Tag: Woman Writer

Where’d You Go, Bernadette is Entertaining

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

The review:

Richard Linklater does a great job transforming Where’d You Go, Bernadette from an epistolary novel into a coherent film—though the film stumbles at the end. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would, mostly because Cate Blanchett having a mental crisis is so much fun to watch.* There’s a big, old, moldering house,** some really great mean girl mom stuff,*** good performances by Billy Crudup and Emma Nelson (in her debut: she plays Bernadette’s daughter) plus a bunch of bit parts with actors I love.****

The verdict: Good

(I greatly enjoyed this book and can recommend it.)

Cost: $1.25 at Redbox
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching

Further sentences:

*The Academy also agrees: she won an Oscar for Blue Jasmine, which is another story of a woman in mental crisis. And parts of her performance brought to mind Katherine Hepburn, whom she portrayed in the Aviator and for which the Academy also bestowed her with an Oscar.
**Something about moldering houses inspires glee in me. My favorite YA novel of 2019, Ordinary Girls by Blair Thornburgh, also featured a moldering house.
***Kristen Wiig is so very good!
****Judy Greer, Steven Zahn, Megan Mullally, Laurence Fishburne

Questions:

  • If you have taken in both book and movie, which worked better for you?
  • What’s your favorite movie set in a moldering old house?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Bernadette refers to Dr. Kurtz, the Judy Greer character, as “Colonel Kurtz” at one point. Colonel Kurtz was the enigmatic figure in the film Apocalyse Now in which Laurence Fishburne, who plays Bernadette’s former colleague Paul Jellinek, had a part as Tyrone ‘Clean’ Miller, the youngest member on the boat.

Other reviews:

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Little Women: The Millennial Version

Little Women

The review:

By eschewing a linear narrative, Greta Gerwig manages to make the twists and turns of Little Women* into something I want to watch more than once.** As I watched the 1994 version in August, I’m heavy on the comparisons/contrasts,*** but I think this movie did what was needed to be done to the story to make this one of the best movies I’ve seen in 2019. It’s a film full of life and laughter and tears, not to mention several versions of cross-in-front sweater wraps (not quite these, but close****) that I need the pattern for.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $9.00 (and I had to go to the theater two days in a row because the first day was sold out)
Where watched: Hollywood Theater with an audience who gasped aloud in places, proving they hadn’t recently watched the 1994 version.

Consider also watching:

  • Little Women 1994
  • Frozen
  • Your Sisters Sister
  • Sense and Sensibility
  • The Virgin Suicides

Further sentences:

*A story I’ve never liked.
**True story: after the movie ended, I checked my bus arrival time, found it wasn’t coming for another 17 minutes, and snuck into the later showing so I could experience whatever scene I encountered once again.
***See below for my drilldown
****For those of you who are interested, here’s a handy article about how to steal the movie’s style without looking like an extra in a period piece.

Questions:

  • Which version do you think comes out on top? Aside from 2019 and 1994, there’s also the 2018 present-day one, the 2017 PBS one, the 1949 June Alyson one, and the 1933 Katherine Hepburn one (which I mostly remember because the sleeves were out of control!)
  • Which of the sisters are you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Although they portray heroines of American literature, none of the four actors are American. Emma Watson and Florence Pugh are English, Saoirse Ronan is Irish, and Eliza Scanlen is Australian.

Other reviews:

1994 vs. 2019:

  • Meg: Trini Alvarado beats Emma Watson
  • Jo: Tie. I like both Winona Ryder and Saoirse Ronan for different reasons
  • Beth: Claire Danes knocks Eliza Scanlen out of the park. (I think Claire Danes is the best part of the 90s version.)
  • Amy: Kristen Dunst as young Amy beats Florence Pugh. Pugh did a good job acting younger, but she didn’t look younger. Dunst takes the win there. Florence Pugh beats out Samantha Mathis as older Amy. Best Florence Pugh scene: telling Laurie no.
  • Laurie: Christian Bale beats out Timothée Chalamet simply because Timothée Chalamet looks incredibly youthful and thus I didn’t fully believe he was grownup Laurie. Who did I enjoy watching more? Chalamet.
  • Marmee: Tie. Susan Sarandon brings more gravitas than Laura Dern, though Dern is not saddled with all that moralizing. She’s a hippie-style Marmee.
  • Aunt March: Meryl Streep beats out Mary Wickes (you know, because she’s Meryl Streep)
  • Professor Bhaer: Gabriel Byrne (IMDB has him ranked second in the casting lineup!) beats out Louis Garrel. Though I think the much older Byrne was closer in age (44 at time film) to the Professor Behr in the book (The internet is telling me 40) Louis Garrel is 36, but he doesn’t look it.
  • Mr. Lawrence: Tie. Both John Neville and Chris Cooper are good
  • Hannah: Florence Paterson beats out Jayne Houdyshell

The 1994/2019 verdict:

  • 1994: 6 wins, 3 ties
  • 2019: 2 wins, 3 ties
  • Yet somehow I enjoyed the 2019 version so much more! Directing matters!
Little Women

A Christmas Prince is as Advertised

A Christmas Prince

The review:

I had Christmas cards to address and needed something Christmas-y while I was doing it,* and so I turned on Alex Zamm’s A Christmas Prince. It wasn’t terrible. I found that Theo Devaney (Simon) was more interesting than the Christmas Prince himself, so I wasn’t really rooting for the right person, but overall, I didn’t hate it.**

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home (also, I had to pay more attention to this than It’s a Wonderful Life and thus kept making errors in addressing the Christmas cards.)

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*I don’t own a copy of It’s a Wonderful Life, which is my go-to for this sort of thing
**I’ve really enjoyed Rose McIver in iZombie, and was surprised to see her coming off as so vapid in this film.

Questions:

  • Did you like this film? If yes, what worked for you?
  • Do you think this movie deserves to have two sequels?

Favorite IMDB trivia items:

The movie was filmed on the Peles Castle, a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, situated in Sinaia, in Romania.

(I question your syntax there, IMDB trivia contributor, but I was wondering where that castle was.)

Other reviews:

A Christmas Prince

Harriet is the Movie Harriet Tubman Deserves

Harriet

The review:

Kasi Lemmons directs the incredible Cynthia Erivo in Harriet, giving Ms. Tubman a worthy story that is painful, tense, and hopeful throughout.* Erivo leads an excellent cast and the movie keeps the focus on the former and current slaves rather than tells the story through the eyes of white people.** This is also a biopic that includes a fair amount of speechifying that never comes off as pedantic, it isn’t draggy and has no endless scenes of drug use.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $4.00
Where watched: Academy Theater with Matt, who also enjoyed it

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*So rarely do we get to see women take the reins and steamroll over all the messages they are being told. That it’s a woman trapped in slavery makes this narrative all the better.
**I say this because so many movies about the black experience in the USA get co-opted by the white narrative (I’m looking at you Mississippi Burning)
***I’m looking at you Bohemian Rhapsody,and Walk the Line, and Straight Outta Compton. Though I had forgotten that Harriet Tubman experienced spells where she collapsed. So there’s a goodly amount of fainting.

Questions:

  • How do you feel about a British person playing a US hero?
  • Have you watched Kasi Lemmons‘ other films? (Black Nativity, Talk to Me, The Caveman’s Valentine, Eve Bayou) I’m thinking about a director retrospective in 2020.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

This is the first feature film to be made about the life of Harriet Tubman.

Other reviews:

Harriet quote
(I love this quote so much!)

Atlantics: Current Events With a Twist

Atlantics

The review:

Mati Diop’s Atlantics takes a current event topic* and crafts a unique story about the women who are left behind. This was a very atmospheric film that got more interesting as the movie continued. Mame Bineta Sane as Ada is a compelling main character.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*People attempting to escape grinding poverty by sailing across the Mediterranean for the chance of a better life

Questions:

  • What elements of this film worked for you?
  • How did you come to watch this film? (I watched it because it’s a Filmspotting Golden Brick nominee)

Favorite IMDB Trivia Item:

Mati Diop, with her submission of “Atlantics” to the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, is the first black woman director in history to compete in the festival’s competition.

Other reviews:

On Second Viewing, Five Feet Apart Upgrades to Recommended

The review:

Truth: a combo of slight obsession* and Redbox discount meant I watched this film a second time this year. But it got me mentally plotting out an essay about quality films that people discount because 1)they feature young female characters 2)they’re about love 3)they are made for teenage girls.** I’m here to say this is a quality flick and if you are looking for good acting, all the feelings, and an institutional setting transformed into something magical, do not miss Five Feet Apart.

The verdict: Recommended (upgraded from Good in March)

Cost: $1.25
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Channing Tatum has disappeared. In his absence, there is a thing for skinny, not-age-appropriate, curly dark-haired actors. Namely Timothee Chalemet and Cole Sprouse. I’ve caught nearly all the Chalemet, which leaves me with Sprouse, and Riverdale. I first watched this film when I didn’t know Cole Sprouse was a thing, and I wanted to re-evaulate.
**I will never get around to writing this essay; this review is standing in for it.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite movie that everyone says isn’t worth bothering with?
  • Is Haley Lu Richardson just getting started, or are we at peak Haley Lu?
  • Moises Arias. Tell me what you think is his best role?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Both Cole Sprouse and Moises Arias are former Disney Channel stars and have also worked together in Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana (2009) and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Day Care (2006).

Other reviews:

Frozen II: A Worthy Successor

The review:

Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck’s Frozen II is a worthy successor to the the animation triumph that spawned a generation of children who know every vocal inflection of “Let It Go.”* This is an adventure story, a sister story, a story about coming to terms with things other people did in the past, and a story firmly focused on the female experience.** I don’t think there is a generation-defining song in this film, but there are plenty of good songs, both enjoyable and moving.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free due to passes (Thanks, Danielle)
Where watched: Roseway Theater (Our first time. It was a nice neighborhood theater.)

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*2015: the year Bre’s 4/5 class sang that song often and at a volume that easily came through the walls to the school office.
**We’re not quite to the point where we can have a story focused on the female experience where the women wear flats instead of heels, but I have faith that time is coming.
***My favorite amusing song was Kristoff’s “Lost in the Woods” a homage to 80s music videos where the singer has many feelings.

Questions:

  • When do you think everyone will come to the sensible conclusion that high heeled shoes are dumb, and then stop wearing them?
  • I’ve just noticed that Martha Plimpton is in this movie. Have you seen her in anything else, of late?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

During Kristoff’s “Lost in the Woods” number, there is a moment where Kristoff sings and three reindeer behind him in a triangular arrangement in front of a black background. This resembles the music video for Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody“.

Other reviews:

Let it Snow Is Pleasant, Unchallenging

The review:

Luke Snellin directs a gentle Christmas movie adaptation of a YA Novel* with some utterly delightful moments.** A cornucopia of young people*** plus Joan Cusack (in a coat and hat festooned with tinfoil) wander through the snow-covered landscape of generic middle America. The multiple stories are well balanced, everyone finds what they are looking for, and it made for a solid Sunday Afternoon Movie.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*The book is also named Let it Snow and it consists of three short stories written by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. Many things have changed from the book to the movie.
**My favorites: Shameik Moore charming Isabela Merced’s grandfather with his love of the Rolling Stones, Kiernan Shipka and Mitchell Hope’s duet of “The Whole of the Moon”
***Isabela Merced (the teenager in Instant Family), Shameik Moore (Miles Morales aka Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, also the main character in Dope) Odeya Rush (the rich, vapid kinda-friend in Lady Bird and the best friend in Dumplin‘); Liv Hewson (Before I Fall); Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper in Mad Men); Jacob Balaton (the “guy in the chair” in Spider-Man: Far from Home, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and one of the many actors who portrayed A in Every Day); Miles Robbins (the guy who was the drug connoisseur in Blockers)

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite movie set in winter/in the snow?
  • Which of the actors in this movie do you think you will still be watching in fifteen years?

Favorite IMDB trivia:

Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Light Rail Vehicle 4201 is the trolley used in the Beechview Scene.
(The IMDB trivia page is a bit light right now)

Other reviews:

Chutney Popcorn Overcomes; Is a Good Movie

Sorry it’s not a better image. Surprisingly, 90s indie films about lesbians don’t have a ton of media presence on the internet.

The review:

Nisha Ganatra directs a film chock full of terrible acting,* and yet still manages to create a very enjoyable movie-watching experience. The plot has an interesting conundrum (offering to be a surrogate for your married, infertile sister) and the movie itself is a delightful time capsule of late-90s New York City lesbian culture. This is a great example of how serious flaws sometimes aren’t enough to bring down the movie.**

The verdict: Good

(with some caveats)

Cost: free via Hoopla, the library’s steaming service that isn’t Kanopy
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Apparently, there’s a good reason that the main character’s acting isn’t great. See the trivia section. Jill Hennessy is in this and isn’t bad, but she isn’t great, either.
**Ganatra also directed one of my favorite films of this year: Late Night

Questions:

  • What’s a movie that isn’t great (for whatever reason) but you still love it.
  • Iconic lesbian films. Go!
  • Have you seen Late Night yet? Why or why not?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Director and co-writer Nisha Ganatra stepped into the lead role of Reena after the actress originally cast in the role quit the production shortly before filming began.

Miss Stevens Captures a Non-classroom Aspect of Being a Teacher

The review:

Julia Hart directs and Lily Rabe inhabits Miss Stevens and together they create a story about the parts of teaching that don’t have to do with standing in the front of a classroom. Lily Rabe is a complex Miss Stevens* and watching her students watch her make the choices she does is only part of the fun. At times, the movie balances the teacher/student relationships on a knife’s edge and the tension is in seeing how Miss Stevens will react; in addition, Timothée Chalemet pushes the envelope the most in an excellent performance.**

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free via Kanopy
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I was captivated by her performance. She has a really interesting face: lots of emotion and she looks different from every angle.
**That at one point tips over to “too big” but otherwise is exemplary.

Questions:

  • I had trouble making recommendations of other movies.What’s your favorite quiet-mentor movie?
  • What was one point where Miss Stevens made a choice that was right for the moment?
  • What makes a good teacher?

Favorite IMDB Trivia Item:

The headrests on the front seats of Miss Stevens’ car are incorrectly positioned, causing a safety issue where a crash could potentially lead to the decapitation of the driver and front passenger.

(Oh internet comments. Sometimes I love you so much.)