bart67

I am not a Woody Allen fan but have got to hand it to him for this - A film with Owen Wilson as the male lead that I found thought provoking? Come on that couldn't be right! But it is! I myself have often wished for that 24 hours back in 1976, just for one day and wondered how I would perceive it now as opposed to how I did back then, well, Midnight in Paris comes close to that reality for 'Gil' (Owen Wilson)and I found it captivating - I spent a lot of time in Paris in 1998/1999 and it was wonderful to see so many places I had spent time appearing in the film. If you are a romantic you are going to love Gil and 'Gil in Paris' - I am and I did - Gil saw Paris with his heart not his eyes - I am a musician and have found many places inspiring, I go to them often even if it's just to strum a few chords on the guitar, if you also pursue anything similar then you will love this movie - If you like to hear the Rhythm of Paris then I guarantee the opening and closing title music will haunt you!

I watched all 6 episodes of Mum, I was hooked after the first and I'm praying there will be at least a season 2! A perfect cast for this sad comedy - All through the episodes you are left without doubt that the death of 'Dad' has an impact on each character with the exception of new girlfriend 'Kelly' (Lisa McGrillis)who is only meeting 'Mum' at the funeral - Lisa makes Kelly the most endearing girl in the world, I howled with laughter at her social skills, yet I had tears in my eyes listening to her Chav mothers references to her and Kelly's brave attempts to pretend she couldn't care less when really every word was a dagger in her heart - Cathy (mum) played by the brilliant Lesley Manville, has the temperament I pray for and her kindness to Kelly has the warmth of a log fire in winter - The scene when Cathy finds Kelly so broken at her mothers character assassination of her was beautiful! You will need tissues for this one, one for wiping the tears of laughter away and one for the tears of sadness watching Kelly, such a lovely caring soul, being demolished by her own mother, when she wishes Cathy was her Mum and Kelly wanting so badly to get it right, not for selfish reasons but for everyone else. When a character makes me want to hold them lovingly I know the actress/actor has played the part perfectly - Wow! Brilliant from the top down!

I have read the first two reviews of this play and unfortunately would bore a reader if I did the same, the reviews already submitted are as accurate as I could have said it, so I will focus on one cast member in particular - the one and only Maggie Smith! On the day of my birth, Maggie was 31, so by the time I would be interested in film/theatre Maggie would be cast as a senior figure and not in roles that would make her a young mans pin up girl.

However - as my own years roll on my desire for nostalgia along with technology making it so accessible, I have been rolling back the years to see the difference in my interpretation of film etc..

I could not believe the impact Maggie had on me in her role as Epifania, the longer the play rolled the more I realised just how stunning Maggie was and she was 38 when this play was filmed! As we age the only organ we posses that doesn't are our eyes, even in her now 80's, Maggie's eyes are always the first thing you are drawn to, but in this wonderfully chaotic play, Maggie is playing a hard, soulless woman and as usual delivers a 10/10, however, in scenes that the camera focused on Maggie, a metamorphosis takes place in front of your very own eyes and you see a beauty in those deeply set pools of warmth like precious jewels just below the surface of an ocean of snow white china!

To aspire today to what Maggie was in this play, an actress would have to be wearing less cloth than a cosy for a stamp and more make up than a decade order for the clown department of a travelling circus - Maggie, with barely the sight of a stocking covered ankle, radiated appeal that modern day aspiration can merely dream of!

As Epifania is such a cold hard character, I suggest reader that you pause a scene where Maggie is full screen head and shoulders, detach from Epifania a few moments and really look at Maggie - she was beautiful!

The Millionairess? - 10/10! I loved it....