Quite The Little Charmer..."A Royal Night Out"

A Royal Night Out (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Emily Watson, Rupert Everett, Jack Laskey, Jack Gordon, Jack Reynor,

Directed by

The Story:

Princess Elizabeth (Gadon) and Margaret (Powley) would very much like to get out of the castle and celebrate V-E Day with Londoners everywhere as World War II is over. Letting your daughters out on a night like that is worrisome enough for parents, but when your parents are the King and Queen (Everett & Watson) of England, you can imagine the answer already. However, they do send the girls out with a pair of military escorts (Laskey & Gordon) to ensure the girls are fine.

Naturally, you know what's going to happen next.

Based on the Queen's own true story, though I'm sure much of the efforts are exaggerated for comic effect, this movie is a sweet little story about 2 little girls who have one shot at feeling normal in their lives, and are determined to take it.

Gadon and Powley are up to the challenge of putting a little life into their royal portrayals and make the characters come alive getting a chance to experience a lifetime of events all in one night.

Equally charming are Everett and Watson as the stiff upper lip monarchs who are thrilled to see the war is over and now worried about what their girls are up to.

Of course, while the 2 military escorts play the comedy part of the movie, there's a 3rd (Reynor) who will bump into Elizabeth and provide the romance.

Like with all whirlwind movie romances, the two don't exactly hit it off very well upon their first meeting.

Very well done, and I'm glad the Queen was able to get out and let her hair down at least once in her life.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Not Worth The Risk..."Everest"

Everest (2015)

PG-13

Starring Jason Clarke, John Hawkes, Emily Watson, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robin Wright

Directed by Baltasar Kormakur

The Story:

In 1992, Rob Hall (Clarke) started a service to bring ordinary hikers of all abilities to the summit of Mt. Everest. In the ensuing 4 years, they never lost a climber. By 1996, many other upstart companies were looking to make money by doing the same thing. Just to avoid the logjam, Hall proposed taking two groups to the top with rival Scott Fischer (Gyllenhaal). Unfortunately, one of the worst storms in the history of Mt. Everest was just hours away.

This is their story.

And boy, is it a lousy one.

First, it's beautiful. The location, the scenery, all amazing. What's real and what's fake are pretty hard to differentiate, and that's great in a movie like this.

However, there really isn't a lot of suspense.

You know the storm is coming, and you know just about everyone in the cast is going to die.

And if...IF.. the way the story unfolds is the honest to goodness truth...

Well, okay, I hate to speak ill of the dead...

BUT...

This wasn't the storm's fault.

Look at the number of climbers that survived the trek up and back.

No, this was the fault of the professionals who decided to shrug their shoulders and say, well, okay hiker, we'll get you to the top instead of sending your butt back to base camp.

That's infuriating.

None of them "deserved" to die, but if you were to say this was a movie and not based on real life, then yes, several of them got exactly what was coming to them.

And several others died because of the stupid choices that were made along the way.

Ugh..

The more I type, the angrier I get.

Which is not what I want from a movie-going experience.

So, I can't fail the movie on those terms, as it's technically competent and has a phenomenal cast.

Instead, I'll just advise you to spare yourself 2 hours of misery and annoyance.

Just watch the trailer, that's where all the excitement is, and know that pretty much everyone dies.

The end.

:)

Final Grade: C-

Never Doubt The Persistence Of A "Little Boy"

Little Boy (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Jakob Salvati, Emily Watson, Kevin James, Michael Rapaport, Tom Wilkinson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa,

Written and Directed by Alejandro Monteverde

The Story:

Pepper (Salvati) loves his dad (Rappaport) so very much. The two are inseparable, which helps Pepper because the poor kid is kind of not really growing, thus earning him the "Little Boy" nickname. When his dad gets drafted into the war, Little Boy is alone and wants nothing more than his dad to come home. He consults the local priest (Wilkinson) on what he should do to bring his dad home safely, and he gives him a "to-do" list which centers around a local Japanese-American (Tagawa) who is facing the brunt of racism from the locals.  Naturally, all of these stories are going to converge before the movie comes to a close.

Handkerchiefs are optional.

Based, somewhat, on a true story, those of you that remember your history will know what is and isn't true.

For the non-history buff, watch the willingness of a boy believe that if he does the right thing, God will bring his daddy home safe from WWII.

And watch the worry in Wilkinson's eyes when he realizes that this boy has more than the faith of a mustard seed, but what if even that is not enough?

The only thing that seems slightly off in the movie is the Doctor (Kevin James) who is all kinds of creepy.  It's hard to see James in a serious role as you almost expect to see him say or do something funny, but he's trying to branch out into a serious role, and that's fine.  But with the moustache and creepy overtures towards the mom (Watson), like I said... :: shudder :: stranger danger alert time!

:)

Still, a pretty decent flick that's worth a viewing.

Final Grade: B

A True Story That Helped Change The World... "Belle"

Belle (2013)

Rated PG

Starring Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Sarah Gadon, Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Directed by Amma Assante

The Story:

Dido Elizabeth Belle (Raw) comes to live with her uncle, Lord Mansfield (Wilkonson) when her father (Goode) drops her off. She is raised with her cousin Elizabeth (Gadon), but though she is raised to enjoy much of the benefits of her noble bloodline, her color keeps her at a distance with what she is able to do.

Naturally, this is based on a true story!

Of course, in a period drama like this, there are two things that will happen.

First, there's the forbidden romance (Sam Reid) that should not be allowed in the late 18th Century.

Finally, there is the historical event that centered around Lord Mansfield as the Supreme Justice who was faced with a monumental ruling that would forever change the slave trade in Britain.

A very competent cast, and a surprisingly shorter running time than movies typical to the period dramas, not a bad film, but nothing exceptionally noteworthy to make this a must see.


Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Probably not, long period dramas rarely get multiple replays.

Untold Tales of World War II... "The Book Thief"

The Book Thief (2013)

Rated PG-13 for violence

Starring Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Nico Liersch, Ben Schnetzer

Directed by Brian Percival

The Story:

Liesel (Nelisse) is a young girl being sent to live with the Hubermann family, Hans and Rosa (Rush & Watson) at a time when Nazi power is on the upswing in Germany but before World War II has been declared.  Liesel's brother dies on the trip, and she discovers her first book, "The Gravedigger's Handbook" and steals it, fascinated by what it could contain.  Hans helps to teach her to read, and so begins her love affair with books.  However, as time marches on, so too does the onset of war, and the change and heartache that comes with it.

This is an interesting, slightly odd film concerning World War II.

First, it opens with narration by Death.  Death will provide a voice over a few times during the film, and it is an odd plot device to employ in the story.  It really doesn't add much to the story, it simply provides some omniscient narration that the writer or director wanted to emphasize.

It's neither a good nor bad technique, just different. 

As for the rest of the story, it's a very quiet build as Liesel learns to adapt to her new family.  Adored by Hans, and fearful of her new mother, the movie is a slow burn as emotions and feelings change throughout the movie.

The movie, while just over 2 hours, doesn't really drag, and they do manage to compress an entire war in the running time.

It's a remarkable feat, and yes, you begin to wonder if the movie is based on a true story, but no, it's a work of fiction.

That said, there is no doubt that the events that occur in the movie very likely happened to many, many Germans during the war.

That includes the hiding of Max (Schnetzer) in their basement, and the budding romance with the neighbor boy  Rudy (Liersch) that is both sweet and tragic as the movie rolls along.

There is some power to this movie that American audiences may never fully appreciate.  While we suffered casualties on the fields of battles, the countries involved in the ground war lost casualties on all fronts and lived in constant fear.

Nobody is asking you to suddenly feel sympathetic to the Nazi Party, but you are stretched to realize that not every German in the country was a devout follower of Herr Hitler.

If you get the chance to see it, I don't think you'll feel disappointed.

Final Grade: B/B- range.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: While I could watch it again, I would have no need to own this one for the library.