The King's Speech (2010)

4/5

The King's Speech is about a king (Firth) with a stuttering problem who must give a stirring, patriotic speech to his citizens as Britain enters WWII. His wife (Bonham Carter) enlists the help of a peculiar linguistics coach (Rush) as a last resort. As far as plot goes, that's about all there is to it. Although it's a simple story, it is exquisitely told. With perfectly composed shots, precisely metered pacing, and superb acting, the film rises above its straightforward writing. Colin Firth is magnificent in his role, bringing sympathy without pity to a nuanced, intricate character. He manages to be both intelligent and tender, manages to instill both strength and levity. Bonham Carter and Rush do fantastic jobs in supporting roles to make the whole thing an acting powerhouse. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie doesn't stand out quite like the acting does. It's perfectly competent technically, but all you'll remember when you think back on the movie is how good the acting is. And it is really good.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009)

4/5

The Girl Who Played With Fire centers around journalist Blomkvist (Nyqvist) and computer hacker Salander (Rapace). When Salander is suspected in a triple murder, Blomkvist attempts to get to the bottom of it. And that's about it for the plot. The Girl Who Played With Fire is, like almost all sequels, not nearly as good as the first one. Part of it is the writing (this being the middle of a trilogy) and part of it is the directing (this being a different director). The movie as a whole just doesn't seem as tight or as meaningful. The cinematography feels video-esque and the atmosphere less moody. Unnecessary scenes are retained and almost emphasized. Despite that, it's still a good movie. There were tense moments where the lives of people you cared about hung in the balance. There was fascinating depth added to Salander's originally superficial character. But overall, it feels as if there just wasn't as much care put into it or as much detail paid attention to.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216487/

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

4/5

The Kids Are All Right is an indie slice-of-life movie about a lesbian couple--Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore)--whose children (Wasikowska, Hutcherson) decide they want to meet their sperm donor dad (Ruffalo). When they do, he instantly connects to the daughter while the son remains somewhat distant. Eventually he falls in both the kids' favor and they invite him over to meet their parents. Things get a little bit more confusing when Jules starts having sex with him.

As far as the acting goes, Annette Bening is phenomenal in a role that is understated and subtle. There are few flashes of anger, but you can tell her mood precisely by the smallest facial movements. She plays to perfection the entire life of a woman we only get to spend a few hours with, and we see the mistakes of her past and her thoughts of the future. She puts on display so much more than what is written in the script. As far as the script goes, it's good but not great. My big problem with it is the ending. It feels as if they were just shallowly writing everything off, or giving us a wry wink and nod and saying, "We know this movie isn't real and it doesn't matter what happens in the end." Either way, it really didn't satisfy me. I didn't feel any closure whatsoever. On the opposite end, the best thing about the script was its humor (far funnier than some other indie films like Margot at the Wedding).

With a title like The Kids Are All Right, it's begging for immature movie reviewers clamoring that the movie is just all right. But luckily I think it's more than that; it's entertaining, it's moving, it's funny. And it has some fantastic acting. I just wish it had an ending to match.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0842926/