Film Review: What Maisie Knew

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Alexander Skarsgård, David Siegel, entertainment, Film Review, film review What Maisie Knew, Joanna Vanderham, Onata Aprile, Scott McGehee, Steve Coogan, What Maisie Knew

Although based on Henry James’ 1897 novel What Maisie Knew is a very modern story, one of divorce and children being the collateral damage.

Six-year-old Maisie (Onata Aprile) is the daughter of rock star mum Susanna (Julianne Moore) and art dealer dad Beale (Steve Coogan). The two big egos clash loudly, disregarding the presence of their daughter who finds peace with nanny Margo (Joanna Vanderham). Maisie spends her day peering around corners, listing to abusive shouting and avoiding being caught in the middle.

When her parents finally split the courts decide that Maisie is live with both parents and is chauffeured back and forth between them. Although both parents fight for sole custody it becomes obvious that Maisie is more of an inconvenience that anything else.

Bizarrely both parents decide the only option is to marry, philandering dad hooks up with the much younger nanny Margo and narcissist mum weds handsome bartender Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgård).

Bouncing between the two unlikely couples Maisie becomes more and more neglected by her parents and finds better, more loving replacements in her stepparents.

What Maisie Knew is a delicate film that lives for its tiny lead actress Onata Aprile. She is in every scene, peering out, watching the adults who dictate her world. We see the story from her point of view, the camera held low to the ground letting the viewer see the child’s perspective.

Both Moore and Coogen are good as the self-obsessed parents who believe they love their child but are unwilling to sacrifice their needs for hers.

Skarsgård breaks away from his normal roles and succeeds in being unusually vulnerable and naïve, his Swedish accent and extreme height adding too his charm as he plays with the little girl.

Scottish actress Vanderham is endearing and her attachment to Maisie as Margo feels real and very emotional. With her lilting accent and petit figure she is the perfect counterpart to Skarsgård.

What Maisie Knew may not be an exact replica of the book, but the story is told well and is beautifully filmed by directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel. The viewer gets pulled in and emotionally attacked to Maisies fate, always hoping that the tiny protagonist comes out unscathed.

Film review: We’re the Millers

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Emma Roberts, entertainment, film review: We’re the Millers, film reviews, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Rawson Marshall Thurber, We’re the Millers, Will Poulter

Small time dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) seems to be happy with his uneventful and meaningless life. But when he is beaten up by thugs and loses his bosses money he is forced into becoming a big-time drug smuggler.

In order to transport a massive stash of weed over the Mexican boarder David comes up with a ludicrous idea. He hires a monster of a campervan and hires a family. His motley crew of a ‘the Millers’ are neighbour and stripper Rose O’Reilly (Jennifer Aniston) as his wife, runaway Casey (Emma Roberts) his daughter and neighbour nerd Kenny (Will Poulter) as his son.

Of course nothing goes as planned and ‘the Millers’ end up on an adventure of a lifetime.

Sadly the script just doesn’t hold up and the crude innuendos and sexual crudeness is often just not funny. Aniston as stripper Rose is not believable; even though her body is incredible she just doesn’t have the dirty sexiness needed for the role. But thankfully her comedic talent saves her otherwise weak performance, as she does have good timing.

Sudeikis does have a certain charm but his performance is a little threadbare and messy. And it doesn’t help that his lines are too bland to really inspire any likeability.

The contrast between Roberts and Poulter couldn’t be bigger. Roberts is too “vanilla” to pull off her role as a hard-done-by teenager who hates the world and lives on the street. However British actor Poulter is quite good, he somehow manages to be sweet and vulnerable in the midst of all the chaos.

We’re the Millers is another film that cannot live up to its promise. Its weak screenplay, crudeness and unlikely story all jar. And while there are a few laugh its attempts to combine family sitcom and lewdness doesn’t work, making most scenes cringe-worthy and uncomfortable.

So if you are expecting something like director’s Rawson Marshall Thurber Dodgeball, you will be disappointed. We’re the Millers just isn’t very funny, too ‘over-the-top’ and juvenile.

sleep-robbing alarms

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alarms, neighbours, sleep, sleeplessness

I was finally able to sleep last night, and what a long good sleep it was. The reason for my past sleepless nights has been an ongoing alarm across the road.

On Thursday afternoon it started, a high-pitched ringing sound that vibrates through the body. For some reason, unknown to me, the neighbours intruder alarm had triggered. Of course I thought it would soon be turned off but as the hours ticked along the shrill ringing started to grate on my nerves.

As night approached and all the noise of the day calmed down it amplified leaving me tossing and turning in my bed, trying to sleep but my ears just couldn’t tune the blaring out.  When Friday morning arrived I was vexed and annoyed, tired and not really myself. Since my neighbours obviously weren’t home, but I did knock just in case they were deaf, I called the alarm company to no avail. After several left messages and emails I decided it was time to take a different route so I called the Gardi, the Irish police.

But I didn’t find help here either. They told me that all they could do is check the property for any signs of intrusion but wouldn’t, couldn’t, turn the alarm off. The next step, suggested by the Gardi, was to call the Dublin City Council, but here too help was limited. They told me I could file a complaint for noise pollution but it would take  a minimum of seven days before they would, could, do anything and even so it didn’t mean the alarm would be shut off.

As the earsplitting noise was getting too much to bear and I couldn’t stand to be at home and wasn’t sleeping I tried to stay away from my home as much as possible. This made me even more annoyed as I had just dropped my New Zealand friend off at her new abode and finally had my home to myself.

But thankfully when I arrived home late last night he sleep-robbing alarm had finally been turned off. I couldn’t believe it and when I curled up in bed, my nerves gave a sigh of relief and after three sleepless nights I was able to sleep!