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Reviews
Victoria Wood (1989)
sadly underrated mini-masterpieces
I was astounded to find this series rated as low as 7.4, and equally astounded to read in another review both of its declining viewing figures and the reviewer's opinion of the relative talents of Victoria Wood and Rik Mayall.
To my mind these playlets are possibly the best thing Victoria Wood ever did, and believe me I am aware that there is a LOT of competition. The characterisation is superb, the dialogue snappy and beautifully detailed (rather like Alan Bennett's, who has himself expressed admiration for this aspect of Victoria's writing), and the acting by Victoria's regular repertory company and a few perfectly cast guests (NB Patricia Hodge, Kay Adshead) spot-on.
One of the things I find most appealing is their depiction of female friendships, which was probably still a bit unusual in TV and film at the time. Maybe fans of The Sweeney and The Professionals found this off-putting.
The Mask (1994)
Promise unrevealed
For me the most impressive thing about this movie is the way a guy who was actually a superb actor - as he showed in The Truman Show - gives such a fine performance of being a lousy actor (as he did in all his early movies up to and including Liar Liar).
An Inspector Calls (1954)
Basically sound, but...
All in all a highly satisfactory screen rendering of one of the great classics of British social drama. The opening out of the action from the Birlings' dining-room to the wider perspective of the screen, making the dead girl a main character rather than an offstage presence, is very nicely done.
But... a) Why doesn't she have a Yorkshire accent? The Birlings should too, at least the father, but Eva above all is a working-class girl and should sound like one - Jane Wenham gives a lovely performance otherwise but her cut-glass accent really grates.
b) What idiot decided to cut the Inspector's fantastic "Fire and blood and anguish" exit speech???!
Hence 7 not 9.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
Carve-up, cross-pollination, could be worse
A reasonably entertaining ride on its own terms and a total travesty of the book. How much this matters to people will probably depend on how much they care about the book in the first place - personally I loved the Narnia books as a boy but have found elements of Lewis' Christian symbolism increasingly disturbing as I've got older.
It's a bit piquant that while Lewis wrote the Narnia books in competition with his great friend and constant disputant Tolkien (his relationship with John Wood's 'Christopher Riley' in Shadowlands seems pretty accurate whatever the film's other shortcomings), and JK Rowling shamelessly ripped off both of them (mainly Tolkien) in her books, this film shamelessly rips off set-pieces from both Potter and LotR films. What goes around comes around, I guess.
Not to mention other cult cinema - when the bizarrely accented Caspian confronts Miraz in his bedchamber with the words "Did you kill my fadder?" he really ought to continue "Prepare to die!" It was a sad disappointment that he didn't.
I'll happily watch it on TV in an idle couple of hours, but I wouldn't pay to watch it in the cinema.