Monday, March 13, 2006

LOST Season One


I saw the first season of LOST on DVD.  Pretty intense way to throw yourself into the experience.  I highly recommend it!

Thursday, March 9, 2006

Probably Not the Pride and Joy of Austen Devotees

A few years back, I was introduced to the Jane Austen classic Sense and Sensibility. It quickly became one of my favorite books, and Emma Thompson's masterful adaptation one of my favorite movies. My experience with Austen has been limited otherwise, so when I heard about the new version of Pride and Prejudice hitting movie theaters, I was sufficiently intrigued to want to see it. I finally got a chance last week, and while I know enough Austen devotees to know that I should probably be head over heels for the story, this particular version failed to grab me. It was enjoyable enough but didn't impress me nearly as much as Sense and Sensibility. I think it's time I tried my luck with the mini-series.

This latest version of Pride and Prejudice stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett, a feisty young woman in no hurry to be married off. Her mother (Brenda Blethyn) has other ideas. Elizabeth is one of five daughters, and Mrs. Bennett would like nothing better than to see them all settled with rich and well-respected husbands. She's the right mix of irritating and well-intentioned to be comical but not repugnant. She's annoying, to be sure, but there's little doubt that she cares about her daughters. Still, Mr. Bennett (Donald Sutherland) is a much more sympathetic figure. We get the sense he's spent his life being bullied by his wife, and he mostly tries to keep a low profile and not stir up her anger, though he is willing to step out of his submissive role when the subject calls for it. He and Elizabeth have an especially close relationship, so he is unwilling to let his wife force their daughter into a decision that would make her miserable.

Over the course of the film, Elizabeth has three potential suitors. The first is the laughably unsuitable Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), a short, nervous preacher desperate for a wife, though it doesn't much matter who. Then there is Mr. Wickham (Rupert Friend), a dashing guardsman who Elizabeth rather likes until his actions betray him as a libertine. The third and most important is Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), whose dour demeanor and insulting remarks upon their first meeting cause Elizabeth to loathe him for life, or so she swears. Yet for all her indignation, there is an undeniable attraction and the lingering possibility that she has misjudged his character.

Secondary to Elizabeth's romantic trials are those of her sister Jane (Rosamund Pike), who is certain she has found instant love with Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), an affable and clumsy redhead who is a good friend of Mr. Darcy. Their relationship progresses smoothly, despite the disapproval of Mr. Bingley's sister Caroline (Kelly Reilly) - a character every bit as aggravating as Sense and Sensibility's Fanny Dashwood but not as funny - until he suddenly backs off, leaving Jane distraught and Elizabeth furious. It's perhaps a fault of this movie that I am fonder of Mr. Bingley, who strikes me as a bit of a cross between Fred of A Christmas Carol as well as Edward of Sense and Sensibility, than I am of Mr. Darcy, who is supposed to be one of the most compelling romantic characters in all of literature. My favorite character, though, is the beleaguered Mr. Bennett, and truth be told I'm more moved by his relationship with Elizabeth than Mr. Darcy's.

The film is pretty-looking, though again, I prefer the cinematography in Sense and Sensibility and the sense of intimacy that is achieved there. Here, we spend more time in settings in which there are many people, and as a result I found it harder to connect to individuals. Additionally, while I usually have no difficulty understanding British accents, even in period pieces, I caught myself having to strain here. I know that Pride and Prejudice is considered one of the great works of literature, British or otherwise, and I know that adaptations often fall short, so I'm not going to judge the book on the movie. But in the immortal words of Randy Jackson, "It was just a-ight for me."