Rock n Roll, Orphans and a bit of war

So during my temporary blogging hibernation it wasn't all work and beer, although there were unhealthy amounts of both, there were also several films.

First off we had The Boat that Rocked - now most of the reviews I read didn't rate it, but frankly I think they were looking for a bit much, it was like they were after something like 24 Hour Party People. It follows the goings on of a fictional pirate radio station off the coast of England and the government's attempts to shut it down. Anyway I thought the boat did indeed rock and while the ending is a little hammy there are some hilarious bits along the way and it features a stunning ensemble cast including Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Ken Branagh, Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), Rhys Darby (Murray) and the man himself - PSH, Philip Seymour Hoffman. I was looking for a few laughs and a decent distraction when I saw it, and it didnt disappoint - Nick Frost's character's description of the time he got diarrhea during sex almost had me in tears!

Next up we had Defiance, the true story of the Belorussian jewish family, the Bielski's during the war and how they fought back against the invading Nazis and saved 1200 fellow jews by setting up several camps in the forest. It's a harrowing story and the cast again is the real strength here with Daniel Craig playing the eldest brother and leader, Tuvia, the under-rated but excellent Liev Schreiber as Zus and Jamie "Billy Elliot" Bell as the youngest brother Asael.

Unfortunately the film is let down by some of the writing and directing - with too many blunt rushed scenes that feel like they've been dropped in to tell you things that they'd forgotten to mention, along with crude passages of dialogue with some lines that are on the verge of being laughable. But on the whole its a worthy film and as I said the performances carry it through, but I can't help but think that with a little more polish it could have been so much better.

Finally the last film I wanted to mention was Spanish ghostly horror tale The Orphanage. Its the story of a woman, Laura, who grew up in an orphanage and who later moves back there as an adult with her family to set up a special school. Along the way her son inadvertently welcomes a few dormant spirits back and then himself goes missing. Ultimately its more sad than scary as it follows Laura attempting to unravel what has happened firstly by dealing with the Police and psychologists and then by trying to communicate directly with the spirits. I won't spoil it but the ending is pretty shocking and given Guillermo Del Toro's involvement as producer, also quite graphic.