Move over, Cabbage

I saw a couple of very good movies recently.

Bobby was quite an emotional experience, and I really was interested in all of the interrelated storylines. It is not so much about Bobby Kennedy as about the effect he had on people, and this film shows this idea well. The movie had some flaws (like a weird LSD trip scene and some preachiness from Lawrence Fishburne) but made up for these with outstanding performances from a star-packed cast. I have never thought Demi Moore was a very good actress before, but I thought she was wonderful in this movie, and Freddy Rodriguez was also excellent.


Emilio Estevez wrote and directed Bobby, and this is an ambitious film. I am a huge Robert Kennedy fan--having grown up in a Kennedy-loving home--and I just love everything about what Bobby represented and meant to people. The overriding theme of the film--that much of the nation's hope was shattered when Bobby was killed--comes through quite well, and the last half hour of the movie are heart-wrenching.

The Queen, directed by Stephen Frears, is utterly fascinating. First of all, I followed the events following Diana's death quite intently ten years ago, and to see these events from behind the scenes is captivating. I suppose if a person was too young to follow the events of that week, this movie would not be as interesting, but I was completely sucked in.

But the performance by the brilliant Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II is wonder to behold. It is one of the best pieces of acting I have ever seen. This is much more than just an impression of the queen; Mirren completely encapsulates the conflict of a woman whose nation is changing without her. This film will definitely be on my list this year.