FILM SOPHIECLAIRE MCLEOD
Creature features One film’s full of animals, and another is called Animals; other than that, this issue’s three movie picks have little in common, except that they’re all worth a trip out
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e’ve had some gloriously hot weather over the last few weeks, but why not take a break from the heat in a lovely, dark, air-conditioned screening room with a fantastic film to keep you entertained? From a Disney classic reborn to a hilarious documentary about golf caddies and a quirky comedy drama about female friendship, there’s plenty for everyone here. THE LION KING Disney is back with another incredible photorealistic computer-animated retelling of one of its hand-drawn hits of yesteryear. Unlike with similar recent remakes of The Jungle Book and Cinderella, though, this isn’t a new take on a much-loved ’50s or ’60s classic, but rather takes its inspiration from a work of much more recent vintage, 1994’s The Lion King, one of the pillars of the so-called Disney renaissance of the ’90s. This year’s return to the African savannah features a stellar contemporary cast – including Beyoncé, Donald Glover and Seth Rogen – plus the great James Earl Jones, reprising his role from the original as King Mufasa. The results are more lifelike than life itself, as Glover’s young lion cub, Simba, has his destiny as Mufasa’s heir stolen from him by his uncle, the plotting Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Expect tragedy and betrayal on a Shakespearean scale, as an exiled Simba is forced to grow up, take responsibility and fight for what’s his – though to do so, he’ll need more than a little help from some unlikely new friends. But you know all this, of course: you’ve seen the original. At times this new version comes across as a shot-for-shot remake – no bad thing, of course, as the original was so epic in scale,
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
The Lion King gets real, Loopers cracks a smile, Animals sweat out a hangover
glorious to look at, and heaved with great music, laugh out loud moments and raw emotion – but it’s longer, with some roles (Beyoncé’s Nala, for instance) changed or expanded; director Jon Favreau also made the well-received Jungle Book remake three years ago, so we’re in safe hands, and this very much deserves to be towards the top of your ‘must watch’ list. LOOPERS: THE CADDIE’S LONG WALK Golf may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but an intriguing new documentary, Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk, sheds new light on to the sport. It focuses on the dynamic between the players and the folk who cart their bags of clubs around, and the relationships that grow between two people who walk together for hours at a time, and inevitably start talking about more than just club choices and golf tactics. Tom Watson, one of the leading American golfers of the ’70s and ’80s, and his caddie Bruce Edwards were often described as being ‘closer than brothers’, and a range of wonderful, very different kinds of friendships seem to form on the golf course. This documentary expertly highlights these partnerships, but also looks at the makings of a caddie’s career – Greg Puga, for instance, began as a caddie in Los Angeles, but eventually climbed his way through the ranks to play in the Masters at Augusta. Narrated by the wonderful Bill Murray – who had a famous early role in Caddyshack (1980), of course – Loopers will, at the very least, make you rethink the way you look at golf. ANIMALS Based on an Emma Jane Unsworth novel, Animals follows long-time friends and party-
goers Laura (Holliday Grainger) and Tyler (Alia Shawkat) as they navigate their way through love and life in Dublin. Refusing to settle down as they begin their thirties – and with personalities that seem to fit together perfectly – the boozy baristas enjoy wild night after wild night, which suddenly adds up to ten years together. Naturally, the drink, drugs and casual sex can’t last forever, and when Laura’s sister announces that she is pregnant – and deliberately so – Laura begins to wonder what she’s been doing with her life, and where it’s all going. She starts a new journey into novel writing, but not so the anarchic Tyler, who’s determined to persevere with her messy lifestyle. Cracks, inevitably, begin to appear in the girls’ friendship, not least when concert pianist Jim (Fra Fee) catches Laura’s eye; when she eventually gets engaged, it forces both girls to re-evaluate their lives and friendship. Both Grainger and Shawkat give live-wire performances of great range in this witty, thought provoking drama – and though it’s the conflicted Grainger who grabs more of the spotlight, there’s a wonderfully untamed quality to both which makes this highly entertaining. Although they may not be likeable the entire length of the film, it’s these women’s believable flaws that makes Animals so real and surprising.
Sophie-Claire McLeod is duty and marketing manager at The Little Theatre, 1–2 St Michael’s Place; 01225 466822; www.picturehouses.co.uk
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