The Royal Family doesn't really fascinate me that much, and I grew weary of Princess Di stuff long ago, but despite that, The Queen was a nice movie. It is easy to see why Helen Mirren won the Oscar for her performance. Completely convincing as Queen Elizabeth II. The story revolves around the aforementioned Royals during the week following Diana's death in 1997 (I remember it well; I was at Burning Man), and how the Queen deals with the public anguish over the event and the ensuing backlash at her apparent cold reaction. It is a very intimate and fresh perspective on the Royal Family's tenuous relationship with Diana (and with one another). I remember reviews of the film when it first came out described it as more of a TV movie than a theatrical release. That would perhaps be a fair assessment if not for Mirren's performance.
On a personal note, the same actor that plays the Queen's personal aide (Roger Allam - he looks a hell of a lot like Christopher Hitchens) also plays a crucial role in The Wind That Shakes the Barley. I will try and point out these small things I notice, not because I think I am being especially perceptive, but just to try and draw threads that can extend through my movie-watching. Hopefully I can make more connections.
Showing posts with label Roger Allam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roger Allam. Show all posts
Friday, January 4, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
I am going to be absolutely diligent this year about this blog. I think the main mistake I made last year was approaching it as a way to review movies, instead of a way to actually chronicle how many films I saw. The result was I have no idea how many movies I saw in 2007 because I gave up on keeping track after not even a month. Then I made a lame attempt to try and compensate with those last few '07 posts, but that was really like shooting fish in a barrel. I easily saw over 100 movies last year if not more, only a fraction of which made it onto the blog. So, now I will write at least something about every movie I see. The posts may be long or short depending on how inspired I am to write about them. I will include all films, be they DVD/Blu-Ray, theater or cable. I will even throw in films I have already seen, just to keep the count straight.
Ok, so The Wind That Shakes the Barley was the first movie of the year on January 1st, 2008. Set in 1920, it tells of the Irish struggle for independence against Britain, which was desperately trying to keep the Empire together. From my history classes, the Brits were probably embroiled in the Boer Wars in South Africa around that same time, and were also dealing with Egypt and India to boot. Therefore, keeping Ireland in line was probably of utmost importance to the Crown, lest it risk losing the loyalties of its other imperial conquests.
Told from the Irish perspective, the film chronicles how two brothers struggle for Irish independence, but ultimately fall on different sides of the conflict when one accepts an truce with Britain while the other continues his armed resistance. Good film, visually pleasing to me at least with all the green Irish landscapes. The accents are a bit tough at times, especially when the actors occasionally venture into Gaelic (although this certainly adds an extra level of authenticity to the film). Overall, I really enjoyed it, but it probably won't appeal to a wide audience due its theme and art house feel. The cast is all Irish, with the only recognizable actor being Cillian Murphy of Batman Begins fame.
Ok, so The Wind That Shakes the Barley was the first movie of the year on January 1st, 2008. Set in 1920, it tells of the Irish struggle for independence against Britain, which was desperately trying to keep the Empire together. From my history classes, the Brits were probably embroiled in the Boer Wars in South Africa around that same time, and were also dealing with Egypt and India to boot. Therefore, keeping Ireland in line was probably of utmost importance to the Crown, lest it risk losing the loyalties of its other imperial conquests.
Told from the Irish perspective, the film chronicles how two brothers struggle for Irish independence, but ultimately fall on different sides of the conflict when one accepts an truce with Britain while the other continues his armed resistance. Good film, visually pleasing to me at least with all the green Irish landscapes. The accents are a bit tough at times, especially when the actors occasionally venture into Gaelic (although this certainly adds an extra level of authenticity to the film). Overall, I really enjoyed it, but it probably won't appeal to a wide audience due its theme and art house feel. The cast is all Irish, with the only recognizable actor being Cillian Murphy of Batman Begins fame.
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