Dorian Gray/The Invention of Lying Film Reviews

dorian gray poster

Another snowbound evening means another two movies, Dorian Gray and The Invention of Lying.

Dorian Gray
is based on the book of Oscar Wilde and directed by Oliver Parker, the film tells the story of Gray (Ben Barnes) whose physically remains young after selling his soul for eternal youth. The downside to this is a painting of the young Gray gets uglier each day. The once innocent Gray is led astray by Lord Henry (Colin Firth) but later in life when Gray wants to redeem himself for his life of drunken debauchary, he finds out he may be too late.

It’s an ok film , I love the colouring and grading and London around the beginning of the 19th century looks really good, I think though I should read the book.

invention of lying poster

The Invention Of Lying
was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson and stars Gervais with Jennifer Garner who live in a world where there isn’t such a thing as lying. This means no fiction, all films are based on actual everts. After losing his job as a script writer, Mark Bellison (Gervais), tells the world’s first lie and his leads him to become a well known loser who speaks to ‘The Man in the Sky’.

The film is very hit and miss, it’s funnier before the first lie is told as everyone is brutally honest. However, we know Gervais is funny but there’s just not enough content in this, overall a little disappointing.