‘My Boy Jack’ – DVD Review

Article first published as ‘My Boy Jack’ – DVD Review on Blogcritics.

My Boy Jack is a BBC production of a family caught up in the Great War. Based on real events, the movie stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, A Young Doctor’s Notebook) as John “Jack” Kipling, son of author, poet, and outspoken hawk Rudyard Kipling (David Haig, Yes, Prime Minister).

When Jack tries to join Britain’s armed forces, he is denied because of his need for spectacles. Unfortunately, his father is out telling every able-bodied young lad that they must join up or be shunned by their countrymen. In the position to do so, Rudyard can pull strings to help Jack enlist, but should he? And how will Rudyard feel if Jack marches out and doesn’t make it home? Although My Boy Jack was made in 2007, it only recently made its U.S. debut, on cable network Ovation. It has now been released on DVD as well.

I can see why My Boy Jack might have had a hard time finding its audience. The first half of the series is a slow-moving, seemingly typical British drama. It then morphs into a war story, complete with death and explosions, before focusing on the family struggling emotionally back home. These pivots provide an uneven tone, even while maintaining the quality, so its sometimes hard knowing what to expect from moment to moment.

At a 94-minute running time, it hardly seems long enough for a biopic, but in this one, it’s plenty for the movie’s very narrow focus. Jack’s involvement in the war, and that is told from beginning to end, leaves no hanging threads.

The world referenced by My Boy Jack was a defining time for the British Empire, and it’s easy to see why a boy, who might not quite be physically fit by the war department’s standards, struggles against the odds to serve King and Country. England was at the height of its power at the time, and the British way of life seemed threatened. Combine that with the father-son relationship and Rudyard’s stance on defending the homeland, Jack will feel ashamed if he can’t participate, disappointing his father and his peers. He must enlist, and we feel his struggle.

The film’s family drama is very strongly portrayed. Rudyard is presented as a man confident in his beliefs, but not immune to being shaken by circumstance. His wife, Caroline (Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City), is supportive, but torn, proud, and not wanting her boy in danger. She knows Jack is heading to a place where many of the nation’s young men are dying every day. Jack’s sister, Elsie (Carey Mulligan, The Great Gatsby), is more straightforward with her disapproval, sharing a close bond with Jack, and scared about what might happen.

While the events portrayed in My Boy Jack happened a century ago and are easily spoiled with an online research, I’ll refrain from revealing if Jack makes it home. I will say that the story is moving and the performances are very good, even if the overall result isn’t anything particularly special.

The DVD release of My Boy Jack comes with several bonus features. We’re given six minutes of deleted scenes that are actually pretty insightful, unlike many other titles. There are twenty-four minutes of interviews with various cast members and almost a full hour discussing the war itself. This unexpected wealth of useful extras is most welcome, making the DVD feel like it’s for a theatrical film, rather than a TV movie.

My Boy Jack is available now.

IFC "Spoils" Viewers

Article first published as IFC "Spoils" Viewers on TheTVKing.

This week, IFC presented the first two parts of their six-part miniseries The Spoils of Babylon. Spoofing the epic miniseries of a few decades past, this program follows the Morehouse family through good times and bad, while they're poor and rich, with heartbreak and drama to spare.

Each half hour installments opens with the "author of the book," Eric Jonrosh (Will Ferrell, Anchorman 2), introducing his adapted work. Said to be a twenty-two hour masterpiece, now cut down to less than three hours, he worries more about drinking and himself than the story.

This is a good representation of what the whole project is. Parodying other works, it's an overblown, cheesy work which seems unintentionally funny, but that's the point. It seems to take itself too seriously, which viewers will treat in an opposite manner. Each big twist is offset by silly model landscapes and terrible musical themes, all with poor picture quality and lighting.

Tobey Maguire (Spiderman) and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) shine in the lead roles as Devon and Cynthia Morehouse. They aren't biological siblings, Devon being adopted as a boy, and Cynthia would like them to be married. Devon resists, even wedding a girl he doesn't seem to actually love, Lady Anne York (a life-sized mannequin voiced by Carey Mulligan, The Great Gatsby), to avoid his sister's lust.

Is this relationship wrong? Of course it is. But it's this habit of forcing drama where it doesn't need to be, developed between ludicrous, unrealistic characters, that is a hallmark of the genre, played in an exaggerated fashion here.

Most of the jokes land. Lady Anne claims she's not wooden, and patriarch Jonas (Tim Robbins, The Shawshank Redemption) has Devon read a very, very long inscription in a pocket watch, only to discover three characters cut off due to lack of room. These things do take the viewer out of the moment, but in a funny way, and no one is really getting lost in this story anyway.

There are points where it seems the gag runs too long. After all, one could make fun of this genre in a sketch, even parts of the commercials are done to form, and six episodes seems excessive. But it's not as excessive as some of the actual productions, and there are surely many more elements for the writers to hit before it draws to a close. I do look forward to seeing the rest of it.

The Spoils of Babylon airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on IFC.

Oscar stars also grace smaller screens (part II: the gals)

     The line between television and movies has been getting thinner and thinner for years. While once movie stars were seen as something above their television counterparts, that has long since ceased to be the case. There is so much crossover now between the two groups, that it is almost unnoticeable. Furthermore, the awards shows for movies are carried on television. Movies air on television all the time, especially on premium channels such as HBO and Showtime, which in turn now make their own television shows. Although almost all of this year's Oscar female nominees have some television parts in their past, and though their small screen background isn't as established as the man, here are some of their parts:

Sandra Bullock (Best Actress,The Blind Side) ~ Bullock starred in the short lived television series Working Girl, based on the film.  She was also in three episodes of George Lopez.

Meryl Streep (Best Actress, Julie & Julia) ~ Her most famous small screen part was in the award winning miniseries Angels in America.  Not that long ago she also played Abigail Adams in Freedom: A History of Us, and in 1978 she won a lead actress Emmy for Holocaust.

Carey Mulligan (Best Actress, An Education) ~ Mulligan has starred in Bleak House and The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard for PBS.  She also guest starred on the latest incarnation of Doctor Who.

Vera Farmiga (Best Supporting Actress, Up in the Air) ~ She tried several series such as Touching Evil, UC: Undercover  and Roar before making it on the big screen.

Anna Kendrick (Best Supporting Actress, Up in the Air) ~ Although she has very few credits to her name at this time, besides, of course, the Twilight movies, Kendrick has appeared in Fear Itself and the quickly canceled Viva Laughlin.

Mo'Nique (Best Supporting Actress, Precious) ~ Much of her exposure has been television, including spots in Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, Nip/Tuck, and Ugly Betty, as well as a starring role in the series The Parkers.

     The Oscars will be given out during the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday, March 7th at 8pm on ABC.