J. Edgar (2011) - Eastwood, Black and DiCaprio's great, intense biopic

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1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Make-up and Hair: Alessandro Bertolazzi, Kathryn Blondell, Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Tania McComas, Carol A. O'Connell

3 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black (lost to Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)
Best Make-up and Hair: Alessandro Bertolazzi, Kathryn Blondell, Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Tania McComas, Carol A. O'Connell (won)

+ Best Biopic of the Year

Leonardo DiCaprio as the titular intelligence hawk, Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar

QUICK REVIEW:

Presented with jumps in time of several decades, some of the most important cases and periods that define FBI founder and chief through 48 years, J. Edgar Hoover is portrayed.

Contrary to the unbalanced opinions of many, regular audiences and critics alike, (perhaps due to the politically controversial figure that is the subject here), J. Edgar is actually a mighty fine film, master filmmaker Clint Eastwood's best since Gran Torino (2008).
Dustin Lance Black's (Milk (2008)) sensitive script covers the Lindbergh-baby kidnapping, the G-Men PR of the 1930s, Hoover during Roosevelt's presidency and his de facto power over them through various extortions, through to Nixon and Martin Luther King, - and to Hoover's life-long confidant - and secret love of his life - Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer (The Lone Ranger (2013))). It is all presented in superiorly controlled fashion, soberly, and phenomenally played by Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)) in the imposing title role.
J. Edgar is both moving and an important piece of historical drama about one of the most powerful men of the 20th century.

Related posts:
 
Clint Eastwood: American Sniper (2014) - Eastwood conveys an American man and myth in electric masterpiece
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess   
The Changeling (2008) or, The Christine Collins Story
The Dead Pool (1988) - The highly entertaining last Dirty Harry movie (actor)
City Heat (1984) - Eastwood and Reynolds wrestle dispassionately in Benjamin's messy period affair (actor)
Tightrope (1984) - An undervalued Clint Eastwood sex killer thriller (actor)
Any Which Way You Can (1980) or, More Monkey Business! (actor)
The Beguiled (1971) - Intense, erotic Civil War kammerspiel thriller (actor)
Dirty Harry (1971) - Eastwood's great, signature renegade cop character comes to life (actor)
Coogan's Bluff (1968) or, Dopes and Hippies, Beat It! (actor)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) or, Killer in a Poncho (actor) 

Leonardo DiCaprio, impressively, also remains believable as Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar in his latter years

Watch the trailer for the movie here

Cost: 35 mil. $
Box office: 84.6 mil. $
= Minor flop
[J. Edgar nearly made the financial cut theatrically, and probably earned a small profit with video and TV exploitation. DiCaprio was Globe-nominated for his acting in it. It opened with a 11.2 mil. $ opening weekend and grossed 37.3 mil. $ (44 % of the total gross) in North America. Though derided by several dubious critics, J. Edgar also has other fans besides Film Excess: Like Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter, David Denby of The New Yorker and Roger Ebert, who gave it 3½ stars out of four (equal to my 5 hearts.)]

What do you think of J. Edgar?

Film Excess' 2nd birthday movie masterpiece: The King's Speech (2010) - Hooper's soaring, royal masterpiece about overcoming human frailty

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1 Film Excess win:

Best Film 

7 Film Excess nominations:

Best Film (won) 
Best Screenplay: David Seidler (lost to Christopher Nolan for Inception)
Best Lead Actor: Colin Firth (lost to Stephen Dorff for Somewhere)
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush (lost to John C. Reilly for The Extra Man) 
Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter, also for Alice in Wonderland (lost to Dianne Wiest for Rabbit Hole) 
Best Director: Tom Hooper (lost to Sofia Coppola for Somewhere) 
Best Editing (lost to Somewhere)

+ Best Movie of the Year
+ Best English Movie of the Year
+ Best Historical Movie of the Year

The elegant, simple poster for Tom Hooper's The King's Speech

The Duke of York has had problems of stuttering for as long as he can remember, when George V, his father, dies and his older brother ruins his own future as king, so that the duke, unexpectedly, must stand tall on his own and become king of the vast, British world empire, which is on the verge of World War II.

King's Speech is a grand film with a relatively small plot; one man has to learn how to give a successful speech. It is written by Oscar-winning David Seidler (The King and I (1999)) and directed by Tom Hooper (The Damned United (2009)).
The film lives through its sublime actors' performances: Oscar-winning Colin Firth (Mamma Mia! (2008)), Geoffrey Rush (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)) and Helena Bonham Carter (The Heart of Me (2002)) are all excellent. From Hooper's direction to Oscar-nominated composer Alexander Desplat's (Argo (2012)) score, King's Speech is peopled by outstanding talents doing first rate work all the way around.
This film is both funny and full of human warmth. A story of human defiance in a historic setting. About stepping out of the shadows of fear and becoming one's own master. - Hooray for The King's Speech, truly a must-see!
Hooper is currently in post production with his next film, the long-awaited transsexual drama The Danish Girl (2015) with Eddie Redmayne in the title role.

Related posts:

Top 10: Best UK movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch the trailer for The King's Speech here - a film that truly, magnificently, works

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 414.2 mil. $
= Mega-hit
[The King's Speech has become the most successful British independent film ever made; (although it is actually a UK/US/Australian co-production, it is designated as a mostly British film.) It was especially big in the UK and Australia, (in the UK alone, it grossed 44.4 mil. £!) It grossed 138.7 mil. $ in North America (33 % of the total gross), where it also won 4 out of 12 Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay, Director, Actor and Best Film.]

What do you think of The King's Speech?

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) - Benton's amazing, truthful divorce drama

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The poster for Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer wisely keeps a blissful atmosphere

Kramer vs. Kramer is one of those 70s classics that you just have to have seen. - And if you haven't yet, get a hold of it, because it's a masterpiece.
It's the third directorial effort of screenwriter Robert Benton (The Human Stain (2003)), who had already written other classics like Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and What's Up, Doc? (1972). He adapted the same-titled 1977 novel by Avery Corman (Prized Possessions (1992)).

Ted & Joanna Kramer's marriage is over. He has been working too much, while she has grown increasingly unhappy, and she now decides to leave him and their young son for a while.

My plot summary above doesn't contain most of the film's story, because I don't want to give away the emotional journey that the film covers. Kramer vs. Kramer shows the break-up of a 'good' marriage, (I mean that in the sense that it is not one that is haunted by violence, alcoholism, drugs, cheating or other unpleasantries), SPOILER and how a custody battle in a modern world might play. The title is, in a sense, a contrast to the film at hand, SPOILER because, while Ted and Joanna ultimately do fight each other in court, they never go to all-out war with each other, and the tenderness that most married couples feel for each other even after a divorce also has its place here.
Benton's Oscar-winning script keeps the plot moving and the characters evolving in a believable way, as we witness them, which is exhilarating and rare to witness. The film seems archetypal and very plausible at the same time. It is heightened by several simple yet golden scenes, (SPOILER my favorite might be Ted's first morning alone with his son), great, Oscar-nominated cinematography by Néstor Almendros (The Blue Lagoon (1980)), pitch perfect, Oscar-nominated editing by Gerald B. Greenberg (American History X (1998)) and excellent choices of original, classical music pieces by Vivaldi, Henry Purcell and others that play extremely well in scenes around the dialog scenes.

The glorious Meryl Streep as Joanna Kramer in Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer

The details:

Two vital ingredients are what make Kramer vs. Kramer stand out and transcend most other divorce dramas:
Dustin Hoffman (Finding Neverland (2004)) and Meryl Streep (Rendition (2007)), who both won their first Oscars here and engender their roles to a remarkable degree, making them nuanced and almost palpably real to us. They are both truly amazing here.
And they are backed by several other great actors' performances; especially Justin Henry (Sixteen Candles (1984)), who was Oscar-nominated as little Billy Kramer is incredibly well-playing, and Jane Alexander (The Blacklist (2013-14)) as neighbor Margaret, George Coe (Funny People (2009)) as Ted's boss and Howard Duff (Too Much Sun (1990)) as his lawyer also give excellent characterizations.
Benton has made it all come to life so vividly, intelligently, perfectly, eliciting tears and a little laughter in just the right dose for the subject. Kramer vs. Kramer is a gem.

Dustin Hoffman as Ted Kramer in Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer

Watch the original trailer for the movie here

Cost: 8 mil. $
Box office: 106.2 mil. $ (North America only)
= Blockbuster
[Kramer vs. Kramer was unbelievably successful, especially for an exclusively adult drama about divorce, and it's the kind of success that 'serious' movie lovers everywhere would love to see materialize again, because it allows for many serious adult movies to be made in its wake. The film won 5 Oscars; besides the ones mentioned, it also won Best Picture and Best Director, making Benton a two-time Oscar winner overnight, (he would win his third for his writing of Places in the Heart (1984)). Alexander was also nominated as Best Supporting Actress, and the film won and was nominated for a heap of other awards worldwide. A shame the international gross figures don't seem to be out on the web, but it appears from the few numbers that are available that the film was a global hit.]

What do you think of Kramer vs. Kramer?
What other superior films of divorce can you mention?

Johnny English Reborn/Johnny English Returns (2011) - Atkinson will make you laugh till your belly aches

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Rowan Atkinson is back in a visibly intense way for Oliver Parker's Johnny English Reborn

QUICK REVIEW:

Great Britain's master spy gets dragged out of his sanctum in Tibet to stop a coming attack on China's prime minister in London, committed by a terrifying blend of KGB, CIA and MI7 known as 'Vortex'!

Some of the gags don't work, and English's new sidekick (Daniel Kaluuya (Kick-Ass 2 (2013))) doesn't add much or make much of an impression.
But Johnny English 2 still creates so many laughing fits in its audience (SPOILER I especially loved the chair scene and the scene of the attack on hot Gillian Anderson's (The Last King of Scotland (2006)) mother) that it becomes a big success as the spoof comedy that it is. - In fact, it might even be a tad better than the original Johnny English (2003).
Hamish McColl (Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)) has written it, based on story elements by William Davies (How to Train Your Dragon (2010)), and the structure is damn near perfect. Oliver Parker (The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)) has directed it. 
Comedic genius Rowan Atkinson (Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)) is phenomenal in it. Johnny English Reborn is a must for any Atkinson fan.

Rosamund Pike attending to Rowan Atkinson's leg in Oliver Parker's Johnny English Reborn

Watch the hilarious trailer for the film here

Cost: 45 mil. $
Box office: 160 mil. $
= Big hit
[Atkinson and Johnny English are something the North Americans still don't really get; humor sometimes doesn't translate well, and he seems to be one example here: The film only grossed 8.2 mil. $ (5% of the total gross) in the US (following a meager 3.8 mil. $ opening weekend.) Atkinson appeals more broadly in several other countries which made the film a success nonetheless. But a third movie, or a wholly different comedy with Atkinson, hasn't materialized since, unfortunately.]

What do you think of Johnny English Reborn?

The Iron Lady (2011) - Meryl Streep's global triumph as Lady Thatcher

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2 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Make-up and Hair: Mark Coulier (lost to J. Edgar)

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, conjoined with London's buildings of government on the poster for Phyllida Lloyd's The Iron Lady

QUICK REVIEW:

Margaret Thatcher, a merchant's daughter, stand behind the counter during World War II and grows up to develop great political flair and ambitions, which are fulfilled when she becomes the first female prime minister of Great Britain. Her life gets rolled out in Iron Lady from the vantage point of Thatcher the overprotected senior citizen and widow, who suffers from burgeoning dementia.

Meryl Streep (The Hours (2002)) is - once again - outstanding in this complete change of character here as England's Iron Lady, which won her her third Oscar. Jim Broadbent (Pattington (2014)) is amusing as her husband, and the two of them make this original entry point to her life rather moving.
Iron Lady is written by Abi Morgan (Shame (2011)) and directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia! (2008)). It accomplishes depicting a lot of England's development during Thatcher's reign. However, it almost appears in the film to have been one long period of violent uprisings, which wasn't altogether the case. - And where was Reagan, the American president that Thatcher stood politically shoulder by shoulder with for years?
Still, The Iron Lady is a solid job made of an extremely difficult task, to make a broad-appealing biopic about one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. It also features impressive, Oscar-winning make-up by Mark Coulier (The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)) and J. Roy Helland (Doubt (2008)). It is an almost great film.

Related post:

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 8.2 mil. £
Box office: 114.9 mil. $
= Huge hit
[Though many people still resent Thatcher so much that they won't go near a film about her, and many others were angry at Iron Lady for not glorifying its subject more than it does, the film was seen by many in a wide range of countries; lead by the US (30 mil. $/26 %), the UK (15.3 mil. $/13 %), Australia (10.6 mil. $/9 %), Japan (10.3 mil. $/9 %) and followed by many other countries.]

What do you think of The Iron Lady?

The Ides of March (2011) - Clooney's political thriller looks at the cynical downside of modern politics

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+ Best Political Movie of the Year
+ Sexiest Screen Couple of the Year (Ryan Gosling & Evan Rachel Wood)

The well-crafted poster for George Clooney's The Ides of March

Around the primary election to find the Democratic presidential nominee in Ohio, an idealistic campaign manager for the governor struggles, as unforeseen problems present themselves.

George Clooney's (Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)) perhaps best film as a director yet is this luxuriously casted political thriller adaptation of Beau Willimon's (House of Cards (2013-15)) 2008 play Farragut North by Willimon, Clooney and his writing partner Grant Heslov (The Monuments Men (2014)).
Clooney himself, portraying the governor, Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master (2012)), Ryan Gosling (The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)), Paul Giamatti (Sideways (2004)), Evan Rachel Wood (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman (2013)) and Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler (2008)) all give fine performances.
Ides of March is handsomely photographed by Phedon Papamichael (The Descendants (2011)); and the plot is exciting and well-structured, but probably most so for the already politically interested. There is a potential lull in its middle section, as the suspense of the film seems to hang on two meetings that look pretty harmless to the outsider until a bit longer into the film. SPOILER The Gosling-Wood plot string reveals itself as a pure Monica Lewinsky-type issue, and what it lacks in raciness and contemporary freshness, it gains back in the very sexy performances and chemistry of the two stars. SPOILER The only really obvious plot problem comes, as she, the resourceful daughter of a wealthy father, and Gosling's campaign manager seem to have trouble raising measly 900-1800 $ for a procedure...
The title refers to something a soothsayer said to warn Julius Caesar before he was stabbed to death in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. 
The Ides of March is a fine film about the icy-cold world of top politics.

Related posts:
 
George Clooney:  The Monuments Men (2014) or, George Clooney's The Lecture (co-writer/director/actor) 
Gravity (2013) or, Survival in Space: The Ride (actor)
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess 
The Descendants (2011) - Payne and Clooney score with a Hawaiian story of heartbreak, loss and family (actor) 
Burn After Reading (2008) or, Idiocy 2008 (actor) 
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) or, The Gong Show Killer (director-actor) 
Solaris (2002) - A suffering space question mark (actor)

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 12.5 mil. $
Box office: 76 mil. $
= Huge hit
[The Ides of March was made very smartly, in that Clooney and the financiers managed to hold the costs very low considering the talent involved. The film was Oscar-nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and got 4 Globe nominations and generally good reviews. After a 10.4 mil. $ opening weekend in the US, it went on to gross 40.9 mil. $ (54 % of the total gross) there.]

What do you think of The Ides of March?