Richard Hamilton at Tate Modern London

Richard William Hamilton (24 February 1922 – 13 September 2011) was one of the most influential artists of recent times, in his art he explored different styles and forms: painted interiors, landscapes, still life, collages, glass, installations, photographs and modern history paintings.

 Exhibition of his work ate Tate Modern will take you on a journey through his artwork from 1949 to late works completed before he died, there are 18 rooms each exploring different part of his artistic life, it is quite remarkable how accomplished he was when I looked at his artwork I could not believe that one person can be so versatile.

I will now mention some of the elements of this exhibition that made the strongest impression on me, and as perception of art is very subjective you might not agree and find other parts more interesting.

Hamilton is perhaps best known for his leading role in the birth of pop art. 
 I found this part of exhibition incredibly mind stimulating but also quite disturbing, photos of Marylin Monroe, the overpowering presence of woman's body used as an object, collages made out of different female faces (Fashion Plate's done in 1960s) are to me like a premonition of what is going on in the now days pop-culture and by that I mean using sexualized images of human body to sell almost anything, spiralling obsession with perfect looks which is boosted by companies creating models out of most desired body parts belonging in fact to several people and setting unrealistic expectations which lead to low self esteem and distorted perception of human relationships, domination of cheap, cheerful and fast in all elements of life, cult of exhibitionism and voyeurism in reality shows.

  Fashion Plate by Richard Hamilton

Hamilton also raises questions about indoctrination and control, especially by all-present TV and CCTV, through his iconic Treatment Room (room 12) an installation showing a sort of sterile and intimidating hospital room with a monitor showing repeating footage of Margaret Thatcher from Conservative Party Election Broadcast in 1983.

Another powerful part of this exhibition is room 13 containing  The citizen/The subject/The state and based on stills from a 1980 news report about the IRA 'dirty protest' ( if you want more information about this watch Setve McQueens' movie called "Hunger" there is a review of this movie on my blog http://myencounterswithart.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/review-of-steve-mcqueens-movies-hunger.html ).

On a lighter note in a room  11 we have a segment called Shit & Flowers inspired by some old fashioned postcards from the village of Miers in south-west France showing people 'relieving themselves' after drinking a local laxative, although the subject is rather shall we say smelly, it is refreshing :) and funny to actually see toilet paper in the real life situation, without all the fluffy animals and cute babies constantly used now days in adverts (excrement don't seem to exist in advertising, we have the softest paper but what it is for that is never shown, often there isn't even a toilet in sight).

Go and see this exhibition while you still can (it's opened till 26 of May 2014 ) it will give you a unique chance to see the roots from which our modern culture sprouted and spark some reflection about where it all may lead us and do we really want to go there.

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/richard-hamilton

 

'Other Desert Cities' at The Old Vic

'Other desert cities' written by Jon Robin Baitz (Pulitzer Prize finalist and creator of hit TV series, Brothers & Sisters and contributor on The West Wing) is a modern play tackling issues of politics versus family life, changes that happened in USA from 1960, that is increasing polarisation of main political parties with growing influence of conservative Tea Party within the republican coalition, and bitter truth beneath the sugar coated American dream.

 
It’s Christmas Eve in Palm Springs. Brooke Wyeth  (Martha Plimpton) novelist who suffered from depression and writers block is back home to celebrate the holidays with her uptight and politically involved parents (Sinead Cusack and Peter Egan), younger brother (Daniel Lapaine)  and alcoholic aunt (Clare Higgins). But the family celebration is brought to a halt when Brook informs her family that her new book is a memoir, which focuses on her infamous dead brother who was suspected of  aiding a terrorist act in 70's, and on his broken relationship with their parents who she blames for his downfall and suicide. 

The play is very well written, fast paced, full of sarcastic humour, with great observations of modern day America and pop culture. The tension is skilfully raised with each coming scene and family dynamic is brilliantly depicted everyone who visits their parents can find some scary and funny similarities to there own life.

Acting is absolutely superb, Sinead Cusac's portrayal of  Polly is top notch, she owns the stage making her character incredibly compelling despite her despotic and overbearing personality , Peter Eagan is perfect as a softer and more approachable father figure, Clare Higgins as Silda is a worthy adversary to Polly and her comic timing is wonderful. Martha Plimpton gives a solid performance as tormented and self-righteous Brook although in some moments I found her acting a bit over the top. Daniel Lapain  is really great, he adds warmth and compassion to the character of Trip who despite being ridiculed for making bad taste TV shows is the voice of reason and heart within this dysfunctional family.

I truly enjoyed this play and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for drama with intelligent story, witty script and high quality acting.
 


For this season Old Vic has been completely transformed, if you have been there before you will be stunned and impressed by how they managed to change the auditorium into the round, the floor has been raised, the stage is round and situated in the centre, and additional seats are placed in the space where the stage used to be.

United Visual Artists: Momentum at The Barbican Centre

United Visual Artists (UVA) is a London based group of artists who in their work combine wide range of disciplines including: sculpture, installation, live performances and architecture. Their last work called Momentum can be now seen and experienced at The Barbican Centre.

Momentum has been installed  in the 90 meter long promenade located inside the Barbican Centre and called The Curve due to its distinctive shape. There are twelve pendulums activated lights and sounds swinging in complete darkness, each of the pendulums has been carefully designed and their movement is controlled by specially developed computer software, the sonic element is unique to each pendulum and created in a special way so the sound resonates within the shape of The Curve  According to its creators "The rhythmic, wave like sway of the work is inspired by scientific instruments such as Foucault's pendulum, the result of UVA's enquiry into the physical laws of motion, coupled with their experimentation with light, and how impacts o the space."

Visitors are let inside The Curve in groups so everyone can enjoy the sensory experience. When I arrived at Barbican Centre I was a bit concerned because behind me in the que were mothers with quite let's say 'active' kids,  I was wondering whether they will not spoil the experience with the noise and running around, but I was pleasantly surprised. The whole installation is submerged in darkness therefore the lights and sound make Momentum very hypnotic, obviously kids absolutely loved it and were completely fascinated by it, I actually really enjoyed listening to their comments, when they were trying to decide what does this place remind them of - the inside of the space ship seemed to be the most common choice.
Adults were equally enticed,  following the lights, trying to stand in the circles and even sitting down by the walls just to stay a bit longer because it was strangely calming. When I was there I was thinking that it must be similar when you are in your mother's womb, with muffled sounds, shifting lights and warmth, of course this mother would have to be a heavy smoker judging by the clouds of artificial mist floating near the lights.

I absolutely loved the whole experience and might even go there again. The Momentum is opened till 1st of June so there is plenty of time for you to go and see it which I truly recommend.

http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=15620

"Being Shakespeare" starring Simon Callow at Harold Pinter Theatre- the ultimate one man show for Bard's lovers.

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."

This Shakespeare's idea of seven ages of human life is a framework around which 'Being Shakespeare' is build and Simon Callow brilliantly leads us through the meanders of Bard's life. I learnt more from this play than at any point at school and got to know Shakespeare as a living being opposite to this artificial, legendary construct fed to us during our education.

'Being Shakespear' is full of joyous quirks and interesting anecdotes about Bard's life entwined with superbly acted excerpts from his most famous works, my favourite being Simon Callow acting as both Romeo and Juliet and later as a whole troupe from 'Midsummer's night dream'.

Simon Callow is absolutely captivating, he owns the stage with power and subtle humour, to be able to keep the audience interested and engaged while being on your own, with a minimal set of props and presenting someones biography one really has to be a great actor.

Currently there are some great offers for the tickets to this play (I went with http://www.lovetheatre.com/tickets/3715/Being-Shakespeare) so if you love the Bard of Avon (or even  if you really hate him for the tortures you've endured at school, but would like to know why there is all that fuss about him) go and see 'Being Shakespeare' (it ends on 15 of March).

Ibsen's 'Ghosts' at Trafalar Studios - a must see for every woman.

Ghosts was written by Henrik Ibsen when he was living in Rome between the spring and autumn of 1881. As it was in custom at the time play was first published in writing and almost straight away condemned for tackling subjects of: patriarchy, women's rights, class, sexual desire, religious bigotry and hypocrisy, incest, sexual transmitted disease (syphilis) and euthanasia, this led to play being banned in many European countries including England.

The main character of Ghosts is Helene Alving (Lesley Manville) a strong, inteligent woman who as a young girl was made to marry a drunk and debaucherous man, upon realising who her husband is she runs away to the man she loves-pastor Manders (Adam Kotz) but is rejected, so she goes back and devotes her life to keeping appearances of a happy marriage. To protect her son Oswald (Jack Lowden) from destructive influence of his immoral father Helene sends him away at the age of 7.
The play starts at a point when Helene is a widow and her son (now and adult and a well known painter) comes home unexpectedly just before the opening of a orphanage she is building to commemorate her late husband.

Richard Eyre's adaptation is absolutely amazing, according to his own words this version of Ghosts waited six years to make to the stage, he said  " I worked from a literal version by Charlotte Barslund and I tried to animate the language in a way that felt as true as possible to what I understood from them to be the authors intentions... But even literal translations make choices and choices we make are made according to taste, to the times we live and how we see the world." well to me the choices he made are definitely the right ones because the play truly moved me.

But the great adaptation is not enough you also have to have actors who can carry the weight of the really difficult subject stated in this play with truthfulness and force, fortunately the cast is absolutely fantastic. Lesley Manville gives a masterful performance, you completely believe her she gives Helena strength and passion combined with tenderness, her Helena is a woman who tries to break free and take charge over her life despite the constricting influences of church and society. Adam Kotz pastor Manders is a great contrast to Helena: cowardly, bigoted hypocrite with no trace of his own thinking. Charlene MacKenna's Regina is vivid an fierce, a girl who is not afraid to speak up and make her own decisions. Jack Lowden's Oswald is both passionate and fragile , innocent victim of his parents choices, condemned to lunacy and death.

Tim Hatley has done a superb job designing the set, two rooms and a glimpse of a garden are divided by translucent glass panels (that allow the audience to see what characters cannot) and Peter's Mumford light effects work magic on them.

Ibsen's Ghosts at Ttrafalgar Studios are a must see so grab your chance because this play finishes its run in a month time!

Why did I titled this review - A must see for every woman? Because this play was written 9 years after a term "Feminism" was used for the first time in France and Ibsen is a great advocate of women. In Ghosts we have a story of an intelligent woman forced into marriage, imprisoned by patriarchy and church, who cannot reveal that her marriage was a tragedy, is encourage by a pastor to live a lie, who slowly realises her own power (books she is reading) but  the past - titular Ghosts cannot be changed and her family pays the ultimate price for giving into the conventions. This is not only history it is also present, in many families and many places women can't chose, are beaten, abused, murdered  ' to save honour' have no right to vote or make any independent decision.
( It really annoys me that we live in a society where calling yourself a B**** is Ok but saying you are a feminist straight away labels you as man hating, unattractive hag. To be a Feminist is not to be against men but to demand that women have the same rights and opportunities as men, and are not discriminated against because of their sex in any aspect of life.)

Valentine's day movie recommendation 'Wings of Desire' (1987) by Wim Wenders

Wim Wenders Wings of Desire (Der Himmel uber Berlin 1987) is a unique movie, balancing between poetry, philosophy, transcendence and romance, with dreamlike visuals interchanging between black/withe and colour, and breathtaking performances.

The story is mesmerising, we are in West Berlin before the fall of the Wall, and we are following two angels Damiel (excellent Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander) witnessing their efforts to help humankind by providing some guidance and inspiration, their presence can be felt but not seen. Cassiel follows elderly man named Homer in his Odyssey to reclaim his past and find peace, while Damiel watches over the french circus troupe and falls in love with trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Donmartin). Damiel appears to Marion in her sleep thus creating a bond between them, in consequence he decides he wants to move from just observing human life to truly participating in it by becoming a mortal and joining with Marion.

This is not a typical tear jerking romance, character is this movie ponder over ultimate questions of human existence: Who we are ?, What does it mean to be a human?, What is love? Is there someone who is destined to be with you as your soul mate?. You could possibly write a philosophical essay from every dialogue in this movie.
 The side of the story seen through the angels eyes is shot in black and white to emphasise their detachment, coolness, and emptiness of perfection which is devoid of warmth that feeling and experiencing can bring, human world although full of suffering and confusion is shown as colourful and vibrant.
Music in this movie is truly fantastic, brilliantly accentuating every scene. For me the hidden gems of Wings of Desire are two performances from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (he used to live in Berlin at that time) with perfectly chosen songs:The Carny and From Her to Eternity.

If you like movies with soul and depth then Wings of Desire is for you, you want regret watching it and you will never forget it.

(Hollywood tried to remake this movie and created barely watchable City of Angels 1998)

Movie recommendation 'Waiting for Godot' (2001)

Waiting for Godot has a special meaning for me, it was this very play that years ago made me fall in love with theatre, every time I see it I find something new to think about, some new understanding like a piece of infinite puzzle.
Waiting for Godot is written by Samuel Beckett some call it a comedy of undoing because in it Beckett successively deconstructs all the rules that used to govern play-writting before his time, others point that it belongs to the Theatre of Absurd, a form of theatre which rooted from the Absurdist philosophy of Albert Camus. Absurdism is philosophy of existentialism, pioneered by Søren Kierkegaard, and states that, while ultimate meaning might very well exist in the universe, human beings are incapable of finding it due to their mental or philosophical limitation. Therefore humanity is doomed to be faced with the Absurd, or the total absurdity of existence in lack of clearly defined purpose and meaning.

In this play two main characters, Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone named Godot, a mythical god-like figure who will come and change their meaningless existence that consists mainly of finding different ways of killing time, their life is so bleak that they even ponder over possibility of hanging themselves because it might give them an erection. The only two other people that show up are pompous and cruel man named Pozzo and his slave servant called  Lucky, whom Pozzo  keeps on a rope like an animal and treats with utter despise. The setting is also minimalistic it consist of a a country road and a tree.

Of course all of this makes it really difficult to transfer this play onto a movie screen, all the weight of keeping the viewer interested rests on the performances of the actors. Fortunately the 2001 adaptation is great, Barry McGovern (Vladimir), Johnny Murphy (Esstragon), Alan Stanford (Pozzo) and Stephen Brennan (Lucky) do marvellous job, your eyes will stay glued to the screen all through the movie completly engrossed in their interactions, the camera work and direction are also flawless.
 
Due to it's absurdity and mind boggling qualities this play and a movie might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like to give your brain some exercises and ask some fundamental questions about humanity and sense of our existence you will not be disappointed.

Review of "Blue Is the Warmest Colour"

"Blue is the Warmest Colour"  is a movie you will either love or hate, it raised some controversy over it's topic which is a love between two women and over depicting sex scenes in a very graphic way. But labelling this movie as 'gay' clouds peoples perception, no matter what your sexual orientation is you can find yourself in it because above all this is a story about self discovery and first love experiences we all have.

Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) is a young french girl who loves literature, she starts dating boys, but accidental kiss with a girl makes her question hers sexual orientation, one day she sees a blue-haired girl walking with her girlfriend, their eyes meet and you can witness the instant connection, but the girl walks away. From that day Adele looks for the blue haired girl and finally finds her in a gay club, the girls name is Emma (Lea Seydoux) and she is a painter, they start seeing each other, their relationship platonic at first when Adele tries to make sense of what she is feeling, turns in time into sensual and sexual passion bordering on Adele's side to obsession. Yes the sex scenes are very realistic but they are in the movie for a purpose, they show that passion between those two girls is the main bonding force in their relationship, their interests, temperaments and characters are quite different but the love at first sight and sexual magnetism brings them together. Unfortunately quite often especially in the case of first love feelings for each other and passion are not enough, when  you merge yourself  with another person and become addicted to them you loose yourself and demand of them to be your only source of happiness, but no one can take that kind of responsibility. In Adele's case she realises that Emma has a passion outside the relationship and it is her art and that she doesn't quite fit with all the quirky people Emma hangs around, this is particularly visible in the party scene when Adele plays hostess and doesn't really partake in the arty conversations, Emma notices this too and tries to encourage Adele to pursue her literary ambitions but she refuses claiming that becoming a teacher and being a homebody is what she really wants, they grow further apart as Adele feels showed away from Emma's world.
The main message for me from this movie is that for love to work aside the initial feeling and attraction we need to be able to balance independence with togetherness: still be ourselves have our own interest and passions be responsible for our own happiness but also although opposites may attract there need to be some similarities that would be a  base for understanding.

Both actresses are absolutely perfect but it is Adele Exarchopoulos that I find mesmerising to watch her eyes show every emotion, for me this whole movie is based on her performance, she can truly touch your heart, I'm straight but thanks to her truthfulness in depicting the beauty and drama of love I could easily find myself in her character. I think we all have been there during our lives regardless of our sex, race or sexual orientation we've sometimes been like Adele to attached and sometimes like Emma.
This is a beautiful movie watch it, think about it, your conclusions might be totally different than mine but one thing I can guarantee it will not leave you indifferent.

Review of "Strangers on a Train" at Gielgud Theatre

Originally Strangers on a Train was an American psychological crime thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith.
Gielguld's adaptation is closer to the novel than to the movie, however some elements are different from both, so if you think you know how the story will unfold you will be in for a surprise.

 Architect Guy Haines (played by Laurence Fox) wants to divorce his unfaithful wife, Miriam, in order to marry the woman he loves, Anne Faulkner. While on a train on the way to discuss the divorce with his wife, he meets Charles Anthony Bruno (fantastic Jack Huston), a spoilt, rich, mentally unstable man with 'daddy' and 'mummy' issues,  who proposes an idea to "exchange murders": Bruno will kill Miriam if Guy kills Bruno's father; neither of them will have a motive and no one will know that they ever met, so the police will have no reason to suspect either of them. Guy does not take Bruno seriously, but Bruno kills Guy's wife while Guy is away and then blackmails Guy to fulfil his end of the 'bargain'.
A bit of a spoiler !
Guy succumbs to the pressure, but  after the deed is done Bruno doesn't want to leave him alone and continues showing up disrupting his life. From observing Bruno's very unhealthy almost sensual relationship with his mother Elsie (great Imogen Stubbs) and the way he acts around Guy (jealous of his wife, possessive and obsessed) we can deduce that he is gay and in love with him, this love is the reason the 'perfect murder scheme' falls apart. When we first meet Bruno on the train he is a bit like Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment convinced of his god-like right to decide the fate of others and backing his theories with pseudo philosophical gibberish, as the story unfolds he changes, yes he is still a psychopath but he realises that the driving force of the world is in fact love, however unlike in Crime and Punishment love in Strangers on the Train does not bring redemption.

Acting is really good, but it is Jack Huston's mad and damaged Bruno that steals every scene, he gives this rather unlikable character depth and human vulnerability that makes us feel pity for him, his equal partner is Imogen Stubbs playing his mother, their scenes together are the highlights of this adaptation. Laurence Fox gives a good performance as a mild mannered and tortured by guilt Guy, Miranda Raison plays Guy's wife Anne with combination of  warmth and passion.

The set is amazing, stylish and lavish (at one point it transforms into a fully working merry go round), rotating part of the stage has been divided into sections one showing and others being prepared outside our view, it is done with such speed and precision that I wished I could go behind and have a sneak peak of how it works, my sincere kudos to all involved.

In conclusion  Strangers on the Train is definitely worth watching especially now when you can get a good deal on tickets, go and see it for yourself.


                                          

'Secretary' (2002) - a slightly different love story

Before E.L Jamese's '50 Shades of Gray' became a bestseller (and I must admit that I gave up after around 30 pages, not my cup of tea) there was a different Mr Gray although with similar fetish (S&M), and he is one of the main characters in wonderfully funny, dark and saucy movie 'Secretary'.

The story begins when a young woman Lee Holloway  (played superbly by Maggie Gyllenhaal) leaves a mental hospital, she has a history of depression and self-harm caused by living in dysfunctional family with: alcoholic father, weak and obsessive mother and 'perfect' sister.  To become more independent Lee takes up a type writing course and finds a job as a secretary of a domineering perfectionist Mr E. Edward Gray (played by James Spader). Edward refuses to use a computer and makes Lee type all the documents on an old fashioned typewriter, at first their relationship is strictly professional but the eagerness and dedication with which Lee fulfils all of his commands and her apparent vulnerability starts to grow on him. Scared of his feelings he tries to scare her of by abusing her every time she makes a mistake, this has an unexpected result due to the fact that Lee is in fact a masochist and secretly enjoys the intensity of what's happening between them. And thus a sensual, intense and incredibly entertaining to watch game begins.
The love story between the main characters is not a typical submission-domination relationship, in many ways Lee is stronger then Edward, when she realises his feelings for her she is the one to provoke him, lead him and finally to persuade him it's worth to be in a relationship.
Both leading actors are magnificent, Gyllenhaal's portrayal of neurotic and damaged Lee is pitch perfect, Spader is a great mixture of restraint and underlying tension, spiced up with moments of  real warmth and emotional sensitivity.

You will either love or hate this movie and I really love it, it's one of my all time favourites because underneath the kinky concept of S&M hides a beautiful love story about two somewhat weird,lonely and damaged human beings discovering themselves and finding their kindred spirit.

Every time I watch 'Secretary' this quote quote from Robert Fulghum (although made famous by Dr. Seuss) pops into my head :

“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.”

Frank Capra's wonderful comedy 'Arsenic and old Lace' (1944)

Most of the now days comedies makes me cringe, they lack charm and intelligence, bad taste jokes about bodily functions and most intimate situations are overwhelming. The other thing that annoys me is how dim witted most of the characters in those movies are, maybe I'm strange but I don't find stupidity funny, I personally fear stupid and get really embarrassed seeing what people are willing to do for cheap laughs. Finding a funny movie that doesn't make your brain want to commit suicide is tricky, therefore I often go back to the golden years of cinema, to the times when scripts were witty and sharp, when the acting was so superb that you didn't have to use sex and bad language to lure people to watch a movie, when people still had imagination and could do without all the flashy sets and computer generated visual images.

One of my favourite comedies from that era is 'Arsenic and Old Lace' ", it was first a successful stage play on Broadway written by Joseph Kisserling, in 1944 it was adapted to screen by Julius and Philip Epstein team and directed by great Frank Capra. The plot is deliciously crazy: Mortimer Brewster (excellent Cary Grant, it's amazing how someone so handsome can be so extremely funny at the same time) a newspaperman gets married, when he goes to inform his beloved aunts Martha and Abby about his nuptials, he discovers a body in the window seat and finds out that dear old ladies have a rather peculiar hobby: they poison old lonely men and consider it an act of charity. The situation gets even more bizarre when Mortimer's long lost, mad brother Jonathan (looking very much like Frankenstein's monster) shows up. The hilarity ensues.

Gary Grant is brilliant, his facial expressions are priceless, apparently later in life he disliked his performance claiming it was over the top, but I absolutely love it. Josephine Hull and Jean Adair are fantastic as homicidal but good hearted and lovable aunts, the rest of the cast is also exceptionally good.
The whole movie works perfectly and is a true joy to watch, so if you are tired of the bubblegum for eyes shown on TV and crave for something of quality to watch go for 'Arsenic and Old Lace'.

 

Review of Steve McQueens movies 'Hunger' (2008) and 'Shame' (2011)

In anticipation of tomorrow's premiere of 12 Years as a Slave I wanted to write about Steve McQueens earlier movies Hunger (2008) and Shame (2011).  A word of warning, those movies are difficult, emotionally exhausting and brutally explicit in recreating the plot, there are moments that are almost unbearable to watch (especially in Hunger), so if you are depressed or very emotional steer clear from them. I personally love them both and thus can't wait to see 12 Years a Slave. Some spoilers ahead.

Hunger (2008) is a movie about Irish hunger strike that happened in 1981, a bit of history background first : The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest by Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government withdrew Special Category Status for convicted paramilitary prisoners. In 1978, after a number of attacks on prisoners, the dispute escalated into the dirty protest, where prisoners refused to leave their cells to wash and covered the walls of their cells with excrement. In 1980, seven prisoners participated in the first hunger strike, which ended after 53 days. Movie focuses on the second hunger strike which took place in 1981, its starts of with arrival of new prisoner Davy Gillen and by observing his treatment we find out about the conditions of living in the prison and about the way guards treat the inmates, violence, humiliation and total dehumanization are the daily elements of life and  McQueen shows them in great detail . Later focus shifts and we meet Bobby Sands played by truly mesmerizing Michael Fassbender, Bobby is the leader among the prisoners, when the negotiations with British Government fail and he and and his fellow prisoners get brutally beaten for refusing to wear clothes he decides to start a hunger strike. There is a long sequence showing Bobby meeting with Father Dominc Moran (Rory Mullen), discussing morality of the strike and tracing sources of his conviction to his experiences as a child, the whole scene is a showpiece of Fassbender's amazing acting skills.
The transformation that Fassbender undergoes to show  how body changes when you are starving yourself  to death is truly horrifying, he looks like a skeleton covered with skin that rips in places forming blisters and sores, it makes you want  to cry, by the end his character is so frail they have to put a frame over his body before they cover him with a sheet. During his last days Bobby Sands was elected as a Member of Parliament, prompting media interest from around the world. The strike was called off after ten prisoners had starved themselves to death—including Sands.Shortly afterwards, the British government conceded in one form or another virtually all of the prisoners' demands despite never officially granting political status.
When you watch this movie you can't believe that the situation it shows happened only 30 years ago, because the treatment of the prisoners looks like something from long before the European Convention on Human Rights (1953), the sad thing is that in many prisons around the world this still the norm. The different way guards behaved inside ad outside the prison walls got me thinking about the Stanford experiment( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_experiment ) so if you want to see where it could of led if it hadn't been stopped watch Hunger.

In Shame (2012) McQueen again reaches for a difficult topic this time it's sexual addiction, but this is only the surface because underneath this is a movie about alienation, loneliness and inability to sustain normal human relations which seems to be the plague of the modern world. Michael Fssbender plays Brandon seemingly successful, modern 30 something man living in New York, but from the first look at him we know somethings wrong, he watches women with the tension and obsession, his apartment is cold and sterile, there is nothing personal except of his laptop, later we see him with prostitute and find out that he is in fact a sex addict. His life is totally taken over by the need to release tension, he exist from one orgasm to another and is slowly loosing control battle with his addiction, the whole situation spirals out of control when his equally damaged and emotionally needy sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) comes to visit, her presence disrupts his almost ritualistic sexual routine and brings back some bad memories. There is nothing erotic about sex in this movie, no emotion, no closeness, Brandon tries to build a relationship with his coworker but  when they are intimate together he cant perform which leaves him in a state of distress, he realizes that his integral human bonding abilities for intimacy are severely damaged if not nonexistent. McQueen's movies don't have much dialogue they base on actors abilities to show emotions with their body language and facial expressions and Fassbender is absolutely fantastic at this, Carey Mulligan is also very good. Shame doesn't have a definite ending it leaves you wondering what will become of the two main characters.

                                         

The Hollow Crown - BBC 2012

The Hollow Crown is BBC's  excellent filming of the Shakespeare's second Henriad (Richard II with Henry IV's rise to power, Henry IV, parts I and II, and Henry V). This production manages to stay true to Shakespeare's spirit while making it accessible to modern audience, people who used to hate Bard's work might find themselves converted. The cast is really superb consisting of the young stars like Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Michelle Dockery, Tom Hiddleston and true legends like Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Walters, John Hurt and Simon Russell Beale.

Out of four episodes first one - Richard II, although really good is my least favorite, the reason for that is Ben Whishaw's mannerism, his portrayal of the king's gentleness, vulnerability and androgyny is sometimes to over the top for my taste. Fortunately the rest of the cast is doing magnificent job, Rory Kinnear is particularly good  as Bolingbroke and provides a great counterbalance for ethereal Whishaw.

The rest of the episodes are for me flawless. Jeremy Irons is convincing and  moving as ailing, guilt ridden Henry IV, to whom his eldest son and heir Hal is giving a lot of grief and worry with his reckless and improper actions. Hal the future Henry V is played brilliantly by Tom Hiddleston, in his portrayal of the young prince he gives him true humanity and warmth, thus Hal's progression from rebellious youth to a hero and leader who can inspire his people is very believable. After seeing Coriolanus and The Hollow Crown I think that Tom Hiddleston has an amazing potential and range as an actor and I hope Hollywood won't suck him in and stop him from doing theatre because it would be a great loss.

Another great performance in The Hollow Crown is delivered by Simon Russell Beale, his Falstaff is not just a comical figure, he is flawed, vain and greedy but also very pitiable and pathetic, you can't help but feel sorry for him.

This is not a high budget, sugary, CGI packed production in here it's all about the acting and acting is first class, get the DVD and see it for yourself.

How to Steal a Million with Peter O'Toole

The end of last year was marked by death of one of the greatest actors in the world Peter O'Toole, he became famous  playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) for which he received his first Academy Award nomination. He received seven further Oscar nominations for: Becket (1964), The Lion in Winter (1968), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Ruling Class (1972), The Stunt Man (1980), My Favorite Year (1982) and Venus (2006).

Those are all amazing movies, however my favorite is and always will be How to Steal a Million (1966), this comedy/crime/romance mix in which Peter O'Toole teams up with wonderful Audrey Hepburn is a true delight, charming, witty and intelligent. The chemistry between dashingly handsome O'Toole (those blue eyes) and  gorgeous Hepburn is really great (equaled only by Audrey Hepburn pairing with Cary Grant in Charade, another favorite of mine).
 
The plot is a joyous romp: famous art collector who is actually art forger, Charles Bonnet lends a statue of  Venus to a museum in Paris, claiming it was sculpted by Cellini, when in fact it's a fake (just like everything else in his collection). Museum wants to insure the priceless piece of art but to do that the statue needs to be first tested by an expert to confirm it's authenticity. To prevent the ruin of the family, which would be imminent in the event of forgery being discovered, Bonnet's daughter Nicole (Audrey Hepburn) decides to steal the statue from the heavy guarded museum before the tests can be carried out, to do this she enlists the help of a mysterious burglar Simon Drermott (O'Toole).

I hope you will enjoy this movie as much as I do and remember one of the finest actors that ever lived.

National Theatre: 50 years on stage.

On the 2nd of November 2013 National Theatre celebrated it's 50th birthday with a very special performance called 50 Years on Stage.

The National Theatre first opened its doors in 1963 at the Old Vic under Laurence Olivier, work on the site where the National Theatre resides now (South Bank) started on 3 November 1969, The Queen officially opened the building on 25 October 1976. More then eight hundred productions later National Theatre marked it's fifth decade by remembering the best plays and amazing actors that graced it's stage.

50 Years on Stage is a true gem it consists of recreations of the most memorable scenes from the great plays that were staged by National Theatre, mixed with interviews with  actors and some archive footage from the original performances.

Among the cast you have young actors whose stars are on the rise including: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dominic Cooper, Andrew Scott and Rory Kinnear and true legends of stage like: Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Joan Plowright, Deborah Findlay, Ralph Fiennes and Simon Russell Beale (who is going to play King Lear in forthcoming adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/king-lear).

Each segment is a treat, wonderfully directed and superbly acted which makes it really difficult to choose the best, I particularly enjoyed hilarious Ralph Fiennes in Pravda and brilliant and equally funny Sir Derek Jacobi in No Man's Land, the other favourite of mine was mesmerizing Helen Mirren  as unfaithful and murderous wife in Mourning Becomes Electra.
I also absolutely loved  the fragment from1964 production of Hay Fever starring Maggie Smith, I'm really desperate to watch the whole play if I can get my hands on it.

To find more information about 50 Years on Stage visit the official website

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/welcome-to-the-national-theatre/50th-anniversary-website

Coriolanus at Donmar Warehouse London

Coriolanus is Shakespeare's last tragedy and fourth of his Roman plays. Donmar's adaptation directed by Josie Rourke has truly stellar cast including: Tom Hiddleston, Mark Gatiss, Hadley Fraser and Deborah Findlay. Because of this it's completely sod out, getting tickets requires incredible luck   (Barclays Front Row tickets released every Monday) or paying arm and leg on one of the ticket trading websites, I payed and I do not regret it, seeing this marvelous production was worth every penny (I got ticket for the evening of the 1st day of 2014, my seat was right beside the stage giving a fantastic view of the performance).

Acting of all the cast was superb, but it was Tom Hiddleston (Coriolanus) and Deborah Findlay (Volumnia - mother of Coriolanus) who kept me mesmerized. Tom Hiddleston commands the stage with passion and purpose, giving a fantastic performance as Coriolanus a man consumed by pride and obsessed with honor, but it is when you see his mother you know exactly where it all came from, Deborah Findlay's Volumnia has the voice and presence that makes you shiver, no wonder Coriolanus can't refuse her demands, this is a woman who would rather see her only child dead than dishonored and yet in the final scenes (pleading with her son for the sake of Rome) she shows true feeling and vulnerability.  Mark Gatiss does a great job too, his Menenius is a warm, moving and witty voice of reason to gentle to get through, ultimately rejected, heartbroken and cast away.

The set is really minimalistic but very suggestive (Donmar is a very intimate theatre with 250 seats).
Special effects were adding to the grimness and brutality of the play,  swords were clashing, smoke, soil and dust filled the air, rose petals were falling and blood was spilling on the floor.

Underneath it all Coriolanus is a play about the way politics and power work, about the price you have to pay for staying true to your values (whatever they might be) and not flattering the masses to gain popularity.

Coriolanus will be broadcasted by National Theatre Live in cinemas on 30th of January 2014.

http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout5-coriolanus

12 Angry Men at Garrick Theatre London

Juror #8: "It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth."

"12 Angry Men " (Sidney Lumet's adaptation from 1957 starring Henry Fonda) is one of my favorite movies, surprisingly although it received excellent reviews and three Academy Award nominations  it was not a box office hit, only after being broadcasted on TV it began to win the audience and now is perceived as a must see classic.
Therefore I was a bit anxious to see a stage adaptation at Garrick Theater, starring Martin Shaw, Jeff Fahey, Nick Moran and Robert Vaughn. Did it live up to the movie?

The answer is a definite Yes. Actors are absolutely fantastic, I especially enjoyed Miles Richardson playing Juror 10 a disgusting, angry, racist, his every word dripped with hate, made me feel very uncomfortable and that's for me what true art is about - evoking the feelings within a spectator. Martin Shaw and Robert Vaughn show true class, Jeff Fahey makes a rather unsympathetic character believable and moving (spoiler alert!!) the last scene when his character brakes down and cries for a length of time that seems like an eternity is a true display of his acting abilities, it was so heart-wrenching that I just wanted to climb on stage and give him a hug.
Long after the play was finished I was wondering how do you do this, how do you build yourself up to be able to display this level of emotional intensity?
Are you so empathic and in tune with character you're playing, or are you reaching for one of your life's sad experiences? And how are you able to do it twice a day in front of hundreds of people?
This is a true magic of theater.

"12 Angry Men" is still on at Garrick Theater go and see it for yourself, I truly recommend it.  http://www.garrick-theatre.co.uk/Twelve-Angry-Men.html

Michael Haneke's "Amour"

  Amour means love, and that's what Michael Haneke's movie is about' but it's not pop culture type of love: sugar coated, fast, fleeting, feeble, reserved to young and beautiful, disposable and shallow, No, "Amour" is about real love, unconditional, lasting, faithful and true to the end, the kind of love each and single one of us yearns for.
 The story about elderly couple- beautifully portrayed by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva- is almost unbearable to watch mainly because our culture shies away from showing aging and declining health, we have no problem with violent death, tortures and brutality but we are afraid of  natural course of life, of what often awaits us at the end of our journey: loss of independence, vitality, dignity and mental regress, but pretending it's not there doesn't make it go away and sooner or later we all going to be where the main characters are and one can only wish that we will take it with the same degree of dignity and love as they did .
  Despite the brutal honesty in portrayal of aging and dying this movie leaves us with hope that true love never dies.

When I was writing this post this song by Leonard Cohen came to my mind, enjoy:

“What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet living?                             
Beatrice: Is it possible disdain should die while she hath
such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick?”
― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing 


Today I've watched again Kenneth Branagh's 'Much Ado About Nothing' and couldn't help but compare it with the adaptation that I've seen two months ago at The Old Vic(starring Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones). Branagh's take on Shakespeare's comedy is a triumph of joy, laughter, charming verbal fencing and great acting, tension between main characters is sizzling and you can clearly see that actors are truly enjoying themselves.

 The Old Vic's version was completely different, the only word that I find suitable to describe it would be 'claustrophobic',  the action has been transferred to the time of World War II  set in an English village with Don Pedro and his men stationed at a US air-base nearby (during the play you could hear the sounds of  bomber air-crafts that made you think more about running for cover than love and romance), gigantic, dark, brown, table-like structure in the middle of the tage, around which the action took place only added to grim impression (it also distorted the sound). Redgrave and Jones are both great actors their age didn't bother me, however what did, was the fact that the rest of the cast looked really bleak in comparison to them.

The same play such a different feel but a great lesson on what happens if you try to hard to be original and innovative.