From Avril

State of Play Premiere Report

I was very lucky to be able to swing the time off work to attend the State of Play premiere in London, but I'm very glad that I managed it. I found it to be a very gripping film and one that certainly held its own against the British mini-series, given that McDonald had had the un-enviable task of diluting the whole series into a two hour film. I was particularly impressed with the subtle way in which Russell played out the changing relationship with cub reporter Della Fry, from a healthy disdain to a genuine respect towards the end of the movie. He also hit the mark with his, again subtle but poignant portrayal of his disillusionment with what he (as Cal) had perhaps hoped would come out of his previous with Anne Collins, finally realising and accepting that it was pie in the sky and wouldn't work in the harsh reality of day to day life.

Helen Mirren, as Cameron Lynne, I have to say, had the best line in the movie: F*ck you very much!" touché Helen. Always robust in her characters creations, her Cam was no exception. And talking of Helen - what an absolute stunner she is in the flesh. As a mature woman she could put some 20-somethings to shame. She has an amazing talent, a great figure and stunning looks....... bitch!! (kidding).

And Jason Bateman was a big surprise. He took the part of Dominic Foy by the scruff of the neck and nailed it. I felt that Ben Affleck was good, by his usual standards, but not outstanding. Certainly no threat to Russell in the Oscar stakes!

Given the difficulty of adapting the longer series to the 2 hour movie format, all in all I think Kevin McDonald made a pretty good job of it. There were always going to be little nuances and character developments that there was just not enough running time to incorporate but I think that the key points were fully and accurately conveyed. Hearing "The Night Pat Murphy Died" blasting out in Cal's car made me grin widely - as did seeing the man himself Mr. Doyle at the premiere too, albeit looking akin to Blackbeard the Pirate! Very cool that Russell got that song clip into the movie (royalties for GBS anybody?)

At the premiere itself, Helen Mirren was extremely complimentary about Russell's performance in the film and even went as far as to downplay her own contribution to the movie. Kevin McDonald (a fellow Scotsman) made a point of telling me how pleased he was that I had travelled all the way from [my home town] to see his movie and that he knew [my home town] well. I didn't have the heart to correct him and say that I'd actually travelled all that way to see Russell'smovie.

All in all a lovely evening and the only downside is that I now have to go off and catch up on the two days worth of work waiting for me. I'm hoping to be able to make some time to see the film again when it opens UK wide this weekend and write a comprehensive review as first time viewings are always a bit disconcerting in certain ways. For anyone who hasn't seen the mini-series, I'd recommend it as a great piece of complimentary viewing once you've seen the movie version. Needless to say the movie version will be hitting my DVD collection ASAP.

Avril