First of all, I cannot believe this is based on a true story. Then again, this crap is too bizarre to make up.
The title act occurs at the very end of the eight-part miniseries, when Gypsy Rose Blanchard (Joey King) hides in her bathroom, hands over her ears as her online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn (an extremely creepy Calum Worthy) stabs her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard (Patricia Arquette) to death. And then, after cleaning off the bloody knife, he flings her on the bed and sticks his penis up her vagina and declares to her "Welcome to rest of your life." As far as I'm concerned, prison is nearly an improvement. It's not exactly rape; she believes she loves him, but it wasn't exactly consensual, but when you've had the childhood Gypsy has had, she probably doesn't completely understand the actual rules of society.
Dee Dee has made some ridiculous and unacceptable life choices. First of all, what in the world are you doing sleeping with a seventeen-year-old when you're twenty-four and name your child Gypsy? And then she steals her grandfather's checkbook and writes bad checks and lands in jail. She gets pity after caring for her ill mother and decides to fake a variety of ailments so she can defraud numerous people from all over the world. She babies and smothers Gypsy, lying about her age, lying to Gypsy about her illnesses. Gypsy can walk just fine and eat sugar, just like everyone else. And if Gypsy was allowed to have a normal life, she wouldn't have thought that Nick was such a catch when he can barely string two words together. Sure, she did ask him to kill her mother, but instead of telling the police, he does it. Nick is currently a life sentence, while Gypsy is only serving ten years and she still wants to have kids when she gets out. Yikes.
While the story is bizarre, King and Arquette give brilliant performances and the set demonstrates all the little nuanced details that show how sick these people are truly are. The script is top-notch and though you will cringe almost the whole time, it is nevertheless worth watching. Grade: A-
-AnnaSophia Robb and Chloe Sevigny give excellent supporting performances as another mother-daughter duo Lacey and Mel neighbors of the Blanchards. Mel is shocked speechless when the truth finally comes out and she is pissed, as she should be. But she's also pissed that she didn't figure it out.
-I found it disturbingly hilarious that Nick was arrested for jerking off to porn at a McDonalds for nine hours.
-Also, Nick picked hot fried chicken over tossing the murder weapon, a choice I'm sure he'll regret for the rest of his life.
-Nick's mother, Juliette Lewis, does hint that Nick has a mental disorder and the mind of a teenage boy, but nothing is specifically named.
-Dee Dee should really have taught Gypsy that fairy tales aren't real.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Double Indemnity (1944)
This is a bizarre love story, if there ever was one.
Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is an insurance salesman and is great at his job. He's unstoppable, until he falls in love with the femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrickson (Barbara Stanwyck). Her husband's insurance policy has lapsed which is illegal, by the way.
He falls in love with her so quickly, after just three short meetings, they are already planning on murdering her husband, the stuffy and sometimes abusive unnamed Mr. Diedrickson (Tom Powers). Instead of just tossing him off the train, they kill him beforehand to make it look like an accident so they will collect a large sum.
Too bad Walter's experienced colleague Keyes (the great Edward G. Robinson) suspects something is up and investigates.
This murder drives the couple apart, not together. Sure, they don't get away with it and another murder is committed before the movie ends.
While the film is clearly dated, and the dialogue seems to staged and rehearsed, the film is still brilliant at getting into the heads of the three main characters and how both of them thought killing him would solve their unhappiness. But it makes everything worse.
Despite having said all of that, the film is a classic for a reason and is not to be missed. What with the brilliant performances and tight script, this film is nothing short of a masterpiece. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-Why on God's green Earth is Fred MacMurray wearing a wedding ring throughout the film, when his character is clearly a bachelor? A mistake like that is insulting.
-I do also hate that Walter usually calls Phyllis baby, again, that's insulting to her.
-Did Phyllis murder the first Mrs. Dietrickson?
-While it is sweet that Walter sends Lola Dietrickson's (Jean Heather's) crush back to her, he is a loser in his own right.
-How times have changed. You can longer smoke in buildings just like that. Smoking is also a motif throughout the film.
Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is an insurance salesman and is great at his job. He's unstoppable, until he falls in love with the femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrickson (Barbara Stanwyck). Her husband's insurance policy has lapsed which is illegal, by the way.
He falls in love with her so quickly, after just three short meetings, they are already planning on murdering her husband, the stuffy and sometimes abusive unnamed Mr. Diedrickson (Tom Powers). Instead of just tossing him off the train, they kill him beforehand to make it look like an accident so they will collect a large sum.
Too bad Walter's experienced colleague Keyes (the great Edward G. Robinson) suspects something is up and investigates.
This murder drives the couple apart, not together. Sure, they don't get away with it and another murder is committed before the movie ends.
While the film is clearly dated, and the dialogue seems to staged and rehearsed, the film is still brilliant at getting into the heads of the three main characters and how both of them thought killing him would solve their unhappiness. But it makes everything worse.
Despite having said all of that, the film is a classic for a reason and is not to be missed. What with the brilliant performances and tight script, this film is nothing short of a masterpiece. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-Why on God's green Earth is Fred MacMurray wearing a wedding ring throughout the film, when his character is clearly a bachelor? A mistake like that is insulting.
-I do also hate that Walter usually calls Phyllis baby, again, that's insulting to her.
-Did Phyllis murder the first Mrs. Dietrickson?
-While it is sweet that Walter sends Lola Dietrickson's (Jean Heather's) crush back to her, he is a loser in his own right.
-How times have changed. You can longer smoke in buildings just like that. Smoking is also a motif throughout the film.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Since You Went Away (1944)
This timely film portrays an American family for a year just after their husband or father is called off to go to war.
Anne Hilton (Claudette Colbert) worries about the family budget as Tim (only seen in pictures) is earning less in the army than in advertising. She lets go the family's long term maid, Fidelia (Hattie McDaniel) but Fidelia is very loyal and continues to work for them on her days off. They also take in a border as there is a dreadful housing shortage. They add retired Colonel William Smolett (Monty Woolley) who is a softy underneath but has his curmudgeon like tendencies.
The two daughters also contribute in their own ways, Jane (Jennifer Jones) becomes a nurse after finishing high school while Bridget (Shirley Temple) starts a victory garden and runs scrap drives. Anne wonders if she can do more but at least she worries about that. Her one friend, Emily Hawkins (Agnes Moorhead) doesn't even do that.
Because a film needs main male character, Tony (Joseph Cotton), a long-time family friend pops up and Colonel Smolett's grandson, Bill (Robert Walker) also appears as Jane's love interest and fiance, but he won't let her marry him in case something happens to him while he's overseas.
As this is war, there are troubling times. Tim is missing in action and Bill is killed without ever repairing his bitter relationship with his grandfather.
At least the film ends on a happier note. Jane tells Emily off, which is a great scene. Anne becomes a Rosie the Riveter, training to be a welder and Tim is coming home, alive.
While the opening is contrived and forced, the film is actually pretty good despite being horribly dated. It is nice showing the home front, though I would rather have the family be an actual middle class family, without a showy house (that only had three bedrooms) and maid. But it showed a rehabilitation hospital containing men with crippling ailments or injuries from the war, but there were only glimpses of this. I could have done with far more. Still, the acting is good and it is brilliant having a film where women have purposes outside of the house. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The minor character of Gladys (Jane Devlin) needed more explanation. She is Brig's friend but is terrified of adults despite being a teenage; it's just odd.
-It is hard to imagine Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker being married in real life with two young sons, though by the time this was being filmed, their marriage was eroding and the screenwriter and producer, David O. Selznick, was falling in love with Jennifer.
-There is another good minor character of Zofia Koslowska (Alla Nazimova) who immigrated from an unnamed European country, though that could have done with more explanation.
-The police officer pulls over Tony and Anne because he's lonely.
-It is ridiculous that Jane and Bill can go out into the country and roll around in the hay (almost literally) without a care in the world. Where is the owner of this land?
Anne Hilton (Claudette Colbert) worries about the family budget as Tim (only seen in pictures) is earning less in the army than in advertising. She lets go the family's long term maid, Fidelia (Hattie McDaniel) but Fidelia is very loyal and continues to work for them on her days off. They also take in a border as there is a dreadful housing shortage. They add retired Colonel William Smolett (Monty Woolley) who is a softy underneath but has his curmudgeon like tendencies.
The two daughters also contribute in their own ways, Jane (Jennifer Jones) becomes a nurse after finishing high school while Bridget (Shirley Temple) starts a victory garden and runs scrap drives. Anne wonders if she can do more but at least she worries about that. Her one friend, Emily Hawkins (Agnes Moorhead) doesn't even do that.
Because a film needs main male character, Tony (Joseph Cotton), a long-time family friend pops up and Colonel Smolett's grandson, Bill (Robert Walker) also appears as Jane's love interest and fiance, but he won't let her marry him in case something happens to him while he's overseas.
As this is war, there are troubling times. Tim is missing in action and Bill is killed without ever repairing his bitter relationship with his grandfather.
At least the film ends on a happier note. Jane tells Emily off, which is a great scene. Anne becomes a Rosie the Riveter, training to be a welder and Tim is coming home, alive.
While the opening is contrived and forced, the film is actually pretty good despite being horribly dated. It is nice showing the home front, though I would rather have the family be an actual middle class family, without a showy house (that only had three bedrooms) and maid. But it showed a rehabilitation hospital containing men with crippling ailments or injuries from the war, but there were only glimpses of this. I could have done with far more. Still, the acting is good and it is brilliant having a film where women have purposes outside of the house. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The minor character of Gladys (Jane Devlin) needed more explanation. She is Brig's friend but is terrified of adults despite being a teenage; it's just odd.
-It is hard to imagine Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker being married in real life with two young sons, though by the time this was being filmed, their marriage was eroding and the screenwriter and producer, David O. Selznick, was falling in love with Jennifer.
-There is another good minor character of Zofia Koslowska (Alla Nazimova) who immigrated from an unnamed European country, though that could have done with more explanation.
-The police officer pulls over Tony and Anne because he's lonely.
-It is ridiculous that Jane and Bill can go out into the country and roll around in the hay (almost literally) without a care in the world. Where is the owner of this land?
Sunday, June 16, 2019
The Front Runner (2018)
This film details how just one question can derail an entire Presidential campaign.
It is 1988 and Colorado Senator Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) is going to be the next President of the United States, focused on the issues and the future of the country, with youth on his side, he seems prefect, too bad he can't stay faithful to his wife.
With some murky methods, some Miami Herald reports discover that Gary had a pretty blonde woman (Sara Paxton) in his Washington DC townhouse for several hours on a Saturday afternoon.
Did he sleep with her? He doesn't say much on the topic because he feels that who he's having coitus with isn't going to affect what he can do for this country and it's beneath him. But while most of country believes the Herald went too far (questionable), they no longer trust Hart and the press hounds him, his wife, Lee (Vera Farmiga, appropriately livid) and daughter, Andrea (the always good Kaitlyn Dever) so much, he drops out of race. It is probably a wise decision as the Washington Post also received some pictures of Hart with another woman who isn't his wife.
This film brings up some serious points. But while it mattered who a Presidential candidate was sleeping with in 1988, it once again no longer mattered in 2016. Also, should the Herald have gone through such lengths to get the story or should they have waited to get all of their facts correct first? Personally, I'd side with the latter.
My main problem with the film is the absence of Gary's son, who appears in one brief scene, where is he for the rest of the film? Still, the performances are solid and the screenplay is tight and relevant and the film creates the appropriate atmosphere of 1988 America, which is no small feat. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Pay attention to some good supporting performances from J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina and Mike Judge in solid roles.
-You can't help but wonder what would have happened to the US had Gary been elected President.
-Men with power need to be held to a higher standard simply because they have that power.
-Though Lee threatens to leave Gary, she doesn't.
-Hotel rooms are expensive, especially for two teenagers.
It is 1988 and Colorado Senator Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) is going to be the next President of the United States, focused on the issues and the future of the country, with youth on his side, he seems prefect, too bad he can't stay faithful to his wife.
With some murky methods, some Miami Herald reports discover that Gary had a pretty blonde woman (Sara Paxton) in his Washington DC townhouse for several hours on a Saturday afternoon.
Did he sleep with her? He doesn't say much on the topic because he feels that who he's having coitus with isn't going to affect what he can do for this country and it's beneath him. But while most of country believes the Herald went too far (questionable), they no longer trust Hart and the press hounds him, his wife, Lee (Vera Farmiga, appropriately livid) and daughter, Andrea (the always good Kaitlyn Dever) so much, he drops out of race. It is probably a wise decision as the Washington Post also received some pictures of Hart with another woman who isn't his wife.
This film brings up some serious points. But while it mattered who a Presidential candidate was sleeping with in 1988, it once again no longer mattered in 2016. Also, should the Herald have gone through such lengths to get the story or should they have waited to get all of their facts correct first? Personally, I'd side with the latter.
My main problem with the film is the absence of Gary's son, who appears in one brief scene, where is he for the rest of the film? Still, the performances are solid and the screenplay is tight and relevant and the film creates the appropriate atmosphere of 1988 America, which is no small feat. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Pay attention to some good supporting performances from J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina and Mike Judge in solid roles.
-You can't help but wonder what would have happened to the US had Gary been elected President.
-Men with power need to be held to a higher standard simply because they have that power.
-Though Lee threatens to leave Gary, she doesn't.
-Hotel rooms are expensive, especially for two teenagers.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
At Eternity's Gate (2018)
I don't have much to say about this film. It was in most ways a work of art, with a great performance by Willem Dafoe who portrays Vincent, even if he is at least two decades too old for the role. He sinks underneath Vincent's skin as the film covers the last several years of his life, as his mind becomes more and more unstable. But he thrives on painting and needs to do that to survive, despite living a penniless existence dependent on his brother's financial support.
While brilliant, I found it plodding and boring without much of anything driving it forward, there is some conflict between Paul Gaughin (Oscar Isaac) and Vincent and the other more famous artists.
While the performances are good, the plot is odd, with some strings of dialogue being repeated over again. Grade: B
While brilliant, I found it plodding and boring without much of anything driving it forward, there is some conflict between Paul Gaughin (Oscar Isaac) and Vincent and the other more famous artists.
While the performances are good, the plot is odd, with some strings of dialogue being repeated over again. Grade: B
Late Night (2019)
A brilliant Emma Thompson shines as the prickly Katherine Newbury, always striving for excellence. But she's dated, her show, beyond stale and she's downright nasty at times, firing one of her writers because he asks for a raise as he and his wife just had a second baby but Katherine believes that this is a double standard. Why should he get a raise over his single co-workers?
Fortunately, Brad (Denis O'Hare) suggests that she hire a woman writer. Enter Molly (Mindy Kaling) who used to oversee production at a chemical plant. She is not greeted warmly, not even by Katherine who will soon be out of a job.
Molly eventually proves her worth, but Katherine is terrified of change and isn't extremely accepting of her new ideas. But Molly persists and even starts working on the monologue with one of the writers, Tom (Reid Scott) and starts a relationship with another writer and wannabe comedian, Charlie (Hugh Dancy), who proves to be a giant jackass. There is a brief scene between Charlie and Katherine at her dinner party that you must tuck away and remember it as it comes back later on.
So, there are several twists and turns along the way. Katherine refuses to give up her show to new age frat boy comedian, Danny Tennant (Ike Barinholtz) but that pisses off his agent so much he relieves that Katherine cheated on her sick husband (John Lithgow).
Despite being fired twice, Katherine can't live without Molly as Molly adores Katherine, underneath all the hatred. The film ends happily (I wonder if Charlie got canned, he sure should have) but Katherine is back on top of the ratings and there is plenty of diversity in the office and Molly is finally dating someone better, Tom, who may have been resentful of her at first (and boy, was he ever) but at least he doesn't just use women for sex, so that's something.
My main problem with the film is that Molly is mc'ing an event for lung cancer as that is the disease that killed her father but when she mentions that to Charlie, he literally has a cigarette in his fingers and Katherine also smokes when she gets super depressed. I feel that should have been treated with more sensitivity than it was, which is a shame as it was the biggest more glaring flaw in this otherwise completely solid film with great performances and good jokes. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-How does Hugh Dancy get better looking with age?
-Amy Ryan is great in her small role as network executive.
-Social media is overrated but you need to do it to stay relevant.
-The scene where Tom visits Molly at her aunt and uncle's house in Queens could have been a lot funnier.
-I hope Molly finds an apartment with an elevator next time.
-Who would have thought a shoulder kiss could be so romantic?
-Also, we should have a woman with her own late night show, currently there aren't any.
Fortunately, Brad (Denis O'Hare) suggests that she hire a woman writer. Enter Molly (Mindy Kaling) who used to oversee production at a chemical plant. She is not greeted warmly, not even by Katherine who will soon be out of a job.
Molly eventually proves her worth, but Katherine is terrified of change and isn't extremely accepting of her new ideas. But Molly persists and even starts working on the monologue with one of the writers, Tom (Reid Scott) and starts a relationship with another writer and wannabe comedian, Charlie (Hugh Dancy), who proves to be a giant jackass. There is a brief scene between Charlie and Katherine at her dinner party that you must tuck away and remember it as it comes back later on.
So, there are several twists and turns along the way. Katherine refuses to give up her show to new age frat boy comedian, Danny Tennant (Ike Barinholtz) but that pisses off his agent so much he relieves that Katherine cheated on her sick husband (John Lithgow).
Despite being fired twice, Katherine can't live without Molly as Molly adores Katherine, underneath all the hatred. The film ends happily (I wonder if Charlie got canned, he sure should have) but Katherine is back on top of the ratings and there is plenty of diversity in the office and Molly is finally dating someone better, Tom, who may have been resentful of her at first (and boy, was he ever) but at least he doesn't just use women for sex, so that's something.
My main problem with the film is that Molly is mc'ing an event for lung cancer as that is the disease that killed her father but when she mentions that to Charlie, he literally has a cigarette in his fingers and Katherine also smokes when she gets super depressed. I feel that should have been treated with more sensitivity than it was, which is a shame as it was the biggest more glaring flaw in this otherwise completely solid film with great performances and good jokes. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-How does Hugh Dancy get better looking with age?
-Amy Ryan is great in her small role as network executive.
-Social media is overrated but you need to do it to stay relevant.
-The scene where Tom visits Molly at her aunt and uncle's house in Queens could have been a lot funnier.
-I hope Molly finds an apartment with an elevator next time.
-Who would have thought a shoulder kiss could be so romantic?
-Also, we should have a woman with her own late night show, currently there aren't any.
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Mary, Queen of Scots (2018)
This was actually a very good period piece, though it was somewhat difficult to keep tract of the characters, as they changed allegiances quicker than underwear.
Mary (Saoirse Ronan) has just lost her first husband (a widow at just eighteen) and has returned to her homeland, Scotland, though she left for France when she was a mere toddler. But she's been Queen since she was nine months old.
However, she is Catholic, which the Protestant country doesn't appreciate. But Mary is kind and doesn't care about religion. She mostly cares about being named successor to the throne of England, ruled by her cousin, Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) who shows little interest in sex or children. Mary is different and Elizabeth knows this and tries to manipulate her next marriage, but Mary still manages to defy them all and marries for love, or so she thinks, imagine the shock on her wedding night when her newly minted husband, Lord Henry Darnley (Jack Lowden) sleeps with her friend and confidante, David Rizzio (Ismael Cruz Cordova) instead. But she forces Henry to impregnate her and its as though she knows her son (when he's finally born) will be heir to both thrones.
But before that, Henry tries to get the throne away from her and is murdered but then Mary is forced to marry again. Unfortunately for her, this only turns the country more against her and she must leave, for her own well-being, leaving toddler James behind, which pretty much breaks her heart. Which means she finally meets Elizabeth and while the two have their differences, Elizabeth does 'protect' her until she orders her death. It isn't until Elizabeth's death that the two countries are united.
Elizabeth was smarter than Mary in many ways. She knew by marrying someone, they would only try to take her throne and that's exactly what happened to Mary. And there is also plenty of betrayal among the men. Mary is probably the only true, kind, loyal person in the entire film.
The film, as a whole, is solid, though I would have liked some subtitles as to the roles of each character as there are so many of them. But they acting is superb and everything feels authentic, down the speech and word choices. If you're in the mood for a good period piece, this one certainly fits the bill. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Joe Alwyn is in basically in every movie in 2018 (Boy Erased, Operation Finale and The Favourite are the others.)
-The throne is sort of like the Mafia, if you piss them off, they can and will kill you.
-Mary's first marriage was never consummated, though apparently, they did try. Then again, they were both teenagers at the time.
-Pay attention to a long-bearded David Tennett as the leader of Scotland's Protestant church and Brendan Coyle as Henry's father, who is filled with machinations of his own.
Mary (Saoirse Ronan) has just lost her first husband (a widow at just eighteen) and has returned to her homeland, Scotland, though she left for France when she was a mere toddler. But she's been Queen since she was nine months old.
However, she is Catholic, which the Protestant country doesn't appreciate. But Mary is kind and doesn't care about religion. She mostly cares about being named successor to the throne of England, ruled by her cousin, Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) who shows little interest in sex or children. Mary is different and Elizabeth knows this and tries to manipulate her next marriage, but Mary still manages to defy them all and marries for love, or so she thinks, imagine the shock on her wedding night when her newly minted husband, Lord Henry Darnley (Jack Lowden) sleeps with her friend and confidante, David Rizzio (Ismael Cruz Cordova) instead. But she forces Henry to impregnate her and its as though she knows her son (when he's finally born) will be heir to both thrones.
But before that, Henry tries to get the throne away from her and is murdered but then Mary is forced to marry again. Unfortunately for her, this only turns the country more against her and she must leave, for her own well-being, leaving toddler James behind, which pretty much breaks her heart. Which means she finally meets Elizabeth and while the two have their differences, Elizabeth does 'protect' her until she orders her death. It isn't until Elizabeth's death that the two countries are united.
Elizabeth was smarter than Mary in many ways. She knew by marrying someone, they would only try to take her throne and that's exactly what happened to Mary. And there is also plenty of betrayal among the men. Mary is probably the only true, kind, loyal person in the entire film.
The film, as a whole, is solid, though I would have liked some subtitles as to the roles of each character as there are so many of them. But they acting is superb and everything feels authentic, down the speech and word choices. If you're in the mood for a good period piece, this one certainly fits the bill. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Joe Alwyn is in basically in every movie in 2018 (Boy Erased, Operation Finale and The Favourite are the others.)
-The throne is sort of like the Mafia, if you piss them off, they can and will kill you.
-Mary's first marriage was never consummated, though apparently, they did try. Then again, they were both teenagers at the time.
-Pay attention to a long-bearded David Tennett as the leader of Scotland's Protestant church and Brendan Coyle as Henry's father, who is filled with machinations of his own.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Now, Voyager (1942)
Well, this film is horribly dated.
Charlotte Vale's (Bette Davis's) life is controlled by her domineering, vile mother (Gladys Cooper). Gladys believes that she knows what is best for Charlotte but that couldn't be further from the truth. Charlotte is miserable, frittering away her time carving soaps in her attic bedroom, getting picked on by her teenage niece, June (Bonita Granville). Fortunately, her sister-in-law and only ally, Lisa (Ilka Chase) gets Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains) to send her to a rehabilitation center for her mental breakdown.
Naturally, she recovers away from her mother and is able to shed the glasses, gets her eyebrows plucked and turns beautiful. Not ready to return to her mother's house, she goes on a South American cruise where she meets and falls in love with the unhappily married Jerry Durrance (Casablanca's Paul Henreid). His wife actually sounds worse than Charlotte's mother, if that is possible.
The relationship ends (as it must due to the film codes of the 1940s) and Charlotte returns home, nearly marries a wonderful doctor (John Loder) before causing her mother so much stress, Gladys keels over and suffers a fatal heart attack. Believing she will have another breakdown, she goes back to the rehab center but instead meets Tina (Janis Wilson), Jerry's unwanted second daughter, who is deeply depressed and suicidal, though these issues are only brushed on.
Charlotte gets what she wanted, to have Jerry's child. It's a sick fantasy, but she knows that this is the closest she can get to having her dream. And she has other dreams too, helping Dr. Jaquith reconfigure the rehab center, so her life is truly filled with purpose, and it was a long time coming.
Now, as I've mentioned to open, the film is quite dated and filled with largely rich people, as per most Bette Davis films. And her fantasy of having Jerry's child by forcing herself into Tina's life is sick, why not persuade Jerry to divorce his wife so he can also have happiness?
And, for the record, she should have ended up with Dr. Jaquith who probably respected her the most of the three main male characters in this film. But that's just my opinion.
Fortunately, the screen play was good and crammed tons of plot into a two hour film and Cooper and Davis were brilliant and completely worthy of their Oscar nominations. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Another notable problem, for a romance film to have their first kiss done while Charlotte was sleeping (a rape kiss, in other words) is just wrong, on so many levels.
-Clearly, there is no way this film occurred in modern times, but probably a few years earlier as there is so much boat traveling to South America.
-Do Charlotte and Jerry have sex, my guess would be yes.
-Bette Davis looks too good to go camping and continues to look good even after leaving running water.
-Why was Charlotte wearing glasses in the first place if she didn't need them?
Charlotte Vale's (Bette Davis's) life is controlled by her domineering, vile mother (Gladys Cooper). Gladys believes that she knows what is best for Charlotte but that couldn't be further from the truth. Charlotte is miserable, frittering away her time carving soaps in her attic bedroom, getting picked on by her teenage niece, June (Bonita Granville). Fortunately, her sister-in-law and only ally, Lisa (Ilka Chase) gets Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains) to send her to a rehabilitation center for her mental breakdown.
Naturally, she recovers away from her mother and is able to shed the glasses, gets her eyebrows plucked and turns beautiful. Not ready to return to her mother's house, she goes on a South American cruise where she meets and falls in love with the unhappily married Jerry Durrance (Casablanca's Paul Henreid). His wife actually sounds worse than Charlotte's mother, if that is possible.
The relationship ends (as it must due to the film codes of the 1940s) and Charlotte returns home, nearly marries a wonderful doctor (John Loder) before causing her mother so much stress, Gladys keels over and suffers a fatal heart attack. Believing she will have another breakdown, she goes back to the rehab center but instead meets Tina (Janis Wilson), Jerry's unwanted second daughter, who is deeply depressed and suicidal, though these issues are only brushed on.
Charlotte gets what she wanted, to have Jerry's child. It's a sick fantasy, but she knows that this is the closest she can get to having her dream. And she has other dreams too, helping Dr. Jaquith reconfigure the rehab center, so her life is truly filled with purpose, and it was a long time coming.
Now, as I've mentioned to open, the film is quite dated and filled with largely rich people, as per most Bette Davis films. And her fantasy of having Jerry's child by forcing herself into Tina's life is sick, why not persuade Jerry to divorce his wife so he can also have happiness?
And, for the record, she should have ended up with Dr. Jaquith who probably respected her the most of the three main male characters in this film. But that's just my opinion.
Fortunately, the screen play was good and crammed tons of plot into a two hour film and Cooper and Davis were brilliant and completely worthy of their Oscar nominations. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Another notable problem, for a romance film to have their first kiss done while Charlotte was sleeping (a rape kiss, in other words) is just wrong, on so many levels.
-Clearly, there is no way this film occurred in modern times, but probably a few years earlier as there is so much boat traveling to South America.
-Do Charlotte and Jerry have sex, my guess would be yes.
-Bette Davis looks too good to go camping and continues to look good even after leaving running water.
-Why was Charlotte wearing glasses in the first place if she didn't need them?
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Booksmart (2019)
Despite some odd plot holes, this film was a delight.
Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) are feminists and Molly especially has a stick up her ass (to be fair, I probably do too). Molly is class president and valedictorian. And the two have a deep friendship, which cannot be broken.
As the two prepare to graduate high school and attend prestige schools (without any bribery), Molly suddenly realizes that all those around her are also headed to bright futures, despite partying hearty throughout the four years.
So Molly especially decides to cram four years of partying into one night and it is an epic night. Also, there are some weird kids in L.A. They attend an empty yacht party where they accidentally consume drugs, a bizarre murder mystery party before going to the rager where their respective crushes are. Nick (Mason Gooding) is the VP of the class and isn't as lame as you would think and Molly is crushing on him hard while Amy prefers skatergirl Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), only the two are dating (aka making out) each other.
Despite getting into a nasty fight, the next morning, Molly is still the one to get Amy out of jail and they rush to their graduation and they graduate the hell out of it, including Molly's first kiss in front of everyone, and it was with rich kid, Jared (Skylar Gisondo) who isn't a player like everyone believed him to be.
Sure, this film has numerous problems including the just plain weird scene when Molly and Amy are out of it from the drug hitting them and they have a Barbie fueled fantasy. And how did they fit into their teacher's clothes so well? Also, why does Ms. Fine (Jessica Williams) have so many clothes in her car?
But the acting and chemistry the two leads have is ridiculous and you forget they are portraying someone that is not themselves. They are brilliant and should be in more films, preferably together. The kids are fairly realistic and for the most part, not bad people. I think our future is in good hands. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Molly is half-Slytherin, half-Ravenclaw, for the record.
-Pay attention to Billie Lourd's bizarre character, Gigi, who just seems to be everywhere, which is great and laughable but also one of the plot holes.
-The funniest scene by far is when the girls called a Lyft and their principal, Jordan (Jason Sudekis) picks them up in his car filled with mini chili lights and then he listens to them watch porn. I nearly keeled over in my seat.
-It must be the most awkward thing ever to puke all over the girl who just almost lost your virginity to.
-Also, Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte have great cameos as Amy's parents. Unfortunately, Molly's mom never shows up, which is a shame.
-I haven't decided about the serial killer as the pizza delivery guy.
-What sort of library would be open that late at night for the girls to research Nick's aunt's address?
-This is also one of the few films (though second in a row for me) that mentions feminine hygiene products, for which I'm grateful.
Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) are feminists and Molly especially has a stick up her ass (to be fair, I probably do too). Molly is class president and valedictorian. And the two have a deep friendship, which cannot be broken.
As the two prepare to graduate high school and attend prestige schools (without any bribery), Molly suddenly realizes that all those around her are also headed to bright futures, despite partying hearty throughout the four years.
So Molly especially decides to cram four years of partying into one night and it is an epic night. Also, there are some weird kids in L.A. They attend an empty yacht party where they accidentally consume drugs, a bizarre murder mystery party before going to the rager where their respective crushes are. Nick (Mason Gooding) is the VP of the class and isn't as lame as you would think and Molly is crushing on him hard while Amy prefers skatergirl Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), only the two are dating (aka making out) each other.
Despite getting into a nasty fight, the next morning, Molly is still the one to get Amy out of jail and they rush to their graduation and they graduate the hell out of it, including Molly's first kiss in front of everyone, and it was with rich kid, Jared (Skylar Gisondo) who isn't a player like everyone believed him to be.
Sure, this film has numerous problems including the just plain weird scene when Molly and Amy are out of it from the drug hitting them and they have a Barbie fueled fantasy. And how did they fit into their teacher's clothes so well? Also, why does Ms. Fine (Jessica Williams) have so many clothes in her car?
But the acting and chemistry the two leads have is ridiculous and you forget they are portraying someone that is not themselves. They are brilliant and should be in more films, preferably together. The kids are fairly realistic and for the most part, not bad people. I think our future is in good hands. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Molly is half-Slytherin, half-Ravenclaw, for the record.
-Pay attention to Billie Lourd's bizarre character, Gigi, who just seems to be everywhere, which is great and laughable but also one of the plot holes.
-The funniest scene by far is when the girls called a Lyft and their principal, Jordan (Jason Sudekis) picks them up in his car filled with mini chili lights and then he listens to them watch porn. I nearly keeled over in my seat.
-It must be the most awkward thing ever to puke all over the girl who just almost lost your virginity to.
-Also, Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte have great cameos as Amy's parents. Unfortunately, Molly's mom never shows up, which is a shame.
-I haven't decided about the serial killer as the pizza delivery guy.
-What sort of library would be open that late at night for the girls to research Nick's aunt's address?
-This is also one of the few films (though second in a row for me) that mentions feminine hygiene products, for which I'm grateful.
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