June 19, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 21
‘Quartet’ features stellar cast, complex relationships
Beanstalk,” uses key elements of the original but embellishes it considerably. In town to sell his horse, Jack (Nicholas Hoult, “Warm Bodies”) is confronted by a desperate monk who convinces him to trade his horse for a handful of beans and warns him not to get them wet. Soon enough, the beans become soaked in a rainstorm and a huge beanstalk pushes skyward, elevating Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) into the land of the giants high above the clouds. The king (Ian McShane) immediately orders a rescue party, consisting of the dashing, Errol Flynn-inspired swashbuckling knight Elmont (Ewan McGregor), his soldiers, and the scheming Lord Roderick (Stanley Tucci), who has a plan to unseat the king and take over the realm. Jack tags along. The Jack of the fairy tale had to deal with one angry giant and his wife. Here, Jack encounters an entire race of giants, one uglier and meaner than the next, led by the giant warrior General Fallon (Bill Nighy). Director Bryan Singer has put together a great-looking fantasy picture. The pace is brisk, the effects -- including 3D -- are impressive, and the conception of the giants is both humorous and imposing. Rather than depict them as carbon copies of one another, the computer artists have given the
Maggie Smith and Pauline Collins star as residents of a retirement home in ‘Quartet.’
by Dennis Seuling “Quartet” (Anchor Bay) marks the directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman, who has stacked the deck for success by assembling a stellar cast. Beecham House in the English countryside is a rest home for professional musicians. It is a pleasant, conflict-free mecca until diva Jean Horton (Maggie Smith) arrives. Jean used to sing in a quartet with three of Beecham’s residents, including ex-husband Reggie (Tom Courtenay). She broke up the group -- and her marriage -- when she went on to a solo career. Now that she has moved in, other residents conspire to reunite the foursome in time to perform the quartet from “Rigoletto” at the home’s annual musical fundraiser. The other members of the title group
include Billy Connolly as rakish Wilfred, and Pauline Collins as Cissy, whose enthusiasm can’t mask the onset of dementia. Though everyone is first rate, Smith dominates with the showiest role. The script generously gives her the lion’s share of sharp dialogue. This genteel drama is worth seeing for the sheer joy of watching veteran actors at the top of their craft. The principals are all fully explored so their complex relationships are made clear. Putting them together after many years is akin to igniting a long fuse: There will be fireworks, but no one knows exactly when they will go off. Special features on the Blu-ray release include feature commentary with Hoffman and behind-the-scenes featurettes. “Jack the Giant Slayer” (New Line), based on the English folk tale “Jack and the
key giants distinctive features. The three-disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray 2D/ DVD combo pack contains eight featurettes and deleted scenes. The film is also available in a Blu-ray 2D/DVD combo pack. “Things to Come” (The Criterion Collection), made in 1936, holds the distinction of being one of the sound era’s earliest science fiction films with a screenplay written by the novel’s author, H.G. Wells. It also depicted the massive aerial bombing that would soon follow in actuality as the London Blitz. The movie covers several decades and focuses on a few characters along the way. Though the William Cameron Menzies’ production design and Wells’ vision of the future are impressive, characterization is weak and the movie plays more as allegory, sometimes in preachy fashion. The film stars Raymond Massey, Ralph Richardson, Edward Chapman, and Margaretta Scott. Producer Alexander Korda spent $1.5 million on the picture, a huge sum at the time. The original British release ran 130 minutes, but it was cut for the U.S. release. The Criterion version is 97 minutes. Special features on the new, restored Blu-ray high-definition digital film transfer include audio commentary, an interview with cultural historian Christopher (continued on Crossword page)