Features

Several years ago, I went to see Legends of the Fall. The film featured fine direction from Edward Zwick, an A-list cast that included Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Julia Ormond, and Henry Thomas, and gorgeous, Oscar-winning cinematography courtesy of John Toll. I hoped for a sweeping, epic tear-jerker, but it turned out to be one of the most unsuccessful attempts at tragedy I have ever seen on film. The screenplay features poorly motivated, unconvincing characters, who then have tragedy upon tragedy piled upon them. The ludicrous escalation of misfortune becomes numbing, and eventually even funny.

Throughout the film, I was…

Writer/director John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood was a high point in the late 1980s/early 1990s Black filmmaking renaissance. The early films of Spike Lee were a centrepiece of said renaissance, with Do the Right Thing as its most celebrated work. However, brilliant though that film undoubtedly is, for me Boyz n the Hood is even better. Thirty years on, it is still a hugely absorbing, superbly acted, brilliantly directed piece. In addition, the urgent, compelling message has lost none of its punch and remains depressingly relevant.

All the more remarkable for being his debut film, Singleton’s tale of three…

Marriages are often shown in a negative light in film. Why? Is it because happy marriages aren’t inherently dramatic? I’m not sure that’s true. Yes, celluloid marriages are often shown as frustrating, stifling, unhappy, abusive, or worse. Depending on the genre, cinematic marriages tend to end in adultery or even murder. But there are still many films out there that portray marriage in a positive light.

If you want a film about a happy marriage, certain directors are best avoided. Woody Allen mostly would be a no-no, for starters. As for Steven Spielberg, much of his back catalogue — From…

Big story twists can be brilliant or dreadful, depending on the skill of the writer. Many a budding screenwriter or novelist would love to pull off a gasp-inducing twist of The Sixth Sense proportions, but doing so in a manner that feels organic, plausible, and above all inevitable is extremely difficult. However, it is not impossible.

Successful big twists can be intellectually thrilling and emotionally exhilarating; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Usual Suspects, and Memento are examples of the former, Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and The Empire Strikes Back the latter. Some are a combination: Snape’s true allegiance in Harry…

Part 4 of 4

Continued from Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

I’m lying on a bed, but can’t move. Voices echo around me. My eyes hurt. I can just about make out a couple of figures moving, but they’re out of focus. My head spins. My muscles ache. Everything aches.

‘Just relax,’ a voice says. ‘The disorientation is entirely normal.’

‘I can’t see,’ I mutter. My voice surprises me. It sounds different.

‘Your eyesight will return in a moment,’ a second voice says. ‘It’s just a normal side effect of such a long time in… Well, I’ll explain soon.’

Very slowly my…

Part 3 of 4

Continued from Part One and Part Two.

I awaken several hours later to muffled sounds of traffic and pedestrians. Sunlight glares through the window. Disorientated, I look around, pulling my legs off the sofa and yawning. I hadn’t meant to spend the night here, but feel strangely refreshed, and not hungover at all.

‘Lara?’

No answer. I glance at the coffee table. The plates and boxes from last night’s Chinese takeaway have been taken away. In their place is a folded note addressed to me. I pick it up and read.

Had to leave to take care of an urgent…

Part 2 of 4

Continued from Part One.

The rest of the morning passes in a plod of my usual efficiency. I get plenty of work done, meeting with Herbert Kemp and other clients. Eric even smiles at me as he passes my desk. That’s not something I see often.

At lunch, I decide to do something different. Normally I get a sandwich from the deli around the corner and eat it alone in a corner of the canteen. Instead, I head a little farther along the road, exploring areas I have never explored. …