The SECOND Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is definitely worth seeing. I liked it almost as much as the first film. My loyal reader Olga thought she liked it even better than the first one!

Like the first film, it follows the lives of British retirees looking for a less expensive (and more interesting) place to spend their twilight years. This one continues with Sonny (Dev Patel), his gorgeous fiancee Sunaina (Tina Desai) and their plans for yet another Anglo-Indian retirement home. It also shows the bumpy ride they have toward their wedding. I don't think I will spoil it for you by saying that the film ends with a wonderful wedding dance, Bollywood style.

The best thing about this film is of course the fab British cast. How can a movie with these amazingly talented actors be anything less than delightful? Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton...it just goes on and on! Director John Madden returns as well (Shakespeare in Love) to steer the ship.

I am afraid to say the worst thing about The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was Richard Gere. I don't know if it was the juxtaposition with the talent above, but his acting seemed very second rate. When he was attempting to woo Sonny's mother, I didn't believe a word he said! Am I being too hard on him? Did anyone else like him in this????

So the bottom line is to just go and see this. Enjoy the wonderful costumes, scenery and the not too heavy story line. It is just the kind of date film my husband and I enjoy and I'm sure you will too!

Cheers!

84, Charing Cross Road -1987

I am so happy to discover there are still decades of great films for me to catch up on. 84 Charing Cross Road is an absolute gem from 1987 and although looks a tad dated, it is dated in a rather charming way. Sort of like the books they sold at the antiquarian bookshop of title.

Based on the 1970 book 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff it chronicles the 20 year correspondence between Helene, a poor writer from NYC with very specific taste in books and a bookseller in London England who tracks down many of the titles she wants. Although originally just corresponding with Frank P. Doel who was the most senior employee of Marks & Co., Helene also occasionally corresponded with other staff members and even Frank's wife Nora.

This unlikely book consists of the real letters containing the transatlantic correspondence from 1949 until Frank's death in 1968. Here is a sample:

                                                                                               14 East 95th St,
                                                                                                New York City
                                                                                                October 5, 1949
Marks & Co.,
84, Charing Cross Road
London, W.C. 2
England

Gentlemen:

     Your ad in the Saturday Review of Literature says that you specialize in out-of-print books. The phrase "antiquarian book-sellers" scares me somewhat as I equate "antique" with expensive. I am a poor writer with antiquarian taste in books and all the things I want are impossible to get over here except in very expensive rare editions or in Barnes & Noble's grimy marked-up schoolboy copies.
     I enclose a list of my most pressing problems. If you have clean second-hand copies of any of the books on the list, for no more than $5.00 each, will you consider this a purchase order and send them to me?

                                                                               Very Truly Yours,
                                                                                Helene Hanff
                                                                                (Miss) Helene Hanff

Anthony Hopkins plays Frank P. Doel, originally quite stuffy in the letters and then warming up as he becomes friends with the outspoken American on the other side of the Atlantic.

Anne Bancroft plays Helene Hanff to a tee. Anne's husband Mel Brooks bought the rights to the then popular book as a vehicle for his wife. Luckily she is an incredibly talented actress who really connected with the character of Helene and gave the film it's heart.

Judi Dench plays Frank's wife Nora, with a lovely Irish lilt to her voice. A small role, but Bafta nominated all the same!

Helene: I hope 'madam' doesn't mean over there what it means here!

Helene: It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.

Helene: I remember years ago a guy I knew told me that people going to England for the first time find exactly what they go looking for. I said I'd go looking for the England of English Literature, and he nodded and said 'It's there'.


Cheers and enjoy the book and the film. My book is on order!

Saving Mr. Banks and other must see films!

There are a few films on my list to see (hopefully over the holidays) which I will blog about later, but I thought I would let you know what looks good so you can see them before I do!

You have likely seen some of the promos for Saving Mr. Banks with Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. If you are a sentimental fool like I am, you will be counting the days until you see the story of how Walt Disney convinced P.L. Travers to let him bring Mary Poppins to the silver screen. I love the title, which refers to how the book Mary Poppins is about rescuing Mr. Banks (and Mrs. Banks for that matter) not the children. I have loved the Disney film from when I was young and my eldest child (now 22 years old) used to pretend he was a chimney sweep and dance around the house when he was 2 or 3. I think I may take him to see this one!

I am looking forward to seeing Philomena just as much as Saving Mr. Banks. Apparently Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are both at their level best in this dramedy about an elderly Irish woman who goes to America with the help of a journalist to look for the boy she unwillingly "gave up for adoption" after a stay at a 1950s Catholic home for fallen women. Apparently it is Stephen Frears' best film since The Queen.

I can't wait.

Although I am not a huge Ralph Fiennes fan, I have a lot of respect for his acting and that he is such a fan of Charles Dickens that he wanted to bring The Invisible Woman, the story of Dickens' mistress Nelly Ternan to the screen. The fact that the middle aged Dickens abandoned his wife and 10 children for an 18 year old actress...well that much is history and we might as well have a great film out of it. Felicity Jones plays the titular role (I have loved her since Northanger Abbey) and a few names like Tom Hollander and Kristin Scott Thomas sound good too!

Well, a few others are on my list such as August: Osage County, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Book Thief and American Hustle.

And don't forget that Season 4 of Downton Abbey starts Sunday January 5th! PBS is having a draw for a trip to England to mark the event!

Anna Maxwell Martin- Actor of the Week

Anna Maxwell Martin is a brilliant actor who has starred in some of my absolute favourite films and miniseries. She has both an unusual look and an unusual voice (a slight lisp) which make her easier to recognize in period dress than some of her peers. She makes fun of her lack of cheekbones, but I love the fact that she doesn't look like so many other actresses. Anyway, here is a highlight of her career in period drama.

As Bessie Higgins in North and South, Anna Maxwell Martin stole my heart. She showed us what the life of a poor working girl in Victorian Manchester would have been like (pretty grim at times) and yet made us love Bessie and weep during her final scene. By the way, if you have not seen North and South do so immediately!!!! Richard Armitage is another great reason to watch this miniseries multiple times.

Bleak House was another tour de force for the BBC this time with Anna Maxwell Martin in the lead role. Esther Summerson is a wonderfully complex yet subtle character and Anna let us see what she was feeling with just a fleeting look. OK, now I have to watch this one again too.

In a comic role as Gaoler's Daughter in The Wind in the Willows, Anna said she had a hard time keeping a straight face as she was filming. Apparently Matt Lucas who plays Toad (and is the chubby guy in Little Britain and Gil from Bridesmaids) just kept cracking her up.

I have not seen this but it is now on my list of films to watch. Oh and to one of my readers Olga, this one might be a good quirky comedy to watch with a 10 year old! Has anyone seen this? Can you recommend this one?

As Cassandra Austen in Becoming Jane, she could not have looked more unlike Anne Hathaway who played her sister Jane Austen but they seemed to have a lovely warmth between them which helped to suspend disbelief. Again her sheer talent as an actress ripped my heart out when she got the news of the demise of her fiance. Brava!!!

By the way, how confusing would that have been for the director to have Anna and Anne playing the Austen sisters? But I digress...

In South Riding she got to play the thoroughly modern Sarah Burton, using her native Yorkshire accent. She went after this role as it was filmed in an area of Yorkshire where she used to play on the beach as a child.

I was just OK with this particular miniseries as it was a bit grittier than what I usually enjoy. I should give it another watch at some point and see if I like it better on second viewing.

And of course, her latest stint as Susan Gray in The Bletchley Circle has me on the edge of my seat awaiting the final episode this coming week. Surely ITV will make another series with this wonderful female foursome now that they know how much we all love them (on both sides of the pond)!

Hopefully we will get to see much more of Anna Maxwell Martin in the future. She is known as the young Judi Dench in Britain so hopefully her career will have the same sort of longevity.

My Week With Marilyn 2011

My Week With Marilyn

I finally just saw My Week With Marilyn and I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly. Based on two books by Colin Clark they recount his experience as a 23 year old working on the set of the film The Prince and the Showgirl in London England in 1956. The first one was a diary of his time on the set (The Prince, the Showgirl and Me) and the second (My Week With Marilyn) an account of 9 days in the middle of this job when he got a little closer to Marilyn than most people did. Whether you believe his account or not it makes for a captivating film.

Michelle Williams as Marilyn

Michelle Williams is luminous as Marilyn Monroe. I can't imagine any other actress more accurately capturing the essence of the ups and downs that were Marilyn. The still pictures don't do her acting justice.

Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier

Kenneth Branagh is also particularly brilliant in the role of Sir Laurence Olivier. If you look at trailers of the real Olivier in the film The Price and the Showgirl, you realize what a great job he did. He was born to play Olivier. There is a great story about the young Kenneth Branagh writing to Sir Laurence Olivier to ask for some acting advice. The link to the interview is here. It explains the reverence Branagh has always had for SLO.

Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark

Eddie Redmayne was the perfect choice for the star struck young Colin Clark, using his family connections to Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh to break into the film industry. Memory being what it is, Colin Clark had obviously embellished his own importance in this story, however that is what Hollywood does anyway, so just sit back and enjoy this version of what happened on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl.

Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike

I know it is hard to find an English film these days without Judi Dench starring, but in this case it made sense to cast her as Dame Sybil Thorndike. Dench had actually met Dame Sybil many decades ago and has very fond memories of her. This made her peculiarly apropos to have her play the friendly yet feisty elderly actress. I enjoyed her immensely.

There are a plethora of other British actors sprinkled through the film. Michael Kitchen, Emma Watson, Jim Carter, Zoe Wannamaker, Domenic Cooper...the list goes on.

I liked the film and I hope you will too. It is a little peek behind the curtain of film making and it is beautifully filmed in many of the original locations. And to conclude, here is a peek at the trailer of the original film, The Prince and the Showgirl. Very 1950s!

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for Mother's Day

For Mother's Day I was taken to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Not by my children of course, but by the man who made motherhood happen, The Squire as he is affectionately known. And it was wonderful. Magical one might say.

Ready for adventure at The Marigold Hotel

A group of British retirees who cannot afford to live well in England decide to "outsource" their retirement to India. And mayhem ensues.

Based on the novel These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach (screenplay writer of Pride and Prejudice 2005) one wonders why director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Mrs. Brown) didn't have Deborah adapt her own book for the big screen. I think she might have done a better job, but I am quibbling here. I loved the film and I will definitely purchase it, to be watched on very hot days and on very cold days!

Judi Dench and Celia Imrie in Marigold Hotel

Judi Dench plays a recent widow who had trusted everything to the husband who left her without a home or enough money to live on in the end. Of course, she ends up landing on her feet and blogging about it!

Judi Dench with Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy in Marigold Hotel

Tom Wilkinson's character was not in the book but was introduced into the story to hint at India's British colonial roots. A High Court Judge (one assumes he could afford a better hotel and is slumming it) who grew up in India but has never returned since he left in disgrace to attend University in England. I won't tell you any more but his story is a lovely addition to the film.

Dev Patel with Tena Desae

Dev Patel's character Sonny is the scatterbrained dreamer who is trying to make his father's vision of the hotel come true. Beautiful girlfriend from a different social class, disapproving mother...you know how it goes.

Maggie Smith in Marigold Hotel

Maggie Smith is delightful as a bigoted Brit who has to travel to India to avoid a six month wait in England for a new hip. I think I loved her story the best and she obviously had fun with the role.

The Squire loved Bill Nighy the best, quite rightly. What a joy to watch. He is such a character!

Ravla Khempur, the real Marigold Hotel near Udaipur

The real hotel, called Rayla Khempur is apparently much nicer than it is portrayed in the film and is available for stays if the film made you want to see the beauties of India. Wild Frontiers (wildfrontiers.co.uk) has put together a 10-night Marigold Hotel Rajasthan Tour which takes in locations from the film, as well as Agra, Pushkar and Delhi.

So please go and see the film. Just look at the amazing cast and you know you will love this film. Yes the ending is a bit pat and cliche but you want a happy ending right? If you are like me you will leave the theatre with a smile and a craving for Indian food. If you are like The Squire, you will love the film but shudder and say that you will never ever travel to India (or indeed China he says). :)

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By with Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer

This is one of my favourite TV shows ever. I can watch this anytime even if I have seen the episode a few times before. I just stumbled upon one I had never seen last night (PBS is still running them on Monday night where I live). It just makes me smile!

Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer- As Time Goes By

For anyone who has never seen this show, Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer) and Jean (Judi Dench) were lovers many years ago during the Korean War. They are separated by a misunderstanding but meet again by chance when Lionel needs a secretary from Jean's firm to help with his book "My Life in Kenya". He takes her daughter, Judith, out on a date and discovers she is Jean's daughter. The two reunite and fall back in love.

Alistair and Lionel- As Time Goes By

If you are a fan, you know that half the fun of this show is the witty banter between Lionel and Jean and the rest comes from interactions with the rest of the regular cast. Philip Bretherton plays Alistair Deacon, Lionel's smooth talking book publisher who is constantly annoying everyone, especially "Li".

Moira Brooker as Judith

Moira Brooker plays Jean's daughter Judith. She is twice divorced and always on the lookout for a good man. She doesn't work too hard at the office possibly due to the fact that the boss is her mum.

Jenny Funnel as Sandy

Sandy lives with Lionel, Jean and Judith by about the second season. She is like another daughter to Jean and keeps the office running like a top. She is also on the lookout for a man and we see her dating a variety of "interesting" characters.

As Time Goes By Reunion Special

This wonderful series ran from 1992 all the way to 2008, the later episodes being reunion specials. We follow our main 5 characters, plus Madge and Rocky, Penny and Stephen, Mrs. Bale the housekeeper at the country house and Lol Ferris the gardener. Funnily enough, Tim Wilton who plays Lol Ferris is Mr. Gardener from Pride and Prejudice 1995.

Jean and Lionel- As Time Goes By

So if you have never seen this show, you now know enough to pick up at any episode and enjoy it. A pot of tea every Monday night and a cuddle on the couch for me! Ahhhhh!

P.S. If you love this show too, please comment below with your fave episode, character or line from the show.

Return to Cranford for Christmas

The Ladies of Cranford return for Christmas!

Return to Cranford, or The Cranford Christmas Special is worth a view this December to get you in the Period Drama Christmas spirit!  If you adored the ladies of Cranford, you will especially love this continuation of the story which was done for the Christmas season of 2009 in Britain, but aired in North America the following January.

Joining the lovely ladies above are a few new characters and new storylines.

Return to Cranfod with Mr. Buxton (Jonathan Pryce)

Recently widowed, Mr Buxton has returned to his native Cranford with his son William and niece Erminia after a two-year absence. He can be blunt and volatile, often speaking and acting before thinking, but he is loyal, generous and down to earth. Though personally happy to live a quiet, unassuming life in the country, he has great ambitions for William, whom he is determined to see "marry up" and enter into politics.

Return to Cranford with William Buxton (Tom Hiddleston)

Mr Buxton's only child, William is bright and capable but, having dropped out of Cambridge when his mother fell terminally ill, he now struggles to find direction for himself without her gentle guidance. What is certain is that he has no interest in his father's political ambitions for him. He's far more excited by the technological and scientific advances of the modern age and engineering, in particular. But standing up to his formidable father and forging his own way will prove to be the greatest test to his character.

Return to Cranford with Peggy Bell (Jodie Whittaker)

The younger child of Mrs Bell and the deceased Curate of Cranford, she lives in an isolated cottage outside of town with her family. Though she's bullied by older brother, Edward, and ignored by her mother, she seems to have accepted her lot in life with good grace because she has a gentle and loving nature. But her solitary life has made her live too much in her own head, making her appear dreamy in public. Miss Matty feels for Peggy and actively encourages a friendship between Peggy and Erminia and William. Though different in many ways, Peggy enjoys this friendship and her true, surprisingly strong, character blossoms as a result.

Return to Cranford with Lady Glenmire (Celia Imrie)

A character from the original novel, Cranford, Lady Glenmire is the sister-in-law and social superior of Mrs Jamieson, though by far the more down-to-earth of the two. A genteel Scotswoman on the surface, she is intelligent, lively and very sociable – the exact opposite, therefore, of Mrs Jamieson. The Amazons are disappointed at first to find Lady Glenmire is far from grand but, once they get to know her, they secretly prefer her company to that of their old friend, Mrs Jamieson. And they are not the only ones who enjoy her company – Captain Brown finds her charming, sensible and energetic.

Return to Cranford with Erminia Whyte (Michelle Dockery)

The orphaned daughter of Mr Buxton's younger sister and now his ward (and William’s cousin), Erminia has lived abroad and has recently finished an expensive education in Brussels. She is pretty, musical and full of life. At first Erminia befriends Peggy Bell out of a sense of kindness and duty, but she quickly sees the true value of Peggy's character and they become firm friends.

Return to Cranford with Lord Septimus Ludlow (Rory Kinnear)

Lady Ludlow's seventh and last-remaining child, Septimus is much talked about in the novel My Lady Ludlow but never actually appears, so he is a newly-created character. He arrives in Cranford from Italy after many years absence, bringing his bored and louche companion, Giacomo, with him. Lord Septimus is beautifully dressed, prone to enthusiasms and schemes, but is easily distracted, particularly when these schemes involve hard work. He is also sentimental and nostalgic.

Return to Cranford with Signor Brunoni (Tim Curry)

A character from the original novel, Cranford, Signor Brunoni is an "Italian magician" advertised as Grand Magician of Arabia and Wizard to the King of Delhi. When tragic events in Cranford lead to his show being cancelled, Peter Jenkyns determines to invite him to return for a special Christmas performance. Colourful and quick-witted, Brunoni immediately sees through Miss Pole's attempts to discover the secrets of his show and finds ways to disconcert even the ever-certain Miss Pole.

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Thanks to the BBC for the wonderful character descriptions. There are some great plot lines in this one, from the train wreck to the magician Signor Brunoni coming to town.  I particularly enjoyed Francesca Annis as Lady Ludlow in this series, as well as Tim Curry as Signor Brunoni and Imelda Staunton as the hilarious Miss Pole.  This series is not meant to light the world on fire but it will entertain you delightfully and it brings Elizabeth Gaskell's wonderful characters to life right before your eyes. This is the BBC at it's best.

Feel free to play the game of "I have seen that actor in..." below in the comment section. All of these actors have been in other period dramas and British productions so see if you can name a few without going to IMDb. Oooooh, now that's a challenge!