The King's Speech

Movie: The King's Speech

Director: Tom Hooper

Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

Genre: Drama, History

Rated: R

Synopsis: King George VI of Britain (Colin Firth) did not have an easy life. From an early age he had a stutter which made him unable to speak clearly, and being a prince required him to give public speeches on occasion. But when his brother abdicates the thrown, he is forced into a life he never wanted and as World War II looms over Great Britain's head, he must be the public speaker he never was in order to give the world the courage it needs to fight.

Commentary: I saw this movie when it first came out in theaters and first let me say that Colin Firth's acting was amazing in this movie. He deserved the Oscar he got from this role; his stutter sounds spot on. Geoffrey Rush did a great job too as his the therapist and friend of the king who helps him overcome his disability. As did Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth.

This movie was directed by Tom Hooper who also directed Les Misérables and if you haven't seen that either, GO SEE IT. It's fantastic.

Should you go see it? The cinematography and acting are amazing and the story of a man, a king, overcoming his own disabilities and people's opinion of him to become one of the greatest monarchs in Great Britain's history is worth the watch.

Fun Facts:

• King George VI's wife, who is played by Helena Bonham Carter, didn't want them to make this movie until after she died.
• Queen Elizabeth II said she liked the movie and thought they did a good job portraying her father and her family.
• The film has an R rating because of a scene where the king shouts profanities because it was supposed to help with his stutter. The actors and director defended the scene saying that the cursing was not used in violence, but the Motion Picture Association would not change the rating unless the scene was cut or the swears were muted. Tom Hooper refused to cut it, but some versions in the US had the swears muted.

Here is a video of the actual speech from King George VI.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Movie: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Director: Tim Burton

Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen

Genre: Horror, Musical

Rated: R

Synopsis: Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) was a man who had it all--a beautiful and loving wife, a newborn baby girl, and a successful barber shop--until he was sentence to life in prison by a corrupt judge who lusted after his wife. Fifteen years later, he escaped from prison and has come back home to find his wife dead and his daughter in the care of the judge who sent him away to rot. With the help of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), the woman who now owns the pie store downstairs from his barber shop, he is determined to kill the judge who ruined him and anyone else who stands in his way.

Commentary: This is my favorite movie ever. I don't usually like horror movies but when they have a good plot I tend to overlook the blood and gore especially when they're done tastefully like Sweeney Todd.

Like Les Misérables, the singing isn't that great but what they lack in singing they make up for in passion and acting abilities. And with a cast like this movie you know it has to be good (and Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen were in both Sweeney Todd and Les Misérables).

And the songs, written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, are wonderful! (Although I recommend Patti LuPone's version to the movie's and Angela Lansbury's versions.)

Should you see it? If you are a fan of musicals or want a beautiful thriller then yes! Tim Burton's team of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter tends to work and it definitely does here. But, don't let the musical part fool you, it is still a horror story about an insane barber slashing people's throats and his baker assistant baking them into pies and serving them to the unsuspecting people of London.

Fun Facts:

• The tale of Sweeney Todd has been alive since 1846 and has even been performed as a ballet in the 1950s. There's even an old 1936 film. Historians dispute whether it's based on a true story.
• Sweeney Todd is the third movie Helena and Johnny have done together with director Tim Burton.

Must See Movie

Movie: V for Vendetta

Director: James McTeigue

Stars: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller

Rated: R

Synopsis: In an alternate not so distant future, a totalitarian government rules over Great Britain, controlling information, supplies, and people through fear. A young girl named Evey lives her life afraid but with no desire or drive to change what she has grown accustomed to. At least not until she is saved from the police by a masked terrorist named V, who with Evey's help seeks to overthrow the government and give it back to the people.

Commentary: If you have never seen V for Vendetta, stop what you're doing and rent it, buy it, I'm not gonna say download it but you get the picture. There are a few movies that really grab you and force you to look at the world in a different way, V for Vendetta is one of those movies. With great actors, fantastic dialogue and plot, chances are you'll find yourself quoting the movie at least once after you are finished watching it.

This movie is so powerful, the mask that V uses in this movie is still used by people in protests when they want to fight against people in power that are oppressing them or trying to hide something. V is like a realistic Batman, but a vigilante that is not fighting gangsters or thugs, but a corrupt system.

Should you see this movie? Yes! This movie is a must see for just about everyone. But be warned that there is blood, murder, and torture in this movie.

Fun Facts:

• "Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot. I see no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." This verse that V recites more than once in the film is part of a poem called "The Bonfire Prayer".
• There are many "V's" hidden throughout the movie. Some are obvious like the fireworks and the Roman numeral V, but some are subtle. Here's a webpage that tries to find all the V's.
• The Guy Fawkes mask (the mask V wears) is also now the symbol for the hacker activist group Anonymous.