In the cinema: Interstellar
While most big blockbuster films are based on familiar characters taken from comicbooks, novels, TV shows, videogames and other “established properties”, Christopher Nolan is that rare director who studios are willing to entrust with a huge budget, even for an idea without that safety net of familiarity. After all, Inception grossed $826m worldwide, which has earned him the right to tell any story he likes. I mention this, as Nolan is possibly the only man who could have made (and been allowed to make) Interstellar: a beautiful, wildly imaginative, defiantly cerebral, but also richly emotional space adventure. It’s long (169 minutes), and complicated, but also rewarding. It’s what’s called a “lean forward” rather than a “lean back” kind of movie. Matthew McConaughey stars as a former test pilot, now a farmer and father of two. With a dying planet Earth no longer able to support even its much-reduced population, he joins three fellow astronauts in a mission to travel across the galaxies to find a possible new home. I won’t bore you with more plot, and merely add that this is the most ambitious blockbuster to come from Hollywood this year.
On DVD: The Fault In Our Stars
If you are a fan of John Green’s teary novel, chances are you already saw this film when it opened in cinemas in June. But that won’t deter us all from watching it again, together with anyone we won’t be embarrassed to see us cry. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort star as Hazel and Gus, two teens who connect after meeting at cancer support group. Can love triumph despite wildly different life expectancies? The following was in my reaction to 20th Century Fox after seeing the film earlier this year: “As for Ansel Elgort: really? He was already appealing as Tommy Ross in Carrie (and a bit bland as Caleb in Divergent), but once your audience sees him as Augustus Waters, every other young man might as well pack up and go home. Nobody in real life is ever going to measure up. He’s adorable.” Feel free to let me know if you agree with that assessment.
On TV: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Channel 4, Saturday, 9pm)
We’d be the first to admit that heat wasn’t the primary target market for this film about a bunch of pensioners going off to spend their retirement in India. However, let’s not worry about that. First of all, it’s a good movie, and we can care about, and root for, characters of any age. Second, it’s actually Dev Patel’s hotel-manager character, in any case, who is the protagonist of this film. Gotta love Dev! And, of course, the cast is awesome, including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Celia Imrie. The gang’s all back (well, most of them are) for the sequel, arriving in cinemas next spring. In the meantime, if you fancy a cosy night in on Saturday, look no further.