Dear Hollywood: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Okay, so this is only my third "Dear Hollywood" post, but I'm already trying something radical: I'm basing it around a movie which I enjoyed a lot. And that movie is, would you believe it, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. For anyone looking for a refresher, just remember that this is not unlike those "Agony Aunt" posts, i.e. Dear Agony Aunt,
I'm always cold. What do I do?
From I. C. Colde.
The catch is, the agony aunt is actually Hollywood. Cool huh? I thought so. Anyway, let's give this one a go...

Dear Hollywood,
I just got back from seeing New Year's Eve. Oh yes, it had a very good cast. All that star power, with all those Oscars hidden away in a mantelpiece far far away...you should really be proud. Who needs a good script when you have so many famous faces in a movie? Hell, they don't even need to act.
Anyway, I was wondering if you could lend me some advice. I would love to do one of those "big cast" movies. But, well, you've taken up all of the holidays that there are. Apart from Queen's Birthday. You're not getting that one. Also, I suppose you'd be the wrong one to ask out this, but I want my "big cast" movie to be actually good.
Tell me, what story could I throw at a whole lot of actors so they can just show their faces? But in a good way. Like, in a good movie. That kind of stuff.
Yours sincerely,
Britain Needs Their Big Cast Movie Too

Dear Britain Needs Their Big Cast Movie Too,
You had the Olympics. Doesn't that count as a big cast movie?
Yours sincerely,
Disgruntled Hollywood

Dear Hollywood,
Hooooooooooold up, is someone a bit jealous? Just because our Queen jumped out of a plane with James Bond.
Yours sincerely, 
Britain Needs Their Big Cast Movie Too

Every Secret Comes with a Price.

Film: The Debt
Year: 2010
Director: John Madden
Written by: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan (based on the 2007 film 'Ha-Hov')
Starring: Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciarán Hinds, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, Marton Csokas, Jesper Christensen, Romi Aboulafia. 
Running time: 113 min.

Right, the time has come: you may as well call me a hipster. I saw the original movie of The Debt, a small Israeli film made in 2007, before I saw the remake. I know, I made a choice so obscure that I should probably be wearing my hipster flag out and proud - but for now, I'd like to call it a good choice on my part by delving into the shallow waters of the preview drawer. Usually, there is just a flood of needlessly violent and cheaply gruesome horrors, or action movies starring Z-list 'actors'. At first, The Debt looked a little like that. But going in 'blind' led to some good results.

These results, though, were some that - dare I say - could have been improved on. I don't want to put anything indelicately, but better production values and a little more money could have turned a solid movie into an extremely good one. With a who's who of British screen-writing team (Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan), Shakespeare in Love director John Madden at the helm and a cast headlined by the always wonderful Helen Mirren, this remake is not one that we can dismiss as a 'copy-cat crap'. Trust me, I know - I'm a 'hipster'.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

And thus, Cillian Murphy week that actually took two weeks draws to a close, with Girl with a Pearl Earring. Though I am sure to watch a few more Cillian movies in the near future, so keep an eye out. However, on the subject of Girl with a Pearl Earring (not one of the 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' films, as one of my friends pointed out)...a lovely period drama that reminded me a lot of Bright Star, because not much happened, but I still liked it.
This is the story about the events surrounding the creation of the painting "Girl With A Pearl Earring" by 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). The girl in the painting, Griet (Scarlett Johansson), is a maid in the house of Vermeer. Vermeer's wealthy patron and sole means of support, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), commissions him to paint Griet with the intent that he will have her for himself before it is finished. She must somehow secretly pose for the crucial painting without the knowledge of Vermeer's wife, avoid Van Ruijven's grasp, and protect herself from the cruel gossip of the world of a 17th century servant.

Like most period dramas, this film is slooooooooooow. All the substatial things that happen in this movie are only substantial to the time period, not to the times we are living in now. But you hardly expect for someone to call Griet a bitch on Facebook...right? To fully enjoy this movie, you must put yourself in the mindset to watch a period drama. The film is visually stunning, and from start to finish, you will be marvelling over every scene in this movie. It's set out like a painting. Scarlett Johansson walks around in this film looking like the painting. Every bit of this film is so intricate and well put together, you could definitely acknowledge this as art.

The whole cast performs so brilliantly that you will believe in this 17th century story. Even Scarlett Johansson. And, I have to say, Cillian Murphy looked like Peter Pan in this movie. It manages to be a little romantic using no erotic scenes at all, which adds to the beauty it conveys so well. Like a painting, it builds up in layers, and at the end we get a beautiful portrait. Sounds like some stupid metaphor, but it's true.

A beautiful piece of cinematic art, but unfortunately the story was a little slow for comfortable viewing.

7/10