Albatross

Jessica Findlay Brown, who is starting to make a name for herself by shining in Downton Abbey is a truly sensational young actress who people should certainly keep an eye on, give it a few years and she'll be everywhere I suspect. Albatross is a film which kind of reminded me of another British film of late, Tamara Drewe, the plot line of both ate very similar, but this film has a great drama and family aspect to it also, that's not to say it's not funny either because it is. The film starts off somewhat confusing, you don't know where it's headed but it's not long til you get the hang of the direction and you just enjoy the ride, the story is about a social misfit who imposes herself on a family in desperate need of a kick start, she befriends the teenage daughter, wonderfully played by the luminous Felicity Jones, starts a brief affair with the father and comes head to head with the high strung mother. The affair plot line is what reminds me of Tamara Drewe, this is the plot line I found the least interesting but hey the movie has so many great scenes it's hard not to enjoy.

The performances are pretty good all round, Brown and Jones are the standouts though, I did find the Julia Ormond character to be an absolute annoyance, and somehow I think the character would have been different if played by a nicer actress, I'm not saying she's not good but I'd rather see someone else in this role.

This really is Jessica Findlay-Brown's film all the way, she owns every scene she is in, she steals the show all the way through, the film is just give or take, it's not gonna change your life but you aren't going to hate it either, it will sure brighten up your day though. And as I said, keep your eye on Brown, I bet she's the next big thing. :)

Emelia Conan Doyle (Jessica Brown Findlay) claims to be a descendant of the great writer Arthur Conan Doyle. She takes a cleaning job at a seaside hotel owned by Jonathan Fischer (Sebastian Koch). He's struggling with writer's block and holed up in the attic. He has combative wife Joa (Julia Ormond), bookish daughter Beth (Felicity Jones), and six year old Posy. Emelia befriends Beth who is applying for Oxford. Emelia claims to be a writer but she can't live up to her family name. As Jonathan mentors her, they begin an affair.

Jessica Brown Findlay and Felicity Jones are both lovely although this movie may be better if there is a darker, sexier edge. This plays more like a light relationship drama. The story suggests an eroticism that this movie does not have despite Findlay flashing her boobs comically. There is a darker edge that nobody is able to deliver other than Ormond. The story, the performances, and the tone don't completely click.

There are some characters in this film, there really are, and they are all so very different, and, at the same time, very alike. Emilia, at times quite brilliantly played by Jessica Brown Findlay, is the superficially confident teen who commands the scene and will not be put down easily. Beth, well played by Felicity Jones, is the girl who likes the rebel instinct of Emilia, but is waiting on a place at Oxford. The two girls, and their families, live in a fictitious English south coast town. Beth's parents own a hotel/guest house proceeds from the only book her father has successfully authored. There is much friction between Beth's parents.

The plot develops around the friendship between Emilia and Beth, and then between Emilia and Beth's father, and takes us down a number of diversionary routes until we get to the revelations that make the story tie up its loose ends.

Not entirely satisfactory or convincing as a film but it has some promising acting from its younger stars. Well worth a rental.

A fabulous pastry pleases all your senses and leaves you with a bit of chocolate on your lip and wanting more. I gorged on this one. But there's more to be said for this movie. It takes a clever but easily clichéd story line and spins it out so freshly creative it makes your face hurt from smiling. And all the moguls with the money should line up to honor Jessica Brown-Findlay who took a cleverly written part and turned it into an award winning performance. But I must be honest and say that the TR-2 might have influenced me. When I was 16, I lusted for a bright red version on the showroom floor in upstate New York. How much better can you make a movie for a 71 year old incurable romantic who can still remember what lust is all about.

A seaside inn is run the Fischer family, consisting of two daughters and their parents. Their lives are in a rut as they mark time, day to day.

When we first meet Emilia, she is lighting firecrackers and dropping them in a barrel, inciting action by the local police. She is an irreverent 17-year-old who likes to break the rules and shake things up. When she is introduced into the Fischer household, she is like a spark that lights a fuse.

The actions that follow are sometimes predictable, sometimes not. But the result of this volatile situation is what the viewer must wait for.

The film's title is a reference to Coleridge's Albatross; the film reveals how it applies differently to three of the characters. It is up to the viewer to determine in what other ways the title refers to burdens the characters must bear.

Albatross is a delightful film. The story is charming even as it is fraught with dangers. The acting is top notch. I would not change one performer. The background music ranges, appropriately, from whimsical to poignant.

This British film is a drama filled with comedy. And it shows how life's resolutions sometimes come from tragic moments.