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- Boys – Review and DVD competiton - 13 October, 2014
The other night I was trawling Twitter when I couldn’t sleep (which actually perpetuates my inability to sleep, but enough about that) and I came across a quote from Uptown Girls: ‘It’s a tough world.’
Now after retweeting, favouriting and saving the meme for future tweets (yes, I steal tweets) my mind began to wander. What had happened to the then-child star, Dakota Fanning? Being the film-addict I am, within moments I remembered her upcoming role in the new film penned by Emma Thompson – Effie – and so decided to take a look at the young actress’ iconic portfolio to date.
I am Sam
Back in 2001, the then 8-year old Dakota starred alongside Sean Penn in this iconic piece of cinema. The film follows a father with a developmental disorder as he fights for the right to raise his daughter. Dakota’s performance alongside Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2002, making her the youngest nominee in history.
This film raised awareness of adults suffering developmental disabilities and was also Fanning’s big break into Hollywood.
Uptown Girls
This is by far one of the BEST films ever. Brittany Murphy plays the 20-something daughter of a rock star who has to come to terms with adulthood. She gets the job of being nanny for the young, precocious Lorraine ‘Ray’ Schleine (Fanning).
The unlikely pair form an unbreakable bond, in turn teaching one another to just let your hair loose and that being an adult means you don’t always do what is fun or comfortable. It is truly one of my favourite films of all time and is a masterpiece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0jIhwYYUJQ
War of the Worlds
By now you are probably realizing how many amazing actors and actresses this young starlet has shared the silver screen with. In 2005, alongside the dashing Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning took on aliens that appeared from within the Earth’s crust and… Well if you haven’t seen the film, I won’t ruin the ending! This is a MUST watch.
Coraline
Despite this not being Dakota’s first foray into animation, it was by far the crowning moment. She enters the dark-fantasy world of Neil Gaiman’s creation, which she runs away to in order to escape her own domestic dungeon. In this parallel universe she encounters an interesting array of characters. The comedic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders even make an appearance in the form of Miss Miriam Forcible and Miss April Spink.
The look of the film is similar to Gaiman’s earlier work, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and was seen by some as a big risk since digital animation had begun to take centre stage.
We shall continue our journey down memory lane tomorrow….
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