Welcome to the final Movies Column for 2010. It’s been a hell of a year. Look for my list of Top 10 LGBT film moments coming later this week.
Now Playing
The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. The box office success of Tom Hooper’s modest period piece, The King’s Speech, is no doubt a result of the strong Oscar buzz for star Colin Firth in a virtuosic performance as the stammering King George VI. I also suggest that no other film in theaters this holiday season better answered the age-old question “what movie can I see with Grandma?” The King’s Speech does an admirable job of not offending, despite a baffling R rating. You won’t feel a moment’s panic that you’ll have to sit through an uncomfortable sex scene with your Grandma sitting next to you. There’s nothing “psycho-sexual” about it. Phew! (Just so you know, the R rating was earned because of a string of f-words said by Firth as part of his speech therapy, and another example of why MPAA is a sham.) So unlike Black Swan – too sexy, True Grit – too violent, TRON – too 3D, Yogi Bear – just no, The King’s Speech offers a nice mellow ride without any nasty surprises. You won’t have to risk a guilty conscience if Grandma should have a heart attack in the theater. Even better, if her hearing aid isn’t working, just make sure she can hear the score, which tells the story long before the plot does.
In all honesty The King’s Speech is a perfectly enjoyable, however formulaic, movie going experience. I’m sure that explaining British history of the 20th century to American audiences is no easy task. (So if that little girl is Queen Elizabeth then does that mean she’ll grow up to be Helen Mirren? Then does that mean Helena Bonham Carter will become Dame Judi Dench? No hold on, Elizabeth is Cate Blanchett!) There’s also a cameo appearance from Sir Winston Churchill, which reminded me exactly of when C-3PO pops into Star Wars Episode II: The Clone Wars. If I’m confusing you, no need to worry, the story of the film buoys along at its emotional core, so it’s not important if you’ve never heard of these people before.
Thinking again about the film’s ridiculous R rating, it’s irritating that such perfectly family-friendly fare should be restricted to children. Luckily for me, as a child my parents hardly cared about such things. In my youth, I adored every Merchant Ivory film I could get my parents to rent for me. A Room with a View (1985) with its well-deserved R rating for glorious male full frontal nudity (could you even imagine that being allowed today?) strongly influenced my cinematic pallet. In junior high school I revealed that Howard’s End was my favorite film. I’ll admit that’s totally snobby, and it wasn’t even true – Batman Returns was my favorite movie, but the point is that I’ll wager young people crave more sophisticated movies than what they’re getting. Don’t underestimate them, they’re the future.
New Releases
Rabbit Hole, directed by John Cameron Mitchell, starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as parents in grief counseling for the death of their young son. Many consider Kidman a strong Oscar contender as well as supporting actress Dianne Wiest, but the film’s poor box-office performance in a very limited release will likely hurt their chances. This is too bad, because the film’s received excellent reviews, and is the most main stream effort by LGBT fav John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig, Short Bus). Maybe in the post-holiday malaise months, more cinephiles will venture out for this deceptively uplifting picture. Playing at Landmark’s Harvard Exit at 1, 3:10, 5:15 and 7:30.
The Tempest, directed by Julie Taymor, starring Helen Mirren, Djimon Hounsou, Alan Cumming and Russell Brand. 2010 hasn’t been Julie Taymor’s year. Not only has her Tempest adaptation flopped in the box-office, but it’s nothing compared to the literal disaster that is her Spider Man Broadway Musical. As far as The Tempest goes, I’ll admit that it’s a brave move to cast a female lead as Prospera, played by the can-do-no-wrong Helen Mirren. However, the Shakespeare’s “Tempest” I remember reading in college was a comedy, not a 300 remake as it appears from the movie’s marketing material. Not that there’s anything wrong with mixing it up a bit. Has anyone seen Derek Jarman’s 1979 punk Tempest adaptation? It’s totally good, but you’ll need a high tolerance for pretentious ridiculousness – wankery they call it in England. Taymor’s version playing at AMC’s Pacific Place 11 at 11:20am, 2, 4:30, 7:10, and 9:45.
Seattle Screenings
I mentioned this last week, but I want to give another shout out to Central Cinema’s New Year’s Eve screening of the 1984 rock classic Footloose, starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer. You better unlace those high heel straps so they can be appropriately kicked off. Following the film will be a toast and a whole night of 80s dance videos – curated by the exceptionally talented Jason Miller of Bad Movie Art.