Eesh, who’d have thought the weather would be so miserable in LA?! If it were about 20 degrees cooler, we’d be having snow. I wouldn’t mind that, but however LA would shutdown if that happened.
Got to see a pair of movies last weekend, while many Angelenos were rushing about for those last minute holiday gifts.
The Fighter
Based on the true story of “Irish” Micky Ward, a middle welterweight fighter from Lowell, MA and his half-brother Dicky Eklund who trained him. Ward went all the way to winning the World Middle Welterweight Championship. Very good film with amazing performances from everyone involved. Christian Bale’s crackhead Dicky Eklund was as great as everyone says it was. Amy Adams looked great in the role of a tough as nails bar maid who Mark Wahlberg’s Ward romances.
The weakest part, in my opinion was Wahlberg’s character (not his performance, mind you). Ward seemed like too much of a pushover who could not stand up for himself outside the ring or realize how toxic Dicky or the rest of his white-trash family (headed fantastically by Melissa Leo) were. But all in all it had great boxing scenes and it entertained me.
The King’s Speech
Also based on a true story, this time telling how George VI, who became king of England after his brother Edward abdicated the throne for love, overcame his debilitating stutter through the help of an unconventional speech therapist. I had no clue this movie was about Queen Elizabeth’s father right before World War 2 commenced.
Either way, this was the best movie I’ve seen in months. Loved it to pieces. Colin Firth should win any best actor award he was nominated for. He conveyed so many layers as King George VI: fear, sorrow, shame, love, arrogance, petulance, royal entitlement, clemency and oodles of other emotions. Yet his performance also allowed room for other actors (Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce and Helen Bonham Carter to name a few) to shine. Plus, I’m a big fan of British English and that bone dry wit of theirs.
Working on my next outline. Its coming together well. We’ll see what fruit it bears.
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