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The Films of Tom Hooper

Red Dust

Click here for review.

Longford

The Damned United

The King's Speech (December 6/10)

Based on true events, The King's Speech follows Britain's King George VI (Colin Firth) as he attempts to overcome a lifelong stuttering problem with the help of an off-kilter therapist (Geoffrey Rush's Lionel Logue) - with the film subsequently detailing George and Lionel's ongoing sessions as well as George's efforts at seamlessly taking the reins of England from his dead father (Michael Gambon's King George V). Director Tom Hooper, working from David Seidler's script, initially grabs the viewer's interest by emphasizing the protagonist's almost astonishing speech impediment and the degree to which it dominates his life, and there's little doubt that the inherently intriguing nature of the character's circumstances are heightened by Firth's absolutely enthralling performance. The strength of George and Lionel's first few encounters ensures that the film does suffer demonstrably when the emphasis is taken off their sessions, with the comparatively lackluster midsection, which is devoted mainly to the politics surround George's ascension to the throne, falls short of the better-than-average atmosphere established in the opening half hour. The watachable yet unspectacular vibe persists right up until the electrifying and thoroughly riveting third act, as Hooper closes the movie with a mesmerizing stretch revolving around a pivotal wartime speech - which ultimately ensures that The King's Speech finishes on an impressively (and palpably) positive note.

out of

Les Miserables

The Danish Girl

© David Nusair