I join CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisco to talk about the sci fi action flick “Mercy,” the avian drama of “H is for Hawk,” the thriller “Honey Bunch” and the dystopian drama “The Well.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join the CTV NewsChanel to talk about the sci fi action flick “Mercy,” the avian drama of “H is for Hawk” and the thriller “Honey Bunch.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the sci fi action flick “Mercy,” the avian drama of “H is for Hawk” and the thriller “Honey Bunch.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “H is for Hawk,” a new drama starring Claire Foy now playing in theatres, a grieving daughter finds solace and hope from an unusual source.
CAST: Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Denise Gough, Sam Spruell, Lindsay Duncan. Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe.
REVIEW: Theatres are full of movies about the power of art or human connection as a cure for deep seeded grief. Rarer is the subject of “H is for Hawk,” a true story, based on Helen Macdonald’s bestselling memoir, about a woman who uses the ancient art of falconry to navigate a personal loss.
Claire Foy plays Helen, an emotionally closed-off Cambridge academic quietly grieving the loss of her beloved photojournalist father Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson). “Dad would hate any kind of moping,” she says.
The pair shared a love of birding and the natural world, so, to fill the emotional hole left by her late dad, she adopts a fierce, wild goshawk named Mabel and immerses herself in the ancient art of falconry. “I ran towards things of death and difficulty,” Helen says. “Spooky, pale-eyed feathered ghosts that lived and killed in woodland thickets. I ran towards goshawks.”
While training the bird to hunt and fly free, Helen discovers a newfound sense of control, not only over Mabel, but also her life. “In my time with Mabel I’ve learned how you feel more human once you have known, even in your imagination, what it is like to be not.”
“H is for Hawk” feathers its nest with unconventional grief drama but is traditional in its response to Helen’s situation. That doesn’t mean it isn’t effective, or emotionally potent, it’s just that it isn’t as odd as the elevator pitch—hawk heals woman’s heartache—suggests. Instead, is a heartfelt, unsentimental story about finding solace in whatever form it presents itself. There is no single way to heal, and if help presents itself with feathers and talons, so be it. We’ve seen dogs and cats as emotional supports before, so why not a hawk?
Foy hands in a suitably raw performance, brimming with sadness and determination. She clicks wonderfully, in their limited scenes, with Brendan Gleason (primarily seen in flashbacks) who oozes warmth and passion for nature.
The real star, however, is Mable, actually played by four separate birds, and trained by falconry experts Rose and Lloyd Buck. The use of real hawks, rather than CGI, lends the film a realistic edge that goes a long way to making the story feel authentic.
“H is For Hawk” requires patience from the audience. It is slow, but the emotional payoff—and some wonderful nature photography—gives viewers something to sink their talons into.
Bad theatre is like dentistry,” declares critic and author Henry Gauthier-Villars (Dominic West). “You’re compelled to sit in your chair, as they drill into your head, until the procedure is over.” Luckily there is no such endurance test in “Colette,” a sparkling biopic that shows star Keira Knightley in top form.
“Colette” begins traditionally enough, with “Masterpiece Theatre” style attention to detail as the love affair between Parisian “literary entrepreneur” Gauthier-Villars, who goes by the nom-de-plume Willy, woos country girl Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Knightley). They soon marry, and after slowly adapting to life in the salons of the big city—“You must present your personality with a capital P,” he says.—she is drawn into the family business ghost writing a novel loosely based on her life. The resulting book, “Claudine à l’école,” released under the Willy name, becomes a sensation, bringing in some much needed money.
As Willy hogs the spotlight she continues to write the increasingly popular books. Soon her character, Claudine, is the fictional exemplar of the Belle Époque, influencing fashion, literature and dominating the trendy magazines of the day. Denied the recognition that should accompany their success Colette asserts her independence, beginning an affair with “wayward American debutante” Georgie Raoul-Duval (Eleanor Tomlinson). That relationship blows up when it’s revealed that Willy is also trysting with the same woman.
Professional and personal twists and turns lead the increasingly distant couple into bankruptcy and into a dodgy business deal that sees Colette financially cut out of her most popular character’s future earnings. On a happier note she begins a relationship with “Missy” (Denise Gough), the highborn transgender pioneer Marquise de Belbeuf.
“Colette” is a period piece, all corsets and dinner jackets, but one with a very modern approach. Before her awakening Colette finds herself under the thumb of a domineering husband but afterward she forges a life that broke rules and paved the way for modern feminism and LGBTQ acceptance. It is a well-told story of empowerment that blends creative process, sexual politics and Colette’s progressive spirit.
“Colette’s” set decoration and Wash Westmoreland’s direction are top notch but it is Knightley that breathes life into the frothy but fascinating story of a pioneering woman. She provides both the heart and furious intellectualism necessary to present a fully rounded portrait of a person who waged a battle against societal norms and a life lived in the shadows.
