A Standing Ovation for The King's Speech

Run, don't walk, to the nearest theater showing The King's Speech. It is surely to be nominated for multiple Oscars and will walk away a royal winner. It is definitely the best picture I've seen this year. This movie has so much to offer. It is the true story of the relationship between King George and his speech therapist. The King has never had a relationship with a commoner and Logue, the Australian, has never had a relationship with royalty. These two men, with different backgrounds and personalities, develop a productive working relationship and friendship that last their lifetimes. Both Firth and Rush will be nominated, Helen Bonham Carter is also outstanding as the Queen. This historical drama starts in the 1930s and continues through the beginning of England's entrance into WWII. Each scene shows a snippet of history without staying too long on each event. Another great strength of this movie as how the early upbringing and family relationships impacted negatively on King George causing his stammer.
I was fortunate to attend The King's Speech with my friend Judy who had received her master's degree in Speech and Language. After the movie, I learned more about some of the theories of helping people with stammers. There seems to be two schools of thought, one being working with the mechanics of speech and second, helping people with the emotional ramifications of speech impediments. This movie clearly shows how both schools were integrated into a successful therapy. Please don't miss this movie.

A Box of Chocolate

Jim Carrey movies are like boxes of chocolate, you never know what you are going to get. Some of his movies are funny, some dark and creepy, some outrageous, and a few not very good. I Love You, Phillip Morris is a movie which encompasses many of Carrey's various moods. Some scenes are hard to believe, some silly, some humorous, and some touching and very moving. This is truly an independent movie, it is being shown at the Criterion Cinemas' (New Haven)  Screen 8. This theater holds a total of 24 people so it's not expected to be a  blockbuster. This true story is a hidden away gem. Carrey and McGregor are the main characters, two gay men that meet in prison. Carrey is a con man who  becomes devoted to McGregor and pledges to protect him, in and out of jail. This is the story of their relationship with all the many twists and turns that it takes right up to the very end. Both characters are likable and engaging with Carrey being  fascinating to watch. Although this movie has some serious scenes, it is thoroughly enjoyable. It may not be every one's cup of tea  but I suggest that frequent movie goers may like to catch up with this delight when it is released on DVD.

A Real Piece of Work

Last summer, I was interested in seeing the documentary Joan Rivers: Piece of Work on the big screen but never went. There was two reasons for this, the movie wasn't in the theaters very long, none of my friends were interested in seeing it, and most documentaries really don't have to shown on a big screen. So, I kind of forgot about the movie. Then the titled appeared on Moviefone's Top 50 and I decided to check to see if it was on Netflix or available through Netflix Streaming. I'll show my age and say that I do remember Joan Rivers when she started doing stand up comedy on television shows like Ed Sullivan. I liked her comedy and her style so was naturally curious to how Joan was doing as she approached her 75th birthday. This documentary is a well done, insightful look into a female comic that really broke ground in the 1950s and 60s. She is extremely hard working and keeps herself quite busy. From the movie, I gather she works for two main reasons, money (bad investments) and insecurity. There is a depressing element to the documentary, aging in entertainment business is very rough. It was a disappointment to me that Joan can be very crude and vulgar on stage, to me she is just as funny when her language us toned down. If you are a Joan Rivers fan, please rent the movie, she is a interesting performer. This documentary helps break down the image that she is just the sum parts of her plastic surgery, she is a lot more.

MegaMind

Before my son Patrick left for Boston we decided on an early movie and lunch. The only movie playing at 10:50 in the area was MegaMind. It was a fun animated movie for children and adults. The dialogue was snappy, it had  humorous one liners and a good soundtrack. Will Ferrell and Tina Fey were the voices of MegaMind, the likeable villain, and the television reporter, Roxanne Ritchie.  It is also a pleasure to report that while it was a movie about aliens there wasn't anything creepy or frightening for younger children. There was a small audience but everyone seemed to enjoy the movie. A good vacation movie which contains a pro social message of  "good overcomes evil." This movie deserves a green light, please go and take a young relative or friend along.

Dot in Snowland

Today in Connecticut we are experiencing snow, high winds and close to whiteout conditions. Not a day to be out sitting in a movie theater wondering how high the snow will be when the movie ends. Having read that Alice in Wonderland was named in Moviefone's Top 50 movies of 2010 and nominated for a Golden Globe, it occurred to me that this would be a good time to catch up on this movie through Netflix streaming. I didn't see Alice when it was on the big screen for two reasons, I've never been a fan of book nor am I a fan of Tim Burton. And it turned out to be just what I thought - creepy. It is not a stretch to think that any child seeing this movie could have nightmares or crazy dreams for awhile. Actually, to me that movie was just a long crazy dream that many menopausal women experience.  I don't recommend this movie unless you are a big Tim Burton fan or a Lewis Carroll devotee. Of course, there is usually something positive in every movie, the actress who played Alice was wonderful, Johnny Depp can break dance, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are endearing.

Christmas Evening Tradition

Very often in the past, my nephews Paul and Connor will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas night at the movies with me. We continued our tradition by seeing True Grit tonight. Since they were born well after the movie was first released in 1969, neither had seen the John Wayne version. I did see the first True Grit but honestly don't remember if I saw it at the movie theater and/or on television. Either way, it has been a long time. It was no surprise to see that the movie theater in Branford was well attended, we got just about the last three seats together.
The western had humor, some violence, wonderful scenery and well worth seeing on the big screen. My nephews (who are in twenties) reported that they really enjoyed the movie and thought it was good. I liked and recommend it but I was a little less enthusiastic in my response. Jeff Bridges was excellent in the part of Rooster Cogburn, it would realistic to think he will be nominated for an Oscar. The entire cast performed well, and Matt Damon was a very likable Texas Ranger. The actress who played Maddie was a newcomer to me but her part may very well do for her what Maddie Ross did for Kim Darby. I would green light
this movie, it is an enjoyable way to spend part of a cold winter vacation day.

Scotch, Anyone?

Sorry, the offer is not to make a toast for a Happy New Year. It is a review of a movie sent in Scotland in the early 1950s.  Stone of Destiny is a movie that I watched late last night through Netflix Streaming to my laptop. The Canadian movie was filmed in 2008 and is based on true events. The story tells of collage age Ian Hamilton and friends' efforts to return the Stone of Destiny to its rightful owner. Of course, the Stone of Destiny is sitting on a shelf under the coronation chair that sits in Westminster Abbey. So, the plot involves breaking into the Abbey during Christmas 1950 and returning the stone to its original owner, the people of Scotland.
Although I am not of Scottish descent but of Irish descent so I'm with Hamilton and his friends every step of the way. This is a movie well worth seeing although it begins with a slow moving pace. I also had so trouble understanding some of the dialogue because of the Scottish accent. However, the movie sucked me in emotionally and by the conclusion, I, too, wanted to run out in the street waving the flag of Scotland. I green light this movie. Also, please watch Stone of Destiny on your television screen and not on a laptop. The panoramic views of the Scottish highlands must be breathtaking and I regret that I missed out on the big screen viewing.

Christmas 2009 Movie Answer

Sherlock Holmes

Christmas 2009 Movie Quiz

Name the 2009 Guy Ritchie movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, that opened on Christmas Day.
Have difficulty remembering? No wonder, it was a greatly anticipated movie that turned out to be a disappointment.

See tomorrow's blog for the answer.

Movie Blitzing

The end of 2010 is upon us. This usually means that some excellent movies are being released this week. For teachers, this means that we can movie blitz during our vacation. Here are the movies I intend to see:
The King's Speech, True Grit, Tiny Furniture and with some hesitation, 127 Hours. The hesitation comes from the buzz about the graphic amputation scene. I may shut my eyes! 127 Hours and Tiny Furniture have earned several American Spirit Award nominations. I've already seen Black Swan, another highly nominated for Spirit Award awards. From all the reviews, The King's Speech seems to be the best bet of the holiday vacation.

Movies 2011

When asked the title of my favorite movie this year, the answer came easily "Mao's Last Dancer". Then it occured to me that I had seen some good movies last winter but couldn't remember the titles. So, my intention is to blog about the movies I see during 2011. I will be blogging about movies seen on the big screen, rental movies, and occasionally, movies made for TV.

Being a teacher on the middle school level, my comments will also include opinions as to whether the movie is appropriate for children.

Let's hope that 2011 is a good movie year. Trailers for January look promising.