Movie #391 - The King's Speech

The King's Speech
2010 - Rated R - 1 hr 58 min
Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Timothy Spall

Biopics like this always make me nervous there'll be excessive characterization of real people from history. (Well, it's kind of a biopic, though not really. The point remains, there are historic figures here, played by modern actors.) But since even the Queen herself has given a nod to this movie (which portrays her father, King George VI), I watched it with confidence.

This was my second viewing (just got it for Mother's Day!) and I loved it even more.  It's so heavily focused on the relationship built between Bertie and Lionel that the speech problem takes a back seat.  The goal is to help him overcome his difficulty with speech, it's true, but the friendship heals him much more than the therapy does!  Carter, as always, is spot on as a young Queen Mum. Firth... well, he won the Oscar, so there you go. And Geoffrey Rush is also outstanding here.  With three strong performances, I can see how this took Best Picture this year.

Movie #229 - Gladiator

Gladiator
2000 - Rated R - 2 hr 35 min
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tommy Flanagan

Obviously, with a Latin teacher in the house, this is a favorite around here.  What I like most about this movie -- aside from the realistic interpretation of the time period -- is its ability to appeal to different tastes.  It's not just an action film, or a historical film, or a drama film.  It has a unique blend of elements that allow you to get pulled into the story line, root for the main character, and escape to another world for a couple of hours.

It's long, for sure, but it doesn't drag.  That's another bonus in my book.  You really don't mind sitting through two and a half hours, because that's what you need for a thorough telling of this story. 

One critique is the clear-cut bad guy vs. good guy.  No one roots for Commodus.  Maybe you shouldn't, but I always like a movie with a multi-dimensional rivalry and a little bit of gray area.  But I guess there's something to be told for this movie's traditional standpoint.  Stories from that time were indeed clear-cut, so it makes sense this one would be too.

A favorite, since my very first watch. A+