Film Review: The Time Machine (2002)

One Sunday afternoon recently I watched the remake of The Time Machine (2002) and I felt that although this film was made some years ago it deserved some space here.  Upon some quick research, it seems this film is often neglected for the original.  On the Wikipedia page this film only has three lines.  


The film begins on a young professor, Alexander Hartdegen, in Victorian England.  After he proposes to his sweetheart she tragically dies.  After creating a time-machine, he goes back in time to save her but soon discovers that this is impossible.  Searching for a solution, he travels into the future before finally reaching 800,000 years into the future.  Due to evolutionary changes, there are several offshoots to the human race who are less than friendly and Alexander strives to protect humans from their nearest relative.  


Here is an example of a decent storyline with characters who appear to act and react without the writer's puppet-strings being visible.  You can almost forget that this is written by other people and believe in the storyline once the sporadic time travelling at the start has settled down.  The Time Traveller is well written and produced, with dedicated actors  who know their trade.  


This is definitely an under-rated film.  I enjoyed this film thoroughly, so it earns a 5 out of 5.

The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory

The Constant Princess by Phillippa Gregory is a remarkable interpretation of the thoughts and motives of Katherine of Aragon, first wife to Henry VIII.  


The book begins on with young Catalina, the Infanta of Spain, idolising her warrior mother, Queen Isabella of Castile.  She borrows fortitude from her mother and God in order to travel to England to meet her destiny as Queen of England.  However, tragedy strikes when her young husband, Arthur, Prince of Wales, dies.  In order to follow her destiny she must follow an obstacle-strewn path to marry his brother, Henry.  


The imagery Gregory used for Katherine's childhood Spain is inspiring and rich, one almost wishes this where the book was based in its entirety.  Gregory allows the reader to time-travel into her own ideas of what Tudor England must have been like, and I find myself under her spell. 


The story line is well researched, with plenty of details to satisfy a keen history fan.  Almost like an academic book, Gregory puts forth her perception of the love triangle between the Tudor men and Katherine of Aragon convincingly.


My only niggle is the constant shift between third person and first person perspective.  I anticipated a logical reason behind this writing device but I failed to find one.  Other than this, The Constant Princess was a delightful read which I would recommend to others.  


Overall, I give this book a glowing 4 out of 5.  It is definitely as good as her much loved The Other Boleyn Girl.

Film Review: Attack the Block (2011)

Attack the Block met most of my expectations, but admittedly they were quite low.  When I first saw the trailer I anticipated a chav-fest, violent alien film and this is what I was presented with.  However, I was deluded into thinking that Attack the Block was a comedy.  Maybe this is my own shortcoming as usually alien films scare me stupid, because my friends seem to find it mildly amusing.  

The film starts when nurse, Sam, gets mugged by a gang from a council estate.  The gang are interrupted in their illicit activities by a alien landing which they promptly killed.  This causes even more aggressive aliens to follow and hunt down Moses' gang.  

Throughout the whole film most of the cast spoke in unashamed "Chav-speak", to the point that I didn't understand what was being said.  My usual niggle of incomplete characterisation also applies to Attack the Block; Nick Frost acted without character or conviction and  the writer's relied on typical social stereotypes.

Somewhere around the middle of this film it displayed unabashed moralistic tendencies when it became clear that the attack was a result of the gangs bloodthirsty lifestyle.  Wow, that was about a subtle as clown dancing the salsa at a funeral.  

The design of the alien, however, was effective in striking fear into my heart.  The fur was pitch-black and the glow-in-the-dark teeth were act of pure genius.  They portray no emotions or weaknesses, and it appears they are born killing machines.  Well done to whoever worked on these aliens and combined simplicity with ferocity.  

Yet again, I feel another low score coming, this is beginning to get awkward.  2 out of 5 again.  Still, 5 out of 5 goes to the designer of the aliens for making them as scary as inhumanly possible!

Film Review: Thor (2011)

When I saw the advertisement for Thor I couldn’t wait until it came out at the cinema; combining both Viking mythologies with Marvel film making expertise would inevitably make this history-nut very happy.  However, my enthusiasm was misplaced.

The film tracks hammer-happy Thor and his attempt to return to the legendary Asgard after being cast out by his father, Odin.  During his struggle he typically falls in with a woman of science, Jane.  Sibling rivalry soon turns into all out war as Thor’s brother, Loki, enlists the help of Odin’s ancient enemies to seize his father’s throne and prevent the redemption of our eponymous hero.  

The storyline could have been better developed, as viewers are left with the impression that professional writers are sacrificed in order to pay for special effects.  Characterization and plot lines were sloppy and undeveloped; Thor’s entourage was forgettable at best, whilst one of Jane’s companions served no purpose other than to provide un-witty one liners.  To make matters even worse, Loki’s motives as an antagonist were unclear and sketchy, leaving the audience confused. 

Overall, this film was a disappointment and thus only earns 2 out of 5.  Sorry, Marvel.

The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell

Heat Magazine's claim that The Truth About Melody Browne is an "instant page turner" is a statement with which I feel sympathy, if only so that I can finish and dispose of the book quicker.  The more I read of Melody Browne the harder it was to imagine an excited publisher ringing the author after reading the book's draft screaming, "It's going to Print!"  Rather, I felt, this book was published merely to meet a quota or to steal money from easy-going, Holiday readers.


This unashamed, chick-lit novel doesn't deal well with it's heavy existential themes and could have been better written if perhaps Jewell had given her idea to a skilled author instead.  The characterisation of Melody and other main characters was sub-standard.  Melody Browne book often changes between now and the eponymous character's childhood, yet the time travelling is ill-handled with no convincing evidence beside brazen name-dropping of brands.


However, if one is being fair then one must marvel at the storyline behind the book.  Here is a case where someone had a good idea for a story, but didn't possess the writing skills to follow through.


This book only receives 1 out of 5 from me.  Poorly written and undeveloped, this book was a disappointment which I am ashamed to send to my local charity shop.  Try again, Jewell.