Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The original Elizabeth movie, released in 1998, dealt with Elizabeth's succession to the throne. Elizabeth: The Golden Age continues the storyline, as Mary Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton) is imprisoned at Carlisle (although it could have been Loch Leven, I don't think it was ever stated), and Elizabeth is being pressured to find a husband. Enter in Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), back from the Americas and full of idealism and rogueishness. He's all open doublets and heated stares, and the Queen gets sucked into his stories about his travels. Meanwhile, the Spanish are concocting a plan to spring Mary from prison and overthrow Elizabeth. Cue usual romantic scenes with Queen and Raleigh, drama with one of her ladies-in-waiting (Abbie Cornish), numerous scenes of the Spanish king practically drumming his fingertips together and going "eeeeeeeeexcellente mua hahahahaha!", etc etc.

I still haven't seen the original movie, but I doubt it can be as boring as its sequel. The battle scene at the end was, in my opinion, the only thing that saved it from being a complete waste of time. Cate Blanchett was, again, a perfect choice as Elizabeth, and she had the right amount of wit and regalness to stand out from the rest of the cast. I'm being unfair; Geoffrey Rush was great as well. Clive Owen was just ridiculous. I refuse to believe that Walter Raleigh paraded about in outfits suited more for an Elizabethan comedy than a dramatic historical epic (or so they wished us to believe). Personally, I would have loved to have seen a bit more of Samantha Morton as Mary Queen of Scots. I don't know who exactly was responsible for casting her, but well done. She was the perfect choice.

All in all, the only movie to depict the battle with the Spanish Armada (almost) in its entirety is kind of a stinker.

Iron Man Trailer

Iron Man looks surprisingly entertaining, and Robert Downey Jr. is pretty cool (he's brilliant in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang). And they use Black Sabbath in the trailer, so there's a good bet the movie won't be complete crap.

Becoming Jane

I literally dragged my mother to this movie when I was back home in August, and she ended up liking it more than I did. That's not to say I didn't enjoy looking at James McAvoy, but that's pretty much the only part of the movie I liked.

Becoming Jane is basically the life story of Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway), 19th century author of the original "chick lit" books (this is coming from someone who loves Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park, etc., but come on, when it boils down to it, they are chick lit). Jane's family has very little money and, like the characters in her books, need the daughters to marry rich in order to survive. Enter in Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), who Jane initially hates, but, predictably, falls in love with and they have to overcome obstacles of family objections and previous obligations in order to be together.

It's a boring and predictable movie, and it really annoyed me that they decided to cast Anne Hathaway as the most influential female British author of the modern period. I had a beef with the casting of Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, but jesus, at least she's BRITISH. *Deep breaths*, regardless, the plot is too much like Pride and Prejudice, and I know that's not exactly the writers' fault, seeing as it's her life and all, but it's a little soon after the Keira Knightley movie. Another complaint I have with this movie is the fact that they really only mention Pride and Prejudice. I understand that it is probably her most famous work, but at least mention her other novels. The only positive thing I can say about this movie is the fact that the supporting cast around Anne Hathaway were fantastic. James McAvoy is a great actor, and I think he's going to become one of the most sought-after leading men in the business, if he isn't already. He's already proved he can do bit roles (Wimbledon), fantasy (Chronicles of Narnia), drama (Last King of Scotland) and comedy (Starter for 10), and now he's proven he can be a romantic lead. Julie Walters and James Cromwell are great as Jane's parents, and Maggie Smith is obviously fantastic as the disapproving mother of a possible match for Jane.

Overall though, I wouldn't watch this again.