victor7754

The Tudors is full of sex, nudity, decapitations, torture, betrayal, malice, murder, rape,festering wounds, gossip, adultery, a Royal Court soap opera ...and all being performed by mostly in shaped attractive actors who are lead by Jonathan Rhyes Myers as Henry VIII. The real life lunatic king would most likely be delighted to be portrayed so handsomely. Imagine how The Tudors would have done in the ratings if the characters were portrayed more accurately in appearance. Henry VIII was a plump pig of a man along with most of the court hogs. Psychopathy and Narcissism run amok as Henry VIII grows more paranoid and delusional in his power to Control England, Ireland, and France. A depressing feeling engulfs the mind from start to finish. The characters appear apathetic to any emotion especially the loss of family, loved ones, or friends. The costumes and set designs are lovely. Myers captures the King in a perverse madness and we hate him for it wanting that festering wound to devour his evil and twisted mind. Yet, for some reason, among all the madness there is a spell cast. You might have the whips and chains ready for a late night romp with a desirable one.

A dreamily opening to a captivating and somewhat confusing look into depression and isolation. The undertone of this film lies in the fact that feeling depressed is based on the fact that something does not seem right. There is no Prozac or Lexapro to alter your brain. Melancholia seems to symbolize our current state of viral cyber news of comets, runaway planets, fallen birds, plaques of locust, Brown Dwarfs...strange sounds. Something does not seem right. Kirsten Dunst carried much of the film and Charlotte Gainsbourg was a fine balance of melancholy. Director Lars Von Trier uses his bouncy camera shoots that may cause irritation with some of the confusing moments such as a night out on a Golf Course but then slows down to moments of transcendence like the nude scene under the light of Melancholia, a runaway planet that is more of a parable to all our endings. Isolation on an English Estate. Beautiful and haunting.

The Help comes nowhere near the horror that infected Mississippi and the Southeast during the Civil Rights movement in 1960's America. This silly portrayal is filled with cinematic clichés. The film bounces between fluff and nutter with Actors placed in nice lighting. Give me a break. The Help has a cast that is able to carry the story with moments of humor balancing the hardships of being victims of racism. The Evangelical Baptists and Congregations were filled with much oppression and ignorance during this time. Why is this not touched upon with a more accurate eye. 50 years later, Mississippi is ranked the most miserable state. Perhaps, in the sequel, "More Help" we may see such realism. It will scare the hell out of ya. No pun intended.