Julie & Julia (out 08 March 10, Cert. 12)
Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, dir. by Nora Ephron, 2009, Cert. 12
MonkeyScore: 72%
Julie & Julia follows and intertwines the stories two women who embark on culinary self-discovery journeys. Married to a government employee posted at the US Embassy in Paris, Julia Child discovers French cooking in the 50s, before becoming a household name in the US as a TV chef. In 2002 Julie Powell challenges herself with a blog project: cooking all the recipes in Julia Child's first book in 12 months, and publishing her thoughts online as she goes along.
The stories of Julie & Julia are interesting and well performed, but somehow fail to turn this very pleasant film into an unmissable release. The two women are both entertaining and moving but come across as slightly self-indulgent. Amy Adams makes wannabe writer Julie Powell borderline neurotic, but as she is a young professional New Yorker it seems quite plausible. Meryl Streep as Child is more of an enigma. In America Streep's performance gained much praise for really nailing Child's mannerism, intonations and demeanour. Where Child is not a celebrity, however, it's a bit more difficult to relate and engage. This is until you actually check out the bonus features to watch the real Julia Child's cookery show. The excerpts presented are from a much older Julia than the period covered in the film but make it quite obvious that the lady was a larger than life character. Taking on the challenge of portraying her would have been daunting for a lesser actor than Streep. A good choice for Mothering Sunday, if a bit obvious. |
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An Education (out on 08 March, Cert. 12)
Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, dir. Lone Scherfig, 2009, cert. 12
review coming soon
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Toy Story (out 08 March 10, cert. PG)
Tom Hanks, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Tim Allen, Jim Varney, dir. John Lasseter, 1995, cert. PGMonkeyScore: TBC% 
Toy Story 2 (out 08 March 10, cert. PG)
Tom Hanks, John Ratzenberger, Annie
Potts, Tim Allen, Jim Varney, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, dir. John
Lasseter / Lee Unkrich, 1999, cert. PG
MonkeyScore: TBC%
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