"The King's Speech" Review

As the saying goes, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." While this powerful quote may sound trite from overuse, it undoubtedly applies to King George VI, the subject of Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech."

The film follows George VI (Colin Firth), as he makes the transition from Duke of York to King of England. While George has many qualities of a great king, he suffers from an unfortunate stammer, which prevents him from speaking publicly. To help George overcome his speech impediment, his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) enlists the aid of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech specialist with a few unorthodox methods. With Logue, George wrestles with his stammer, as he is expected to deliver a speech to the nation on the impending war with Germany.

While "The King's Speech" certainly makes for an inspiring film, it's also a dull one. The film gains some momentum in its last act, but unfortunately most of the film feels sluggish and overly drab. While Mr. Hooper adds some levity to the film, it is not enough to make up for the film's otherwise somber tone.

Still, the film succeeds due to its impressive performances. Colin Firth successfully conveys George's complicated emotions. While George definitely shows a lack of self-confidence, he occasionally displays great arrogance - a sign that he is perhaps masking his true feelings. George VI has the potential to be a great king. He just does not realize it.

Firth is backed by a strong ensemble of British actors. While great thesps like Michael Gambon and Timothy Spall are given little to do, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter give solid performances as George's two main supporters - his speech therapist and his wife.

Still, the film's actors can only do so much to bolster the film's predictable plot and dull direction. The film, much like King George, does not realize its power until the film's last few scenes. While these scenes deliver a powerful message of perseverance and self-confidence, the rest of the film remains adequate at best.

"Black Swan" Review

In Black Swan, director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, The Fountain) creates a wonderfully haunting film that truly captures the mindset of a performer. The film follows Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a young ballerina, as she lands the lead in her company’s production of “Swan Lake.” Upon accepting the role, she begins to feel enormous pressure from not only the company’s pretentious director (Vincent Cassel), but also her mother (Barbara Hershey), a former ballerina who retired upon becoming pregnant with Nina. Wracked by the mounting pressure, Nina mentally unravels as the show’s opening night draws near.

The film, shot entirely from the perspective of Nina, truly taps into the psychology of its lead character. As Nina loses grip on reality, Aronofsky mirrors her addled state of mind through the film’s visuals. These visuals not only reflect the state of mind of the main character, but also symbolically comment on the plight of an artist. When Nina takes on a role, she feels an intense amount of scrutiny from her director, her mother, and the other actors in the production. To symbolically comment on the idea of being judged, Aronofsky uses mirrors as a visual motif.

The film also hosts an ensemble of great performances. Natalie Portman truly shines as Nina. Emphasizing her character’s naïve shyness and obsessive perfectionism, Portman shows the progression of both her character’s insanity and maturity. By the time the film reaches its last act, Portman completely lets loose and delivers what is perhaps one of the most audacious, confident performances of the year. Barbara Hershey also stands out as Erica, Nina’s oppressive mother. Hershey imbues Erica with an overly protective sweetness, a sweetness entangled with resentment. Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, and Vincent Cassel all add great detail as the other characters that haunt Nina’s life.

But what truly distinguishes Black Swan as one of the year’s best films is the bold vision of Darren Aronofsky. Creating dozens upon dozens of visual metaphors (some with multiple meanings), Aronofsky layers his film with ideas, symbols, and emotions, all while delivering a superb thriller laced with suspense and atmosphere. Instead of thrilling the audience from the start, Aronofsky slowly builds suspense by luring the audience into a state of unease. While everything feels “normal” in the film’s opening few sequences, Aronofsky adds a few eerie details to convey Nina’s psychological instability. As the film progresses, Aronofsky, conveying Nina’s mental and emotional unraveling, builds upon and exaggerates his style until the film climaxes in a visually stunning, emotionally tense final act.


Aiding Aronofsky’s impeccable atmosphere is Clint Mansell’s score, a haunting take on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake mixed with eerie modern overtones. The score, much like the film, grows more intense as the film progresses. The film also boasts some gorgeous camera work from cinematographer Matthew Libatique. In filming the ballet sequences, Libatique captures the feeling of the ballet by moving the camera with the dancers. Not as concerned with the individual ballet moves, Aronofsky and Libatique are more interested in conveying the feeling of ballet than focusing on each precise movement.

While Aronofsky and crew display great talent and ambition, they do not shy away from the film’s genre elements. Intead, Aronofsky fully embraces the idea that he’s making a horror film. While some critics may disapprove of the film’s genre elements, Aronofsky infuses all of the film’s thrills with thematic meaning. With this unique, often exaggerated, visual language, Black Swan truly captures the mind of a performer. Through Nina, the film shows how one can only break free from self-doubt by completely letting go of oneself and creating art. Thus, while the film may come off a tad too ridiculous at times, the fact that Aronofsky is willing to make risky stylistic choices shows that he, like Nina, is willing to let loose to create something truly memorable – an utterly unique and completely mesmerizing work of art.

Never Let Me Hunt Horcruxes for 127 Hours

"Never Let Me Go," based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, follows Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, three schoolchildren, as they mature from their childhood years to early adulthood. The three of them attended the mysterious Hailsham, a secretive private academy for "special" children. As the children grow up, they eventually uncover the secrets of Hailsham, as well as their true identity. The film, directed by Mark Romanek ("One Hour Photo"), is hauntingly beautiful. From the elegant performances from the three young leads (Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield) to the stunning cinematography, the film works on both a cerebral and emotional level. The score, by Rachel Portman, adds great poignancy to each scene. But what makes "Never Let Me Go" great is that it insists on asking the big questions. What makes for a memorable life? How does one accept death? Why does time slip away so quickly? While the film does not directly answer any of these questions, it at least makes the audience care for the characters who are struggling with them.


"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" continues the adventures of the boy wizard as he hunts down Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes (seven fragments of the Dark Lord's soul) in hopes that he can finally finish off the evil wizard for good. While "Hallows" does not rank as high as director David Yates's previous films in the series, "Order of the Phoenix" and "The Half-Blood Prince," it makes for an engaging enough first part to epic finale. Part of what prevents the film truly soaring is its constant reliance on exposition. While the novel by JK Rowling included much of this exposition, it unfortunately did not translate well from page to the screen. By this point, it's almost near impossible for a casual fan of the "Potter" films to comprehend the series's dense plot. Thankfully, the film's acting makes up for some of the script's weaker points. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson give great performances as the now famous trio Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Watson, in particular, lends the film a certain emotional weightiness. But, in the end, this is only Part 1 of a greater film. Hopefully, when Part 2 is released this July, the combined film will make up for some of the flaws of its first part.


"127 Hours," the latest film from director Danny Boyle, stars James Franco as Aron Ralston, a mountain climber with an adventuring, if reckless, personality. While exploring the canyons of Moab, Utah, Ralston gets his hand stuck under a boulder, trapping him in a narrow canyon for - you guessed it - 127 hours. The film, based on a true story, manages to convey the reality of Ralston's situation through Boyle's unique style. Boyle heightens and exaggerates all of Ralston's emotions through several different visual and aural techniques. For example, when Ralston becomes disoriented, the film's visuals become less clear and the film's sound becomes less clear to match Ralston's state of mind. When he is in pain, Boyle uses sharp noises to convey Aron's agony. Boyle's energetic direction, paired with a solid performance from James Franco as Raslton, makes "127 Hours" an engaging, and emotionally uplifting, story. Although the film's ending teeters a bit too far into sentimentality for my liking, Boyle reigns in the emotion well enough to make "127 Hours" one of the best films of the year.