intelearts

Honestly, so disappointing. The actors give it their all, filming is great, but man what a stinker of a script - every time you think it can't be implausible, it goes there - every time you think they can't be signalling the plot *that* much they are. The lines are clichéed and the plot is honestly so full of interventions that this reviewer is amazed it got greenlighted. Personally, the kid acts really well, but his given lines and character devices makes it challenging - and Bryan Cranston is fine, but the whole thing is so utterly trite as to be basically unwatchable. Do better please HBO.

Coda centers itself on the coda of fictional pianist, Sir Henry Cole. A true Meastro, who has dedicated his life to the art of the classical piano, he is now at the end of his path, and finds himself lost and looking for clarity.

Patrick Stewart brings a stillness and meditative grumpiness to the role and is supported by Katie Holmes as a writer for the New Yorker who finds herself drawn to Cole's enigmatic loss.Giancarlo Espacito (Breaking Bad) is excellent as Cole's agent, as is Christophe Gaugler as the night porter.

This is an actor's film, if you like nuance, thought, pause and Beethoven then this is rewarding. The direction by Claude Lalonde is good, particularly the pacing and framing. But this is Patrick Stewart's film, he takes Louis Gadbout's script, and delivers a beautiful performance.

This is a film about the piano and it's demands, but not in an overdramtic way, it rather questions artistry and what it means to reach the coda. This viewer enjoyed it very much and found the change of tempo a refreshing change.

Stronger is the biopic of Jeff Bauman, who lost both legs in the Boston Marathon bombing. The film's strengths lie in the exceptionally strong direction of the opening 40 minutes, which are as good as anything this year, and the lead performances, especially Gyllenhaal.

However, after the exceptional first 40 minutes Stronger goes flabby for the next 40 minutes and then finishes with a final 40 minutes. Does the film need a second act, of course it does, does it need a second act that is so extended, absolutely not.

I came away with mixed emotions - the story is a very strong one, and the for the most part it avoids a preachy polemic, which would have been really easy to go for, the acting is solid, the film itself has an amazingly strong beginning and ending - better than good, but sitting through the middle is honestly, hard work.

Worth seeing, absolutely. But, it would lose nothing by being 30 minutes shorter.