Iron Lady/Devil Inside

To mark the momentous occasion of my long awaited and much anticipated return to blog posting, I am doing something unique in the history of this esteemed publication. That is, I'm review two (that's right, two) new films in the same post. Please try to contain your excitement, and we will begin.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady, if you don't already know, is basically a biopic about the life and more important achievements of former British PM Margaret Thatcher. The film is composed of flashbacks into her early political career and time as PM, set into the framework of her life now as an aging and mentally fading symbol of British politics in the 1980's. Although the film has been criticized by some for its reliance on Thatcher's dementia as a core plot device, overall I think it is done in a justly sensitive manner and serves as a useful vehicle for the flashbacks.

One of the things I found odd about this particular film is that it depicts the life of a political leader so (relatively) recently after her time in office. For a major motion picture, I find this strange, because it seems as if this timing may trim the perspective audience. Personally, I could readily name several acquaintances who would forgo the film on principle, based on a dislike for the former PM and her policies. We mustn't forget that Thatcher is better remembered in the U.S. than other British PMs because of her close relationship with our president of the time, Ronald Reagan. In what is a very partisan country at the moment, a film chronicling a famous and controversial conservative leader is perhaps not such a good idea. Only some 20 years after her resignation, history has not yet judged the greatness of her achievements, and there are still a great many who do not think fondly of her time as PM at all.

That said, and being someone with a great interest in history, I found the picture quite enjoyable. Although the plot didn't reveal a whole lot about her early political career and rise to prominence, I thought it did do justice to her motives and principles. Of course as with any film of this nature, the lead must carry the load, and I think history has shown that you can't really go wrong with Meryl Streep. Her acting prowess is well known and there is no need for me to detail it here, so suffice to say that in that facet the film was excellent. I thought that the dialogue was, at times, spotty, and to be honest the film ends on a rather strange and slightly unfulfilled note, but overall the picture was a quality look into the life and times of a most famous and polarizing figure, and I'd recommend it if you have any interest at all in history or politics. Three stars our of four.

The Devil Inside

Now for this... attempt at a horror film. I have to admit, and some of you may be surprised to note, that this was the very first horror flick I've ever seen in theatres. I've just never had any intense desire to go see one, and even though this film only currently holds a 6% on Rotten Tomatoes, I was invited to go with friends so I figured, why not?

Why not indeed...when I say this film was horrible, please do not underestimate the power of that word because it really and truly was an abominable attempt at a film. Meant to feel like a documentary (reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, etc.) about a young woman who travels to Rome to see her mother, who had killed three people 20 years previous during an exorcism, this sad excuse for a horror film is not only terribly acted and written, but it is also utterly un-scary and sports one of the worst endings I have ever seen- and you do not want me to tell you how many movies I have seen. Produced on a budget of $1m, this movie was somehow picked up by Paramount, and somehow managed to gross over $46m so far, topping the box office its opening weekend.

I mean... I was actually going to type more about this movie but I just realized that I'm letting it waste even more of my time, so just listen. I don't care how much you value my opinion, but value it now, along with 94% of critics: this movie is an absolutely disgraceful waste of money and time. Try your best to forget it ever existed, as I will now begin to do. 1/2 a star out of 4.