The Help, film review

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is an iconic book, so it comes as no surprise to see it arrive on the big screen. A touching, heart-wrenching and very real story, it sheds light on the difficult situation regarding white ladies and their black maids in Mississippi in the 1960s. An aspiring author during the civil rights movement decides to write a book detailing the lives of African-American maids, the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.

I cried throughout.. no, I'll be totally honest.... I sobbed throughout. The film is convincing and, despite the slow storyline, gripping. I was delighted to see a cast of such superb female actresses. Particular stand out performances for me come from Emma Jones as leading lady Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan who is frank and inquisitive; Bryce Dallas Howard as mean girl Hilly Holbrook and Octavia Spencer as outspoken Minny Jackson are also brilliant to watch on screen.

The translation from book to film can be a problem, but not in this case. I rarely go to the cinema, but The Help is definitely worth the effort and the extortionate ticket price!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II

One boy screamed: “We love you Harry” as the credits began to roll as the rest of the auditorium were still recovering from the emotional last two hours of Harry Potter film footage. I grew up with this boy wizard and I cannot deny I feel a strong bond to the magical series. In fact I think I have a 1st edition of the first book somewhere - I remember my mum proudly guessing it would big before anyone else had cottoned on.

But all good things must end, and what an ending this is. More sincere than the other films, Harry, Ron and Hermione (Daniel, Rupert and Emma in the real world) have truly grown up, and there is a great deal more conviction in all three performances here. The direction is superb from David Yates, conjuring up this now familiar fantasy world with a persuasive depth and passion. Here we see Voldemort more frequently than before, and Ralph Fiennes gives a suitably chilling performance as the evil villain. Needless to say the 3D technology is really a massive help for the scare factor.

My only qualm is the lack of the usual magical fun: the common room frolics, enchantingly silly sweets and Quidditch matches -the final book is so much more serious and lacks any light-hearted drama. I felt exhausted by the end! Strangely the horrible curses and killings in the film felt less otherworldly in the aftermath of the Norway massacre, more believable. The special efforts are dauntingly realistic especially in the final battle, a real credit to the creative team.

A hilarious final sequence shows the three main protagonists 19 years later, all mature, hair combed and pretending to be real adults! My fellow audience members found this all ridiculously funny, and I have to agree they do look daft. But it is a nice ending, and one that, if needs be, lends itself to a new chapter of the franchise, with the innocent Potter and Weasley kids off to Hogwarts for the first time. After eight films, 10 years and $2 billion in domestic box office takings we are back where we started at Platform 9 ¾ Kings Cross Station, and you have to admit it’s nice to see some defining UK landmarks rather than the usual American scene. It is a stunning finale for these life-changing books.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 61

When I first started blogging, my dad tore from the Times a Caitlin Moran column for me to read, as inspiration and as “the best female columnist out there”. When I finally got round to reading it, now a crumpled scrap at the bottom of my bag, I found her words to be funny, truthful and brave, expressing the type of things women think but never say out loud.

When I begrudgingly gave in to Twitter, Caitlin Moran was one of the first cyber people I followed. And for all you twitterers who don’t follow her, I can assure you she is quite a day and night entertainer, tweeting her thoughts and musings round the clock. She certainly puts some bold, rather daring statements out there, and seems to have a naughty streak in her personality as well as in her hair!

It has been a good year for Moran, she won a British press award for her interview with Lady Gaga, and now her new book ‘How to be a Woman’ has rocketed to success. The book is part memoir part discussion, all the while tackling the tricky topic of modern feminism. Her writing has certainly come on since the novel she wrote at fifteen: ‘The Chronicles of Narmo’. The powerful handbook, ‘How to be a Woman’ has deservedly become my first literary hot on the highstreet, a wise but hilarious book, likely to inspire and empower women everywhere.

I’ve only just started the book, and I am already addicted.

Buy your copy for £6.83 here.