The King's Speech - Wogma Readers Reviews

(I'm sorry, this comment's not going to be about The King's Speech :D)

I'll give you The Social Network - even though it isn't immersive in the truest sense, the way Inception would be - it is a Wow film for the inspiration value, script and performances.

Personally, I don't get the hype behind Black Swan. It's a very enchanting picture, and you have the excellent performance by Portman, but to me it looked like a step down on Aronofsky's part.

The black/white depictions were much in your face and cliched - in her behaviour, the predictable choreography, the basic traits (fragile vs seductive) - all of which I felt could be more meticulous, maybe subtle.

Nina's troubled character was ruptured, very haphazard and not in a mysteriously psychological way, but more like too much was left to symbology - and therefore I felt that the focus was mainly on making the movie look grand/beautiful/symbolic and in this process they left parts that feel neglected and a tad bit arrogant as well.

It's a good movie nonetheless, just not worth the hype for me. I would like to know what you thought?

P.s- I've heard really good stuff about The King's Speech. Haven't watched it, but I'm waiting to :)

Hey Sweta, thanks, you should watch The King's Speech, certainly worth your time and a definite mood-lifter! :)

About Black Swan, Aronofsky, the Oscar hype and the points you mentioned - I use a simple way to evaluate: Did the film stay long in my head, perhaps even on the morning after, and make it difficult for me to get back to normal life? Black Swan did, as did TSN, Inception. For me, The King's Speech just didn't stay long enough.

Pardon the next example, but I'll say it anyway: Which film makes me go lost in thought while I'm taking a dump?

Unfortunately, I didn't go to those lengths to evaluate Nina's character design. I did 'get' the symbolism, and I think it was easy enough for audiences to comprehend. Btw, I also think the hype around Black Swan and Portman, could have been because her verdict was unanimous amongst audiences and critics, and there weren't equally inspiring performances from the other Best Actress nominees.

Brilliant movie. Impeccable acting, esp. by Geoffrey Rush. The director's attempt to convey, in a subtle way, that the King is no different from a common man and how lonely he often feels was something I liked a lot. Glad it won the Oscar for Best Picture though Inception deserved the Best Screenplay written directly for the screen.