The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
The Blackheath Concert Halls
September 23- 24, 2011
It is small, unprepossessing and has only 4 strings. Popularised by George Fornby in the 1930s, this "poor relation" of the guitar family is without artifice and generally looked down upon by classical musicians. But take the four different sizes, soprano, concert tenor and baritone and put them in the hands of them to the 8 members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and you have an excellent night out.
Together, more or less, since 1985, the band has its origins in the "Republic of South Yorkshire" to quote nominal leader, George Hinchcliffe, when his father first bought him the instrument. "Could we have strings”, he is said to have asked. The orchestra have been touring ever since and have somehow today turned into a world renowned band. “We're thinking of launching a perfume”, Dave "pony-tail" Suich quipped last night.
If the instrument lacks gravitas, then so too does the group, full of self-deprecating humour and refusing to be taken or indeed take themselves, too seriously. "This poxy instrument can’t do much...and it forces us to think imaginatively about how to make sounds", Mr Grove-White added refreshingly. But make no mistake these are skilled musicians all and what they do with the instrument is quite astonishing to behold. In addition to the finger speed, versatility and control, their voices are compelling and the harmonies strong. There was even a whistling solo by baritone player Jonty Bankes, whose rendition of Bowie's Life on Mars was as unusual but as melodious as the unaccompanied Pin Ball Wizard to the rhythm of a sea-shanty.
While part two of the show lacked the impact of the first, renditions of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Slave to the Rhythm and Teenage Dirtbag kept the crowd happy as did some quite spectacular solos by Hinchcliffe and Richie Hall. But their 25 years together has taught them one thing above all; that you rise and you fall as a team. Nothing worked better than their final encore; seven different songs somehow sung simultaneously to one single tune.
Thanks to a much improved programme, the Halls were once again packed and the audience loved what they saw. "I absolutely no idea that a Ukulele Orchestra could possibly be quite so good", an elderly gentlemen remarked to his wife. Frankly, neither did I. Book early so as not miss out on next year. 8/10
September 2011
Richard Smith-Morgan
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
A breath of fresh "Eyre" or cinema in decline
Jane Eyre PG 121 minutes 2011
A breath of fresh Eyre or cinema in crisis?
The 18th remake of Charlotte Bronte's great novel says much about cinema today. So too does Sherlock, Tinker Tailor, Planet of the Apes and the incessant flow of rom coms starring Jennifer Anniston. Where oh where are budding authors of tomorrow? Where oh where the new stories? Where oh where is the talent?
It's not that the new remake is bad. In fact it's actually rather good, our eponymous heroine (19 year-old Mia Wasikowska), as compelling a Jane as the definitive Joan Fontaine and beautifully capturing the paradox that is Jane. Externally plain, her clothes without frills, her hair without curls and her features without make-up, she burns brightly within, confident of mind and determined of spirit. Her self-possession in the face of her duplicitous aunt (Sally Hawkins) and vindictive headmaster (Simon McBurney) are as extraordinary as her verbal sparring with Rochester (Michael Fassbender) himself. When he condescendingly seeks out her personal tale of woe - "for all governesses must have one ", - she crushes him without mercy like an ant underfoot.
Fassbender rises to her challenge oozing charisma and exuding masculinity. Undaunted by refusal and undeterred by his tragic past, he slowly starts to court her, simmering and smouldering but unorthodox of approach. She, for her part, rejects him, not trusting her emotions and more comfortable in self restraint. "I have simply no wish to talk nonsense" she snaps when he begins his advances.
While Jamie Bell as her gallant protector, Mr St John Rivers, tries to steal her affection in an assertive, mature and highly polished performance, it is Rochester whom she loves and Rochester whom she shall have and the scene where Rochester begs Jane to stay after their ill-fated wedding is as emotionally charged as any before it.
Director Cary Fukunaga - who made his name with Sin Nombre about Central American immigrants making their way to the US - directs with a maturity beyond his years overseeing an excellent script (Moirai "Tamara Drewe" Buffini) and an equally competent score (Dario Marianelli). But it is the photography that impresses from the desolation of the moors to the isolation of the houses with the unrelenting North Yorkshire weather, their constant companion.
So fresh Eyre or another remake? It's for you to decide. As for me, enough is enough. Enough of the sequels and enough of the remakes. Rather a poor original than an excellent copy. 2/10.
Richard Smith-Morgan
September 2011
A breath of fresh Eyre or cinema in crisis?
The 18th remake of Charlotte Bronte's great novel says much about cinema today. So too does Sherlock, Tinker Tailor, Planet of the Apes and the incessant flow of rom coms starring Jennifer Anniston. Where oh where are budding authors of tomorrow? Where oh where the new stories? Where oh where is the talent?
It's not that the new remake is bad. In fact it's actually rather good, our eponymous heroine (19 year-old Mia Wasikowska), as compelling a Jane as the definitive Joan Fontaine and beautifully capturing the paradox that is Jane. Externally plain, her clothes without frills, her hair without curls and her features without make-up, she burns brightly within, confident of mind and determined of spirit. Her self-possession in the face of her duplicitous aunt (Sally Hawkins) and vindictive headmaster (Simon McBurney) are as extraordinary as her verbal sparring with Rochester (Michael Fassbender) himself. When he condescendingly seeks out her personal tale of woe - "for all governesses must have one ", - she crushes him without mercy like an ant underfoot.
Fassbender rises to her challenge oozing charisma and exuding masculinity. Undaunted by refusal and undeterred by his tragic past, he slowly starts to court her, simmering and smouldering but unorthodox of approach. She, for her part, rejects him, not trusting her emotions and more comfortable in self restraint. "I have simply no wish to talk nonsense" she snaps when he begins his advances.
While Jamie Bell as her gallant protector, Mr St John Rivers, tries to steal her affection in an assertive, mature and highly polished performance, it is Rochester whom she loves and Rochester whom she shall have and the scene where Rochester begs Jane to stay after their ill-fated wedding is as emotionally charged as any before it.
Director Cary Fukunaga - who made his name with Sin Nombre about Central American immigrants making their way to the US - directs with a maturity beyond his years overseeing an excellent script (Moirai "Tamara Drewe" Buffini) and an equally competent score (Dario Marianelli). But it is the photography that impresses from the desolation of the moors to the isolation of the houses with the unrelenting North Yorkshire weather, their constant companion.
So fresh Eyre or another remake? It's for you to decide. As for me, enough is enough. Enough of the sequels and enough of the remakes. Rather a poor original than an excellent copy. 2/10.
Richard Smith-Morgan
September 2011
Thursday, 8 September 2011
The Art of Getting By (12A) – 83 minutes 2011
The Art of Getting By (12A) – 83 minutes 2011
I expected to hate it. An angst- ridden youth in search of himself, disrespectful at home, disengaged at his school. A lovely companion whose advances he ignores and dysfunctional parents oblivious to it all. But it was better than I thought, the two leads, in particular, surprisingly good.
The story is simple. Disenchanted young George (Freddie Highmore) meets lonely young Sally (Emma Roberts). They soon fall in love but neither dares admit it and as the great bard would have it, true love runs not smooth.
We ought to dislike George – he does everything he can to push us away. He is arrogant, he is thoughtless and entirely self-absorbed and yet somehow we like him and feel for his plight. We, like his mother, (nicely underplayed by Rita Wilson, the wife of Tom Hanks), overlook the bad behaviour. We like his headmaster (Blair “LA Law” Underwood – his first big screen role in quite a while) are glad he’s not expelled and we like his teacher (a barely recognisable Alicia Silverstone) see only what is good.
Highmore is impressive and has really come of age, long gone the child actor of Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Here is an adult in control of his role. Hiding himself away in a long winter coat, he is outwardly fatalistic and disillusioned with life. But inwardly he burns with a passion to paint but dark, haunting doodles are the best he can manage. He needs a spark to ignite him and that spark is Sally.
Roberts is good although her role is less demanding and her character less complex. Touching and tender she opens up his soul, enters his world and likes what she sees. The cast - including a short cameo from Steven Spielberg’s daughter, Sasha - makes the most of debut writer / director Gavin Wiesen’s limited framework but the dialogue is crisp and the duration (less than 90 minutes) about right. Look out for the two leads of whom much more will be seen.
Much better than expected, but wait for the DVD. 5/10
DM
September 2011
I expected to hate it. An angst- ridden youth in search of himself, disrespectful at home, disengaged at his school. A lovely companion whose advances he ignores and dysfunctional parents oblivious to it all. But it was better than I thought, the two leads, in particular, surprisingly good.
The story is simple. Disenchanted young George (Freddie Highmore) meets lonely young Sally (Emma Roberts). They soon fall in love but neither dares admit it and as the great bard would have it, true love runs not smooth.
We ought to dislike George – he does everything he can to push us away. He is arrogant, he is thoughtless and entirely self-absorbed and yet somehow we like him and feel for his plight. We, like his mother, (nicely underplayed by Rita Wilson, the wife of Tom Hanks), overlook the bad behaviour. We like his headmaster (Blair “LA Law” Underwood – his first big screen role in quite a while) are glad he’s not expelled and we like his teacher (a barely recognisable Alicia Silverstone) see only what is good.
Highmore is impressive and has really come of age, long gone the child actor of Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Here is an adult in control of his role. Hiding himself away in a long winter coat, he is outwardly fatalistic and disillusioned with life. But inwardly he burns with a passion to paint but dark, haunting doodles are the best he can manage. He needs a spark to ignite him and that spark is Sally.
Roberts is good although her role is less demanding and her character less complex. Touching and tender she opens up his soul, enters his world and likes what she sees. The cast - including a short cameo from Steven Spielberg’s daughter, Sasha - makes the most of debut writer / director Gavin Wiesen’s limited framework but the dialogue is crisp and the duration (less than 90 minutes) about right. Look out for the two leads of whom much more will be seen.
Much better than expected, but wait for the DVD. 5/10
DM
September 2011
Thursday, 1 September 2011
An Evening with Jo Nesbo
An Evening with Jo Nesbo
The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square, August 23, 2011
His novels are dark, his murders are graphic and his hero, Harry Hole, is a drunk. And yet two Jo Nesbo books are currently sold every minute. Why on earth are Scandinavian crime writers so popular? One of the questions that Mark Billingham, himself an acclaimed crime writer, put to Jo in an hour long interview at a packed West End cinema, earlier this week.
Nesbo was refreshingly honest in his response. “I’d like to think that it was the quality of the stories and the depth of the research” he said citing, among others, Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson and Peter Hoeg. Nesbo, won the celebrated, Glass Key Award for (best Nordic novel) for his very first book back in 1997, The Batman, whichstrangely, like his second, Cockroaches, has yet to be translated into English.
Equally compelling though are the unfamiliar backdrops and remote locations with strange sounding names. Holidaying westerners still avoid Scandinavia turning south in search of guaranteed sun. The deeply flawed characters are similarly intriguing; Mankell’s Wallender is divorced, lonely and unable to commit; Larsson’s Salander is anti-social and psychotic and Hole himself is a mess, a chain-smoking alcoholic in constant conflict with both himself and his colleagues. But it is what they lack that makes them work, gives them depth and makes them human.
Nesbo might never have written novels. Born in 1960 in Oslo, he seemed destined to play football until serious injuries to both his knees. After graduating from the Norwegian School of Economics, he drove a taxi (which he liked) and worked in stockbroking (which he didn’t) while simultaneously singer-song writing in a successful, Norwegian rock band, di Derrre. Stockbroking by day and gigs by night finally took its toll and Nesbo took time out to reflect on what to do. He went to Thailand and wrote The Batman and the rest is, as they say, history. Nine Harry Holes have followed – The Ghost is due for UK publication next year – but Harry is not immortal – “I have had the ending planned since the very start”.
This is a man who simply doesn’t waste time. His latest book, Headhunters, is a standalone novel about an accomplished art thief and will be published next week with a movie soon to follow. At long last Nesbo has reluctantly - “This is like putting my baby on the bus to the big city for the first time” sold the film rights of The Snowman. Working Title expect to start production later this year.
We should enjoy Nesbo while we can since this talented, hard-working and very likeable man simply refuses to stand still. Whatever he does next, he will surely do it well.
Richard Smith Morgan
August 2011
The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square, August 23, 2011
His novels are dark, his murders are graphic and his hero, Harry Hole, is a drunk. And yet two Jo Nesbo books are currently sold every minute. Why on earth are Scandinavian crime writers so popular? One of the questions that Mark Billingham, himself an acclaimed crime writer, put to Jo in an hour long interview at a packed West End cinema, earlier this week.
Nesbo was refreshingly honest in his response. “I’d like to think that it was the quality of the stories and the depth of the research” he said citing, among others, Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson and Peter Hoeg. Nesbo, won the celebrated, Glass Key Award for (best Nordic novel) for his very first book back in 1997, The Batman, whichstrangely, like his second, Cockroaches, has yet to be translated into English.
Equally compelling though are the unfamiliar backdrops and remote locations with strange sounding names. Holidaying westerners still avoid Scandinavia turning south in search of guaranteed sun. The deeply flawed characters are similarly intriguing; Mankell’s Wallender is divorced, lonely and unable to commit; Larsson’s Salander is anti-social and psychotic and Hole himself is a mess, a chain-smoking alcoholic in constant conflict with both himself and his colleagues. But it is what they lack that makes them work, gives them depth and makes them human.
Nesbo might never have written novels. Born in 1960 in Oslo, he seemed destined to play football until serious injuries to both his knees. After graduating from the Norwegian School of Economics, he drove a taxi (which he liked) and worked in stockbroking (which he didn’t) while simultaneously singer-song writing in a successful, Norwegian rock band, di Derrre. Stockbroking by day and gigs by night finally took its toll and Nesbo took time out to reflect on what to do. He went to Thailand and wrote The Batman and the rest is, as they say, history. Nine Harry Holes have followed – The Ghost is due for UK publication next year – but Harry is not immortal – “I have had the ending planned since the very start”.
This is a man who simply doesn’t waste time. His latest book, Headhunters, is a standalone novel about an accomplished art thief and will be published next week with a movie soon to follow. At long last Nesbo has reluctantly - “This is like putting my baby on the bus to the big city for the first time” sold the film rights of The Snowman. Working Title expect to start production later this year.
We should enjoy Nesbo while we can since this talented, hard-working and very likeable man simply refuses to stand still. Whatever he does next, he will surely do it well.
Richard Smith Morgan
August 2011
One Day
One Day (12A) 108 minutes – 2011
The release of One Day has been shrouded in sniping. Would Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have done a better job? Can a glamorous American play a retiring, English Rose? Does the emotion of the novel truly shine through? But these are minor quibbles and to snipe is to miss the point. This is an excellent adaptation of a marvellous book.
The film, based on the hugely successful eponymous novel by David Nicholls, tells the story of Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) two Edinburgh students whose post-finals fling leads to an intertwining of souls. But neither soul is ready and the combination seems doomed; he is wealthy and confident, she poor and insecure. Over the next twenty years, on the same day each year, we catch up with their lives, what has worked, what has not. We see them together, holidaying in France and we see them apart, her as a waitress, he on TV. But through the ups and through the downs, we see what they miss; two people in love.
Hathaway and Sturgess work beautifully together, their chemistry almost palpable such is its strength. Her longing for him lies just under the surface, barely suppressed and ready to break; his passion for her rages equally strong but lies deeper and more hidden in spite of himself. While Hathaway’s transformation from ungainly student to sophisticated gamine is both compelling and persuasive, it is Sturgess who impresses. Superficial and hedonistic, he is despised by his father (resolutely played by Ken Stott), disowned by his mother (touchingly played by Patricia Clarkson) and even abandoned by his soul mate who tells him that she no longer “likes him”. But in spite of it all, Sturgess still keeps us close; we put up with the drugs and the booze and the girls; we accept that he is troubled and lost and alone; and we welcome him back as the man he once was as we sense his misgivings over whom he has become.
The transformation to the big screen of an episodic and flashback-driven novel is handled with no little skill by Danish Director Lone (An Education) Scherfig. One Day is not simply a love story with gags. It is the story of life; the dreams we start out with, our hearts full of hope; our successes, our failures, the aspirations we let slip; reality and self-awareness and the compromises we endure.
Outstanding adaptation. 9/10
DM
August 2011
The release of One Day has been shrouded in sniping. Would Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have done a better job? Can a glamorous American play a retiring, English Rose? Does the emotion of the novel truly shine through? But these are minor quibbles and to snipe is to miss the point. This is an excellent adaptation of a marvellous book.
The film, based on the hugely successful eponymous novel by David Nicholls, tells the story of Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) two Edinburgh students whose post-finals fling leads to an intertwining of souls. But neither soul is ready and the combination seems doomed; he is wealthy and confident, she poor and insecure. Over the next twenty years, on the same day each year, we catch up with their lives, what has worked, what has not. We see them together, holidaying in France and we see them apart, her as a waitress, he on TV. But through the ups and through the downs, we see what they miss; two people in love.
Hathaway and Sturgess work beautifully together, their chemistry almost palpable such is its strength. Her longing for him lies just under the surface, barely suppressed and ready to break; his passion for her rages equally strong but lies deeper and more hidden in spite of himself. While Hathaway’s transformation from ungainly student to sophisticated gamine is both compelling and persuasive, it is Sturgess who impresses. Superficial and hedonistic, he is despised by his father (resolutely played by Ken Stott), disowned by his mother (touchingly played by Patricia Clarkson) and even abandoned by his soul mate who tells him that she no longer “likes him”. But in spite of it all, Sturgess still keeps us close; we put up with the drugs and the booze and the girls; we accept that he is troubled and lost and alone; and we welcome him back as the man he once was as we sense his misgivings over whom he has become.
The transformation to the big screen of an episodic and flashback-driven novel is handled with no little skill by Danish Director Lone (An Education) Scherfig. One Day is not simply a love story with gags. It is the story of life; the dreams we start out with, our hearts full of hope; our successes, our failures, the aspirations we let slip; reality and self-awareness and the compromises we endure.
Outstanding adaptation. 9/10
DM
August 2011
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