"Mary Queen of Scots"

At one point it was looking like this film was a favourite for serious Oscar contention. It may still bag an Oscar nod for Lead Actress for Saoirse Ronan, and possibly the odd craft nomination but that will be about it.

Despite having seen two previous films about the Virgin Queen, brilliantly played by Cate Blanchett, this film unsurprisingly concentrates more on the Queen of Scotland, and there is a lot to learn, also I was surprised how little Margot Robbie appears in the film. We got the usual brief overview to cover Mary's early years. And we first see her as she arrives in Scotland.
With the Protestants and Catholics  at war with each other, it is essentially a race between the two Queens to see who can provide an Heir first, and thus hopefully become Monarch of both Countries.
Mary having to also deal with plotting from within her own Subjects, as well as her scheming Husband, Lord Darnley.

I have to say that one of the best scenes in the film is where the two Queens meet, having a meeting in private to try and reach an amicable agreement, and yet in history, it never actually took place, as Mary and Elizabeth never met. It does piss me off when writers need to fabricate scenes for dramatic purposes especially in a history biopic.

The whole cast do an excellent job, and there are many familiar faces from Timelords to staff Members of Downton Abbey. Margot Robbie is good as Elizabeth but this really is Saoirse Ronan's film. She really is outstanding as Mary. If she does get an nomination, it will be her fourth, of which three will have been for Lead Actress. It will only be a matter of time before she does have an Academy Award.

The Direction is fairly solid, and comes courtesy of Josie Rourke, and if it is a name you are not familiar with, then this is her feature debut, and most impressive it is too.
As I say, it is a good film, just not one that I would watch over and over. It is questionable if I would buy it, but what I saw I enjoyed.....7 out of 10

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

First an admission, to me Wes Anderson is one of those Directors that people can find to be somewhat odd ball. He can write and direct something which many regard a classic, and I am not a fan of, like "The Royal Tenenbaums, and then there is the flip side with him writing and directing pure joy in the form of "Fantastic Mr. Fox".
Now a confession. When I initially saw the title of this film, I thought blimey, they have done a sequel to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" jolly quickly. As it turns out, that is still being filmed !!

A writer talks about his past, and a chance meeting in the venue that is the title of the film. The meeting is with the mysterious owner of the hotel. They talk amongst the quiet surroundings, as the hey day of the hotel has long since gone. The owner discusses how he came to be the proprietor, and how his life changed forever, when employed at the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Zero, the now owner tells us how he started life as a mere lowly Lobby Boy. But despite his position, he had the very best teacher, the most respected and beloved member of staff, M. Gustave. A foul mouthed precisionist who enjoys the company and pleasure of a very mature lady. When one of these ladies dies in mysterious circumstances, a mad cap adventure begins, especially when Gustave is a benefactor within her will of a famous painting, much to the annoyance of her family. To make matters worse, he also becomes the key suspect in her demise. But constantly by his side is his new and faithful underling, Zero. And all this takes place against the backdrop of an ever changing political climate.

The screenplay is just pure joy. An absolute gem, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It has real laugh out loud humour, a rare thing these days, but the humour is also very clever. I do seem to the following phrase a lot of late, but this film really does have a cast list to die for. In fact there are so many top names involved with the film, that there was not enough space within the labels section to list everyone. Every cast member is wonderfully funny, whether it be Tilda Swinton looking brilliantly aged under a lot of prosthetics, as one of Gustave's love interests, or Willem Dafoe who is wickedly funny as the terrifying looking henchman to Adrien Brody, also on good form. Newcomer Tony Revolori is superb as Zero, our hero Lobby Boy. But by far the main praise has to go to Ralph Fiennes, whose comic turn as M. Gustave is quite remarkable. Who would have thought that his classic film actor could be so funny?

There is something of an old fashioned feel to the film, whether it is due to the fact that part of it is shot in full screen, or the vibrant colours of the film. It could even be the simplistic way some of the scenes are shot, but rest assured this film is a delight for so many of your senses. Taste as you savour the culinary delights on screen, sight because of the rich colour and beautiful artwork plus some great visual comedy, and hearing as you will be lucky to have some hysterical lines delivered that will make you roll.

I read a recent review that said that the film may be too odd-ball for some, and that could well be the case, but I for one loved it, and hope to see it again very soon. Please note I have deliberated over what score to award, and this could well alter after a second viewing.

Could this already be one of the years best films?..............9 out of 10

"How I Live Now"

Daisy has newly arrived in the UK. There are interesting scenes at the airport. The military are in full force, soldiers and guns everywhere. Security is clearly very tight.
She is taken to the relatives that she will be staying with. Quite quickly she comes across as one of those annoying ungrateful brats that you want to take a baseball bat to. She not be pleased about where she is staying, which is a house out in the middle of nowhere, where a very bohemian lifestyle is adopted, or maybe that she is there in the first place, because her father was sick of her, and wanted some respite. Maybe that is where the resentment of all around her stems from, the fact that she feels unloved by those closest to her.

But with strong defiance she does start to settle into life in the country, though clearly not what she is used to. But things are not well in the UK. There is something afoot as the unknown situation intensifies. The mother of the household has some expertise relating to what is happening, and has to jet off to foreign climbs, leaving the teenagers to fend for themselves, one gets the impression that this happens on a regular basis.
They are quite content with this, cooking their food, going hunting, and swimming, and generally enjoying themselves. And life carries on as normal, that it is until there is an incident. And it is a real highpoint of the film, so effectively done. From this point on, things will never be the same again for the family. They are separated, and they vow to all get away from where they will be taken and go back home. The remainder of the film follows that journey. Whether they make it or not is not for me to discuss here, but it is reasonably engaging. I did feel that there should have been a little more threat. And it would have also been nice to understand what the cause of the military involvement, and those behind the incident where about.

Ronan plays the unloved annoying Daisy well, in fact she does such a good job, that within the first five minutes of her being on screen you want to give her a good slap. The other younger cast members are equally good in their respective roles. Tom Holland goes from strength to strength after his great work in "The Impossible".

Whather it has been said before I do not know, but for me there are similarities to the earlier film "Tomorrow, When The War Began", and for me this new film pales at the side of the 2010 movie.

It is ok, but have seen better.......6 out of 10