‘The Hunger Games’: Never Go See a Teen-Targeted Film on Opening Weekend

I saw The Hunger Games on opening night yesterday which was probably a big mistake. It wasn’t a mistake seeing the movie itself, because it was actually a very good and faithful adaptation of the novel. It feels wrong to say that I enjoyed it because it’s such a disturbing story about children killing children, but as a Hunger Games fan, I appreciated it. Jennifer Lawrence was fantastic, as always, and more than carried the film with her powerful on-screen presence. 

However, I do have two points to make. One, do yourself a favour and never go see a preteen-targeted film when it’s first released, because anytime a boy appears on-screen and there’s anything even remotely romantic, there will be unwarranted amounts of squealing and shrieking, which is not only very annoying, it ruins the mood. So whether you’re Teem Peeta or Teem Gale, shut the hell up because amidst all of the oohing and aahing, dialogue gets lost.

Two, it was extremely disturbing to witness a theatre full of children cheering when the so-called villainous tributes were killed. Yes, there was actual clapping when children were being slain onscreen. Obviously there’s been a disconnect of sorts between what author Suzanne Collins intended and how the audience was reacting. It seems like the audience kind of got lost in the drama of it all and forgot that the story is about how unjust and wrong the Hunger Games are. It’s supposed to show that no matter who is being killed, it’s horrific and sad to subject children to murder for sport. But somehow the movie audience was doing exactly what the Capital’s residents were – getting off on watching kids killing kids.

Demián Bichir Breaks Hearts in 'A Better Life'

A Better Life, a film about a Mexican gardener living in East LA, does a great job of bringing attention to a considerable cultural issue among immigrants. The so-called ‘melting pot’, celebrated in the United States as something meant to eliminate cultural differences, does more to make kids resent their cultural individualism, something so wonderfully highlighted in A Better Life. The relationship between single father Carlos, played by Demián Bichir, and his teenage son, to be honest, kind of broke my heart. Carlos spends the film slaving away to make something of himself for the sole purpose of providing opportunities for his son in America, opportunities that don’t include joining a gang or dropping out of high school. All the while, his son Luis lazily slacks around the house and gets into trouble whenever he does choose to go to school.

As a first generation Canadian, I know and understand the struggle to maintain your cultural individualism while attempting to ‘fit in’ and mould into a Canadian. It’s tough – especially with parents who’ve sacrificed so much to give you a better life in a more secure country. So it hits home, and Demián Bichir’s performance was more than deserving of his Oscar nod.

Oh, and remember when he was Nancy Botwin's spank-buddy slash Mexican drug lord husband Esteban on Weeds?! Yeah, couldn't believe the transformation either.

Week 2 - Killer Elite

Filmofilia.com

Number 2 on my 52 weeks of DVDs from eOne Entertainment, Killer Elite is perfect for adrenaline junkies who enjoy an excess of explosions, a well-choreographed-but-unrealistic fight sequence, and Jason Statham (you know, that Transporter guy who seems to be in every action flick being released these days). Also starring the iconic (yup, I said it) Robert DeNiro, Clive Owen, and Prison Break fans should recognize a much furrier Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) with a cute little Aussie accent.

In a memorable scene, Clive Owen (who's handcuffed), Jason Statham (who's tied to a chair), and a third party, have this one-on-one-on-one fight that is jaw-droppingly cool but at the same time, impossibly ridiculous and completely unbelievable. But whatever, it is what it is, which is an action film with punches to spare. It's not deep and it definitely isn't Shakespeare but I liked it. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Review: Fassbender & Mulligan in Shame

Hollywood Reporter

Shame, the NC-17, sex-heavy film from director Steve McQueen stars Michael Fassbender as a New Yorker driven only by his addiction to emotionless sex. His unstable sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in and proceeds to disrupt his sequestered and unraveling world.

Fassbender gives an unnerving and agonizing performance, putting a disturbing face on sexual addiction, from his piercing stares at random conquests to the façade he barely manages to maintain in his professional life. Mulligan was phenomenal as his sister, completely fragile and unhinged, and we get to see her vulnerability and brokenness in one of the most emotionally-charged scenes of the film - Mulligan’s haunting rendition of 'New York, New York'. Hinting but never fully acknowledging an unusual childhood relationship between the two, she says, “We’re not bad people, Brandon. We just come from a bad place”.

Shame was unapologetically explicit, hard, and definitely unsettling. But beautiful. Exquisitely beautiful.

Review: The Descendants

Totalfilm.com

George Clooney, the suave charmer we’ve come to love, does his best to portray a man completely detached from his life and family in this comedy-drama. He hardly knows his daughters and has neglected his wife who now lays comatose after a boating accident. The accident forces him to move from “backup parent”, as he refers to himself, to the only parent, to his two broken and foul-mouthed daughters who are, in fact, quite a handful. When he finds out his wife had been cheating on him and was planning to leave him, he sets out with both daughters and the older one’s stoner-boy friend, to find the guy who was sleeping with his wife.

Playing Clooney’s eldest daughter, Shailene Woodley unexpectedly shines, as an emotionally conflicted and angst-filled teen, who has a hard time letting go of the anger she holds towards her mother, even as she lays dying. And maybe it was all those Hawaiian shirts, the goofy hair, and constant look of desperation, but, I for one, forgot it was swoon-worthy George Clooney on the screen.

The Descendants sits somewhere between a heartbreaking drama and comedy, centered on a family dealing with the loss of a loved one, and the regret, heartache and, ‘could’ve, would’ve, should’ves’ that come along with unexpected death and infidelity. The lesson is that humans are imperfect and families are dysfunctional at best, but that doesn’t have to be the the end of it all, you can try and make up for your mistakes.

Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Screenrant.com

Last night I went to a screening for Shame and even though I was 45 minutes early, the screening was obviously way-overbooked and I didn’t get a seat. But since I was there, and I hadn’t yet seen Martha Marcy May Marlene, I thought why not, I’ve already paid for parking. On a side note, this was the first time I watched a movie in the theatre, by myself. Yup, that’s right, I walked right up to the ticket-selling-man, and sheepishly requested, “one for Martha Marcy May Marlene, please”. And his response was, “WOW, the whole thing?”, which left me a bit confused, wondering if that was some sort of remark at my being at a movie all by my lonesome. But apparently what he meant was, ‘no one who’s bought a ticket for this has said the whole name of the film’. It's true - the title is quite a mouthful, and then some.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a gut-wrenching film about a cult, something that we, as humans seem to be fascinated with. We first meet a twenty-something Martha/Marcy Mae/Marlene (who we all know as the other Olsen sister, Elizabeth Olsen) as she’s making her escape from the cult she has been living at, a place where the men eat first and the ragged women watch on in a sort-of trance, silently awaiting their turn. What we see doesn’t seem blatantly wrong or suspect, but feels weird, like things aren’t as they should be. Martha finds refuge at the home of her sister and her husband and the story cuts back and forth between present and past, as Martha goes in and out her depressive and damaged state, reliving the events of her ‘programming’, the rape she was subjected to, and her terrifying, but captivating ‘leader’ (John Hawkes).

The film was dark, beautifully shot and haunting, with Elizabeth Olsen convincingly and beautifully portraying a damaged and fragile woman coping with a trauma that she may never completely heal from.

Heathers - The Original Mean Girls

I recently saw Heathers for the first time - I know, I know, how had I not seen it until now! Starring a pre-klepto Winona Ryder, and a pre-90210 Shannen Doherty, Heathers screams and oozes the essence and style of the (fabulous) 1980s.

Veronica (Winona Ryder) is the only non-Heather member of her exclusive high school clique, and along with her diabolically demented new boyfriend JD (Christian Slater), goes on a violent rampage to bring down the clique from the inside.

Killerfilm.com

With snappy dialogue and memorable one-liners, this cult 80s classic - yes, I said classic! - is one of those really bad films that is so much fun to watch. Heathers satirizes high school life in a pretty unbelievable way, but at the same time, addresses the many every-day issues that teens face - bullying, suicide, homosexuality, and eating disorders. Of course, in no way is Heathers an after-school-special. It's dark and sadistic, while managing to be pretty funny, and the Heathers clique is so bitchy and deliciously evil, they make the cast of Mean Girls look like harmless pussycats.

Review: Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding (TIFF 2011)

Indiewire.com

A multi-generational family comedy, Peace, Love & Misunderstanding seems perfectly content with being a pretty predictable and lighthearted story with some drama thrown in for good measure. Diane (Catherine Keener) is an uber-conservative Manhattan lawyer, unhappily married and on the cusp of divorce. She decides to take her two children, Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen) - a college girl who loves animals as much as she loves poetry and big words, and Jake (Nat Wolff), an aspiring filmmaker who's obsessed with documenting everything, to visit their grandmother Grace (Jane Fonda), who they've never met. Grace is an eccentric hippie, stuck in the 1970s, with a passion for protesting, new-age healing crystals and of course, weed. It's a bit hard to believe that it's been 20 years since mother and daughter have seen each other, especially since they live in the same state. It's just not believable.

Almost too instantly, Diane's brood starts letting loose, although Diane, more reluctantly so, taking part in all the fun that Woodstock has to offer, including the occasional war protest and full moon ritual. Grace ends up yanking each character out of their tough shell, and somehow arranges a love interest for each of them. Diane falls for a local carpenter, sometimes-musician, and full-time dreamboat (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Zoe finds herself struggling with her growing attraction to a butcher (Chace Crawford) who naturally has the soul of a poet. Even Jake gets a local girl.

Despite all of the film's formulaic shortcomings, it was hard not to love the cast. Jane Fonda shines in a role that seems tailor-made for her, and she plays it with a spunk and charisma that brought life to every scene she was in. Newcomer Elizabeth Olsen is a pleasure to watch, continuing to live up to her hype as the latest it-girl. We're not talking Oscars here, but still, it was cute.

Review: Twixt (TIFF 2011)

Screenrant.com

A convoluted murder mystery with teenage vampires and the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe (I'm not joking), there's no doubt that Twixt was overdone and ridiculously silly, but engaging, nonetheless. Twixt tells the story of a mystery writer (Val Kilmer), or, what they describe as the ‘bargain basement Stephen King’, traveling to a small town for a book signing. Experiencing a pretty mean case of writer’s block, he’s convinced by the town sheriff (the AMAZING Bruce Dern from Big Love) to stay in town and collaborate on a story about the unsolved murder of a young girl. One scene in particular stood out and felt the most genuine, with Kilmer's character suffering through his writer's block with lots of booze and crazy talk. But it's probably not a good sign when the best scene in your vampire thriller is one where the main actor is cracking jokes.

I’m not a fan of 3D, in fact I hate it – I think it takes away from the story, adding a layer of distraction that most of the time is unnecessary. Thankfully, Coppola limited his use of 3D to only two scenes, so it didn’t detract too much from the story (but it also didn’t add anything valuable).

With a story like this that didn’t make much sense to begin with, pieced together from a dream Coppola had, Twixt was over-stylized (in colour, black and white, and 3D) and painfully stale. I guess we just expect more depth from a director of Francis Ford Coppola's caliber, especially with his resumé of films, but you have to hand it to him for taking risks in a way most seasoned Directors wouldn't dare.

Review: Jeff, Who Lives At Home (TIFF 2011)

Jeff (Jason Segel) believes in signs. Like he really believes in them. Everything from an infomercial to flying birds mean something special in Jeff's world. That's why, when someone calls his home in the middle of the day looking for a 'Kevin', he beings his quest to find the Kevin he believes he's destined to follow. While Jeff is a 30-year-old pothead who lives in his mother's (Susan Sarandon) basement, he's kind, sweet and has a naive belief in his convictions that's refreshing to see. On the other hand, his brother Pat (Ed Helms), although married and employed, is a complete asshole, with serious communication issues and no common sense whatsoever.

What starts out as a simple trip to the Home Depot for Jeff, changes course when he and Pat see Pat's wife (Judy Greer) in a car with another man. From then on, their mission is to track and confront her, and their misadventures end up being the most genuinely funny part of the film, with undeniable comedic chemistry between Segel and Helms (playing a meaner version of Andy Bernard).

Parts of the film did feel like they were taking a page right out of an, 'Indie Movies for Dummies' handbook, with what felt like one too many scenes with characters staring into space, music playing in the background. But at the same time, each character is in kind of a rut, lost, and unable to move forward, so maybe all the wordless contemplation was justified.

From the Duplass Brothers (the Directors of last year's Cyrus), Jeff, Who Lives At Home is a unique film about the signs we see and perhaps ignore, and ultimately, the signs that bring all of the characters together. Jason Segel's performance was definitely the highlight - it's always nice to see a typically comedic actor shift into a more dramatic role so seamlessly. You actually like Jeff and wouldn't mind blazing a spliff with him.

Review: Drive (TIFF 2011)

Tiff.net

A poetically violent and dark, homage to 1980s pop cinema, Drive was filled-to-the-brim with intensely maniacal action and high-speed car chases. Playing a Hollywood stunt driver, moonlighting as a getaway car wheelman, Driver (Ryan Gosling, no, we never find out his character’s real name) manages to stay calm, excruciatingly quiet and completely professional, under the most violent of circumstances. His character is instantly drawn to his neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan), and her young son, and he spends the rest of the film possessed with protecting them. The mutual attraction is obvious, and their courtship is innocent and sweet, until we find out she has a convict hubby who's about to be released from prison.

During the Q&A following the screening, Director Nicolas Winding Refn, explained that he wanted to make the first half of Drive like a John Hughes movie and make the second half take a more dark, psychotic turn. So what starts out as a cutesy love story, with a killer Top Gun-reminiscent soundtrack, downward spirals into a crime bender with enough blood and gore to make any horror enthusiast giddy with glee.

The only downside is that we don’t get a chance to go beneath the surface of the characters we’re instantly attracted to. Who is Driver? Where did he come from and what’s he doing in L.A.? I vote for a prequel.

On a side note, the soundtrack was ridiculously amazing. Rehn mentioned that the musical style for Drive evolved while he and Ryan were riding around L.A. one night and REO Speedwagon’s, ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’, came on the radio. Inspired by euro pop of the early 80s, he managed to add a dash of femininity to a very masculine and bloody film.



With an exceptional cast, including Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks and Christina Hendricks, Drive is a fun and unexpected thrill-ride. I came out feeling a little beat-up, but thoroughly satisfied. In theatres September 16th.

Review: Bad Teacher - Shut the Front Door!

Who knew Cameron Diaz could be so unlikeable? For someone who easily brightens the screen with her goofy smile, even giving Julia Roberts, a run for her money in My Best Friend's Wedding, she managed to be quite detestable in Bad Teacher.

Cameron plays a self-centered, unapologetic, downright-bad, teacher who's main goal is to marry rich. She's flawed, so flawed that you feel guilty for being on her side (even though I was). She cheats, steals, lies, does drugs, treats her students like crap and appears to have very little conscience. Basically, she's evil - and the protagonist can never be evil! Wait, that's not true. The main character can be bad, but by the end of the movie, usually there has to be some sort of redemption to make it right and restore 'happily ever after' balance, at least in a light-hearted comedy like this one. But that doesn't happen here. There's no punishment, and she definitely does not redeem herself.

And I don't know, maybe I'm just as bad a person deep down inside, because I didn't really mind that. I didn't need her to come to a positive realization or make up for her wrong-doings in the end. She got the guy - maybe not the-guy-with-all-the-money, but the guy we knew she'd end up with. Oh, and if you don't walk out of the movie hating Justin Timberlake's character so much that you wished he was in front of you so you could slap him, I'll give you a hundred dollars. Maybe.

It's Official - I'm Breaking Up with Grey's Anatomy

I'll tell you what I don't give a shit about anymore - Grey's Anatomy. I was a loyal and faithful fan for six years, relishing each moment, even after my umpteenth viewing of an episode. But when they tried to fill the void left by T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl's departures with uninspiring new faces, I got so very annoyed and lost a little of that emotional connection with the cast.

But, in the iconic words of Michael Coreleone, "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in." The gripping, edge-of-your-seat, masterpiece of last year's season finale managed to 'clean house', (basically killing off some of the new characters no one liked) filled with intrigue, suspense, romance, and drama, like a classic Grey's episode used to be. But here we are at the end of Season 7, and it's fizzled once again. I hardly watched half the season before becoming so excruciatingly bored with it. There's really only so much time one has to watch TV (although I'm a bit of an exception). Time is precious and you have to fill it with what's important. So as much as it hurts me to do it (especially to McSteamy), I have to say this. It's over, we're done. - But let's face it, it's you, not me.

Movie Review: Beginners

Matttrailer.com

Beginners tells the story of Oliver, a man coming to terms with two life-changing events - his father coming out of the closet at age 75, after 44 years of marriage, and having to watch him deteriorate from terminal lung cancer only a few short years later. We see the story unfold three months after his father's death, through seamless flashbacks and screen-cuts of graphic images so the audience can actually feel Oliver's sadness through experiencing his memories.

While depressed and dealing with his loss, Oliver is coerced into attending a costume party with friends where he meets an unpredictable, young actress played by Mélanie Laurent. [Talk about a meet-cute, the woman he encounters has laryngitis and can't speak so their only interaction that night was through a notepad.] We get to watch their relationship blossom into love, although I don't suppose it would be too difficult to fall hard for a French-accented, gorgeous actress.

Fantastic performances all around with a stellar cast made up of Ewan McGregor, Inglourious Basterds' Mélanie Laurent (who was enchanting!), and Christopher Plummer. Plummer's performance was inspirational and heartbreaking, as a senior who has just come out-of-the-closet, embracing his new lifestyle only to die from cancer a few short years later. It was sort of beautiful seeing the way his relationship with a much younger boyfriend (Dr. Kovač from ER!) - made him act and feel instantly younger and full of life, even while dying. Honourable mention goes out to the adorable Jack Russell who managed to steal the scene on more than a few occasions - no one can resist a whimpering puppy.



Beginners opens June 3rd.

Friday Night Lights - Late to the Game

I really don't like football. I don't even like watching the Superbowl (although I appreciate the junk food). But for some reason, what I do love, is watching stories about the lives of athletes. Maybe it's all those years of One Tree Hill and being consumed with the basketball-related, small-town, high school drama. Perhaps it's seeing underdogs overcoming obstacles that sparks an emotional reaction in me. Either way, after these Friday Night Lights alums (Minka Kelly, Taylor Kitsch, Aimee Teegarden) started getting all famous and buzz-worthy, I thought I'd try watching an episode to see what it was all about so I could finally stop saying, "Who the hell are these people?!"

I'm hooked. Every episode I've seen so far has brought me to tears. Yes, it's jam-packed with drama, but it's more about the realistic kinds of social issues that make up small-town, high school football-loving America. It doesn't help that the star quarterback, who's the nicest guy ever, is now paralyzed and stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life (á la Remember the Titans). And then there's the adorable and shy, second string quarterback, somehow managing to take care of his dementia-ridden grandmother while his dad is off in Iraq. It's always sad to see kids having to deal with things beyond their means, growing up alone and without role models. You end up getting consumed with their stories, seeing each character's unique perspective on their Football-loving town.

It takes a couple of episodes to get used to the show's production style, which is not typical of a TV drama. The camera work is shaky, as if someone is manually taping a home-movie. But it adds to the authenticity of Friday Night Lights, like you're right there in the game with them, getting a backstage pass into their complicated lives.

Big Love Series Finale - God only knows what I'll be without you

The past couple of seasons of Big Love have been kind of a disappointment. For a show that started off so powerful and intricately twisted, it sadly ended up a jumbled up mess of confusion near the end. I haven't even watched all of this season's episodes, but felt I had to at least tune into say goodbye to the family that kept me compelled almost to the bitter end.

(SPOILER ALERT!!!) To tell you the truth, I was more than happy to see Bill die in this episode (morbid, I know), but the twist of 'whodunnit' was a bit anti-climactic. Really - the neighbour?! It should've been Alby or Adaleen who did the deed, after five tumultuous seasons of Juniper Creek vs. Bill Henrickson. Or maybe even one of the wives - perhaps Barb, to really make it interesting.

EW.com

The surprising part was that it was actually very emotional. Not at all when Bill died because let's face it, he had it coming. He's been a self-righteous, domineering and stubborn husband from the start, demanding his wives make sacrifices he never considered to make himself. I hate that kind of double standard. What got me emotional was Barb, Nicki and Margene. Those three, and not Bill, as it turns out, were the glue holding the family together. Their joyride in Barb's new car, their group embrace at the end - that's what Big Love was all about - the sister wives. I'm gonna miss those ladies and their endless drama. Even Nicki.

The episode itself wasn't all that great, it's hard to tie up five year's worth of loose ends and so a lot was left up in the air. And even though I would've loved to see Bill die a less noble death, it ended as it should have. With the three wives getting on with their own lives - something they never would've gotten to do with Bill around.


Margene's last blog entry, Goodbye Internet. Sad.

Review: It's a Win-Win with Win Win

Win Win is a breath of fresh air – a smart comedy with genuine, authentic performances that really hit the spot. The story of Mike Flaherty, a struggling family lawyer in New Jersey, who spends his evenings coaching high school wrestling. He’s an easy-going family man who’s having trouble keeping his small practice afloat with the current economic downturn. Suffering from stress-related panic attacks and stuck in a money rut, Mike involves himself in an unethical and almost unforgivable scheme that involves becoming the guardian of an elderly man dealing with Dementia. But, even with Mike's questionable actions, eventually you’re on his side. It’s hard to hate him because you can relate to his sincerity in wanting to help his family; he's an underdog that you want to see succeed.

Of course things don’t work out as planned, as Flaherty finds the old man's teenage grandson, Kyle, on his doorstep. Kyle, having grown up with a druggie for a mother, is emotionally vacant - the ramifications of physical and emotional abuse. It's probably not the most realistic of stories, this kid kind of just shows up and happens to be a star wrestler. But then again, maybe it’s not about the believability of the story but the believability of the characters. Mike nurtures and empowers the young boy like a true father would and you can't help but become invested in each character and their journey, because their family dynamic feels genuine.

Breaking down genre boundaries, Win Win is part comedy, and part waterworks-inducing-drama (Yup, I may have shed a tear or two). And it flows between the two genres quite seamlessly with a fantastic cast, made up of  Paul Giamatti (Barney's Version), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone, The Office), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Bobby Cannavale (Third Watch) and newcomer, Alex Shaffer.  I have to say the best part of Win Win was Cannavale. Who knew, back when he was on Third Watch, that he was this funny! His comedic timing and delivery was spot on, and the chemistry between the entire cast, especially Cannavale and Tambor, was almost perfection.

With such a quiet on-screen presence, you immediately fall for Amy Ryan as the morally-centered mom. The epitome of a mama bear, she’s naturally apprehensive about having a cigarette-smoking, ‘Eminem’-looking, 16-year old stranger in her home. This changes when we see that Kyle is surprisingly timid and kind, despite the bleached blond hair and all the tattoos. Speaking of Kyle, what a fresh change - you could tell right away that Shaffer's not an experienced actor. He doesn't so much as act, he just is the damaged teen he portrays, which makes his delivery natural and heartfelt, as it should be. It's definitely a win-win for this one.



Win Win hits theatres March 18th.

Review: Running Scared - the best movie no one's seen

We all have movies we love, that are not exactly Oscar-winners. That favourite movie that you adore for reasons you can't really explain with any sort of high-level film speak. Whether they were Box-office bombs or just plain bad, it doesn't matter because there's something about them that makes you watch them over and over again.

No one, including me, noticed when Running Scared came out in 2006. An over-the-top crime film starring Paul Walker, who's basically made a career out of all those Fast and Furious movies. It's even got Vera Farmiga (before she got all famous and Oscar-nominated), who manages to steal the spotlight in every scene she's in. Her portrayal of a mom doing whatever she has to do, to protect her family, is gut-wrenching and quite impressive.

Although it received mixed reviews, I absolutely love it. The plot follows the characters searching for and running after after a missing gun. It's a dark, excessively violent, mob-movie with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. As a huge Tarantino and Scorsese fan, I'm perfectly alright with the over-the-top, brutal violence and blood - in fact, it doesn't feel like a mob-movie without those elements. That's what an obsession with Goodfellas and The Sopranos will do to you.

For Crime Film fanatics - the first four minutes of the movie should be enough to convince you.

Review: The King's Speech - Colin Firth Finds his Voice

I've mentioned time and time again that in my eyes, Colin Firth has always and will always be dreamy Mr. Darcy. So when I watch a film that makes me completely forget that part of his resume, it's pretty impressive. With the most Oscar nominations this year (at 12), The King's Speech is a royal engagement you should definitely watch before the Academy Awards on February 27th. Garnering nominations for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor AND Supporting Actress, to name but a few, The King's Speech is based on the true tale of stammering King George VI (Queen Elizabeth's Dad).

Colin Firth played this role marvelously, consumed with an air of arrogance, but a reluctant vulnerability, fighting off demons from his traumatizing childhood. When an actor takes on an accent or a specific speech impediment, there's always the risk it could turn out too mechanical or over-the-top. In Colin's case, the stammer was not forced at all. I found myself completely captivated with his story, cheering him on from the sidelines.

But it wasn't him alone, Colin's supporting cast was equally amazing! As his wife (the Queen Mother), Helena Bonham Carter had the supportive wife bit down, with the perfect mix of helpless sympathy and compassion, the way she took on her husband's failures and successes as her own. And as King George's speech therapist, Geoffrey Rush was the only one who seemed to be able to speak to a King with such guts and gusto, with pompous confidence in his own abilities that definitely paid off. The dynamic between these three actors was phenomenal, casting couldn't have been better.

As much as this role didn't make me think of Mr. Darcy, cast members from Pride and Prejudice (BBC) were popping up throughout the film to make sure I didn't quite forget why I love Colin Firth. Don't think I didn't see you, Elizabeth (Jennifer Ehle), and Mr. Collins. By the way, did anyone else get a slight tinge of lingering attraction when Colin's character met  Jennifer Ehle's. Wishful thinking? Swoon.

Meet the Gallaghers, Showtime's 'Shameless' Family

Who doesn't love an underdog? A 'tale as old as time', watching characters overcome the hand they've been dealt is always good TV. For a society that loves to watch people hit rock bottom, and then attempt to build themselves back up (like Britney Spears and the fun-loving train wreck that is Californication's Hank Moody), Shameless is unapologetically just right.

A remake of a British television show of the same name, the first episode opens in blue-collar Chicago, with alcoholic Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) introducing his six children. The main focus is on Fiona (Emmy Rossum), the eldest, who basically runs the household, collecting money to pay the bills, getting the kids off to school on time, and taking care of the youngest, a toddler. She's the rock of the family, has multiple (I counted three) jobs to help scrimp and save while Papa Gallagher signs over his disability checks directly to the bar he frequents.

The true protagonist of the show, Fiona is hardened by her circumstance. All in one episode, she meets and reluctantly falls for a guy, Steve, who seems too good to be true, only slightly jaded by her situation. In her defense, he DOES buy her a shiny, new, washing machine. Not sure how this relationship will turn out, since happy doesn't really last long on cable.

Another thing about cable television, on channels like HBO and Showtime, is that pretty much anything goes. From nudity to swearing, it can be realistic in that we're not really censored in real life, but just because you can swear and be nude all you want, doesn't mean you do. After that first episode, with the raunchiest sex scene I've seen on TV pretty much ever, Shameless runs the risk of having to spend the rest of the season living up to that shock value.

Notable mention to Joan Cusack, for finally getting the chance to be in something her brother isn't already starring in. She was actually the most interesting character of the premiere, playing an OCD mom who can hardly take her eyes off the Food Network. So much so that she doesn't notice her daughter spending entire tutoring session under the table, showing gratitude to the second-oldest Gallagher child, Lip.

I must admit, I like the dysfunction of it all - the chaos, commotion, and how wrong it is. With compelling, and seriously flawed characters, it makes for a great story, and an enjoyable addition to the Showtime television family. I guess we'll have to wait and see if they can keep it up, or if the need to 'shock' the audience trumps the root of the story they're trying to tell.



Shameless is on Sundays at 10 pm on Showtime (U.S) and Mondays at 8 pm on TMN (Canada).