The Young Victoria

2010, Rated PG, 105 minutes, Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, Written by Julian Fellowes, Produced by Colin Vaines, Cinematography by Hagen Bogdanski, Original Music by Hagen Bogdanski

With: Emily Blunt (Queen Victoria), Rupert Friend (Prince Albert), Paul Bettany (Lord Melbourne), Miranda Richardson (Duchess of Kent), Jim Broadbent (King William), Mark Strong (Sir John Conroy)

“Some palaces are not what you think. Even a palace can be a prison” says Victoria. The Young Victoria takes the same imprisoned tone in its depiction of Queen Victoria’s life (at least the young part of it) except, instead of the dark dungeons of the standard 18th century prisons, the prisons are instead lavishly opulent castle with intricately detailed costumes instead of the normal scraps of clothing. What makes it more prison like however is the lack of detail and development in the story. The Young Victoria is an excellent movie to see but not nearly as exciting to listen to.

The Town

2010, Rated R, 123 minutes, Directed by Ben Affleck, Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard, Produced by Basil Iwanyk and Graham King, Cinematography by Robert Elswit, Original Music by David Buckley and Harry Gregson-Williams.

With: Ben Affleck (Doug MacRay), Rebecca Hall (Claire Keesey), Jon Hamm (FBI S.A. Adam Frawley), Jeremy Renner (James Coughlin), Blake Lively (Krista Coughlin), Titus Welliver (Dino Ciampa), Pete Postlethwaite (Fergie), Chris Cooper (Stephen MacRay)

Audiences are thrust right into the heat of the moment as the bank robbers quickly and efficiently bust into the first bank to be taken down in The Town. They take their time, they know exactly what they are doing yet not everything goes according to plan as flashes of intensity punctuate the moments of efficiency. The Town sets the tone for the entire film in the opening moments of the film. It takes its time with character development and plot reveals. It is meticulous in its details and efficient in its story line. At the same time, there are moments of great intensity and uncertainty. The tone and progression of the film makes it a wonderfully intense and methodical narrative that enthralls the viewer in the ebb and flow of a man trapped in a world of crime and distrust whose metaphorical perimeter is closely guarded by both those inside and out.