well it's been a while

It's been sooo long and I have seen many a movie that I should have written about, but I have been so busy with homework and writing for the newspaper. I will soon be writing for a new web venture entitled Big Lick U. I'll tell you more about that later..
for now I will tell you all about The Queen.

The Queen which stars Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and James Cromwell (whom we all remember as teh farmer from Babe when we were little) as Prince Philip, her husband. The plot takes off as Tony Blair is running for Prime Minister and at the start of his new position as the Prime Minister to England. We follow him on his first trip to officially be named Prime Minister by the Queen and his immediate success with his government over the people. Queen Elizabeth is seen as guarded and not too friendly to the public and even to Tony Blair, but we see her vulnerable side when she's alone with her mother and her husband and even some of her closer staff. They make remarks about Princess Diana and her racy and too public life-style.

It then falls into the dreadful August night where the paparazzi drive Princess Di and Dodi Fayed to their tragic deaths in a Paris tunnel. The Queen is notified in the late night that Di is in the hospital and Fayed has already died. She does not seem to care as much since she is no longer a member of the royal family. The events follow as her summer vacation at Balmoral continues with the family and their hunt for stags.

Tony Blair, who's smile remains big throughout the movie, urges the Queen to come back to London to be with her grieving people or make a statement about the Princess, but she refuses. It took her a week to finally say something and return to London and attend the funeral which became public much to her dislike.

The film is well written and funny at times in this drama that strikes close to home and makes you remember where you were while all of this was happening. I still remember where I was when I found out the tragic news, so to see all of this being played out in what the film makers believe what happened in that tragic week, hit a little close to my childhood memories.

James Cromwell does a good job with Prince Philip, trying to be the voice of reason and support to his wife and the grandfather to two grandsons who are mourning their mother's death in the best way he knows how, hunting stags.

Helen Mirren needs an Oscar nomination for sure. She played the queen with poise and the right amount of pursed lips. She was the best job any actress could have done in that part and you feel like you are becoming friends with her in a weird sort of way. She pulls you onto her side and gives it an interesting take on Princess Di we all think we knew.

The Queen has the right amount of politics combined with the right amount of personal "stuff" (I'm at loss for the right word.) I highly recommend this movie and you may not agree with some of the comments Queen Elizabeth makes about the situation, but it makes you realize that everyone is human, everyone has issues and not everyone is perfect. No matter how high you put that someone on a pedistel, they're just as human as you are. Demanding a lot of someone can make them hide or crack under pressure and it's not their fault that they don't act they way they want you to.

little Miss SUNSHINE

If you haven't already seen Little Miss Sunshine, I highly recommend you stop whatever you're doing and go see it right now. The premise is Steve Carell plays Frank, a gay man who has just tried to commit suicide and has to go live with his sister - Sheryl's (Toni Collette) family. Her husband, Richard, (Greg Kinnear) is striving to create his "9 Steps" program, Sheryl's son, Dwayne, (new comer Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence until he can be in the Air Force and their daughter, Olive (Raising Helen's Abigail Breslin) wants to compete and become a beauty pageant winner. Richard's father also has to live with the father on account of getting kicked out of his "old folks home" for snorting heroine. When they find out Olive's sencond place winning in the Little MIss Chili Pepper's was bumped up to first place because of "something with diet pills" they must travel to California in their old VW van for Olive to compete.

I don't want to give too much away, because it's just all too funny and you need to see it for yourself. I thought the music was perfectly chosen for the film and helps carry the movie out to the end. The film opens and sets up the story for the audience, we see Olive practicing her beatuy pageant "winning" wave and cry, Sheryl is driving to pick up Frank, Dwayne is doing push ups, sit ups and pull ups, Richard's father, Grandpa Edwin is in the bathroom snorting heroine and Richard is giving a presentation on his "9 Steps" to becoming a winner.

Little Miss Sunshine's writing is witty, heartbreaking, hilarious, heartfelt and down to earth. The shots are all perfect and you always feel that you're one with this nutty family on a road trip. So what is so funny about suicide, bankruptcy, homosexuality, and beaty pageants? Everything. It's a compelling and beautiful journey about this family coming together for their 7 year-old hopeful beauty queen, while hitting some of their own bumps along the way. Pretty much everything happens to the Hoover's on their journey from Albuquerque to California. Everyone's acting is impeccable. Even Dano does a wonderful job with his expressions and makes you believe he is the angry, silent and driven teenager that he is. Steve Carrell does an amazing job with the script and you forget that he's been that guy getting his chest waxed in the Forty Year Old Virgin. Abigail Breslin will go far with her talent and takes charge of the screen especially with her dance routine at the end of the film. Toni Collette having done such films as "The Sixth Sense," "About a Boy," "In Her Shoes" and too many other wonderful films just blends right into her character.

If you don't go see this film, then you are missing out. The film ends when it should, without going on for too long and having the rest be nonsense and you find yourself walking out of the theater with a smile on your face.

the start of my career

As I start this new blog... my movie blog... I can't help but think, why should I even do this. But obviously if even my college professors are telling me to start a movie blog, then it's not just an idea from my mother.

I can't review a movie right now, due to the fact that it's late and I have a test tomorrow along with my 8 am class and such.. which I still have to finish studying for.

But here's a list of movies I recommend for now:
-Real Women have Curves
-Little Miss Sunshine
-Prime
-Amelie
-The Squid and the Whale
-V for Vendetta

signing off for now...
jbean*