December 20, 2006
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WEDNESDAY MOVIE
The Queen
Most
of us folks here in the colonies got to know Helen Mirren in her role
as Inspector Jane Tennison in the wonderful British series Prime
Suspect, having risen to 54-year-old Detective Superintendent at the
London Metropolitcan Police by “Prime Suspect 6.” This is not only a
highly respected actress but a woman who puts the “m” in
middle-aged-babe-ilicious. Sexy and smart she skewers her way through
the male
police population like a knife through butter. Well….in The Queen the
skewering part is still fully functional, except in this case it’s all
tricked out in the incredibly dowdy but royal costume of
the most powerful woman in England. With a little emphasis on double
chin and an excellent silver wig, Helen Mirren disappears into Queen
Elizabeth II as she copes with the death of Princess Diana in 1997, the
same year that Tony Blair was elected by a landslide as Prime Minister.
Elizabeth had ruled through nine Prime Ministers before Blair, and he
was the first who was younger than her own children. Mirren is 61 now
and is playing the Queen at 71 when all this happened. Blair is 27
years younger than the Queen. So the film is really a character study
of how these two dealt with each other and the national tragedy, how
the withdrawal of the Royal Family from the public almost got them
“fired” if it hadn’t been for Blair’s deft handling of the PR necessary
to turn things around. It’s an all-British cast, most of them folks
we’re just beginning to see in American films. There is actually very
little about the accident that took Diana’s life or any fleshing out of
the two boys she left behnd. It’s The Queen and the P.M. and the
exquisite English countryside that will take your breath away. Don’t
miss it.
Deep Thought: “Many people do not
realize that the snowshoe can be used for a great many things besides
walking on snow. For instance, it can be used to carry pancakes from
the stove to the breakfast table. Also, it can be used to carry uneaten
pancakes from the table to the garbage. Finally, it can be used as a
kind of strainer, where you force pancakes through the strings to see
if a piece of gold got in a pancake somehow.”
Today I am grateful for: The great reception Rocky Balboa is getting, even though I probably won’t see it.
Guess the Movie: “Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.” Answer: King Kong, 1933.
Winner: RnBoWSPOT. 
US Considers Naval Build-up as Warning to Iran
by Suzanne Goldenberg
The
Bush administration is weighing options for a naval build-up in the
Gulf as a show of force and a warning to Iran on its nuclear programme
and its support for Shia militias in Iraq, it emerged yesterday. (Rest
of article here.)
Comments (23)
i like the layout of your site.
What an amazing opportunity she has had to play both Elizabeth I & II all in the same year! What a highlight!
The Movie: King Kong
Aha – yes, King Kong – the original one.
Did you know Queen Elizabeth was a truck mechanic during WWII?
Yeah, Helen Mirren is hot!
This is one on my list for the break. Not because I’m interested in the “Royals” at all, but because Tony Blair is himself a fascinating Shakespearian semi-tragedy, plus a fantastic cast. A fine “deep thought” today as well.
54….my age. I hope someone, somewhere thinks I’m middle-age-babe-ilicious!
I heard a clip of this on NPR a few weeks ago, and I was most intrigued. Most powerful woman in GB, though, that’s a bit of a stretch, from all I’ve come to understand of the British monarchy.
However, from talking to people I know who have met the royal family, and other royal families, they do seem at times aloof and out of touch with their people, as any politician is ought to be (i.e. George H.W. Bush visiting a supermarket in the early 90′s) but not quite as severe as I’ve seen them all portrayed.
I still want to see the movie, but I take it all, all of it, with a grain of salt. Good post.
J
She really looks the part in that top photo.
I’ve heard this is wonderful and yet the story puts me off…
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helen Mirren is amazing. I hope she gets the oscar for this role.
I saw ‘The Queen’ last weekend. Helen Mirren was excellent. I also liked the way they used the actual news footage of Diana.
The way you dscribe things makes you want to go see the movie. You should do reviews.
Have a wonderful weekend!
I have very interest it…
Merry Christmas to you…
I did see it what an amazing film…
looking forward to the movie. 54, huh. Me too. funny, I’m a lot of things, but babe, I don’t think so. Suits me fine, anyway!
I love her in Prime Suspect, may have to see this movie…
RYC: ajushization might be a Soobeeism and not an actual word word.
Barbara saw “The Queen” without me. I had to pull a Sunday night shift at the hospital. We made up for it yesterday, taking in “The Good Shepherd” and “The Pursuit of HappYness.” I adore Helen Mirren. Who doesn’t?
i remember watching “white nights” and thinking that the russian actress was sooo good at acting in english – duh! she was an english actress playing a russian ballerina! (hey – i was like 15 yrs old) i have loved her ever since…
endearing
Merry Christmas, mom
i look forward to seeing that film. (queen). the snow shoe revelation. endless endless snow shoe ideas. i can keep myself laughing on the inside for days. thanks for stopping by. merry christmas!
do you still have a copy of the Celestine book?
did the flower die?