The Lion in Winter
August 25th, 2007
“It’s 1183 and we’re barbarians!” proclaims Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), and she’s got a point. The infighting between aging Henry II (Peter O’Toole), his jailed queen, and jealous sons vying for the crown (Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry) is some of the ugliest — and most twisted — I’ve ever seen.
Based on a play by James Goldman, the dialogue reaches levels of viciousness usually reserved for Edward Albee, with many more quotable lines than you can digest on first viewing and acting that should never have lost an Oscar to Oliver! or Charly. Like The Ice Harvest, this movie belongs on our list of Top Ten Christmas Movies for Cynics. With Timothy Dalton as King Philip of France.
The Lion in Winter. Anthony Harvey, 1968. ****
Venus
June 25th, 2007
This vehicle for aging Peter O’Toole dances around places Lolita and Harold & Maude boldly went decades ago. Jodie Whittaker plays the sassy, underage object of an aging actor’s affections, and after a few dirty jokes and a drinking binge, there isn’t anywhere to go for Hanif Kureishi’s strangely timid screenplay. And so we wait for the inevitable as the movie succumbs to a fatal case of sentimentality.
Venus. Roger Michell, 2006. **
Lassie
November 28th, 2006
Yeah, we’ll watch anything with Samantha Morton, even if she sells her son’s beloved collie to Peter O’Toole. What they call “quality family entertainment.” The Loch Ness monster makes a cameo.
Lassie. Charles Sturridge, 2005. ***
[tags]pets, dogs, kids, film, 3 stars, lassie, samantha morton, peter o’toole[/tags]
