All tagged Judi Dench

Let’s Talk About Cats the Movie

Let’s Talk About Cats the Movie

Mark Robinson
Cinematters, Music That Makes Me Dance

Reviews for the film adaptation of the long-running West End and Broadway musical Cats have been brutal, even blistering. From the creepiness of the CGI effects to the ridiculously choppy editing and camera work that detracted from the choreography, Cats on the big screen has proven to be... well... a “cat” astrophe, bringing-in well under its projected box office receipts during its premiere weekend. Sure, the film was up against one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated films The Rise of Skywalker, but Cats failed on its own terms, and the force just wasn’t with it. That is not to say that there aren’t some things it got right. A few of them splendidly so. 

Murder on the Orient Express: Film Review

Murder on the Orient Express: Film Review

Mark Robinson
Cinematters

There has been a lot of bellyaching out there over the remake of Murder on the Orient Express, based on the 1934 Agatha Christie novel and gloriously filmed in 1974 with a cast of the highest pedigree, including Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Jacqueline Bisset, John Gielgud, and Michael York.  The film follows Detective Hercule Poirot as he takes a trip aboard the titular luxury train only to encounter the mysterious murder of one of the train’s passengers. With such a top-notch cast and a fascinating story for its premise, the original film was a visual feast and one of Hollywood’s finer whodunits. The remake is a surprisingly well done, elegant and sumptuous to look at, directed with the eye of a true artist, and possessing some nifty performances that could give the original cast a run for their money.