Film, life and everything in between
Weekly Review -- Cinematic royalty
The Queen (2006) -- We see them in the news, on magazine covers and in society sections of world newspapers. We hear news and gossip about them daily, but how much do we really know about the British royal family? More importantly, do we even come close to knowing anything about Queen Elizabeth II, one of the family's most enigmatic figures? This sharp, witty and at times downright poignant film manages at once to humanize the royal family, while also retaining its central character's mystique. The film follows the aftermath of Britain's two landmark events that occurred in the summer of 1997 -- Tony Blair's ascent to the Prime Minister position in May and Princess Diana's tragic death at the end of August. Blair's (Michael Sheen) attempts to modernize the monarchy and the Queen's (Helen Mirren) misgivings about the new and often hotheaded Prime Minister take a back seat after the Princess of Wales dies. While Blair and the entire country are stunned at the lack of grief displayed by the royal family, we are privy to what has been going on behind the scenes at the Buckingham Palace. Director Stephen Frears portrays the Queen as a deeply conflicted individual, torn between her ingrained sense of duty to tradition and a situation that directly affects not only her family, but also her country, family traditions and the only life she has ever known. There is no other way to describe Mirren's performance, other than saying that she becomes the Queen. Her voice and mannerisms are perfect and the performance, that could have come dangerously close to parody in lesser hands, is an expertly created depiction of a woman whose inner strength may even be unfamiliar to herself. Michael Sheen is very good as Blair; the character's quirks and witty confusion at the royal family's ways are a delight to watch. I also really liked Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair, who stands behind her husband and, like him, is very new to the political fame game. The screenplay is a rare combination of biting wit and serious contemplation. It incorporates a view of Great Britain's collective grief after Princess Diana's death into a look at this event's political effect, while always having the royal family's reactions at the forefront. The Queen is a classy film about the clash of tradition and modern politics, but also about an extraordinary family's attempts to deal with a personal tragedy, which just happened to be one of the milestone events of the nineties.
10/10
Weekly Review -- Religion squared
The Reaping (2007) -- Take a few elements from some classic horror movies, add an in-demand actress, a relatively interesting story dealing with people's religious views, a lot of jumps and gore, and you get The Reaping in a nutshell. Hilary Swank plays Katherine Winter, a former Christian missionary with a horrific past, who has given up on faith and now travels the world debunking supposed religious phenomena. One day, she gets a call regarding strange occurrences in a Louisiana town, appropriately named Haven. It seems that the town has become the site of the ten Biblical plagues and the residents are blaming it all on an exiled little girl, Loren McConnell (AnnaSophia Robb), who they believe is a Devil incarnate. At first skeptical, Katherine is soon forced back into religion by indisputable facts and tragic events, but is it too late to save Haven? The film suffers from illogical plot points -- the lack of proper law enforcement comes to mind -- and overblown close-ups, not to mention various elements lifted directly and unabashedly from other, and incomparably better, horror films. The flashbacks are pointless, having nothing to do with the present story. Swank does all right with what she is given, although the role is not up to par with her talent. Stephen Rea and Idris Elba's talents are also mostly wasted. The dialogue is generic and uninspired, while the direction is too hectic for a tale that would have benefited more from subtle, unassuming storytelling. Overall, The Reaping does not offer anything new, even though the story is mildly intriguing; however, the film feels more like a rough draft than a final cut.4/10
Weekly Review -- Eminent history
The Day of the Jackal (1973) -- One of the works that re-defined thrillers, this film, based on a novel by Frederick Forsyth, is a masterpiece of the genre. After the Algerian War of Independence ends in 1962, l'Organisation armée secrète or OAS, a French nationalist organization, conducts a series of assassination attempts at president Charles de Gaulle. After all of them prove to be unsuccessful, the organization decides to hire an untraceable someone to finish the job, and a merciless contract killer who calls himself "The Jackal" (Edward Fox) enters the picture. He has never operated in France, is a master identity thief and never stays in one place for too long, a combination of factors that proves to be a nightmare for the team of investigators headed by Inspector Lebel (Michael Lonsdale). Who will get to de Gaulle first? The film is incredibly effective in its cold, businesslike approach to the proceedings. The Jackal is a very appealing villain. Although it is easy to despise him -- his interests are solely financial and do not even have anything to do with the OAS cause -- his intelligence and calculated demeanor make him intriguing. His thought process is fascinating to watch, and Fox brings ruthless charisma to the part. Lonsdale, on the other hand, brings a meticulous patience and even a dose of humor to the role of the tortured inspector. His detailed briefings with the investigative committee are one of the screenplay's many strong points. The film's atmosphere of historical realism makes the audience feel like we are watching an archived file instead of a fictitious work, while Fred Zinnemann's direction is subtle and precise. Every aspect of this film is well thought out, intelligent and thrilling. It sets a high cinematic standard for the genre, but also for filmmaking in general. Watch it if you would like to see cinema at its classiest.10/10
The Queen (2006) -- We see them in the news, on magazine covers and in society sections of world newspapers. We hear news and gossip about them daily, but how much do we really know about the British royal family? More importantly, do we even come close to knowing anything about Queen Elizabeth II, one of the family's most enigmatic figures? This sharp, witty and at times downright poignant film manages at once to humanize the royal family, while also retaining its central character's mystique. The film follows the aftermath of Britain's two landmark events that occurred in the summer of 1997 -- Tony Blair's ascent to the Prime Minister position in May and Princess Diana's tragic death at the end of August. Blair's (Michael Sheen) attempts to modernize the monarchy and the Queen's (Helen Mirren) misgivings about the new and often hotheaded Prime Minister take a back seat after the Princess of Wales dies. While Blair and the entire country are stunned at the lack of grief displayed by the royal family, we are privy to what has been going on behind the scenes at the Buckingham Palace. Director Stephen Frears portrays the Queen as a deeply conflicted individual, torn between her ingrained sense of duty to tradition and a situation that directly affects not only her family, but also her country, family traditions and the only life she has ever known. There is no other way to describe Mirren's performance, other than saying that she becomes the Queen. Her voice and mannerisms are perfect and the performance, that could have come dangerously close to parody in lesser hands, is an expertly created depiction of a woman whose inner strength may even be unfamiliar to herself. Michael Sheen is very good as Blair; the character's quirks and witty confusion at the royal family's ways are a delight to watch. I also really liked Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair, who stands behind her husband and, like him, is very new to the political fame game. The screenplay is a rare combination of biting wit and serious contemplation. It incorporates a view of Great Britain's collective grief after Princess Diana's death into a look at this event's political effect, while always having the royal family's reactions at the forefront. The Queen is a classy film about the clash of tradition and modern politics, but also about an extraordinary family's attempts to deal with a personal tragedy, which just happened to be one of the milestone events of the nineties. 
