I am a big Mike Leigh fan. He does produce slow-paced films, so I was expecting that. But this one JUST CRAWLED. It was painfully slow, painfully drawn out, and I found myself positively repelled by Mr. Turner. One hour into the film (and its LOOOONNNGGG) I was really despising the main character. I also was annoyed by the housekeeper and thought she was creepy. This was not the intent; strange from a director who is so good at drawing out a feeling of connecting to the most unsavory characters (the driving instructor in "Happy Go Lucky"). The very first scene was already a harbinger of the disappointments to come. Two Dutch peasant women are amiably chatting as they walk along a riverside. It takes forever as you watch them chat in Dutch. Finally we see Mr Turner sketching a windmill - this lasts a few seconds. Done. Didn't get insight and we never saw his drawing either. Mike Leigh is a fascinating director but here he fell off the fence entirely.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Death at a Funeral
(2007)
Fantastic!
12 July 2007
I found this to be the funniest movie that I've seen in ages. We saw it today (July 12th) in Herzliya, Israel at the local movie theater at the mall.
There were only 8 people in the whole audience, and my husband and I filled the room with howls of laughter.
The actors are fabulous, especially Alan Tudyk, Khris Marshall, Andy Nyman, Peter Dinklage, and Daisy Donovan. Actually, the whole ensemble was great.
Especially Alan Tudyk keeps his frenetic performance absolutely hysterically funny, throughout most of the film!
Free of Hollywood hype, this film was a pleasure.
The wackiest Funeral you'll ever witness.
There were only 8 people in the whole audience, and my husband and I filled the room with howls of laughter.
The actors are fabulous, especially Alan Tudyk, Khris Marshall, Andy Nyman, Peter Dinklage, and Daisy Donovan. Actually, the whole ensemble was great.
Especially Alan Tudyk keeps his frenetic performance absolutely hysterically funny, throughout most of the film!
Free of Hollywood hype, this film was a pleasure.
The wackiest Funeral you'll ever witness.
Aviva, My Love
(2006)
funny and heartfelt
10 September 2006
I really liked this film. The acting was uneven, as often happens for some reason in Israeli films. The daughter and the professor were played unnaturally; you could "see" them acting. But this is made up by the wonderful lead role and her husband, who were just great.
The film vividly outlines the life of a normal person, bent under the burden of providing for her family, dealing with a crazy mom, unemployed husband, and kids with problems. But she's also different, because she's driven to write. There's no space for her to do this, and her problems stack against her NEED to create her stories. I definitely felt sympathetic for her, and she came to life for me.
And its FUNNY - so rare with Israeli films >>>>
Also GREAT cinematography; it makes Tiberas look so beautiful.
Well worth it.
The film vividly outlines the life of a normal person, bent under the burden of providing for her family, dealing with a crazy mom, unemployed husband, and kids with problems. But she's also different, because she's driven to write. There's no space for her to do this, and her problems stack against her NEED to create her stories. I definitely felt sympathetic for her, and she came to life for me.
And its FUNNY - so rare with Israeli films >>>>
Also GREAT cinematography; it makes Tiberas look so beautiful.
Well worth it.
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