Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Hateship, Loveship (2013)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Liza Johnson
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Hailee Steinfeld, Guy Pearce, Nick Nolte
Running time: 104 minutes



Based on an Alice Munro short story, Hateship, Loveship is the story of Johanna Parry. After the old lady she had been working for passes away, Johanna finds another job in the home of Mr. McCauley, an older man who had been taking care of his teenage granddaughter, Tabitha, after her mother died in an accident. Johanna finds herself attracted to the girl’s father, Ken, an ex-con who was visiting his daughter. Noticing the attraction, Tabitha and her best friend decide to play a nasty trick and to write loving messages Johanna thought were from Ken. Not used to these kinds of feelings, Johanna will go overboard in her demonstrations of love.

When I first saw the poster of this film and when I noticed it starred Kristen Wiig, I first though it was a comedy. How wrong I was there. This is clearly a drama. In going against her typical casting, Wiig showed some great range. She shows the necessary amount of restraint in her portrayal of Johanna, a woman having a hard time breaking out of her shell. She was absolutely believable; the transformation was amazing. Guy Pearce is also very good as Ken, a very flawed man with some goodness buried deep inside him.

The pace of Hateship, Loveship is very slow; this is not a wild ride, easily consumed and thrown away afterwards. It took some time, but, by the end of it, I was fully immersed in the story. And, my appreciation for it has been growing since then. A very subdued performance by Wiig and a very compelling story made for a good evening of movie-watching for me. This was a nice surprise.

Rating: ««««
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