reynsi

Well, were to start? This is by far one of the worst films I've ever paid good money to see. I won't comment on the story itself, it's a wonderful classic, but here it feels like a soap opera. To start with, the acting, except for Eric Bana, is soap opera quality. I've always been a fan of Brad Pitt, but here every actor on The Bold and the Beautiful puts him to shame. The camera action doesn't help, either. How it lingers on him when he's thinking, it just takes me back to Brooke Forrester's days in the lab! Peter O'Toole has either had a really bad plastic surgery, or he is desperately in need of one. Either way, he looks more like Linda Evans than Linda Evans! And to end my comments, Diane Kruger is a cute girl, but she sure is no Helen of Troy. Peterson should rather have chosen Saffron Burrows for the role, since Elizabeth Taylor would be rather miscast by now.

Charlotte Grey is the title character of this movie, set in WW2 Britain and France. Played by the extremely gifted Cate Blanchett, Charlotte is a young Scottish woman who, after having fallen in love with an army pilot, Peter Gregory (Rubert Penry-Jones), decides to participate in the English efforts to help the French resistance. A fluent French-speaker, Charlotte takes on the identity of Dominique, a married Parisienne, who's moved to the Vichy-governed part of France.

As Dominique, Charlotte gets involved with Julian Lavade, his father and two young Jewish boys, whose parents have just been taken away by the Vichy police. She soon realizes how serious the situation is, and that no one is to be trusted. And her courage and determination sees her through.

Cate Blanchett shows yet again what an amazing actress she is, the new Meryl Streep, but with a warmer aura. Watching her on the screen never gets boring, and even though the movie is somewhat slow moving at times, it really left me craving for more. 4 out of 5!

As a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest I knew I had to see this movie the moment I saw the trailer. It revolves around Mona, a not very glamorous woman, working with the handicapped David. Mona, played by the multi-talented Helena Bergström, is also a huge fan of the ESC and has named her four daughters after stars from the contest. This film is a great vehicle for Bergström, whom you may know from films such as Änglegård I and II, but both Jonas Karlson as David and Björn Kjellman as Mona's brother Candy Darling, offer strong support and, at moments steel their scenes. Actually Karlson's and Kjellman's only scene together is the film's strongest point. Inevitably there is a lot of music, some a bit cheesy and bad.

This movie has several beautiful aspects, and touches many of the problems we face every day, the importance of keeping your dreams alive in order to survive, and at the end of the day: How important it is not to loose sight of your friends and family in the process!