Mud Review

MUD (15) stars some of the best young acting talent we’ve seen in a long time. It’s very rare that a film comes along such a MUD, having very little advertising campaign, and yet blowing us away with the sheer beauty of it. Ellis (Tye Sheridan) is a 14-year-old boy living on the banks of a fishing river in Arkansas. His family have lived on their make-shift house boat since he was born, and they’re in the midst of falling apart due to his Mother’s high aspirations and his Father’s stubborness. Desperate to escape the drag of home life, he and his friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) set out on a little motor boat, travelling down river to a deserted island in the middle. Neckbone alerts Ellis to an old boat that’s stuck in a tree. “Galen says it’s been here a while, he thinks the last flood did it.”

It’s only upon visiting the boat that Ellis and Neckbone realise that the treasure isn’t uninhabited. Panicking, they run through the forest back to their boat. To then add to their nerves they spot a suspicious looking man, deshevelled and dirty, routing through their boat. He spots them and the three are introduced warily. The man who we only know as ‘Mud’ (Matthew McConaughey) has a life story which hits Ellis’ soft spot. A fugitive on the run after killing a man who was abusing his true love, he’s desperately searching for a way to get back to her. But the abusers family are a nasty bunch, and out to revenge their son, are hunting Mud down. Ellis, disheartened by the lack of love between his own Mother and Father, is desperate for proof that true love exists, and convinces Neckbone that the two should help Mud in his plan to reunite himself and beautiful lover Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), and then escape. Thus begins a tense adventure for the boys, whom endanger themselves by ferrying love notes between Mud and Juniper, whilst also attempting to find all the parts needed so that Mud can get his tree boat floating again. All whilst evading the nerve-inducing bounty hunters that are getting suspicious.

Writer and Director Jeff Nichols has created a whole cast full of lovable and relatable characters, especially the two young boys. Impressive child actors are so difficult to come by these days, and I haven’t seen talent like this since THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS (2008). MUD is funny, and heartbreaking all at once, and Matthew McConaughey proves that his poor rom-com days are firmly behind him. The sweeping Arizona plains and rivers are an inspiring setting which will at first scream ‘hillbilly’, but will soon have you wanting to visit. The script is wonderfully well written, and very refreshing in an industry where poor writing is the norm. The cinematography is a treat and each shot is framed with an eye for the scenery. There is truly not a fault I can find with this masterpiece.

You still have the chance to catch MUD at The Little this coming week. It’s showing today at 19:00. Tomorrow at 15:00 and 20:30. Well worth catching with your Orange Wednesdays too!

(Written by Letitia Ringshaw)

THE GREAT GATSBY Review.

It’s that moment you’ve all been waiting for! Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY was released on Thursday, and by now a fair few of you have already seen it. But, for those who haven’t, here a spoiler free review of the flapper-tastic extravaganza! (Although we aren’t sure how we can spoil a 90 year old book for you?)

Director Baz Luhrmann really knows how to put on a show. He’s proven it before with his musical classic MOULIN ROUGE! and alienating modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET. But there ain’t no party like a Jay Gatsby party and boy does Luhrmann know it! THE GREAT GATSBY is a true feast for the eyes.

We are introduced to the ‘writer’, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), whom, dishevelled and broken, sits in the therapists chair, and attempts to explain his predicament. Carraway bears a shocking resembelence to Ewan McGregor’s Christian from MOULIN ROUGE!, and as Carraway’s therapist suggests that he ‘write down’ his troubles, bringing in a typewriter, the familiar ticking of the typewriters keys fills our ears. It is the summer of 1922. A long hot summer where the fictional New York suburb ‘West Egg’ is flourishing with old and new money, rich and famous, parties galore. Carraway moves into a humble ground-keepers cottage, across the water from his cousin Daisy’s (Carey Mulligan) lavish, classical home. He intends to break into the stock market and is hoping Daisy’s wealthy new husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) can get him some good connections. At the party he meets a friend of Daisy’s and famous sportswoman, Jordan Baker (Elizabeth Debicki) who has some scandalous suspicions about Tom.

Jordan’s suspicions are revealed when Tom invites Carraway to a romp in his New York City flat, along with his mistress Myrtle Wilson (Isla Fisher) and some of her rather overbearing friends. Unable to cope with the pressure of it all, Carraway gets drunk for what he notes is only the second time in his life. The next day, feeling guilty for having to keep such a secret from his cousin, he recieves an invitation to a neighbours party. Now this isn’t just any party, it’s a party thrown by mystery millionaire playboy, Jay Gatsby, of whom Carraway can’t stop hearing about. Upon arrival to the party he asks ‘who is this Gatsby?’, and is met with crazy tales; “He was a German spy during the war.” says ones man, “No, no, no, he’s a kaiser’s assasin.” says another, and then a woman perks in “I heard he killed a man once.” Whoever he is, few people at his party have actually even met him, he’s illusive and almost mythical. When Carraway finally has the pleasure, he notes that Gatsby, played by the ever-wonderous Leonardo DioCaprio, is surprisingly young and has a smile that reassured him beyond belief He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself.”

Gatsby and Nick Carraway become the closest of friends, and it is then that Gatsby trusts our storyteller with the most important of secrets; he is in love with Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin. All the lavish parties were thrown hoping that one day she would walk in. As Gatsby foils a foolproof plan to meet with Daisy in Nick’s cottage, it becomes apparent how much this means to him. The confident and glowing young man is reduced to a stammering wreck around Daisy, and it is obvious that the two have a rather exciting past together. Of course, Daisy’s husband Tom is a traditional man, and although having an affair himself, will surely not take the same treatment from his wife.

Everything sparkles and shines in this adaptation of the classic Scott Fitzgerald novel, as though director Luhrmann is the embodiment of Gatsby himself. The 1920’s glamour shimmers through specially-designed period dresses by Prada, and the CGI backdrops will have you drooling with the urge to re-live those terrific times. THE GREAT GATSBY is one major party, but beyond that, it is also a tale of doomed love, which Luhrmann seems to be always drawn to. This adaptation is far better than any of it’s predecsessors, and is well worth a watch, whether you’re a fan of the directors work or not. But especially if you are!

Thanks to all those who have sold out our special showing tonight at 20:40, where we’ll have a truly 20’s extravaganza including a fully choreographed flapper dance troupe, and special treats for those who impress us with their dressing up capabilities! Think you could blag your way into Gatsby’s parties? We want to see you prove it!

THE GREAT GATSBY is showing all the way through the next two weeks here at The Little, and it would be an awful shame to miss it.

(Written by Letitia Ringshaw)

Catch SPRING BREAKERS tonight at The Little

Tonight at 20:45 is your last chance to catch popular arthouse director Harmony Korine’s SPRING BREAKERS starring Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez.

The two former Disney girls go truly wild in this shocking but exhilerating crime drama. Joined by Ashley Benson and director’s wife Rachel Korine, the four college girls are simply dying to go on Spring Break, but haven’t saved up the cash to afford the truly high-flying holiday they want. Whilst everyone else jets off to Florida, the girls are stuck in their dorms watching the rain fall outside their windows. Selena Gomez plays ‘Faith’, whom, as you can guess by her name, has a religious upbringing. She’s been friends with the other three girls since pre-school, and is a little unaware of the extent they’ve rebelled. Smoking bongs, sniffing coke and teasing the boys but giving nothing up is what these girls are about, and their addictions lead them to believe that a simple diner robbery would be the best solution of their lack of spending money.

Stealing a tutors car, donning balaclavas, water pistols in the place of guns and a couple of cricket bats, the three girls do a surprisingly good job and come away with enought cash to live the high life on spring break. Faith doesn’t seem to know whether to believe them or not when they tell her how they got the cash, but content, they all catch the coach to Florida to have a truly bonkers holiday.

On the Florida beaches, we’re treated to the all too common sight of college girls with their breasts out, but Korine manages to give the scenes such an unbelievable edge with repetitive voice-overs and choppy editing sequences, that it’s almost a pleasure to watch, even if a little nauseating. Unfortunately the girls find themselves at the wrong party and are arrested for being under the influence. But one night spent in the cells and a loaded, corn-row donning drug lord in the form of James Franco, sees something special in them and pays their bail. Needless to say, when he delivers the line ‘I knew y’alls special from the moment I saw you.’ you get an overwhelmingly creepy vibe. Franco’s character is like a strange mix between a character out of drug drama Requiem for a Dream, and Kevin Federline after the Britney break-up. Which is ironic because theres plenty of Britney in SPRING BREAKERS. One of the movies highlights is a piano duet between the three girls and Franco’s ‘Alien’, of the pop princesses 2000’s sob sing-along ‘Everytime’. It’s almost touching, but in such a black sense that you feel a bit queesy too.

Without giving anymore away, we’ll say it now. SPRING BREAKERS is not a film for the lighthearted - you’ll see things that you might not want to see college kids doing, and it’s rather graphic in its violence and sexual content. But it makes up for it with really interesting filming techniques that alienate us from the story, it’s funny too, but you’ll probably feel bad for laughing.

Written by Letitia Ringshaw