The King's Speech

Based on the true story of King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth, The King's Speech stars Colin Firth, Helena Bonham- Carter, and Geoffrey Rush. The story begins in 1925 with Prince Albert, Duke of York about to give his first radio address. Plague by a stutter since childhood, Bertie's wife Elizabeth seeks out Lionel Logue, a speech therapist from Australia. Together, Bertie and Lionel work and fight to curb his stutter while England and the world are on the brink of war.

Colin Firth has already garnered critic raves and nominations, including Golden Globe and SAG for best actor. This is his year and his turn as King George is nothing less then spectacular! The ease he spoke with the stutter and the pain on his face made me think that he has a stutter all his life. The responsibility put upon his shoulders as the son of the king coupled with the stutter makes Firth this year’s Best Actor. Geoffrey Rush also turns in another brilliant performance. He doesn't care that Bertie is English royalty; all he cares about is having him speak like a King. Helena Bonham-Carter is a nice surprise of the film. Since she has recently been playing characters of fantasy, it was a delight to see her play a real life character. The Queen Mum, though at this time Queen Elizabeth, Bonham-Carter was quiet in the background yet strong in her belief that her husband could speak clearly, and rule with confidence.

Should you see it? Without a doubt, yes! As the credits rolled, the theatre erupted with quiet clapping. This is a must see as we are knee deep in award season. It has simple costume and set design lets the actors draw you into their world. What is remarkable is this is a true story. Could you imagine being in a position of importance and terrified to speak? Colin Firth delivers the performance of a lifetime!

Burlesque

            What is Burlesque? It’s the modern movie musical, a genre that I am happy to see becoming popular again. It’s about Aly from Iowa who decides to leave her small town and make it big in LA. As it is with all young performers, she finds it hard to find work until she finds the Burlesque Lounge on the famed Sunset Boulevard. There she meets Tess (Cher), her best friend Sean (Tucci) and a cute bartender named Jack.

            While I won’t get into the whole storyline just in case you want to see it for yourself, I will say that the production numbers make this a must see. I know the Hollywood foreign press giving a nomination to Burlesque puzzled some people, but after seeing this film I am not surprised. It has an okay storyline, it’s something we’ve seen before, but what makes this film surprisingly good? Christina Aguilera.

            At first I was a bit skeptic about Burlesque. Sure, Christina Aguilera is an awesome singer but can she act? Some of us did see Crossroads with Britney Spears and we all know that Mandy Moore has turned into a fine and successful actress. After seeing Burlesque, I am quite please with Xtina and look forward to seeing her in more projects. She didn’t look like she was trying to act, it just flowed naturally and totally believable as Aly. Plus, she belts out a number of songs and it gave her a safe place to make her feel comfortable.

            Cher, what can I say about Cher that hasn’t been said before? She has a number called Last of Me and it stops the show. It shows the vulnerability of the character of Tess, who is on the brink of losing it all. You can beat her with all the emotional abuse you want but you can’t keep a strong woman down. It’s the very essence of Cher.

            Now the bright spot of Burlesque is Stanley Tucci and I’m not saying this just because he has the same last name as my great-grandparents. He gives the advice, delivers the comic relief and is the glue that holds the cast together. He weaves in and out of all storylines. There is a reason he is Gary Marshalls’ go to guy in his movies.

            Now the important question, should I see this movie? Yes! Now you don’t have to go to the theatre to see it. It’s all right to wait for the DVD release but you should see it.  I don’t see this movie getting many more nominations at the Oscars, but it could pull some costume and of course original song nominations. But all in all a very good and surprising film.

Should You See It?

From time to time, when I go see a movie I post on Facebook if people should see it or not. We all know that people share the same likes and others use the person’s opinion to do the exact opposite.  Some of my friends listen when I say, you should see this movie and wait for me to give my two cents. I’m also very good at calling award shows for films. So I decided to start this blog as a way for me to give a proper review through my eyes. So, I hope you enjoy this and I hope that you take my advice.

Welcome to Should You See It!