Movie Review: The King's Speech

I decided once the ten Best Picture nominees for Oscar were announced that I would try my best to watch them all.  The count is now at 6 with 4 films remaining.  But the one with the biggest buzz right now is The King's Speech which has quickly supplanted the critics' darling The Social Network as the new frontrunner.

So naturally, I had to see the movie to find out what all the fuss was about.  The film is well-acted and yes, emotional but I wasn't moved to applause as most people are claiming they were.  I'm surprised that a period film about the British royal family is somehow more popular than a film about young American entrepreneurs and social networking to which much of America and the world is devoted.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the film, I'm not that impressed as everyone is.  Colin Firth, as Prince Albert "Bertie", second in line to the throne, hides and masks the pain he goes through of a stammer and the nervousness of public speaking.  But due to the emergence of the new media of radio at the time, he must fulfill his duty.  On the other end, Bertie's older brother and heir to the throne, Edward, chafes at having to fulfill his duty and wishes to marry his love, an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.  Bertie, then, knows what he must do.  He must step up and be the man to lead a country on the brink of war.

Of course, he is not alone in this.  His extremely supportive wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham-Carter), helps find a speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), who changes the way he approaches his speech impediment.  The film rests on Firth's shoulders and it is because you see how endearing a character he is and how he struggles with the difficult decisions handed down to him due to his station of birth.  He eventually handles it all like a true royal and that is what makes the film tick.  The warm affection shared between husband and wife and the friendship between Logue and Bertie is the key to the film.

I do still think that The Social Network and Inception are better directed but unfortunately the witticisms and the originality of these films hasn't received the recognition it deserves and will be passed over in favor of the The King's Speech.  It is a real shame because The King's Speech is a very good film, just not a great one and certainly not the best film in 2010.  But it is something I'll have to get used to but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Directed by Tom Hooper; Written by David Seidler; Cinematography by Danny Cohen; Music by Alexandre Desplat

Additional cast: Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Ehle, Claire Boom, Eve Best

Rating:          

The King's Speech Rules at the BAFTAs!

As very much expected, at the very British awards BAFTAs, a very British film about a royal overcoming a stammer, The King's Speech, took home most of the night's big prizes.  But it couldn't take home Best Director, David Fincher for The Social Network managed to beat out Tom Hooper for that.  Yeah!  Inception won 3 of the technical awards for Special Visual Effects, Sound and Production Design.  And big honors also went to the Harry Potter series and J.K. Rowling for their outstanding contribution to British cinema and veteran actor Christopher Lee was granted the British Academy's Fellowship.  Surprise of the night, The Orange Wednesday's Rising Star award was Tom Hardy, the night's only absentee.  Gemma Arterton, Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield and Aaron Johnson all attended but didn't win it.  Awkward!

BEST FILM

THE KING’S SPEECH - Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin

LEADING ACTOR

COLIN FIRTH - The King’s Speech

LEADING ACTRESS

NATALIE PORTMAN - Black Swan

DIRECTOR

THE SOCIAL NETWORK - David Fincher

SUPPORTING ACTOR

GEOFFREY RUSH - The King’s Speech

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

HELENA BONHAM CARTER - The King’s Speech

ANIMATED FILM

TOY STORY 3 - Lee Unkrich

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE SOCIAL NETWORK - Aaron Sorkin

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

THE KING’S SPEECH - David Seidler

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

THE KING’S SPEECH - Tom Hooper, David Seidler, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - Søren Stærmose, Niels Arden Oplev

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

FOUR LIONS - Chris Morris (Director/Writer)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

TRUE GRIT - Roger Deakins

PRODUCTION DESIGN

INCEPTION - Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat

EDITING

THE SOCIAL NETWORK - Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

SOUND

INCEPTION - Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A Rizzo, Ed Novick

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

INCEPTION - Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Peter Bebb

ORIGINAL MUSIC

THE KING’S SPEECH - Alexandre Desplat

COSTUME DESIGN

ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Colleen Atwood

MAKE UP & HAIR

ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Valli O'Reilly, Paul Gooch

SHORT ANIMATION

THE EAGLEMAN STAG - Michael Please

SHORT FILM

UNTIL THE RIVER RUNS RED - Paul Wright, Poss Kondeatis

THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD (voted by the public)

TOM HARDY

New Cars 2 characters!

Well, we all seen and heard about the new characters, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell in the new Cars 2 trailer.  This is in addition to the old favorites, Lightning McQueen and Mater who are returning for an around the world tour.

In the last few weeks, though, many new characters who will become familiar to us when we watch the movie have emerged.  My favorites so far are Carla Veloso and John Lassetire!  Get it, Lassetire, a play on John Lasseter, the director and one of the heads of Pixar.  Have a look!

(Pics: The Pixar Blog)

First Look: Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher

The pearls, the brooch, the hair! By Jove, she's done it again. Meryl Streep, showing us yet again why she is the queen of all actresses.  Filming has already begun for The Iron Lady in London and the Guardian has released the first still of the movie that deals with the life of the former British Prime Minister being directed by Streep's former Mamma Mia helmer, Phyllida Lloyd.

Oscar Class of 2011: Here are your nominees!

(Pic: Greg Harbaugh/©AMPAS)

Presenting the class of 2011, your nominees for the Oscars! 19 days to go!!!

So, how many famous people can you spot?

Trailer Time: Super Bowl Edition

Well, the Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 but the real reason to tune in were the commercials.  In particular, lots and lots of movie trailers.  There's a long list ahead of us so let's get started.

Oh, brother, I'm trying very hard to control myself and not laugh at Chris Evans here.  It was all fine when the posters and stills were released of him as Captain America: The First Avenger.  But the effects seem really cheesy and what are they aiming for? A Hulk-like body?  Not working for me.  Let's reserve judgement until the next trailer.

Moving on, here's a character who doesn't think much of his body image.  It's Po the Panda from Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom who's back with Furious Five to "wok you".  Don't get it?  Watch the trailer.  They will wok you!

I'm sure you've wanted at some point in your life to watch a movie about cowboys or aliens. But in Jon Favreau's new film, Cowboys vs. Aliens you don't have to chose. You get both! And you don't pick Bond over Indy, you get both. Do you see where this is heading? Still no clue what the movie is about, I'm just going to watch it as two-for-one feature sci-fi meets western.



The robots are back but not Megan Fox. Although...nevermind, I'm not going to go there. It's Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. I grow weary of this title.



Here's yet another Avenger, Thor, and while he may not be as buff as Captain America (no one is!), he sure is angry a lot. And he has a big hammer. You don't want to piss him off.



More Jack Sparrow awesomeness in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, thanks to Johnny Depp. To think an entire franchise rest solely on this one character, without him, there would be no films. Prepare yourself to lots of cheeky one-liners.



This is the one for me. What I was waiting for, a J.J. Abrams film after what seems like forever, Super 8, named after the old cameras.  I swear I got goosebumps when the somewhat familiar music and "From Steven Spielberg" tagline came up. This is totally giving me a sinister E.T. vibe. I cannot wait for this film.

Finally, I saved the best for last. You won't find a more colorful trailer than this, the misadventures of Blu the macau all the way from Brazil. You had me at Rio.

Weekly News Roundup: Casting buzz for Superman and Batman!

• Holy Batman! Could Joseph Gordon-Levitt be re-joining his Inception director in The Dark Knight Rises.  We say: Yes, please!  Christopher Nolan himself confirmed that shooting will commence in May.  We'll know before then if Gordon-Levitt is a part of the cast.
• Now that the Man in Steel aka Henry Cavill has been announced, it's time to guess who might be Lois Lane.  The actress shortlist includes Jessica Biel, Olivia Wilde, Rachel McAdams, Malin Akerman and many more.  Expect an press release about this role soon enough too.
• Javier Bardem is seriously being considered for a villainous role in Bond 23.  He is scary good as a villain.  Watch out, Daniel Craig.
• Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand make up the cast of Mother's Curse which involves them going on a mother-son road trip.  Somehow, I can totally pciture them as mother and son already. 
• Until now, Scarlett Johansson was the lone female in the Avengers film.  That may be changing soon.  Deadline is reporting that Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) is very close to joining the Avengers as SHIELD agent Maria Hill.  Word is that she was director Joss Whedon's choice as Wonder Woman too.  Intriguing! 
• After Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp, new Oscar host James Franco's name is being offered as the lead in Oz, the Great and Powerful.  Shame, as I was really looking forward to seeing Robert Downey Jr. interpreting this role.  
• I wasn't sure I read this right, but it turns out that Tarsem Singh wants Julia Roberts to play the Evil Queen in his version of Snow White.  This will be interesting.
• Finally, for all you James Patterson fans, Alex Cross will be played by Tyler Perry.  Is he the right choice for the role?