80. The King's Speech (PG-13 version)

                King George has a problem.  He can’t sp-sp-sp-speak well and he st-stu-stu-stutters.  So he enlists the help of a therapist who is more than a little unorthodox but is supposed to have the rep for doing wonders with this problem.

           Set on the back drop of infant stage of Radio, The King’s Speech is a wonderfully acted, but sometimes boring Oscar winner for Best Picture. I do think Colin Firth is phenomenal in this movie from an acting stand point. But to tell me that this movie is better than Inception or The Social Network then you have more problems than old King George here.

                King George doesn’t even want to be king. He is forced into the throne and is petrified of having to lead his people who now rely on the sound of his voice. The movie is good. It drags in parts.  But you do start to care and really connect with George as he goes on this journey to cure his problem. Then finally at the end when he delivers a grand and epic speech you do find yourself wanting to stand and applaud. But better than Inception and Social Network.  No way.

Final Verdict: Not worth owning. Not the best picture.  But IT IS worth watching.

Other tidbits:

Speech therapist Lionel Logue is played by Geoffrey Rush aka Captain Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean.

A couple of other notable characters from the HP series make appearances as well.

43. Mamma Mia

                  Pierce Brosnan should not sing.  I was really tempted to make that the entire blog. Just wrap Mamma Mia up to that one point. I won't but I did want to stress that Pierce Brosnan should NOT sing.  Not his thing.

                Mamma Mia that hit musical based on the music of ABBA.  The story about a young girl who is getting married and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. Except she doesn’t know who her father is. She has, however, narrowed it down to three men who could be the one. So she invites all three to her wedding unbeknownst to her mother, played by Meryl Streep.  What goes on from there is a lot of singing and a lot of soul searching. Oh, and it all takes place in Greece. I will say this, the beauty of Greece really comes out in the bluray edition of this.

                Mamma Mia can be entertaining at times. It's funny in parts. But musicals are just not my thing.  It does help that ABBA music is not the traditional music that you hear in musicals. I do admire the creativity to take the ABBA classic pop songs and turn them into a story. I also admire the talent of Streep who can pull this role off just as well as she can anything else. But still Pierce Brosnan should not sing. Plus it really bugs me that they never tell you who the dad actually is. 

Final Verdict: I would never own it, but doesn’t matter since my wife has deemed it worthy of owning. And in blu ray!