The Duchess

Release Date: 10.17.08


How wonderful would it be to be that free?


Keira Knightley was no less than queenly in this larger-than-life true story of Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire. Not yet at the age of 18 in 1774 England, “G” is picked from her garden and is soon swept into a cold and loveless marriage to William Cavendish (Ralph Fiennes), the 5th Duke of Devonshire in order to secure a male heir for his family and a continuous fortune for hers. As she says goodbye to her childhood friends and crush Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper), she enters the marriage hoping for love and passion, only to be disappointed countless times and left worthless.


After their first night together, Fiennes’ perfectly calculating and icy demeanor as the Duke leaves “G” unsatisfied with married life and she soon finds pleasures among political circles and at the gambling tables, much to her husband’s chagrin. Her first taste of celebrity comes with her own dress designs and outrageous wigs and hats, with revolutionary paparazzi feverishly scrawling depictions of her party attire. All seems well on the surface for the “Empress of Fashion”, but after the Duke’s bastard child Charlotte (from a seedy affair with a maid) is thrown into their midst, Georgiana is forced to care for her. Then after the birth of her own two daughters and numerous miscarriages of sons, the frosty Duke feels just with his impending infidelity. It is G’s only friend, Lady Elizabeth Foster (Hayley Atwell), who becomes the live-in lover of her husband and Georgiana is obliged to witness their relationship as “Bess” suppers with them at the table.


G is reunited with her adolescent love, Charles Grey, as a desperate attempt to feel real passion and the joys of physical love. When asked for permission to love Grey freely she is subsequently raped by her husband and imprisoned in her own home. The atrocity produces a son, and Georgiana is accordingly paid for her “duty” as a wife. Assuming she is free to love whom she pleases she escapes to Bath to rendezvous with Grey but is threatened to lose her children if she does not leave him. She succumbs to her husband’s intimidation, but only to confess she carries the child of Grey in her womb. She is whisked away to the country and is forced to leave the infant with Grey’s family and is under the orders to never see her again.


How wonderful would it be to be that free? That one question posed by the Duke as he watches his children play in the well-manicured garden sums up the entire theme of the film. None of the characters are happy with the role they must play in society, and with all the power and money at their disposal the one thing they cannot buy is freedom from their entitled shackles. Director Saul Dibb dares the audience to care for all the tragic characters, even the harsh Duke, with his morals and complacency.


As a young woman of 23, Knightley is stupendous in this emotional exhibition of hope and desire and disappointment and heartache. Her emotional depth and range for her young age is displayed plainly on her face and subconscious body language in her reactions to Fiennes’ even-tempered and coolly crass Duke. Even though I am a woman who has not felt similar heartbreak, I could sympathize with her torture.


The Duchess excels from remarkable performances from the entire cast, especially Ralph Fiennes as the Duke of Devonshire and an Oscar-worthy performance from Keira Knightley, as Georgiana Spencer who falls from grace and dutifully reclaims her place in society.


Rating: A

Burn After Reading

Release Date: 9.12.08


Most viewers have taken notice of Joel and Ethan Coen after their dark drama set in 1980 Texas, No Country For Old Men. The twisted underlying theme of their genre include needy underdogs taking matters into their own hands as vigilantes of sorts, even if they are unconventional. Burn After Reading recaptures the magic first brought to audiences with Raising Arizona, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski. Many have deemed this new project as “a spy farce”, lumping this work in with the likes of Austin Powers, which I find insulting. Sure, it is a caper with no stakes, nothing to fight over and overwrought by “a league of idiots”, but Burn After Reading is a must-see for those who are morose enough to laugh at murder, mayhem, and injustice being served to innocent people.

However, moviegoers be warned: do not learn anything of the plot or how it ensues prior to seeing the film. It weaves a more intricate web than expected or even noticed until talking it through with others once you leave the theater. The all-star cast carried this film to the very end of its threads.

The basic idea is that Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand, complete with choppy Marge Gunderson speech) and Chad Feldhemier (Brad Pitt, with a blonde skunk of a hairdo) are two Hard Body gym employees who stumble across a disc they think contains top secret information. Osborne Cox (John Malkovich sporting a bowtie) is owner of said disc and is frustrated that he is constantly blackmailed for a reward and simply cannot write his memoir as revenge to the CIA for his termination. His Ice Queen of a wife (Tilda Swinton with perfect execution) is utterly tired of him and proceeds to have her needs met with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a paranoid womanizing federal marshal who relies on his five mile run (ideally post-sex) to relax.

As described before, Burn After Reading is a thriller-comedy with no stakes to squabble over and a bunch of idiots who do the squabbling. It's one of those movies where you feel it is unethical to laugh at the horror, but you do, and will continue through the entirety of the movie. Albeit, the first 15 minutes are rough to get through when compared with the rest of the film, and unfortunately that may be the only flaw in this otherwise brilliant Coen comedy. Many have claimed it as the funniest since The Big Lebowski, and I must agree.


Rating: A-

An Introduction

First off I am not a writer. I’ve never considered myself to be sufficiently articulate, especially in conversation. Some have never complimented me on my way with words. I have, however, been described as stubborn and highly opinionated, and more often than not, a bit cynical.

With my current state of stagnation, I have found myself slowly sinking into a pathetic state of depression. While all my friends are partying, dating, going to school, and complaining about their horrible job, I find it difficult to sympathize for I do none of these things. Sure I go out on occasion but I am not a heavy drinker and my shopping addiction prevents me from frequenting the clubs and bars. My social life is drier than the Arizona desert, and my job, well, it’s not the most challenging but it’s near perfection for someone at the age of 26. I make my own hours, get pretty decent pay, have excellent benefits, and make key contacts to the medical world every day. But it’s not satisfying and I am utterly bored.

So that leaves me in search of a creative outlet to help me through this rut. Upon the advice of my unconventional best friend, I have turned to the internet. “You need to catch up to the digital age, adapt or die.” Instead of creating a MySpace alter-ego or checking out online dating sites I’ve decided to give blogging a try. I have also moved my laptop and modem out from my dark dungeon of a bedroom and into my bright open kitchen, hoping this act will uplift my mood.

Aside from scientific pursuits and the current environmental state of the world, my passions are movies, music, and reading. This is where the lack of creativity and opinions come in to play. Here I will post a weekly movie review - who knows, perhaps future music and book blogs as well?

Love it or hate it, I don’t care. Your comments are welcomed but will be considered lightly. Enjoy. ☺