Change Your Image
pick1e
Reviews
The Queen (2006)
A cracking film, dramatising a wonderful set of caricatures
A wonderful film, led by a fantastic performance from Helen Mirren that portrays a wholly conjectured look into the reactions of the Royal Family and the Blairs in the week between Princess Diana's death and funeral.
In no way do I wish to give the impression that this film is not fantastically entertaining but I think it is important to realise that this film does not attempt to create an accurate portrayal of the members of the Royal Family and Government, but instead portrays their popular image as seen by the press in a form of caricature.
Instead of guessing what went on in the private discussions between the people portrayed and presenting it as a dramatisation of events, it attempts to provide a possible set of occurrences and personal views which could have led to the publicly viewable actions that *were* recordable by the press. I find that the exaggerated (but not slapstick) portrayal of these very well known people serves to highlight the emphasis of the film as an analysis of public perception as led by the tabloid press as opposed to an analysis of the Royal Family's actions.
Accepting this view of the film opens your eyes to a depth of subtle humour and characterisation that might be missed if the viewer treats this as a straight drama with comic interludes.
The Truth (2006)
Quirky Indie Brit Flick
The Truth's British production and low budget is inherent in this quirky murder mystery set in the remote Scottish Highlands.
Verging between cringe comedy ala "The Office" and the dry humour of "Life Aquatic..." this film makes good use of the "Guru course" comedy vehicle to end up with a strange yet oddly entertaining result.
As well as spending half the film trying to remember which TV programmes you recognise the cast from, the murder mystery slowly reveals itself as each character's true self emerges.
Unfortunately some of the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, such as Spud, with their individual problems and their resolutions tacked on in a last minute hurry.