Frankenstein- National Theatre UK production

Frankestein is a 2011 National Theatre UK play directed by Danny Boyle, which not only was presented as a stage project, but also was broadcasted live in cinemas all around the country. It is a superb production, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Miller as both The Creature and Frankenstein- they switched roles every night, and so the two men got to play both roles in alternative nights. As expected, the show was not significantly different, but the two fantastic actors portrayed the parts in totally different ways. For example, from what I've heard, Miller as the Creature is much more dynamic, but also human; Cumberbatch's movements, especially in the beginning, are slower and he chose to act the part in much more raw, evil way, compared to his partner.

As you might now, it tells the story of a young man named Frankenstein who created a man, but was so shocked to see his project come to life, that he left him, running away. We experience the show from the creature perspective- we see him breathe for the first time, and then starting to learning to move, speak, eat and so on. After being beaten and considered to be a monster, he ends up at the house of a kind, old, blind man, who, unaware of the Creature appearance, takes pity in him and proceeds in teaching him how to read, speak and yearn for more knowledge and love. It is now when one of my favorite scenes occurs, as they talk about life, its meaning, why people act the way they do and others. I'm sure that if you've read the book, you will know what I am talking about. Tragedy comes when the old man's son doesn't approve of the peculiar human being, and so, it moves on and takes upon him to find Frankenstein and convince him to make him a female creature. Frankenstein agrees, but suddenly changes his mind moments before creating her, in one of the beautiful, touching scenes I have seen, as the Creature explains to him what he thinks love is and how it feels. The script, the lines, the dialogue, their interaction, everything was perfect. I think that was the point where I decided that I definitely need to read the book, as well. Infuriated, the Creature goes after the professor and ruins his wedding day, starting a long journey to the north with the scientist behind him, as Frankenstein vows to kill him.

I had the pleasure to see a screening of the production last week with Jonny Lee Miller as the Creature- he completely surprised me and I was floored by his performance. To start with, I was impressed by his commitment to the part- playing such an iconic, but also extremely peculiar and unique part, is a hard task, especially in the first half of the play, when he basically has to show us how a man learns in 20 minutes what we learn in 20 years. It's strange, yet appealing, and he convinced us all that he was the Creature. There were so many little details, so many gestures, hand movements and so on, that helped create the character and make us understand him. Miller is a force of nature and deserves all the credit, alongside his co-star, of course.

Benedict Cumberbatch played the part of the professor and had a more supporting role, although the second part featured a lot of key scenes between the two men. The talented English man, as expected, was fantastic in the part and had great chemistry with Miller, and I have a feeling that him as the Creature would have been just as interesting to watch, although, like I said, Jonny Lee was superb.

As for the actual production, I have to say that Danny Boyle did wonders. Everything was visually beautiful, especially the lighting, the score was haunting and appropriate to the play and you could see the director had a cinematographic vision.

The play was very well received in the UK, earning many accolades, including Best Actor at the Laurence Olivier awards (the Tony's of UK theatre), split between Miller and Cumberbatch. I know it will be shown in cinemas this autumn in Europe, but I really hope the people from the US or Australia or India will get to see it, too, somehow. It is a fascinating play/movie and I highly recommend it!

Avengers Assemble [2012]

Since Avengers is one of those movies everyone goes to see in cinemas, I decided to dedicate my lunchtime on Saturday to it and see it in my local cinema....alone. Yes, alone, I am not ashamed of it, sometimes I prefer it that way.

Let's start with the movie experience itself: I thought that going to see the movie at 11:40 in a Saturday morning will save me from the occasional film chatter or movement, but boy, I was wrong. It was a pretty full theatre and there were a lot of kids and teenagers in the room, who, of course, felt the need to talk and make exciting noises for most of the movie. (Off-Topic observation: They showed The Raid trailer before-hand, which I thought was a bit too violent for most of the viewers in that room).

On to the most important topic: AVENGERS ASSEMBLE (AA)- why they changed the name is still a mystery to me (I mean, I know why, but it wasn't necessary). Anyway, I think you can all guess the storyline: bad guy threatens to distroy Earth, so they decide to round up a team of superheros to save it.

First good thing about AA: the cast. Not only did it feature world known, talented, attractive actors (Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston), but the performances were on point, funny, relatable and the chemistry was off the charts- they just fit together so well.

Mark Ruffalo as Banner aka The Hulk stole the show from all the Avengers. Loki was a great villain, maybe a little too nice and sweet- he really tried to be a monster, but I couldn't see him that way, he is such a sweet, smart guy, and so, without knowing, I kind of rooted for him throughout the movie, which is weird. I'm glad his fate at the end was not that tragic. My favorite moment of the movie has to be the short, but extremely funny interaction between these two in the Stark tower. Loki: "I am a god and....", Hulk: cue awesome scene. Everyone was laughing out loud, I loved it.

The script was good, extremely funny at some points (everything RDJ related, plus other one-liners), although you couldn't not chuckle at some of the lines, as they were slightly clicheic and hilarious- but hey, that is to be expected in a superhero movie, there are no gigantic green monsters or nordic gods amongst us in real life (from what we know, at least).

Joss Whedon created a great action movie- he had great direction, and some of the shots were visually beautiful and interesting (Black Widow through the empty mirror frame at the beginning). From an action point of view, everything was perfectly done- the fights, the special effects, the script, the performances.

It's a very good movie, well-executed in every way. You will surely enjoy it- you will laugh, you will be surprised, you will wonder at some of the special effects and action sequences, and you will secretly crush on Loki/Black Widow/ Iron Man or whoever you might fancy. It has a little bit of everything in it and it's made for a large audience.

All in all, Avengers Assemble is a great popcorn movie, but it didn't make me excited and I wasn't blown away by anything specifically. Nice to see it on the big screen, it was fun, but not so memorable. Oh, and if you're not sure about 3D or 2D, go for 2D and save yourself some money- 3D is worth it just for 5 minutes at the end, the rest is perfect in 2D, too!

Control [2007]

The 2007 British film, directed by Anton Corbijn, tells the story of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Jov Division, a famous rock band of the late 1970s. Married young, he decides to pursue a music career after 3 guys casually tell him, at a Sex Pistols concert none of the less, that they need a singer for they band. They start as Warsaw, but quickly change their name to Joy Division and begin touring UK and then Europe.  But life is not easy for Curtis, as he has to battle epilepsy, an unhappy marriage, and hard work.

The story is interesting and sad, as it depicts Ian as a very mellow, introspective, troubled young man, who just doesn't seem to fit into this world, either if it's at home, with his wife and daughter, or on stage, or just around his friends. He always feels out of place, outnumbered, caged in and can't make up his mind on one spot, on one place where he can feel comfortable. That is the saddest thing to see- a man who is always looking for himself and his happiness, but never gets to see it or enjoy it, and that lack of control over his life is what pushed him to take that radical decision in the end.

I must say that Control is one of the best British films I have ever seen. Shot in Black&White, it perfectly captures the mood and essence of that era, and the performances are superb. Sam Riley absolutely shines as Ian Curtis and plays him with such ease, but, in the same time, with such complexity and wisdom, that is wonderful and moving to watch. Samantha Morton, as Debbie, his wife, stands in the same high league, adding so much passion, love and sweetness to her character, making it believable and endearing. Actually, all of the cast is very good, continuing with Alexandra Maria Lara as Annik, Ian's lover (she is now happily married to Riley and they live in Berlin), Toby Kebbell playing Rob, their manager, and the band, formed by Joe Anderson (as Peter Hook, the bass player), James Anthony Pearson (as Bernard Sumner, the guitarist) and Harry Treadway (as Stephen Morris, the drummer and percussionist). The moments were you see them playing on stage are live and the actors are actually playing the instruments and singing, as they wanted to make it as real as possible. If you look up on youtube the same performances of the band (like Transmission or Dead Souls), you will see they are very similar and they encapsulate the style and vibe of Joy Division.

As expected, the soundtrack is amazing, and I just discovered a new love for Joy Division; their sound is so simple and catchy, yet very specific and Ian Curtis's vocals are haunting and interesting, perfectly mixing with the good melody. I especially loved She's lost control, Love will tear us apart, Trasmission, but others, as well.

You should definitely see Control soon, because it is a great film and well worth your time, especially if you like biopics or British films- it stands out in both categories.