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sebfarrell
Reviews
Sixty Six (2006)
Is Paul Weiland The Most Underrated Director In England?
Personally, I think so. For those of you unaware of his work he is responsible for directing almost all of the Mr Bean programmes which have entertained generations of multi lingual people, he also directed my favourite film, Bernard and the Genie. For those of you unaware of this film please search for it now and look at some of the comments about it has received, its quite simply the best Christmas film ever recorded. He delivers simple but massively effective narratives which appeal to all ages, easy to watch films which last long in the memory of all those who watch them. I fear Sixty Six will not be well received due to poor marketing (who exactly did it appeal too? I only watched it on the strengh of its director) but having just watched it I can assure anyone thinking about giving it a go to just WATCH IT! Its hilariously funny and deeply moving and the story flows like a butterfly. I was utterly dismayed I was sharing the experience of Sixty Six with 4 other people knowing full well it would be enjoyed by thousands if not millions more. Paul Weiland please stand up and take your place as one of Englands finest directors/writers and for the love of all things sacred make more films and continue the 'Bernie' trend :)
Bernard and the Genie (1991)
A Forgotten Christmas Classic
Forget 'Love, Actually' this is the ORIGINAL Christmas feel good movie by the great writer/director Richard Curtis ('Four Weddings & a Funeral', 'Notting Hill', 'Bridget Jones Diary', 'Mr. Bean', 'Blackadder' and of course 'Love, Actually') Bernard & The Genie is quite possibly one of his finest pieces of writing despite being his first film the story delivers on every level. Commissioned by the BBC in the early 1990's to be placed in the Christmas Programming it's STILL, nearly 15 years on, better than ever, full of emotion, warmth, pathos and of course trademark Curtis laughs. Its short enough and entertaining enough to keep children hooked from the outset and seems, like many things in life, to get better with age. I was 7 when it was first shown on television, it was fantastic then and it was still fantastic when I watched it last night.
The story is simple, our hero (Bernard) is an infallible arts dealer who seems to have both success and good fortune, he's engaged to be married and has just earned his art dealing company £50 million. Then, through a series of very unfortunate events (primarily due to other peoples greed and bad will) he is left jobless, single, broke and lonely (prompting one of many exceptionally worked Christmas hit songs.) Then, while reminiscing about last Christmas he finds a present given to him by his now ex-fiancé...a lamp.
What follows is the story of a very unlikely friendship between a hapless ex-arts dealer and a street wise 2000 year old Genie and the result is a heart warming Christmas treat. It delicately describes both the 'real' reason for and commercial side of Christmas better than any other Christmas film I've seen before or since.
The acting is superb, both Alan Cummings (X-Men 2, Spy Kids, Eyes Wide Shut) and Lenny Henry (Chef, The Lenny Henry Show) deliver both comedy and drama to great effect and there on-screen chemistry is something many big budget films fail to create. Rowan Atkinson plays the snide and malicious Charles Pinkworth masterfully, and all the other parts (plus many cameos including Bob Geldof, Melvin Bragg, Gary Lineker and Trevor McDonald) are played brilliantly, particularly Dennis Lill (Fierce Creatures, Evita) as friendly serial-lying doorman Kepple.
The music in the film fits in like an old well-loved glove; I was convinced that many of the famous songs were written specifically for the film, the breathtaking score by Howard Goodall (various comedy show themes, The Gathering Storm, Johnny English) is both atmospheric and beautiful.
If you're a fan of Christmas films, good British humour, or simply fancy being cheered up I urge you to try and find this film, look beyond some of the more dated jokes and costumes and enjoy a story which is timeless and what I'm sure will one day be recognised as a proverbial 'Christmas Classic'.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Worth watching just for' The Music Of The Night' a beautifully haunting song
One of the best if 'the' best musical ever written, certainly the most successful financially (nearly £3 billion)and what a magnificent cross from stage to screen, the Hollywood musical is certainly looking to make a massive come back and with musicals such as Phantom (written since the 1950s musical hay day) modern musicals look like they'll outshine they're predecessors. Phantom shines from start to finish, don't contemplate watching it, just watch it, relax, and let it weave its magic on you, trust me. Its worth watching if for nothing else the wonderfully moving score and the amazing songs from Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, lets hope this is start of a new career for him in the film industry, a master at his craft truly