The King's Speech

The King's Speech

In the 2011 Oscar winner, Colin Firth gives a tour de force performance as Prince Albert, Duke of York / King George VI. Throughout the film, he overcomes both his personal fears of being king and a debilitating stutter that prevents him from speaking in public. He finds his confidence in a friendship with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a tutor that uses unorthodox methods to change Albert's temperament and impediment. Helena Bonham Carter also turns in an excellent performance as Albert's wife, Queen Elizabeth. DVD extras include a commentary with director Tom Hooper, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a Q&A with the cast and crew.

95%

Rabbit Hole

Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman play a couple grappling with the grief of losing their 4-year-old son eight months after his death. As they mourn their loss in different ways, the film focuses on how the tragedy affects their every day lives and interactions with friends and family. The film received rave reviews and an Oscar nomination for Kidman. DVD extras include deleted scenes.

87%

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"My father always said I'd be a late bloomer."

— David Seidler won me, and I imagine many others, over during his acceptance speech for best original screenplay at the Oscars. At 73, he's the oldest person ever to win in the category, but the script was long in the making.

After overcoming a stutter himself — one he attributes to the trauma of growing up in wartime London — he long admired George VI. Seidler began researching the project in the '70s but abandoned it in 1982 when the Queen Mum asked him not to pursue it in her lifetime. She died in 2002, and he went back to work in 2005. A late bloomer, maybe? But with an Oscar in hand and hindsight in rear view, it looks like perfect timing.

This Sunday, throw an Academy Awards watch party that's fit for royalty by doing it up like The King's Speech! Even though I've already pulled party inspiration from several best picture contenders, I couldn't let the Oscar front-runner go unrecognized. The film lends itself more to a swanky affair — you're serving kings and queens, after all — but that doesn't mean it needs to feel stuffy. Have fun! Just pull from these tips below to get started.

Plus, don't forget to download your own Oscar ballot to pass around to guests, and fill out our online ballot for the chance to win a Samsung HDTV.

• Who to invite: Your significant other, your adviser, your speech therapist, the prime minister, or just your closest movie-loving friends will do.
• Dress code: Women, break out your fake pearls and furs; men, don your best vests and bowties. Then top it all off with your very own bejeweled crown — or one of those cardboard ones from Burger King. Hey, whatever works.
• Table setting: Think old-fashioned English, and drape your dining area in a tablecloth and floral china, if you have it. For the centerpiece, simple white or pink flowers in a vase work.

More tips after the jump.