The King's Speech

A Stuttering Success

I wasn't taught about King George VI very much during high school. During our lessons on the events leading to the Second World War, the attention was centred on Hitler, Chamberlain, and later, Churchill. There was a brief mention about how the King at the time (Edward VIII) abdicated so he could marry a divorced woman, the dreaded "Mrs. Simpson". Obviously, this led my 14 year old brain to imagine Queen Elizabeth II's uncle marrying blue-haired matriarch Marge Simpson. Quite distracting when trying to learn GCSE History. But nothing was said of the ascending King George VI.

The King's Speech chronicles the difficult times of 'pre-King George VI' Prince Albert (Colin Firth) as he suffers with a speech impediment that he developed when he was younger. With the likelihood of him having to take the role of King, he starts to see a speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) to cure his stutter. The two develop a friendship that would last the rest of their lives, as Prince Albert begins to learn the reasons behind his impediment and tries to overcome it before his first live broadcast to the nation.

As I said earlier, I came to The King's Speech with very little knowledge of the subject matter and as a result, I believe that The King's Speech serves as a valuable testament to a lesser-known time in our country's history, as well as an important lesson to the younger generation.

Thanks to brilliant performances of it's main leads, the audience is taken on an emotional journey of one man's struggle to overcome obstacles on his road to the monarchy, both external and internal. We are shown the Prince at his most vulnerable and show how embarrassed he is of his impediment.
Firth does give an amazing performance, following on from his Oscar-nominated role in A Single Man earlier last year, as does Geoffrey Rush as the therapist Lionel Logue. Both performances have been nominated for Oscars and rightfully so, hopefully Firth capturing what he missed out on last year.
The supporting cast also perform well, with Guy Pearce adopting a British accent to play the abdicating King Edward VIII, and Helena Bonham-Carter giving a splendid performance as The Queen Mum (as we now know her).

The King's Speech is not only a drama focusing on one man's stutter, but an analysis of the Royal Family and their role within British society. Just before his first broadcast speech, King George VI questions the very nature of the title 'King', and it's purpose since he cannot form a government or declare war, but decides that he is a representative of the people in their darkest hour, and Hooper definitely shows how George VI, as well as others, inspired the nation in a time of terrible tragedy.

However, the main focus of the film is the friendship between Prince Albert and his speech therapist (Rush). Their scenes together are fantastically written, both producing witty banter and excellent comic timing, despite the aforementioned stutter. Both actors are superbly cast and their chemistry flows from their first scene together.

The director Tom Hooper (The Damned United, John Adams) shows his consistency with creating brilliant dramas, with the cinematography and editing very crisp and smooth. He, as well, has been nominated for Best Director, and the film, for Best Picture. Rightfully so in my opinion. With twelve nominations at this year's Oscars, it's bound to win a few, and here's hoping it sweeps the board.

Rating - 9/10

2011: A New Hope

For the first film of 2011, I chose to watch Love and Other Drugs, a nice romantic dramedy starring two reputable actors ('Big Smilie' Anne Hathaway and the male-half of the Gyllenhaal siblings, Jake). Usually I try and avoid this type of film as I don't find myself interested by the usual 'boy-meets-girl' storyline. However, my New Year's Resolution, twinned with my girlfriend's obsession with Jake Gyllenhaal, forced me to watch the film, regardless of what my inner-critic was yelling.

Love and Other Drugs tells the story of pharmaceutical rep Jamie Randall (Gyllenhaal) and his 'sex buddy-turned-girlfriend' relationship with Parkinson's Disease sufferer Maggie Murdock (Hathaway) around the time that Viagra began to sell in the 1990s.

Both Hathaway and Gyllenhaal approach the subject matter tentatively and seriously, showing a realistic chemistry, despite the turbulent relationship and events they live through. Hathaway especially shows her research into Parkinson's Disease and the afflictions it can have on a person, her character appearing more 'three-dimensional' and 'real' than any other rom-com character I've seen in a while. Gyllenhaal also shows depth in his performance, ranging from the heartfelt to the comedic and back again. The supporting characters, such as Josh Gad, Oliver Platt and Hank Azaria provide adequate comedic relief but are used too sparsely.

The film manages to cover a variety of subjects, such as the struggle of a relationship when one person requires much more care than the other, how Viagra changed the medicinal business in 1990's America, and how the health-care system still to this day operates and wrongly prioritises it's own goals ahead of the American public. However, this doesn't allow the film to have one main point or message that it's trying to put across, resulting in a confusing mixture with no point truly being formed and argued.

Love and Other Drugs honestly surprised me in how adult and alternative it was from how I expected a rom-com-drama to be. However, I felt like it was a lot of ideas smashed together and hurriedly made into a film with no main plot-line. Not a fantastic film, but certainly a step in the right direction.

Rating - 6/10

2010: The Year in Review

So 2010 has gone and 2011 has arrived. Looking back over 2010, it seems that it was the year of the 'intelligent-thriller'; Martin Scorcese led the way early on in the year with Shutter Island; Christopher Nolan showed that you didn't need to be dumb to be a blockbuster Summer smash with the fantastic brain-scratcher Inception, and David Fincher rounded up the year with the origin story of Facebook, The Social Network.

However, some films had to let the team down and disappoint audiences both personally and world-wide. Most of them seemed to suffer from the label of 'Wasted Potential", whether they be films based on already-successful novels (Peter Jackson's overly-surreal The Lovely Bones), remakes of classic films (for example, The Wolfman starring Benicio del Toro) or completely new ideas (Stallone slurring and mumbling through The Expendables). Many of these left the audience thinking "That wasn't as good as I thought it was gonna be..." or "It would have been better if...".

Despite the fact I have only seen about 50 films this year, here are my Personal Top Ten of 2010:

10) Paranormal Activity 2

Many of my friends and colleagues disagree with me on this, but I really liked PA2. It managed to deliver the required 'sequel guidelines'; take the foundations set by the original and build on them, creating bigger and scarier situations for the characters to handle. All right, the storyline was quite cliched in parts, as well as the 'found footage' framing being unoriginal, but I thought the tension and scares were handled very well, which is quite something for modern horror films.

(Read the full review here: http://mikedunnreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/stay-out-of-basement.html)

9) Let Me In

Again with Let Me In, I was blown away with how this American remake managed to create it's own version of the vampire-based love story, without managing to wreak the legacy of the original (Let The Right One In). Even though the always-impressive Elias Koteas and incredibly-underrated Richard Jenkins concern themselves with the more explosive storyline, the main focus lies with the two young actors Kodi Smit-Phee and Chloe Moretz. They manage to capture the innocence and beauty of the relationship between the two, however I agree with critic Mark Kermode's sentiments: "[Let The Right One In] is a story about children featuring vampires... [Let Me In] is a story about vampires featuring children".

8) Monsters

Similar to Let The Right One In, Monsters manages to go against the normality of typical films nowadays. Usually a film like this would be a monster-movie filled with a little romance between the two main characters. However, Gareth Edwards' debut makes the relationship the focal point, with the setting and titular "monsters" taking a backseat to the chemistry of the two leads. Again, very refreshing to see in today's film industry, made all the more impressive when you're told that Edwards made it all for a six-figure sum. Godzilla now for Mr. Edwards. Good luck, sir.

7) A Single Man

Capturing the last day in the life of a British professor (Colin Firth) intent on killing himself after his partner dies, A Single Man managed to show the heartfelt connection between Firth's character and his true love (Matthew Goode) thanks to the fantastic acting from the two leads as well as Julianne Moore and Nicholas Hoult. For his debut, director Tom Ford created a very stylish and artistic depiction of a once-great man driven to depression and suicide despite all the wonderful parts in his life. Firth deservedly was recognised for his talents with a Best Actor nomination but unfortunately didn't win.

6) Shutter Island

Leonardo DiCaprio's first appearance on this list. Scorcese magnificently captured the mysterious atmosphere surrounding the titular island and it's asylum. In my opinion, DiCaprio delivered a better performance than his in the Summer release Inception, and was helped by fantastic support by Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams. Despite the intriguing storyline and magnificent performances, the real stand-out performer is the soundtrack. From the very beginning of the film, with Leo's ferry travelling through the fog surrounding Shutter Island, the music slowly builds and builds, reaching a deafening crescendo when he enters the asylum. 'Root of an Unfocus' by Boris Berman still chills me to the bone every time I hear it. Scorcese uses it perfectly, setting the mood in every scene.

5) The Social Network

Many other critics feel that this is the film of the year, and they have many reasons to believe so. The lead actors, despite being quite new to the game, manage to carry a very difficult and complex script, delivering quality performances. The editing is crisp and direct, giving it a cutting-edge feel and the music, written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, manages to fit every scene perfectly. The only downside to me is the reality of this 'origin story' and it's believeability since it is only taken from Eduardo Saverin's point of view. Despite this, it is a fantastic story about ambition, greed and betrayal, and most likely the most important film set in our generation.

(Read the full review here: http://mikedunnreviews.blogspot.com/2010/12/film-about-book-of-faces.html)

4) Four Lions

An absolutley hilarious satire concerning five British Muslim extremists showing that idiots are in every corner of our lives. Director and writer Chris Morris took two years of his life studying Muslim culture within the UK and elsewhere so he could carefully construct a film that would satire the extremists without offending other members of the religion, and I believe he did that perfectly. For his feature film debut, it was a master stroke and I can't wait to see more. I haven't laughed so loud in a cinema before.

(Read the full review here: http://mikedunnreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-of-chris-morriss-four-lions.html)

3) Toy Story 3

Proof that Pixar can do no wrong. An incredible final chapter to the trilogy, making grown men and women weep as Andy grew up and left for College, leaving his faithful toys behind. Clever dialogue, interesting new characters as well as the old regulars and heart-wrenching emotional moments that will keep edge of seats occupied by those of all ages. Shame that it won't get the attention and praise it deserves by the Academy among others, simply due to it being in animation format.

(Read the full review here: http://mikedunnreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/lets-look-our-best-and-go-out-on-high.html)


Now when it comes to the next two places in my Top Ten, I literally cannot tell which I prefer as I was totally bowled over by both of them. Therefore, I am going to take the coward's way out and call a tie between the two most original and breakthrough films this year:

1) Inception/Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Now my love for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World can be seen in my review earlier this year, but I will try and briefly explain why these films have won the Top Spot this year.

Both Inception and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World are the most original and innovative films I have seen in the past decade or so. As a big fan of both Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright, I knew both of these films were going to be special, I just didn't know how special.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World managed to flawlessly incorporate video game action and effects into normal fight scenes and contain so many game references, my inner nerd nearly fainted. The editing and cinematography were so well-executed and precise, I nearly cut my eyes while watching. The script is incredibly witty and funny too but you can read the full review here.

Six months after the release of Inception, I still don't think I have figured the storyline out. It is incredibly complex and intelligent, with stylistic and breathtaking designs and flawless performances from the all-star cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio (making his reappearance in my Top Ten). The film is very sophisticated in its ideas and presentation, with amazing special effects and soundtrack to support it. It takes a few viewings to really understand what is going on, but that's the beauty of it. A film so layered that it requires multiple viewings is usually worth watching again, and I can't get enough of Inception. If anyone disagrees with the argument that Christopher Nolan is probably the greatest director of our generation needs only to watch Inception and they will be agreeing in no time.

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So that wraps up my review of 2010, sorry it was such a long one. Here's to 2011, let's hope it can only improve on the achievements of the past year.

(P.S. Agree/Disagree with my list? Have one of your own? Comment below and we'll see who the real victor is :D)