Friday, May 07, 2021
Dance, Girl, Dance
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Maureen O'Hara Judy O'Brien Louis Hayward James Harris Jr. Lucille Ball Bubbles/Tiger Lily White Virginia Field Elinor Harris Ralph Bellamy Steve Adams Maria Ouspenskaya Madame Lydia Basilova Mary Carlisle Sally Katharine Alexander Miss Olmstead Edward Brophy Dwarfie Humblewinger Walter Abel Judge Harold Huber Kashulian Sidney Blackmer Puss in Boots
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1940
Directed by Dorothy Arzner.
Labels: §2, Criterion1, dramedy1, female-director1, feminist, pussy-flick
Wednesday, August 05, 2020
Valley of the Dolls
- Commentary: Yes, I read the book. Decades ago. When I was a teenager. When it was, sort of, taboo literature for girls my age. I also saw the movie when I was a teenager, and have seen it several times since, when it's been featured on some TV channel. It's hard to describe what kind of a hold this movie has over me; why, for instance, I so enjoy watching the turgid stories of these three young women and their torrid lives. I can tell you that I never considered owning this movie until I noticed that Criterion had put out an edition of it with loads of special features. "Ah ha!" I thought. "This edition will help me explain to myself my fascination with this movie!" I'm not sure that's what happened, but I can tell you that I spent an entire afternoon indulging in the movie and each one of the special features, including reading the accompanying booklet cover to cover.
This movie is the ultimate chick flick. Although the focus is supposed to be on the "dolls", the pills that these women consume in order to follow their dreams, the truth is the pills are incidental. The bonus material often refers to it as "camp", but, I can tell you, its campiness is not why I love this movie. I don't love it because it reminds me of the decade of the 1960s. Frankly, even though I was a teenager during that decade, I was pretty much a bookish girl-woman who lived a life that could have been described, from the outside, as dull. I didn't have glorious dreams like the women in this movie. I love the movie because I love reveling in the stories of embattled chicks, whether they're on "dolls" or not. There. I said it.
You'll notice I've labeled it as both a "pussy-flick" and a "women's movie". For me, it's both. It is not a "20th-century-chick-flick", as none of the romances follow that particular type of romantic story. Nobody ends up with their man. It contains scenes that are so full of pathos they can only be described as pathetic and scenes that are touching and thoughtful. It contains a lot of other scenes that are, frankly, just plain cheesy. Sometimes, too, those cheesy scenes are so over-scripted that, while you're watching, you know you're supposed to find them moving but you can't help but giggle, even if you're watching the movie alone. Ah, but those scenes are, dare I say it, the most fun!
Finally, yes, it's true, Roger Ebert was mildly disgusted by this movie (I say "mildly" because he gave it two stars, rather than one). So, he and Russ Meyer co-wrote what they intended as a parody, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. I never saw that movie, although, apparently, according to Wikipedia, it duplicated the fate of the original, first ignored, then loved, then culted and partially reappraised. Roger Ebert even wrote an explanatory review of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. I didn't read the review, only skimmed it. I probably won't ever see this movie, but, you know, if you can't beat 'em, I guess ...
Thank you, Criterion! A master coup!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Barbara Parkins Anne Wells Patty Duke Neely O'Hara Paul Burke Lyon Burke Sharon Tate Jennifer North Tony Scotti Tony Polar Lee Grant Miriam Polar Susan Hayward Helen Lawson Martin Milner Mel Anderson Alexander Davion Ted Casablanca Jacqueline Susann Reporter #1 Richard Dreyfuss Asst. Stage Mgr. Judith Lowry Aunt Amy
Here, as usual, is the Wikipedia write-up of this movie.
Release Date: 1967
Directed by Mark Robson.
Labels: 20th-century-chick-flicks1, buddy, Criterion1, drama2, fantasy1, me-favorite1, popcorn-and-soda1, psychological1, pussy-flick, richard-dreyfuss, romance1, tragedy1, women's-movie1
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The Devil Wears Prada
- Who's watched: Bought this movie AMD
- Mentions: none
- Commentary: It seems, after my mother died, I ended up buying a pretty few of these movies that are pure fluff, either emotional, visual or both! Here's another. Actually, Mom saw this movie and liked it so much that if we noticed it playing when we were channel surfing we'd click into it, to the satisfaction of both of us. I linked it to Roger Ebert's review because one of the things I like about it is the "gee-whiz" quality he identifies in the movie. I also like the opening title sequence and the emphasis on fashion. My favorite aspect of the movie, though, is Meryl Streep's performance. She imbued her character with astonishing dignity, to the point where it almost made me wish I'd decided to become a corporate dragoness! I also consider this a type of pussy-flick...substituting "fashion" for "pussy"...but it carries the same watchable quality as pussy-flicks.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Meryl Streep Amanda Priestly Anne Hathaway Andrea Sachs Emily Blunt Emily Charlton Stanley Tucci Nigel Kipling Simon Baker Christian Thompson Adrian Grenier Nate Cooper Daniel Sunjata James Holt James Naughton Stephen
As always, just in case, here's the Wikipedia page on this film.
Release Date: 2006
Directed by David Frankel.
Labels: dramedy1, emily-blunt, meryl-streep, popcorn-and-soda3, pussy-flick, women's-movie1
Flashdance
- Who's watched: Watched and bought this movie AMD
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: I admit it. I'm a Flashdance junkie, just like millions (maybe billions, considering its stunning entry into the global cultural lexicon; if you doubt this, watch Caro diario; my library system used to have this film; it doesn't, anymore, I just checked). Yes, the story is dumb, yes it's pretty much badly acted, yes it's a pussy flick, but I don't care. I love the music/dance sequences. My favorite is the Maniac sequence. My second favorite is the Manhunt sequence: LOVE it when the dancer crawls across the floor! My third favorite is the one that features a reaction to television, Imagination. This is not to say that I don't like any of the other dance sequences. I found myself craving this film after my mother died, (much as I craved, with much personal embarrassment, the movie City of Angels) because I felt like I needed to feed off its energy. It worked, and still works. I guess, with City of Angels, I needed to feed off its grief process. Did my mother ever watch it? Possibly, during one of its infamous (but infrequent) television reruns, although I can't remember. Whether or not she saw it, would she have liked it? Absolutely, for exactly the same reasons I like it. I refuse to say any more on the grounds that it might incriminate both of us.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jennifer Beals Alexandra Owens Michael Nouri Nick Hurley Lilia Skala Hanna Long Sunny Johnson Jeanie Szabo Cyntha Rhodes Tina Tech Kyle T. Heffner Richie Blazek Lee Ving Johnny C Ron Karabatsos Jake Mawby
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1983
Directed by Adrian Lyne.
Labels: 20th-century-chick-flicks1, audio-visual, coming-of-age1, dance, me-favorite2, musical1, popcorn-and-soda2, pussy-flick, romance1
