The Queen

I went to a late show of The Queen last night at the Angelika -- and if you have not yet seen it, I suggest you sally forth and get thee to a cinema.
It simply was an incredible piece... no wonder you can hear the Oscar whispers. Helen Mirren was fantastic. It really was an amazing portrait of a living monarch during a week of unprecedented issues. The film (if you were unaware) focuses on Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair at the time surrounding Princess Diana's death. The struggle between the Queen's understanding of what constitutes proper mourning (Diana was the mother of her grandchildren, but was no longer an HRH) and the public's outcry over the palace's lack of comment. Mirren gave an excellent performance as a ruler who was raised to keep one's feeling's to oneself. Yet, with a need to "modernize" and still remain in touch with her people, she struggles with the very vocal and harsh criticism and her own sense of a monarch's image.
Praise is due to the entire cast, particular Michael Sheen who portrayed the new Prime Minister Tony Blair. While two Underworld movies and Timeline are in his past, he fit the role of Blair quite beautifully. It was almost painful to see the energy, enthusiasm and compassion that used to constitute my image of Tony Blair... before President Bush came along and destroyed him.
And so I heartily recommend that you go and see The Queen now so when Oscar season rolls around, you won't have to sit in the "Very Long Wait" queue on Netflix.