Peppermint Friday Film Review #3 Limelight

The only Chaplin Films I saw were 'Modern Times', 'The Kid' and 'Goldrush'. Didn't really see any of his films as he got abit older and wasn't the 'The Tramp' anymore, but I thought I'd give it ago as it has Chaplin and Keaton in, why not.

The film takes place in London, where you have a washed up comedian who was very successful on the vaudeville circuit, he meets this young Dancer who has just tried to commit suicide, and its just a story of him and her getting to grips with life, careers, and love. 

Its such a lovely story because I love Chaplin's simple character of it as, it wasn't the Tramp it was just a character called Calvero, who was amazingly positive and was abit upset about the fact he didn't have a proper career anymore, but he was abit more adult about it. The other main character is Terry who is a dancer, and is very pessimistic about life, and just a total downer. 

This film is very uplifting, and quite serious and deep. I love the bit where Calvero and Terry are talking and she says something like 'oh whats the point in life' and he goes 'there's always a point, its why a rock does this, and a rose does this'. I particularly love his impersonation of a Japanese Tree. 

The bits where he's performing is always very entertaining, I love the 'Performing Fleas, Phyllis and Henry' because in some ways its still the Tramp, I mean I guess its like a telling of Chaplin because he was this huge comedian and then he didn't do anything.

I love the use of his son Sydney Earl Chaplin as he was the sort of love interest where Terry liked him, but she also liked Calvero dispite the age, and Calvero wanted her to be with him. But he was amazing in that, and you can tell he didn't do it cus he was like 'Oh dad's doing a film I want to be in it' it was more like a professional actor who wanted a part in this film. 

The only strong criticism I have for this film is Claire Boom who plays Terry, I felt her character was okay but I didn't relate to her because she was just abit too winey, there wasn't any thing that was majorly positive with her, as I just felt she had to be down about things for no strong reason. But I did like the dialogue, and I can completely understand why she was the character she was, as it draw parallels to Chaplin, kinda like a see-saw effect. You don't see much of Keaton in this film, as he is in it for one scene. Which is abit of a shame, but I do like him in it.

The music and script was wonderful, and it was refreshing that a story wasn't incorporated around the Tramp or Chaplin, it was a story about life, and had a strong element of music, and theatre behind it. Overall I must say this film is just amazing, the comic timing is truly the best. The music and theatre scenes are amazing. Its also such a sweet film, its a kinda cuddly cosy film. 

Favorite Biopics

Biopics are always good, I love seeing people's life in film and events that happen and for it to be re-enacted and put to real life is simply stunning. So I thought I'd tell you my favorite Biopics, in no order of course.

Chaplin

This film is beautifully done, Robert Downey jr is amazing as Charlie, he plays him from about 18 to 80 ,and he does it with such love, and honest. The supporting characters are fantastic aswell, I love the fact they casted the same actress to play Hetty Kelly (Charlie's first love) and Oona Chaplin (Charlie's last wife) Its so perfect. I also love the way they used music, with the surroundings of his second wife Lita Grey, who was pregnant with his first child, and she was 16 he was in his 30s, and he had to be taken out of the state to get married, and it was just brilliant how they used the music for that scene, like it was a giant slapstick comedy, but it was a real life serious situation. I also admire they casted Geraldine Chaplin who is Charlie's granddaughter, to play her grandmother. It was such a wonderful choice to do. I thought what Richard Attenborough did was brilliant, as he put the direction of the film in a much more real state, like he didn't sugar coat anything, it felt like he did it in a much more real way of seeing Chaplin and what kinda man he is and was. The portrayal of his brother and manager Sydney was fantastic aswell.

Gamechangers

Now I watched this on the BBC about 8 or 9 months ago, and I thought it was amazing. Now I purely watched it at the start because it had Daniel Radcliffe in and Joe Dempsie who was in Skins. The story is about the scandal between Sam Houser and Jack Thompson, and it was kinda like is it okay to put violence, and sex in games when we know kids and teen are quite influential, or are video games a way of art, like theres sex and violence in Books, TV Shows and Films. It was just amazing, I'm not into games really, like I like them I don't hate them, but I'm just not into them. Thats one of the reasons as to why I love Biopics like I may not be interested in games, but this film is fantastic. Plus it really shows Daniel Radcliffe not a 'Harry Potter child actor' but as a serious real Actor and its amazing what he did, and he looked completely different.

 Nowhere Boy

This film is probably the first Biopic I remember clearly watching, because at that time I was really getting into the Beatles. I still love the Beatles they're one of my favorite bands. This film focuses on John Lennon and his upbringing with his Aunt and Mother, but also the beginning of the Beatles and you can see John Lennon just pour his upset into music, but at the same time it was just a headfuck what he went through and not knowing who he could trust and have as a postive female person in his life. This is quite a strange thing to say but its quite a quiet film, like it has these elements of it being still and quiet, and beautiful. The whole cast were brilliant, I love the dynamics between John's Mother who's played by Anne Marie Duff and his Aunt whos played by Kristin Scott Thomas, they were such different characters and did it wonderfully. Aaron Taylor Johnson was amazing, and he did the role with such joy and really conveyed the emotions. Plus he was reaally hot in that part.

The Wolf Of Wall Street

I never heard of Jordan Belfort before this film, and it was amazing. What I love about this film is that they captured the element of 'Money, Money, Money' like the whole on the phone and 'I just made 1 million dollars, the fast talking business stockbrokers world. Leonardo is always amazing, but with this he's totally different, you can just taste the hunger of his success and money wanting. You see the world of  prostitutes and drugs, and fame hungry. But the main person in this film whom I adore is Margot Robbie, and now obviously she is the Queen of the Screen with the success of Suicide Squad. This is the film that really catapulted her, and I love the scene where she wants a divorce and the dialogue and anger of it was just electric. Jonah Hill as his best friend and partner is beautiful aswell, he just did it with such zest. I love Scorsese where it feels like the camera, and you're on a journey with it I know that sounds really wanky, but it is true to an extent. Its great how in the film they didn't use the characters they're based upon real words, because for me it makes it seem much more like a film than it being re-enacted, and with that you can play around with the characters.

Me and My Shadows

This is an oldie but a goldie, I love Judy Garland, love old Hollywood Glam and Musicals, so a Biopic of Judy is right up my street!

This is split into 2 parts, the first part is Judy from the age of 2 to 20 and that part is played by Tammy Blanchard, and she is fantasic, and one thing I loved is at not one point, did I feel like it was a Judy Garland impersonator, but nor was it like a 'no one is better at being Judy Garland than Judy herself!' I felt a Classic, somber feel to the film that a Judy Garland concert or melodrama. The second part is Judy from the age of 20 to her death, and that is played by Judy Davis. She does a fabulous job of playing her, as again it felt like they captured the element of her than, it being like 'Oh I'm Judy but I'm slightly older' I just felt real and honest.

The Bling Ring

This film is based of the robberys in Beverly Hills among famous people such as, Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan. The film doesn't use the real robbers names, but the characters are heavily based of them. Emma Watson is amazing at play Nikki, the whole cast are amazing they really got the feeling of 'I wanna be famous' its like they see a bag that Paris Hilton is wearing, but they don't go I want a bag like that, they go I want that bag. They don't have a particular reason to have the hunger of fame, but they just want to be, which is essentially the feel of the time they were in they were in California during a time where being famous on reality TV was the 'must'. Its amazing how not at one point you didn't get the feeling they were wanting to steal to be famous, they just wanted the lifestyle. The film is directed by Sofia Coppola, and her directing style is known to be very quiet, but with music that relates to that time, either it being time in which it is, or it being related to that character in time. Which is very good, as it associates music to that scene in that film. 

The Social Network

The last of the list, this film is about the beginning of facebook and I love the dialouge in this film the most because the way they wrote it is like music, like Mark always looked out for himself, and was this selfish, arrogant geek with loads of money. The cast is amazing aswell, and if you ask me I think Justin Timberlake is a much better actor than he is singer. Jesse Hesinburg is fantastic as Zuckerberg as he has his voice patten down to a tie, very quick talking and you can tell he has a million things in his mind all at once. He has the answers, but will people understand, but it is lovely the characters of the people of whom created these websites, like Sean Parker he's character is loud, clever, charismatic. Eduardo Saverin's character is quiet, bit of an introvert, and they're all bound to make this game, and court case of who created the game.

 Thats it, they are my favorite Biopics, so far....