Movie review: “The King’s Speech” doesn’t miss a note
“The King’s Speech” captures a moment when royalty had to go from simply looking good in a crown to actually needing to communicate directly to the people, via the recently popularized invention of radio.
Colin Firth plays Albert, Duke of York, a chronic stutterer who is second in line to the British throne. His inability to give speeches leads his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), to seek help for him in the form of therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Logue, a would-be actor, demands that Albert treat him as an equal if the therapy is to work, something that’s difficult for the to-the-manor-born Albert.
Logue uses diction tricks and psychological insights to attack the prince’s stutter; he finds there may be some anger at the heart of the prince’s problem. The film’s R rating is solely for the language; Albert spews obscenities in an attempt to trick his mind out of stuttering.
Soon, the prince’s situation gets worse: The king dies, and Edward (Guy Pearce), next in line for the throne, is determined to take up with an American divorcee, which may keep him from serving as king. Albert’s time to master his diction draws short. With World War II on the horizon, Albert knows he must provide strength and unity for his people.
Infused with humor and brotherhood, “The King’s Speech” is a reminder of the power of friendship and the meaning of duty.
Tom Hooper (“The Damned United”) directs from a David Seidler screenplay. Firth is likely to receive a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his role as Albert. Rush is in fine form as the quick-witted Logue; Bonham Carter provides stability as the sophisticated Elizabeth.
Well-cast and well-crafted, “The King’s Speech” is one of the year’s best.
— Matthew Price
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman
MOVIE REVIEW
“The King’s Speech”
R
1:58
4 stars
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon.
(Language)
Best graphic novels of 2010
Those looking for illustrated long-form fiction had much to choose from in 2010, with graphic novels from traditional book publishers and those from the comics field combining to make a wide selection. From crime to fantasy, from the distant past to the future, graphic novels in 2010 explored the human condition in a variety of settings with a wide range of characters.
Here are my selections for the best 10 graphic novels of 2010. I’ve limited the list to stories that first appeared in a graphic novel format, as opposed to collections of periodically released comic books.
Next week, return for the top 10 periodical comics of 2010.
She-Ra actress Melendy Britt remembers series
She-Ra
The cartoon series “She-Ra” celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010. This interview with Melendy Britt, who provided the voice of She-Ra, appeared in The Oklahoman in October:
She- Ra, one of the most popular animated heroines of the 1980s, turns 25 in 2010, and the first 20 episodes of “She- Ra: Princess of Power” are available on DVD. Actress Melendy Britt, who played She- Ra and her alter ego, Adora, recently reminisced about the 93-episode series.
The fantasy series was a spinoff from “Masters of the Universe,” which featured He-Man; She- Ra was He-Man’s sister. She fought the forces of Hordak on the world of Etheria.
She- Ra was one of the premiere female heroes on television at the time, and Britt said her theater experience helped her with the dual role.
“Some things in life are just fated or meant to be,” she said. “I was trained in theater, and I did the classics. Shakespeare and Chekhov. Some of these characters were larger than life. So I was very accustomed to the stage and being larger than life.”
Adora, the secret identity of She- Ra, drew inspiration from a Shakespearean character, for example.
“Her innocence was a bit like Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ ” she said. But She- Ra was perhaps more universal.
“It was a feeling that I had that I wanted to be able to express power and wisdom and kindness and love in a voice,” Britt said. “And that’s how she evolved.”
Even though She- Ra was an adventure program, it often shared a positive message and included moral lessons in the epilogue. Britt revealed one tale that had real-life heroic implications.
In one show’s epilogue, He-Man and She- Ra told young viewers to be sure to tell an adult if they were touched in an inappropriate way.
“She- Ra says to the children, ‘It’s your body. No one should touch you in a way that you feel is wrong.’ And He-Man chimed in and said, ‘It may be hard to tell someone, but do tell.’ ”
Britt said producers subsequently received a letter from a parent of a child who had been molested. The child had been in therapy but had until then refused to reveal the name of the perpetrator.
“But when she heard her heroine She- Ra tell her to tell, she began to open up,” Britt said. “And to have been instrumental in that kind of help and justice was just monumental to me.”
- By Matthew Price
From the Oct. 22 edition of The Oklahoman
Happy 88th birthday, Stan Lee!
Stan Lee (AP)
Happy birthday to Stan Lee, who co-created many of Marvel Comics’ mainstays, including Spider-Man, X-Men, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four and many many more. It’s safe to say that without Stan Lee, modern comics wouldn’t be what they are today.
Stan turns 88 today. On his 85th birthday I made a list of 85 Stan Lee comic books you should read.
Let me add three more issues for the three years since then:
86. Avengers #8 — introducing the time-traveling villain Kang.
87.Fantastic Four #2 – introduction of the Skrulls
88. Amazing Spider-Man #28 – Peter Parker graduates high school, and the Molten Man is introduced.
- Matt Price
Monday movie quote challenge #110
“You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn’t, Mr. Potter. In the whole vast configuration of things, I’d say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider.”
Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!
Christmas comics from Golden Age highlighted in “The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories”
The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories
WORD BALLOONS
Classic tales of Santa Claus, his reindeer, friendly elves and helpful snowmen populate “The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories,” edited and designed by Craig Yoe.
Yoe, who previously edited and designed “The Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids’ Komics,” has collated another collection that should delight young and old alike. Artists represented in the collection include John Stanley (“Little Lulu”), Walt Kelly (“Pogo”) and Richard Scarry (Little Golden Books).
The stories, primarily from the 1950s and 1960s, have a charm and innocence and are compelling holiday-season tales that deserve the new audience.
“Batman Beyond: The Complete Series” DVD review
Batman Beyond: The Complete Series
When it was announced in the late 1990s that “Batman: The Animated Series” would end and be followed up by a “Batman in the future” show, there was fan skepticism. Was this just a ploy to sell some new toys? But with producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini among the responsible parties, the skepticism was unfounded. The story of a new hero taking up the mantle of the Bat 40 years in the future became a techno-styled animated noir classic.
Tron: Speed of Light stop motion from Kyle Roberts
Nerdage contributor and NewsOK/Planet 46 Comics co-host Kyle Roberts has unveiled his latest stop-motion animation, “Tron: Speed of Light.” It’s a good
Kyle Roberts
way to warm up for seeing “Tron: Legacy” starring Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, or to keep the “Tron” love going after you’ve seen the new film. Kyle previously created the stop-motion animations Iron Man vs. Batman and Michael Jackson Meets Wall-E, and is working on “Battle of the Bonds.”
Check “Tron: Speed of Light” out here, and then check out the “making of” after the jump. Way to go, Kyle! Can’t wait to see the next one. You can follow Kyle’s updates at his YouTube channel.
- Matt Price
X-Men: First Class reveals a villain; Tron: Legacy goes stop-motion; Christmas comics and Doctor Who
BRING THE BACON
Kevin Bacon tells Philadelphia Style that he will play mutant villain Sebastian Shaw in “X-Men: First Class.”
TRON STOP-MOTION DEBUTS
For his latest stop-motion animation project, NewsOK videographer Kyle Roberts tackled “Tron: Legacy.” Shooting more than 800 photographs in the dark, co-host Kyle Roberts used light-painting to make his subjects — the light cycles from “Tron” — race.
CHRISTMAS COMICS
Comic art from “The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories.”
Craig Yoe, who previously edited and designed “The Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids’ Komics” has collated another collection that should delight young and old alike. “The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories,” includes John Stanley (“Little Lulu”), Walt Kelly (“Pogo”) and Richard Scarry (Little Golden Books). Read more in this Friday’s Weekend Look.
DOCTOR WHO GIVEAWAY
Find out the winners of our Doctor Who DVD and Blu-ray giveaway!
Amy Adams gets down and dirty in “The Fighter”
Cast member Amy Adams arrives at the premiere of "The Fighter" in Los Angeles on Monday, Dec. 6, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Amy Adams, best-known for her sweet roles in films including “Enchanted” and “Julie & Julia,” shows that she knows how to get down and dirty in “The Fighter.” The film is based on the life and career of Lowell, Mass., boxer Micky Ward. Adams plays Charlene, Micky’s girlfriend who helps him learn to stand up to his family and take charge of his career.
Director David O. Russell informed Adams that he thought she looked like “a girl who couldn’t punch, which made me want to punch him.”
Adams took boxing lessons with the same trainer used by Mark Wahlberg, who plays Ward, to help prepare her for some of her more physically involved scenes.
“And then we just did some fight choreography. I think it was about not being afraid of hurting anybody,” Adams said. “That was my biggest concern. I didn’t want to hurt the girl that I was fighting with.”
Russell said he had been talking to Adams for a couple of years to find a project on which the two could work together.
“I knew that she was eager to break type for herself … in the sense that she had played mostly very sunny women,” Russell said. “And she was very eager to play someone against type, and I knew she was going to kill it. You know, and just from talking to her, I knew that she was really ready to step up. And there’s nothing better a director can have than somebody who’s very eager.”
Micky’s sisters refer to Charlene as an “MTV girl,” indicating they believe she’s wild. Adams, who met with the real-life Charlene after taking the role, said Charlene was a strong-willed woman who helped teach Micky to stand up for himself.
“Do I think it’s fair? From Charlene’s perspective, no. Nah, she was just a girl trying to make good, you know. Trying to deal with what she had,” Adams said.
Adams said she had instant chemistry with Wahlberg.
“Mark has a great quality as an actor and that was able to show, he was able to show that in – with Micky, this vulnerability,” Adams said. “And a man who’s powerful and strong yet is able to show tenderness and vulnerability — that’s really sexy.”
Russell, meanwhile, said Adams also was able to channel a mix of toughness and sensitivity into the film.
“Amy’s very fierce. … but Amy also brings a great deal of emotion in her eyes, so you have that great cocktail that I find so interesting, of the two.”
- By Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman
Travel and accommodations provided by Paramount Pictures
