Category: English

The Girl Next Door (2004) #SherylPuthur

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Directed By: Luke Greenfield

Written By: Stuart Blumberg; David T. Wagner; Brent Goldberg

Cast:

Emile Hirsch – Matthew Kidman

Elisha Cuthbert – Danielle

Timothy Olyphant – Kelly

James Remar – Hugo Posh

Chris Marquette – Eli

Paul Dano – Klitz

Language: English                                Genre: Teen comedy; coming of age

 

The Girl Next Door is sort of a coming-of-age story of a high school senior Matthew (Emile Hirsch) who is a top student and seemingly has his life sorted but feels that he has made no impact or that it is actually very drab. That is until a beautiful girl Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) moves next door and she changes things for him. He has to question his hypocrisies and the stereotypes he holds about the world around him because the girl next door is an ex- porn star.

The film has a lot of conflict. Be it internal (moralistic society-influenced opinions vs. ‘what the heart wants/believes’) or external (the director Kelly (Timothy Olyphant) who refuses to let Danielle quit because she is good and popular). Matthew’s two friends Eli (Chris Marquette) and Klitz (Paul Dano) also haven’t experienced anything of life except for what they have read or watched (porn videos). So when three so-called geeks get involved in the world of adult cinema and theft – it leads to hilarious results.

The film explores the idea of moral judgement. Maybe as humans we are far too quick to judge and label people especially because of sexuality. And just because someone acts holier than thou or is an ‘upstanding’ member of society does not mean in the recesses of their heart they do not contradict what they ostensibly seen to stand for.

It is refreshing to see a film that portrays porn stars as people especially when social media has been unable to comprehend Sunny Leone as any other woman but as a porn star and so the comments range from moralistic tut-tutting to aww come on baby. Of course, the film is not entirely without judgement because – Danielle deserves ‘better’ but then chalk it up to the fact that she does want to study and not do this all her life.

The Girl Next Door is not your average American teen movie. It’s quirky, mad and slightly explicit and it is definitely not about the ‘geek’ getting into the cool clique. So watch it for its different take on teens and porn stars. How maybe porn can be something more?

 

 

 

Australia (2008) #SherylPuthur

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Directed By: Baz Luhrmann

Written By: Baz Luhrmann; Ronald Harwood; Stuart Beattie; Richard Flanagan

Cast:

Nicole Kidman – Lady Sara Ashley

Hugh Jackman – Drover

David Wenham – Neil Fletcher

Brandon Walters – Nullah

David Gulpilil – King George

Bryan Brown – Lesley ‘King’ Carney

Language: English                      Genre: Epic Historical; Drama; Romance

 

Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, was his next production after the hugely successful Moulin Rouge. It even starred Nicole Kidman, though alongside fellow Australian actor Hugh Jackman.

The film uses the tropes of oral storytelling and the bright colour palette of a children’s story. The narration is by a child and tells of the rich aboriginal culture that existed in Australia and the white-washing it received with the entry of the white Australians. The story is thus set on the experiences of the children of the Stolen Generations.

The film is well shot and gripping in parts however, it fails in that one thing that makes a Baz Luhrmann film stand out and take the audience away – passion. The film lacked the overwhelming yet focused passion that made Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge such great successes. Both these films seduced the viewer with the frenzied passion, romance and looming tragedy that made up their narrative.

Agreed that Australia’s theme was ‘overcoming the odds’ but the focus slipped and sharpened in the flow of the narrative. Hence some of the adventurous moments take away from the crux of the film. It is a beautiful attempt by an Australian director to talk about the experiences of the Stolen Generation.

What stood out is the characterisation that takes the story forward. Lady Sara (Nicole Kidman) is an aristocratic British lady, who comes to Australia to settle her husband’s affairs and starts a new life. She unlike others of her background believes that the ‘half-caste’ children should not be sent away. But somewhere to emphasise that we will bring some aspect of prejudices from an alien culture, she does not believe Nullah (Brandon Walters) should leave her and go on his walkabout with his grandfather because she possesses western notions of education and safety. Drover (Hugh Jackman) on the other hand, consciously chose a non-white tradition to identify with and is hence more understanding.

It is about how far can you push aside your prejudices, doubts and accept people on their terms. After all, it is not uniformity that will knit us together, but acceptance.

So watch the film for how Baz Luhrmann has made the Australia of multiple narratives stand out.

Brief Encounter (1945) #SherylPuthur

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Brief Encounter

Directed By: David Lean

  Written By: Noël Coward; Anthony Havelock-Allan; David Lean; Ronald Neame

Cast:

Celia Johnson – Laura Jesson

Trevor Howard – Dr. Alec Harvey

Stanley Holloway – Albert Godby

Joyce Carey – Myrtle Bagot

Cyril Raymond – Fred Jesson

Everley Gregg – Dolly Messiter

Language: English                                                         Genre: Drama; Romance

 

Milford station refreshment room, where commuters rest while they wait for their trains, is the setting for David Lean’s 1945 black and white film – Brief Encounter. The film is set to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and the haunting melody of the piece which starts with the train steaming into the station, sets the mood of the film.

Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey, it is a bittersweet romance between two married strangers who meet under the most ordinary circumstances and over succeeding weeks find themselves drawn to each other, unable to let go and unable to stay.

The film could have easily become the sordid love story of a bored housewife but is saved by Lean’s camera work and the poignancy of Celia Johnson’s narration. The beauty of the film is that it functions on one level as a silent film. In the sense that the viewer depends on the subtle but expressive emotions flitting across Laura’s face to really experience the ‘brief encounter’. Even the narration is carefully worded; honestly portraying the confusion, the romantic aspirations and the moral apprehensions of Laura Jesson. You experience her dilemma of being happily married yet in love with someone else.

The basis of the dilemma is “middle-class morality” as Alfred P. Doolittle famously stated in the film My Fair Lady (a role incidentally played by Stanley Holloway). You can see how the romance between Laura (Celia Johnson) and Dr. Harvey (Trevor Howard) is contrasted by the romance between Mr. Godby and Ms. Bagot. Their relationship functions on more liberal lines. The interesting thing is also that Ms. Bagot’s choices take her desires and ambitions more into consideration when compared to Laura.

An interesting scene or rather moment in the film, which can also be considered quite symbolic, is when Laura is seated in her front room, and her mind goes back to the moment when it all began – the scene slowly dissolves into the Milford refreshment room but there is a lingering after-image of Laura staring into the refreshment room.

Brief Encounter is an interesting choice for a DVD on a dreamy afternoon because as a movie it is well made – editing, both sound and film, cinematography and the inspired direction brings the story together but more importantly, for Celia Johnson who gives a moving portrayal as Laura Jesson. Unfortunately, she has a limited filmography, so watch it for her. That’s just in case, you’re not a David Lean fan.