Blogs that are actually me pretending to be a Reviewer – Page 8

The Breakfast Club

Published on August 10, 2009January 23, 2016 by loreleimathiasLeave a comment

On the day when the great John Hughes, director of one of my favourite films sadly passed away, Nat and I went to the Campbell Lace Beta Breakfast Club for Campaign bloggers and commenters. It was great fun, the food was delicious and we learned many things.

One, that you don’t need a fancy sign above the door to open an agency. Two, that Campbell Lace have a row of awesome little thinking pods, where, once installed, you’re on full display to all Carnaby shoppers while you brainstorm. And three, that ‘thumbs up’ and ‘double thumbs up’ are now back in fashion – according to fellow ex-BBHer, Mark Threlfall (pictured in action).

Thanks very much for having us guys. Nice to meet you in person!

And good to put a face to a name with Campaign’s Colin, our long-suffering web-editor, who has been there for us in times of techno-mares for over a year now (6th pic down on the left).

P.s. Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?

D. It is written – if a little strangely

Published on April 20, 2009January 23, 2016 by loreleimathiasLeave a comment

Does no one else think the marketing of Slumdog Millionaire is a touch misleading?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m (lol) a die hard devotee of this film, and
have been raving about ever since it was first screened at the london
film festival in October. I’m glad it’s done so well, but I
do find it odd that they’ve taken such a dumbed-down approach to the
marketing. Every time I see an ad for it I have to double take and
remind myself it’s not the latest Richard Curtis. All the bus-sides and
posters portray it as a happy-go-lucky, fluffy Rom Com. When in fact
its actually a very artistic, beautifully shot and scored film that
makes you think and breaks your heart as much as it uplifts. what’s
more, when you leave the cinema, you are left with a resounding sense
of sadness at all the poverty in the world. Well, unless you subscribe to the belief that the whole thing is ‘poverty porn’ as some do.

‘Making Britain smile’, and the ‘feel-good movie’ of the year seem to be sneaky headlines that, when coupled with the big cheesy photos of Jamal and Latika, are bound to make the masses flock to the cinema in their droves. Only to find that it’s actually a much darker experience than what they expected, and might normally have seen. It’s a film that as well as ‘making britiain smile’, is also making them cry, grimace, recoil and (in that eye-gouging scene) look away in horror. Still, if that’s what it takes for this film to do well commercially as well as critically, then hats off to Boyle’s marketing team. It’s not what it says on the tin – but from a film that was about to sink without a trace until the festivals rescued it (as we blogged before), I guess it deserves anything which helps it get to as many people as possible.

Funny and bleak in equal parts: Stoppard does Chekhov in the West End

Published on November 6, 2008January 23, 2016 by loreleimathiasLeave a comment

So Lol went to see the Donmar production of Ivanov the other night. It was brilliant all round – incredible music, set design and performances. The translation was as witty as ever (and being a massive Stoppard-obsessive this came as no surprise).

The only slight quibble on people’s lips was the way that Stoppard had thrown in a bunch of oddly modern phrases. Being as the setting was meant to be the late 1800s, it did seem strangely anachronistic to hear Brannagh and co. saying things like ‘Going like the clappers’ and ‘knackered’. There were lots of phrases which upset the purists in the audience – as though Stoppard was trying to ‘dumb down’ the words of Chekhov.

It got me thinking though – if you translate Russian into English, does it matter whether you change the language to that of the modern day? Surely if we’re being pedantic, they ought to be speaking Russian anyway??

Either way I really recommend seeing it – not if you’re feeling remotely depressed though. Although it’s funny, It’s not the most uplifting of night’s out.