The King's Speech

[a nameless entity]

My brother and his family picked me up on the way to this film tonight. I haven't been to a movie theatre in 10? 15? 20??? years. Needless to say, the modern theatre was a bit of a shock. The seats are so much smaller in all dimensions. They have far too short arms with a stupid circle of metal at the end of each one that serves as a drink holder. VERY uncomfortable. We got there half an hour early, and had to endure endless low res commercials that were FAR TOO LOUD!!
Then, when the time for the movie came, and the house lights went down, more LOUD commercials! For 15 minutes!!
They were in slightly higher resolution than the preceding commercials, but when my nephew told me that all movies were digital now, my heart sank a bit. I have been away from the theatre experience for quite a while, I guess. This was a first for me. And during this whole time it was looking like it would be my last, I was that pissed off.

When the "film" itself started, the resolution wasn't too bad, but the contrast was way off. Far too soft. The image would have been far superior on my brother's home theatre system. No contest!

However once the movie started and I was drawn into the story, all the annoyances and the discomfort of the terrible modern seats was completely forgotten. I am no movie reviewer, but I can quite conservatively make a guess that the film deserves a minimum of 4 out of 5 stars from the professional reviewers. It was really worth all of the nonsense endured for the 45 minutes preceding the start of the movie. I'm not sorry I went after all. And I will be buying the DVD of the movie as soon as I can.

My own personal score for the movie is 5 out of 5.
The theatre experience itself gets 2 or 3 stars out of 5. If the movie had been a dud, the theatre experience score would have been negative.

Go and see this movie, or buy or rent the DVD. If crotchety old namey can be this impressed after such a bad start, it really must be good.

[Hermskii]

Awesome review for a theater and a movie I still don't know the names of. Maybe I missed something but I read the post twice and partially more. LOL.

Here goes an age thing but I recall seeing a movie at the best theater by me for $0.75 when I was a kid. I could buy a pack of smokes for around a $1.00 back around then too.

Funny thing that you mentioned was all of the commercials. When I Look up the start time for a flick these days that I'm going to see, I know for example to use this rule: If the movie starts at 10:00 PM, I need to be in my seat and ready not later than 10:20 PM but I don't mind being early because the 20 minutes before any movie starts is nothing but adds for coming movies and 3 out of 5 times I'll decide to see my next movie based on that preview I saw before this movie. They show about 5 new movies that are coming and I'll want to see 2-3 of them and will actually go and see at least one of them. The add for the new version of "The Karate Kid" is a perfect example.

Too bad the "Avatar" wasn't the first flick you saw in all of this time since you've last visited a theater. I have not seen it either but every single person who saw it and saw it in 3D swears it was a totally new movie experience worth making happen. Peace!

[a nameless entity]

Here is a quick synopsis of the movie "The King's Speech":

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who would become King George VI, the father of the current Queen, Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ‘Bertie’ VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded nervous stammer and considered unfit to be King, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.


And here is a full synopsis:

Fresh from his Academy Award®-nominated performance in A Single Man, Colin Firth delivers another performance of nuance and grace in this moving story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is the mid-thirties and radio is king. In the words of King George V (Michael Gambon), the members of the Royal Family are forced to become the lowest of creatures: actors. But his son “Bertie” (Firth) is plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king. Haunted by a disastrous and humiliating incident in which he delivered the closing speech at the British Empire Exhibition, Bertie is encouraged by his caring wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) to engage the assistance of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).
Bound by rules of propriety, Bertie is reluctant to work with Logue, particularly when he insists on ignoring royal protocol and treating Bertie as he would any other man. But gradually, through a series of unconventional techniques, Bertie learns to manage his stutter and forms an unlikely friendship with Logue. When his older brother, King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), abdicates the throne, Bertie becomes king and must summon the courage and authority to lead his country into war.
A sensitive and penetrating character study in the guise of a rich historical period piece, The King’s Speech probes the intriguing concept of a powerful man locked in a struggle to accept his own authority. As a member of the Royal Family, Bertie enjoys powers and privileges that are alien to most people, yet he feels powerless and frustrated. It is the camaraderie that blooms between Bertie and Logue that allows him to break free from this pattern and embrace his own uniqueness.
A fascinating look inside the mind of a great man, The King’s Speech boasts heartwarming performances from an accomplished cast, particularly Firth and Rush, whose combative, respectful and tender friendship forms the heart of this touching film.

And here is the web page that I copy and pasted from:

http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/ ... h#filmnote

[Scify]

Awesome review for a theater and a movie I still don't know the names of. Maybe I missed something but I read the post twice and partially more. LOL.

Here goes an age thing but I recall seeing a movie at the best theater by me for $0.75 when I was a kid. I could buy a pack of smokes for around a $1.00 back around then too.

Funny thing that you mentioned was all of the commercials. When I Look up the start time for a flick these days that I'm going to see, I know for example to use this rule: If the movie starts at 10:00 PM, I need to be in my seat and ready not later than 10:20 PM but I don't mind being early because the 20 minutes before any movie starts is nothing but adds for coming movies and 3 out of 5 times I'll decide to see my next movie based on that preview I saw before this movie. They show about 5 new movies that are coming and I'll want to see 2-3 of them and will actually go and see at least one of them. The add for the new version of "The Karate Kid" is a perfect example.

Too bad the "Avatar" wasn't the first flick you saw in all of this time since you've last visited a theater. I have not seen it either but every single person who saw it and saw it in 3D swears it was a totally new movie experience worth making happen. Peace!

i think I am older than you i remember movie was $2.50 for night daylight $1.75
I haven't been to Movie for 3 years now