"The Kings Speech" -- My Movie Review

I saw British Oscar bait flick The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth, today. I like to be an informed viewer on Oscar night (it's like my Superbowl, after all), so I make a point of seeing as many potential nominees as possible. As a result, I end up seeing lot of artsy-fartsy movies I might not otherwise see. Sometimes it's too highbrow for me, goes right over my head. Sometimes it's just plain dull. Other times I fall in love. Mercifully, with King's Speech it was love. It may have been the most entertaining movie I saw this Christmas season (and I've seen like 7 movies in the last two weeks).

I was less than enthusiastic about seeing this movie. I felt obligated though b/c it's a shoe-in for Oscar. I was mildly interested in the subject matter: King George VI, the current Queen Elizabeth's father, struggles to overcome a debilitating stutter. I know you're thinking, "why the hell would anyone be interested in that?!" I have no answer for you, but I was mildly intrigued by the idea of a prominent public figure dealing with a stutter. Mildly. I have zero interest in present-day royals (couldn't care less about all this Prince William & Kate wedding hoopla), but I'm endlessly fascinated by the history of the monarchy. I absolutely love the Elizabeth movies (starring Cate Blanchett, who will forever be Queen Elizabeth I to me) and "The Tudors" tv show (about Elizabeth I's dad, Henry V, as played by the delicious Jonathan Rhys-Myers). I also saw Helen Mirren's Oscar-winning turn as Elizabeth II in The Queen and her Emmy-winning turn as the titular character in the miniseries "Elizabeth I." (Yes, she played both Queen E's, and won awards both times!). So a peek behind the royal curtain, semi-fictionalized though it may be, absolutely appeals to me.

Still, I was lukewarm about Speech and rather grudgingly set out to fulfill my Oscar duty. No one is more surprised than me by just how much I enjoyed it. It was such a touching movie. I felt the king-to-be's pain as he struggled to make simple public statements, the expectant and then pitying eyes of the people on him. The horrible pauses, the dead radio air, the stammers, the stutters. The pressure! I see why Firth is a frontrunner for best actor. I felt so bad for him as he fought to get the words out and as his father & brother mocked him, and so happy for him whenever he had a small oratory victory. Between his patient & supportive wife (played by Helena Bonham Carter) and his determined and unorthodox speech therapist (Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush), the movie became a beautiful story about family & friendship and one man's struggle to overcome a seemingly innocuous deficiency that shamed him & impeded him in his royal duties. Imagine if our president couldn't deliver a speech with conviction. WTF? How could he command anyone's respect? How could he reassure anyone? How could he be taken seriously? This is the dilemma facing George VI in this movie. And everyone involved (actors, writer, director) did a great job of evoking empathy in the audience. We take so many things for granted, but it never even occurred to me that a stutter could be so debilitating. But if you are a political leader, hell yeah, that's a serious issue. How much do I appreciate my literal voice after this movie?

There were also several comic touches to lighten the mood throughout (in practice sessions, the therapist encourages the king to spew expletives during those uncomfortable silences since he can swear with fluidity!). Lots of subtle moments that make you smile. Watching the royal leader forge an honest friendship with a commoner (the therapist) was endearing to watch. When all was said and done, I was surreptitiously wiping away the tears from my cheeks at the end. I did not see that coming! Granted, I'm a wimp when it comes to crying in movies (it really doesn't take much), but surely I'm not the only one who was moved by this movie's sweetness. In fact, the lady a few seats down was blowing her nose. Could've been allergies, but I choose to believe she was affected just like me. :-) (Just let me believe it, damnit.)

I love when a movie surprises you in a good way. If I weren't such an Oscar whore, I never would have seen this delightful film. Some will say it's predictable or contrived, but so what? It's so sweet, and It makes you feel good. What's a little predictability and contrivance when that's the end result?

Pop Culture New Year's Resolutions

EW has a fun article about pop culture New Year's resolutions, much more my speed than regular resolutions! One thing remains the same though: you're probably not gonna keep 'em either way. The link for the article is below (check it out), along with some of my favorite comments from readers (and some side notes from me!). I love my EW family. And for the record, I don't feel comfortable making some resolution to give up anything pop-culture related. Should I dump American Idol? Maybe, but I'm adopting a wait-n-see policy. Are there other shows i could or should dump? Sure, but I'm not gonna. You can't make me. So much good (and yes, bad) tv, so little time. You can kiss my dvr-addicted bum.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/12/30/your-pop-culture-new-years-resolutions/

My fave comments:
*After 20 dramatic seasons together, I’m officially breaking up with The Bachelor/Bachelorette. And I mean it. We’re through. I can do better.

*To stop feeling guilty for watching crap reality. I’m 19 and my favorite film is Citizen Kane, I can indulge in some crapola if I want to.

*Along those lines, I’d love for 2011 to be the year for people to quit judging those who watch Jersey Shore. It’s crap, we know, okay?

*Good one, Tracy. Mine is actually to stop watching all the crap reality shows, but like Annie, I know I will never keep this resolution. Ha!

*My resolution is to stop believing I can find and capture criminals ala Lie to Me, Criminal Minds or NCIS:LA. I am way too much of a wuss. In a similar vein, I also need to stop believing I am capable of diagnosing myself. Thank you Grey’s.

*my DVR needs to be knocked down a few notches on my list of importance in life. maybe more than a few. (Sidenote from Regina: This should probably be my resolution as well, but I'll be damned...)

*#1. Learn the choreography from each one of Lady Gaga’s new music videos in a timely manner.
#2. Branch off from my karaoke golden standard of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and try new power ballads.
#3. Resist the urge to incorporate lessons learned from “Toddlers in Tiaras” into my everyday life. (Sidenote: This was posted by someone named "Doug." The fact that it's a guy makes it that much funnier. He sounds like a superfun gay. I love "Total Eclipse!")

*Stop pretending that I just happened to catch Jersey Shore/Real Housewives/The Bachelor while on my way to classier programming.

*I will stop eating ice cream while watching The Biggest Loser. Instead, I will watch Glee and eat it then.

*My New Years Resolution: I resolve to spend less time hating myself and more time hating others. I get more done that way. (Sidenote: not pop culture related, just damn funny.)

*1. I’d like to sit out the next season of Dancing With The Stars. At the very least I will not watch the results show.
2. I will boycott Bridezillas.
3. I will only watch Biggest Loser DVR-ed and fast forward through the weigh-in and extra boring challenges.
4. As much as I love HGTV and Food Network I will not get sucked into so many shows, i.e. Chopped, Design Star, Cupcake Wars etc…
5. ABSOLUTELY no more Road Rules/Real World Challenges!!! Man I’ve wasted a lot of time on those. (Sidenote: regarding #5, Amen...but I can't & won't give up the Challenge!)

How Bruno Mars Turned Me into a Cougar

This is a love blog. I hesitated posting it because my stone-cold crazy is on full display here. Alas, I decided that you, my friends, have to accept me as I am, fanatical obsessions and all. And I'm far too consumed with Bruno Mars of late to pretend otherwise. I apologize for the length, but mine is a verbose love. :-)

Simply put, Bruno Mars is my new obsession. I am totally in love with him! If you’re not familiar with his music, allow me to introduce you. He currently has the number one song in the country (sophomore hit "Grenade); his solo debut "Just the Way You Are" also still lingers in the Billboard Top Ten. Before stepping in front of the mic, beautiful Bruno (with his team) wrote & produced several hits for other artists. They did "Right Round" for Flo'rida, "Nothin' on You" for B.O.B (Bruno sang the hook on that one), "Billionaire" for Travie Mccoy (again Bruno sang the hook), and "F**k You" (aka "Forget You") for Cee-lo. “Glee,” like me, has Bruno fever too. The wedding episode “Furt” featured the kids performing “Just the Way You Are" (Finn sang it to Kurt at the reception) and "Marry You" (the wedding party sang & danced their way down the aisle). He is also the proud & deserving recipient of seven Grammy nominations, second to only Eminem with ten, I think. Bruno is blowing up like a grenade! (You know I can't resist a pun.)

Let’s trace my love affair with him:

Subconscious exposition: I totally dug the hooks on “Billionaire” & “Nothin’ on You.” Didn’t really care for the rap part, just the hook. What a cute, catchy melody, I thought. What a nice voice. Didn’t care enough to find out who it was or anything though. I mean, those guys are a dime a dozen. Doesn’t mean they can carry a whole song or have a real career. (Think the guy on that Shaggy song, “It Wasn’t Me” and the like).

The impetus: I found myself involuntarily singing along to the pretty little ditty called “Just the Way You Are.” Such beautiful lyrics, such a pure vocal. A song you want a guy to sing to you (assuming he sings like Bruno Mars, of course). So I decided I needed to know who sang this gorgeous song, not that there was a chance in hell of him sounding like that live…

Adding fuel to the fire: Oh, goody. Bruno Mars on SNL. Let’s hear it live—what the heck?! OMFG—best live vocal I’ve heard in forever. Such an ethereal voice. How does he sound that good live? I think I like this better than the recorded version. How can that be? In a music world populated by Katy Perry, Rihanna, Ke$ha, etc, popular singers can't actually sing anymore. Around this time, I also found out Bruno was the man behind those catchy hooks on "Nothin' on You" & "Billionaire." The more I learn, the more impressed I am with his "vocal stylings" (I've always loved that term, and how often do you get to use it?).

Surrender: Heard that “Glee” (aka my favorite show since “Lost” & “24” ended last year) did a couple of Bruno songs. Ooh, let’s see how they did with “Just the Way You Are.” Nice job, Finn. Let’s check out this other song they did…OMG, what a cute song “Marry Me” is! This Bruno Mars may be worth further investigation…

YouTube Onslaught: That’s when I developed a little problem. Went to YouTube to check him out and found several live performances. OMFG—is he getting hotter? First time I saw him, I thought he was kinda funny looking. But the more I watch him sing, the more I start to think he’s sexy as hell. Am I crazy? (According the legion of fanatics on YouTube, I am not. I’m in good company, as long as crazy fanaticism is good company.)

Bruno is beyond amazing live. He's actually better live than recorded. You don't actually realize how ridiculously gifted he is until you hear him live, preferably with minimal musical accompaniment. He's better acoustic than with all those distracting instruments. Bruno, a guitar and maybe a keyboard equals magic! I am smitten, enamored, obsessed. His voice makes me melt, and I could listen to him sing 24/7 (and I pretty much have the last month or so). Can't get enough of him. And he gets hotter & hotter. His cute little lips, his perfect white teeth, his dimples, his Asian eyes (he’s Filorican, or Puertopino— ½ Filipino, ½ Puerto Rican, all hotness).

I'm full on crushing on him! Like a frickin' teenage girl (though I’m old enough to have been his teenage mother. LOL.) Hence the "Cougar" in the blog's title. I listen to the cd in the car in the morning; get in a quick listen on the computer as I head off to lunch; immediately start jamming to the cd in my classroom after the kids leave; watch a few youtube videos before I head home (I can blast them up on the big projection screen that way!); listen to the cd in the car on the way home; then watch a good hour or so of youtube performances every night. I need live Bruno every single day!!! Since we've been on Christmas break, make that a few hours of youtubing a day, and I've branched out beyond performances to interviews (he is funny as hell!) & unreleased demo songs. In addition, I must admit to checking his official website, facebook & twitter pages daily. I even have a picture of him as wallpaper on my new computer. Everyday. I am beyond smitten. Best thing since sliced bread, fo' real! It shouldn't be this exciting to discover a new artist, but he's a rarity: a popular singer who can actually sing live. And sing flawlessly with unbelievable range. Plus he writes and arranges music, and he plays guitar, piano & drums. He is a musical godsend. (You know I love multitalented musician types--cough, cough, Prince. Bruno is even short, like Prince.)

My favorite Bruno song of late is "Marry You." I'm attaching links to a few of my other fave Bruno clips. Maybe you can catch the fever, too. :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkuoRGig4Cs ("grenade" acoustic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FZtN7T5PXM&feature=channel ("lazy song" acoustic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hAPCPTjO10&feature=watch_response ("just the way you are" acoustic)

I think part of why I like these best is because they are studio-like performances and professionally recorded, so it's quiet--unlike the amateur concert footage, where you hear the people screaming, drowning out my baby's majestic vocals. I still watch those though (that's all that's available for "marry you"). There are several cool intimate radio show performances online, as well. They tend to have very small crowds that don't make a lot of noise either, so you can hear him. And he does some cool and fun covers, usually just snippets ("baby" by justin bieber, "eye of the tiger," and he does michael jackson's "the way you make feel" in the most to-die-for way). He's so dreamy...

So there it is, my secret shame on display for all to see. Don't judge me too harshly. I'm powerless against a voice & a smile like that. It's a killer combo. So I'm just gonna let my cougar flag fly.