The closer that each of my reviews is to awards season, the more unconventional they become. For the past four or five years, I’ve tried to see absolutely everything I can. If a movie gets nominated in one of the big six awards, I will see it regardless of how I feel about it. Sometimes this can be a painful experience, but it’s part of what I’m trying to do. So before I get into my review of The Danish Girl, I want to talk about the Best Actor Academy Award nomination category. In a year where the male lead performances have been far below the caliber that they have been in recent years, the battle for Best Actor comes down to two people. These include Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, My Week With Marilyn) for this movie and Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant. When Matt Damon (The Martian) or Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) are the next guys in line behind these two, you know it’s a two-dog race. I am a massive fan of both Damon and Fassbender, but they each have at least three movies in their filmography in which they delivered better performances than the ones they gave this year.
Continue reading The Danish Girl (2015)
Category Archives: Tom Hooper
Les Miserables (2012)
So it turns out, to no big surprise, that I’m not a fan of musicals. I have yet to see Moulin Rouge! or Chicago. Even though I’ve been told how great both movies are, I have yet to find the desire to give either film a chance. There was something about Les Miserables, however, that piqued my interest. I think it was the Anne Hathaway trailer. I’ve repeatedly said on my blog that Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams are the two best actresses in the world. I’ll go out of my way to see any movie in which either actress stars. I thought the Hathaway “I Dreamed a Dream” trailer was perfectly made. It won me over on the spot. I put aside any reservations and promised myself I would see it.
Continue reading Les Miserables (2012)
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.