The King's Speech- 4 smiles

Sometimes, when word-of-mouth is so positive, you’re bound to be disappointed. How can any movie live up to such high expectations? I don’t think “The King’s Speech” is going to have that problem. You’ll want to see this movie for three very affecting performances. You’ll want to see this movie, based on true events, because it’s a moving story about a friendship that overcomes class, rank and station. You’ll want to see this movie because it’s so good it’s going to garner a lot of Academy Award nominations and, later, Oscar wins, especially for Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.

Since the story involves the British monarchy, most Americans might know a bit, but not a lot, about the events that swirled around Hitler’s rising threat in Europe, King Edward’s abdication to marry Wallace Simpson and his younger brother’s ascension to the throne. And we certainly didn’t know about how King George VI struggled with and overcame his stammer. Screenwriter David Seidler, who had a stammer in his youth, reportedly listened to King George’s speeches on the radio and read about him. He wanted to tell the story of George’s journey to (relative) fluency aided by his speech therapist, Lionel Logue, but was told by the king’s wife (the Queen Mum) to wait until after her death. When she died at age 101, Seidler’s research took him to a Logue descendant who gave him access to Logue’s journals. There he discovered the prickly give-and-take relationship between two men that resulted in an enduring friendship.

Not enough can be said about Colin Firth’s performance as Albert Frederick Arthur George, the younger son of a domineering father, and whose stammer has strong psychological roots. When his father asks Bertie, as the family calls him, to deliver an inaugural broadcast in 1925 on a new invention called radio, you can see the terror in Bertie’s eyes as he knows this task is beyond his speaking abilities. By 1934, the mortified prince is at the mercy of a string of therapists who try to cure his speech impediment. Firth gives a sympathetic performance that is nothing short of perfection. And he is equally matched by Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, an unorthodox and controversial speech therapist who has the effrontery to call him Bertie. Some of the film’s most amusing scenes show Logue’s bizarre methods of treatments, like forcing the king to lie on the floor and endure annoying exercises and strengthening his jaw and diaphragm muscles by repeating tongue-twisters. The initial animosity between these two gradually builds to trust and even affection. And when we get to ‘The King’s Speech,’ when King George VI declares war against Germany, Logue is by his side, filling him with the courage to do it so triumphantly that the speech makes history. The world listens to the radio and cheers, never knowing George VI is being egged on, in the pauses, to say the ‘F word’ three times silently to himself for dramatic emphasis. Not to be lost amidst two outstanding performances is the always effective Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth, Bertie’s wife, whose build and body language point to the future Queen Mum.

“The King’s Speech” is impeccably directed by Tom Hooper, who says he relied heavily on research to determine his 1930s London, which is not bright and glitzy, but austere and polluted. Along with Seidler’s heart-warming script, “The King’s Speech” is a masterpiece and certainly the best film of 2010. 11/3/10

Made in Dagenham - 3 smiles

Sally Hawkins is perfect in this funny and touching salute to working women. Set in 1968, “Made in Dagenham” tells the fact-based tale of the strike by female employees for pay parity with the men at the Ford Motor plant in Dagenham, England. Working from a script by William Ivory, director Nigel Cole creates a vivid sense of time and place while handling thi serious topic with a light touch.

Hawkins plays Rita O’Grady, the wife and mother who becomes the unlikely voice for the women car upholsterers in her sweatshop who resent being classified and paid as ‘unskilled’ labor. Rita’s union rep (Bob Hoskins) encourages her to take a leadership role and she discovers she has an inner core of steel. Though the strike puts her at odds with her husband (Daniel Mays), Rita’s fight against sexist attitudes brings her closer to other women, including Lisa Hopkins (an excellent Rosamund Pike), the Cambridge-educated wife of one of Ford’s executives and government minister Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson). Hawkins, Pike and Richardson are outstanding and you can’t help but cheer for “Made in Dagenham.” 11/21/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 3 smiles

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’re going to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” no matter what anyone says about it. And that’s as it should be. The series by J. K. Rowling is amazing and should be appreciated for its storytelling prowess. Nonetheless, Part 1 is mainly set up for Part 2 coming out next year. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) find themselves in dire straights as Voldemort and the Death Eaters take control of the Ministry of Magic and name Harry Public Enemy #1. The trio of fugitives embarks on a quest to find the remaining horcruxes (objects that hold portions of Voldemort’s soul), but with Dumbledore gone, killed in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and unable to provide guidance, Harry finds himself acting on instinct alone.

Director David Yates takes Harry to dark and dangerous places as he builds to the eventual climax. The bright colors and humor of the first books has gradually faded to bleak and desperate and the once very young characters, now approaching adulthood, prepare for the final confrontation with the ultimate evil. And if you’ve read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, you know that there is too much story to be told in one movie. Even so, there are times when the narrative in Part I feels rushed as characters appear and then disappear just as quickly. Brendan Gleeson’s Mad-Eye Moody is killed when the plan to get Harry to a safe place is betrayed. But you wouldn’t know that if you missed the hurried explanation. Part 1 just ends, you know, in the middle of things, but that’s okay. I’ve read the book so I’m eagerly waiting for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.” 11/19/10

Morning Glory - 2 smiles

As a former journalism teacher, I think I have a fairly firm grasp of the difference between news and entertainment. And it angered me when television news departments were moved to entertainment and forced to vie for ratings. Ever wonder why your evening (or morning) news is so fluffy? “Morning Glory,” directed by Roger Michell, posits that a successful morning news show must exploit everything silly. Okay, given that premise, Rachel McAdams at her perky best is effective as Becky Fuller, the new producer of the lowest-ranked network morning show, Daybreak. When she decides to bring on serious newsman Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) to co-host the show with Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), there’s a conflict. Egocentric Pomeroy wants nothing to do with Daybreak and he makes his feelings very clear.

Michell missed an opportunity to make this a superior comedy when he chose to focus on Becky rather than the conflict between Mike and Colleen. Keaton is a most gifted comic actress and I expected her Colleen to have something to do with convincing Mike to loosen up and enjoy the morning show. Instead, he grumps and glowers and becomes a truly unpleasant character, waiting for Becky to ignite some humanity in him. And because Michell’s story is about Becky, we get glimpses of a bland, predictable romantic comedy while the movie we really want to see is missing. “Morning Glory” isn’t terrible. It has a lot of star power and even some laughs. But it isn’t the movie I was hoping to see. 11/12/10

Unstoppable - 3 smiles

You know by now that I like action movies, even the awful ones. So it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed this movie starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. Directed by Tony Scott, “Unstoppable” pits man against machine as our stars race the clock to stop a runaway train. And Scott is in top form. He keeps the exposition to a minimum and frequently films the train from in front and below, which enhances its menace. In addition, the sound effects make the train sound like an angry beast as it roars past. Washington and Pine are confident and credible as reluctant partners whose circumstances force them to be heroes.

“Unstoppable” is based on an incident that happened in May 2001 in which an unmanned train became a runaway, covering 66 miles in Ohio in less than two hours before being stopped in a manner similar (although not as dramatic) to what is depicted in the movie. Many of the specifics – how the train ended up without an engineer, how the police reacted and what the railway operators did to minimize injuries and damage – reflect what really happened. The characters, however, are fictionalized. Because Scott keeps the tension high, you’re on the edge of your seat even though you know the unstoppable train is going to stop. So even if you’re not an adrenalin junkie like me, see “Unstoppable.” You won’t be disappointed. 11/13/10

Wild Target - 2 smiles

“Wild Target,” starring Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt, is a fluffy British import about a hit man who falls for his target and as they try to escape the flood of assassins that come after the both of them, the hit man gains a not-so-bright apprentice played by Rupert Grint

Nighy seems to be having fun playing Victor, a middle-aged fussbudget who is also highly paid hit man. Blunt, who has recently gravitated to period roles (e.g. “The Young Victoria” and “The Wolfman”), is a charming scene-stealer. Whether their May-December romance will succeed should be the focus of the script. Unfortunately, there are too many other elements that distract, creating a sometimes confusing hodge-podge. There’s Victor’s machine-gun toting mother and a rival hit man eager to be the next top killer not to mention Grint’s Tony whose presence makes for an interesting ménage à trois. If you’re not expecting too much, you can have some fun watching “Wild Target.” 11/7/10

127 Hours - 3 1/2 smiles

It’s hard to criticize a movie that celebrates the will to survive and does it so well. We know what Aron Ralston did to survive and this not only serves to build tension for the horrific conclusion, but also creates a bold and inspirational story. In April 2003 Ralston, a 27-year-old hiker, fell and was trapped in a narrow ravine in Blue John Canyon in Utah, his right arm wedged between a boulder and a rock wall. Ralston understood the gravity of his predicament and the eventual solution: using the blade of a cheap multipurpose tool, he cut off the immobilized arm between the elbow and the wrist, freeing himself after more than five days.

What makes this movie so amazing is how director Danny Boyle is able to transform Ralston’s experience of immobility and tedium into a dramatic feature-length film. Casting James Franco as Ralston was an audacious move and Franco gives the performance of a lifetime, making believers of those who considered him a lightweight actor. His energy and enthusiasm connect with the audience from the opening scenes. His Ralston wants to move and explore with hedonistic pleasure and we’re right there with him. And when Ralston becomes stuck, his performance is both grueling and heart breaking. There are scenes in “127 Hours” that are hard to bear – the cracking of bones, the severing of a nerve, the desperate consumption of a water bag filled with urine. I have to admit that I turned away, but these moments reinforce Ralston’s strong will to live. Using Aron Ralston’s memoir, Between a Rock and a Hard Place and the videotapes Ralston made in the canyon when he thought he was dying, Boyle brings to life a remarkable story while staying true to Ralston’s upbeat spirit. This movie isn’t for everyone, but if you see it, it will stay with you for a long time. 11/5/10

Kings of Pastry - 2 1/2 smiles

Every four years, France’s top pastry chefs compete for the ultimate recognition, the collar of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (best craftsmen of France) in three exhausting days of competition, where the chefs concoct 40 different recipes in a race against the clock. Directors D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, a husband and wife team, follow a trio of top candidates, observing their training methods and including insightful comments from the chefs and their mentors. Receiving most of the screen time is Jacquy Pfeiffer, one of the founders of the French Pastry School in Chicago. His business partner, Sebastien Cannone, previously earned his collar and is one of the judges. The camera also follows Luxembourg baker Regis Lazard, a second-time finalist, whose first competition ended when he tripped and his sugar sculpture, or bijou, broke into bits. And from Valence, there’s Philippe Rigollot, a talented pastry chef from Maison Pic, recipient of three Michelin stars.

Working side by side in an immaculate Lyons test kitchen, the sixteen finalists produce everything from the perfect cream puff to immense and very fragile bijoux while under the constant scrutiny of a team of judges. They are rated for taste and artistry, as well as the neatness of their workstations. Obviously, the competition exacts a mental, physical and emotional toll on the contestants. But you have to be in awe of these men when you see their almost-too-beautiful-to-eat creations. Nonetheless, the directors seem intent on recording the proceedings rather than investigating some obvious anomalies – specifically, why this is a competition for white males only. Still, be prepared to want something sweet after seeing “Kings of Pastry.” 10/31/10

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - 3 smiles

If you’ve read The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson or have seen the first two movies in this series, then you won’t be disappointed with “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” However, be aware that this movie isn’t a stand-alone film. It begins where the second one, “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” ends. And although Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is either in a hospital bed or locked up in prison for two-thirds of the narrative, director Daniel Alfredson does a fairly good job of keeping the tension ratched up and our attention engaged. While Lisbeth is locked up, it falls to Mikael (Michael Nyqvist) to do much of the investigation that will ultimately assist Lisbeth when she goes to trial. As before, Noomi Rapace is the real reason to see these movies. Her Lisbeth is truly an original creation, an uncommunicative mix of rage and lethal menace with nose ring, chains and tattoos. The central weakness of this third film is that there’s a lot of exposition as Larsson expands his story to involve a sinister government agency.

The movie opens with Lisbeth, covered in blood, headed for the ER. Her wounds were inflicted by a half-brother she didn’t know she had. A white-haired giant of a man, Niedermann feels no pain, literally, but every time he’s on screen you know someone is going to die. As soon as she heals, Lisbeth is set to stand trial for three murders she did not commit. Blomkvist is dedicated to proving her innocence in the court of public opinion, publishing all of his evidence in an edition of Millennium magazine. A shadowy group of aging men with too much power will do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen. Anyone who has read Larsson’s novels will marvel at the filmmakers’’ ability to distill the complicated plot and tie up loose ends. Meanwhile, director David Fincher, with Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig as Lisbeth and Blomkvist, will present the English-language version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” in December 2011. I hope it’s good, but no one will be as good as Rapace. Subtitles. 10/29/10