Jul. 12, 2002 - 11:07 pm

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Emma (1996)

thus begins Gwyneth Paltrow weekend. yes that's right folks. all films this weekend will be features from the last 10 years starring one of our favorite actresses, Gwyneth Paltrow. after seeing Shakespeare in Love (1998) the other day, i decided i wanted to see Emma. and with two other films on my shelf that i've been wanting to watch over again which happen to have her in them, it becomes a weekend focused on her.

Emma had the potential to be a very good film from the get go. aside from having miss Paltrow, i also knew that it was a Jane Austen novel, and it had Ewan McGregor in the cast. it did turn out to be quite good. and yes, it is much better than Clueless (1995). also, i really love Sense and Sensibility (1995) which is based on another Jane Austen novel. i'm pretty sure i'm going to enjoy Pride and Prejudice (1995) whenever i get around to watching it.

this film was directed by Douglas McGrath, who has only done one other film previously. but he will be directing Nicholas Nickleby (2002) which comes out later this year. Natalie Portman had been considering a role in this production, which automatically makes me interested. of course she decided against it, and we all know what she's working on now instead. Nicholas Nickleby is based on a Charles Dickens novel. maybe McGrath only likes to work with classic tales?

so anyway, Emma was great. especially amazing was the music, done by Rachel Portman who won an Oscar for it. she was also nominated for The Cider House Rules (1999) and Chocolat (2000). and guess what? the IMDb tells me that she's doing the music for guess which upcoming film? Nicholas Nickleby. i guess McGrath is trying to make another winner.

Ewan McGregor played a stupid little character in this film, but he was good just the same. not a huge role. but of course, he always finds a way to sing in his movies if at all possible, and the duet with Gwyneth was amazing. i love to hear both of them sing and them together was outstanding. thinking of her singing, everyone needs to hear her rendition of "Bette Davis Eyes" from the soundtrack to the film Duets (2000). good stuff.

so the direction was great and there was some excellent cinematography too. i love the shots where the camera would obstruct the shot just enough to keep things interesting. sort of a la Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). this film also started to make me like Jeremy Northam just a little bit. i was squeamish at first seeing him, but he rather redeemed himself by the end. maybe i've just seen him as unlikable characters previously.

so go see Emma, a very well made film, and join in the Gwenyth Paltrow weekend festivities with me. well, i guess there aren't any festivities.