feather_ghyll

The Quiet Girl
Original title: An Cailín Ciúin (2022) Rated: 12A
Written by: Claire Keegan, Colm Bairéad
Directed by: Colm Bairéad
Starring: Catherine Clinch, Andrew Bennett, Carrie Crowley

This is a rich, character-driven film that was quite recently up for a Best Foreign Language Oscar, as it’s mainly in Irish Gaelic, ( Read more... )

The Guernsey Literary Potato and Peel Society (2018) (rated 12A)
Directed by: Mike Newell
Written by: Kevin Hood, Thomas Bezucha, Don Roos
Adapted from the book by: Mary-Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289403/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

I gave up a gorgeous warm spring evening for this adaptation, so much did I want to see it. I wonder what people who haven’t read the book will make of it. As for me, I enjoyed it and got caught up in the emotion, ( spoilery example ) But that didn’t make me blind to the fact that there were a few clunky expositionary moments. Objectively speaking, I think Their Finest was a better film, but I had never read the source material.

( Read more... )

I am partly bothering to post about this so that I could use the icon.

Phantom Thread (released this weekend) (rated 15 for strong language)
Written and directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5776858/

There's also the fact that this is an excellent film, ( Read more... )

Little Women (2017) BBC One
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6853528/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

Episode 2 (27th of December 2017)

( Read more... )

Swallows and Amazons (2016) (PG)
Directed by: Philippa Lowthorpe
Adapted by: Andrea Gibb
From the book by: Arthur Ransome
Starring: (Grown-ups): Rafe Spall, Kelly Macdonald, Andrew Scott
(Swallows): Dane Hughes, Orla Hill, Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen, Bobbie McCulloch,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1227183/?ref_=nv_sr_1

This feels a little like a natives’ take on the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons. ( Read more... )

Ginger and Rosa 12A
Written and directed by: Sally Potter
Starring: Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks etc.

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt2115295/

( Read more... )

This is far from a timely review, as I saw it last weekend...

Fast Girls (2012) (12A)
Directed by: Regan Hill
Written by: Jay Basu, Noel Clarke, Roy Williams and Jon Croker
Starring: Lenora Crichlow, Lily James, Noel Clarke, Rupert Graves,

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1700808/

If you’ve seen the trailer for this film, I can confirm that it doesn’t cheat you, the film is exactly what you’d expect it to be. As far as I was concerned, that was a good thing.( Read more... )

Film Review: Genova (rated 15)

Directed/Written By: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Perla Haney-Jardine (Mary); Willa Holland (Kelly); Colin Firth (Joe); Catherine Keener (Barbara); Hope Davis (Marianne)
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0791303/

It occurred to me that it might be worth mentioning this film here, as it arguably has a girl protagonist (although it's equally arguable that it's about the whole family, and it's certainly not a children's film) and tells a story of a family that travels together and grieves and perhaps heals. ( Read more... )

Ballet Shoes (BBC One, Boxing Day 2007)
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1083845/

Adaptations both are and are not, risky prospects. Television companies and film studios make them because they believe that they're safe prospects, being familiar properties and so attracting an interested audience. Adapting a book also offers a touch of class to a TV or film production, more often than not. With 'Ballet Shoes', you have a widely acclaimed classic with nostalgic connotations from the viewers' childhood, and for the period in which the book is set. And yet, like I said, it's a risky proposition. The screenwriter has to translate the material to a different medium, for a different age, while they (and of course everyone else involved in the production) are putting their own stamp on readers' long-held personal view(s) of the book. Maybe influenced by their own long-held view, maybe not.
( Read more... )

My thoughts on the book can be found here.