1917, the latest venture from director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition), is a stunning achievement in cinematography, visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing, production design, makeup and design, and direction. While not everyone will be all in on the story, it is hard to discredit this movie’s technical accomplishments. I found the story to be a gripping piece of narrative. Still, I completely understand why some will have problems with the sequencing of events, the placement of props, or the overall mission in general. If, like me, you can let yourself become immersed in all this movie brings to the table, you will have one of the more emotional movie-theater experiences of your lifetime.
Category Archives: Colin Firth
The Railway Man (2014)
The biggest flop of 2014? Possibly. Jonathan Teplitzky’s (Burning Man, television’s Broadchurch) grossed under $5 million in the theaters but cost $18 million to make. This movie should have been great. But then again, so should have been Unbroken, the underwhelming Angelina Jolie vehicle that showcased the 47-day survival of two men living on a raft after their plane was shot down during World War II only to be held in a prisoner of war camp. This movie did just fine at the box office (doubling its budget costs), but it still did not come close to expectations. The Railway Man had lesser expectations than Unbroken, but it did have a better cast and weaker competition at the time of its release. A 66% on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t bad, but usually, you want to see a slightly higher (at minimum) for a true story-based historical drama. I am uncertain of why I watched this film. I had convinced myself I was not going to. But it showed up on my Showtime OnDemand list one day when I was trying to find a movie to watch and decided to give it a chance. I’m glad I did. It is certainly not a great movie but is better than expected. It is a much more complete film than was Unbroken.
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The King’s Speech (2010)
The King’s Speech is a true story based upon how King George VI became the King of England after his father, King George V, died and his older brother David decided to abandon the throne to be with the woman he loved. George VI (aka Bertie to his closest friend) reluctantly takes over as King of England despite his stammering problem and utter fear of speaking in public.
To help overcome his disability, Bertie (Colin Firth – A Single Man, The Importance of Being Earnest) tries various techniques and visits numerous specialists. It is not until the King meets speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush – Shine, Frida) that he begins to see progress. The two are very different from each other. The King is cold, aloof, often highly stressed, and short-tempered. It makes him unlikeable at times. On the other hand, Lionel is charming, friendly, funny, and patient. You like him from the moment you meet him. The contrast between the two characters makes them work well together.