Plot summary (with spoilers): Captain Charles Ryder (played by Matthew Goode) is part of a platoon of soldiers using a sprawling estate called Brideshead as a barracks during World War II. It turns out that Charles is very familiar with the estate, as he spent most of his college years with the family that owns the place. As he gazes out upon the magnificent fountain in the courtyard, he remembers his previous visits to Brideshead.
The story then flashes back 10 years to when Charles is a student at Oxford. While there, he meets Lord Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw) after Sebastian pukes through Charles’ open first floor window. The next day Sebastian sends flowers and a lunch invitation, which Charles accepts. Though Charles, an aspiring artist, is not like any of Sebastian’s other friends, Sebastian takes an instant liking to him. Soon, the two are inseparable, as they both enjoy indulging in wine and champagne.
Later, Sebastian takes Charles to Brideshead to see the house. But he doesn’t want Charles to meet his family because he thinks Charles is his friend and doesn’t want the others to interfere. Nevertheless, it’s inevitable that Charles will run into Sebastian’s sister Julia (Hayley Atwell) and mother Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson). These relationships are extremely complicated, as Sebastian has feelings for Charles, who in turn wavers in his affections between Sebastian and Julia. Meanwhile, Lady Marchmain wants Charles to use his influence to get Sebastian to stop drinking, which puts him in the middle between those two as well.
On top of all these issues, there’s religion to consider. Lady Marchmain is a devout Catholic and has raised her children to be the same. Sebastian doesn’t really care, but Julia seems filled with all kinds of guilt. As a result, she decides to marry a man named Rex Mottram (Jonathan Cake) just because he’s Catholic, while leaving the atheistic Charles behind.
The rest of the film then shows how Charles’ relationships with the various members of the Flyte family first deteriorate and then pick up again, and how sexuality and religion pervade everything.
My Reaction: Brideshead Revisited is one of my favorite novels of all-time, and this is the second film version I’ve seen. The first was a TV miniseries, I believe, and wasn’t all that great. This one, while not perfect, was actually rather enjoyable. I think a big part of the reason is that Matthew Goode was excellent as Charles Ryder. This was an important casting decision because it obviously impacts the entire film, and I think the right choice was made.
I also thought Emma Thompson was fabulous as Lady Marchmain. She brought the right amount of dignity to the role, and also did a great job of showing the woman’s uncompromising religious beliefs. She knew she was losing Sebastian, but even then she couldn’t give in. And yet, she managed to exude motherly love throughout, and never led the viewer to question whether or not she truly cared for her son.
I had issues with Julia and Sebastian, however. I thought Julia was supposed to be beautiful, and while Hayley Atwell is certainly good-looking, she didn’t have that head-turning quality about her. (Also, she reminded me so much of Neve Campbell with that bob cut!) And Ben Whishaw was positively annoying as Sebastian. This isn’t an easy character to like even in the novel, but he’s far worse in the film, where none of his redeeming qualities shine through at all.
Why am I focusing on the characters here? Because this is essentially a character-driven story (and it’s hard for me to remember what was in the film vs. what was in the novel).
Overall, I thought this was a solid adaptation of Brideshead Revisited. It captures the essential spirit of Waugh’s work, and though some parts have been cut or altered a bit, the main plot lines are absolutely recognizable. I give this version 4 stars out of 5.
I decided to go back to school to get a Master’s degree, so a couple months ago I spent a great deal of time researching potential programs and institutions. There are quite a few places that offer advanced degrees these days, but not many of them are what would be considered “elite” schools. Apparently, some of the bigger names in education don’t want to join the online trend for fear that this will somehow devalue their brand. Fortunately, other schools, like 
Entourage 6×02 — “Amongst Friends”: — Isn’t this show supposed to be a comedy? I can’t recall laughing a single time during last night’s episode. I’d like to give the writers the benefit of the doubt and believe that they’ll turn this into a good season, but they only have 12 episodes to work with… why waste two entire eps on absolutely nothing??
As expected, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince enjoyed a HUGE opening, and now sits atop the box office charts. The sixth installment of the moneymaking franchise earned a whopping $79.5 million over the weekend, and a total domestic gross of $160 million since opening on Wednesday.
I generally don’t get too attached to brand names, but I have grown to love my iPods. I bought my first one in 2004 (the iPod Mini), and have had a new Nano nearly every year since then. I haven’t bought one this year, though, because I’m thinking of upgrading to a Touch, and want to wait until after September when the new models come out.
Seinfeld 7×09 — “The Sponge”: I’m still going through my relatively new Seinfeld DVD box set, randomly watching episodes that I either don’t remember too well or that I thought were great. One of my recent viewings was of the ninth episode in Season 7, called “The Sponge”. I went in thinking that this was one of the top Seinfeld eps of the entire series, because it yielded the famous “sponge-worthy” buzzword. But actually, after watching it again, I didn’t think it was all that wonderful.
The 2009 Emmy Nominations were released yesterday. The biggest buzz about the list was the fact that, by and large, cable TV shows received more recognition than their network counterparts. I don’t see why that’s surprising, though. Obviously when you’re on cable, you can depict graphic situations and use adult language, thereby giving the show a more realistic feel. Of course the shows are going to deliver more of a punch. Can you imagine The Sopranos being cleaned up for network TV? It wouldn’t be the same at all.
Episode 2×14 of Burn Notice was called “Truth and Reconciliation”, and served to inch the actual burn notice plot forward ever so slightly. After the last episode’s awesome break from formula, we were back to the same old Odd Job of the Week taking up 98 percent of the ep, with a scant few minutes devoted to Michael’s investigation into who burned him and why.
I’m always looking for ways to save money. I like to think it’s because I’m frugal, but most people just think I’m cheap! For instance, even though my house is equipped with central air conditioning, I refuse to use it on weekdays. That’s because I’m the only one home, and it seems like such a waste to cool the entire house just for little ol’ me. So I drag my laptop into the guest bedroom. turn the window AC unit on, and huddle in there all day long.