The Girl in the Cafe

I finally saw the Girl in the Cafe and really enjoyed it! I do not know why it still surprises me, but I am constantly amazed by the number of versatile characters that Bill Nighy is able to flawlessly create.

The film came out in 2005 and focuses on the relationship between Lawrence, a civil-servant currently preparing for a G-8 summit that will determine how much time, effort and money will be used to reduce extreme poverty  and Gina, a young Scottish girl with nothing but time on her hands.

Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald were both amazing, and as usual I can only expect the best from director David Yates (State of Play and the Way We Live Now) and writer Richard Curtis (The Boat that Rocked, Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Blackadder). I would definitely recommend this film. It is definitely a must-see!

State of Play

I'm not sure how many of you saw State of Play when it came out last year. I still haven't gotten a chance to see it, but a little while ago, I was able to see the BBC miniseries that it was based on. I am not sure how true this new adaptation stayed to the original. Having not seen the new version, I can only comment on the original.

The series takes place over six episodes. I cannot say much without giving away plot developments. The film follows the lives of several journalists and one member of Parliament and his family as they all uncover a huge story. It all begins one morning when two seemingly unrelated events occur. The MP's research assistant is killed on the London underground and that same morning a teenage drug dealer is shot.

The series was directed by David Yates and written by Paul Abbott. It is an extremely intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller. I found myself unable to stop watching from episode to episode. Luckily, I first saw this over winter break, and was able to completely stop everything else.

The ensemble cast in this film was AMAZING! Polly Walker, Marc Warren, James McAvoy, and Kelly Macdonald were all pretty good. I had seen all of them in other roles before, so I wasn't very surprised.  I was extremely impressed with David Morrissey and Bill Nighy. They constantly seem to raise the bar. This project was no different. The person that I was most impressed with was John Simm. He was especially good! I had previously only seen him as the Master. This was a completely different role for him. It was really interesting to see him develop this whole new character.

I would definitely recommend this film to anyone and cannot wait to see the remake! It really is a must-see!