North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804 February 5 200
ARTS & STYLE
New Decree Film Critic Looks at ‘Dreamgirls,’ ‘The Queen’
By James Guy
Decree Staff Writer
"Dreamgirls"
Director Bill Condon
Distributor: Dreamworks SKG
After such disasters as “The
Phantom of the Opera”, “Rent”, and
“The Producers”, “Dreamgirls” creates
an engaging and lively story that
makes the viewer believe what they are
watching rather than simply accepting
the irrational numbers past musicals
have presented.
Writer and director Bill Condon
garnered worthy praise for his flawless
script of the 2002 film “Chicago,”
which landed him an Academy Award
nomination as well as Writer’s Guild
nomination. Now Condon has proven
once again he truly has a knack for
making movie musicals, something
most esteemed directors nowadays
wouldn’t even attempt.
With sharp editing, terrific camera
work, and direction from someone who
finally understands musicals, Condon
has crafted a wonderful success in
“Dreamgirls.” An adaptation of the
1981 Broadway Musical, “Dreamgirls”
tells the story of three female soul
singers who quickly rise to fame and in
turn become victims of love, hate, and
greed. Starring Jamie Foxx, Beyonce
Knowles, and Eddie Murphy, this new
musical sets out to achieve what other
current stage-to-screen films couldn’t,
to entertain.
Set in the 1960’s, the film shows
us the struggling trio known as the
“Dreamettes” (Knowles, Rose, and
Hudson) get their big break when
asked to sing backup for the very
charismatic James “Thunder” Early
(Murphy) and their fame soon spirals
into a world of deception and greed.
Beyonce Knowles shines as
the headliner Deena Jones and earns
deserving credit in her dramatic debut.
Broadway star Anika Noni Rose is
fantastic as the young, energetic Lorrell
Robinson and Jennifer Hudson steals
the show as Effie White, the most
talented and most developed character
of the trio. Hudson’s performance
of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not
Going” is by far one of the most
powerful movie moments in the last
few years. Eddie Murphy also gives
the performance of his career as James
Early, who easily delivers the most
enjoyable moments of the film every
time he takes the stage. Jamie Foxx,
on the other hand, is, in a word, dull.
His lack of enthusiasm slows down
the film more than once but luckily
the rest of the cast is able to regain
our interest. Keith Robinson, Danny
Glover, and Sharon Leal also give great
performances which truly make the
Screen Actors Guild Ensemble Award
nomination well deserved.
“Dreamgirls” isn’t perfect. There
are plenty of moments when the film
almost comes to a halt with slow
songs or irrelevant storylines. But
every time I had a negative feeling
towards a certain scene, the scene or
number that follows was always very
entertaining. I have no doubt this film
will be recognized in film editing,
sound editing, costume design, and art
decoration. But it is Jennifer Hudson’s
and Eddie Murphy’s Oscar-worthy
performances that make this film one
of the best of the year.
Grade: B+
The Queen
Director: Stephen Frears
Distributor Scott Rudin Productions
It is rare nowadays to see a movie
that has been so universally praised live
up to the reviews. Past films like ‘The
Aviator”, “Brokeback Mountain”, and
“Flags of Our Fathers” were all praised
as the best film of the year, but quickly
lost steam during the award season
and failed at the end. That is not the
case Stephen Frear’s new masterpiece;
Fueled by Helen Mirren’s brilliant
performance and a spectacularly writ
ten screenplay by Peter Morgan, “The
Queen” comes off as a timeless gem.
The story is of England’s Queen
Elizabeth II (Mirren) in 1997 after the
untimely death of Princess Diana, who
was not in good graces with the royal
family after her divorce with her son,
Charles (Jennings). The newly elected
Prime Minister Tony Blair (Sheen)
becomes the beacon of support for the
mourning nation after giving his famous
“people’s princess” speech that sky
rockets his approval ratings that makes
him the father of England. Elizabeth,
on the other hand, refuses to speak out
publicly on Diana and show any sign
of mourning, completely stunning Blair
and the world. This decision, which
she wholeheartedly believes is the
correct thing to do, backfires and creates
nationwide resentment towards her and
the monarchy Blair then takes it upon
himself to mitigate the fiasco. Mean
while the Queen tries to understand
how the people’s respect for her had so
quickly shifted after Diana’s death.
Helen Mirren gives the perfor
mance of the year as Elizabeth II, or
as the credits so elegantly put it, as
The Queen. Her subtle, yet powerful
approach to her character makes
Elizabeth a small yet extremely strong
figure that commands attention for ev
ery soft word spoken. Peter Morgan’s
script does a superb job in making the
audience understand the importance
that Elizabeth sees in herself. She’s a
woman past her time, who believes she
has the same right to act as the early
monarchs of England and to be treated
like divine royalty, when in truth nowa
days she is seen more as a respectable
symbol of England’s government.
Michael Sheen does a capable
job as Tony Blair despite not looking
anything like the real Blair It is only in
his more subtle times he seems more
like the real Blair who is loud publicly
but soft behind closed doors. The film
moves with a perfect pace that never
loses the audience’s attention, and as
more time progresses the more engaged
we become. Frears helps us during the
turmoil when the queen’s approval
ratings were dramatically dropping
to understand the reasons behind her
decisions, which really helps us sup
port the Queen more than we expect.
It isn’t until one huge outburst from
Blair where in less than one minute the
entire reason of her actions is put in
perspective and leaves us with greater
remorse than imagined.
Morgan’s script helps us see this
story in so many different perspectives
that at the end we’ve experience every
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V
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Alisha Wilson examines "Summertime Sunflowers," a painting by
Marion Clark Weathers. The artist's work will be on display at the
Mims Gallery in the Dunn Center through February 25
■
Esterline’s Top Ten Films of 2006
By Matthew Esterline ^
Decree Contributor
GIRLS AND SPORTS
Welcome Back! With the close
of 2006, I’ve attempted yet again to
find something memorable out of a
really crappy year in movies. Before
I name the best and worst movies
of 2006, let’s go over the “Oscar”
material. “The Queen” is boring,
“Borat” is decent (“Jackass Number
2” was funnier), “Children of Men”
is as pointless as its source material,
“This Film is Not Yet Rated” is a good
documentary, “Notes on a Scandal”
is boring, “Letters from Iwo Jima” is
okay but slow, “Little Children” is
weak, “The Pursuit of Happyness”
sucks, “Blood Diamond” is slower
than molasses (and sucks), and “United
93” and “World Trade Center” can
go straight to hell. Honor, my ass.
How about honoring my sacrifice of
having to watch those two pieces of
crap? Anyway, here are the best and
the worst that 2006 had to offer. Some
movies are good. Some are great. Most
are bad. Enjoy!
The Best of 2006
10. “The Departed”/”The Last
King of Scotland” (tie). Two overall
crappy movies held together by two
incredible lead performances. “The
Departed” has some memorable kills,
but it only holds up when DiCaprio is
on the screen. Concerning the other
film, why is a movie about Idi Amin
focusing on another character? Forest
Whitaker owns the movie. Too bad
he s not in it that much. Who’s winning
the Oscar? I’m hoping for a tie.
9. “Perfume: The Story of a
Murderer” - A great book has become
a so-so 2006 movie. This book deals
with a man’s obsession over creating
the perfect scent. It requires (duh)
murder as the movie goes on and
stranger and stranger ingredients are
needed. The ending alone makes the
movie worth seeing.
8. “The Good German” - A neat
throwback to the days of crappy movie
sets, poor lighting and sound, and
subversive Communism, “The Good
German” holds up thanks to good
acting and an amazing effort to recreate
the feel of old Hollywood. A helpful
dose of modem film cursing and nudity
help the overall effect of the film.
Also, this movie had some of the best
beatings on film this year.
7. “Scoop” - Another year,
another great Woody Allen movie that
no one will see. A journalist is told, by
a ghost, about a serial killer operating
in London. She decides to try to break
the story before anyone else. Half
“Mighty Aphrodite”, half “Manhattan
Murder Mystery”, “Scoop” holds up as
a solid comedy.
6. “The King” - This year’s “The
Talented Mr Ripley”, “The King” is
a unique and disturbing movie about
one man’s attempt to connect with his
father. With out-of-nowhere kills that
actually got a gasp out of me, as well
as some great camera work, this movie
is the real hidden gem of 2006.
5. “Marie Antoinette” - This
movie got some undeserved flack. I
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don’t know why, because this movie
hits all the right notes. A throwback
to older period dramas and 80s
movies—if that’s possible— “Marie
Antoinette” is an overlooked movie
that had some great performances. Two
words: Rip Tom.
4. “Manderiay” - Another
overlooked film, “Manderiay” has just
the right amount of controversy to
piss everybody off. A sequel to 2003’s
crappy “Dogville”, “Manderiay”
focuses on Grace (the ever-stupid
American) and her attempts to help
southern sharecroppers. When her help
is neither wanted nor appreciated, her
frustration grows into a murderous
rage. Both separate and connected to
“Dogville”, “Manderiay” proves to be
the stronger and more memorable film.
3. “The Fountain” - The best
date movie of 2006. Stop laughing...
I’m serious. This movie deals with
one man’s attempts to save his ill wife,
and her attempts to prepare him for
her death. Both sad and seemingly
undecipherable, “The Fountain” will
give you something interesting and
meaningful, for once, to talk about with
your significant other.
2. “Hollywoodland” - Talk about
unappreciated. This movie has perfect
directing, writing, and acting, and no
one seems to want to recognize it for
the near perfect film it is. I love this
movie. Ben Affleck—yes, that Ben
Affleck—deserves the Best Sup
porting Actor Oscar for his portrayal
of doomed Superman actor George
Reeves. Adrien Brody, the star of the
movie, is also fantastic. Great movie.
1. “The Proposition” - My fa
vorite film of 2006 is a foreign movie.
Sure it’s Australian, but it counts. This
soon to be cult westem has a simple
plot. An outlaw has to kill his murder
ous older brother in order to prevent
the execution of his innocent younger
brother With dialogue straight out of
John Ford or Sam Peckinpah films and
a generous amount of violence, “The
Proposition” is the movie to beat in
2006.
emotion possible during this debacle
Frears also puts into great use a won'
derful technique of filming the scenes
with the queen with a crisp, clean
picture while making those with Blair
grainy and with almost no lighting,
Rarely does a movie of this
magnitude come along that is so
intelligent, moving, and insightful
“The Queen” delivers a timeless story
of change in one person’s mind after
a lifetime of protocol. “The Queen”
offers the performance in Helen Mirren
and delivers an unmatchable story of
strength, tranquility, and pride that will
last the test of time and go down as a
timeless classic.
Grade: A-i-
‘Train’ Set to
Run for Black
History Month
The NC Wesleyan Theatre
Department will stage “Freedom
Train,” by Marvin Gordon, on Febniaiy
15, 16, and 17, as part of the college’s
Black History Month observance. The
performance is set for the stage at the
Dunn Center for the Performing Arts.
According to the theatre
department’s promotional literature,
“‘Freedom Train’ tells the story of
Harriet Tubman - who was bom a slave,
but devoted her energies to freeing
others - in a fascinating series of highly
theatrical scenes - scenes that use
dance, dialogue, mime, and music of
the period. ‘Freedom Train’ is a story
about self-sacrifice, dedication, and
survival; it is also laced with warmth
and a sense of humor that celebrates the
human spirit...a universal story for all
ages and all races.”
Director Roger Drake has announced
the following cast:
HARRIET Brittany Richardson
ben Jonathan Rice
RIT. Nicole Louisius
DAVID Malcolm Armwood
WILLIAM HENRY. Quinton Dixon
MASTER BRODA James Guy
OVERSEER Ian Gagnon
MR. COOK Stuart Briscar
JACOB James Guy
THOMAS GARRETT. Sean Riccio
WILLIAM STILL Vainthe Julien
PATROLLER Stuart Briscar
GUARD I Joshua Cain
GUARD II Keith Smith
SENATOR James Guy
JOHN BOWLEY. Chris Deaver
PATROL GUARD Sean Riccio
MARY. Tyeisha Hardy
ALFRED Edward Phillips
SAM William Boyd
The Worst of 2006
10. “Casino Royale” - Is it that hard to
make a good Bond film?
9. “V for Vendetta” - Preachy.
8. “The Good Shepherd” - Arty.
7. “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of
Ricky Bobby” - Dopey.
6. “Night at the Museum” - It’s hard
to believe that Ben Stiller used to
be a good actor.
5. “Basic Instinct 2” - Droopy, Saggy,
Leathery...and Unnecessary.
4. “Running with Scissors” - Bum
every copy. Now.
3. “An American Haunting” - Molestation
and ghosts. A great combo.
2. “Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull
Story” - A giant disappointment.
1. “The Black Dahlia” - Worst movie
of the Decade (I’m calling it now).