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Review: The Kids Are All Right

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Los Angeles goes all-out new age in Lisa Cholodenko’s queer comedy-drama The Kids Are All Right. Starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as lesbian couple Nic and Jules, the film explores their family life with teen kids Joni (as in Joni Mitchell, Mia Wasikowska fresh from Wonderland), a whip-smart yet uptight scientist like Nic, and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) the “sensitive jock”. Laser asks Joni to find their biological father Paul (Mark Ruffalo) and a relationship between the organic farmer-cum-restauranteur and his new-found children quickly develops, shifting the family dynamics.

Ruffalo plays to type well without appearing two-dimensional, all the while encouraging real growth of character without the touchy-feely nonsense at home. While their language often detracts from the message, The Kids are All Right is a well-written drama and deferential take on gay relationships. Bening’s controlling streak and unwillingness to connect with Paul pushes her to the outer boundaries of the family, making her a hard-faced villain for much of the picture. Meanwhile Moore reels it in as the insecure Jules, whose missteps and atonement echo throughout the tone of the film.

Though it is by no means groundbreaking, the colourful photography and personalities combined with excellent performances lend it a fresh, authentic feel.

The Kids Are All Right is released in UK cinemas on Friday 29 October.

Donkeys Finds a Home in Scottish Cinemas

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Donkeys, the follow-up to Andrea Arnold’s BAFTA winning Red Road had its World Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival this June.

The second feature from the Advance Party Project – a Scottish-Danish collaboration with Lars Von Trier’s Zentropa – stars James Cosmo, Brian Pettifer, Martin Compston, and Kate Dickie. The tangled tale of friendship, forgiveness, and deep-seated family secrets enjoyed its initial release at Glasgow Film Theatre last week.

Befitting its Scottish setting, public screenings begin next week at the Filmhouse Cinema from Monday 1 to Thursday 4 November. Sigma films announced earlier this week that Donkeys will also screen for one week at Glasgow Cineworld from Friday 29 October to Thursday 4 November. All of this is possible thanks to the Digital Screen Network initiative set up by the former UK Film Council to give smaller films a chance to spotlight amongst the Hollywood bigwigs.

Donkeys is also rounding up film and media students, with rumblings on their Facebook page about a ‘Donkey Work’ Competition. So far all we know is that winners will spend a day on set with Citadel – Sigma’s new film – from November 21. Check out the Donkeys Facebook page for updates.

I hope if you’re in Edinburgh or Glasgow you’ll get a chance to see it! I’ll be catching it at the Cineworld and will report back with a review.

Book Review: The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry

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It is near impossible not to love the superlative Mr Stephen Fry.
From the first chapter to the final page The Fry Chronicles dishes out tasty tidbits and positively loquacious prose. Spanning 8 years, it picks up where his first memoir – the mysteriously titled Moab is My Washpot – left off, the summer before his inauguration to Queens’ College at Cambridge. His college years focused (somewhat ironically, as he wanted to be a teacher) little on academia and heavily on acting and his introduction to comedy. 
Chummed with Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie, their quick procession through university into television moves swiftly. The most enjoyable passages for me were Fry’s self-deprecating reflections on his writing, smoking a pipe, and general ecstasy as he gained notoriety and quickly became a full-time computer nerd and writer. While many of the anecdotes about fruitless collaborations with comedy peers like Ben Elton and Rik Mayall became stale, his reflections on book reviewing in the age of motorcycle messengers is a marvel.
Though I didn’t love it, the first 200 pages were certainly more enjoyable than the last.  Fry’s verbosity quickly grows tiresome, particularly for memoir addicts like me. If you’re a Fry enthusiast, however, I urge you to check it out for yourself.
Book #36: ★★★★★ 
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Housekeeping! Apologies for my recent hiatus, but I’m pleased to announce that this is Uncultured Critic’s 100th post! I’ve never kept a blog this meticulously, so thank you all so much for reading and for your brilliant, regular, & thoughtful comments. I will be posting twice weekly for the time being on Tuesdays & Thursdays with the odd Saturday thrown in. Don’t forget you can follow me by RSS, on Twitter, or on Facebook for regular updates. As always, your thoughts are really valuable, so if you have any comments or suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Have a great week!