A Knight's Tale - 2001

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Escape Artists, Finestkind

Written and Directed by Brian Helgeland

Cast:

• William Thatcher – Heath Ledger
• Count Adhemar – Rufus Sewell
• Jocelyn - Shannyn Sossamon
• Geoffrey Chaucer – Paul Bettany
• Kate – Laura Fraser
• Wat – Alan Tudyk
• Roland – Mark Addy
• Christiana - Bérénice Bejo
• Colville / Prince Edward – James Purefoy
• John Thatcher – Christopher Cazenove

Story: We are in medieval times, and the squires of a certain knight, Sir Hector, have discovered he is dead, just moments before his final match in the joust. If the knight wins, he would receive a prize of gold and his squires would be able to eat, which they have not done in three days! So William Thatcher, one of the squires, decides to don his armor and compete in his place, a dangerous decision. If he is discovered, the powers that be would have him hanged, for only persons of royal birth can compete in the joust. They manage to pull off the deception and win the match, but William is determined to continue and keep jousting. On their way to Rouen, they run into Geoffrey Chaucer, who has a bit of a gambling problem, but is a skilled writer and offers to forge patents of nobility for William in exchange for food, clothing, and a chance to travel about. William is successful and gains great renown, but he makes an enemy of Count Adhemar. a knight who finds him very annoying and sets out to destroy him in any way he can. William, of course, falls in love with a beautiful, wealthy girl who admires his skills and honesty. Soon they gain the company of a skilled woman armorer and blacksmith, and our merry band is on the way to the world championships in London.

Review: Probably one of the most original movies ever made, this tale compares modern sports to the realm of jousting in medieval times, and pulls it off magnificently. Heath Ledger is perfect in the role of William Thatcher, a young man hired out to a knight as a squire to “change his stars”. The story has everything, including romance, comedy, and drama. Rufus Sewell as Count Adhemar is the perfect dissociated royalty who cares little for the common folk. He loves the adoration of the crowd and their subservience, and considers them beneath him. Mark Addy, Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk, and Laura Fraser complete his band of Merry Men and do so with a flair seldom seen in actors who are at the beginning of their careers, but perhaps that is the magic Helgeland was able to conjure here. Personally, I would have reversed the roles of Jocelyn and Christiana, since I think Bérénice Bejo is much hotter than Shannyn Sassamon, but I grant you that is a matter of taste. James Purefoy as Edward the Black Prince plays the role to the hilt, and adds the icing on the cake to this already perfectly baked confection. Toss in perfect photography, excellent costuming, and a soundtrack that evokes all the action of modern day sports, and you have a perfect movie. Rated PG-13 for language, violence, and a brief sexual innuendo, I personally don't see a problem with most preteens watching this. Definitely a collectible film, both for the fans of Heath and the rest of us who just like a good movie.

The Time Machine - 2002

Warner Bros. Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Parkes/MacDonald Productions

Directed by Simon Wells

Cast:

• Alexander Hartdegen – Guy Pearce
• David Philby – Mark Addy
• Emma – Sienna Guillory
• Moorlock Leader – Jeremy Irons
• Flower Shop Worker – Alan Young
• Vox – Orlando Jones
• Mara – Samantha Mumba
• Kalen – Omero Mumba

Story: In January of 1899, a young physics and applied engineering professor at Columbia University is about to propose to Emma. Professor Hartdegen meets Emma at the skating rink at Central Park, and they take a stroll into a secluded area of the park where he proposes. Unfortunately, a thief is lying in wait for them and in the ensuing robbery, Emma is shot and killed. Professor Hartdegen is devastated and retreats into his home laboratory. His goal: to build a time machine that will allow him to return in time to prevent Emma's death. Yet even when his machine is complete, Emma dies in a different scenario. He finds he cannot change the past, so he goes forward instead to find the answer to the riddle. In the year 2030, he encounters Vox, the compendium of all human knowledge at the New York City library, who informs him that time travel is no more than science fiction, so he determines to go farther into the future. In 2037, he finds the world is in shambles because they have thrown the moon out of orbit, and when he climbs aboard his machine to escape the carnage, he is knocked unconscious and unwittingly travels to the year 802,701. Here he is discovered by Mara, an Eloi who has learned “the stone language” and can communicate with him. He soon learns their agrarian community is threatened by the Moorlocks, creatures who live beneath the earth and hunt the Eloi for Food.

Review: Four generations later, we have a revision of this classic science fiction film by none other that the great grandson of H. G. Wells. While entertaining and well presented, this film bears only a superficial resemblence to the original of 1960. Underlying the plot is the question of Fate. Why can't you change the past? The concept of Eloi and Moorlock are somewhat consistent with the original film and the novel, but their roles have significantly changed. The Eloi are fishers and farmers, and they live in cliff dwellings made of bamboo and other natural materials. The Moorlocks are still subterranean creatures, but now they are divided into castes, some bred for hunting, others bred to control. Where the hunters are physically superior, the controllers have telephatic powers which allow them to keep the hunters at bay. Our protagonist is Alexander Hartdegen, not H. George Wells, and his motivation for creating the time machine is love, not commerce or scientific knowledge. The addition of Orlando Jones as Vox allows for the failure of Hartdegen to return to the past, since he contains all human knowledge from the 21st century and some beyond. Guy Pearce presents a believable character, and Samantha and Omero Mumba are excellent in their roles as the brother and sister Eloi who discover and befriend him. Mark Addy is Philby, and an excellent addition to the cast as Hartdegen's mentor and friend. Jeremy Irons portrays the Moorlock Leader with a rare and insightful talent that only he can generate. While his character is not evil in the sense we normally believe, he is still a thoughtful being who offers Hartdegen the opportunity to return to his own time. Rated PG-13 for violence, this film is highly entertaining but certainly not destined to be a classic. It is, however, an interesting revision of the original plot with some well thought out twists and turns, and the romantic angle of the film is sure to keep the ladies interested.