New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Derek Malcolm's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Marc Evans.
Cast: Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss
Description: Sigourney Weaver wades into the risky territory of Hollywood mental instability, playing a high-functioning autistic woman with embarrassing commitment. Her strange friendship with brooding Alan Rickman is the focus, but it's a pretty dull affair.
Country: UK/CAN. 2005. 111mins
Sigourney Weaver stars in Snow Cake
When a Hollywood star plays a mentally challenged character, there's always the danger that the acting takes over from them actually feeling the part. That way Oscars may beckon, but truth flies out of the window.
On the whole, though, Sigourney Weaver triumphs here as Linda, an obsessive-compulsive, autistic woman who lives in the little town of Wawa, in Canada.
She takes in Alex (Alan Rickman), a troubled stranger who tells her that her daughter has died in a car accident. There are, we discover, other mysteries in his life.
The two seem to need each other - even when Alex falls impossibly for an extrovert neighbour (Carrie-Anne Moss). Linda wants company, though she won't admit it, and he, though sometimes exasperated, is able to mask his guilt and grief in her presence.
Marc Evans, who made My Little Eye and Trauma, here tries his hand at more sensitive subject matter and more oblique emotions. It doesn't always work and there are dull patches, mostly due to somewhat flat direction.
But Rickman's quietly subtle performance and Weaver's well-researched approximation of autism, which is never afraid to provide laughs, paints the ultimately moving microcosm of a small world colliding with the tragedy of death and disappointed dreams.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
A lovely little film, shame it hasn't had a fuller release. I'm always wary of stars doing "disability" films but Sigourney Weaver mainly manages to avoid mawkish moments. I'd watch Alan Rickman read the telephone book but it is good to see him a nice, sensitive adult movie.
- Sue, Hindhead
I would love to see this film but can't find it showing anywhere local to the NW.
- Hilary, Lytham Lancs UK
Would really like to see this film but cant seem to find a cinema thats showing it.
- Sue, Lancashire England
A genuinely beautiful film. I am so impressed with Sigourney Weaver, I've never seen her in anything like this before and she really steals the film. Congratulations to everyone involved - go see this film!
- James, Victoria
A lovely film, understated, deeply human. There is nothing run-of-the-mill here, there are no clichés. Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver are perfect as the two protagonists, both damaged by life, who help each other to recover and survive. The winter symbolism works well. I really liked the music, too.
- Pia, London, UK
This is one of the best films I have ever seen, and I think Weaver is the most talented actress of her age. The film tackles autism without stigmatising or ridiculing, and it opened my eyes to what it is like for autistic people to live in America. Alan Rickman and Carrie Ann Moss are brilliant in support, and I hope all three win awards for such a touching, wonderful film.
- Mags, Peckham
Snowcake reminded me of the quirky Sideways or Wonder Boys. Linda is the star of the film, and we see her trying to organise a funeral. A task if you're autistic! Overall I thought the film was really good, and I think Linda (Signorny Weaver) should win an oscar for her performance of an autistic lady who has lost her daugther in body, although perhaps not in spirit.
- Alice, NW1
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