Movie Review: Belle

Belle is an enlightening film about Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the bi-racial daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral and her struggle with race, class and gender in the 18th century. Born of a slave from the West Indies, she was left in squalor when her mother died. But unlike most offspring from such relations that were often left behind, Dido was claimed by her father, Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) and brought to live with his Great Uncle, Lord Chief Justice of England Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) his wife (Emily Watson) and half-cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray (Sarah Gadon).

Dido’s story came to be after screenwriter, Misan Sagay came across a painting of Belle and Elizabeth while touring the Scone Palace in Scotland. Since it was uncommon to depict two girls, one black and one white, enjoying each other’s company during a time when most Blacks were slaves and portrayed as such, Sagay became instantly enthralled by the portrait and was inspired to tell the story behind it.

Portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761-1804) and her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray (1760-1825)

But this tale wouldn't be the fine piece of work it is without director Amma Asante’s pristine attention to detail or Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s captivating performance.

Mbatha-Raw, who some may recall from Doctor Who and Touch, plays the title role effortlessly. Before we are graced with her presence, the film opens with the younger Dido (Lauren Julien-Box). Once at the Mansfield estate, Dido quickly bonds with her cousin Elizabeth, who was left there after her mother died and father remarried.

It isn’t until Dido matures to adulthood that she is made aware of the way the world sees her. Not permitted to dine with family while guests were present, she is free to join them in the parlor for post dinner activities. “How can I be too high in rank to dine with the servants but too low to dine with the family?” She asks with great annoyance.

Even her father’s inheritance can’t afford her equal treatment. But it can land her a husband. Enter Lady Ashford (Miranda Richardson) and her two sons Oliver (James Norton) and James (
Draco Malfoy Tom Felton). The Ashfords aren’t that well off, but Dido is. Because of this fact, mother Ashford is willing to allow her youngest son, Oliver to marry the Mulatto. Brother James does not approve of this union however and is very vocal about it.

While all of this is going on, Dido’s uncle is investigating the deaths of 142 African slaves who had been thrown overboard a slave ship while in transit. When the ship’s insurance company refused to pay the 30 pounds per slave, the owners brought the insurer to court.

This is where the main love interest comes in. John Davinier (Sam Reid), a passionate human rights activist, falls for the beautiful Dido while trying to convince Lord Mansfield to rule against the slave owners.

During the Zong investigation, Dido embraces her African heritage and she too speaks out against slavery and the owners in this case. Will her passionate words influence her uncle's final decision in the case? You'll have to watch the film to find out.

Belle tackles race, gender and class without being overbearing.  And as a Jane Austen fan,  I loved the wardrobe and language. Plus it was nice to see  a woman of color in a period film who wasn't enslaved, yet was still very socially aware.  The only issues I had with the film, was that the ending was a tad melodramatic and the pacing was a bit sluggish.  But neither faults prevented me from enjoying the movie as a whole.

It is my hope  Belle's success  will inspire more films where the leading actress isn't necessarily Mia Wasikowska or Keira Knightly.  A few years ago, Naomie Harris (Skyfall, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) expressed interest in producing a Jane Austen film with a Black cast.  I would love for that project to happen!

Belle, rated  PG, opens this week. Make sure to catch it.

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Game of Thrones: Oathkeeper

Tonight’s ep opens in Meereen. Gray Worm is learning English, but is interrupted by Daenerys who has a task for him, which is to infiltrate the city. But that’s only part of his duty. His main task is to convince the slaves to fight against their oppressors, which they do willingly. Wanting justice, the Great White Hope and Mother of Dragons, Dany orders the surviving enslavers to be nailed to posts in the same manner the murdered 163 children were.

In King’s Landing Jaime continues his training with Bronn, who hilariously bitch slaps Jaime with his own gold hand and shames Jaime into visiting Tyrion, which he does after their session. While in his cell,  just for the sake of hearing his brother say it aloud, Jaimie asks Tyrion if he had anything to do with Joffrey’s death. Tyrion, who is of course innocent, tells him no and emphasizes Sansa had nothing to do with it either, stating she wasn't capable of such an act.

You got served

Perfect segue to Sansa and Littlefinger on a boat-heading god knows where. LF informs Sansa he’s to marry her aunt. This news is of little consequence to Sansa who only wants the truth, which she receives with little prodding. Lord Baelish admits to smuggling the poison that killed Joffrey in Sansa’s necklace. He also admits to having an accomplice.

The accomplice is none other than Margaery’s grandmother Tyrell Olenna, who didn’t want her granddaughter to marry the animal Joffrey. After admitting to playing a hand in Joffrey’s glorious demise she instructs Margaery to work her magic on her next husband, Tommen who will be much easier to control.

At Castle Black the Knight’s Watch are training for the impending assault  against The Wildlings. Jon Snow, who once knew nothing, now knows quite a damn bit and is leading the charge. We see Locke again, who was sent there to find and kill Bran and Rickon Starke. Don’t trust him Jon Snow!

Snow knows

Back at King’s Landing, Cersei is still a mess and wine has become her best and only friend. Jaime, complete with stylish leather coat, drops by her quarters for a visit and is immediately ordered to bring back Sansa. Cersei is adamant that both Tyrion and Sansa murdered her son and she wants them to pay the price. Jaime rejects the command and tries to convince his twin otherwise but is coldly dismissed.

Following her grandmother’s instruction, Marg slips inside Tommen’s bedchambers. The twelve-year-old was alarmed at her surprise arrival, but good ol' Marg charmed him very quickly and convinces him to keep future visits a secret. The besotted soon-to-be-king was more than willing to oblige.

Jail bait, schmailbait

Wanting to see the pact he made with Lady Catleyn through, Jaime sends Brianne to protect and find Sansa but not before bequeathing her with a sword forged by Valyrian steel and a suit of armor. Plus Brienne is also given Tyrion’s squire, Podrick who is entrusted with Tyrion’s axe. Yak now, I think I smell the makings of a comedy spinoff. How about, The Pod and I? We can add music to it. It will be fantastic. No? Yeah, probably not.

Brienne names the sword Oathkeeper then she and Pod go off on their quest.

I will always love you

We return to Castle Black where Sam is worried about Gilly’s safety. The conversation between he and Jon turn to Bran and his whereabouts, which they believe is Craster’s Keep. Jon proclaims he is heading there to seek help from the mutineers and brings a few volunteers along. Locke is one of them.

The ep then moves to Craster’s Keep where women are being violated (Seems to be a thing with this series as of late) and a male newborn is left in the forest as a sacrifice to the White Walkers.

Unlucky in life, the remaining legitimate Starks and crew are captured by the mutineers and before one can have  his way with Meera, Bran admits to who he is, which of course changes everything.

Finally the episode ends with White Walkers. The offered baby is carried by one of them on horseback to their ice dwelling and set upon an ice like alter in the center of a circle of pillars. What I assume to be the head White Walker, retrieves the child and after a tense moment touches the infant’s cheek with a finger, turning the babe into one of them.

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Pretty cool right? White Walkers aren’t eating babies or killing them, they are creating more like themselves.

So what did you think of tonight’s episode? I liked it.  I just have a couple gripes. Major one having to do with Jaime. Last week he rapes his twin and now all of a sudden he’s Mr. Nice Guy. Second annoyance, which is a minor one, is White Savior Khaleesi. The imagery is a bit vexing.

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Game of Thrones: Breaker of Chains

As expected, this episode deals with the aftermath of Joffrey’s death. I’m still very glad the sucker is dead. The only one who ever loved the bastard and will miss him is his mother. Things get underway very quickly and pick up where they left off, which is with Cersei screaming at Tyrion while Sansa is whisked away by Ser Dontos.

Who orchestrated this escape? Well, it’s no other than Little Finger himself, Lord Baelish. I figured he was scheming somewhere. Good servitude never goes unpunished. As payment for delivering the goods, Baelish kills Dontos with an arrow to the head. A precautionary measure lest his loyalty be bought.

Margaery is still recovering from her husband’s death. A second husband lost, she is shaken and deems herself cursed. But Grandmother Tyrell reassures her. Pointing our their alliance with the Lannisters is still important she says, “You did wonderful work on Joffrey. The next one should be easier.”

Perfect transition to Joffrey lying in state with his mother and younger brother Tommen at the alter. Tywin comes in and instead of paying respect to his dead grandson he starts grooming the next king, who is certainly of a nicer temperament than his fallen sibling.

Jaimie enters the chamber once Tywin leaves with Tommen and requests to be left alone with Cersei. Cersei, who is wrecked with grief, calls for vengeance for their son. I think this is the first time we hear her admit this aloud. Then what happens next is more disturbing than Joffrey’s death. Jaimie forces himself on his twin sister, right there at the alter. As if incest between twins wasn't enough.

Arya and Hound are still in route to the Eyrie. While they’re resting beneath a bridge, the owner of the land and his young daughter approach them. Hound is gruff, Arya apologies for him, stating they’re watering their horses and they’ll be on their way.

The story she concocts results in shelter and food. At the dinner table a rather humorous exchange between Hound and landowner transpires. But the serenity doesn’t last long. The next morning, the Hound steals the man’s silver. His rational for doing so? Neither the landowner or daughter will be alive next winter.

Arya was thrilled by his reply.

Onto Castle Black we go. While Gilly is defeathering geese, Samwell drops in on her. By now it’s obvious Sam is fond of Gilly and the feelings are mutual. But he worries about her safety there and suggests she and baby Sam go to Moles Town. Believing that Sam just wants to get rid of her, she’s unhappy with the suggestion

News of Joffrey’s death reaches Stannis, which reinforces his faith in the Red Woman. To this Stannis believes he can win the war, his right hand Davos is against it. They don’t have an army. After taking a tongue lashing from Stannis about not having said army, Davos leaves to have a reading lesson with Stannis’s daughter, Shireen. During his conversation with her he comes up with an idea to write a letter to the Iron Bank of Bravos. It’s unclear what is in the letter and what it will accomplish. I’m thinking it will lead to the army Stannis requires.

Sam and Gilly arrive at Moles Town at a brothel where Gilly is expected to cook and clean and look after the babys of the other women working there. Gilly isn’t happy with this arrangement but Sam convinces her it’s for the best. He can’t leave Castle Black.

So, basically Sam, fearing his brothers will take advantage of Gilly sent her someplace where others will. Yeah, that makes sense.

Those who were disappointed by the lack of nudity so far this season will be happy with the insatiable Oberyn and Ellaria who we see in the middle of an orgy, which gets cut short by Tywin. Tywin speaks to Oberyn alone and questions him about his exchange with Tyrion. Oberyn informs him they spoke of his sister’s death, which he blames Tywin for. Dun, dun, dun.

Tywin then offers Oberyn the third judge’s position at Tyrion’s trial. If he does so, he will be able to sit on the council as one of his Tommen’s advisors and he’ll arrange a meeting for Oberyn with The Mountain to discuss his sister’s murder. Of course Tywin is doing this to ensure a proper alliance against Daenerys and her dragons.

Page Podrick informs a jailed Tyrion of when he’ll stand trial and that Mace Tyrell, Oberyn and his father will be his judges. Tyrion can have witnesses vouch for him, but the two he’d choose, Sansa and Bronn are eliminated for obvious reasons. One escaped and the other is deemed biased. After Podric admits to being approached by someone to testify that he saw Tyrion with poison, Tyrion orders Podrick to leave Kings Landing, fearing for the page’s life.

Still no sign of Shae or idea of her whereabouts.

Next is a gruesome scene where the Wildlings attack a village near the wall. The cannibal guy that resembles an alien from Prometheus sends a boy off to inform Castle Black of it, thinking it will draw Jon Snow and his man out to slaughter.

On her continued freedom tour, the episode then ends with Dany, at Meereen. A Meereenian champion is sent to challenge Dany and her army. New Daario accepts the contest and levels the man and his horse. Finally, in a move of badassery, after a fantastic speech, which is meant to enlighten the enslaved, Dany, launches barrels filled with chains against Meereen property.

The Breaker of Chains triumphs again.

Side note, seems a debate rages on about the scene. Apparently sex was consensual in the books.  I’ve not read the series, but I did find a couple excerpts online:

"Hurry," she was whispering now, "quickly, quickly, now, do it now, do me now. Jaime Jaime Jaime." Her hands helped guide him. "Yes," Cersei said as he thrust, "my brother, sweet brother, yes, like that, yes, I have you, you're home now, you're home now, you're home." He kissed his ear and stroked his shortly bristly hair. Jaime lost himself in her flesh. He could feel Cersei's heart beating in time with his own, and the wetness of blood and see where they were joined.

For those who read the books, what are your thoughts on this issue?  Feel free to comment. Check out gamfaqs.com for an interesting debate on the scene too.

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Movie Review: Riddick

Last week, your favorite Sister of the Geek Covenant was fortunate enough to attend the Los Angeles premiere of Riddick, with none other than Vin Diesel himself in attendance to thank fans. Before the picture rolled, the Fast & Furious actor let it be known how much of his success was owed to his followers and professed the self-titled third of the Riddick trilogy was made especially for them. Big Dies’ also mentioned that the anticipated Fast 7 begins principal photography this week. Not surprisingly, this news was met with boisterous applause and cheers, especially with the recent kick-ass news that Kurt Russell was added to the cast.

As for any type of Marvelous movie updates, sorry folks; not one word was mentioned about “the deal” he has with Marvel. At least for tonight, Vinny WAS NOT GROOT!

Now, I must preface this review by stating that this “Naughty Nun” is not a hardcore Riddick fangirl. Fast and the Furious a.k.a. Need For Speed with Hot Bods is my preferred Vin D franchise. But I did enjoy both Pitch Black and even The Chronicles of Riddick – despite the story making a far better video game — enough to garner any type of interest for a third. I mean, let’s be real here; how can you hate on a film that featured the oh-so-very-handsome Karl Urban, and actresses, Dame Judi Dench (M!) and Thandie Newton (as Dame!)?

Speaking of Karl, you may have heard that the new Dredd reprises his role as Commander Lord Vaako, but…don’t get too excited. He’s only on-screen in Riddick for 5-minutes (if you’re lucky) and, less impressive, during a convoluted flashback, which I have no choice but to *cough* address in a few.

When last we saw the Furyan warrior, he was dubbed the new Lord Marshall of Helion. But when Riddick opens, he’s unconscious on a desolate planet inhabited by hostile beasts. There’s no dialogue for a good 15-minutes and, of course,shit gets real the moment Riddick awakens.

“Just pretend it’s ‘Terra Nova’,” they said. “Just pretend it’s ‘Terra Nova.’”

While fighting for survival, things take an interesting Hanna Barbera-like turn when Richard B. Riddick rescues a space pup and trains him. Uh-huh. After Vin Diesel and Scooby form a cool bond, the new dogtastic duo eventually come across an abandoned outpost. Before I go any further, the reasons for Rid’s “ridding” are revealed in the flashback referenced earlier. Yes, watching Riddick has inspired me to alliterate. It also turns out our pal made some deal with Lord Vaako (Urban) and was eventually double-crossed. Shafted. Effed over. Done in.

Either way, today wasn’t a good day.

Thinking he’d be returned to his home planet, Riddick left a life of royalty and half-naked women for Dune without Patrick Stewart and Sting. By the way, I’m slightly vexed there was not one peek at Vinny D’s backside. Not even one cheek! But, there was plenty of *cough.. louder COUGH* breasts… Breasts. Thanks, Mr. Twohy.

After Riddick enters the station and allows his face to be scanned, a distress signal is sent notifying nearby hunters of the wanted mercenary’s whereabouts. Two different groups land on the planet. An unlawful hunter by the name of Santana (Jordi Molla) leads one team and a straight-laced captain named Boss Johns (Matt Nable), commands the other. Thus, Riddick must take out eleven bounty hunters in total, with not one of them named Boba.

Take a good hard thought of who wins this game.

Feige warned me not to say anything….

Battlestar Galactica fans will be happy to see Katee Sackoff whoop some ass, as we all know Starbuck offers more than eye candy — or, at least, very hot coffee. And, yes, we get to see her boobs too. Well *COUGH* at least one of them. Another notable addition to the franchise is former WWE Heavyweight Champion, Dave Bautista, a man who the Sister wasn’t too familiar with before he joined Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. I gotta say, for someone who’s supposedly not a trained actor (unless you want to count the menacing “reality” of Friday Night Smackdown), Big Bad Bautista did a nice job as the warrior Diaz. He should have no problem handling the meat ‘n potats of Drax the Destroyer next August.

There’s also not much to say about the film’s score, unless you want to merely call it standard trailer music…and I don’t mean the cool Kid Rock kind, either. With a 60-million dollar budget, most of the cash went to the adequate visual effects (since early word claimed the film would not go the Chronicles route with too much focus on CGI) and to Vin Diesel, of course; not toward an epic composer like Hans Zimmer.

Those minor flesh wounds aside (i.e. lack of half-naked men to offset the countless topless damsels and the flashback), Riddians (like it? no?) will undoubtedly enjoy Riddick far more than film #2, especially with a story and overall vibe that harken back to Pitch Black. Plus there’s a killer death scene that will be talked about long after the credits roll…

But if I told you, then I’d have to *cough* all over you.

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Movie Review: Old Boy

The Internet erupted into a ball of rage when it was announced Spike Lee was remaking Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy. As someone who didn’t care much for other remakes of foreign films, I could understand the fall out. Let us not forget how forgettable Matt Reeves’s remake of Let the Right One In was (Let Me In? No.) and David Fincher’s depiction of Girl with a Dragon Tattoo wasn’t much different from the Swedish version, which starred Noomi Rapace. Speaking of Rapace, can we settle this right here and now? Her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander was much more badass than Rooney Mara who was clearly mimicking Rapace in the first place.

Frankly, this film-loving prioress could go on and on about Dragon Tattoo and how I felt Fincher’s film wasn’t nearly as haunting or mysterious. But, that’s not what this holiday write-up is about. This review is about Oldboy and whether or not it stunk like last year’s Turkey dinner.

Welp, I’m here to testify.. that in comparison to the original, ya ‘boy is indeed leaky, slimy and should be quickly taken off the market.

I want a Mister Socko, too!

Fans of the 2003 feature will no doubtly be annoyed by some of the changes, yet at the same time find a bit of solace knowing the overall plot hasn’t changed all that much. But right from jump, the first difference is the length of the protaganist’s imprisonment. In Spike Lee’s version, Joe (Josh Brolin) is locked away for twenty years, where as Dae-Su (Min-sik) was confined for fifteen. To be fair, that change didn’t bother me too much.

So, let’s get to what did: Lee’s decision to drop the narration. By choosing to do away with the voiceover, we don’t get the chance to get inside Joe’s head, nor do we fully comprehend how truly insane he becomes while in captivity. I mean, you’d go nuts too if you were forced to eat dumplings for 20-years straight.

When Joe is finally set free, we witness a cue taken from the classic Oldboy with Josh Brolin spilling out of the trademark trunk. Shortly thereafter, his quest begins to find the very person who locked him up in the first place.

And this is where the film really started to lose me.

Hey, it worked for Thor.

Oldboy is based from the manga written by Garon Tsuchiya and illustrated by Nobuaki Minegishi. I mention this, because what director Park Chan-wook and cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung achieved was a stylized thriller that harkened back to the source. While sitting through Lee’s film, everything was so out of sorts, it felt as if he chucked the manga — along with Chan-wook’s masterpiece — out the window.

But Lee wasn’t all together clueless. The epic hammer fight scene is in the film, as it wouldn’t be Oldboy without it. What Lee shot was sad in comparison, however. Come to think of it, this “new” Oldboy is pretty lifeless. Have you ever heard that term describe an ultra violent film before?

Maybe only in the case where zombies are forced to eat each other.

I WAS undefeated in “Casket Matches”…

Even if the end result isn’t exactly a blockbuster, you still gotta give Spike some credit for doing something a little different. This isn’t a shot-for-shot remake of the original. Gone is the stomach-churning squid sequence, and the torture scenes weren’t as brutal this time around.. even if they were still bad enough for me to cover my eyes. But, if you’ve already convinced yourself enough that you’ve got to see this, please at least matinée at your own risk.

Which makes me feel for the talent involved. Almost-”Batlin” delivered (hey, beats the term “Broman”, but not quite “Batfleck”), as did the recently announced “Scarlet Witch” (for Avengers 2), Elizabeth Olsen, as a nurse who helps Joe find his abductor. Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium) was strong as well, albeit a bit too cartoonish. Yet, the standout for this Sister was French actress Pom Klementieff . She doesn’t have a single word of dialogue in the film, yet somehow leaves a lasting impression.

So, what’s my verdict, congregation? Easy. Don’t waste your holiday money. Spike’s offered far better entertainment through his courtside antics during Knicks games. Come to think of it, what was FilmDistrict drinking/thinking releasing such a violent film Thanksgiving week?

O’boy.

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