First up is Fay Grim.
This is the sequel to Henry Fool. While I usually love Hal Hartley films I hated Henry Fool and I hated this sequel even more.
Hal my man, you have not made a decent film since that one you made with Sarah Polley and Helen Mirren, and that was borderline. Actually now that I think about it, your last good movie was Simple Men. Sometimes Hal I think the only reason you keep making movies is so that Elina Lowenshon will have work.
Hal, dude, we get it. You love her. You want to bang her. For all I know you are banging her, but I'm begging you now to stop putting her in bad films like this one. Write another character driven movie that doesn't try to be some big budget espionage flick.
My bottom line on Fay Grim is avoid it like the plague.
Next up is Nanny McPhee.
I know, I know it's a kids/family movie. I watched it for free on Cinemax on Demand, we're still getting HBO and Shit-a-max, oops, Cinemax for free so what the heck. This is a cute little yarn about some kids who misbehave in order to drive their nanny's off so that their recently widowed father will not have time to go out and look for a new wife. But as fate would have it, their dad must remarry soon or they will lose their monthly stipend from his crazy controlling old aunt, sounds like someone in my family, the crazy controlling old aunt I mean.
Anyway the kids and the dad and the whole shebang are trapped in a vicious circle until one day the ugly Nanny McPhee shows up. She's magical and she puts the kids to right and everything works out in the end.
Mmmm, unibrow and crazy tooth. Emma you never looked so lovely.
Oh wait, now you look lovely.
Ok Emma, now you're just taunting me.
The look of this film is very distinctive. It takes place in some kind of nether Victorian/Edwardian time period, one in which lime and bright magenta are suitable colors for all sorts of clothes. I rather liked the design of this film and I rather liked the whole shebang in general. ( I just reached my "shebang" usage limit for the next six months.)
Everyone in this lighthearted family movie did a fine job including Emma, Colin Firth, Kelly MacDonald,
Angela Landsbury, the kids, Imelda Staunton, and the gal who plays the woman Firth almost marries.
Some of the kids from the movie.This is a sweet little movie that your kids will love because it's one of those kids triumphing over adults movies. It's well shot, well directed, and the sets and costumes are something to behold.
My bottom line is if you want to watch a pleasant film with cute kids and some top shelf British actors then you should love this little movie. Watch it if you need a "pick me up." And even if you don't have kids, go on and check it out some time.
