Labyrinth

The feeling I am currently experiencing is this awful mix of rage and disappointment - pretty much how I feel whenever I think seriously about politics and the general state of the world.

This feeling is also the reason I will not be reading George R R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series which has been adapted into HBO's Game of Thrones. Why? Because I don't want to be annoyed at characterisation, messing with plot or subplot, and, especially, the casting of my favourite characters.

Labyrinth has fulfilled on all three points, I am incredibly annoyed. The book isn't even the best novel in the world but the mini-series has messed with fundamental points that gradually build throughout the just over three hours...its irritating is all.

What is also irritating is that I cannot tell you what has been changed without spoiling either the book or the series. But I will do my best to review the adaptation, though it is probably going to assume prior knowledge at some points - but don't despair if you want to read my review of the book please click here.

Labyrinth is an epic tale of love and treachery that spans across eight hundred years, set in both the 13th and 21st centuries. It focuses on the lives of nobility in Carcassonne in 1209 during the Crusade against the Cathars and this historical events influence on the modern period. Most importantly it concerns the quest for the mysterious 'Grail', or everlasting life.

The 21st century aspect to the story focuses on an Englishwoman who has come to Carcassonne in 2012 to recieve an inheritance from an unknown relative. This is all told a LOT better in the book, namely because the TV producers/writers/editors mashed in the inheritance by showing Alice to be forgetful, and also completely changed how two fo the main characters met, Alice and Will, which I thought was quite lovely.

In 1209 we have Alaïs du Mas, the daughter of the advisor to the Viscount of Carcassonne. She is married to Guilhem, a chevalier, and is a generally well loved human being. Except she has a cheating husband, whose chosen beau is her vindictive sister Oriane. Each has a part to play in the quest for the Grail, some in the role of protector while others are seeking to gain everlasting life for their own.

The casting of the 13th century characters was actually okay, I put most of the blame on the poor writing and rushed method that what fell out of their mouths was trite and mundane. I really enjoyed watching Draco Malfoy, sorry Tom Felton, play the good guy as Viscount Trencavel, a man who wants to keep his city fair and free for all inhabitants no matter their religious choices. Katie McGrath just seemed to channel Morgana in her portrayal of Oriane, a scheming and evil woman who will stop at nothing in her quest for the Grail. Lady Sybil, okay Jessica Brown Findlay, was...well her portrayal of Alaïs was pretty similar to Sybil. Strong and family driven, but always so breathy.

Now Emun Elliot, the man I blame for me even reading Labyrinth, was a bit disappointing - but again I blame the writing. As Guilhem he had to be a conflicted bastard who really loves his wife but is weak willed, and he mostly managed it. He has a very pretty face so that saved a lot of his performance.

What I cannot forgive in the historical section of this adaptation is the casting of a 23 year old in the role of an 11 year old....BOYS CHANGE LOTS. I don't know if it was just to save casting a grown up for when Sahje got older, no one seemed to get much older despite the book requiring about a 15 year lapse in time. Matthew Beard is a good actor but he seemed pushed into being a teenager and then a grown man...it really didn't work. I loved little Sahje in the book and was looking forward to seeing a mischevious young actor getting to run around and admire Alaïs.

In 2012 we have Alice Tanner, a woman who has come from England to recieve an inheritance but takes some time out to help her friend at an archaeological dig. What Alice cannot know is her discovery at this dig will trigger the past to come back to life through modern events through a strange cult and the continuing quest for the Grail.

In terms of the 21st century casting...again I can't complain about the acting too bitterly, the problem is mostly with the writing. Alice Tanner is our heroine and Vanessa Kirby does a good job portraying her, not quite what I imagined but also not too annoying. I disliked what the writers did with the character, they made her into this slightly pathetic creature when she really isn't.

John Hurt was good but he lacked the surrounding characters, evidently trimmed from the programme to save on time and money, to bounce off of and be able to slowly reveal his true identity.

Who I loved in the modern time zone was Sebastian Stan....maybe that comes down to me loving him anyway but still, he does the best job out of everyone no matter what his Marvel connections are. He portrays Will, an American who is stuck in this complex world of hidden religion and missing Grails because of his relationship with a slightly psychotic Frenchwoman...don't ask its something I can't explain properly without spoiling everything.

As you may have noticed so far I have a huge dislike of the writing of this show. It was far too syrupy and overly dramatic, I often wanted to slap their faces with fish. I saw an interview with Kate Mosse who said she chose television to adapt it because of seeing Pillars of the Earth, a program that had many episodes and is an equally fat book. And yet Labyrinth got only two...very odd and annoying. I feel strongly that had they had the time (say six hours) they could have improved so much.

I will end this poorly executed review on a positive note however. The method of swapping time lines was incredibly well done. The streams were cleverly combined using landscapes or visions that Alice has, and you never felt jolted from one era to the next. If only the rest of the program had been so well executed I would have been absorbed rather than frustrated for the three and a bit hours I spent watching the damn thing.

Singin' In The Rain: a theatre review!

I'm taking liberties with my blogs today, posting a review in Tumblr of Singin' In The Rain instead of a jazzy picture or gif with OMG I WANT TO SEE THIS AGAIN! And you, my fellow blogspot and Google plus people, and my Wordpress followers, will see a review of a theatre production because I want to gush about the magic of the stage.

Who you can see above is Adam Cooper, tap dancer and ballet star famous for his role as the Swan in Matthew Bourne's revolutionary Swan Lake from the mid-nineties (you can also spot him playing older Billy Elliot in the 2000 film). He was fantastic as Don, the role that I thought no one else but Gene Kelly could schmooze his way through, but boy does Mr Cooper ooze charm and easy grace. I was ready to leap on stage to snog him myself.
What I love about the theatre is that it is innovative and always wanting to make it worth your while to be there, films are often lazy but theatre companies cannot afford to be so because they need bums on seats. So what happens here is IT RAINED ON STAGE. No joke, there was water all over that specially created stage which meant the people in the first few rows of the stalls were in the ‘splash zone’ and you could tell the dancers took some pleasure from kicking the water out.

As well as the amazing set which could hold water, the rest of the props and the set design was brilliant. The Palace Theatre was without a curtain so nothing was hidden from the audience which I particularly love as behind the scenes tasks are often intriguing, plus all the stage hands were dressed in 1920s appropriate garb so it kept the spirit alive even while watching them mop the stage or dismantle lamposts.

What I found quite unusual (or maybe it was because I was closer to the stage than I usually am) was that the Chorus had a lot to do, dipping into speaking parts, taking three or four different roles each, and having to do all the dances. I know this is normal but it was the fact that the Chorus was actually quite small in number - maybe a dozen of them? Regardless I was hugely impressed with them and intensely jealous of their dancing skill.

The main roles of Don, Kathy and Cosmo were all splendid - Don especially. But Jennifer Ellison (from Brookside) as Lina Lamont absolutely stole every scene she's in (she's the one who 'Can't Stand Him!'). It must take so much skill for someone who is six months pregnant and a pretty fantastic singer to sing off-key and in such a high pitched voice.

The whole production was simply fantastic, the costumes, cast, styling...I beamed the whole way through. As I often do when watching the 1952 movie in fact.

So, apologies for the digression from film and TV. It won't happen often as I cannot afford to go to London very often, but be warned, I have tickets for Viva Forever in May so there is gonna be some gushing about the Spice Girls sooner than you'd all like!

The Host ☆☆☆

I was determined not to see this movie if I had to pay for it, so adamant that I firmly believed it would be a few years until I actually watched it. However I have a supremely kind sister who paid for me to go see it, which is why I am able to give my verdict about 3 years earlier than I expected.

And you know what? It wasn't that bad.

Don't get me wrong my expectations were below sea level prior to viewing, with the exception that I hoped Saoirse Ronan would be at least the best thing in it as I happen to believe she is a fine actress (if you've not seen Hanna or Atonement you really must). And Ronan was one of the best things by far.

To catch up those unfamiliar with the story, this is the adaptation of Stephanie Meyers abortive attempt at science fiction. Why so harsh? Because it was a rehash of invasion of the body snatchers with a love triangle and hardly any horror. I am fed up of Love Triangles, and Meyer cannot write science fiction.
You have these parasitic 'souls' who attach themselves to the dominant life form on a planet and seek to co-exist within their bodies and minds. However humans are more resistant and have to be forced out leaving the 'soul' to live in harmony with it's brethren, who have made Earth peaceful, harmonious and a really quite boring planet.

After a few years a new soul called 'Wanderer' arrives and is given the host body of Melanie Stryder, one of the last humans still resisting being taken over. However Melanie resists and instead reveals to Wanderer what their invasion has meant for the humans. Cue a love triangle between Melanie's true love and the guy who loves the alien, some impressive action sequences (very few but still good), and, as is expected from a Meyer movie, a neat happy ending.

If this had only been a film and not a book, I think I might have liked it more. But the stigma of bad writing is such that I cannot forgive the painful cheesy romantic moments because they are the fault of Meyer. There are a few of these, but luckily what out weighs them is the really great relationship formed on screen between Wanderer (or Wanda) and Mel's uncle Jeb played by William Hurt (Incredible Hulk, Into The Wild). Saoirse did the split personality very well and was how I imagined Wanda/Melanie to be. Hurt was easy going and laid back, very easy to watch in fact rather like Charlie in the Twilight movies.

The boys, Jared and Ian, were slightly less comfortable to watch, but I'll put that down to the cheesy moments they were made to be part of. Max Irons (Red Riding Hood) and Jake Abel (Percy Jackson) were pretty good and lived up to my own impression of the territorial boys in love with one of the two personalities in Melanie's body. They were also not hard to look at either.

I thought Diane Kruger did a great job as Seeker, a soul whose skill is in finding people, and her obsession with Melanie was well played out.

The artistry of the film, in the sets, costumes and general look, is also to be praised. The white and silver of the alien invaders contrasted with the earthy colours of the resisting humans, making them seem more enemy-like. The caves where the humans are in hiding were quite stunning and almost exactly as described in the book, these caves were definitely the most fascinating aspect of the original tale.

Overall this is worth a watch, especially if someone else is paying. There are tedious moments that make you want to skip through the scene, but there is also some surprising violence that was much needed and made you wake up a bit.

If what you loved about Twilight was the romance and love triangle issues, you'll definitely love The Host. If like me you have become bitter and critical then I say if you have the opportunity to see this movie take it, if only to see some beautiful caves and Saoirse Ronan showing yet again that she really can act, even when the script sometimes makes you want to gag.