“First off, big news for the blog. I _finally_ set up www.expletivedleted.com a mere 2.5 years after registering the domain name. It’s not that pretty (my inferior HTML ability is only superior to my inferior design skill) but it’s something. I feel legit now.
What else makes me feel legit is crossing another movie off the Oscar list–The Iron Lady, starring the incomparable Meryl Streep, who is a front runner for Best Actress. I know I’ve said it a million times that she’s my favorite actress, merely for the fact that in the same year she could have fun with Mamma Mia! and get yet another Oscar nomination for Doubt. I was sold on Streep before I even saw Sophie’s Choice, irrevocably after. I think it’s a travesty that it’s been so long since she last won the most major of all the acting gold. I recently realized that she has not managed to take it home in my lifetime. Unacceptable!
But by golly she’s got a very fantastic shot at it this year. It typically annoys me the way that the Academy favors biopics, but for once I’m hoping we can bet on that. When she was first on screen in the age makeup, I did not recognize her. It was a good 5-10 minutes until I was convinced, and it took them saying her name. She played both crazy old lady and strong willed leader with such commitment and conviction. If I keep going, I’m just gonna gush. We all know how amazing this woman is.
Here’s yet another situation where my history education fails me. I really didnt know much about Margaret Thatcher, or about how British politics work or anything. So on that front it was really interesting, but it did drag on a bit. And there were a lot of strange cutaway shots that looked like they were trying to be artsy/profoud that didnt quite work. Although I did like the riot footage that was underscored by punk rock. I thought it was a nice touch.
Overall, this movie really is just an acting showcase for Meryl. While that strategy can typically fall flat, she is absolutely fantastic at carrying this film.
The Iron Lady – \m/ \m/ \m/