I for one expected The Queen to be total Oscar bait, given the prestige subject and immense hype surrounding the film. Surprising it was, then, that The Queen turned out to be one of the best films of 2006, an irreverent examination of The Queen's state of mind in the wake of Princess Diana's untimely death in 1997. Director Stephen Frears could easily have gotten away with a frothy, safe, crowd-pleasing take on the subject, but he opted for something far more interesting and fully-formed, getting into the nitty-gritty of the titular character as a person, aided entirely by Helen Mirren's Oscar-winning performance. In addition to Mirren's spellbinding turn, Michael Sheen is extremely impressive with his uncannily spot-on performance as Tony Blair (reprising the role from his work on Frears' The Deal), and James Cromwell makes for a great Prince Phillip. What could have been a stodgy, boring biopic is instead a fascinating window into a life so often hidden behind closed doors.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
