Quality: Toast
“Is anybody there?… Is any body there?”, an erie line spoken by the great Sir Michael Cain during a equally erie séance that takes place in John Crowleys new film, Is Any Body There? I went to see this movie at my favorite theater in town. The Fine Arts. This theater is a great place to see a flick, aside from it being hard to find a parking place since it is located in downtown Asheville. The theater has a really great vibe to it. To start off, they show art, independent, and foreign films- my personal favorite. Also they play great music before the show. Not that annoying teeny bopper crap that they play at more main stream theatres like regal. Another neat thing is that the screen its self has a curtain that opens when the film starts. I just love when theatres gives off a feel that fits in with the type of movie you are seeing.
I'll be honest. I had seen the trailer for this film, but did not plan on seeing the actual movie. The only reason I did was because I wanted to spend some time with my girlfriend. The theatre I work at is closed for renovations, so because I get in free at the Fine Arts Theatre, I decided to just go see the movie for something to do. I did not remember what the basic plot of the movie since i did not pay that much attention to the trailer.
This emotional film is about a young boy named Edward (Bill Milner) who lives with his Mum, Dad, and 10-or-so elderly people and takes place in a 1980’s seaside England. Most 10 year olds like trains or go to play for there football (soccer) matches while there parents cheer them on and provide a snack for this weeks game, but Edward... he is a little different. You see, Edward likes to learn about paranormal activity. He likes it so much that he deliberately sets off the fire alarm in his home, that has been converted into a old peoples home by his mother and father, so he can conduct paranormal experiments with out getting into trouble or being botherd by the elderly. Well Edward comes home from school one day to discover there is a grumpy old ex-magician, Clarence, who now lives there. Clarence is Grumpyer then any of the already annoying, strange, senile elderly people that live there. Of course after a wile Edward and Clarence begin to bond. Clarence teaches him magic tricks and helps Edward conduct his paranormal experiments but also trys to teach Edward his opinon on ghosts and life after death, that there is non. Edward however trys to teach clarence the complete opposite, that there is.
The Film was excellent. Great directing, great acting, great script, great cinematography, great everything! For the film dealing with death, a touchy subject especially for me, It was very enjoyable. Michalel Cian did brilliantly in this film. Though i never thoght otherwise. He plays a elderly grumpy ex-magician who is haunted by his past mistakes. Cian really understood the character he was playing. And because of his great preformance and his connection to the person he was playing I could really feel his character too. When he would cry, I felt like crying, when he was angry, I felt his anger, and when he would try to teach Edward magic tricks, I felt like I was there learning with Edward. Bill Milner who played edward did a great job as well. I last saw him in another one of my favorite films, that I also saw at this theatre, Son of Rambo. In this film you can see his potential as actor just like in Son of Rambo. He does a good job at playing this odd ten year old boy who Is bullyed at school, has been surrounded by death in this old persons home, and who has to watch his mother and father argue about there bankruptcy. The movie also looked really good. Every shot looked nice and the coulers were great for the feel of the movie.
I really enjoyed this film as you can tell. I suggest it to anyone who wants a very good story that portrays real issues and also has great acting. Although it is unlikely since it is to early in the year, but I hope that Michael Cain gets an oscar nomination for the role he played in the film. I say that this is a delightufl flick that is definitely a nice golden brown piece of toast.
I also highly suggest watching Son of Rambo. It is a great tale about the imagination that children possess. I loved it.
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