Eleanor Reviews

  **** Following the Allies failed attempt to retake Europe on June 6 th 1944, Nazi forces are now sweeping across Britain. In a secluded Welsh valley, a group of farmer’s wives awake to find that their husbands have disappeared without a trace. Not long afterwards, a party of Nazi soldiers arrive in the valley. This is a very slow and gentle film – nothing, as such, ‘happens’. Indeed, it is more a film about things not happening, but rather waiting for something huge and tumultuous to happen. The farmer’s wives wait for their missing husbands to return, at first waiting for them and then waiting to discover something terrible. At the same time, the small group of Nazi soldiers are waiting for a clue as to where the farmers have fled to, whilst listening out for news of the end of the war. The captain (Tom Wlaschila), however, is also waiting nervously for the arrival of the SS as he has failed to report the missing men for numerous reasons. Over the course of the year in

  ** This film picks up straight from where ‘The Muppets’ left off. Eager to continue with the success of their rekindled showbiz mojo, the Muppets start a world tour under the watchful eye of Dominic Badguy. At the same time, the world’s most dangerous criminal mastermind, Constantine the Frog, escapes from prison – robbery, mistaken identity and a plethora of cameos follow. Let me get one thing straight to begin with: I rate ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’ and ‘The Muppets Treasure Island’ as two of my all-time favourite films. I watched them from an early age, and they remain true classics in my eyes – they are funny, visually interesting, adventurous and witty, and contain some very memorable musical numbers. I even rather enjoyed the last Muppets film – it was humorous and had some catchy songs… but the same cannot be said for this utter shambles of a film. The opening dialogue was cringe-worthy – it felt as though I had stumbled into one of those awful primary school pl

  ***/**** (3.5 stars) ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ chronicles the life and times of Gustave H., an extraordinary and unusual concierge and his equally extraordinary and unusual hotel. Narrating the story, at least in part, is the older version of Zero, a young boy who becomes the lobby boy at the hotel as well as Gustave’s loyal friend. Throughout their time together, the pair are involved in a murder scandal, a prison break and the theft of a priceless work of art. This film has ‘Wes Anderson’ stamped all over it – in each frame, we are reminded of his presence behind the camera due to his little artistic tropes: the over saturation of colour; the unusual camera angles, mainly directly in front of the actor so that they speak to the audience rather than to someone else on screen; the strange humour, both black and light-hearted; and a focus on the strange idiosyncrasies of humanity. It is something that is hard to describe on paper, but something that you cannot miss once y

  *** DVD Release/Currently available on BBC iPlayer In 1956, Marilyn Monroe came to England to film The Prince and the Showgirl . Working as an assistant to director Laurence Olivier, Colin Clark documents the frantic and strained filming process, all the time becoming more embroiled in the life of the infamous starlet, Monroe. The first criticism of the film is that it seems to be weighed down by the wealth of stars in the cast list – there is certainly no shortage of British acting talent on display here, with Kenneth Branagh heading the team as Laurence Olivier. Supporting him, in roles of various sizes, are, amongst others, Eddie Redmayne (Colin Clark), Judi Dench, Emma Watson, Zöe Wanamaker, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Jim Carter et al. The list just goes on and on forever! Some of the roles, however, are literally so minute that anyone could have played them, and it feels as though director Simon Curtis gathered together such an ensemble to distract the viewer f

  ***** DVD Release In the near future retired cat-burglar, Frank, is given a robot by his son to help him with his day to day life. Although initially suspicious, Frank soon begins to form a relationship with the robot and together they embark on a series of burglaries. This is an incredibly gentle and tender film that focuses on the relationship between Frank (Frank Langella) and Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard). There are no loud explosions, no scenes of violence or sex, and yet it is a deeply affecting and philosophical film that leaves the audience to ponder long after it has finished. Frank is presented with Robot by his son (James Marsden) as his dementia is getting worse, and memory becomes a key aspect of the film, asking whether memory makes someone human. Several times throughout the film, Robot makes allusions to having his memory wiped manually, something that Frank becomes more uncomfortable with as his own memory deteriorates. The majority of the film i

  ***/**** (3.5 stars) DVD Release At the end of the Second World War, Lore’s parents are arrested. Left with instructions to lead her younger siblings to their grandmother’s home many miles away, the young woman begins a journey across war-torn Germany, encountering people and situations she never expected to experience. En route, the young family come across a strange refugee who makes them question everything they have been taught. This is a deeply unsettling and eerie film – a feeling of dread and unease hangs over it from the very beginning, and it was impossible to relax when watching the drama unfurl. The camera lingers on deeply provocative images, such as the body of a raped and murdered woman and a dead man slumped in chair after committing suicide. In between the moments of human interaction, there are shots of Germany, large expanses of unpopulated countryside scattered with farmsteads and abandoned tanks, along with numerous images of trees seen from benea