little bitty girl

So, I had a dinner and movie date with Stefan's mum tonight. We usually have these closer to Oscar nomination time because neither of our boys will come with us to watch historical, costumey type of movies.

I always try not to read too many reviews before watching a movie because it usually taints my view of it. I like to watch movies with a clean slate.

I remember watching Elizabeth and just being blown away by Cate Blanchett's masterful performance. I was bitterly disappointed when she lost out at the Oscars to Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare In Love, who gave a Keira Knightley-esque performance (and you all know what I think of her!) So needless to say, I was eagerly anticipating this movie.

I read the reviews after and unfortunately, the reviews were right.

The movie was only ok. The costumes were fantastic (as you can see here) but I think the writer or director tried to cram far too many story lines into such a short period of time. In doing so, it's lost many elements from the previous movie. Elizabeth is portrayed as a rather emotionally frayed older woman, Walsingham, an aging doddering advisor and although Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh is great eye candy, his character seems lacking. Although there are moments (very brief) of great verbal repartee by Blanchette, the movie overall fails to have the soul it did in the first.

I still think Cate is an outstanding actress and she's done the best she could with what she was given. I must say, totally off topic, that I am quite enjoying her fashions during her promotional tour of this movie. The lady knows how to dress! And that is about the only redeeming thing of the entire movie.