Catch Me If You Can

I would have to say that I gobble up any films that are based on true stories especially when they give the real life people a cameo role. This is often secretly hidden and is more of a 'did you know?' kind of fact. For example recently I discovered that in The Pursuit of Happyness (staring Will Smith as Chris Gardner) the real Chris Gardner walks across the screen in the final frame as Will Smith turns to see him reflecting what he will become in the future. A very subtle trick but if you know it's there it makes a lot of difference. It adds more depth to any film. Catch Me If You Can is another example in which the main character, being Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. is played by a young looking Leonardo DiCaprio, but if you look closely you see that the real Frank has been given a cameo role as a police officer in the French scenes. I think it is a fantastic addition to a true-story film. 

Leonardo DiCaprio on set with the real Frank Abagnale Jr.

An American film, released in 2002 and staring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, Catch Me If You Can tells the real story of how Frank William Abagnale, Jr. poses as a PANAM air pilot, a lawyer and a doctor, forging checks and making $2.5 million over 26 different countries all before the age of 21. The film presents the chase by Carl Hanratty, an FBI check fraud agent (Tom Hanks) as he tries to track down Frank in an intelligent drama with moments of comedic wit. It also stars Christopher Walken, as Frank's father, for which his performance earned him a BAFTA for best supporting actor amongst many others. 

The film, directed by Steven Spielberg, starts off with a recreation of the 70's TV show To Tell The Truth where the real Frank Jr. actually appeared in 1977. We are then flashed back to the past and the real story starts when Frank Jr. and his parents are forced to move from their lavish home to a small flat due to Frank Sr. being denied a business loan. At this time Frank Jr. starts at a new high school where his faking antics begin as he pretends to be a substitute teacher, unrecognised for two weeks. As he returns home from school one day he finds his parents filling papers for divorce. Frank Jr., faced with the hard decision of which parent to live with, decides to run, to a new life of frauds, faking and forgery. 

I very much enjoyed this film, and both leads do a tremendous job as presenting themselves as the real life people. It is a very bright, intelligent film that proves as both entertaining and satisfying to watch. This is what the real Frank had to say about Catch Me If You Can on his website: 

    

"I am honored that Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks participated in the making of the movie inspired by my life."

Frank Abagnale wrote the book, of the same name, prior to the film and then went on to sell the film rights in 1980. Catch Me If You Can has also appeared on Broadway as a musical.

My Girl

Released in '91, set in '72, here comes the heart warming My Girl directed by Howard Zieff and staring a young Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky. This could very well be the first film I cried watching and one of the very first films I fell in love with. Everything about this film defines beauty; from the songs that make me wish I was born in the 70's to the extraordinary relationship between two friends.

11 year-old, motherless, Vada (Anna Chlumsky) lives in Pennsylvania with her father (Dan Aykroyd) and her grandmother, in the house that doubles as a family-run funeral parlour, which consequently gives Vada a somewhat distorted view on death. When Shelly DeVoto (Jamie Lee Curtis), a make-up artist arrives, to take up a job offer at the parlour, Vada sees her Dad turn into an unfamiliar romantic which nudges Vada towards acknowledging her own feelings. Along with her friend Thomas J, the two of them share their thoughts on life and tackle their world together, but when horrendous events occur Vada is forced to open-up, accept and come to grips with a new life of adolescence. 

It's always hard to find anything critical to say about a film you've grown up watching and have never really looked at  through a critic perspective but rather just enjoy, so I will simply have to say that the whole film is just magic. Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin do wonders for a story oozing in innocence. Only recently have I discovered that Jaime Lee Curtis stars in this film and I have to say she does a tremendous job adding some lifting moments of comedy when Shelly's ex-husband arrives to take away her home (a beloved camper van). 

Some wonderful songs illustrate this film, with The Moffatts 'Do Wah    Diddy Diddy' and The 5th Dimension 'Wedding Bell Blues'. The credits roll up with the title song, The Temptations, 1964 'My Girl'.

So in essence My Girl is a coming of age film that describes perfectly the tale of a childhood and a girl grasping life, love and loss all too quickly. It is a film that I have always been infatuated with and one that will always be among my all-time favourites.

The sequel; My Girl 2, released in 1994 follows Vada on a new adventure finding the story of a life lived by her mother.

Veronika Decides to Die

Whether the title gives it away or not, I have to say this is not the most light-hearted film I have watched and asides from Charlie Chaplin, it is probably one of the most silent films I have ever seen- I think that's what makes it so great.

I'm not sure, but I don't know if it ever screened in cinemas in the UK. I had never seen it advertised on television or at the cinema, no posters or anything. Maybe I wasn't looking. Veronika Decides to Die was one of the many titles that Sky + Anytime had recorded on my behalf in some attempt to persuade me to watch. It worked! I cannot say the same for many of the other names that frequently appear on the list; 'Too Fat for Fifteen' and 'Cannibal Island' to name a few- they could be great, I don't know- I haven't watched them!

Released in 2009 it stars Sarah Michelle Gellar who is probably most well-known for her role as Buffy in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and although comic this probably doesn't suggest serious acting, but do not be fooled . She has really proven herself in this film as 28 year-old Veronika, who after a failed suicide attempt ends up in a mental institution where she is told by her doctor (David Thewlis) that she has a fatal medical condition that will only allow her a number of days to live. In essence this film is about a girl who during a crisis, tries to grasp a new perception and valuation of life.

My favourite aspect of this film is the music. The score was created by Murray Gold, who has been the musical director of Doctor Who, for the past six years, but takes a different turn composing for this seriously intense drama. The music drives a story with little dialogue. It's stunningly quiet and calm and it really works!

I wouldn't say it was sensational or at all thrilling but if you're looking for a relatively intellectual and moving film, I would definitely recommend!

The Secret Life of Bees

So I thought I would start off my blog with my current favourite film. (And it is also the first part of my blog's title- if you hadn't realised)!

I find many of my films of choice by simply browsing through the filmography sections of the wikipedia and IMDb pages of whichever actor or actress has taken my most recent interest, (and for those of you who know me well you will know that One Tree Hill is one of my biggest obsessions and usually my 'film-geek' style ponderings start by brushing up on the films that star any of the cast members) of which this film is no exception.

If you didn't know who Hilarie Burton is then the part she plays in the film probably wouldn't jump out at you, and although she was my sole reason for watching this film, her role was by no means the sole reason that I fell in love with it.

With a star-studded cast and a relatively recent release date (2008) it was a suprise to me that I had never stumbled across the film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, before and still I find that many people haven't. If you are one of these people, I offer you this great advice- watch it! And I am sure that you will finish watching it with the same 'sweet as honey' feeling residing in the pit of your stomach as I did and with the same energetic capacity that makes you just wan't to get up and dance to the credits (Alicia Keys "Doncha Know") - I may or may not have done so!

I have just realised that I haven't really written anything about the plot, so here goes (I told you to bear with my blogging skills). Dakota Fanning portrays fourteen year old Lilly who killed her mother (Hilarie Burton) in an innocent act when she was only four. The whole film is about her journey of acceptance and forgiveness as she travels with her nanny (Jennifer Hudson) and ends up living with the three Boatwright sisters; August- brought majestically to the screen by Queen Latifa, May- played by Sophie Okonedo and June (Alicia Keys).

Set in the 60s on a bee farm in a sunny South Carolina the film includes racial themes and the book it is based on (by Sue Monk Kidd) was a tribute to black maternity in the South. The music in this film is a key factor that truly transports you to the decade showcasing Irma Thomas' original version of 'Breakaway' performed first in 1964.

So I think that is just about everything I can sum up at 22:30 on a Sunday night but I also wanted to mention that the book is too, brilliant. The film is extremely true to the book and even contains some of the same phrases, which I have read none like anywhere else.    (This may be due to the in-extensive collection of books I have read).

And just a final note- if you're one of those people who worries about watching a film without reading the book- don't! I saw the film first, immediately bought the book and the book has still managed to end up as one of my favourites!