Name Natalie Press
Born 15 August. 1980. London Background Just three years after the elfin actress made her profeSSional debut in television soap Holby City she hit the big time with Pawel Pawlikowski's rapturously received 2004 film My Summer of Love. Press and her co- star Emily The Young Victoria Blunt were jointly garlanded for their naturalistic turns as teenagers dangerously infatuated with one another. The more conventionally good-looking Blunt was immediately wooed by Hollywood. while Press pursued a less glamorous — though more impressive (quality-wise) — career path in British and European film and television. The year after her summer of love. Press played Caddy Turveydrop in the celebrated BBC adaptation of Dickens' Bleak House. That was followed by Andrea Arnold‘s Cannes and BAFTA prize-winning Scottish- Danish co-production Red Road. the first of three interlocking social realist dramas in each of which Press will appear, the second instalment, Rounding Up Donkeys. arriving later this year. Her appearance in Peter Greenaway's yet-to-be-seen Rembrandt film, Nightwatching. confirms Press has played it smart by recognising the benefits of aligning herself with strong filmmaking talent.
What’s she up to now? About to start shooting the British sci-ti adventure Telepathy, recently wrapped the Mull-set drama The Sea Change. and currently promoting IRA drama Fifty Dead Men Walking, in which Press appears alongside Jim Sturgess and Ben Kingsley.
On doing an Irish accent ‘I found it the most difficult accent I've ever had to do. I've never needed help on accents before. but on this one it was good that I had a voice coach to test words on. And it was really helpful to be in Belfast. to soak up the atmosphere on the streets. I think that really br0ught something to the film. It was very important to get it right on this film. which has such a sense of time and place.’
Interesting Fact Press' first major role in a film was as a single mum in Wasp. the 2003 short directed by Red Road's Arnold that won a Best Short Oscar. (Miles Fielder)
I Fifty Dead Men Walking. selected release, Fri 10 Apr. See review. page 44.
46 THE LIST 2—16 Apr 2009
COMHJY DRAMA THE BOAT THAT ROCKED (15) 134min 0.
Richard Curtis’ return to the big screen after six years back working in television is not as rockin’ as it is rolling, loose, baggy and freewheeling. It feels like a very long musical montage with little structure or direction. Some fine performances and a funny script can’t hide the fact that this is the Notting Hill writer’s weakest feature film to date.
Wasting no time getting into life on board the fictional 1966 pirate radio ship Radio Rock, Curtis races through character introductions to sail straight into the first of many comedy set-pieces. What follows is less a film than a two-hour sketch show with a big budget, held together by some of the most popular songs of the era.
COMEDY I LOVE YOU, MAN (15) 104mm 000
The brotherly-love or ‘hro-mance genre that Judd Apatow developed and mainstreamed Wliil Knocked Up and Superbad shows no signs of running low on testosterone. With / Love You Man picking up where last year's equally acerbic Role ilxlodels left off. The trick of the modern ‘hro- mance’ is that the energy that traditional lovelorn protagonists used to expend on trying to charm .‘JOlTlUi is now firmly re-directed towards bonding '.‘.’|Iil their male friends.
Despite Successfully getting engaged to Zooey iRashida Jones. daughter of music producer Quincy). real-estate agent Peter Klaven iPaul Rudd‘i feels the lack of a balancing male companion. and after an excruCiating series of man- dates. finally clicks With boorish alpha-male Sydney Fife
Character actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rhys Ifans fail to make much of an impact in this environment, while Bill Nighy's rocking granddad act feels staid. The actors with stronger TV comedy roots come out best: Spaced‘s Nick Frost and Flight of the Conchords’ Rhys Darby get some of the most memorable moments but it is Chris O'Dowd from The IT Crowd who really shines, investing one of Curtis' most far-fetched scenarios with an unexpected emotional depth.
Curtis clearly isn’t aiming for realism, so anyone expecting an accurate recreation of pirate radio’s heyday will be left wanting. Music fans in search of a film about the intangible power of popular music would be better revisiting Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. (Paul Gallagher)
I General release from i ’i 3‘ Apr See l/iff,”‘./‘,‘l‘.’, p'igw it
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iForgetting Sarah ilvlarslii’i/l's Jason Sega-ll
After bending over a covert ‘.’.’lfl’_i-i)ffj{tklllg incident at Hulk-star Lou Ferrigno's house. the two then finally iriake their manly connection filillC‘ listening tr. Rush alpiiriie iri Fife's man—cave. but their sense of brotherly lo .«e soon overshadoxxs Klaven's potential romance Willi Zeoey.
Even HINTQUT Apatow's direct influence. the patented formula for fresh. feel-good filth still hits the spot under the sntooth direction of John Along Carrie Pol/y Haiiihurg, Segal pro/Ides an ideal ecriiie foil. a brash hall of alpha-iriale ei‘erg, .‘xhereas Rudd is. as always. buttoned-done thinking l)E:.’“Olilil€d. Throxi in laugh-out-loud carrieos from JK Simirtor‘is and Andy Shamberg as Klaveri's dad and brother respectively. and / Love YOu. Man‘s best moments hit the heights of an accomplished character comedy. lEddie Harrisoni I General release from Fri 70 Apr.