Reviews: "The King's Speech" & "Tron: Legacy"

This week I reviewed "The King's Speech" and "Tron: Legacy," two films that have one thing in common--neither took top honors in the San Diego Film Critics Society's (SDFCS) 2010 awards, (though "King's Speech" was nominated for several). This was my first year as an SDFCS member and, despite some of the grumbling you'd expect from a roomful of opinionated critics, it was exciting to be a part of a group so willing to consider films outside the normal Hollywood Oscar bait (like "Winter's Bone," "Another Year," "44 Inch Chest" and "Ondine"). Let's just hope that someone out there in Academy-land hears our cries. Doubtful I know, but we did our part.

Colin Firth as King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen Mother  

in "The King's Speech" (Laurie Sparham/ The Weinstein Company)

Not that I disliked "The  King's Speech," as you'll see in my review. It was just, well, expected. Enjoyable, yes, but not anything that had me walking out of the theater feeling electrified by brilliant filmmaking. As my mother described it, "It was a really, really good television movie." Still, wonderful performances, a compelling true story, and a good dose of royal gossip.

Jeff Bridges is shown in  "Tron: Legacy"  (AP Photo/Disney)

Then there's "Tron: Legacy," which was certainly discussed during SDFCS's voting, but only because the press screening took place the night before and people needed to vent about the film's assault on everything that is holy in sci-fi movie geekdom. I kept my mouth shut because, well, I didn't entirely hate it.

Granted, I had the lowest of expectations, especially after seeing the original "Tron" only a few days earlier (and falling asleep halfway through after spending the first half mocking its ridiculous story, costumes, dialogue and acting). So when I found myself generally wowed by the effects of its sequel, I went along for the ride and took it for what it was.

Yes, even the recreation of a young Jeff Bridges impressed me, though many are describing it as a "Madame Tussaud's-like death mask." I've still never seen anything like it and am excited to see how much better it'll get down the road. I mean, "Tron" looked cheezy as hell, but it still helped redirect our cinematic imagination.

Still, it would have been nice if the filmmakers had actually tried to improve upon the story--or even, gasp, reinvent it. Instead, they took the easy way out by trying to lure the Gen X audience with nostalgia, while attempting to appeal to a new generation of numbskull kids with visual spectacle and a hell of a lot of marketing. And, as we know, trying to appeal to everyone rarely gets you somewhere good (hear that Obama?).

Oh, and I got so distracted by placing "Tron: Legacy" in the context of its predecessor, that I stupidly neglected to include the following observations in my review. Michael Sheen, an actor I really admire, delivers a Tim Curry/Rock Horror-esque performance that is simply painful to watch. Perhaps he was directed to inject as much energy and silliness as he could muster to give an overly dreary film at least some sort of energy, but he just comes off as desperate and pandering.

On the other hand, Jeff Bridges (the 62-year old version) does give us a few giggles every time he channels the beloved Dude (because, well, The Dude abides). But each Dude-ish moment just pulls you out of the world that "Legacy" tries so hard to create. Let's just have the Coen brothers do a Lebowski remake instead, shall we?

Next Friday I review "True Grit" and profile the first ever San Diego Christian Film Festival (what else would a nice Jewish girl be working on during the Christmas season?)

Speaking of, Happy Holidays!