There were echoes of The King’s Speech as Queen Elizabeth II delivered a special address last night for only the fourth such time. Her calming words reminded us why she is so admired, though it helps that she has skydived with James Bond.
They also inspired today’s 3xFILMS:
Classic / Few cinematic speeches are more famous than news anchor Howard Beale’s explosive “I’m as mad as hell!” live rant from NETWORK (1976). Then a far-fetched satire on TV’s exploitative instincts, the film has been endlessly described as prophetic since. In the age of clickbait media, reality TV and politics as circus, it’s still a hell of a must-watch.
Crowdpleaser / For crowns, castles and courtship, A ROYAL AFFAIR (2012) is as good as it gets. A gorgeous epic with ideological battles and a brewing revolution tightly mapped onto a love triangle, driven by the always superb Mads Mikkelsen and oscar-winner Alicia Vikander in her breakout role.
Wildcard / In the domain of heroic old-timers, none is as lovable as Up’s Carl Friedricksen. But he is no King. So it has to be BUBBA HO-TEP (2002), the pulpy horror-comedy that is as nuts and fun as its concept: Elvis, played by the ever-cult Bruce Campbell, wakes up from a coma to battle a murderous Egyptian mummy haunting his Texas nursing home.
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