Carradine et Arnold Schwarzenegger

Mon oncle Benjamin (1969) d'Édouard Molinaro avec Jacques Brel, Claude Jade, Bernard Alane, Paul Frankeur, Rosy Varte, Lyne Chardonnet, Robert Dalban, Bernard Blier et Armand Mestral

Le Tueur triste (1984) de Nicolas Gessner avec Guy Marchand, Edwige Feuillère, Michel Creton, Béatrice Agenin, Franck Olivier Bonnet, Jean Louis Richard, Jacques François, Amélie Gonin et Marcelle Barreau

Indian Palace : Suite royale (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) (2015) de John Madde avec Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Richard Gere et Tina Desai

Gremlins 2 : La Nouvelle Génération (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) (1990) de Joe Dante avec Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, Robert Prosky, Robert Picardo, Christopher Lee, Haviland Morris, Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph et Kathleen Freeman

L’Été meurtrier (1983) de Jean Becker avec Isabelle Adjani, Alain Souchon, Suzanne Flon, Jenny Clève, Maria Machado, Évelyne Didi, Jean Gaven, François Cluzet, Michel Galabru et Roger Carel

Baisers volés (1968) de François Truffaut avec Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claude Jade, Delphine Seyrig, Michael Lonsdale, Harry-Max, André Falcon, Daniel Ceccaldi, Claire Duhamel et Catherine Lutz

Key Largo (1948) de John Huston avec Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Gomez, Harry Lewis et John Rodney

Soleil rouge (1971) de Terence Young avec Charles Bronson, Ursula Andress, Toshirō Mifune, Alain Delon, Capucine, Bart Barry et Lee Burton

Le Chien des Baskerville (The Hound of the Baskervilles) (1958) de Terence Fisher avec Peter Cushing, André Morell, Christopher Lee, Marla Landi, David Oxley, Francis De Wolff, Miles Malleson et Ewen Solon

L'Arnaque (The Sting) (1973) de George Roy Hill avec Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, John Heffernan, Dana Elcar et Dimitra Arliss

Au service de Sara (Serving Sara) (2002) de Reginald Hudlin avec Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, Vincent Pastore, Bruce Campbell, Cedric the Entertainer, Amy Adams et Terry Crews

Tirez sur le pianiste (1960) de François Truffaut avec Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger, Michèle Mercier, Serge Davri, Claude Mansard et Richard Kanayan

Séries

L'été rouge

Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3 - Episode 4 - Episode 5

Castle Saison 8

M. et Mme Castle - Meurtre a cappella - Témoin-clé - L'Espion qui venait du froid - Huis clos - Le Rêve américain - Escapade à L.A. - Le ver est dans le fruit - Le Cœur ou la Raison - Votre mort est un ordre - Trahisons - L'immortel - Beaucoup de bruit pour un meurtre - La Fin du monde - Tirs croisés

Psych Saison 1, 2, 3

Voyances et Manigances - T-R-I-C-H-E-U-R - Qu'il parle maintenant ou se taise à jamais - Esprit, es-tu là ? - 9 vies - Champ de bataille - La Maison hantée - Shawn chez les super-héros - Souvenirs, souvenirs - La Guerre de l'étoile - Coup de soleil - Avis de meurtre - Jeu, Set et Meurtre - Poker menteur - Esprits féminin - Les Nouvelles Stars - 65 Millions d'années plus tôt - Un médium de trop - Trop facile pour être possible - Petit… mais costaud - Un plat qui se mange froid - Les Petits Génies - Recherche nounous désespérément - Chasseurs de primes - Un mort au pied du sapin - Mariage en sursis - Coups de vieux - Un rôle de composition - Dans le secret de la loge - Fashion victimes - Une nuit au musée - Chasse aux fantômes - La Folle Soirée de Shawn - Le médium qui tombe à pic - La Chasse au trésor - Au pays de l'or noir - Henry les bons tuyaux - Comme sur des roulettes - Haut les mains !

Friends Saison 1, 2, 3

Celui qui avait un singe - Celui qui rêve par procuration - Celui qui a failli rater l'accouchement - Celui qui fait craquer Rachel - Celui qui a une nouvelle fiancée - Celui qui détestait le lait maternel - Celui qui est mort dans l'appart du dessous - Celui qui avait viré de bord - Celui qui se faisait passer pour Bob - Celui qui a oublié un bébé dans le bus - Celui qui tombe des nues - Celui qui a été très maladroit - Celui qui cassait les radiateurs - Celui qui se dédouble - Celui qui n'apprécie pas certains mariages - Celui qui retrouve son singe : première partie - Celui qui retrouve son singe : deuxième partie - Celui qui a failli aller au bal de promo - Celui qui a fait on ne sait quoi avec Rachel - Celui qui vit sa vie - Celui qui remplace celui qui part - Celui qui disparaît de la série - Celui qui ne voulait pas partir - Celui qui se met à parler - Celui qui affronte les voyous - Celui qui faisait le lien - Celui qui attrape la varicelle - Celui qui embrassait mal - Celui qui rêvait de la princesse Leia - Celui qui a du mal à se préparer - Celui qui avait la technique du câlin - Celui qui ne supportait pas les poupées - Celui qui bricolait - Celui qui se souvient - Celui qui était prof et élève - Celui qui avait pris un coup sur la tête - Celui pour qui le foot c'est pas le pied - Celui qui fait démissionner Rachel - Celui qui ne s'y retrouvait plus - Celui qui était très jaloux - Celui qui persiste et signe - Celui que les prothèses ne gênaient pas - Celui qui vivait mal la rupture - Celui qui a survécu au lendemain - Celui qui était laissé pour compte - Celui qui s'auto-hypnotisait

Affaires sensibles

La chute de Nicolas Hulot - Blur vs Oasis : la bataille d'Angleterre - Août 44, La Libération de Paris, Épisode 1/2 : Août 44, des Parisiens en armes - Août 44, La Libération de Paris, Épisode 2/2 : Eté 44, De Gaulle, la marche d’un président - Docteur Petiot, faux résistant, vrai tueur - Hitler l'insaisissable cadavre - Benito Mussolini, un cadavre en cavale - Le mystère des noyés de la Deûle - Les trois de West Memphis - "Naissance d’une nation" : Naissance d’une contestation - Little Rock, neuf lycéens noirs contre la ségrégation - Emmett Till, le lynchage de trop - Marseille 1973, quand le racisme tue en toute impunité - L'argent russe du Front National - Affaire Alstom : la guerre secrète - Le procès de Lady Chatterley - Les survivants de la Cordillère des Andes - "Tcherno-Blaye" : le scénario d'un Tchernobyl français ? - La tour Montparnasse ou la folie des grandeurs en direct des Rendez-vous de l'histoire de Blois - « Sans haine, sans arme, ni violence » : le casse du siècle de Nice - "La Grande Bouffe" ou le festin orgiaque - Taylor Swift, le phénomène total - L’abominable homme des neiges, une rencontre au sommet

Brokenwood Saison 9, 3

Comme chien et chat - En plein cœur - La mariée était en cuir - Le veuf noir

Le Coffre à Catch

#188 : La dernière avec UVA !

Les Brigades du Tigre : « Les Années-Folles » Saison 6

Les Princes de la nuit - Rita et le Caïd - La Grande Duchesse Tatiana - Les Fantômes de Noël - La Fille de l'air - Lacs et Entrelacs

Commissaire Moulin Saison 1

Le Diable aussi a des ailes - Intox - Fausses notes - Les Brebis égarées

Les Simpson Saison 3

Mon pote Michael Jackson - Lisa va à Washington - Le Palais du Gaucher - Le Petit Parrain - Une belle simpsonnerie - Tel père, tel clown - Simpson Horror Show II - Le Poney de Lisa - Un père dans la course - Un cocktail d'enfer - Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk - Vive les mariés - Un puits de mensonges - L'Enfer du jeu - Homer au foyer - Bart le tombeur - Homer la foudre - Le Flic et la Rebelle - Chienne de vie - Imprésario de mon cœur - La Veuve noire - Le Permis d'Otto Bus - Séparés par l'amour - Le Retour du frère prodigue

Belphégor ou le Fantôme du Louvre

Le Louvre - Le secret du Louvre

Nestor Burma saison 6

Panique à Saint-Patrick - Atout cœur

Rematch

Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3 - Episode 4 - Episode 5 - Episode 6

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Saison 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Halloween - Halloween II - Halloween III - Halloween IV - Halloween V

Le tribunal de l'impossible

La Bête du Gévaudan

Spectacles

Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, Director's Cut (1972) d'Adrian Maben

Chers parents (2024) de Emmanuel Patron & Armelle Patron avec Elise Diamant, Bernard Alane, Emmanuel Patron, Rudy Milstein et Frédérique Tirmont

Stevie Wonder: Live at Last (2008)

R.E.M : Perfect Square (2004)

Bénabar : la tournée des indociles (2022)

Le Chien des Baskerville (1974) de Jean Marcillac avec Raymond Gerome, André Haber, Christian Alers, Jean Pierre Gernez, Bernard Musson, Christiane Moinet, Pierre Hatet, Colette Teissedre, Robert Bazil, Liliane Patrick et Jean Jacques Steen

Livres

Putzi de Thomas Snégaroff

Kaamelott, tome 10 : Karadoc et l'Icosaèdre d'Alexandre Astier et Steven Dupré

Lucky Luke, tome 28 : Le Pony Express de Morris, Xavier Fauche et Jean Léturgie

Philip Marlowe : Le Grand Sommeil de Raymond Chandler

OSS 117 : Agonie en Patagonie de Jean Bruce

Batman : Un long Halloween de Jeph Loeb et Tim Sale

[therealfailwhale]

May reads are in dark green!

Nonfiction

Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea

Poetry/Fiction

The Strange Bird by Jeff Vandermeer

Linghun by Ai Jiang

Broken Jaw by Minoli Salgado

A Gathering Sense of Light by Maggie Slattery

King Lear by Shakespeare

Manga

Love is an Illusion vol 1 by Fargo

I’m also on StoryGraph if you want to follow me! https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/haljonesy

[cavenewstimes]

Arnold Schwarzenegger Hilariously Destroys Judi Dench’s Stunning Shakespeare Recital: “More Dialogue Than I Had in My Movies Altogether”

Arnold Schwarzenegger has actually belonged of numerous markets. He is an all-rounder with lots of skills. The 7 time Mr. Olympia winner turned Hollywood star has even had a tryst with literature. Arnie as soon as acted out a scene as Hamlet in the Last Action Hero. He can do whatever and even make individuals laugh till their stomach injures. America’s Favorite Video Today Schwarzenegger once…

[bkenber]

'Casino Royale' - James Bond Reborn and Reinvigorated

‘Casino Royale’ – James Bond Reborn and Reinvigorated

I came into “Casino Royale” with guarded expectations. When it came to the James Bond films which starred Pierce Brosnan, I found they were best enjoyed with lowered expectations as they veered to the more openly ridiculous films of the Roger Moore era. But once this particular Bond film started with something other than the standard gun barrel sequence, I quickly realized how serious the…

[genevieveetguy]

They say you're judged by the strength of your enemies.

Quantum of Solace, Marc Forster (2008)

[jacksfilmdiary]

Casino Royale

2006

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381061/

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, February 15 -- part 1 of 3

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's final goodbye

Page 2: Celebs Who Came Close to the End -- near-death experiences of the rich and famous -- Gary Busey, Johnny Depp, Donald Sutherland, Sharon Stone

Page 3: Martin Lawrence, Emilia Clarke, Stephen King, Tracy Morgan, Christie Brinkley, Ozzy Osbourne, Jane Seymour, Chevy Chase

Page 4: Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie roles

Page 6: After serving nearly two months in a California prison for her role in the high-profile college admissions scandal Lori Loughlin is happy to be back home -- while she celebrated her December 28 release with gratitude and prayer she knows there is still a lot to work through and most important is regaining the trust of daughters Olivia and Isabella -- her husband Mossimo Giannulli is currently serving a five-month prison sentence for his involvement in the scandal and Lori speaks to him as much as she can and it's all about getting through this and moving on

Page 7: Things You Don't Know About Our New Veep -- Kamala Harris makes history

Page 8: Petroleum jelly can get you out of a jam

Page 9: Lower blood pressure fast

Page 10: Harper is only in the fourth grade, but her heart is huge -- the Kentucky youngster tucked her allowance into a plastic baggie and sent it to Gov. Andy Beshear to help him out during tough times

Page 11: Get fit by making a clean sweep -- it turns out cleaning your home is just as effective as sweating through hundreds of situps

Page 12: Celebrities who nabbed the jab -- these celebs who are at high risk of coronavirus complications and even death because of their ages and health conditions stepped up to the plate and took their best shot -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joel Grey, Judi Dench, Rupert Murdoch, Willie Nelson, Steve Martin, Joan Collins, Martha Stewart, Dan Rather

Page 13: Al Roker, Pope Francis, Tony Bennett, Buzz Aldrin, Ian McKellen, Oliver Stone, Norma Kamali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Loretta Lynn, Tom Jones

Page 14: Dear Tony, America's Top Psychic Healer -- the world belongs to all of us so don't opt out, Tony predicts a bright new star in the movie world Anya Taylor-Joy who shines in The Queens Gambit: give her time because she will be huge

Page 15: Frank Stallone is Sylvester Stallone's younger's brother and while Frank is an actor too, there is no doubt Sly is more famous but there's no hard feelings

Page 16: The Judds fix 40-year feud -- Naomi Judd who suffered from mental illness struggled to raise two daughters on her own -- Wynonna Judd once cut off communication with her mother for three years -- for 40 years mother-daughter country duo Naomi and Wynonna fought and feuded like wildcats but they've finally kissed and made up so 75-year-old Naomi can go to her grave with a happy heart

Page 18: Madeleine Fugate put her sewing skills and a compassion that is beyond her years to good use as she stiches together a giant quilt paying tribute to the tragic victims of COVID-19 -- maybe it's in her blood because her mother Katherine worked on the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt 35 years ago

Page 19: We've been waiting for a flying car ever since the 1960s TV show The Jetsons and finally one seems ready to touch down -- a Japanese startup has been road testing it new flying vehicles and says a fleet of there air taxis could be ready by 2023

(continued)

[dencharnold-blog]

Their Finest is a genuine, heartfelt love letter to filmmaking in a time of national adversity [Den of Geek]

One of the smartest, funniest and most surprising movies I’ve seen in years [Wall Street Journal]

Beautifully cast, intelligently written and a gorgeously assembled range of beautifully gauged emotions about movies and war, Their Finest is one of the best films of a still-young 2017  [New York Observer]

A film that celebrates old-fashioned screen storytelling with infectious fondness. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Their Finest is a funny, winning, beautifully acted ode to working women and cinema. [Empire]

Featuring beautiful period design by Alice Normington, and having garnered rave reviews like the above - surely this is just the film you need for an evening out.  Go and enjoy! 

[merelygifted]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taWdfjQsyn8

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really THAT Bad?

Cats has been a divisive show ever since it opened in 1981. Some people hate it for being a plotless spectacle that focuses more on the visuals than on music and story, while others love it for those same reasons, as well as for being utterly campy and fun. I’m firmly in the latter category, to the point I can’t  really comprehend the opposition to the film. Stuff like the jab at this film in The Critic or the mockery of it in Hey Arnold just seem weird to me; what is it about this fun, silly musical about cats that makes people’s blood boil so much?

Perhaps all these people saw into the future where the film was released.

Cats had a long, troubled history getting from stage to screen. In the 90s, Amblimation was set to make an animated version of the movie, set during the Blitz of WWII. Unfortunately, the inability of writers to find a way to turn this episodic showcase of random singing cats into a cohesive narrative combined with the failure of Amblimations films caused the project to dissolve, leaving behind nothing but some really cool concept art. 

But see, this perfectly demonstrates the problem with adapting Cats: the musical is a spectacle, a showcase, it’s all about the dancing, costumes, and the songs. It doesn’t have a story to speak of, instead contenting itself with showing us a bunch of different cats and having them sing about themselves for a bit before moving on to the next cat. Sure, there’s a bit of continuity and whatnot, but this really isn’t the sort of show that’s trying to deliver a deep narrative. It just wants you to have a good time, nothing more, nothing less.

No one told any of this to Tom Hooper, apparently. This director of the grounded, gritty, realistic adaptation of Les Mis was tapped to utilize this same style in a musical about magical singing cats, all while not even knowing what catnip is or how animation works. Hooper was apparently constantly butting heads with the VFX team due to his lack of understanding of how animating works. He tried to get the team to watch videos of cats performaing the stuff he wanted and forced them to give 90 hour work weeks, cementing Tom Hooprt as one of the biggest douchebags imaginable. On top of all this, the guy tried to weave this plotless showcase of felines into a cohesive narrative, and tapped a bunch of talent of various degrees of questionability to play parts. And what was the result?

An absolute disaster. The film was savaged by critics, with most positives being that the film was so bad it’s good. The film (of course) won a bunch of Razzies, and was the subject of mockery and memes before, after, and during its run in theaters. Hell, as soon as the trailer dropped, the film was mocked to death. Not helping was the rushed VFX which, again, was due to the team being under pressure from a draconian idiot who had no idea what he was doing. The film received an unprecedented bug fix, so to speak, in the form of an updated version with slightly better VFX that was shipped to theaters after the initial negative reaction. This obviously did nothing to help the movie’s reputation, of course. Hell, even in my initial review, I wasn’t super keen on the film. Most damning of all, though, was Andrew Lloyd Webber himself calling the film ridiculous, and even said "The problem with the film was that Tom Hooper decided that he didn’t want anybody involved in it who was involved in the original show."

But after ruminating on it, and after watching the film once more, I’ve decided to ask the usual question: Is it really that bad? It’s weird to ask this about a film that’s so new; I usually wait for hindsight to kick in, and look at older films considered bad. But even now, Cats is building up a reputation as a campy cult classic, with such figures as Martin “LittleKuriboh” Billamy watching the film with alarming frequency. And after reading the nightmarish behind the scenes and considering everything… yeah, I think this film deserves a re-evaluation.

This is going to be a little different, though: I’m sort of going to go through the film part by part, since this film has an interesting issue where, generally speaking, the first half is where the worst problems are, and the second half is where things start to pick up. So let’s get the bad out of the way first, then move onto the good.

THE BAD

So, I’m actually not going to pick on the VFX too much, and not just because of the horrible treatment of the VFX artists. In all honesty, the weird human/cat people, while not even remotely as cool as the insane costumes of the stage show, eventually stop being super distracting and kind of just become something you accept. Like, I’m not gonna pretend like this work is amazing, but I dunno, I think it gets harped on too much. There is some stuff that stands out as noticeably bad, though, and we’ll get to that.

A consistent problem with the film that I can’t even try to defend is the problem with the scaling. It’s seriously hard to tell how big these cats are supposed to be in relation to anything else. They honestly seem to change size from scene to scene. It’s seriously weird and baffling and there’s never any way to get a good sense of scale. Even when the cats are alongside mice and roaches, it just boggles the mind what size anything is actually supposed to be.

Mr. Mistoffelees, one of the most flamboyant and enjoyable characters of the stage show, is one of the biggest character issues with the film. Gone is the tricky, confident magician who prances and dances, and here is a meek, sniveling twerp who can barely do anything without tripping over himself. This is because the actor who plays him had a terrible audition that left him miserable due to a lack of singing and dance background. So, rather than find someone who could, you know, sing and dance, they decided to rewrite Mr. Mistoffelees into comic relief, which is just an insulting slap in the face. The cherry on top of course is how they straightwash the character and excise his homoerotic tension with Rum Tum Tugger, instead making him completely and totally straight and giving him a thing for Victoria. Out of everyone in the entire film, they did Mr. Mistoffelees the dirtiest.

Now, let’s get onto the actual “plot.” The film actually starts out fairly well, with some cool shots, good dancing, and some setup for Macavity, whose intro has a neat little nod to the fact he’s based on Moriarty. The issues don’t really start showing up until we reach the first of the Jellicle choices… Jennyanydots.

Jennyanydots is portrayed by Rebel Wilson, which is the first issue. Rebel Wilson is probably one of the worst actresses ever. She is just a horrendously, relentlessly unfunny human being, and she brings that exact quality to her role here. For her song, the vocal talent is secondary to the cringeworthy comedy Wilson puts on display. And yet, somehow, Wilson isn’t the worst part of the scene. No, that would be the horrendous CGI human-faced mice and roaches, which look like they came out of a PS3 game.

This horrendous spectacle is followed up with the appearance of Rum Tum Tugger, portrayed by Jason Derulo. I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, I do think Derulo has the necessary egotistical celebrity swagger to play Rum Tum Tugger (especially when you consider he responded to negative criticisms of the film by calling the movie  “one of the greatest pieces of art ever made”) and his design is actually one of the better ones in the film, but on the other hand, his singing and the musical choice for his song are not very impressive and really just doesn’t work all too well. It’s at least something of a step up from Rebel Wilson and her CGI abominations, but that’s not really saying much, is it?

Next up we have Bustopher Jones, played by James Corden and, if I’m being totally honest… he’s not quite as awful as he could be. Corden is basically the male equivalent to Rebel Wilson, but at least while he’s singing he manages to be somewhat amusing, whimsical, and enjoyable even. The problem comes when he throws in jokes, including one where he claims to be self-conscious about his weight… a joke that occurs in the middle of his song where he is bragging about how fat he is. Talk about sending mixed messages. I wish I didn’t have to be so harsh on Bustopher, but sadly he is bogged down by really bad shtick.

Bustopher Jones also highlights a problem with the cats in this first half. These minor roles – Jennyanydots, Rum Tum Tugger, and Bustopher Jones – are all being played by relatively big celebrities, and as such they’re going to want a lot of time to sing. As a result, songs that were ensemble numbers on stage become more one-man songs here, with Bustopher Jones being the most egregious example, turning this positive fat character into a walking James Corden fat joke as he sings his own praises rather than having his praises sung.

Following him up we have Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, who are usually fun characters with a fun little pseudo-villain song, but alas, they manage to screw that up by using a slow, jazzy version of the song originally used in earlier London productions rather than the more up-tempo version from later productions, making the song sound awkward and forgettable. Topping it all off is the bargain bin Mr. M popping in at the end for some wacky shenanigans, but at this point, the movie takes a turn towards…

THE GOOD

So as soon as Dame Judi Dench shows up as Old Deuteronomy, the film gets a sort of inverse of what happened at the start. Where the film starts somewhat awkward and promising, it slowly gets stupider and stupider when Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, and James Corden botch their scenes in the ways described above. Here, things start a bit shaky and unsure, but Dench is a sign things are about to pick up. What makes her so enjoyable is how, despite how utterly silly things are, she treats her role with the dignity and gravitas of something out of Shakespeare. The only thing as good as an actor in a silly movie like this going full-on ham and cheese is an actor treating their role dead serious and injecting it with such class and dignity you can’t help but enjoy it. Thankfully, Dench isn’t the only person to take her role seriously.

Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella technically appears briefly in the earlier portions of the film, but here we get to hear her belt out “Memory,” and by god does she do a fantastic job. The raw emotion and passion she injects into Grizabella is phenomenal, and it’s even more powerful when it comes back for its reprise in the finale. Victoria gets a sort of response song to “Memory,” called “Beautiful Ghosts,” and it’s a decent song in its own right, but you can tell it was a more modern composition and it just doesn’t gel super well with the rest of the songs. Still, all this is good stuff, and the “Memory”/”Beautiful Ghosts” scene is a nice, refreshing bit of emotion after the incredibly weird and silly extended dance number that is the Jellicle Ball.

The movie doesn’t stop pulling punches; shortly after Grizabella we are given Gus the theater cat, an elderly actor whose number is all about reminiscing of the old days of theater and his many stellar roles from days gone by. Naturally, the only actor who could possibly perform this role properly is Sir Ian McKellan. I am completely unironic when I say this: This is to McKellan what Patrick Stewart’s performance of Xavier in Logan is. This sounds ridiculous, but think of it: Gus is an aging thespian, clearly a bit senile and desiring to be reborn because he has reached the end of the line, and McKellan fills him with this genuine, incredibly honest performance that really makes you feel emotional. It’s powerful. It feels so personal and resonant, like McKellan has inserted some of his own feelings into his performance, which may very well be the case. Oh, and after his song Macavity kidnaps him with a big autograph book and apparates away while saying his name, which gets me every time.

And now, my friends, the lord and savior arrives: Skimbleshanks.

This is, hands down, the best scene in the entire film. Everything comes together here: the music is absolutely fantastic, the dancing is choreographed extremely well, and it’s clear that everyone involved is having a blast. This is a concentrated essence of what Cats should be, and it’s really a shame Hooper didn’t understand that this is the energy needed for the entire production. The most crucial element, of course, is Steven McRae, who not only has a lovely singing voice and looks dapper as all hell in his red suspenders, but is a tap dancing maniac. This man has feet of fire, and his tapping adds a whole new layer of fun to the song. Overall, this is a perfect scene, and probably one of my favorite scenes in any film ever. For a brief four minutes, everything about this film works. I literally have no idea why this cat wants to be reincarnated, he is straight balling in this life.

But the hits don’t stop! Right after this song, Taylor Swift descends from the ceiling, and we get “Macavity.” In the stage productions, this is a song sung by Bombalurina to describe how nasty Macavity is, since she’s traditionally a good cat; here, she’s reimagined as a villain, and so this song is basically her acting as Macavity’s hype man, singing his dastardly praises, and best of all, Macavity joins in at the end! I’m certainly not a Taylor Swift fan, but she really kills it here, and definitely makes this one of the best songs in the movie with her hilariously forced accent and insane energy. It’s just a shame that from here on out Macavity ditches his villainous pimp coat and is now a nude Idris Elba, but I suppose this is equivalent exchange for Skimbleshanks being so amazing.

While not as incredible as the previous two songs and not quite as good as the stage version due to the removal of the latent homoeroticism, Mr. Mistoffelees’s song is actually okay. It’s nice that he gets to sing his own praises here, but it’s just nothing compared to the stage version, even if it has a fun little finale and it actually is genuinely heartwarming when Old Deuteronomy returns and sings along. It’s a sweet moment that almost makes up for how much Mr. M has sucked the whole movie. Oh, also, all of the Jellicle choices Macavity kidnapped fight back against their captor Growltiger, with Skimbleshanks aggressively tapdancing at him and Gus using his acting skills to make him fall into the Thames. This is so goofy that it wraps back around to being awesome.

The movie winds down in the goofiest way possible after the gorgeous reprise of “Memory,” with Macavity being caught on a big sculpture and apparently running out of magic, leaving him stranded like a regular cat. Then we get one final fourth-wall breaking song where Judi Dench directly addresses the camera that has the music swell up to the point where it seems like the song is ending numerous times without actually ending, and each time is funnier than the last. Really, what better way could you end such a silly film than with this?

Now, a general thing that’s great about the film is the choreography. The dancing in the movie is spectacular. I don’t really have a bad thing to say about it. And, in a broad sense, the music is good too, even if the singers aren’t always perfect, the backing tracks are great, and there’s a lot of fun in the tracks in the latter half of the movie. McRae and Taylor Swift’s contributions in particular are great, and Hudson’s version of “Memory” is incredibly powerful, as is McKellan’s take on Gus’ song.

Is It Really THAT Bad?

No.

Look, it’s hard to be like “Wow this is a fantastic masterpiece of film” or anything like that, because the movie has blatant and evident problems. But this is literally the reason I made this review series; I’m asking if the movie is really as bad as people say, and in this case, no, there’s too much genuinely enjoyable in the film for me to say it’s deserving of several Razzies and a spot on the Bottom 100 of IMDB that places it above Master of Disguise and The Emoji Movie. Like, seriously? This is worse than the 90 minute commercial starring the abusive dick who called a bomb threat on his girlfriend? Hell, this movie is rated worse than Artemis Fowl, which is definitely a contender for the worst film ever made (and amusingly enough also features Judi Dench in it). Artemis Fowl has next to no redeeming qualities in it, and it certainly doesn’t have Skimbleshanks, whereas Cats has several fun scenes and also has Skimbleshanks.

I definitely think there’s more of an argument for this film being so bad it’s good or camp at best, but it’s definitely more enjoyable than you’d think it would be. If you can learn to live with the weird CGI, it’s a fun, goofy romp that you might find yourself feeling for at times. After my second watch, I have to say… I’ve started to unironically enjoy this movie. It might even be one of my favorites of all time. I can’t even deny that it has a lot of stuff I don’t like, and it falls flat in a lot of ways the 1998 film soars, and it screwed up some of my favorite characters… but there are so many moments where the fun and heart of Cats shines through brighter than it has any right to, and all the failures of Hooper and Universal seem distant for a just a few minutes.

So yeah, is this movie good all around? No way. But is it fun, does it have value, and is there more redeeming qualities than the critics let on? Oh yes there is.

[365days365movies]

January 15, 2021: Casino Royale (Epilogue)

Before I get into it, I’ll preface this by saying that this was a wonderful surprise of a movie! Seriously, I had a really great time with Craig’s turn as the suave super-spy.

Also, before I forget to mention it, there is one thing missing from this movie: gadgets. Yeah, there’s no Q, and no gadgets in this movie, really. And I know that pissed me off in GoldenEye, this movie’s different. They don’t introduce gadgets only to never use them, and this is early in Bond’s career as a double-0 agent, so it makes sense that he doesn’t have the gadgets yet. Plus, we get the pocket defibrillator, so I guess that sort of counts?

Anyway, just wanted to get that out of the way. Let’s get into my review!

Review

Cast and Acting

Brosnan was a very good Bond, doing a good homage of the Connery Bond. But Daniel Craig is great, OUTSIDE of Connery’s Bond. And yeah, that does mean something. If you’re going to reinvent the character, he shouldn’t be dependent upon previous portrayals, while also being a fully-fledged character in his own right. And GODDAMN does Craig make this his own version of the character. Suave, but not traditionally so. Cool and reserved, but still managing to be somewhat emotional, especially in this opening film. And, yeah, I love him. Maybe a little more than Connery in a few ways, honestly.

OK, how about the rest of them? Eva Green plays my favorite Bond Girl, and I mean that without hesitation. Happy to see that the first Bond girl that we get in the Craig franchise is actually a complete character, divorced from Bond or the plot itself. She has her own motivations and desires, while still have a morality, complicated as it may be. Mads Mikkelsen is, well...a Bond villain. While he isn’t necessarily the final boss, he still serves his role well. Is he my favorite Bond villain? Nooo. Sorry, Le Chiffre, but Goldfinger takes that role still. Judi Dench is fantastic, and I’m happy to see more of her in this movie. Wish I could see more of Jeffrey Wright, since he seemed cool, but I’m also a big Jeffrey Wright fan. And everybody else...yeah, they were good.

So, my rating for this category is a 9/10. Why not perfect? Eh, some of the side characters weren’t really as notable as I would’ve liked them to be, but everybody’s acting was great. While it wasn’t necessarily perfect, it was still great. So, yeah, 9/10!

Plot and Writing

GoldenEye’s plot and writing really pissed me off, not gonna lie to you. Casino Royale, though? HOLY SHIT, is this an engaging plot and some great writing! Some really good foreshadowing, pun work, references, reworking of tropes common for the character, just...SO MUCH. It’s all great. And honestly, it’s getting a 10/10 from me. AND, since I’m not putting them on blast this time: good job to Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis! Purvis and Wade are writing partners, and have worked on all of the Craig movies, and the last two Brosnan movies, surprisingly! Haggis, on the other hand, is an award-winning writer and producer, winning Oscars for Million Dollar Baby and Crash. And it shows, as the story and writing of this film are fantastic. 10/10 here! 

Directing and Action

OH BABY. Martin Campbell, what the hell happened! I liked the action in GoldenEye, yeah, but you turned the dial up, threw out the oven, and purchased a much shinier one! WITH GRIT IN IT, OH MY GOD. See, where the fight scenes in GoldenEye were good and somewhat choreographed, these fights fell ROUGH AS SHIT. And as a result, they feel extremely real. Seriously, wow. The action in this film is exactly what I’d wanted, and it was one hell of a RIDE. And while I know I’m being super lenient with this film, I gotta say...10/10. It was one HELL of a ride, and that’s not including the legitimately good cinematography in this film, and it’s once again by Phil Méheux! They knew what they were doing, I tell you what.

Production Design

The sets! AH! The sets in this film are gorgeous! But...GoldenEye was a tad more memorable. Now, don’t get me wrong, these are some amazing scenes and places showcased, but it’s not all as visually iconic as GoldenEye. Still, high points for this one, no worries. This is also Peter Lamont’s last Bond film as head production designer, so shout out to him for that! Also, COSTUMES in this movie look good! Points for that too, of course. They aren’t all iconic, but they were pretty enjoyable. Good job to Lindy Hemming for the costumes, they looked great. 9/10 for this one!

Music and Editing

AND FINALLY! Music! It’s great, but it isn’t all buy-the-soundtrack-worthy for me. The opening song, while fine...isn’t terribly memorable for me, if I’m honest. Sorry, Chris Cornell. You did good, but not personally my taste, when it comes to Bond songs. As for you, David Arnold, head composer: awesome job. Using the Bond themes the way you did throughout this film was astonishing. You get some full points for that one. As for everything else editing and special-effects wise, it’s great! It was mostly practical effects for this film, and it was noticeable. And some of these effects are fantastic. Check out that ending sequence n Venice; very well done. Good job to Chris Corbould and Stuart Baird for the editing! Going a hair lower for this one, bringing it down to an 8/10.

94%

This is a Bond movie I was waiting for this whole time. And while I wouldn’t have expected exactly what I got, I still got something that I wanted, that’s for sure. Casino Royale lands high than I thought it would, especially because I could swear I’ve heard bad things about it! But no, this movie would awesome, and I’d absolutely watch this multiple times.

I could go into more Bond movies, true...but I’d actually like to branch outside of the Bond bubble a little bit! But let’s stay with a British film franchise based off of works by a British author about a spy and a spy organization.

January 16: Kingsman: The Secret Service

[grantmkemp]

Born 84 years ago today, 9th December 1934, Dame Judith Olivia Dench. In Britain, Dench has developed a reputation as one of the greatest actresses of the post-war period, primarily through her work in theatre, which has been her forté throughout her career. She has more than once been named number one in polls for Britain's best actor. My colourised picture from a black, and white promotional still shows Dench in the 1959 TV series "Hilda Lessways" (adapted from the Clayhanger family novels by Arnold Bennett), and according to "Lost U.K. TV Shows Search Engine", this series is believed to be lost. Dench was aged just 25, and this was her first television appearance.

Through her parents, Dench had regular contact with the theatre. Her father, a physician, was also the GP for the York theatre, and her mother was its wardrobe mistress. Actors often stayed in the Dench household. During these years, Judi Dench was involved on a non-professional basis in the first three productions of the modern revival of the York Mystery Plays in 1951, 1954 and 1957. In the third production she played the role of the Virgin Mary, performed on a fixed stage in the Museum Gardens. Though she initially trained as a set designer, she became interested in drama school as her brother Jeff attended the Central School of Speech and Drama. She applied and was accepted by the School, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London, where she was a classmate of Vanessa Redgrave, graduating and being awarded four acting prizes, including the Gold Medal as Outstanding Student.

In September 1957, she made her first professional stage appearance with the Old Vic Company, at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, as Ophelia in Hamlet.

She remained a member of the company for four seasons, 1957–1961

The 1966 BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles was made to Dench for her performance in Four in the Morning and this was followed in 1968 by a BAFTA Television Best Actress Award for her role in John Hopkins' 1966 BBC drama Talking to a Stranger.

Dench made her debut as a director in 1988 with the Renaissance Theatre Company's touring season, Renaissance Shakespeare on the Road, co-produced with the Birmingham Rep, and ending with a three-month repertory programme at the Phoenix Theatre in London. Dench's contribution was a staging of Much Ado About Nothing, set in the Napoleonic era, which starred Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson as Benedick and Beatrice.

She has acted with the National Theatre in London where she played an unforgettable Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra (1987). In September 1995, she played Desiree Armfeldt in a major revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, for which she won an Olivier Award.

After the long period between James Bond films Licence to Kill (1989) and GoldenEye (1995), the producers brought in Dench to take over as the role of M, James Bond's boss. The character was reportedly modeled on Dame Stella Rimington, the real-life head of MI5 between 1992 and 1996; Dench became the first woman to portray M, succeeding Robert Brown.

In 1997, Dench appeared in her first starring film role as Queen Victoria in John Madden's teleplay Mrs Brown, which depicts Victoria's relationship with her personal servant and favourite John Brown, played by Billy Connolly

In 1999, Dench won the Tony Award for her 1999 Broadway performance in the role of Esme Allen in Sir David Hare's Amy's View.

In January 2001, Dench's husband Michael Williams died of lung cancer. Dench went to Nova Scotia, Canada, almost immediately after Williams's funeral to begin production on Lasse Hallström's drama film The Shipping News, a therapy she later credited as her rescue.

A major hit for Dench came with Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice, a 2005 adaptation of the novel by Jane Austen, starring Keira Knightley and Donald Sutherland.

In April 2006, Dench returned to the West End stage in Hay Fever alongside Peter Bowles and Belinda Lang.

Dench appeared opposite Cate Blanchett as a London teacher with a dedicated fondness for vulnerable women in Richard Eyre's 2006 drama film Notes on a Scandal, an adaption from the 2003 novel of the same name by Zoë Heller. A fan of Heller's book, Dench "was thrilled to be asked to ... play that woman, to try to find a humanity in that dreadful person".

Dench returned to the West End in mid-2009, playing Madame de Montreuil in Yukio Mishima's play Madame de Sade.

In 2011, Dench starred in Jane Eyre, My Week with Marilyn and J. Edgar

In 2013, Dench starred as the title character in the Stephen Frears-directed film, Philomena, a film inspired by true events of a woman looking for the son which the Catholic Church took from her a half-century before.

In 2016, Dench made Olivier Award history when she won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in The Winter's Tale, breaking her own record with her eighth win as a performer

In July 2019 Judi presented a 2-part nature documentary series for ITV called Judi Dench's Wild Borneo Adventure in which she and her partner travelled across the island, looking at its remarkable wildlife and efforts by conservationists to preserve it for future generations.

Dench was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1970 Birthday Honours and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1988 New Year Honours. She was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2005 Birthday Honours. In June 2011, she became a fellow of the British Film Institute (BFI).

This is my colourised version of a black, and white promotional still from "Hilda Lessways", broadcast in 1959

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