Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Golden girl Cate Blanchett is back as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Shekhar Kapur’s long-awaited sequel to the critical hit Elizabeth (1998). This time around, the alleged Virgin Queen is hopping mad at her Catholic cousin Mary “Queen of Scots” Stuart (Samantha Morton). She’s betrayed Liz but good and — if this bit of family feuding isn’t bad enough — the Spanish Armada has stopped by England to stir up trouble. Set during the 1500s, the biopic includes references to King Philip II of Spain (Jordi Mollà), Infanta Isabel of Spain (Aimee King), Guerau de Espésand (William Houston), and Charles II, Archduke of Austria (Christian Brassington). But the regal redhead has had it with foreigners pushing their agendas. Meanwhile, her fellow Brits also have her in a snit. Indeed, the Queen has a thing for Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), but he only has eyes (as well as a lower part of his anatomy) for Bess Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish), the sovereign’s sexy lady in waiting. As though to punish everyone for putting Queen Liz in the corner, Cate uses a body double for her butt-baring scene! Nevertheless, Ms. Blanchett still picked up Best Actress nominations from the [American] Academy Awards, the British Academy Film Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, the Empire Awards, and the Golden Globe Awards. Even though she failed to win, fantasies of Cate shedding her corset have Mr. Skin giving the saucy Aussie a standing ovation in his breeches!