There are a few films on my list to see (hopefully over the holidays) which I will blog about later, but I thought I would let you know what looks good so you can see them before I do!
You have likely seen some of the promos for Saving Mr. Banks with Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. If you are a sentimental fool like I am, you will be counting the days until you see the story of how Walt Disney convinced P.L. Travers to let him bring Mary Poppins to the silver screen. I love the title, which refers to how the book Mary Poppins is about rescuing Mr. Banks (and Mrs. Banks for that matter) not the children. I have loved the Disney film from when I was young and my eldest child (now 22 years old) used to pretend he was a chimney sweep and dance around the house when he was 2 or 3. I think I may take him to see this one!
I am looking forward to seeing Philomena just as much as Saving Mr. Banks. Apparently Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are both at their level best in this dramedy about an elderly Irish woman who goes to America with the help of a journalist to look for the boy she unwillingly "gave up for adoption" after a stay at a 1950s Catholic home for fallen women. Apparently it is Stephen Frears' best film since The Queen.
I can't wait.
Although I am not a huge Ralph Fiennes fan, I have a lot of respect for his acting and that he is such a fan of Charles Dickens that he wanted to bring The Invisible Woman, the story of Dickens' mistress Nelly Ternan to the screen. The fact that the middle aged Dickens abandoned his wife and 10 children for an 18 year old actress...well that much is history and we might as well have a great film out of it. Felicity Jones plays the titular role (I have loved her since Northanger Abbey) and a few names like Tom Hollander and Kristin Scott Thomas sound good too!
Well, a few others are on my list such as August: Osage County, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Book Thief and American Hustle.
And don't forget that Season 4 of Downton Abbey starts Sunday January 5th! PBS is having a draw for a trip to England to mark the event!
The weekend snowstorm kept me from seeing Saving Mr. Banks in Toronto on the weekend (early opening), so now I'm planning to see it this coming weekend ... so we'll be able to compare notes afterward. Emma Thompson's performance is certainly garnering much praise and awards nominations ...
ReplyDeleteUntil you get to see Hobbit 2, you might be amused by this video blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80um5asDXOg
I especially think you'll be positively smitten by the "almost unutterably handsome" - his own words! - Stephen Fry as the Mayor of Lake Town. ;)
Oh, and Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely Awesome as Smaug the dragon - I haven't seen the movie yet, but in the extra material to the extended edition - which I warmly recommend! - of the first movie, we see snippets of the filming for Hobbit 2 - and there's this scene where he just lunges in front of the microphone and... snarls. It could have looked silly, but instead it looked positively menacing! You could have imagined that he actually was a dragon...
Anyway, looking forward to hearing all your impressions of the film when you do get to see it!
LRK, or Lark :)
Hello Lark! I am finally getting around to my comment responses! I have seen Saving Mr. Banks and Philomena (both very wonderful) and now have to see Hobbit 2 and The Invisible Woman. Oh, and the new season of Sherlock! So many films. Thanks for the heads up about some of my fave actors in The Hobbit 2. And I hope Richard Armitage does some more singing! ;)
DeleteThanks Jenny. My must watch list keeps getting longer, and longer...But first The Hobbit!
ReplyDeleteHi Olga! Did you like The Hobbit? And how have you been liking Elementary? I really like it. May have to do a Sherlock/ Elementary post. Love them both!!!
DeletePhilomena is fantastic--really loved that movie. I'm also looking forward to Saving Mr. Banks,The Book Thief, and American Hustle. I just watched the first Hobbit movie (well about 2/3 before I fell asleep), and probably won't bother with the second. I loved the book (read 3-4 times when I was young), but they just dragged it out too much and put in too much backstory and battles for my taste.
ReplyDeleteHi again Jane. Loved Philomena and Mr. Banks and American Hustle. I hope I can see The Book Thief too!
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