NOW PLAYING: The King's Speech

When the Oscar announcements are made on the morning of January 25, 2011, you are certain to hear the The King's Speech loudly, clearly and repeatedly. The King's Speech is the perfect Oscar contender. It has rich costumes, great acting, British history, the monarchy, scandal, moody cinematography, royal locations and just a pinch of humor.

The King's Speech is the true story of England's King George VI (Colin Firth) who stamers - in American English - he studders. While this maybe be fit for the King's brother; however, when it becomes apparent that he will ascend to the throne he must overcome this imperfection and restore nobility and hope to the monarchy and the people of England during wartime as older brother King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) abdicates the throne in favor of love with a twice divorced American who the church will never allow to be his queen.

While there is plenty underlying dramas going on, director (Tom Hooper) does an excellent job of keeping the story on the love between George, his wife (Helena Carter) and their two young daughters juxtaposed his relationship with speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) and his family rather than embracing the scandal and gossip which ultimately makes him King George VI.

The costumes are superb. In cinema, often we tend to overlook men's costuming in favor of gowns and dresses worn by the women in a production; however in The King's Speech, it is the menswear which take center stage from swanky overcoats to tweed suiting the style is spectacular. Look for all of these trends in the Fall 2011 mens collections. You'll clearly know who heard The King's Speech. The cinematography is beautifully damp. One feels as if you are roaming about London.
The one performance that people are not talking about but should be talking about is Guy Pearce who portraits King Edward VIII. Pearce is always amazing and generally overlooked in favor of a more suitable potential celebrity to market and hollywoodize. Here, Pearce is brilliant in a supporting role. If he were on screen for another second he would have completely walked off with the entire production. Yes, he's that good. Nevertheless, it is Colin Firth who will understandably walk away with the Best Actor Oscar statue at this year's ceremony - if only because the Academy recognizes talent and it's own future demise in awarding Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges (beating Colin Firth for A Single Man) last year for what will ultimately be known as the year the academy awarded Most Popular and Most Liked rather than Best Actor and Best Actress of the year.

The King's Speech is great movie making. It all comes together nicely. Imagine, a royal historical drama being the feel good movie of the year. All hail the king!

NEW ON DVD: Boy A

Awhile ago I read about the film Boy A starring the new/next Spiderman, Andrew Garfield. Garfield is a brilliant young talent. He is Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Edward Norton and Joseph Gordon-Levitt all rolled up into a sinewy unaffected boy-next-door type. After watching Boy A, I only hope he continues on with his craft and shaloms through Hollywood 3-D pics and summer tentpoles to secure great material to truly showcase his budding talent.

Having to restart a life sidetracked at pre-adolescence, now 24 years old, Boy A, Jack (Andrew Garfield), is starting life. Recently released from prison with a new name, new location and new job, Jack embarks upon life as Jack. Aided by Terry (Peter Mullan), his parole contact who becomes like a father to him, Jack hesitantly reclaims life, forms friendships and learns, he too is beautiful, as he enters into a relationship with a passionate young woman.

When tragedy strikes close to work, Jack's good deed is rewarded yet unleashes all of the secrets of the heinous crime he committed as a boy. Although Jack has served his time for this, as we learn more about the crime which has ruined so many lives, the suspense is heightened, the intrigue unfolds and outcome is heartbreak.

Jack learns that it is not so easy to escape your past or to pay for your crime.

Black Swan Soars

Darren Aronofsky brings it again. Another psychological thriller full of modernity. While mainstream movie goers may be lured into the cinema under the pretense of cat fighting, lesbian affairs and girls dancing, Black Swan really is about survival and giving your all for success in your chosen field of expertise.

Nina (Natalie Portman), a talented ballerina in a New York City ballet company, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), a former balleria, who wants to control her every move. With their new season opening with a modern, youthful and fresh approach of Swan Lake, artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder).

Although Nina is beyond perfect to play the White Swan, Thomas wrestles if Nina has the wicked interior coupled with a sexual know how to bring the Black Swan to life. This is when a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis) a hipster ballerina with lots of edge from San Francisco enters and impresses Leroy. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - allowing her to do what it takes to be a black swan.

Natalie Portman is wonderful and deserves her praise and awards which are sure to come her way. Aronofsky orchestrates a near perfect ballet out of film. The audience was clearly thrilled and baffled, filled with awkward laughter and lots of twisting and turning in their seats.

In the end, I clapped softly for the performances, while others sat in the awakening white light of perfection like doomed deer in the headlight.

Video-On-Demand: Robin's Hood

I've often debated about gay/lesbian cinema: why is it lesbians come up with great stories and filmmaking, while gay men (and their hetero counterparts) plant and weave every known stereotype about gay men into every film?

This rainy Sunday afternoon, I stumbled across an excellent indie lesbian movie called Robin's Hood. From start to finish, I was completely engaged. Robin Hood is the unlikely story of two woman in Oakland, California on the same wrong side of the tracks on the opposites sides of shared wrong tracks yet each struggling in their own way to make life, their lives, other lives and really the world a better place.

Refreshing, smart and taking its name from the legendary hoodster, Robin's Hood is an amped up urban lesbian re-vision. Brooklyn (Clody Cates) is a cute French/American lesbian who has settled into making a living as a thief. Brooklyn also loves the ladies and there seems to be a lot of them, until she meets a social worker with a heart of gold named Robin (Khahtee Turner).

Robin is trying to make a difference in her urban community, unfortunately the system doesn't allow her to do what's best for her clients/community. Soon Robin is looking for a new job. What may have worked in Sherwood Forest during medieval times certainly calls for a cultural, political, racial, social and gender makeover as Oakland is the good ol' USA where being Black, gay, unemployed, educated and in a mixed race relationship immediately and abruptly brings a modernity to Robin's current hood and urgency. Robin and Brooklyn are pseudo contemporary folklore, however, definitely not living in a fairy tale. Robin's Hood is another look into the what is wrong in our nation and the tremendous odds and challenges faced each day by everyone.

Simply put, Robin's Hood is a really good film, director Sara Millman is definitely a filmmaker with a very bright future ahead. Thank goodness for oversize flat screens where one can generate a theater feel to get the maximum cinematic effects of an overlooked gem like Robin's Hood.

Demand Robin in your hood now!

LATE CATCH - The Social Network

Unsocial Behavior Leads Geek to Billions -- In a twist of irony, I caught The Social Network at the $3.00 movie theater.

The Social Network is pretty amazing cinema. While all of the actors will be overlooked at Oscar time, mainly because they are too young, very nerdy, did not commit murder, no random sex nor did they blow up their dorm, rather they simply changed the world and the way we communicate - well forever.

The story is quite compelling. Harvard self proclaimed computer geek and resident dork asshole, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), sits down at his computer and begins working on a new idea mainly to impress a cute girl. Along the way he invents the internet phenom Facebook, alienates his best friend (and my new favorite actor - see Boy A) Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), befriends Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) who brought Zuckerberg/Facebook to Silicon Valley's venture capitalists, betrays wealthy legacy identical Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer and Josh Pence) and gets sued for millions.

Although The Social Network is the age old story of greed, betrayal, privilege and self-identification. Director David Fincher unfolds the plot masterfully sucking you in and bringing you up to date via flashbacks as told doing arbitration by all parties involved in the creation of Facebook. It is not a new way but Fincher makes it feel new and fresh while entertaining and tantalizing.

This youthful cinematic portrait of 21st century success is boldly modern cinema, yet because the foundation and tenets of filmmaking was honored and measured The Social Network is an instant classic contemporary drama.

David Fincher prep your tuxedo and Be My Friend:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001078089397

Omar (a gay short from France)

Tres bien Omar! Today I stumbled across a great short film from France called Omar.

In less than eight minutes we meet a beautiful young student, Omar. A soccer fan and player, Omar, exits his loving home to meet up with his juvenile buddies to practice. When Omar gets a text, he rushes off leaving his friends behind. Omar has a secret rendez-vous with Arthur. Engaged in some serious lip locking activity, Omar and Arthur are unaware of a kid riding his bike in the distance.

Soon thereafter, Omar faces the consequences and takes steps to explore his real life.

Lost In Translation Again

Wow! What a gem. It is easy to question all of the hype surrounding Sophia Coppola's seminal 2003 film Lost in Translation. However this time, I set quietly alone, hit play and allowed myself to get caught up in the story and all of its wonderful offerings.

Bill Murray (Bob) is brilliant and Scarlett Johansson (Charlotte) is refreshing as a new bride in Tokyo with her photographer husband played by Giovanni Ribisi. The logline for Lost in Translation sums it all up into: A movie star with a sense of emptiness, and a neglected newlywed meet up as strangers in Tokyo, Japan and form an unlikely bond.



Lost in Translation is so much more. I found myself immersed into the scenery. Enthralled by the story and swept into Bob and Charlotte unlikely connection. The pacing, directorial choices, from locations to music to cinematography, are well designed and executed with Bob and Charlotte gradually coming to know each other for a brief time in Tokyo.

In the end it all adds up into: they got me, they understood me. Someone out there feels exactly as I do. It's time to get lost in the translation all over again.