Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Picture Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

I’ll admit I have never actually seen an episode of Absolutely Fabulous and the most I had actually seen of the show was a meme starring one of the main characters.  Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is based on the hit TV series written by Jennifer Saunders.  Saunders stars as the main character, Edina Monsoon, who plays an aging woman who refuses to have any responsibilities.  She loves fashion, drinking champagne and taking recreational drugs with her best friend Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley).

The amount of celebrity attention was what really drew me to the film.  Apparently the show had been such a hit that many celebs were excited to join the cast.  After watching the film, although it had some really big names and familiar faces, I must admit it didn’t seem as star studded as I expected.  Really the main driving force behind my decision to see the film was Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), no surprise there.

Edina runs her own PR agency, but her business and her funds are running low.  When she gets wind that Kate Moss is looking for a new PR she sees this as her last chance to save her business and keep the party going.  When trying to make an impression and an entrance, Edina accidentally knocks Kate off a balcony where she falls into the Thames.  After hours turn into days, the search for Kate looks more and more bleak and her fans are furious with Edina.  In order to protect herself, Edina must find out what happened to Kate in order to clear her name before it is too late.

The movie plays out in a flash of random silly events.  Many of the characters are from the TV series which makes it great fun for fans of the show.  For those of us who haven’t seen the show, we can relish in things like seeing Emma Bunton and other familiar faces from the Spice World film that happen to make appearances in Absolutely Fabulous.

Nothing really thrilling actually happens in the movie and it has a resounding similarity to watching a tv show.  The film goes by quick enough for it to seem as though you had just caught a quick episode on the telly only with an obviously larger budget and better cameras.

I would love to hear what fans of the show have to say about the movie.  I imagine that it gives them that nice nostalgic feeling with the treat of an encore episode to the series.  Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie had that background feel of some TV shows where you can pay attention or allow your attention to wander while still remaining in the loop and enjoying the show.  I would consider watching some of the original series, but I don’t imagine it would turn into any sort of binge marathoning event.

Obviously made for the fans, but also fans of British humour and TV would be able to appreciate this quick little venture.

Me Before You

Picture Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Me Before You is a romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes.  The film stars Emilia Clarke who plays Louisa Clark, a young woman with an eccentric sense of fashion.  Since her father had lost his job she is struggling to help support her family as best as she can.  When a care taker job opens up, the amount of money is something she cannot refuse.  After being interviewed she is offered the job and meets the man she will be caring for.  Will Traynor, played by Sam Claflin, was a successful businessman and ladies man who had it all.  There was nothing he couldn’t do and few things he hadn’t already done.  When he is hit by a motorcycle while walking across the street, he finds himself paralyzed and resigned to a wheelchair.  Although Louisa has a charming and bubbly personality she finds it difficult to crack Will’s somber exterior and she does her best to help him through.  When Louisa finds out that Will has inquired into assisted suicide in Sweden, she creates a book full of activities that Will can still do while in his wheelchair to show him that there is still so much more to live for.

The film is rather uneventful when you look back on it, aside from some few obvious situations, but rather relied very heavily on the emotion of the story.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t already know how the story plays out I suggest you stop reading now because I have decided to go further into the story.  Suffice it to say that the story delves into a rather difficult topic, one which the book most surely explores further than the film, but if choosing to watch the film you may need a tissue or two. If this does not effect your resolve then please, by all means continue reading.

So Louisa is this adorable young woman who has a bright beaming smile and a very eccentric way of dressing.  She has many wonderful characteristics making her a great catch, but she is almost too predictable and too scripted.  Will Traynor is also in the same boat.  Understandably devastated handsome millionaire confined to a chair which is such an extreme contrast to how he lived his life before the accident.  There are many elements about the story that I imagine the book touches on more, and you really have to think about them in the movie before forming your opinion.  As noted, Will has decided to end his life knowing that although he is capable of having a life with Louisa and doing things he will enjoy, he will never be able to enjoy them the way he would before the accident.  It’s a very difficult subject to discuss as on one hand he is being selfish by choosing to end his life leaving behind devastated parents and even his new found love Louisa.  On the flip side, he truly has only just met Louisa and there are also painful ailments that he must withstand in combination of his paralysis and of course the fact that it is his life and his choice.  Very controversial.  The story also includes a bit of a love triangle by including Louisa’s boyfriend Patrick, played by Matthew Lewis.  Patrick is also a rather scripted character and story by being the boyfriend of Louisa who loves her but really has no common interests and are completely all wrong for each other but seem to be together as a part of small town relationship coupling.  Patrick is jealous of Will and Louisa’s relationship, likely because Will and Louisa’s short relationship has more chemistry and love than Patrick and Louisa’s lengthy relationship.

Emilia Clarke was adorable in her odd clothing and beaming smile, but in a way if it wasn’t for her clothing she would always just be standing there will that odd smile and nothing more.  On the topic of odd smiles, Sam Claflin (who most of us remember him from the Hunger Games films) has a very wide crinkling smile that boarders on disturbing which bothered me from his first appearance on the Hunger Games.  Surely these are all horribly superficial facts and should not be used to judge their acting skills, but what I have told you is something you will not un-see and will forever be in your mind when you see them both.

The film effectively uses music to build scenes to help make the audience choke up with tears  but oddly enough ends on a somewhat positive note.  Everyone loves a happy ending, but I must say, if the ending was arranged and some of the song along with it, the film would have driven the knife further into our hearts leaving us balling instead of sniffling.

In some situations like this I would be tempted to read the book to get that extra look into the situation and probably realize a lot of things I would have missed or possibility misinterpreted.  Unfortunately, I am choosing not to pursue the book and know that I will never be watching this movie again.  It is an interesting story with emotion, so if you feel like having a sappy sunday, perhaps wait for this one to appear on Netflix curling up with a blanket, tissues and chocolate.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Picture Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Jordan Belfort was a stock broker who was convicted of Securities Fraud in the 1990’s. Belfort, played by Leonardo Dicaprio, is a young guy on Wall Street. Working his way up with an established firm, under the wing of an executive (Matthew McConaughey), things are looking great for Belfort and his wife. When the firm goes bankrupt after Black Monday, Belfort is forced to find a new job. What he finds is a company that sells penny stocks. With a high commission rate and his smooth talking, Belfort begins selling hundreds of shares and making over $70,000 in one month. After meeting Donnie Azoff , played by Jonah Hill, Belfort decides to approach a few of his friends and open up his own firm. With his aggressive sales tactics, he is able to teach others to sell like him, resulting in thousands of dollars of earnings and being able to expand his firm enormously. With smooth talking and the use of well known stocks names, the firm is able to sell off thousands of no name penny stocks to gullible buyers.

As Belfort’s fortune grows, so does his drug abuse and sex life. After being divorced and remarried, Belfort still lives a highly sexual life, along with all the other men in the office, with immense amounts of drugs. Once the FBI is interested in Belfort and his team, they open up Swiss bank accounts to try and hide their growing fortunes.

The Wolf of Wall Street is based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name. Belfort lived a highly successful lifestyle but also a very volatile, excessive and illegal one. Belfort is sentenced to 36 months in prison. Following this begins teaching sales seminars in New Zealand. During this scene, the real Jordan Belfort introduces Dicaprio on stage to the stage.

The film sits at a lengthy 3 hours! Although the film is highly rated it can be summed up as one long bachelor party. Drugs, sex, drugs, sex, drugs and sex with a bit of stock talk added in between. DiCaprio excels at any role that he plays and does not fail in his role as Belfort. I applaud the actors and actresses for their parts; however, the film is not worth the full 3 hours.