Mrs Harris Goes To Paris The always wonderful Lesley Manville stars as Mrs. Ada Harris, a widowed char woman in 1950’s London. When she becomes smitten with a gorgeous Dior dress at the home of a client, Mrs Harris sets her sights on having one of her very own. Eventually, the stars align and Mrs Harris finds herself in Paris, at the iconic House of Dior, where she immediately ruffles a few feathers. Turns out Dior is run by a rather snooty bunch who are certainly not interested in dressing the likes of Mrs Harris. But a lovely gentleman steps in to help, and when it’s discovered that Mrs Harris is paying cash (Mr. Dior is in a spot of financial bother as it happens) she finds herself being fitted for a gown. There’s a bit more plot besides (although not much) and it’s all rather silly – but – it’s also endearing and sweet and charming. If you’re in need of a lovely escapist pick me up then this is perfect—and it has the added bonus of lots of stunning Dior gowns which is worth the price of admission alone.
Mr Malcolm’s List Julia Thistlewaite is spurned by eligible bachelor, Mr. Malcolm when she fails to meet the qualifications on the list he has fashioned for the future Mrs Malcolm. And because hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Julia decides to wreak revenge. She brings in her childhood (less moneyed) friend, Selina, dresses her up, tricks her out and sends her off to hoodwink Mr. Malcolm into falling in love with her (and all of her requisite character traits) so that the rug can be pulled out from under him and he will feel every ounce of the humiliation that she did. But, as you might imagine, things don’t go quite as they are supposed to. It’s a period piece (can never resist), visually lovely with plenty of froth and foppery, just, sadly, a little ordinary and a touch devoid of substance—but certainly enjoyable enough if you’re in need of non-taxing entertainment.
Everyone’s Talking About Jamie It’s Jamie New’s 16th birthday and his mum’s present is a fabulous pair of red heels—because when Jamie grows up he wants to be a drag queen. And in preparation for such a gloriously colorful career, he decides to take a trial run by dressing in drag for his upcoming prom. There will be obstacles to overcome and hills to climb but his glittery stilettos will be just the thing to get him there—after, he’s learned to walk in them. His journey is divinely bedazzled, brimming with energy and optimism and filled with splashy song and dance numbers. It ain’t half bad in the well-known actors department either—Sarah Lancaster plays Jamie’s mum, Sharon Horgan plays his teacher (albeit in the the most one dimensional role I’ve ever seen her in) and Richard E. Grant is a drag queen who mentors him and also shows him archival footage of the gay rights movement and AIDS epidemic of the early eighties, which helps to give Jamie’s plight a bit of context and depth. It doesn’t quite live up to the sum of its parts, perhaps, but it’s so delightfully bright and fun that it’s worth overlooking such a tedious detail.
Catherine Called Birdy In 13th century England, plucky and spirited 14-year-old Birdy is about to be married off to a wealthy suitor in order to inject some much needed cash into the family home. Dad, Lord Rollo, as exuberantly loveable as he is, has a fondness for profligate spending on such things as exotic tigers, which travel from afar and are generally DOA. Birdy, however, is having none of it and proceeds to find a myriad hilarious ways to fight the slings and arrows of outrageous marriage proposals being shot her way. Andrew Scott plays Lord Rollo with hippy abandonment, Billie Piper plays Birdy’s mother (in a much too small role) and there are a handful of familiar faces who also lend their heft to the film. Bella Ramsey (of current The Last of Us fame) plays Birdy and is fabulously quick witted and feisty. Throw in a modern soundtrack and you have an energetic film which is delightfully goofy and charmingly silly.
Wild Target Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy), is a buttoned up, dead-pan assassin who falls for his intended target, free-spirited con artist, Rose (Emily Blunt), and then manages to acquire an apprentice he doesn’t need, Tony (Rupert Grinty), who believes Victor is a private detective. As one crazy situation leads to another, our unlikely trio finds themselves on the lam. It’s a downright daft, madcap caper of a movie, and because it also stars Rupert Everett, Martin Freeman and Eileen Atkins, it’s one which is carried along by the sheer brilliance of its stellar cast. It might be silly, but it’s hard not to revel in its joyous energy and sparkly wit.
Argylle Bonkers, that’s what this film is. Absolutely bonkers. Bonkers good? Bonkers bad? Well, that, you’ll have to decide for yourself. Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a writer of spy thrillers who suffers a sudden bout of writers block, hops on a train to visit her parents, is approached by Agent Auden Wild, and then gets caught up in a crazy fight. Elly comes to learn that she is being targeted by a rogue agency known as “the Division” which feels that her spy novels are getting just a wee bit too close to the truth. From here things get, well, absolutely bonkers. First of all let me say this – the film is wayyyy too long at 2 hours and 20 minutes and several scenes could have been shortened considerably and still worked. Or maybe just removed—there’s a weird ice-skating/fight scene which is drenched in coloured smoke. It’s…bonkers! Overall it’s entertaining and to give it its due, there are a couple of twists that I did NOT see coming which was fun, but whether or not you find it to be an hilarious funny romp or a star-studded implausible mess will depend entirely on what floats your boat. Or the mood you’re in.