By Ashley Clark
Quarrelling opera singers, large scale tragedies, and another chance to catch a gender-bending epic. It’s another packed week at south London’s best cinema.
At the grand old age of 75, legendary actor Dustin Hoffman makes his directorial debut with Quartet. Set in a retirement home for doddering British actors talented musicians, it tells the story of three singers (Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins) whose preparations for a concert are disrupted by the unexpected return of their old colleague (Maggie Smith). With an elegant script from Ronald Harwood (The Piano, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Quartet is a gentle film that will no doubt rake in the grey pound – last claimed with enthusiasm by The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – but can be enjoyed by all ages.
Also new this week is The Impossible, a dramatisation of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in Southeast Asia which focuses on one family headed by Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor). Much of the critical discussion around the film thus far has centred upon the ethics of making what is essentially a disaster movie about an actual disaster. But not having seen the film yet, I’m hardly well-placed to comment. From the trailer alone it looks to be a harrowing and impressively visceral visual experience. Nice to see McGregor back on screens, too. He seems to have been a bit quiet recently.
Films continuing their runs include misguided and unwieldy Salman Rushdie adaptation Midnight’s Children; Peter Ramsey’s ace animation Rise of the Guardians (in both 2D and 3D iterations); Martin McDonagh’s turbo-wanky script-’em-up Seven Psychopaths; Peter Jackson’s ultra long-winded The Hobbit (again in 2D and 3D – check the website for times); David O Russell’s dark n’ sensitive romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook; and Ang Lee’s visual spectacular Life of Pi.
The Picturehouse’s Discover Tuesdays strand continues on, erm, Tuesday, with 23-year-old Canadian prodigy Xavier Dolan’s dayglo gender-bending epic Laurence Anyways. At nearly three hours in length, Laurence tells the story of a male-to-female transsexual schoolteacher and his turbulent relationship with his supportive but conflicted female lover Fréd. Don’t miss.
In terms of further rep, to mark the upcoming release of slave-revenge drama Django Unchained, the Ritzy are kicking off a We Heart Tarantino season with a late Saturday screening of 1994 Palme d’Or winner Pulp Fiction. Watch out Marvin! Another violent mid-90s classic – Luc Besson’s Leon, starring a taciturn Jean Reno alongside vulnerable/tough Natalie Portman (12 at the time) – gets late screenings on Friday and Saturday.
