Into the West (1992)

 

Although it may be a little intense for young tykes due to its alcoholism, poverty, and prejudice themes, "Into the West" is an overall charming and appealing family film with a compelling storyline. It's plot is hugely unbelievable (two Irish lads rescue their magnificent white horse from an abusive owner and ride across Ireland evading the authorities at every turn,) but something about this story touched a warm fuzzy place in my heart.

   Gabriel Byrne plays the alcoholic father of two young boys, Ossie and Tito (Ciarán Fitzgerald and Rúaidhrí Conroy,) who live with their perpetually drunk dad in a squalid Irish tenement building. The boy's grandfather (David Kelly) is the proud owner of Tir Na Nog, a beautiful white horse. When Tito and Ossie decide to smuggle Tir Na Nog into the apartment (not an easy feat considering the tiny size of the place is barely livable for a family of three,) the police confiscate the horse and give him to a shady and rich hobbyist.

   The duo track down the horse-owner and steal back the steed, riding him across the hills and fields of Ireland and getting into all sorts of trouble along the way. Meanwhile, their father John gets back in touch with his gypsy heritage and reconnects with Kathleen (Ellen Barkin,) an old friend in an attempt to track his sons.

   John is a interestingly compelling and three-dimensional character- sometimes volatile, sometimes violent, he loves his sons but constantly manages to disappoint them. He pressures the illiterate oldest (Tito) to learn to read because as it so happens, he cannot. Tito does not appreciate the fact that his father is trying to do what is best for him, and he and his brother believe John does not love them. Gabriel Byrne plays John as occasionally heroic, sometimes pathetic, but never as a blunt, angry stereotype.

  There are fantasy elements considering the almost supernatural majesty of the horse, but they never take over the human element of the story, which is closer to British Social Realism than director Mike Newell's later J.K. Rowling adaptation "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." While "Goblet of Fire" is my favorite Harry Potter adaptation, "Into the West" is a little more low-key, more about growing up and learning to let go that sorcery and magic.

   There are relevant social commentary (reflected by the prejudice towards the 'travelers,' the pressure of impoverished conditions, and the less-than-kosher treatment of the horse by the rich horse breeder,) and the acting is pretty strong overall, especially by Gabriel Byrne and the oldest son Rúaidhrí Conroy, although the performance by Ciarán Fitzgerald (Ossie) can be a little tiresome.

   Overall, "Into the West" is a good kid's movie with a lot of heart. Consider this a a superior alternative for teens and tweens to the the "Twilight" films and "Alvin and the Chipmunks- The Squeakquel" (God help me.) It is a rarity-  strong and underrated family film that remains interesting after you turn ten. Worth watching for kids and adults alike.
                                        Rating-
                                              8.0/10

P.S. (2004)

P.S. (2004)

Directed By: Dylan Kidd

Written By: Helen Schulman and Dylan Kidd

Why I Saw It: It was mentioned in a post on And So It Begins, and it piqued my interest, plus I am a big fan of Laura Linney

My Verdict: Not a favorite, but well worth a look.


Louise Harrington (Laura Linney) works in the admissions office at Columbia, evaluating the work of young artists who apply for admission. She is pushing forty and divorced; her ex-husband Peter (Gabriel Byrne) is her only real friend. She also has unresolved ties to her first love, who died twenty years ago.

Spider

  Ralph Fiennes transfixes in this post-Freudian, Gothic psychological thriller. In 20th century Britain, Dennis, nicknamed "Spider," is released from an asylum and makes his way to a halfway house. One of the first scenes shows an array of passengers getting off a train. Spider gets off last, feet shuffling, perpetually astonished by the hustle and bustle of the world as well as the chaos culminating in his own head.

   Spider speaks primarily in an incomprehensible mumble, so be sure to turn on your subtitles. Once he arrives at the halfway house, he is coldly greeted by Ms. Wilkinson (Lynn Redgrave), the nosy matron in charge of the establishment. He also meets Terrence (John Neville), a strange but friendly occupant, whose morbid anecdotes reflect Spider's own fractured mind.

    But this film isn't about creating a new future. It's about a man who's stuck in the past, and his intricate and often inaccurate thought process. The halfway house is located near Spider's childhood home, and Spider begins to "follow" his younger self around. Young Spider (Bradley Hall), who is about nine or ten, lives in a poor part of town with his father (Gabriel Byrne), who likes to spend an awful lot of time at the bar, and his mother (Miranda Richardson), who despairs at their relationship. Spider loves his mum just a little too much, so much so that the name "Oedipus" comes to mind.

    Spider is just fine having his mum to himself, but Spider's mum wants Dad back in the picture. Then the unthinkable happens, but in Spider's mind everything must be taken at face value, and nothing is certain. Davis Cronenberg creates a unique, uninviting atmosphere of British Gothic. where bathwater runs brown with rust, smoke from a nearby factory billows into the sky, and something strange is buried in the garden -- or is it?

The acting is exceptional, especially from Ralph Fiennes, who portrays a schizophrenic mind so delicately. This is the movie that made me like him. He's good at anything he does, but Voldemort's Voldemort, you know? The other Potter-less Ralph Fiennes movie I recommend is The Constant Gardener. He handles both dramatic roles with dignity and grace. Spider is the kind of movie, that's twist lingers right under your nose, but you don't guess it, anyway, til the end. Then it seems obvious.

   I would compare it to films such as Memento, The Butcher Boy, and The Living and the Dead. It is not a mega budget concept movie like Inception, but should be watched for its tremendous acting and psychological undercurrent.