movie minute

President intrigue: First of all, needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), it's very bad taste to make a movie about the assassination of a sitting president. Having said that, the film Death Of A President isn't all bad but it's not good either. First the bad news: On October 19, 2007, while speaking in Chicago, President George W. Bush is assassinated. The film, a mockumentary, features "people in Bush's detail" speaking to the camera about Bush and the speaking engagement and the protesters in Chicago. The film leading up to the assassination is somber and eerie and the dreadful sense of foreboding is palpable right up to the point of the actual shooting. The film uses archived footage of Bush (that would be real footage in the public domain) and while we never actually see the real Bush get shot, we do hear the shots. There is also a close-up of Dick Cheney at the funeral (it's supposed to be Bush's funeral but the actual footage is taken from Ronald Reagan's funeral). While delivering the eulogy, however, Bush's name is interjected in the footage. The second part of the film deals with the aftermath and how the government pieces together evidence linking a foreigner to the shooting. Unfortunately the evidence is flimsy and when more damning evidence comes forward proving who the actual shooter was, the reaction of the government is shocking; but only if you don't live in the U.S. Or maybe it will be shocking to those who do live here. In the here and now, 2006, with all of the evidence we've seen of wrongful convictions and false evidence, anyone who is still shocked should be in the minority. It reminded me of "The Innocent Man," John Grisham's recent non-fiction book about wrongfully convicted Oklahoman Ron Williamson. Death isn't a pretty picture, death never is and while it still remains in poor taste, it does have some gruesome yet relevant information for the present day U.S.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.25

The Queen Cometh: In Stephen Frears's (Dangerous Liaisons, Mrs. Henderson Presnts) film, The Queen, the winds of change are brewing up a storm. The film starts prior to the fatal car accident involving Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana, who would be come to known as the people's princess. As Tony Blair, played here by Michael Sheen (Bright Young Things, Kingdom Of Heaven), comes to power as prime minister with the promise of change, the monarchy struggles to keep up with the times. After Diana's death, the Queen refuses to make a spectacle of her death even as the number of mourners and flowers and tributes pour in and cause the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace to be temporarily displaced. As the Queen (Helen Mirren playing the Queen without begging us to like her) says, "We will handle this quietly and dignified." She is convinced the people want dignity in their Queen and it's the only way she's ever known. While she tries to grasp the fixation of people on Diana, even after her death, the Queen becomes vilified by the press and the people. The film relies on actual footage of people at Buckingham Palace in the days after Diana's death, as well as actual footage of Diana and footage of mourners coming in before her funeral. The characters nail the roles; specifically Sheen as Blair who soon has the press convinced the Queen is bowing to him as he tries to get her to see that while the regime has changed so have the needs of the people in her country. I couldn't just single out Sheen; Mirren as the Queen only cries once and her back is to the camera and we briefly get to see the tears before she wipes them away; much like she wanted to wipe Diana away. While we may never know if this is exactly as it happened, we become certain of one thing; no one is infallible. Even HRH can be out of step with the people. The actual footage used in the film really adds to the film's depth; Frears was smart to include footage of Diana's brother and the common people outside Buckingham Palace. We really get a sense of how the whole world, not just England, was affected by this. When the Queen does finally take the advice that has been handed to her, when she really begins to see how her silence is tarnishing her crown, the result is deftly handled by Mirren. She's an actress who knows how to react and contour her face just enough so that we don't ever entirely dislike her character; a lesser actress would not have been able to pull it off, nor would they have been able to distance themselves from sympathy and still get our sympathy.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4.50

Happy Viewing!!!

peace,

paul