The Full Monty [1997] + a short screening madness update

I recently re-watched Full Monty and I must say, I still liked it as much as I did the first time I saw it. The Full Monty is one of the most famous, most loved British films ever, because of its success in highlighting a social problem in a funny, entertaining way. It tells the story of a group of unemployed men who decide to put on a striptease show for the local women in order to raise some money, since their job hunting so far wasn't that successful.

As far as British movies go, I think this one is quite memorable. It's not perfect, but its beauty lies in the fact that it treats the British culture and challenges with a lot of humour, heart and realism, and here is where the film's magic sits. It has the accent, the dirty mouths, the crazy characters, and the actual story is both funny and heartwarming. Some scenes, in particular, are hilarious: the auditions, stealing Flashdance, the practices (the Arsenal analogy, and especially, the part where they get undressed in Gerald's house). My favorite moment has to be the dancing in line at the job center, I just love it for its simplicity and fun factor.

It features many fine British actors, like Robert Carlisle, playing Gaz, the main character, a broken man who is trying to keep his son from a messy custody settlement, or Mark Addy (King Baratheon) as Dave, the shy best friend who is reluctant to the whole situation. I also have to mention the famous Tom Wilkinson as the uptight Gerald, most likely to succeed out of the group, who gives a wonderful performance.

In the end, Full Monty is an easy going, funny British comedy that deserves a shot. It might surprise you.

P.S. Advice: put on the English subtitles, if you have the option- sometimes it's hard to understand :)

Short personal update- screenings madness

So you know I told I'd be back after the 1st of september, super active and committed to twitter and blog? Well, I am kind of breaking that promise now, but I have a really good excuse. By some miracle, I got accepted and now attending a special event organised by the distributors of UK showcasing some of the falls biggest films and it's been a crazy, but highly enjoyable and entertaining experience.

I am pretty paranoid about what I can or cannot say and I did sign some embargo papers, so I think I am just going to mention the movies I've seen so far and what I will see today and tomorrow- that should be ok, right? Reviews will be up shortly, especially for the ones coming out in the following weeks, but I will have to wait for others, because of the said embargo.

So far, I've seen Madagascar 3, Hope Springs, Private Peaceful, The Knot, Holy Motors, Anna Karenina, Sweeney, Untouchable, Sister, Rust&Bone, End of watch.

Going to watch: Frankenweenie, Ruby Sparks, Lawless, Now is good, Sightseers and probably Killing them softly

Favourites so far: Anna Karenina, Private Peaceful, Untouchable
You should avoid: The Knot, Sweeney

Please do come back tomorrow, I have a nice special post for you :)

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!