How do you make learning fun for the kids? Give them nudity! I remember freshman year in high school when all the boys made sure to be in English class the day we watched Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, because the film features a nude Olivia Hussey. Now English teachers can continue making the Elizabethan era interesting to teens with The Golden Age, which reportedly features a naked Cate Blanchett. In the sequel to Elizabeth, the actress reprises her Oscar-nominated role as the 16th century monarch, and at some point in the film she is completely nude -- although not full-frontal -- according to British journalists who got a sneak peak of footage from the film. Blanchett is said to make "one sexy monarch," which of course depends on how sexy you find someone known to be as pale as White Out.

Why this is big news is beyond me, but the reports state that the nude scene was unexpected. Sure, Blanchett doesn't take her clothes off regularly, but according to Mr Skin, she did bare flesh in the first Elizabeth film. I haven't seen the original yet, so I can't confirm how much, but the comprehensive nudity website describes it as "a very brief shot of left breast while making love in bed." She supposedly also appears nude in the Australian television show Bordertown and in the 2005 film Little Fish, although the latter might feature a body double.

The Golden Age is the second in an expected Elizabeth trilogy from director Shekhar Kapur, and it co-stars Clive Owen, Samantha Morton, Geoffrey Rush and Abbie Cornish. The film has already sparked some controversy because of its historical inaccuracies and artistic licenses taken. I wonder if historians will have further issue with the nudity from Blanchett, who originally didn't want to do the sequel at all. The context of the nudity wasn't revealed in the article, but could it possibly hurt the monarch's legendary reputation for being the "Virgin Queen"? The Golden Age will make its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before opening in U.S. theaters October 12.

Hard as it is to believe in this lull of summer hallmarked by the usual hot-weather popcorn fare, we're edging ever closer to fall and the major fall film festivals, and Cinematical Indie will be bringing you heaps of coverage this year. Labor Day weekend, as always, means Telluride. Last year was our first year to cover the Telluride Film Festival; the fest is unique in that it doesn't announce its lineup until it actually starts, but that doesn't stop them from selling out passes well in advance of the fest every year, as film lovers converge on the small mountain town and triple its population for the weekend.

If you want to hit Telluride this year and haven't bought your passes yet, be prepared to pony up the big bucks; the Acme and Festival passes are sold out already, so you'll have to score yourself a $3500 patron pass if you want to attend. And good luck finding lodging in town at this point, unless you also want to dig deep and rent a spendy luxury vacation home -- but hey, if you that, drop me a line so I can come hang out -- we can talk movies while soaking in your jacuzzi overlooking the scenic San Juan mountains.

It is inevitable that if a film comes out that is based on real people, civilizations or events, historians will be there to cry foul when a filmmaker mucks it up. Many times I agree with them -- not so much because I think films should be perfect historical documents, but because a lot of changes are just rude liberties, complete and utter fallacies or really unnecessary. Is that the case with the new Queen Elizabeth movie -- The Golden Age? I'm not so sure. Historians aren't too happy with the sequel, claiming that the artistic license taken in the film is interfering with historical evidence. The movie shows the Queen (Cate Blanchett) longing for a relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). However, since she fears losing her crown, she pushes her confidant Elizabeth Throckmorton at him -- so she can live vicariously through the other woman.

Screenwriter William Nicholson says it's a "relationship by proxy," because she's "a sexual being who is in love with Raleigh and who wants intimacy. But she knows a full-blown relationship with Raleigh would be political dynamite." The truth behind the story is that Raleigh and Throckmorton were secretly married and imprisoned for the marriage. While some, like lecturer Anna Beer say: "There may be an emotional truth in these claims, but there is no physical or historical evidence to support them," that's a bit different than an all-out change in history. This could have possibly happened, or not, but either way, the scenario fits into the history of the real players. And really, it's tame license compared to other Tudor liberties out there.

Have any of you been watching that show based on good on Liz's dad, The Tudors? (Spoiler Alert for TV Fans) Don't pay any attention to this run-down, which says that it's pretty accurate aside from some physical attributes. Ignoring smaller points like age and looks, the show has had fun with the royal family's past. Just one of the liberties revolved around wiping the real Margaret Tudor from the historical map, changing her sister Mary's name to Margaret and then, killing her off for extra drama points. In reality, she had three children with Brandon and was most definitely around for Henry's annulment. Now that is taking dramatic license too far.

I've been a fan of Abbie Cornish for a couple years now, since I first saw her in Somersault, and have followed her career closely since then to see if she'd live up to the promise she showed in that film. I saw her last September at the Toronto International Film Festival in Candy, in which she played opposite Heath Ledger as a good middle-class girl turned heroin addict hooking for her next high, and was impressed with both her range of emotion and the chemistry she and Ledger had as the lovers tragically addicted to both heroin and each other.

Checking in with Cornish through IMDb, I was happy to see she has a slew of upcoming projects coming up with some impressive directors and co-stars. Like another of my fave young actresses, Ellen Page, Cornish is making some smart script choices and working with the right people -- plus she's just got the spunk and the talent to rise above the fray. Next up for Cornish is the just-completed The Golden Age, which reunites director Shekhar Kapur and Cate Blanchett, who once again plays Elizabeth I, this time in a storyline exploring her relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen -- yum!). Cornish takes on the role of Elizabeth Throckmorton, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I -- and wife of Sir Walter. Sounds delish.

We haven't made any kind of official announcement, but Cinematical will be in full force at this year's Toronto Film Festival. We're sending a team to cover every film, event, hockey game, or whatever else there is to do up there, and I'll be bringing you a more detailed rundown on our activities as soon as it's available. Yesterday, when I got my press rubberstamp for this year's fest, I immediately started checking back to see what big films were expected to premiere this year. So far there really hasn't been much in the way of announcements, but this morning we got a big one -- Elizabeth 2. Or as it's officially known, The Golden Age. Cate Blanchett of course reprises her role as Queen Elizabeth and Geoffrey Rush is also back as Sir Walsingham, the Queen's trusted advisor whose main job is to sniff out plots and perform the role of spymaster.

The director of the first film, Shekhar Kapur, is also back for the sequel. Kapur directed Blanchett to an Oscar nomination for the first Elizabeth, back in 1998, so it's certainly possible that lightning could strike again on that front -- the Academy loves that kind of thing, and so far, Angelina Jolie is the only high-profile Best Actress candidate, for A Mighty Heart. Clive Owen also stars in the The Golden Age, as Sir Walter Raleigh; the film is expected to arrive in theaters on October 12. Other films screening this year at Toronto will include No Country for Old Men, Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light, Alexandra, The Flight of the Red Balloon and The Man from London.

England's fascination with the monarchy, Queen Elizabeth and epic stories of danger, suspense, action and romance continues with the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The film, directed by Shekhar Kapur and featuring the great Geoffrey Rush, the cool Clive Owen and the exceptional Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth, is of course a sequel to Kapur's previous foray into Elizabethan storytelling, the aptly titled: Elizabeth. When we first heard of this new film, we had few details except it was going forward but Blanchett's participation was not a sure-thing.

Obviously, she eventually agreed to participate because cut to a few months later and here we are with the film's shiny new trailer for for your viewing pleasure. The trailer features all the action, intrigue, romance, desperate gambles and rousing speeches you could want from a film like this. Elizabeth is attacked, questioned, bullied, sullen, emotional and finally, angry, decisive and triumphant. Watching the trailer and realizing all the problems England has faced over the years, its amazing the country is still around.

As I am a big fan of these types of movies, and having enjoyed Kapur's prior Elizabeth film a great deal, I'm looking forward to seeing this new one very much. Plus, the trailer looks great. I tend to think of the first Elizabeth as a little like The Godfather of Elizabeth movies. Watch both films again if you don't get the similarities right away. So, if that comparison holds up, the sequel should hopefully end up as The Godfather II of Elizabeth movies. Really, if its even close, it'll still be pretty good. We'll know for sure, of course, when its released in October. Until then, enjoy the trailer.

It was International Day yesterday at ShoWest, and while many foreign cinema reps were complaining about shrinking release windows, they were also treated to exclusive product reels previewing clips from this year's big releases. One of these reels was an extended action scene from The Bourne Ultimatum, and according to those who saw the footage, this sequel is going to be another great installment. The Latino Review describes the scene as a rooftop hand-to-hand fight sequence that once again sets the bar high. IESB.net was also excited about the scene and says the third film "is sure to get your heart pumping." Both sites also have praise for footage from Evan Almighty, The Kingdom, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Elizabeth: The Golden Age plus pans of previews for (I Now Pronounce You) Chuck and Larry and American Gangster.

The Bourne Identity franchise is a great series to look forward to because its installments don't have to adhere to any fan-base mythology or expectations, nor do they actually have to make much sense in the plot or plausibility departments. They just have to be action spectacles that are choreographed and photographed well and I will be happy. Matt Damon is a good enough actor to make anything else work well enough. Case in point: The Bourne Supremacy, which is even more ridiculous than the first film, especially because of how inane Joan Allen's character is, but is nonetheless one of the most entertaining action films of the past five years. The latest installment will arrive in theaters August 3, which isn't nearly soon enough for me.