Gambit

Back in the dim dark days of 1966, Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine starred in a fun little heist romp of a film, Gambit.  In 2012, a new team appropriated the name and the underlying concept of that earlier film and created their own version of Gambit, this time with Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz in the starring roles.  The film did so badly in the U.K. that the studio never even released it in the U.S.  Instead, they took it straight to DVD.

To my surprise, I only recently learned about this new version.  Given that it also features Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci, two actors I follow, I am amazed that I had never heard of the movie before--but I had indeed somehow missed it.  Once I discovered it, however, I ordered it, and the other night a group of us watched it.

I loved it from start to finish.  With Colin Firth doing a blend of his usual performance and the sort of comedy Peter Sellers once provided, he was a wonderful lead.  Cameron Diaz kept up well enough to make her character interesting.  Alan Rickman was, as always, delightful, and Stanley Tucci chewed hard on the scenery.  The plot was engaging and constructed well enough that even though you could spot the ending early on, you still had a great time getting to it.

If you can find this movie on Netflix or for sale on DVD, do check it out.  You'll have a delightful hour and a half.

The King's Speech

I know, I know: This film is so yesterday that it's almost out on DVD. What am I doing writing about it now?

Various trips and schedule conflicts meant that I missed it when my friends went to see it. I could have waited for the DVD release, which I will definitely buy, but I really wanted to watch it in a theater. Friday night, the opportunity presented itself, so I headed over to the one last local cinema that was still playing it.

With all the hype and awards around The King's Speech, and with such wonderful lead actors, I expected to like it. I didn't.

I loved it, absolutely adored the movie.

This film was as close to perfect as anything I've seen on the big screen in years. The script hewed closely to honesty while developing the difficult and complex relationship between the leads. The performances were broad only when the characters would have been acting broadly and otherwise were perfectly nuanced. The big three of the movie--Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter--nailed every moment they were on screen.

If by some miracle you don't know anything about this movie, I don't want to give away any more. If you've followed it, I can't add anything about it that you won't already have read.

Save this: My recommendation that you see it, buy the DVD, and generally support this sort of filmmaking. After reporting again and again on movies that required me to turn off my brain, it's a refreshing pleasure to get to recommend one that rewards as much engagement as you are willing to give it.

As far as I'm concerned, it deserved its Best Picture Oscar.