Review: The King's Speech

Review: The King's Speech

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Audience: 95%

After the driest movie months ever: August, September, October, and most of November, I began to read the superlative reviews of The King's Speech. I worried. More hype? More critics in the pay of the movie moguls? (Call me cynical.) I finally saw the film yesterday and was very pleased. More applause after a movie than I've heard since Toy Story 3 -- and that was from spontaneous, unselfconscious children.

The King's Speech is that good. Colin Firth as stuttering King George VI ("Bertie"), Geoffrey Rush as his "speech therapist," Lionel Logue, and Helena Bonham-Carter as the future Queen Mum are all magnificent and deserve to be nominated for just about any award.

From everything I've read (and now seen), George VI was a man so blighted by his privileged childhood and tyrannical father, that he was almost incapable of happiness. He had greatness thrust upon him and wanted none of it. He was the right man for the job, but, oh my, he was born into "interesting times." His story is compelling and heartbreaking at the same time.

The film has an "R" rating, unfortunately, because His Royal Highness drops the F-bomb 17 times in the course of his therapy. Now, really! What is this frackin' world coming to?

I didn't give the film four stars for one reason: much of the gravitas and importance of this movie is derived from its subject alone -- not the abilities of the cinematographer, the actors, the director, or the writers. We finally care because it's about Queen Elizabeth's dad.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: True Grit

Review: True Grit

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Audience: 91%

When John Wayne made True Grit in 1969, I didn't rush to see it. I've watched it since then, but I have not been impressed. Wayne received the Best Actor Oscar for the movie--essentially for playing himself. He'd been overlooked in previous years for much better performances, such as those in Red River, The Searchers and The Quiet Man. So, when I heard that someone was remaking True Grit, I asked myself, "Why bother?" Then, I heard the Coen brothers were writing and directing -- and I began to eagerly anticipate the movie.

I have not been not disappointed. The Coen's adaptation of the book is nothing short of brilliant. Their use of formal Victorian English is the perfect counterpoint to the raw, violent, unpredictable post-Civil War west. Jeff Bridges inhabits his role as Rooster Cogburn. He's so good you can almost smell the booze and the body odor. There's nothing cuddly or sentimental about this Rooster. He's a nasty man with true grit who'll get the job done. Just don't ask questions.

Hailee Steinfeld's Mattie Ross soars above Kim Darby's 1969 portrayal. There's no coyness or flirting here. Hailee is all business, a tightfisted bible-quoting Christian bent on revenge and retribution. Matt Damon, in the supporting role of LaBoeuf (he says "LeBeef"), delivers a fine performance as an overconfident, too-big-for-his-britches, but ultimately useful, Texas Ranger.

I expect there will be plenty of Oscar nominations for this film -- another tour de force from the Coen brothers who wisely chose to follow Charles Portis's book in spirit, tone, and language.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 49%

Audience: 72%

First, a confession. A tough one for an Episcopalian. I am not a huge fan of C.S. Lewis or the Narnia series as a whole. I read the books as an adult -- which may explain my general lack of awe and wonder. The allegory was a bit too transparent for me. When I talk to children who've read the books, like my grandson Max, I find they are not at all aware of the Christological significance of Aslan and company. They just like the stories. Ah, to be young.

But I digress. The Dawn Treader is somewhere between Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe (which was delightful) and Prince Caspian (which was dreadful). One problem is that "Evil" is played in this one by a green, smoky fog. It was all a bit too much like a bad episode from the original Star Trek series. Happily, a really gruesome sea serpent makes an appearance near the end. I wish he'd had a bigger part.

Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy, was her charming post-pubescent self -- still cute as a bug. Lucy's cousin-from-Hell, Eustace Scrubb, played by Will Poulter, was obnoxiously fascinating and proved that you could be an English child actor and really, really nasty.

My grandson Max thought the movie was just "OK." You may be looking for a film to take the kiddies to in this holiday season devoid of worthwhile children's movies, and this one won't bore you to tears. It is a bit intense for younger children, however.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Unstoppable

Review: Unstoppable

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Audience: 78%

Loved it. Not one of the greatest movies ever, but a very, very good one. It proves that you don't need 3D in order to feel the raw power of a runaway train hurtling at you. Superb cinematography and frightening sound combine to produce the tension needed for terrific escapist entertainment.

The film is what it is. Some critics have complained that there is little character development for either Denzel Washington's seasoned veteran, Frank, or Chris Pine's conflicted rookie, Will. But who cares? The train is the star.

And it doesn't matter that we can guess the ending. We're along for the roller coaster ride and Tony Scott, the director, has us from "Hello."

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Black Swan

Review: Black Swan

Rating: *1/2

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Audience: 91%

I find myself in the odd position of defending my negative opinion about a film that almost everyone else seems to like. Most critics recognize that Black Swan is a melodrama, a film that overplays plot and character in order to manipulate our emotions. What they don't seem to recognize in this movie is that there is a fine line between melodrama that soars in films like Now, Voyager, Sunset Boulevard, and Slumdog Millionaire-- and melodrama that is overwrought, trite, and predictable in films like All That Heaven Allows, The Other Side of Midnight, and, well, Black Swan.

It does seem as if the director, Aronofsky, wants us continually to question what is real and what is imaginary in this "psychological thriller." I found no such ambiguity. **Spoiler** It was very clear that Natalie Portman's character was Looney Toons right from the beginning. Seriously, if your mother's paintings become animated when you look at them, you're in need of some major meds.

I will give you that the movie is beautifully filmed, that the milieu of dance is fascinating, and that Portman as Nina, Vincent Cassel as Thomas, and Barbara Hershey as Nina's control-freak mother deliver compelling performances. But the story just isn't there. It's all too predictable. It's a throwback to the overwrought melodramas of the 40s and 50s. Instead of rushing to see it, rent The Red Shoes to enjoy the best of all ballet films.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: For Colored Girls

Review: For Colored Girls

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 32%

Audience: 77%

Two-Thirds of Rotten Tomatoes' critics really disliked this movie. In general, I find that most male critics don't find much to like in Tyler Perry's movies. Let's admit it. Mr. Perry understands and empathizes with women in ways most male filmmakers don't. And this film, borne of Ntozake Shange's feminist play from the very angry 1970s, doesn't portray men sympathetically.

In addition, the play, a series of poems spoken by nine characters, is not easy to translate to film. Some of the poetry, however, weaves effectively in and out of the movie, spoken as soliloquies. For the most part, it works, but some of the actresses are stronger than others, especially Kimberly Elise as Crystal, Anika Noni Rose as Yasmine, and Macy Gray as Rose. Less convincing are Janet Jackson as Jo and Whoopi Goldberg as Alice.

When the play made its way to Broadway in 1976, it was astoundingly new and explosive, giving voice to women who had been been denied their right to express their pain. A great deal of time has passed. In all sorts of creative venues, women of all colors have continued to express their anger at all kinds of injustice at the hands of men. We've heard these voices in our homes in television programs like Law and Order and in movies like Precious. Perhaps our heightened awareness makes a film like For Colored Girls seem dated, but the problems highlighted by the movie are still here in all their ugliness.

It is a flawed film, but I applaud the heart and passion that Tyler Perry brings to it. In the end, those two qualities transcend the flaws.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: The Fighter

Review: The Fighter

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Audience: 83%

Mark Wahlberg's portrayal of aspiring pugilist Micky Ward is understated, subtle, and in stark contrast to the over-the-top but entirely believable performances of Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, and the seven women who play the very crazy sisters of prize fighter Micky Ward.

Bale's portrayal of Micky's older, crack-addled brother Dicky is mesmerizing. You can't take your eyes off this train wreck of a man who never misses an opportunity to remind people that he once knocked Sugar Ray Leonard down in a fight (or, perhaps, Leonard slipped). He, not his brother, is the neighborhood star, the Irish charmer. Melissa Leo is Alice, Micky's manager-mom who takes the Irish family of O'Neil to a whole new level of dysfunctional insanity. Amy Adams surprises as Micky's fierce, spunky girlfriend Charlene, convinced she knows exactly what's best for him.

In the end, only Micky knows what's best for all. He understands everyone's gifts, everyone's dark sides, and everyone's blind spots.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Fair Game

Review: Fair Game

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%

Audience: 72%

The strength of this movie is the realistic portrayal of a marriage in meltdown (delivered through the exceptional talents of Naomi Watts as Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative, and Sean Penn as her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson.)

Wilson had written an op-ed piece in the NY Times, alleging that intelligence information had been manipulated by the Bush White House in order to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Remember? They had weapons of mass destruction: weapons which were never found. The story goes that Rove, Cheney, and Scooter Libby outed Plame in retaliation for the Times article. We may never know how it all happened and who was truly responsible, but Libby (the only person charged) was found guilty of obstruction of justice, making false statements, and perjury. He was, of course, later pardonned by George W. Bush.

The film focuses on the upheaval in Plame and Wilson's lives. Yes, she was in an occupation fraught with danger. Every time she traveled overseas, her life was at risk. She and her husband had accepted that risk. Knowing this, however, we still empathize with their horror and terror when Plame is exposed. We understand that she has been violated in this inside-out version of identity theft.

The movie does not end with a trumpeted triumphant legal victory. It ends with a whimper -- as it should. The incessantly drumming subtext of the film is that there were no weapons of mass destruction. There was no justification for the war on Iraq. Thousands of Americans died for a lie -- and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died and will continue to die. We sowed the wind and we have reaped the whirlwind.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it