Carol Naylor's REVIEW it...

                            Apple Tree Yard TV Drama 2017. "Dear X whatever it was between us it was never meant to bear much reality. That was the point, wasn't it? No real life. No feelings, no mess." I had read Louise Doughty's book and wasn't disappointed with this tv drama which is available to buy on dvd produced by Doughty, Lucy Richer, Manda Lewin and Amanda Coe. It was Doughty's seventh novel. " Crazy Paving" was her debut novel back in 1995. Her sixth novel took the media by storm :"Whatever You Love" pulling her sharply in focus as one to watch and this has proved the case with Apple Tree Yard. It stars Emily Watson as Dr Yvonne Carmichael, an eminent scientist who lives a conventional suburban life in a comfortable and stable marriage but sexless and at 50+ it seems that Yvonne would like some excitement and danger to spice up her life. She addresses a Select Committee on a subject she is k...

                                           Still Alice. Film Review. "The art of losing isn't hard to master. So many things seem filled with the intent that their loss is no disaster." If we are defined by our intelligence, our language and articulation, then just imagine what it would be like to lose them all.  Julianne Moore, a versatile performer, dubbed the Queen of realism, won an Academy Award in 2015 for her portrayal of Alice Howland, the 50 year old linguistics' Professor from Columbia University, diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, a rare familial type that meant her children stood a 50/50 chance of inheriting the gene. Recently we have seen a surge in films showing cancer victims as well as Alzheimer victims. Take for instance "The Fault in Our Stars" or "50/50" even "The Notebook" and "Away From Her." Then, of course there's John Bayley's sa...

                             The Hundred Foot Journey. Film Review. "Food blends cultures and allows us to have just a little peek into someone else's life. It's about a hundred foot divide between cultures." (Oprah Winfrey) Hassan Kadam ( Manish Daval) is the "boy who knows." Put it another way to give you a clue. "He has it." He has a gift. Okay…The Kadam family flee their hometown of Mumbai after their restaurant was firebombed by a mob over an election dispute. Their livelihood is destroyed and tragically, their mama perishes in the fire. They seek asylum in Europe heading to London for a short while. They leave England disappointed and head into Rotterdam, gateway to Europe after Hassan's remark to the Immigration officer that "the vegetables have no soul, no life," in England. So much for English food. Dismissed like that. Mama Kadam had groomed him to replace her. "You cook to make ghos...

                      Magic in the Moonlight. "The world may or may not be without purpose but it's not totally without some kind of magic." Whether you're interested in science or logic is there a place in your heart to believe that magic can and does exist? Sophie Baker (Emma Stone The Amazing Spider Man  2012) quotes Nietzsche as saying that we need our illusions to live. Stanley's response is categorical: We can't go round deluding ourselves." More importantly, what about deluding others? "Magic" is regarded as being a lightweight American romantic comedy by Woody Allen. It is not considered one of his finer films although it has been described as being accomplished and worth watching for the two main characters when they are sparring. Imagine chalk and cheese. It's just like that. Insults bounce off each other like a ball constantly hitting a brick wall. Meagre attempts at philosophising which just skirt around th...

                              Diana.  Film Review. "Love is a garden. If you can't smell the fragrance, don't come into the garden of love. Somewhere beyond right and wrong there is a garden. I'll meet you there." Rumi. Yet another film panned by the critics both sides of the Atlantic. Remember Grace starring Nicole Kidman? That was hammered too. Diana is biopic only in the sense that it covers some aspects of her final years from 1995-1997 particularly her relationship with the heart surgeon, Hasnat Khan and her humanitarian work. Oliver Hirschbiegel of "Downfall" fame, an incredible film based on Hitler's last days, directed   Diana. Based on Kate Snell's 2001 book: Diana: Her Last Love. The script was written by Stephen Jeffreys. Naomi Watts played the title role alongside the attractive Naveen William Sydney Andrews, a British Indian actor (Sayid Jarr...

                           The Counsellor. Film Review. "To aspire to the stone's endless destiny. Isn't that the meaning of adornment? To enhance the beauty of the beloved is to acknowledge both her frailty and the nobility of that frailty." Star-studded actors: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz and of course husband, Javier Bardem, wonderful scenery of Texas and California from the acclaimed writer Cormac McCarthy who made his screenwriting debut here with his wit, dark humour and a nightmarish scenario with graphic images more akin to horror. Well it is an 18 and not suitable for children. McCarthy is seen as one of the greatest American living authors. You may remember "No Country For Old Men" (2007) which left me cold, also starring Bardem as the baddie, Anton Chigurh who embodied pure evil. " The Road" (2009) was just as bleak. McCarthy's trademark is the frequent use of ...

                     Grace of Monaco. Film Review. " You came here to play the greatest role of your life. You are the fairytale. The serenity to which we all aspire. And peace will come when you embrace the roles you have been destined to play." The long-awaited release of this film disappointed critics when it opened the Cannes Film Festival 2014. It was slated. Peter Bradshaw was kinder when he referred to it as being wooden. Bad news for screen writer, Arash Amed and director, Olivier Dahan ("La Vie en Rose.") In fact savaged is closer to the truth. For me and people like me, it makes it that more appealing. The real-life descendants branded the film a farce criticising it for being "overly dramatic" with "historical errors and little depth." The controversy surrounds the point of whether it is meant to be a biopic film and the obvious answer is no. Hollywood screen goddess, Grace Kelly was born in 1929 and emb...

                    Song For Marion. Film Review. "I'm not the life and soul of the party and full of joy and guts. I'm miserable old Arthur. I've ruined everything I had and it's too late." Arthur Harris played by British veteran actor Terence Stamp more akin to playing the arch villain is struggling to deal with his wife, Marion's cancer. Undoubtedly he loves her, this is never in question being her main carer but to a point of over -protectiveness stifling her natural energy. His relationship with his son James is frosty. It seems as if James has proved a disappointment and Marion's illness has caused a huge rift between them. Arthur is bad-tempered, the antithesis of his wife, Marion played by the renowned actress Vanessa Redgrave, held in such high-esteem by the American playwright Tennessee Williams as the greatest actress of our time. Within the partnership, she is the life force whereas Arthur represses his emoti...

                             The Love Punch Film Review. "I think that liking them is much more important than loving them. Love is easy to fall into. Liking is much harder. Think of your wedding as a driving test. You take it, you pass and then you really start to learn how to drive. Or you crash." Don't expect any other pearls of wisdom otherwise you'll be grossly disappointed. No guesses that Kate and Richard's marriage has broken down. Recent statistics in the UK show that an alarming 1/2 marriages end in divorce. This is not just about a failed marriage. With hindsight both realise they were too young and become closer when they realise their financial security no longer exists. Time to take action. Written and directed by Joel Hopkins ( Last Chance Harvey ) "The Love Punch" is uncomplicated but rather contrived as a romantic comedy and as corny as they come. Four very well-known and well-like...