Review: Travels With My Aunt

Last week was abit wishy washy, as there was no usual Wednesday post, there was but not the Peppermint Friday way post if that makes sense. I did touch on something I'm really happy that I touched on and thats women in film, the posts I did were both involving Elizabeth Taylor and Tennessee Williams, and I spoke alot about the women in those stories. So we're gonna carry it on and it was a long time coming so thats what we're gonna do. This weekend I watched Travels With My Aunt, with Maggie Smith and Alec McCowen and thats what we're gonna talk about today.

Travels With My Aunt is about a man called Henry Pulling who's mother has just died (Alec McCowen) and at the funeral his Aunt Augusta played by Maggie Smith who says she raised him and not his mother. She has an African boyfriend called Zachery who is waiting for her, she is then received a package containing a served finger who belongs to her true love Ercole along with a note saying they will be reunited with payment of $100,000. Augusta asks if Henry can accompany her to Paris aware that she is has pay ransom, and its just as the title suggests 'Travels with my Aunt'

Firstly it has Maggie Smith in it, so you're immediately gonna enjoy it, plus its Maggie Smith as more of herself than anything you know what I mean if you watched her in interviews particularly back in the day. She's so acid tongue and witty, that's the Maggie that isn't shown that often and thats why I love it so much. Alex McCowen plays the opposite of Maggie Smith's character Augusta, he's shy, straight guy in the comedy. The character dynamic is amazing love how different they are to each other and it makes it so much more funny. The costumes are amazing aswell, love all the clothes Maggie wears in this film, its set in the 70's and that's an interesting and fun era of fashion and film. The fact that Henry is younger than Augusta and he's much more mature is one of the things that makes me love Augusta and Maggie Smith that much more shes's internally youthful.

The minor characters they meet on the journeys are just wonderful, they're such full of colour. Tooley is a firm favorite she's so quirky and adorable one of my favorite scenes was when she was flirting and encouraging Henry to smoke marijuana. She reminds me of Danielle Foussard from To Catch A Thief that cheeky, funny, slightly naughty girl and that kinda character is always fun to me. All the interesting funny peculiar people they encounter are just so brilliant, like the Taxi driver they meet as soon as they get to Paris he's so positive and can't speak that much English its so accurate its hilarious because we've all met someone like that when we go to different countries and its so bonkers you've gotta laugh at it. 

There is a serious side to it in terms of Augusta and the genuine of her being Henry's Aunt as it can be wishy washy, because throughout the film you're questioning whether or not she's his Aunt, but I'd like it to be one of those make of it what you will moments of film and storytelling. Another serious part of the story is, the problem with Augusta's relationships and how she feels about them. I loved that Augusta has that mind of an 18 year old, and doesn't give a thought about long term marriages, and focusing on the hear and now of relationships and flings. I just hope that I'm like that when I'm at that age. Adding that the 1970's of film and I think I've said this before, but its quite a serious era of film I feel it had much more of the dialogue and styles we see now, and I haven't seen that many 1970s films so its a good one to watch of those who haven't seen many. 

                                                                    
If you watched The Lady In The Van or read the review I did #promo then you'll see the similarities of characters in them both. Maggie is a fantastic Actress and if you loved The Lady In The Van then you'll love this film, just think of Travels with my Aunt as a younger version of Maggie in The Lady In The Van. Alec McCowen was amazing in it, just total opposites from each other, and I love that, just found out Alec McCowen past away only a month ago, so RIP. Give this film a go as its so funny with its witty lines, and brilliant Acting talents from Maggie Smith and Alec McCowen. 

Peppermint Friday Review #12: Clueless

Bit of a leap from Superheroes but I felt like watching this and I wanted to talk about it. As its a Cult Classic and we all know how much I love Cult Classics.

I'm sure everyone knows this film, so I don't need to tell you about the plot too much. Its directed and written by Amy Heckerling who actually wrote Clueless because in High School she was completely opposite to Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and wanted to portray a privileged girl in a private school. The character of Cher is based off the title character in Jane Austen's Emma, and its about Cher and her way of talking through different situations of her life. She has one best friend at the start of the film, Dionne who is like Cher, but not a clone she unlike Cher has a boyfriend. Cher doesn't really like High School boys, and is still a virgin but doesn't feel the rush of wanting to lose it, like many Teen films the main character is a virgin and wants to lose it.                                                                          

Particularly with her grades, and when a new girl Tai comes to school Cher takes full advantage of giving her a makeover and essentially giving her a guide to school, and just being a human being, not that she wasn't a human before, anyway Cher lives with her father who is very rich and a litigator, and like Cher has a way of talking his way out of things, Josh who is her ex-stepbrother during a college break Josh is living with Cher. I love Cher as she goes on a journey with this film, as Josh keeps telling her that she doing does things for herself, and its accurate because like I've said before teenagers are selfish. But she isn't devious for she does things bad, she's just very clever and doesn't exactly make it obvious, she can talk for England (or in this case America😋). 

The costume in this film is amazing everyone is totally unique in how they present themselves of the characters. I want Cher's wardrobe as its so beautiful in every scene, the film is 90s all over and I love it. The film was made in the early-mid 90s and back then the fashion was very Kurt Cobain, it was all grunge and grey and baggy jeans, then this film came out with its colours and beiges, and pastels. So this film in the fashion world was very influential, and ground breaking.

 I also love the minor characters in the film, like the teachers Mr Hall played by Wallace Shawn, and Ms Geist played by Twink Caplan. They are just fantastic mainly because they're played by two brillaint actors, but also what the film did with them was not brush them aside like background characters or just there, but made them really interesting. Another favourite of mine is Travis at the beginning he is just the typical stoner, then as the film goes on he has a real talent for skateboarding, and is shown as a genuine guy and perfect for Tai.

Tai is another person I love as she very genuine at the beginning but again she is a teenager and is selfish, but she comes through and totally flawed. There's not one character in this film that I go 'urgh' or should I appropriately say 'urgh as if!😀' as I feel there all flawed in every way possible. One thing that I loved was when Cher was doing her driving test and she had alot of things on her mind, but she completley failed it, and there was no way of getting out of it, and for it kinda felt like 'oh I talk my way in school and around my father, but not in the real world' as driving is a real world thing, I might be looking into this as too deep. Anyway, the film for me is so amazing and its one of those films you watch if you wanna feel nostalgic but feel new and fresh all at the same time.