Some couple reviews The King's Speech
Is King's Speech worthy of the award hype?
Welcome to episode two of SCR.
We live in a small community, with a small theater, and only a small chance that we'll even have the opportunity to see many award winning films. Thankfully, Academy Award frontrunners often get brought to our screens around this time of year... better late than never I suppose.
And so, we belatedly had a chance to see The King's Speech. It's the true story of King George VI. Having had a severe stutter most of his life, King George suffers even before ascending the throne with his inability to speak in public. Especially when his father dies, and his older brother swiftly moves towards abdicating in favor of marrying "a twice-married woman from Baltimore," King George's stutter becomes a symbol of his unpreparedness for the throne. But an unlikely friendship with a speech therapist offers both a chance to physically overcoming the handicap, as well as healing some of the internal doubts of an empire's leader.
Glenn: First off, we've got to talk about Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush's performances.
Kik: Oh, I thought they were awesome. They were both so good.
Glenn: So much of the movie turned, not on their lines, but on little flashes of emotion coming over their faces, as the camera cut in close. I swear there was a scene where Rush's eyelid started to twitch at just the right time... I don't know if that was a happy accident captured on camera, or if he somehow did it, but the rest of the performance was good enough I actually lean towards the latter.
Kik: They were really good with each other too... the way they played off one another.
Glenn: And the other actors?
Kik: Good. Wormtail was good.
Glenn: Ah yes, along with Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, we had Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill... a little Harry Potter reunion for Bellatrix and Wormtail.
Kik: Wormtail! I just couldn't see past it. He even did a really good Churchill, but he'll always be a traitorous Death Eater to me.
Glenn: Any other thoughts on the film?
Kik: I liked the music a lot. The score really added something to the film. I really liked the cinematography too. There were some really interesting camera angle choices. I haven't seen The Fighter to do a full comparison, but I can't believe Rush hasn't been winning every single Best Male Supporting Actor award out there for his performance.
Glenn: You don't usually have any interest in historical dramas or period pieces.
Kik: Not unless it involves scandal!
Glenn: But this had no sex, no violence, and it's still got your approval? Do you think it deserved the R rating.
Kik: I know. Weird right? Yeah, the rating was clearly just because of that swearing scene. Total F@cking Bullsh!t.
Glenn: Aaaaand there goes our PG rating.
Verdict: A wonderfully acted, and scored movie, that we both agree has lived up to the award season hype - definitely one of the best movies of the year. We shall see how it does at the Academy Awards, where it's nominated for 12 awards.