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Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp: Depp might be the funniest vampire ever!

Posted on March 20, 2012 Written by ripitup

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Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green & Helena Bonham Carter
Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green & Helena Bonham Carter. Image via seat42f.com

I’m not a Tim Burton fan. As in I’ve so far enjoyed watching a total of 4 of his films: Batman, Batman Returns, Big Fish (my absolute favorite among them all) and Edward Scissorhands. Burton typically goes too cartoon-like- to the point where his humor and the relatability of the characters get lost on me.

Loving only half of Johnny Depp movies (the ones I don’t like are often directed by Tim Burton- the dude does wear pretty much anything Tim Burton gives him), I wasn’t all that excited about Dark Shadows…That was until I watched the hilarious trailer. If the movie is anything like it, it looks like I’m going to have one hell of a good time watching it .

Of course I don’t mind one bit that Michelle Pfeiffer is among the cast – I’ve liked a lot of her movies so far (Wolf, Tequila Sunrise, Hairspray, Stardust, Up Close & Personal to name a few.)

Dark Shadows Plot

A witch (Eva Green) curses the playboy Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) he is in love with, and turns him to a vampire, and then buries him alive. When he is accidentally woken up over 200 years later, it is the 70s and hilarity ensues he has to get used to all the new technology, the witch doing her best to seduce him, the state of the family business and the family members. Oh, and then there is the 70s fashion…

*

In case you are wondering whether our taste is similar or not when it comes to Depp, below are the Johnny Depp movies I like or love (in no specific order):

–          Finding Neverland

–          Once Upon a Time in Mexico (huge Desperado fan)

–          Blow (I almost cried at the end- never watched a movie that engaging about a drug dealer, and never felt such sympathy for one.)

–          Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (hated 2 & 4)

–          In the nick of time

–          What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

–          Benny and Joon also starring Aidan Quinn and Julianne Moore.

–          Chocolat

–          The Rum Diary

–          The Man Who Cried

Recommended Johnny Depp Reading:

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany

Johnny Depp A Kind of Illusion: The Book Review

Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: dark shadows, dark shadows cast, dark shadows johnny depp, dark shadows movie, dark shadows trailer, dark shadows tv series, Eva Green, eva green dark shadows, helena bonham carter, Johnny Depp, johnny depp dark shadows, Johnny Depp movies, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tim Burton

The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter & Guy Pearce

Posted on February 8, 2011 Written by ripitup

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The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter & Guy Pearce.
The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter & Guy Pearce. Image via bscreview.com

1925. King George V (Michael Gambon) is a little worried about England’s future. After all, his two sons Albert George (Colin Firth) and Edward (Guy Pearce) aren’t exactly king material.  The articulate and charismatic Edward is more interested in women than his country where as the happily-married, family man George is a stammer who freaks out at the possibility of a public speech.

But even as a Prince, George needs to make public appearances and speeches so his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) tries to help him as much as he can by seeking all kinds of doctors and speech therapists. But nothing works and George is left frustrated and even with lower self-confidence.

Elizabeth finds speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) as her last resort. Lionel has firm principles, a friendly, no-BS attitude and he is highly confident that his unconventional methods can help anyone. With Edward taking the crown, George still needs to get rid of stammer so involuntarily decides to work with Logue. He would easily fire Logue, only he realizes that his methods are in fact working.

As Logue’s and George’s friendship develop and George makes some slow yet substantial progress, his worst nightmare comes true: the parliament wants to overthrow Edward and make George their king since Edward’s private life is against the Constitution.  Edward unwillingly becomes the King and the pressure -to make both his friendship and patient-therapist relationship with Logue work – gets even higher. Can George handle being a King and all the expectations that come with his position?

**

If I need to use just one word to describe The King’s Speech, I’d use “delightful”. This movie is a total joy to watch: it is emotional, sweet, humane, well-acted, well-designed, well-written, funny and heart-warming. I absolutely adored both Geoffrey Rush’s and Colin Firth’s performances. Everybody else is really good too but it is the characters of Firth and Rush make this movie a sweetheart of a masterpiece.

You see, it’s rare to see a movie with such lovable, flawed England King- who is more than aware of his flaws. It is so easy to empathize with him. As wealthy as he is, he has no other friends than his wife and apart from his wife and kids, he really hasn’t been loved and respected. Now he has to be King because of his bloodline, a symbolic position that gives him no real power but just difficult responsibilities he hates.

Logue is a great character. His success is self-made. And as much as he likes his profession, he actually wants to be an actor but isn’t really considered leading role material. Which is funny, since we have been watching and enjoying Rush himself in both leading and supporting roles for years.

This movie is a must who loves to go back in time through travel movies, watch fine acting and get to like a King and feel bad for his problems, even he sometimes acts like a total jerk and risks the only real friendship he has.

8.5 on IMDB. Nope, I don’t think it is overrated. The absolute lowest rating I could give this film is an 8.

Directed by Tom Hooper, written by David Seidler. Colin Firth won Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for his performance and Geoffrey Rush was also nominated for Best Supporting actor. The King’s Speech is nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Director, Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter),Best Screenplay and more.

Fun notes:

*This is Colin Firth’s second Oscar nomination. Last year, he was nominated for his performance in Tom Ford’s A Single Man. He was also nominated for Golden Globe, two awards he lost to Jeff Bridges.

*Jennifer Ehle, who plays Geoffrey Rush’s wife, is Colin Firth’s ex-girlfriend. They starred as Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy in 1995’s TV Series Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen adaptation) and dated for a while.

*Geoffrey Rush isn’t a stranger to Oscar nominations. He won Oscar for Best Actor in 1997 for his role in Shine. He was nominated for Best Actor for Quills and Best Supporting Actor for Shakespeare in Love. King’s Speech is his 4th nomination.

*This is Helena Bonham Carter’s second nomination. Her first was in 1997 for The Wings of the Dove, for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

*Helena Bonham Carter is with director Tim Burton and a frequent star of his movies. They have 2 kids together.

*Just like his character, Rush is also Australian.

 

Also on Colin Firth

Colin Firth Trivia

The Last Legion starring Colin Firth

Trauma starring Colin Firth and Mena Suvari

The British Actors We Love feat. Colin Firth, Daniel Day Lewis, Rufus Sewell and Ralph Fiennes

St. Trinian’s starring Colin Firth

Apartment Zero starring Colin Firth

The Accidental Husband starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Uma Thurman &Colin Firth

The English Patient feat. Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas & Colin Firth

Hollywood’s Tall Actors feat. Colin Firth, Keanu Reeves, Gerard Butler & More

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Colin Firth, David Seidler, Geoffrey Rush, guy pierce, helena bonham carter, Jennifer ehle, kings speech, kings speech movie, michael gambon, the kings speech, the kings speech cast, the kings speech movie, Tom Hooper

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