Wendy's Films of 2010 #30: The Young Victoria (2009)

Watching films like this brings me back to my most vulnerable state. I have always had a weak spot for period pieces, especially those relatively cheerful romances that combine the most irresistible, devastatingly affectionate couples with gorgeous costumes and intriguing stories. Nearly very shot was like stepping into the most beautiful, luxurious imaginings of my childhood. As a girl I would drape our old yellow afghan around myself, its tassels dancing as I would twirl and pretend to be some exotic duchess or queen. The costumes in this film managed to express my most fantastic daydreams, with a plethora of expensive jewels, lace, stunning colours and fabrics. They were simply breathtaking, and I'll be stunned if Sandy Powell doesn't win another Oscar for her efforts, though Coco could potentially steal away the prize.

I loved Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria; her tone of voice and manner of being seem to lend themselves to a young woman attempting to lead a country while still unsure of herself. She skillfully balances the insecurity of a young woman and assertiveness of a girl brought up to be the queen of a patriarchal society. Rupert Friend performs his role as Victoria's unaffected suitor and husband Prince Albert with subtlety and quiet passion. Their love was not just fabricated for cinema, but a historical truth; according to Mike the Boss, several of the letters they wrote in the film came directly from the correspondence the two shared.

The film's focus lies heavily on romance, but does notice other issues and significant historical advances of the time. It is a member of a genre which seems to have been dubbed queen or crownsploitation (I prefer the later, it has a nice ring to it), and I enjoy the way it sheds new light on a Queen often thought of as a hefty, middle-aged force to be reckoned with.

Wendy's Films of 2010 #29: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

I was slightly perplexed by this movie. It seemed to have all the components of a great film; one to inspire hope, to effect change, to shove people out of their comfort zone. But somehow I didn't feel incredibly drawn into its story. I felt like time was crawling and halfway through thought it was almost over. Just when things start to go right for Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), they go wrong again. It felt relentless to the point of losing purpose. Sure I cried, I felt angry; I was happy that she had such strength and optimism, but I didn't walk out with that feeling of having watched a really great piece of cinema.

I found out that the film was nominated for several Oscars just hours before seeing it and felt confident that the performances of Sidibe and Mo'Nique would be powerful, and they were. Sidibe is instantly likable, and I immediately sympathized with her character's awful state of being. There were other aspects of the film that I really liked, especially the fantasies Precious experiences in times of particular hardship. I was pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of a central character's same-sex relationship, and was glad that all the problems weren't neatly tied together. I really wanted to love this film, but unfortunately it seemed to lack something, or perhaps it had to much.

Julia watches another Movie

Julia is our resident Osteopathic practioner at 10 Regina Street North and she has been known to watch the occasional movie. Here is one of those films!

Doubt (2008) (Dir: John Patrick Shanley)

What do a priest, a Mother Superior, and a door-to-door salesman have in common? Apparently none of them make a comfortable transition from Stage to Screen.

I was quite looking forward to “Doubt,” which boasted shovelfuls of Oscar, Golden Globe, and Critics’ Choice nominations both for acting and for adapted screenplay. Perennial heavyweights and personal favourites Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman never really got into character for me. I felt the way I did watching Dustin Hoffman shuffling around in the televised version of “Death of a Salesman;” he never really was Willy Loman, just Dustin Hoffman trying hard to make you think so.

Perhaps this is an issue of the difficulty of trying to make a play, even a really successful and award-winning one, a Film. The dialogue felt stiff and uncomfortable, and kept Streep and Hoffman (er, Phil, not Dusty) from really breathing life into their characters. As well, I found certain cinematic effects (wonky camera angles! gusting wind and rain!) heavy-handed and ultimately distracting. When it was over (did I mention it felt long?), I half-expected people to burst into my living room and jump to their feet, applauding and shouting “Bravo!!”

Overall, I was too distracted by its stilted, staged feel to really care about the interesting—and timely—themes “Doubt” was trying to address, and that’s a shame, because probing into the Catholic church, with its dark secrets and its messed-up gender and power dynamics, should make for captivating, thought-provoking film.

Mike The Boss - Films of 2010 - Film the Eleventh: The Young Victoria

(Why was I thinking of naughty chess jokes during this scene?)

The Young Victoria (2009) (Dir: Jean-Marc Vallee)

Another queen movie for me! This one follows the chaotic first years of Victoria's rule and her romance with Prince Albert. If you are looking for gorgeous set pieces, fabulous costumes and high drama and political intrigue, this movie is for you.

Emily Blunt gets the nod as Queen Victoria and does an excellent job of portraying a willful 18 year girl who ascends to the most powerful seat in Britain. Rupert Friend plays Prince Albert and does a great job showing the respectful intelligence of the man. Paul Bettany is Lord Melbourne, Albert's competition for Victoria's hand in marriage. Miranda Richardson looks a little out of place as the Duchess of Kent (Victoria's mother) as does Jim Broadbent as dying King William but they can be overlooked.

The movie starts with typical teen drama. Victoria mom and her mom's boyfriend want Victoria to do as she is told but Victoria knows that they are not the boss of her and says, "No way Mom!" Okay, that isn't how it really goes. In reality, the Duchess of Kent and Sir John Conroy (played by Mark Strong) want Victoria to sign papers that declare them to be her Regents until she turns 25 (she is not quite 18 yet). The king is dying and they consider Victoria too young to take the throne. Victoria, strong willed teen that she is, declines their generous offer and sets about getting ready to rule the kingdom.

The coronation sequence is pretty damned sweet with lots of pomp and circumstance, everyone in their finery and the sets dolled up to the max. Blunt plays it well showing a touch of nervousness but keeping her facade of regalness for the public. This two-sidedness of her nature is continued throughout the film including during the romance with Albert, her dealings with Lord Melbourne and the parliament and with the general goings-on within the palace. She always seem to have a bit of that young teen petulance mitigated by her years of training to be the Queen of England.

The romance with Albert takes a long time to come to a head but the wait is worth the while. Poor Albert is constantly frustrated because he can't come out and say how he feels directly because his lady love is the Queen of England. Meanwhile, Victoria is having trouble making up her mind because, well, she IS the Queen of England and pretty much everything she does has double and triple meaning regardless of whether she wants to do so. The nice touch is that a lot of the long distance romancing is taken directly from the actual Queen Victoria's collection of letters. So we get to hear what the real queen thought when the real romance was happening.

Anyway, there are no real surprises here other than Albert getting shot (he did not in reality). Eventually, Victoria realizes Albert is a good match, they have an absolutely fabulous wedding and they live happily ever after having 9 kids until Albert dies and Victoria goes into mourning for the rest of her life. For a different look at Victoria's latter years, check out the marvelous Mrs. Brown, starring Judi Dench as an older Victoria and Billy Connolly as John Brown, her supposed lover. It makes a good companion piece to Young Victoria and is a damn fine film too.

As an aside, the film was written by Julian Fellowes, who also wrote Gosford Park and the film was directed by Quebecois film-maker JeanMarc Vallee, who directed C.R.A.Z.Y. . Both of those films are worth checking out as well.

Wendy's Films of 2010 #14: Nine (2009)

First, I must say that I wanted to include about half a dozen pictures here since the visual aspects of the film are more flattering than the content, but two will have to suffice.
Judi Dench is a goddess, much like Meryl Streep. She's powerful, magnificent and full of awesome, and if it weren't for her, Penélope Cruz and Marion Cotillard, this movie would probably not even grasp at potential. As a whole, it's a jumbled mess, with songs that are pointless displays of "Ooo, look at me!" And I'm not surprised in the least. People kept telling me, left and right, how bad it was. And in a way, I'm glad I didn't listen. It was fun, visually stunning and had its moments of "Man, if only the whole movie had just done that." Take Cruz's introduction, she was clearly having fun doing it, which made it just as much fun to watch. The cast was almost amazing, with a few exceptions (Nicole Kidman, Fergie and Sophia Loren) and it made me sad to think that it could have been wonderful if someone had only cared enough. Holes in the script were evident and songs felt pointless at times; nearing the end of our screening the projector failed, and as the film began to play again it was clear what was going on in the story. I started to narrate aloud since the sound wasn't quite working yet and said, "I just can't do it anymore!" in an attempt to reflect the distraught Guido Contini's words. And just as I said "anymore" in a mocking dramatic tone, the exact same word came pumping out the theatre speakers: I had chosen the same phrase as Guido himself. This is simply a testament to the quality of the film as a whole. It's supposed to be overly dramatic, but I would have preferred at least a bit of something unexpected.

Mike the Boss - Films of 2010 - Film the Seventh: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) (dir: Shekar Kapur)

I was surprised when the Indian film director, Shekhar Kapur, got the go ahead to make a sequel to the very good 1998 film Elizabeth. The sequel got savaged fairly brutally by the critics so I did not bother to watch it when it first came out. However, having just watched Cate Blanchett act her ass off in Notes on a Scandal, I decided I'd take the plunge on Elizabeth: The Golden Age and see for myself.

The first film dealt with the beginning of Elizabeth's reign and so we had a lot of political intrigue and romance as she rose to power. While the second movie does have elements of the first, it focuses more on creating Elizabeth into a historical action hero. In fact, young Isabella, princess of Spain, actually has a doll of Elizabeth which I'm sure is meant to be demeaning towards England's queen but ends up seeming more like an modern day action figure as the movie progresses. The political intrigue revolves around Spain and Mary, Queen of Scots. The romance revolves around Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raliegh (played by Clive Owen). Those two plot lines spin into the action climax of the British Navy versus the Spanish Armada.

As with any good costume drama, Blanchett gets to wear increasingly outlandish and beautiful outfits with an ever changing hair style all due her massive collection of wigs. The sets are absolutely gorgeous, the CGI for the actions scenes are well done and the acting performances are pretty good. With all of that, I'm a little confused as to why the critics went cold on this film. I suspect that they were expecting a bit more of the understatement and quietness that the first movie had but Khapur is from India and he brings a fun Bollywood sensibility to this second film.

I will admit I am a sucker for the big Queens of England. I have immense admiration for Elizabeth I and Victoria (and Elizabeth II as well). Sure they were able to rule by their birthright but think about it, they were women, ruling men, in a time when women really didn't have many options. You think it is tough now being a women in a position of power? Try being in charge of one of the most powerful countries in the world 450 years ago! Elizabeth was a badass, no doubt about it. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have lasted. While I doubt she looked as good as Blanchett did in her suit of armor (and Blanchett does indeed look damn fine), I'm sure she'd kick the ass of any modern day man without even breaking a sweat. Elizabeth: The Golden Age is good movie that is easy on the eyes, a little superficial in the plot but well acted and worth a watch. I can only hope we get a third act 10 years from now.

Mike the Boss - Films of 2010 - Film the Sixth: Notes on a Scandal

(Dame Judi gets ready to kick some albino ass in Notes on a Scandal)

Notes on a Scandal (2006) (dir: Richard Eyre)

One of my pet peeves in cinema is over narration. It tends to be used by incompetent story tellers to advise the audience of what is happening in the film rather than usual character dialogue and visual imagery. It is a cop out and an insult to the viewer. Having said that, I do believe narration can serve a purpose if it has context within the film and that is the case in Notes on a Scandal which uses the pretext of Judi Dench reading from her diary to advance the story throughout the film. It works, but I still wish that it had been used a little less as much of the narrating is not needed.

This film was filled with Oscar nominated acting performances as Cate Blanchett and Dame Judi tear up the screen with a great bit of histrionics. The basic plot is this: Blanchett plays an art teacher who has 2 kids at home (one with Down's Syndrome), is married to an older man (Bill Nighy, who is also excellent) and feels unfilled for no real good reason at all. So she decides to bang a 15 year old student at her school. Dench, who is a crazy cat lady living on her own and is the school's resident battleaxe, finds out and uses this knowledge to worm her way into Blanchett's life. As we come to realize that both characters are completely self-delusional the chaos, mayhem and melodrama gets cranked up to a fever pitch.

The acting is top notch and Blanchett looks gorgeous in the film. The story and character motivations left me a little dry and I did have problems with the giggles during what surely were supposed to be the most dramatic of the scenes but that may be my failing. Folks looking for their usual Britflick fix will do well with this film as they likely have a greater tolerance for this kind of thing.

Wendy's Films of 2010 #7: Julie & Julia (2009)

I just finished watching this with my mum and though it's a very recent viewing, I am willing to say that it may be the perfect film to share with a mother. Meryl Streep is a goddess, first of all, I don't know if I've ever seen a film of hers that I didn't love. Her portrayal of Julia Child, as so many before me have said, is flawless; from her style of dress, to her mannerisms, voice and attitude, Streep is bang on. She is the Julia Child that so many saw and loved, though I must stress that this is perhaps not the same Julia Child that existed in the real world. Even Streep herself admits this in the DVD feature about the film; this Julia Child is a beautiful characterization of the real woman, the woman that so many loved and admired.

At the beginning of the film I must admit that I sometimes grew weary of the Julie Powell side of the story and thought that the director chose the perfect moments to switch back to the other tale, just before I became too restless. Overall, this is a great film, perhaps meant for women rather than men, but a delightful foray into the world of a legend.