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Home > Ellery Queen
We Have Found 2 Products for your search of Ellery Queen.
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Three for the Ages: The Last King of Scotland, The Queen, and Notes on a Scandal by Murphy James
Three recent (late 2006) releases share a common denominator: a disconnect from reality. They share another: great performances. And more: movies that will endure, that will make the "best of" lists, that will be talked about and recommended by appreciative audiences. And they should result in many awards, the Oscar among them.
Forest Whitaker is Idi Amin in The Last King, Helen Mirren is the queen of England, and Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, and Judi Dench a trio caught up in a secret in Notes.
In the Last King, reality is everything except what Idi Amin believes and does. In The Queen, the Royal Family tries to cope with the death of Princess Diana, and in Notes, Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy play a married couple in crisis, with Judi Dench deviously stirring the pot as Blanchett's affair with a 15 year old student becomes known to Barbara, another teacher, played by Dench.
In the case of The Last King of Scotland, Idi Amin vacillates between Mr. Nice Guy and a mass murderer. Forest Whitaker's performance is brilliant. A front runner for an Oscar for Best Performance for an Actor at the February, 2007 Oscar ceremonies at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
In the case of The Queen, Helen Mirren anguishes about how to deal with the death of Diana, hated by the Royal Family, loved by the world. A commoner who divorced her son. She is baffled by the outpouring of affection from her constituents. Why don't they recognize the "proper thing" to do in this circumstance? She bends, then she breaks. Watch the Oscar ceremony.
In Notes, Cate Blanchett (Sheba) foolishly falls into an affair with a student. Judi Dench, a predator-in-waiting, observes the affair and then plays Sheba/Blanchett as though she (Barbara) were a chess Grandmaster, always thinking several moves ahead. As Sheba's affair was doomed from the start, disclosure always a threat, and her marriage in jeopardy, Dench fantasizes an equally disastrous and unrealistic end to all of this. Again, catch the Oscar ceremony.
What a way to end the year. Movies that matter. Great stories. Magnificent performances.More, please. More!
About the Author
Murphy James is the pen name of Harry Murphy. He has been published in men's magazines, business journals, gaming publications, and newspapers. His website is http://www.murphyjames.com
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