2004
15. Finding Neverland (2004)
J. M. Barrie strives to write a play he feels is worthy of going to see, one that will strike people on a personal level and capture their imaginations, allow them to escape from the world for a night. Barrie himself prefers the childlike enthusiasm of his own imagination, a fact which is putting a strain on his marriage, but which leads to a friendship with a family of boys and their widowed mother. His friendship with these children is viewed critically by a rigid society, and the themes of everlasting youth in his play seem to parallel Barrie’s determination to hold onto innocence and enjoyment in his own life. The reason I like this film so much is that it explores the fun that is to be found if you allow yourself to be drawn into a story, even a fantasy – to leave behind cynicism and just enjoy. Kate Winslet is beautifully tragic as Sylvia Llewellyn-Davies, and I always enjoy watching Mr Depp. Little Freddie Highmore can break your heart, and I defy anyone to not well up at least a little when the children of Great Ormond Street Hospital enter the theatre to help the grown ups enjoy and understand Peter Pan.
Best scene: the play performed in the parlour for Sylvia.
“What a horrible, candle-snuffing word. That’s like saying, ‘He can’t climb that mountain. He’s just a man’, or ‘That’s not a diamond, it’s just a rock’. Just.”
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Shaun is a regular guy trying to sort out his life. His girlfriend has
dumped him, he doesn’t get along with his stepfather, and his best friend is a largely sedentary former schoolmate who hasn’t quite adapted into adulthood. On top of which, the dead are coming back to life as zombies and roaming the Earth. Just one of those days… My love for Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright knows few bounds, and their sense of humour is what gets this film into the top 50. That, and the fact that all the performers play it absolutely straight, with the ridiculousness of their surroundings only enhancing the comedy. This is the first in Pegg and Wright’s Blood and Ice Cream trilogy. An excellent beginning.
Best scene: battling zombies in time to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”. Genius.
“How’s that for a slice of fried gold?”
J. M. Barrie strives to write a play he feels is worthy of going to see, one that will strike people on a personal level and capture their imaginations, allow them to escape from the world for a night. Barrie himself prefers the childlike enthusiasm of his own imagination, a fact which is putting a strain on his marriage, but which leads to a friendship with a family of boys and their widowed mother. His friendship with these children is viewed critically by a rigid society, and the themes of everlasting youth in his play seem to parallel Barrie’s determination to hold onto innocence and enjoyment in his own life. The reason I like this film so much is that it explores the fun that is to be found if you allow yourself to be drawn into a story, even a fantasy – to leave behind cynicism and just enjoy. Kate Winslet is beautifully tragic as Sylvia Llewellyn-Davies, and I always enjoy watching Mr Depp. Little Freddie Highmore can break your heart, and I defy anyone to not well up at least a little when the children of Great Ormond Street Hospital enter the theatre to help the grown ups enjoy and understand Peter Pan.Best scene: the play performed in the parlour for Sylvia.
“What a horrible, candle-snuffing word. That’s like saying, ‘He can’t climb that mountain. He’s just a man’, or ‘That’s not a diamond, it’s just a rock’. Just.”
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Shaun is a regular guy trying to sort out his life. His girlfriend has
dumped him, he doesn’t get along with his stepfather, and his best friend is a largely sedentary former schoolmate who hasn’t quite adapted into adulthood. On top of which, the dead are coming back to life as zombies and roaming the Earth. Just one of those days… My love for Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright knows few bounds, and their sense of humour is what gets this film into the top 50. That, and the fact that all the performers play it absolutely straight, with the ridiculousness of their surroundings only enhancing the comedy. This is the first in Pegg and Wright’s Blood and Ice Cream trilogy. An excellent beginning.Best scene: battling zombies in time to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”. Genius.
“How’s that for a slice of fried gold?”
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