Oh, dear... Ms. Drewe

Nope - Haven't disappeared. The past week's been spent tweaking a novel grant application for next week's deadline, hence the general lag time in getting new reviews up.

The first to be uploaded is Tamara Drewe [M], a promising, teasing visual gem that turns to be just shallow and woefully uneven. Not even the excellent cast have room to expand their limited roles, and at nearly 2 hours, it's a deadly dull film.

Alexandre Desplat's score [M] is nice, but it's unfortunately married to the film's lack of diverity, and depth.







Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com

Gemma x 2

Actress Gemma Arterton is a hot tomato lately with two films in release – the slick kidnapping thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed, and Stephen Frears’ film version of Posy Simmonds’ graphic novel Tamara Drewe.

Both films contain a central role of a hottie, and Arterton uses the drama in one and the comedy in the second to show off her acting ability, proving she can do more than be the stoic godmother to Perseus in Clash of the Titans, and the statuesque bimbo named Strawberry Fields (Get it? Get it?) in The Quantum of Solace ( 2008).

Yes, her character is generally pushed to disrobe in Creed, buy J Blakeson’s drama for three characters has some meat in spite of not quite delivering the sharp twists some critics have been babbling in their reviews. One caveat: if you know nothing about the film, avoid looking at any publicity stills, because there are spoilers. Creed was released this month in Britain on DVD and Blu-ray by Icon, but Starz / Anchor Bay will have their own home video release on Nov. 23 for Region 1 land.

One hope: someone out there (MovieScore Media, perhaps?) might pick up Marc Canham’s Creed soundtrack for release. Canham’s scored a number of video games, and his debut feature film shows a great instinct for tight, character conflicts.

Also reviewed today is Alexandre Desplat’s score for Tamara Drewe (Silva Screen), featuring his infectious theme.

Those wanting a bit more substantive material on Arterton can read Norman Wilner’s interviews at NOW in which the actress discusses Creed and Drewe.

Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com