Movie Review - Scoop

Director: Philip Martin
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Billie Piper, Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Connor Swindells, Romola Garai, Keeley Hawkes
 
Description: How the BBC obtained the bombshell interview with Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Review: The Royals, some people love them, some couldn’t care less. Especially when such dark practices come to light as those of England’s Prince Andrew and his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The BBC program Newsnight managed to get Andrew for an exclusive interview in 2019: it was the first and only time he spoke publicly about the affairs. “Scoop” shows the run-up and outcome of this infamous interview by focusing on those involved at the BBC, the royal press and on the Prince himself.

This dramatized version of events is based on the book “Scoops”, written by former BBC journalist Samantha McAllister, who credits herself with a major role in the making of the interview and is also the film’s main character. We see Sam’s journalistic drive, consultations with contacts of the royal family and also catch glimpses of her private life and the impact her work has on it.

It would be east to see Sam, sidelined at one point by the BBC, as the heroine of this story, but “Scoop” takes a nuanced approach to the moral issues. The film pays attention to the motives, actions and especially the shortcomings of all involved. We see the different sides of Sam, from editor-in-chief Amanda Thirsk, interviewer Emily Maitlis and royal press officer Annette Witheridge. The only one who really comes off unequivocally short is Andrew.

Andrew is know as the smooth talker within the Royal family. Annette, who arranges the interview from royalty, is convinced by the prince’s charm that it is a good thing for Andrew to show the nation that he is virtuous and prepares the interview meticulously with him. But the prince, of course, is not virtuous. He is a liar and really just a big child who thinks he can get away with a fabrication of the past.
The viewer’s indignation is directed at Andrew, but also at the press and the team at BBC, who may not have made to most of it after all. The films stirs these feelings, but also continually shows that this whole process is human work. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you’d hoped. In that sense, “Scoop” is not a pedantic film.

Director Philip Martin offers in “Scoop” a meticulous reconstruction of the events, but also does not shy away from fictional interpretation and scenes that serve purely for dramatic effect. The mix of fact and fiction works well, especially for those not exactly in the know about the whole affair, “Scoop” is an exciting as well as understated film.

Billie Piper in the lead role is very expressive. The hot-blooded Sam is vicious toward her colleagues, but like a child excited when she is invited to Buckingham Palace. She deals with disappointments, but also celebrates her triumph. Piper lays it on a bit thick at times, but we feel involved with Sam. Gillain Anderson, as interviewer Emily Maitlis, and Rufus Sewell, as Prince Andrew, play public figures, but their renditions offer enough drama to keep it from being boring imitations.

“Scoop” is a really solid film, which mixed fact and fiction very well and shines a light on a very important news item.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Father

Director: Florian Zeller
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Mark Gatiss

Description: A man (Anthony Hopkins) refuses all assistance from his daughter (Olivia Colman) as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of hid reality.

Review: Anthony suffers from Alzheimer’s disease so his memory is beginning to fail him more and more. He doesn’t want to admit and accept that he needs care in his old age. He lives in with his daughter Anne and we see his condition getting worse.
Alzheimer’s disease has left so much suffering and grief. It’s a mental illness, there is nothing you can do but stand by and watch helplessly as someone you love slips away from you to the point that they may not even recognize you. “The Father” attempts for the first time to make the illness tangible and visualize it by highlighting the perspective of someone who suffers from it.
“The Father” manages to break free from the conventional way of storytelling in order to present us with something unique. All facets of film are pulled out to make us as disoriented as this broken old man who is slowly losing grip on reality.
The his ingeniously shown by playing with different aspects. Scenes are not entirely in chronological order, conversations can be partly fabricated in Anthony’s head, there are hallucinations of certain people who may not be there at all and even the furniture in Anthony’s apartment changes subtly throughout the film to show that he feels increasingly alienated from the outside world.
This angle tries to give us the most realistic look into the mind of someone with Alzheimer’s/ dementia. Like Anthony, you are frustrated-confused and along with him you are challenged to puzzle out to correct course of action. I have never seen a film that comes so dangerously close in depicting the mental state of someone with this horrific disease.
The film is carried by the Oscar-winning role of Anthony Hopkins. He is a veteran actor, in his eighties, but he still manages to win us all over. In everything he does, he is believable. Hopkins shows a range of emotion, where he can change in a fraction of seconds between being nice, funny, confused, sad and anxious. His final monologue leaves you heartbroken. And this perfectly describes this movie.
The film forms a fantastic whole, but also leaves room for your own interpretation. A great piece of cinema with a lesson in acting from Anthony Hopkins. A movie you seriously need to see!

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 30: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Fantasy
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, Anthony Mackie

Description: Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker), the 16th President of the United States, discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his mission to eliminate them.

Review: The title says it all, former president of the USA Abraham Lincoln is going to slay vampires. This completely insane concept is based on the bestseller written by Seth Grahame-Smith. Director Timur Bekmambetov knows how to make it into a good movie. The movie starts with a scene where a young Abe sees his mother get killed by a vampire. When he grows up he meets Henry Sturgess, who teaches him how to become a vampire hunter.
The filmmakers take the strange story very seriously and that works surprisingly well. Although it’s sometimes over-the-top, the scenes are very authentic and the film is very surprising and gives you some big scares. Especially the scene where Abe is fighting vampires on top of a train is fantastic. Eighty percent of its runtime this movie manages to burst of energy, but the visuals are always 100%.
The cast is also a strong point, because there is not one black sheep. It’s a solid line-up, without any ‘big’ names. “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” is a joy to watch and it succeeds in turning the bestselling book into a movie.

Rating: 3,5/ 5