Angel (2007)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

François Ozon

Country

UK | Belgium | France

Cast

Romola Garai, Sam Neill, Lucy Russell, Michael Fassbender, Charlotte Rampling, Jacqueline Tong, Janine Duvitski, Christopher Benjamin, Tom Georgeson, Simon Woods, Jemma Powell, Alison Pargeter, Seymour Matthew, Una Stubbs, Rosanna Lavelle

Storyline

A destitute but determined young woman (Romola Garai) living in turn-of-the-century England ascends the social ranks after authoring a series of successful romantic novels.

Opinion

This is the second film by French director François Ozon I watch. And this is also the second time I don't understand what he is trying to do. Maybe I've picked the wrong movies, or maybe he just not my kind of director. 

Anyway, "Angel" is an unbearable, corny and melodramatic film whose only perks are the nice photography and a young Michael Fassbender, which is the reason I ended up watching this.

The story starts off as a Dickensian/Brontë type of story, which is good, but unfortunately develops into a tedious and uninteresting story about a spoiled brat named Angel that is no angel at all. I've been waiting the whole time for a plot twist that never came. Maybe that was the twist. Keyser Söze said "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist", maybe the writer adopted that same mentality.

Which brings me to my second point. I'm still trying to figure out what's worst, the fact that someone managed to get such a story published, or the fact that someone else had the great idea to make a film out of it.

But that's not all. Neither the relationships nor the characters do engage, and the latter are bloody awful and impossible to empathize with. Angel is an annoying, insolent girl. Everybody else are cardboard characters.

The acting isn't better. Romola Garai gives a poor performance as the female lead, and she is horribly overacting here. Michael Fassbender is only slightly better, but this definitely is one of his worst performances. On the other hand there are Sam Neill and Charlotte Rampling, both doing great and both completely wasted in such a film.

Jane Eyre (2011)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Cary Joji Fukunaga

Country

UK | USA

Cast

Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins, Holliday Grainger, Tamzin Merchant, Simon McBurney, Imogen Poots, Sophie Ward, Su Elliot, Jayne Wisener, Amelia Clarkson, Romy Settbon, Freya Parks, Harry Lloyd, Valentina Cervi, Craig Roberts

Storyline

After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him.

Opinion

Even though I am not an avid fan, I quite like Charlotte Brontë's novel and I've seen a few of its tons of adaptations. The one I remember the most is Zeffirelli's because I've seen it several times in my school days, but it'll now be replaced by Fukunaga's "Jane Eyre", a quite good adaptation that amazes mostly because of its leading actors, Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.

Everyone knows the plot to this - the orphan girl who falls in love with her master - and it's always fascinating to watch or read, and this adaptation makes no difference. However, the film moves along too quick - at least some parts do -, and with such a complex and compelling story an extra half-hour would have definitely granted the viewer a better experience as the characters would have had the time to develop authentic connections.

Other than that, director Cary Fukunaga does a quite good job, even because it's not easy to fit such a novel in a two-hour film. He makes terrific use of the locations, his decision to use natural light for most of the film creates the right dark and gloomy atmospheres that matches Mr. Rochester's temperament, and he makes a pretty good use of hand-held camera.

Visually, the film is quite stunning. The cinematography is beautiful so are the costumes. And the score is also quite good.

The most important element though are the actors that really makes the film worth watching. Mia Wasikowska gives a compelling performance as Jane Eyre, and her subtle expressions of love and despair are spot on. Michael Fassbender does a wonderful job as always, and even with a quite short screen time, he is able to make us care for Rochester. The chemistry between Wasikowska and Fassbender is also quite beautiful. Worth of a mention is Judi Dench's performance as Mrs. Fairfax. She doesn't even need to speak, her expressions say it all.

Match Point (2005)

Genre

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Director

Woody Allen

Country

UK | Luxembourg

Cast

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, Ewen Bremner, James Nesbitt, Rupert Penry-Jones, Margaret Armstrong, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Miranda Raison, Rose Keegan, Colin Salmon, Toby Kebbell

Storyline

At a turning point in his life, former tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) falls for femme-fatale Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law (Matthew Goode).

Opinion

Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" collided with fate and gave birth to another great Woody Allen's feature. 

Insightful, and intelligent, Match Point combines a love story and some thrills, but puts aside Allen's humour and smart dialogue.

The opening sequence is one of the most philosophical, and best Woody Allen has created over the years. In slow motion, a tennis ball hits the top of the net. That ball can either go forward or fall back as Rhys Meyers's voiceover says. That ball is the metaphor of chaos that rules the world, of fortuities, of luck. It's in that very first minute that it's enclosed the essence of the film: luck being more important than hard work. And that's exactly how the film ends. The ring hits the bar, and luck only can save the main character.

The plot is very interesting, and in addition there is an engaging story about social class. However, there are a few plot holes I can't help but point out. First of all, the main character is Irish, but speaks with an upper-class English accent, and there is no apparent reason for that. Also, he works in a company connected with his father-in-law yet somehow manages to get away with using his work as an excuse for his absence.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who I had only seen before in minor roles - "Bend It Like Beckham", "Albert Nobbs", and "Mission: Impossible III" - is excellent as the former tennis player. Scarlett Johansson is sexy as never before, and does a good job as the mistress, although she has lost something since "Lost in Translation". Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, and Brian Cox all do a good job.

The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose. - Chris Wilton