Films at The Week Swappers Mansions

 

What a weekend!

So far two films; one of the very worst ('Vicky Cristina Barcelona' - Woody Allen featuring Penelope Cruz, hubby Javier Bardem and the always watchable Rebecca Hall & Patricia Clarkson 2008) and  . . . .  *

one of the very best [Wake Up Dead Man - A Knives Out Mystery - Dir: Ryan Johnson feat. Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Andrew Scott, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close and Mila Kunis)

*Just watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona . . .

Largely to see what all the fuss was about in 2008

Truly dreadful and awful trite, little film. Slight, vacuous and two dimensional; it is barely redeemed by Javier Badem and wife Cruz. Rebecca Hall is always watchable but the stellar Patricia Clarkson is wasted here in a walk on bit part. This is the sort of stuff Allen can reel out by the yard (and arguably does!) it might have been written on a wine label whilst holidaying in Spain! Light and barely frothy. 

How this ended up being a top earner for him is beyond me. (Annie Hall anyone? This made more money!?)

Johannsson drifts through it as if in a day dream and brings nothing to it, acting is wooden barely registering any on-screen interest. Her acting here is appalling, stumbling through it with her bottled blonde, shapely, peasant blouse, jeans and espadrilles ‘pretty girl’ schtick as a kind of uniform; she plays a would-be ‘creative’ searching for herself which might be interesting to push a cliché but her acting is clumsy, trite and vacuous

The storyline is borderline racist with sloppy characterisations clichéd stereotypical ‘passionate’ fiery messed up artistic Spaniards, up tight buttoned up moneyed middle class Yanks and people who barely register as having any moral compass whatsoever! Why is it named after the two western characters who are unlikely friends? Why is Marie Elena not included and what Barcelona the key being the  report they go to whahere Bardem character wreaks his havoc with the two girls!? Really sad and predictable Men governed solely by their libido and promiscuous women trying to ‘find themselves! Laughable for all the wrong reasons it is described as a rom com! It isn’t!

3/10

Closing theme 

 to the Wake Up Dead Man film a stroke of genius