"Albert Knobbs" and "The Woman in black"

On vacation and catching up with the movies I have missed,old and new.

The most recent one I was intrigued with was "Albert Nobbs" where Glenn Close gave a performance tailored for "Oscar" - in other words, she was transformed into a ugly man and suffers & dies. God knows why was I so curious to see this movie but it left me depressed since it IS a depressing movie,there is almost nothing nice or happy about it - Close is desperately poor woman in Ireland who escapes poverty and hunger by posing as a man who found position in a Dublin's hotel where basically she is a butler who serves quietly and stoically, she does her job perfectly but there is no joy or pleasure in it,it seems like everybody else around her enjoys life to some point (guests are rich so they are laughing but than other servants are also laughing and having their own little pleasures) except Albert Nobbs who never smiles, don't have any hobbies or nothing that makes him happy except counting pennies every night before he went to bed. It's hard to watch the movie where the main protagonist is so unlovable and in fact irritating - if Glenn Close's intention was to be mousy and scared she definitely succeeded.To the point where at the end of the movie she dies and nobody cares (not even audience). We are far more thrilled with other characters who are more colorful than Nobbs, notably hotel owner (excellent Pauline Collins) and the best of all,excellent Janet McTeer who is another woman posing as man,but completely opposite to Nobbs - McTeer has strong character and personality and therefore is the one who gets our attention,sympathies and far more understanding than the main character. At the end of the movie we care much more for McTeer than for Glenn Close who is perhaps brave to play such mousy character but goodbye and good riddance to Albert Nobbs.

Curiously enough, I stumbled upon Janet McTeer again in the very next movie I saw and of course because she is so tall and statuesque I recognized her immediately,she is really a star personality. "The Woman in black" is beautifully filmed old fashioned gothic ghost story with some world known actors (ex Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe and Ciaran Hinds whom I remember as Julius Caesar in TV serial "Rome") that honestly scared me and it was funny because it was my first night alone in countryside and I declined to watch real horror (though I was intrigued with several titles) than found myself getting all nervous with this movie but it was too late to stop watching once I have started. Radliffe is a young lawyer sent to some spooky old town to finish paperwork for his company and he quickly gets involved with locals,ghosts and all together nasty business not unlike Mr.Harker in "Dracula" - he is often alone in unpleasant house (filmed in a stunning location on island of St.Michael where tide covers the tiny road to island) with strange noise all around him and it will take him some time to actually understand what's going on. It is curious that actors of such stature like Hinds and McTeer play second fiddle to Radcliffe who is good at being lost and confused but his character don't have much else to offer. McTeer has exactly two scenes and she steals the screen with her shiny presence, what a charismatic actress ad camera obviously love her! I really wonder in what direction her career will progress from now on because I suspect she might end up like Sigourney Weawer fighting aliens because of her imposing height but she is far more talented as character actress and it would be pity if she succumbs to the call of Mammon.