The Kings Speech

These are dark days for England.  Germany is threatening war.  The Monarch has just died and the new king cares more for his pleasures than for his country.   The government is contemplating asking the king to resign and having The Duke of York(Colin Firth) his brother,  take the throne.   But there is a problem.  The Duke of York has a stammer that so restricts his speech that it makes public speaking all but impossible.   Will he conquer his defect to lead the people of England through "The darkest of times"?

The Kings Speech won four Oscars and with good reason.  The plot is great, it is pretty historically accurate and the acting is superb.    As you watch you will feel for the Duke and soon to be King, as he struggles against his stutter and trying to forget his painful past.

Now there is one serious downside to this film.     On the language scale its probably about a 9 of 10.   Including f--- and sh--.       Now most of these words come in two separate scenes as it helps the king to speak when he swears.      There is some swearing through the rest of the film but it's not as bad.    There is also some innuendo through the film especially when it concerns the the Duke of York's brother.    

So as long as you have something to mute the offensive language its a great movie and I enjoyed it.   So 4 stars (and as longs as you have the mute button ready), worth The Second Take. 

Sense and Sensibility [2008]

-Watch Trailer  
The family of a recently widowed lady loses their fortune and has to leave their family home.  And the two eldest girls find themselves hard pressed to marry the men they love due to their lose of fortune.   Besides are the men really what they seem?

Screen writer Andrew Davies [Who has to be my favorite] did this movie excellently.  The actors and actress' play their characters convincingly and the scenery is beautiful.

I liked the older version of this movie before, but the acting and screen play in this movie was the deciding factor in this version.
The first scene is one that you will probably want to skip and was unnecessary which is the downer to this movie. The guys [who might watch] will love the sword fight/dual between two of the main characters. 

So over all I give 'Sense and Sensibility' 3 1/2 stars.    Worth The Second Take.

Rock Symphonies-David Garret

David Garret fuses two popular genres into one in his newest album.  Taking Classical music from Vivaldi and putting twist of rock onto it.  Or on the other side taking a alternate rock song- [Smells Like Teen Spirit] and putting some classical down-spin on it.    So David Garret's -Rock Symphonies- is interesting as well as unique.

You can listen to his work on Spotify or on iTunes. 

Thor: Movie or Comic?

 Thor starts out re-telling the story behind the Norse gods and their battle for the Human race against the Frost Giants.    Fast foreword a few years and Thor [Oden's Son] is about to be crowned king, that is until a few Frost Giants break into Odens secret vault in the middle of the Ceremony.   Thor; Young, impulsive, and foolish transports himself and a few friends to the Frost Giants land against his fathers command.     Leading to war and and getting himself stripped of power and banished to Earth.  Until he is worthy to earn back his Hammer and Power.

OK when you watch the movie you'll immediately think of a comic book, with a story and characters as unbelievable as the powers they posses.  The visual effects are cool but slightly fake looking. 

As far as questionable content goes, the one problem was that it seemed like they were trying to draw a parallel between the true God and the gods of the Norse.   [Thor coming to earth, sacrificing himself, ect.]     Now this may have been unintentional but it was there nonetheless.

Other content is not to bad,  Thor[Chris Hemsworth] and Jane[Natalie Portman] kiss once and there are a few profanity's scatted throughout. Thor is also shirtless in one scene.
Violence:  Thor and his friends fight and kill a whole army of Frost Giants.  Thor punches and kicks security guards and medical staff.  The last fight is between Thor and his brother and that includes kicks, punches and throwing each other against the floors and walls. 

So I'm giving the cool but rather cheesy THOR 2 stars.   So on the whole?  Eh-Probably not worth The Second Take. 

Great Christmas movies.

Here is a quick synopsis of a few good holiday movies:

-"Its a Wonderful Life"- Jimmy Stewart     A classic around our house, the story of man who is stuck in a small town.  And when he gets in money trouble in his business, needs his guardian Angel to show him that he really has "A Wonderful Life"

-The Shop Around the Corner"- Jimmy Stewart     A movie that's underlining humor will make you smile, follows two young people who are co-workers and don't get along very well.  Both are writing the most wonderful person they've ever met.  Just they haven't really met them face to face yet...  Or have they?

-"The Christmas Carol"- Alistair Sims      A old man who cares for nothing for people but is only interested in his work and Money needs a change of heart.  And the spirit of his dead business partner comes to save him in this Dickens classic.