Anonymous

The movie "Anonymous" stars Rhys Ifans as Edward De Vere(the Earl of Oxford) and Vanessa Redgrave as Elizabeth I. The actual existence of William Shakespeare is still surrounded by much speculation and Edward De Vere is one of the actual people thought by historians to have written the works that are recognized as Shakespeare's. I found this movie to be a very intriguing theory on the most well-known playwright in the world. However, there were some things about the movie that irked me. For instance, Vanessa Redgrave's portrayal of Elizabeth was on the pathetic side. "The Virgin Queen" is usually thought of as strong and independent of men, but in this film she is absolutely influenced by several men, Edward De Vere in particular, who she fell in love with. The film portrayed her as a wounded lover and quite codependent. Another thing that I found quite far-fetched about this film was the insinuation that Edward De Vere and two of of the main characters were Elizabeth's bastard sons. This presents an interesting theory and I'm sure she had her fair share of sexual partners even though she never wed, BUT to say that she slept with her own son...That just doesn't sit well with me, or most modern society. I like having an alternative view on the existence of Shakespeare that surpasses anything that I have seen, but I don't think the added incest drives the point home any harder. It was a good film, definitely worth watching, but loses all credibility when the facts of De Vere's parentage are presented.

One Day

I was unpleasantly surprised with the direction that this movie took. I mean, after watching the preview I would have thought I was in for a formulaic romantic comedy where the sexual tension builds until the point of bursting and then there is a passionate sex scene and everyone lives happily ever after. That's not quite the case. Anne Hathaway is semi-charming with her fake British accent as she goes from frumpy to feminine chic and her friendship with Jim Sturgess teases the audience by presenting an attraction between them and taking years for either of them to act on it. By the time the two finally do get together, there is a sense of relief and a warm fuzzy feeling that everyone gets at that "happily ever after" moment, BUT in this film that feeling is ripped abruptly away from the spectator by overwhelming disappointment as the movie ends in tragedy rather than happiness. I don't want to give away the ending, but since your probably more curious than ever because of my previous statement I'll tell you...She dies...Yeah, it takes them forever to get together and bring out the best in each other and all that crap and then she gets hit by a bus. I think I've made my point.