Mona Lisa Smile/Tea With Mussolini/Legends Of The Fall (Box Set)

Advantages: good performances
Disadvantages: lacking inspirational sentiment

...any signs of real originality. And whilst her role would seem to be no great stretch for Roberts, although she deals well with the character’s emotions, she appears out of place in a 1950’s setting. On a positive note, the performances from Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst are all pretty strong. But perhaps the star turn comes from Ginnifer Goodwin who gives a more heartfelt performance. Ultimately though, as the film’s direction and themes contradict one another the inspirational sentiment is lessened and Mona Lisa Smile is consequently not the masterpiece that it could have been. 3 stars out of 5... Read review

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Advantages: Great cast, great story
Disadvantages: None

...Tea with Mussolini is an excellent film set in Italy under the fascist dictator, Mussolini. It has a star cast of old British Actors, Maggie Smith and Julie Walters to name two, other recognisable faces pop up all over the place and Cher also stars. The film basically has three interwoven stories and is based on the true story of all the people involved. Plot 1, involves a group of ex pat ladies living in Florence during the 1930’s and 40’s, they are colonial to the core, drinking tea in the afternoon at the club and Maggie Smith plays a Lady Hester, wife of the dead British Ambassador. This group is shocked by the fascist activities of the 1930’s and so Lady Hester demands to see Mussolini and does so. Mussolini assures Lady Hester that the British are perfectly safe as they have tea together. The group are very... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent performances by Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine; intoxicating atmosphere, plot, cinematography, music.
Disadvantages: .

...'My Summer of Love' is one fine film that might unsettle the viewer a wee bit while provoking thought and speculation - as the best films often do. Set against the beautiful Yorkshire countryside, the deceptively simple story (based loosely on the novel by Helen Cross) tells of an unexpected summer romance between Tamsin, a highly educated, upper-class teen who's home for the summer holidays, and Mona, a parentless, working class teenager living above the family-owned pub. While Tamsin faces another season of boredom at her vast estate, Mona has to contend with her freshly converted, evangelical, Christ-obsessed, ex-convict brother, Phil. Meeting by chance in a field (Tamsin is out riding her white steed while Mona rests on the grass beside her engineless moped), each girl will soon find the other fascinating, their curiosity... Read review

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