Dear Readers,
This is a continuation of Mimi’s Oscar Picks from February 22, 2011.
As far as acting is concerned, “The King’s Speech” fills the bill. King George VI of England takes the throne after his brother abdicates. He stutters and needs help to be able to address the nation in a clear and distinct voice. He employs a speech therapist to help him. Colin Firth, who plays King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as speech therapist, Lionel Logue, have great scenes together. They are two great actors playing off each other. In fact, I think the real star of the movie is Geoffrey Rush. Helena Bonham Carter plays Queen Elizabeth and has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Her small part does not justify an Oscar nomination!
L. Kent Wolgamott of the Lincoln Journal Star called “The Illusionist” ‘a simple story with emotional depth’. Tatischeff is an illusionist or magician performing during the late 50’s. His type of entertainment where a rabbit is pulled from a hat is no longer appreciated. Audiences want to see and hear Rock ‘n Roll bands. After running out of jobs in Paris and London, he ends up at a pub in a small Scottish town. It is there he meets Alice, a young girl who loves magic shows. He buys her a new pair of bright red slippers and gives them to her as part of a magic trick. She is enchanted with the “magic” and follows him to Edinburgh, where they form a kind of father-daughter relationship.
The movie is animated but not computer-generated. It is hand-drawn in a distinct manner where each character is elongated and rather clunky. The real beauty is in the background scenes of the city. Full of eye-pleasing color and detail, each scene could be a framed piece of art. I found this movie to be a real treasure!
The last movie I saw was “Winter’s Bone” and I consider it to be the best movie of all. A 17 year old girl living in the Ozarks searches for her father in order to save the home, where she is raising her 10 year old brother and 7 year old sister. Her mother has given up on life and is mentally unstable. The meth-cooking father used the family home as collateral to post bail. He failed to appear in court so the bond company is poised to seize the home. The girl has to find her Dad so she can save the house and keep her family together.
The movie features life in the poverty stricken Ozarks where cooking meth has taken the place of making moonshine. It is a dull and dreary place to live. But there is one bright light in this hopeless landscape and that is Ree Dolly, the 17 year old played by Jennifer Lawrence. She portrays a strong young woman determined to keep her family’s home. Lawrence does a superb job and is worthy of an Academy Award for Best Actress. She is a newcomer but I hope the Academy is smart enough to recognize her considerable talent!
Here is how I rank the 7 movies I’ve seen:
1. Winter’s Bone
2. The Illusionist
3. The Fighter
4. The King’s Speech
5. True Grit
6. Black Swan
7. The Social Network
How would you rank these movies? Let me know and remember to always
Keep smilin’!