The Duchess

Cast
Keira Knightley
Ralph Fiennes
Dominic Cooper
Hayley Atwell
Screenwriters
Jeffrey Hatcher
Anders Thomas Jensen
Saul Dibb
Director
Saul Dibb
Running Time
110 minutes

Long before the concept existed, the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer, was the original “It Girl.” Like her direct ancestor Princess Diana, she was ravishing, glamorous and adored by an entire country. Determined to be a player in the wider affairs of the world, she proved that she could out-gamble, out-drink and outwit most of the aristocratic men who surrounded her. She helped usher in sweeping changes to England as a leader of the forward-thinking Whig Party. But even as her power and popularity grew, she was haunted by the fact that the only man in England she seemingly could not seduce was her very own husband, the Duke. And when she tried to find her own way to be true to her heart and loyal to her duty, the resulting controversies and convoluted liaisons would leave all of London talking. (Paramount Vantage)

It was very well done but I wasn't as moved by it as I guess the makers intended because although she suffered it was a genteel suffering. The ordinary folk had hard lives too living in servitude without the trappings of luxury she enjoyed, which tempered my sympathy for her.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Cast
David Thewlis
Vera Farmiga
Rupert Friend
Richard Johnson
Sheila Hancock
Jim Norton
Asa Butterfield
Jack Scanlon
Screenwriter
Mark Herman
Director
Mark Herman
Running Time
94 minutes

When his father (Thewlis) is made commandant of a concentration camp, eight year-old Bruno (Butterfield) finds himself listless and alone. Then, after an exploration, he meets a strange boy who seems to be wearing pyjamas, sat behind a wire fence. A meeting that will have terrible repercussions...

I thought it was good. Having the Germans speak english with english accents seemed odd.

December Comics

Newsarama has the new Marvel and DC solicitations for December.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.

THOR: GOD-SIZED #1
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE, DAN BRERETON & MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
His name was Skurge, and men and god alike knew him as Executioner...and the legend of his life and death reverberate across the walls of Heaven itself. In Asgard, though...no one can quite remember WHAT happened to him. How did he live? How did he die? And why does everyone in Asgard remember it differently? There's trickery at hand so vile even Loki joins Thor in trying to unravel it. Some comics are giant-sized. Some are king-sized. Only THIS comic can be called GOD-SIZED! By Matt Fraction (THOR: AGES OF THUNDER) and a roster of all-star artists including Doug Braithwaite (SECRET INVASION: THOR), Dan Brereton (IMMORTAL IRON FIST ANNUAL) and Marko Djurdjevic (THOR #7-8)!
64 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

For the Dan Brereton art.


INCOGNITO #1
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Art & Cover by SEAN PHILLIPS
From the creators of Criminal and Sleeper comes the most insane and evil super-villain comic you’ve ever read!
What if you were an ex-super villain hiding out in Witness Protection... but all you could think about were the days when the rules didn’t apply to you? Could you stand the toil of an average life after years of leaving destruction in your wake? And what if you couldn’t stand it? What would you do then?
INCOGNITO – a twisted mash-up of noir and super-heroics – by best-selling creators Ed Brubaker (The Death of Captain America) and Sean Phillips(Marvel Zombies) with Val Staples on colors.
And continuing Criminal’s single issue tradition, each issue of Incognito has more pages of story content, as well as articles on pulp and noir and behind the scenes looks!
32 PGS./Mature Content/No Ads ...$3.50

Given how good Criminal is how could I not get this.

ROCKNROLLA

Cast
Gerard Butler
Tom Wilkinson
Idris Elba
Mark Strong
Thandie Newton
Jeremy Piven
Ludacris
Tom Hardy
Karel Roden
Toby Kebbell
Gemma Arterton
Screenwriter
Guy Ritchie
Director
Guy Ritchie
Running Time
114 minutes

After a botched land deal, One Two (Butler) and Mumbles (Elba) steal the money they need to pay back fixer Lenny Cole (Wilkinson), with the help of accountant Stella (Newton). But their plans are complicated by a Russian oligarch and his prized painting...

Really good, suprisingly so.

The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor

Cast
Brendan Fraser
Jet Li
Michelle Yeoh
Maria Bello
John Hannah
Luke Ford
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Albert Kwan
Isabella Leong
Screenwriters
Miles Millar
Alfred Gough
Director
Rob Cohen
Running Time
111m 44s

Explorer Rick O'Connell is back to combat the resurrected Han Emperor in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex, wife Evelyn and her brother, Jonathan. And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service. (Universal Pictures)

It was almost alright but it would have been better if Rachel Weisz had still been there. I personally have a problem with Maria Bello, although I don't really have a good reason. It was weird to have her replaced especially by someone I have a problem with. Near the beginning a group of people enter a tomb some white and some chinese now the tomb is booby trapped but only the chinese people die and later a drop of blood from someone pure of heart is needed and it's taken from a white person, now I realise probably the first films had this sort of thing going on and a thousand others besides and maybe it has no greater meaning than thoughtlessness on the part of the makers but I mention it because although the film was action packed, it was pretty uninvolving and my mind wandered and pondered the meaning of such stuff during those scenes. I saw the first two again on TV recently and it's the range of characters not least Rachel Weisz' which really was part of the charm of those. Losing one of them and having someone, in a way, non-descript replace them hurt the whole film. Overall it wasn't particularly good or bad in any way.