Emily review: We could well have hit peak bonnet in this period drama about author Emily Bronte
EMILY
(15) 130 mins
★★★★☆
WE could well have hit peak bonnet in this period drama about author Emily Bronte.
The hats, adorned by crocheted flowers, are almost as attention-grabbing as lead Emma Mackey’s eyebrows beneath them and Oliver Jackson-Cohen’s deep-pile chest hair.
And the costumes too. It’s hard to keep your eyes off the flowing patterned dresses and jaw-high shirts — until they come off, that is.
Mackey (Sex Education) plays Emily opposite Jackson-Cohen’s cleric William Weightman. And they are classic romantic leads.
They initially despise each other, with the handsome churchman feeling ill at ease when faced with his pretty parishioner’s rebellious ways.
Incredibly intense
But their sideways glances don’t just hint at a secret lust — they provide a signpost almost as clear as the tourist ones in West Yorkshire’s Bronte country.
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Soon the bodice is delicately untied and the hay is well and truly rolled in.
But while debut director Frances O’Connor gives period drama fans plenty of key elements of the genre, she also subverts it enough to make Emily feel different.
For a start, this biopic is not a biopic because O’Connor imagines what might have inspired Emily’s only novel, Wuthering Heights, and isn’t too concerned with historical detail.
Did the young writer really fall for Weightman? Most probably not. In fact, it’s more likely he had feelings for Emily’s sister Anne.
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There is more truth in the depiction of her brother Branwell, who was known to take opium and booze heavily.
Played with requisite moodiness by Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk), he is the Heathcliff-type character.
What really sets Emily apart from the standard fare are a couple of incredibly intense scenes.
One where Mackey appears to channel a supernatural spirit was so powerful that a chill passed through the auditorium.
She will be offered more prominent roles on the back of this. A supporting cast that includes Line Of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar and Gentleman Jack’s Gemma Jones also impresses.
Literary historians are sure to gripe, but if you want to know about Bronte’s life, go watch a documentary.
If you’re looking for a hat full of passion, go see Emily.
Grant Rollings
HALLOWEEN ENDS
(18) 110mins
★★★☆☆
HE has survived fires, explosions, falls from great heights, being shot in the head and more stab wounds than a pin cushion.
But now, could we finally be saying good riddance to Michael Myers, who sliced and diced his way onto our screens 44 years ago?
We return to Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween, where engineer Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) is roped into babysitting at the last minute.
Mysterious events end with the child being found dead and there’s only one suspect.
Despite being cleared, Corey remains a pariah until meeting survivor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).
It’s been four years since she last saw Michael and she is desperate to ensure his atrocities aren’t forgotten as she writes her memoir. Soon, more murders plague the sleepy town and Laurie is back on the case to work out whether it’s her foe – the killer in a chilling William Shatner-inspired mask.
For what it lacks in jumps and twists, this film makes up for in acting performances, throwback references and laughs.
It’s one for the fans, with a few surprises in store from our ever-surviving slasher Michael Myers.
LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE
(PG) 106 mins
★★★☆☆
ON paper, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile sounds like that mental dream you had on day three of your bout of Covid.
A crocodile lives in the attic of a New York house, where he spends his days singing power ballads.
This bestselling 1965 kids’ book has been adapted into a heart-warming film with songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the duo behind The Greatest Showman.
Lyle, voiced by Shawn Mendes, (well, sung – this croc never speaks) is alone after his owner, wannabe magician Hector P Valenti (Javier Bardem), is evicted.
His solitary life of singing in the bath is interrupted by the arrival of Josh Primm (Winslow Fegley) and family. With echoes of ET, Josh is the first to find Lyle and they become besties.
All is well until Hector returns and tries to get his old Croc to sing on stage. Greed gets the better of him and Lyle is carted off to the zoo. Cue a desperate bid to get him back to the “family”.
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It’s a fast-paced drama that kids will love and has many touching moments (although the real star is New York’s magical skyline).
But it packs too much in and is at times plain dumb. Billed as a comedy/musical, the gags aren’t great and the songs are forgettable.
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