Worthwhile distractions

Again my film-viewing has been preempted by extremely involving tv series.  The current fourth season of Breaking Bad on AMC and second season of The Big C on Showtime have captured -- and rewarded -- my attention.  And retrospectively, I am now into the third season of Lark Rise to Candleford from BBC.  The three series have absolutely nothing in common, but each is worth sampling from the beginning if you are interested -- either in outrageous domestic meth-crime drama/comedy, or in outrageous cancer situation comedy (revolving around Laura Linney!), or in gently satirical and mildly romantical comedy of Victorian village manners.  Now I’m giving The Hour from BBC a chance, but am not yet prepared to recommend (or dismiss) that broadcast news drama from the era of the Suez Crisis.

I have watched several films that I do recommend, in descending order of intensity:  My Dog Tulip  (2011, MC-80) is a marvelous animated version of J.R. Ackerley’s well-loved memoir of the romance between a cranky British “bachelor” and a German Shepherd bitch.  Paul and Sandra Fierlinger’s animation is hand-drawn but computer-aided, and Christopher Plummer provides the appropriately plummy narration.  Both writing and visualization are charming and delightful, while remaining candid and unblinking about inter-species relationships and the messy realities of animal life.

Queen to Play (2011, MC-70) I watched for the performance of the reliably-riveting Sandrine Bonnaire, who plays a woman trapped on the island of Corsica by an unsatisfying marriage to an unsuccessful man, obliged to work as a maid in a local tourist hotel and in the home of a retired American academic played by Kevin Kline.  Both places prompt her into fascination with the magic of chess, one arena where the woman is the most powerful player.  The game gives her life a purpose it had lacked, and she induces Kline to give her lessons and competition.  Caroline Bottaro’s first film is perhaps a little formulaic in its tale of female empowerment but wonderfully observed, satisfying without schmaltz.

Somersault (2006, MC-73), likewise, I watched for the early performance of Abbie Cornish, who caught my attention when I happened to watch Bright Star and Stop-Loss back to back.  Here she plays a teenage Aussie girl who is trying to come to terms with her longings, while making a string of alarmingly bad decisions.  When flirtation with her mother’s boyfriend goes too far, and is found out, she leaves home with nothing but the clothes on her back, which will not remain there long, as she depends utterly on men attracted to her jailbait allure.  Winding up at an off-season ski-resort, she meets a more suitable mate in Sam Worthington, who is not really worth her either.  Australia is still turning out movie stars, with Worthington a matinee idol in the aftermath of Avatar, but Abbie Cornish is definitely one to watch.  Cate Shortland may be a young director to watch as well.