Reviews in Brief: The Queen, Flushed Away, Turistas

While I'd like to take the time to write at length about each of these, there are other things I would like to get to as well, so I'll condense and if you want more go to Rotten Tomatoes linked on the right of the page. Now, on with the show:

The Queen:
For my money, the best movie I've seen in theaters this year. All the buzz around the film has been Helen Mirren's performance as Queen Elizabeth II. Well, all the hype is completely merited. She plays the role so well, completely immersed and able to convey her stoicism and humanity equally effectively. The film centers around the royal response to Princess Diana's death, dealing with the massive public mourning.

The film is able to showcase the theme of tradition vs progress without taking a side with either perspective, instead showing how they co-exist within the British society. The people were outraged that the queen was not responding publicly to Diana's death, yet she didn't think it was the place of the monarchy to be publicly emotional, particularly in regard to a private citizen (as Diana and Charles were divorced). Blair is stuck between the people and the palace, as he had recently been elected PM as a champion of progress, while at the same time having respect for the monarchy and realizing that he could use her support in the future should the public turn on him. It is more entertaining than I anticipated, with tone shifts from comedy of manners to weighty drama being so well-crafted that it all flows together without seeming forced. Prince Charles is realistically portrayed as the aloof goof that he is.

Flushed Away:
Flushed Away may be the most fun movie this year, right alongside Little Miss Sunshine and Thank You For Smoking. It has that classic Aardman charm and humor (think Chicken Run or Wallce and Gromit) while picking up some of the pop culture humor on which Dreamworks Animation tends to overdose. Any film that can find a way to work in a joke or gag about Finding Nemo, the Greek chorus, Franz Kafka, the World Cup, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, and a detective named Le Frog voiced by Jean Reno, all while remaining a breezy, entertaining animated adventure is a small miracle.

Meet Le Frog

The film finds a way to bridge the British sensibilities with the American and succeeds on every level. The animation is crisp, while not taking on the creepy realism that was Happy Feet. This is animation that is gloriously exaggerated. This is Aardman's first foray into digital animation, but you wouldn't know that if someone hadn't told you. It is excellently rendered and takes advantage of the possibilities of the technique quite well.

Turistas:
The latest film from 20th Century Fox's newest imprint, Fox Atomic, the horror/gore/slasher division of the studio. The film takes a chance and I think it succeeds. I say it takes a chance because it is advertised as being in the vein of a film like Hostel or Saw, but in reality it is more of a thriller than a slasher-type film, so I think the audience may be disappointed due to misplaced expectations. It is an interesting twist on the genre with the beautiful Brazilian locales and the villain with well-articulated motives for his sadistic cutting up of American tourists, explained in a scene of gory brilliance. The main problem with the film is that once the characters get trapped and then try to make their escape (as is always the case in these films) we lose them in the dark and then in the water. We see only flashes of what actually takes place (other than one well timed hook to the foot) and as a result it loses some steam. The male lead and one of the male baddies look similar, so when they are filmed underwater, they can be difficult to distinguish. The majority of the criticisms decry either the violence or the portrayal of the "ugly American abroad". First, the violence, in my opinion is overstated. There is one really gory scene, and other than that it is largely implicit or buried under murky cinematography. As for the comments about American arrogance on display, try going on vacation anywhere in the world and not finding that (not to mention the most arrogant character in the film is an Englishman). It exists and I think it is fair game in a film. Although, there is a certain symmetry in talking about the "ugly" American, in a film filled with beautiful people.

The director, John Stockwell, also directed Blue Crush and Into the Blue, so I think it's safe to say if he's helming a project, expect hot girls (in the minimal amount of clothing required to avoid an NC17 rating) aplenty. The line this film will undoubtedly be remembered for (if it is remembered at all) is Olivia Wilde's character Bea saying "I forgot my top in Rio; does anybody mind if I go topless?"