Is Helen Mirren Kidding?

i just wasted @4 hours of my life watching helen mirren dupe us yet again. with the exception of 2009's 'the last station' this oscar winner has done nothing but pick up a paycheck for mediocrity. not that i ever thought she should have won that oscar. best impression of the year? yes! best actress? not!

but as things went downhill since then, the lowest of the low just recently happened. has anyone seen 'hitchcock? don't bother. it's a frackin' bore beginning to end. and mirren is the worst part of it. she called this one in on someone else's many many dimes. she made a totally miscast scarlett johansson look oscar eligible. slacker. but we are not yet finished with this dame....

then comes hbo's abysmal 'phil spector'. good god. forget al pacino who goes over the top as often as he can. it's beyond expectation at this point. the film and pacino are a mess. but it is ms mirren as attorney to spector that kicks the dead horse of a movie once it is already down. not to be outdone by pacino she too gets a fright wig. she gets the same frightening make up as pacino. what she doesn't quite get is this film is about pacino's character. the look may be 'right' in her mind but her acting is mindless. she, pacino and this film are disasters. 

pacino has done some good work recently. especially on stage. mirren not too much. o yes yes yes she is playing elizabeth 2 for the 3rd time in london this season. and that sums up helen mirren: stick with the queen as it seems to work for you. perhaps you can take the role on the road and then on a carnival cruise...a very very long carnival cruise. all the rest we can divide between christie, dench and smith. stay away from the screen or start learning to read a script, interpret it and forget the paycheck. do your job. as an actor act as if you care at the very least.

'The Last Station' *stars

'the last station' or 'the history of histrionics as offered by 'watch me over emote' helen mirren'.

as the countess sophia who all but kicks her husband leo tolstoy in his nuts ms. mirren proves she is the most overrated british actress of her time. she is such a 'phony' actress. it's all kind of ''watch me act. am i not wonderful? i'm going to scream and shout now. am i not a brilliant actress?". no ms. mirren you are not brilliant. you are damn annoying is what you are.

those who follow this blog know that my love and admiration for british actresses are bountiful and always has been. julie, judy, maggie, keira, deborah and kate are always at the top of all my lists. but mirren my god stop already. you are maddening.

christopher plummer what can i say? you gave an admirable performance considering the scene chewing ham you were playing against. she actually recieved an oscar nomination for this. makes one wonder.

the film itself is a waste of 1:53 hours. the one star is for the location shots, james mcavoy and the cinematography. i am being kind much to kind.

oh well...my suggestion is do not buy, do not rent...pass it by.

Revisiting: 'Hair' *1/2

i love to revisit film yesterday. i pulled out my dvd of 'hair' and much to my surprise i hated it. i can only say i must have been stoned or tripping when i first saw this. though the locations shots were mostly authentic the wardrobe came right out of costume. show me one real hippie and/or flower child that had 'designer hippie' clothes. the orchestrations though serviceable killed a few of the numbers and a few bars in almost every number.

the acting was appalling thus i apologize but treat williams you sucked. and beverly d'angelo got the career she deserved following her portrayal of shelia...no career...gone...forgotten...take a hint anne hathaway.

john savage as claude was almost redeemable but just almost.

i have no idea what i was on the night i went with my friends to see this in 1979 but i'd love to get my hands on some of it, well a lot of it, today.

p.s. 'hair: a tribal musical' opened in 1967 off broadway. in 1968 it transferred to broadway and caused a sensation and quite a stir. waiting until 1979 to film it was so untimely as those days were well gone. at best some musicals should never be filmed. this stands atop a semi long list. this milos forman directed movie was so far from tribal and as close to hollywood mediocrity as one could get. what was i thinking or yet again what was i on?