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October 16, 2007

I will diminish, and go into the West.

"My age!", remember.

Lest you forget that I am a nerd who never gets laid.

Luckily, I am married to England.

I didn't pass no test, though.

Posted by eric at October 16, 2007 11:47 PM

Comments

The first installment was so dubious, shamelessly manipulating the details in the service of Hollywood bio-pickery, that I'm not sure that I can sit through a second. The gold standard for Tudor epics remains "Lady Jane," with the genuinely aristocratic Helena Bonham Carter. And even that's only fourteen-karat and not dishwasher safe.
(Cary Elwes was something else when he was young, though.)

Posted by: R J Keefe at October 17, 2007 05:17 AM

the golden age was amazing, and far better than the first one. and clive owen was beyond dreamy.

i don't mean to sound like a schoolgirl when i write, but, you know, too late.

eric, you are a nerd, but we all know that you are no virgin queen.

Posted by: Jack at October 17, 2007 08:25 AM

What are you thoughts about the portrayal of King Phillip II and the exaggerated "facts" given at the end of the film about Spain being bankrupt and England entering a time of peace and prosperity?

Posted by: H at October 17, 2007 08:55 AM

who heads to hollywood for facts ??
it was worth ticket just for the overboard galleon stallion.
oh, and such gobs of swoon-worthy jewelry.

Posted by: A.J. at October 17, 2007 09:56 AM

But did you close your eyes and think?

Posted by: Huntington at October 17, 2007 11:53 AM

You will "go into the West"? Does this mean you're moving back to Ohio?

Posted by: Moncrief at October 17, 2007 12:07 PM

I didn't find the first installment that shameless, but I think a recent LA Times review told me all I need to know. Carina Chocano's reviews are so entertaining that I even blogged about that one.

I will end up seeing this anyway, but I'm pretty sure I'll be rolling my eyes many times throughout. Kapur should have titled it Elizabeth: The Bandit Queen.

Posted by: Joe at October 17, 2007 12:13 PM

Wikipedia reports that Ms. Bonham Carter's grandmother was the sister of the fabulous Liliane de Rothschild. Quelqu'un m'a dit que tu m'aimais encore.

Posted by: Aaron at October 17, 2007 12:17 PM

I found her Galadriel to be rather creepy at times...but she *was* several thousand years old at that point.

Actually the quote (and the dramatic moment it references) is one of my favorites from LOTR.

Posted by: Brian at October 17, 2007 12:50 PM

I think Tilda Swinton was robbed of her lifetime's role, by the way. The resemblance seems much closer, and the potential for even better scenery-chewing is obvious.

Posted by: Huntington at October 17, 2007 02:47 PM

I think the Anglophile blogosphere and other communities should create an uproar over the fact that an actual Briton (Swinton) was passed over for the rôle in favor of a dirty foreigner. The Brits should take a page from the playbook for the hubbub that ensued when Angelina Jolie was cast as an octoroon earlier this year.

Posted by: Joe at October 17, 2007 03:54 PM

Golf clap for including the circumflex in "rôle," Joe.

Posted by: Moncrief at October 17, 2007 04:14 PM

"The Golden Age" is camp as a Joan Crawford western. Enter the theater with that expectation (and no memory of the original film) and you'll be rewarded.

Posted by: 24play at October 17, 2007 06:50 PM

Moncrief, don't encourage him. When he wields a cedilla, you can almost feel that little hook dig into your brain's language center.

Posted by: Huntington at October 17, 2007 08:51 PM

What's this fixation on Elizabeth I lately? What's wrong with Victoria?

Posted by: Mike at October 18, 2007 12:23 AM

Victoria was such a ho!!!

Posted by: Jack at October 18, 2007 10:09 AM

Ask, Mike, and ye shall be amused:

http://indie.cinematical.com/2007/07/10/new-details-about-young-victoria-emerge/

Posted by: Huntington at October 18, 2007 01:38 PM

Does all this imply you're leaving NYC? Please, don't leave us. I'd really miss your spot on insights on our city.

Posted by: Chris at October 18, 2007 02:20 PM

Is this a blog for old ladies, by old ladies?

Posted by: Anja Clarke at October 18, 2007 02:35 PM

Anja:

No, of course not. If it were a blog for old ladies by an old lady, you would have to be the authoress.

Have a super day!

Posted by: Jack at October 18, 2007 05:45 PM

Nice quote, and one I used myself upon recovering from the final emotional tantrum/phone call with my then partner of 10 years. Looking backward, we haven't anything but the most safe and bland interactions since. Of course I didn't go into the west. We were already on the west side. Given the cost of housing, my only option was to flee into the great north. I didn't think the street numbers went that high, but they do. It's leafy and quiet.

Posted by: Paul at October 18, 2007 11:41 PM