by John Sarkis

Created on: April 06, 2011   Last Updated: April 16, 2011

It has been previously said, that if you can capture the plot's essence in a single sentence, then you can turn a story into a film.  A king suffering from a severe stuttering disorder. -  "The King's Speech" won the Oscar for 2010.  Perhaps not the greatest film ever, but exceptional nonetheless.  Geoffrey Rush is great as King George VI's tutor, but then, what film has Rush given a bad performance in? Rush has for the most part given above par performances in most of his roles.  Colin Firth was exceptional as the tormented King who wishes his words would flow from his lips in a more eloquent fashion. Firth received so many awards and recognitions, that it'll be difficult for him to outdo himself in future films.  The film's musical score was exceptional.  The slow movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony being heard in the background while the King is giving his speech (hence the film's name), is remarkably effective.  In supporting roles are: Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, etc.

Caveat:  "The Ghost Writer," is a mystery - who done it type film.  If you haven't seeing it, my review will spoil the ending for you:

Roman Polanski does it again.  This film is an adaptation of Robert Harris' novel entitled: "The Ghost."  Ewan McGregor plays a somewhat successful ghostwriter who takes on an assignment that entails writing the biography of England's Prime Minister, played by no other than Pierce Brosnan.  McGregor starts off in the assignment and begins to find out some of the prime minister's unsavory secrets.  The film's twist is when McGregor thinks he's onto something.  In actuality, the pieces of the puzzle seem to fit, but he's building the wrong puzzle.  In the end, McGregor finds out that it's the prime minister's wife (played by Olivia Williams) who actually works for the CIA. The film is a fictional account of Tony Blair's life.  McGregor finds out too late, and is hit by a car at the very end of the film and perhaps killed. (The film only implies that the writer gets hit by a car, but it ends there, leaving the rest to the imagination.)

The 2010 remake of "Clash of the Titans," could have been better.  "Stories written in the stars" as the narrator says in the beginning of the film...indeed., Homer and Hesoid's epics and tales are almost as old as the stars - Western Civilization owes a great deal to these two great poets, so you'd at least expect the film to get their stories correct.  Hades didn't create the kraken.  In the original story, Queen Cassiopeia is portrayed as being vain and conceited, at least this 2010 film version got that part of the story correct, because in the 1981 version of "Clash", she's incorrectly portrayed as nice and down to earth....                                

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