The King's Speech is one R-rated movie that is well worth seeing. It's rated R only for language, and although the F-word is used, it is not upsetting, and if there ever were a time to use it, the way it is used in this movie is one of those times.
Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter star in this true-to-life tale of King George VI, the father of the current Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. Known as Bertie to his family, Prince Albert later chose the name George to be his royal name and carry on the legacy of his own father. At the beginning of The King's Speech, Bertie is not yet king, and in fact, his older brother is in line to be king before him. The problem is, that brother loves a divorced woman, an American, and he cannot be king and marry her. His brother abdicates for love, but Bertie is not considered a much better choice since he cannot speak publicly. He can barely speak to his own children without a stutter. He's hired physicians, but they have not helped, counseling him even to smoke to relax his lungs. Then his wife (played by Carter) finds a speech therapist (Rush) with unconventional but proven methods, and after some persuasion, Bertie goes to see him.
The rest of the story details the efforts they go through to help him speak in public, leading through his coronation and up to an all important speech to the country as they enter war against the Germans. It's mesmerizing and beautiful, even with all the cursing, which somehow only makes it feel real, rather than dirty. Colin Firth does an amazing job as the king, his frustration so palpable and heart-wrenching, and Helena Bonham Carter is perfect and believable in her counter-stereotype role as his loving, supportive wife. Most of all, the movie presents a moving tale of the friendship of two men, one a king and one not even a proper doctor but a man who believed in a king.
This movie deserves its title for Best Picture of 2010, and I highly recommend it.
Showing posts with label true. Show all posts
Showing posts with label true. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Friday, October 8, 2010
Hachi: A Dog's Tale on DVD
I watched the most depressing movie today. It made me cry, and normally I like to cry at movies. But this cry wasn't cathartic. It was more despairing. And it wasn't just a few tears rolling down the cheeks. It was sob-out-loud sad. Why, oh, why would you make a movie like that?
Now, Hachi: A Dog's Tale really is an amazing story, don't get me wrong. This dog falls so in love with his owner that when the owner dies, the dog sits and waits for the five o'clock train every day for the next ten years. Talk about loyalty. But that's the kind of story I'd much rather hear about or maybe even read about than watch in detail. I don't really want to see a dog grow old, wasting its life, never loving another owner, just waiting for ten long years. Sadly, this story is based on a true story that happened in Japan, and there's even a stone dog memorial to mark the spot where the poor dog waited. Amazing story, yes. Amazing movie? No.
You know what you're getting into when you start this movie, so there're really no spoilers to be had. So, let me tell you exactly why I can't recommend this movie. When the dog's owner dies, the wife moves out of her home, and the dog goes to live with the daughter and her family. But as soon as the dog can, it escapes and follows the railroad all the way back to its previous home and then on to the train station. Although the daughter finds the dog, she realizes Hachi isn't happy with his new family and releases him to be on his own. Hold it right there! Really? I suppose this dog was as close to human as an animal gets, but no one would "release" a beloved pet to the elements without shelter or care to supposedly fulfill the animal's desires. You don't reason with pets just like you don't reason with two-year-olds. The adult knows better. The human knows better.
So, the dog goes to live under a train car, through snow and rain, for the rest of his life. And does anyone notice? Of course they do! People feed the dog and talk to it. The daughter even mails money to the train station worker to care for the dog. How thoughtful of her. But no one seems to be thinking, "Hey, this dog probably needs a new home, maybe closer to his beloved train station, but still." I get that the dog might not have accepted anyone else's home, like he didn't accept the daughter's. But realistically, the humane shelter would be all over that.
So, it happened in Japan, and it's a true story. Cool. (By the way, the movie is all American.) But I didn't need to see it. I thought there might be redeeming value when I chose to watch it. And, yeah, the story is cushioned in a little boy's school presentation about his hero, his grandfather's dog Hachi.
But all I could think was poor, poor dog, waiting for ten years, living under a train car. Clearly, the dog was miserable, and awful as it sounds, it might have been more merciful to put him out of his misery. Sorry, PETA.
Other than that, the acting is great. The dog is beautiful. The movie has potential, but the truth of the matter is, it's just too sad.
Now, Hachi: A Dog's Tale really is an amazing story, don't get me wrong. This dog falls so in love with his owner that when the owner dies, the dog sits and waits for the five o'clock train every day for the next ten years. Talk about loyalty. But that's the kind of story I'd much rather hear about or maybe even read about than watch in detail. I don't really want to see a dog grow old, wasting its life, never loving another owner, just waiting for ten long years. Sadly, this story is based on a true story that happened in Japan, and there's even a stone dog memorial to mark the spot where the poor dog waited. Amazing story, yes. Amazing movie? No.
You know what you're getting into when you start this movie, so there're really no spoilers to be had. So, let me tell you exactly why I can't recommend this movie. When the dog's owner dies, the wife moves out of her home, and the dog goes to live with the daughter and her family. But as soon as the dog can, it escapes and follows the railroad all the way back to its previous home and then on to the train station. Although the daughter finds the dog, she realizes Hachi isn't happy with his new family and releases him to be on his own. Hold it right there! Really? I suppose this dog was as close to human as an animal gets, but no one would "release" a beloved pet to the elements without shelter or care to supposedly fulfill the animal's desires. You don't reason with pets just like you don't reason with two-year-olds. The adult knows better. The human knows better.
So, the dog goes to live under a train car, through snow and rain, for the rest of his life. And does anyone notice? Of course they do! People feed the dog and talk to it. The daughter even mails money to the train station worker to care for the dog. How thoughtful of her. But no one seems to be thinking, "Hey, this dog probably needs a new home, maybe closer to his beloved train station, but still." I get that the dog might not have accepted anyone else's home, like he didn't accept the daughter's. But realistically, the humane shelter would be all over that.
So, it happened in Japan, and it's a true story. Cool. (By the way, the movie is all American.) But I didn't need to see it. I thought there might be redeeming value when I chose to watch it. And, yeah, the story is cushioned in a little boy's school presentation about his hero, his grandfather's dog Hachi.
But all I could think was poor, poor dog, waiting for ten years, living under a train car. Clearly, the dog was miserable, and awful as it sounds, it might have been more merciful to put him out of his misery. Sorry, PETA.
Other than that, the acting is great. The dog is beautiful. The movie has potential, but the truth of the matter is, it's just too sad.
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