The Chase is on with SEE HOW THEY RUN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Available on all platforms from director Tom George and Searchlight Pictures is the mystery, thriller and questions of who-dun-it with SEE HOW THEY RUN.

About to celebrate its 100^th performance in 1953 London, Agatha Christie’s stage production of The Mousetrap is halted by the murder of Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody). Entering the theatre is Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) in the company of Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) as they begin looking over the crime scene. Stoppard wants to close the show but Police Commissioner Harrold Scott (Tim Key) steps in, makes the call to keep it open and assigns Stalker to the case as well.

Searching Kopernick’s lavish room at the Savoy Hotel, the manager tells the two law enforcement officers that there was an argument with screenwriter Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo). Admitting to the argument, Mervyn says there was a plain woman who came to the hotel with Kopernick’s son. It also becomes clear that people are being blackmailed, arguing over film rights, unfaithful marriages and another murder at the theatre – well, it would drive any Inspector to drink!

When a suspicious invitation to Agatha Christie’s (Shirley Henderson) home brings the group together, it is a night of flashing lights and an end only the author could have ever wanted.

Rockwell as Inspector Stoppard is a man who is use to doing things his own way. Methodical and talking his way through things, he is about to be challenged by a newbie to the investigation. Rockwell is calm, cool and listens to everything everyone says keeping the investigation moving along. Taking his character through the paces, I just love Rockwell’s handling to it all with disinterest and a drink occasionally.

Ronan as Constable Stalker is all over the place! From writing everything down to saying what ever comes into her head, this character certainly had my head spinning. I enjoyed her performance so much and mainly because she is just trying to fit into a profession that certainly wasn’t open-armed to women being an Inspector. Plus, she’s just an awesome actress.

Oyelowo as Cocker-Norris has no problem telling everything he knows because there is literally a lot to tell. Brody gets his moment on stage as Kopernick and the character’s offstage antics are well done. Brody proves he can play serious roles as well as fast paced comedy.

Shout out to Henderson playing Agatha Christie. What an awesome chance to play a woman who gets a chance to be a part of her own murder mystery. Henderson wraps herself up in the character and it is so much fun.

Other cast include Ruth Wilson as Petula Spencer, Reece Shearsmith as John Woolf, Harris Dickinson as Richard Attenborough, Charlie Cooper as Dennis Corrigan, Lucian Msamati as Max Mallowan, Pippa Bennett-Warner as Ann Saville, Pearl Chanda as Sheila Sim, Paul Chahidi as Fellowes, Sian Clifford as Edana Romney, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Gio.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

Bonus Features include SEE HOW THEY RUN Behind the Curtain – Hear from the talented filmmakers and cast as they pull back the curtain on the filmmaking process which had its unique challenges and rewards. Take a look at the special access to famous locations as well as the care and detail used to create them.

SEE HOW THEY RUN is for those who love mystery, murder and mayhem all in one film. The 1950’s setting is everything I want to see in an Agatha Christie film bringing the viewer into the time period. The costuming is equally strong and I do have to admit I have a thing for red lipstick, pinned up hair, stockings with lines down the back and dresses that are just so beautiful.

Rockwell and Ronan are wonderful together and kept my attention from start to finish. They bounce off of each other so superbly. That makes the story even more wonderful as they continue through the film talking out their suspicions – even if Constable Stalker can sometimes take it off the rails.

So, get that bucket of popcorn ready, sit back and figure out for yourself of who-dun-it!

In the end – it is the greatest murder ever staged!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMMONITE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD and Digital from writer/director Francis Lee and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a story of two women in search of something more than AMMONITE.

Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) is a renown fossil hunter who spends her days on the shores of Lyme Regis in 1840 England. Day after day the self-taught paleontologist has an amazing eye for finding fossils that she sells to tourists. Taking care of her ailing mother Molly (Gemma Jones), Mary keeps to herself.

One day, at her shop door is Roderick Murchison (James McArdle) looking to learn about how Mary finds fossils. Along with him on the visit is his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) who is quiet and meek. A few days pass when Murchison offers Mary a large amount of money to watch over the depressive Charlotte while he goes on his next adventure.

Knowing the money would help, she begrudgingly agrees. Almost right away Charlotte becomes seriously ill and as she starts to get well, she and Mary start to show signs of friendship toward each other. Both have pasts that are haunting their ability to be happy with thin veils of uncomfortableness that wakes up with them each and every day.

What comes from that friendship is complicated, loving and forces life choices that are painful for them both but needed to break free.

Winslet as Mary is a woman set in her ways. Taking care of an ailing mother, Mary, in a way, hides behind her as I see it. Diving into her work finding fossils is another way to avoid people totally. Making sure they have enough money to survive is important, but the years have created a bubble around Mary’s life. I actually love when Winslet takes on roles that are a challenge to understand and grasp as the tale unfolds.

Ronan as Charlotte has a depression she is fighting through and does not see any light in her life. Even with Mary, the first days she remains aloof and dangerously closed off. Ronan is always a light on the screen and following her career is a joy. With every role she chooses there is simplicity mixed with complexity that is all wrapped up on her face that does not give anything away until she is ready for us to know – and then only in doses.

Jones as mother Molly has become use to living the secluded life her daughter provides and sees Charlotte as an interloper. Shaw makes herself known as Elizabeth Philpot who has a connection to Mary that is endearing and telling.

McArdle as Murchison is a husband who says openly that he wants his wife back but does not seem to be heart broken over leaving her with Mary. Do not think we didn’t notice that Murchison!

Other cast include Claire Rushbrook as Eleanor Butters, Alec Secareanu as Dr. Lieberson and Fiona Shaw as Elizabeth Philpot.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The Special Feature includes The Making of AMMONITE: Stars Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan join filmmakers to discuss how they were able to convey the extraordinary depth of the film’s two main characters, Mary Anning and Charlotte Murchison.  

Director Lee says, “I wanted to explore what this relationship might mean to someone who has not only been socially and geographically isolated but who has had to close off to any emotional life, where you replace affection and intimacy with work and duty. Where you have been overlooked and ignored your whole life because of your gender and social class. Given this world, would Mary be able to access how she feels for Charlotte? Would she be able to let her guard down to allow the possibility of something new and wonderful to enter her life?”

When asked about the importance to telling Mary’s story, Winslet says, “She is so important. Her strength, her courage – I admire those qualities very much, but also her vulnerability, which she had to keep hidden. Now more than ever we’re living in a time when women are absolutely obsessed with other women and when, more than what we look like or how we feel when we walk down the street, it’s about what women have to say. Women are greater together; the stronger female voices we have, the more togetherness we show.

When asked what she wanted audiences to take away from seeing AMMONITE, Saoirse Ronan says, “Everyone’s going to take away something different from it, which is always wonderful, when you have people coming up to you saying “I really got this bit” or “I felt like that was me…”. You’re watching two people really discover themselves as individuals and within a partnership, and I think that’s a really beautiful thing to watch and it doesn’t necessarily come easy.”

The film has a quiet character which is the shoreline itself with its secrets waiting for Mary to discover but also a gray and cold feel. You could say that both women can sit before the waves and feel a kinship with the waves showing outside what they feel inside.

AMMONITE is a simple tale with a not-so-simple story that pushes hard to be told. Winslet and Ronan carry the entire film and bring out the characters fears, hopes and desires is so well done. This might be the story of two women but know it is also the story of two people who are learned to break through the closed off life they had come to know.

In the end – it is simply love.

AMMONITE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres and On Demand from writer/director Francis Lee and Neon is a story of two women in search of something more than AMMONITE.

Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) is a renown fossil hunter who spends her days on the shores of Lyme Regis in 1840 England. Day after day the self-taught paleontologist has an amazing eye for finding fossils that she sells to tourists. Taking care of her ailing mother Molly (Gemma Jones), Mary keeps to herself.

One day, at her shop door is Roderick Murchison (James McArdle) looking to learn about how Mary finds fossils. Along with him on the visit is his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) who is quiet and meek. A few days pass when Murchison offers Mary a large amount of money to watch over the depressive Charlotte while he goes on his next adventure.

Knowing the money would help, she begrudgingly agrees. Almost right away Charlotte becomes seriously ill and as she starts to get well, she and Mary start to show signs of friendship toward each other. Both have pasts that are haunting their ability to be happy with thin veils of uncomfortableness that wakes up with them each and every day.

What comes from that friendship is complicated, loving and forces life choices that are painful for them both but needed to break free.

Winslet as Mary is a woman set in her ways. Taking care of an ailing mother, Mary, in a way, hides behind her as I see it. Diving into her work finding fossils is another way to avoid people totally. Making sure they have enough money to survive is important, but the years have created a bubble around Mary’s life. I actually love when Winslet takes on roles that are a challenge to understand and grasp as the tale unfolds.

Ronan as Charlotte has a depression she is fighting through and does not see any light in her life. Even with Mary, the first days she remains aloof and dangerously closed off. Ronan is always a light on the screen and following her career is a joy. With every role she chooses there is simplicity mixed with complexity that is all wrapped up on her face that does not give anything away until she is ready for us to know – and then only in doses.

Jones as mother Molly has become use to living the secluded life her daughter provides and sees Charlotte as an interloper. Shaw makes herself known as Elizabeth Philpot who has a connection to Mary that is endearing and telling.

McArdle as Murchison is a husband who says openly that he wants his wife back but does not seem to be heart broken over leaving her with Mary. Do not think we didn’t notice that Murchison!

Other cast include Claire Rushbrook as Eleanor Butters, Alec Secareanu as Dr. Lieberson and Fiona Shaw as Elizabeth Philpot.

Neon is a film production company that is best known for such films as I, TONYA and one of the most incredible Oscar winning film PARASITE. With a total of 12 Academy Award nominations, Neon appeals to audiences that are looking for in-your-face storytelling. For more information please visit www.neonrated.com.

Director Lee says, “I wanted to explore what this relationship might mean to someone who has not only been socially and geographically isolated but who has had to close off to any emotional life, where you replace affection and intimacy with work and duty. Where you have been overlooked and ignored your whole life because of your gender and social class. Given this world, would Mary be able to access how she feels for Charlotte? Would she be able to let her guard down to allow the possibility of something new and wonderful to enter her life?”

When asked about the importance to telling Mary’s story, Winslet says, “She is so important. Her strength, her courage – I admire those qualities very much, but also her vulnerability, which she had to keep hidden. Now more than ever we’re living in a time when women are absolutely obsessed with other women and when, more than what we look like or how we feel when we walk down the street, it’s about what women have to say. Women are greater together; the stronger female voices we have, the more togetherness we show.

When asked what she wanted audiences to take away from seeing AMMONITE, Saoirse Ronan says, “Everyone’s going to take away something different from it, which is always wonderful, when you have people coming up to you saying “I really got this bit” or “I felt like that was me…”. You’re watching two people really discover themselves as individuals and within a partnership, and I think that’s a really beautiful thing to watch and it doesn’t necessarily come easy.”

The film has a quiet character which is the shoreline itself with its secrets waiting for Mary to discover but also a gray and cold feel. You could say that both women can sit before the waves and feel a kinship with the waves showing outside what they feel inside.

AMMONITE is a simple tale with a not-so-simple story that pushes hard to be told. Winslet and Ronan carry the entire film and bring out the characters fears, hopes and desires is so well done. This might be the story of two women but know it is also the story of two people who are learned to break through the closed off life they had come to know.

In the end – it is simply love.

LITTLE WOMEN Comes Home

Jeri Jacquin

Now on Digital and coming to Bluray and DVD from writer/director Greta Gerwig and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment based on the beloved novel by Louisa May Alcott comes LITTLE WOMEN.

It is during the Civil War that the March family is trying to do well without their father. Taking care of four daughters is a handful for Marmee (Laura Dern). Daughters Beth (Eliza Scanlen), Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan) and Amy (Florence Pugh) find ways to occupy their lives each with different interests. Also keeping an eye on the family is the opinionated Aunt March (Meryl Streep) and Hannah (Jayne Houdyshell).

Introducing himself into the lively family is Theodore Laurence (Timothee Chalamet) who instantly fits right into the craziness of the March home. His tutor John Brooke (James Norton) has eyes for only one March lady. Laurie and Jo become instant inseparables talking about life and what is ahead. Even Mr. Laurence (Chris Cooper) has taken to the March family feeling all the excitement they bring to his life in the absence of Mr. March (Bob Odenkirk).

It is Jo who has the desire for so much more. Writing and creating for the family’s entertainment has become something she counts on. Her adventures become stories that she gets Mr. Dashwood (Tracy Letts) to print in the paper when she takes the big move to go to New York. Their she meets Friedrich Bhaer (Louis Garrel) who tells Jo only the truth about what she writes.

But it is one poignant moment in her life where she finally puts down the family’s story of love, sisterhood, tragedy, friendship, music, entertainment and relationships that honors the March family. It becomes the book about little women.

Ronan as Jo is the most lively of the March girls with her opinions, thoughts and creativity constantly flowing through their home. Everything Ronan has done in her career and the choices she makes in roles has never let me down. She is stunning in every way and in LITTLE WOMEN she once again proves why she is a treasure to watch. She has a fiery spirit that shines in this role.

Watson as Meg is lovely as I would expect her to be. Meg is unpredictable and yet still endearing and it allows Watson to again grow right in front of our eyes. Scanlen as Beth is bored easily and has a streak that sends Jo almost over the edge. Their constant sisterly-ness is what I’d expect from four sisters under one roof. Pugh as Amy is thoughtful and the mousy sister who everyone adores. Pugh makes it quite easy to feel that watching her performance.

Streep as Aunt March is stubborn, feisty, and doesn’t hesitate to give her opinion whether it is asked for or not. She is more like Jo than any of the March girls but outwardly her decisions always seem to go in unexpected directions. I loved watching Streep do her thing! Dern as Marmee is a mother doing her best during a time none of us could possibly imagine. Being the glue of the family is hard enough, the glue of four very impetuous daughters is heroic in its own way. Houdyshell as Hannah is a woman quietly in the background making sure the March family stays in her line of view as a protector.

Now for the men! Chalamet as Laurie is a young man who finds something enticing about being part of the March family. They accept him instantly and Chalamet role is sweet and at times given to a twinge of sadness. Cooper as Mr. Laurence also becomes instantly attached to the March family, especially a certain young March with talent for piano. Odenkirk has a small role as Mr. March but doesn’t need to be on screen for his name to be constantly mentioned.

Letts as Mr. Dashwood sees something in what Jo puts on paper but he has no idea what will be coming. He challenges Jo in a way to reach for more but isn’t ready for what he gets. Garrell as Frederich tells Jo what she doesn’t want to hear yet she receives it hard headedly. In a world where women are pushing so hard for ever step forward, Garrell reminds Jo that to do so means accepting criticism and changing someone’s perspective. Norton as Brooke is a tutor who also becomes involved in the March family life. Again, he loves them all but one inparticular.

Bluray, DVD and Digital Bonus Materials include A New Generation of Little Women, Making a Modern Classic, Greta Gerwig: Women Making Art, Hair & Make-up Test Sequence, LITTLE WOMEN Behind the Scenes and Orchard House, Home of Louisa May Alcott.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

LITTLE WOMEN has always been a beloved classic and there is no doubt about that. In this telling there is a little more of the life loving Jo with her need to make sure life is on her terms. Then it is life that lets her know they can co-exist as long as she is willing to bend from time to time with the unexpected events that shape things a little differently.

This is a film that is clearly about women in the forefront of the telling. Each of the women, including housemother Hannah, have a part to play in each other’s lives through the good and the not so good. The March women clearly have different personalities and different points of view which make the film even more entertaining to watch. The clashes and the misunderstandings are expected but their resolutions are filled with love and hope.

In the end – own your story!

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

Jeri Jacquin

Coming this Friday from director Josie Rourke and Focus Features is the story of a woman who would be more with MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.

Mary (Saoirse Ronan) is returning to Scotland from France after the death of her husband King Francis. Taking up her crown as Queen of Scotland, she is met by her half-brother James (James McArdle) the Earl of Moray who doesn’t seem pleased to see her.

He isn’t the only one as John Knox (David Tennant) makes it very clear that he isn’t about to change faiths to accommodate her. Mary makes it very clear that he his council is no longer welcome at her court. James tries to tell Mary that she has started something that could hurt her along the way.

The one thing Mary wants is to seal any breach with her cousin Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie). Elizabeth is being told repeatedly by her advisor William Cecil (Guy Pearce) that Mary is a danger and only wants to take the throne. Trying to find a middle ground, Elizabeth suggests that Mary marry an Englishman and offers up her own lover Robert Dudley (Joe Alwyn). Mary has other plans and marries Lord Darnley (Jack Lowden).

Realizing she may have made a mistake, the only way to solidify her position is by having a child before Elizabeth. When she has a son, it changes her feelings and she shares with Elizabeth asking her to be the child’s godmother. Elizabeth believes that this may just be the tie that binds the two women.

Mary is having a difficult time as well when Darnley has no problem showing his disregard for her position as Queen. When her own council tries to take the throne, Darnley is talked into being part of the conspiracy. Intrigue continues to plague Mary as the men around her lay claim, force marriages and don’t understand the fierceness of the Queen.

Seeing one last hope, Mary asks to meet with her sister-cousin Elizabeth in hopes to get support in fighting back those who would take the Scottish throne. Although Elizabeth feels for her cousin, it becomes clear to Mary that she may be at the end of her reign.

Two queens who want the same thing in different ways.

Ronan as Mary is remarkable but then again she is a remarkable actress. The first movie I ever saw her in was the intense and emotionally draining film ATONEMENT followed by the equally intense film THE LOVELY BONES. Since then nothing has stopped her from honing her craft in every way possible and with characters that have obviously taught her more and more about choosing roles and defining who she is as an actress. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS is another example of why I will see every piece of filmmaking she is in – always. This is a character driven by a woman up against men who see her as a trophy to be one and then disguarded because she is, after all, only a woman. Well done Ronan, well done!

Robbie as Elizabeth doesn’t hesitate to put every little bit of her Queen out there – from her lovers, illness and inability to be told who to marry and what children to have. Robbie presents a strong force of a woman that shows moments of private struggle but when push comes to shove Robbie helps Elizabeth straightens her spine and her crown. The scene between the two queens is one of the most poignant and double-edged I have seen in a while on film.

McArdle as James is clearly a man who has been led by the nose at the hands of the council and happily so until Mary comes back. Then his little hurt feelings are put out for all to see and he wants justice for it all. McArdle is an actor on a mission and playing the role of a spurned brother isn’t easy. Lowden as Lord Darnley is just another man in Mary’s life that believes he is owed something at the cost of everything else. Tennant as Knox is a religious zealot who barks a good game hoping others will do the fighting for him.

Pearce as Cecil is a part of the pack on the other side of the pond who wants what he wants and thinks whispering in Elizabeth’s ear means he will get it. Alwyn as Dudley is a man who love Elizabeth the woman but takes orders from Elizabeth the Queen. Not easy being told to go be your enemy’s husband and Dudley is only saved by Mary’s hot headedness.

Other cast include Gemma Chan as Elizabeth Hardwick, Brendan Coyle as Matthew Stewart, Ian Hart as Lord Maitland, Adrian Lester as Lord Randolph, Maria-Victoria Dragus as Mary Fleming, Alex Beckett as Walter Mildmay, Ismael Cordova as David Rizzio and Simon Russell as Robert Beale.

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS is a film about two women in a man’s era fighting for their crowns. They should never have had to make that choice between the two of them but with so many men whispering in their ears, I don’t know how they lasted as long as they did with each other.

Mary clearly didn’t know what Elizabeth did and that is you practically have to give up being a woman to hold onto the throne. Clearly having more time to learn that lesson than Mary, Elizabeth wanted to embrace their sisterhood-of-crowns but hard headedness got in both of their ways.

The film is beautifully done and the costuming is breathtaking. I have a weakness for period piece films and when they are done as well as MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, well I can’t help but find no fault in it.

There have been other films that have touched on the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth, and even a television show called Reign that gave viewers a glimpse of her life in France. MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS is a look at what happened once she left France and before the infamous and shocking red dress. From a young woman married to a French king to becoming a widow and returning queen of her own country – there is nothing about her life that is easy or without intrigue and betrayal.

In the end – bow to no one!

ON CHESIL BEACH Shows Life Regret

Jeri Jacquin

This Friday from the works of Ian McEwan, director Dominic Cooke and Bleeker Street is a story of young awkwardness ON CHESIL BEACH.

It is 1962 and Florence Ponting (Saoirse Ronan) is a young violinist in a string quartet and a strong will. Edward Mayhew (Billy Howle) is an awkward young man living in a home with understanding father Lionel (Adrian Scarborough), two sisters and mother Marjorie (Anne-Marie Duff) who has suffered from an accident.

Thrilled that he has received high marks in school but no one to tell about it, Edward wandered into town. There he meets Florence and is taken immediately with her and they quickly become a couple. Always together, talking and sharing both the families see where the relationship is heading.

On their honeymoon, there is still an awkwardness that Edward tries to help Florence through. When it all becomes too much for Florence, the couple end up on the beach and a secret is revealed that could change the course of their dreams forever.

Words can sometimes haunt us forever.

Ronan as Florence has once again given us a strong, memorable and stellar performance. I have longed believed there isn’t a role that this young actress couldn’t capture and ON CHESIL BEACH proves it. There is such a depth to this young character and levels of Florence trying to keep herself together and, at any moment, the wire could suddenly snap. It is Ronan that keeps control of that wire and does so brilliantly.

Howle as Edward is a young man who finds in Florence one thing in his life that makes sense. He is moved by her and, in a sense, believes she is everything he needs. Willing to work for her father to be a providing husband, even his own father Lionel believes Florence is good for him. Howle has an innocence about him and that wraps deeply into the heart of this character.

Scarborough as Lionel is a man who sees what the accident has done to his wife and is amazed when Florence brings such change in her. Duff as Marjorie is living the best life she can since the accident. Watson as Florence’s mother Violet constantly tests the young girl will as only this fine actress can do. 

Other cast include Samuel West as Geoffrey Ponting, Bebe Cave as Ruth Ponting, Bronte Carmichael as Chloe, and Jonjo O’Neill as Phil.

ON CHESIL BEACH is a stunning look at an innocent time where secrets have no way out and truths don’t fit it. Both of these young people have issues that are so deeply engrained in who they are, it was inevitable that something would come to the surface.

It is in their reactions that the stories are truly told, yet each does not see the answers in the other. Instead, anger and frustration take over and in flash one decision in life can be devastating. That is what is so heartbreaking about this story for me, that even when faced the choice once again, it is decision that can either right things or stay on the path of nothing.

Ronan and Howle are heartbreaking to watch and artfully beautiful at the same time. Experiencing their characters struggle to find a way out of their pain is worth every moment on screen. Well done, absolutely well done.

The novella On Chesil Beach by British writer Ian McEwan has been translated into several languages and was nominated in 2007 for the Booker Prize.

In the end – life can still change when you do nothing.