Movies, Mom & Me

• 
  Commentary:  There are so many reasons why I could have missed this film, not the least of which is that I was unfamiliar with the manga series. Suffice it to say, I am ever grateful to the movie gods that I didn't. This evocative film is right up my alley. The animation, as well, is stunning. It roils underneath while observing a startling surface propriety. Just a gem.
    Here's a second review that I found interesting, as well.
  Update 6/2/2022:  This post was originally published on 2/5/2018 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  O-Ei	Erica Lindbeck	Katsushika Hokusai	Richard Epcar	Ikeda Zenjiro	Ezra Weisz	Utagawa Kuninao	Robbie Daymond
  Koto	Barbara Goodson	O-Nao	Courtney Chu	Iwakubo Hatsugoro	Marc Diraison	Kichiya	Kevin T. Collins

  
    The Wikipedia write-up for this film (and manga series) is here.
    Release Date: 2015
    Directed by Keiichi Hara.

Labels: animated, drama5, father-daughter-dynamics, film-art1, haunting1, historical2, period2, spiritual1, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 11:03    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  none
• 
  Commentary:  This is a delightful pastiche of a movie with some very good ensemble acting and an interesting interlinkage of romantic stories that simply captured us. Look, especially, at Lynn Redgrave's performance as the mother of one of the characters. Brave and brilliant! I've watched this movie several times on my own, as well as the special features, because it, well, it feels good to watch it.
  Update 5/23/22:  Yet another post that "disappeared" and I had to recapture. I think I finally figured an easy process, now. That should help.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Maria Bello	Jocelyn	Emily Blunt	Prudie	Kathy Baker	Bernadette	Hugh Dancy	Grigg
  Amy Brenneman	Sylvia	Maggie Grace	Allegra	Jimmy Smits	Daniel	Marc Blucas	Dean
  Lynn Redgrave	Mama Skye	Nancy Travis	Cat Harris	Parisa Fitz-Henley	Corinne	Gwendoline Yeo	Dr. Samantha Yep

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2007
    Directed by Robin Swicord.

Labels: dramedy1, emily-blunt, female-director3, popcorn-and-soda3, romance2, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 20:36    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Blew me away when I was watching this movie on cable, one evening, late, Mom awoke within the first 15 minutes of the movie, I decided to keep it on because I really wanted to see it again and she was riveted. She even likes the end of it, which leads me to believe that she understands the real power of this movie: that it isn't a dirge for the female spirit, but a celebration of it. She has even been heard to mutter, during the semi scene, "Good for them!"
    I actually didn't consider owning this movie until, a couple of times after the above mentioned viewing, when I exclaimed that it was "on", again, Mom always has wanted to watch it.
    Aside from his initial review link to the title of this post, Roger Ebert wrote yet another thought provoking review of the film six months later.
    Twenty-five years later three female journalists write an article about how the film has held up, in relevence, over the last quarter century. They make a point of mentioning that the film has not engendered more women-buddy-movies. I know. I think about this every time I watch this movie, and it's one of those that I watch about once a year. It's like, someone in the male coterie that is still film production, is constantly asking about women-buddy-scripts, "What's the point?" and dropping them into the circular file. This article does, though, increase my desire to see Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
    And, I have to ask, considering the plethora of male-buddy-movies made since the beginning of movie history and the ignoring of the fact that women do "buddy up", for all kinds of reasons, what the hell are you guys thinking?!? Do you think, as women, that we should be grateful that at least this movie was made? And, frankly, do you feel that delusionally safe because female buddy movies make up a very, very small percentage of films? Holy goddess! Are you in for a surprise!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Susan Sarandon	Louise Sawyer	Geena Davis	Thelma Dickinson	Brad Pitt	J. D.	Harvey Keitel	Det. Hal Slocumb
  Michael Madsen	Jimmy Lennox	Christopher McDonald	Darryl Dickinson	Lucinda Jenney	Lena	Timothy Carhart	Harlan Puckett

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1991
    Directed by Ridley Scott.
  Update 5/8/22:  This is a reposting of a previous post dated 2/7/2005 that I managed to recover.

Labels: action3, adventure4, buddy, dream2, geena-davis, harvey-keitel, me-favorite4, michael-madsen, popcorn-and-soda6, revenge2, ridley-scott, road-movie, suspense2, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 17:21    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, many times
• Mentions:  *1* *2* *3* *4* *5* *6* *7* *8* *9* *10*
• 
  Commentary:  We both remain fascinated with this show and continue to watch it, and discuss it while watching it, regularly. As you can read in the mentions, we have eccentric opinions about and reactions to this show.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
  Update 5/18/2022:  Yes, I continue to watch this show. I am, in fact, working my way through, oh, I don't know, my 678th viewing? I can't explain why. I think, partly, it's that the episodes are a half hour and a great way to unwind right after I've tucked myself in, before I go to sleep. The acting is good. The cast is always varied. The story lines meander from dead (literally) serious to hilarious. The characterizations are on point. It's not a show to learn from, but it is a show that provides relaxation with a light touch. These people, all of them, actors, writers and crew, knew what they were doing.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Sarah Jessica Parker	Carrie Bradshaw	Kim Cattrall	Samantha Jones	Kristin Davis	Charlotte York	Cynthia Nixon	Miranda Hobbes
  Willie Garson	Stanford Blatch	Lynn Cohen	Magda	Chris Noth	Mr. Big	Frances Sternhagen	Bunny MacDougal
  Kyle MacLachlan	Trey MacDougal	Anne Meara	Mary Brady	Mikhail Baryshnikov	Aleksandr Petrovsky	Bridget Moynahan	Natasha

  
    I have two copies of Season 3.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1998-2004
    Episodes directed by several people. Lots of female directors in the first seasons although not approaching half; less and less as the seasons progressed.

Labels: cynthia-nixon, dramedy2, erotic, female-director2, popcorn-and-soda6, shared-favorite, TV3, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 15:41    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  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

# posted by gail @ 16:11    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I love, love, love this movie! I did not see it originally in the theater, although I was certainly old enough to see it (on Guam, where I was living at the time, age restrictions on adult material were rigorously enforced). I don't remember it even playing on Guam, which isn't surprising because, frankly, movies were a few-and-far-between entertainment for our family when I was growing up. It was probably shown on Guam. One of my sisters and I saw Midnight Cowboy and I am Curious (Yellow) on Guam. For some reason, though, I wasn't aware of Klute coming out.
    I don't really remember when I first saw it, but it's been a staple of my movie diet since. I don't think Mom ever saw it. I think I may have "hidden" it from her when I checked it out while she was alive. I was probably being too cautious, but, then again ... well, you just never know, when you're dealing with a "pure spirit". Still, thinking about it, now, I don't think she would have liked it, or even been interested in following it.
    I have several reasons for loving this movie. The acting is spot on. The atmospherics are spot on. The cinematography is spot on. It isn't a surface movie, one of the reasons I appended the tag "economic" to this movie ... it is a movie about the economics of women, which is the reason I also appended the tag "women's-movie" to it. It's definitely a multilayered drama. I'm glad I own the Criterion edition of this movie. The special features are interesting and well thought out.
    For my money, though, it's one of my favorite creepy thrillers, if not my most favorite (and, I'm not really sure what my favorite creepy thriller is).
    For your information, for fun (movie mavens find our "fun" in strange ways) the 3rd tier of the Actor/Role table below is later famous actors who played bit parts in this movie. All but Jean Stapleton are uncredited. I think you'll find it as interesting as I did.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jane Fonda	Bree Daniels	Donald Sutherland	John Klute	Charles Cioffi	Peter Cable	Roy Scheider	Frank Ligourin
  Dorothy Tristan	Arlyn Page	Rita Gam	Trina	Nathan George	Trask	Vivian Nathan	Psychiatrist
  Jean Stapleton	Goldfarb's Secretary	Veronica Hamel	Model	Kevin Dobson	Man at Bar	Sylvester Stallone	Club Patron

  
    Release Date: 1971
    Directed by Alan J. Pakula.

Labels: alan-j-pakula, Criterion1, detective1, donald-sutherland, drama2, economic, neo-noirA, paranoia-trilogy, suspense1, thriller1, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 10:29    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Did you know that the material in this movie is not only a book written by Stephen King, but inspired an opera, as well? I'm not surprised. The themes are sturdy, well-portrayed with a lack of sentimentality and an abundance of complication and so incredibly well acted and ever-inspiring: mother vs daughter, employee vs employer, wife vs abusive husband, community vs stalwart, self-protective woman. I swear, someday, when you and I are long dead, Stephen King will be considered the Shakespeare of our age.
    This movie has had a hold on me for years. I purchased it because I've checked it out of our library system so many times I believe I am partly responsible for the fact that at least one copy is always being "mended" by the staff. That's why I own it, now.
    There is only one aspect of the story with which I quibble: Dolores inheriting Vera's estate. On the one hand, she certainly deserves it, the inheritance places Vera in a kinder light, and Dolores' character certainly isn't changed by the news of the inheritance, although I suspect her circumstances are. On the other hand, you know, every time I watch this movie, I imagine Dolores not inheriting and realize, yet again, it wouldn't matter to the overall effect of the movie and the story. At any rate, it's a tiny quibble I have. Doesn't change my undying love for this movie, this character and the character of Vera.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kathy Bates	Dolores Claiborne	Jennifer Jason Leigh	Selena St. George	Judy Parfitt	Vera Donovan	Christopher Plummer	Det. John Mackey
  David Strathairn	Joe St. George	Eric Bogosian	Peter	John C. Reilly	Cons. Frank Stamshaw	Bob Gunton	Mr. Pease

  
    The Wikipedia write-up for this movie (not the opera, that's earlier in this post) is here.
    Release Date: 1995
    Directed by Taylor Hackford.

Labels: bob-gunton, christopher-plummer, david-strathairn, drama3, haunting1, jennifer-jason-leigh, journalism, period1, psychological1, taylor-hackford, tragedy1, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 08:55    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Had this not been serendipitously included in a four-pack of movies containing the one I wanted I never would have added it to my collection. I have, though, seen it, enjoyed it, and am pleased to add it to my collection by default. It's a mature women's movie with a satirical twist that continues to twist until the end. It contains really interesting and perceptive woman-talk. It's from an era when woman-talk had more respect than it does, now. Does that surprise you, that I consider that, currently, woman-talk is not respected? Well, think again. It's not. It's acceptable, now, as it has rarely been in the past, for women to join men in being knowledgeable and forthcoming on all kinds of subjects, but women-talk? Sad to say, we're in another era of don't-talk-about-relationships of any kind unless it's from a distant psychological perspective.
    Which reminds me, this post initiates yet another category, "psychological". Again, I'm surprised I haven't found a need for that category before this. I'm sure it applies to many movies in my collection.   No matter what you think as you wend your way through the movie, the end is guaranteed to be a surprise and the journey to that surprise is delicious, indeed, so delicious that I will not mind making the journey again, even though I know the destination.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jeanne Crain	Deborah Bishop	Jeffrey Lynn	Bradbury Bishop	Linda Darnell	Lora Mae Hollingsway	Paul Douglas	Porter Hollingsway
  Ann Sothern	Rita Phipps	Kirk Douglas	George Phipps	Barbara Lawrence	Georgiana Finney	Connie Gilchrist	Ruby Finney
  Florence Bates	Mrs. Manleigh	Hobart Cavanaugh	Mr. Manleigh	Thelma Ritter	Sadie Dubin	Celeste Holm	Voice of Addie Ross

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1949
    Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Labels: buddy, drama3, kirk-douglas, psychological1, thelma-ritter, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 19:40    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Ah, yes! The Group! I did not see this film until years, decades, in fact, after it came out. I believe I first saw it on TCM while my mother and I were companions. I had read the book around the time when the movie came out. And loved it. I didn't relate to the time period but the writing and story telling were so good I didn't need to. I never forgot the passages about Dottie and her initial sexual adventure. When I finally saw the movie, I was delighted with how that was portrayed in the film. I also found Joan Hackett mesmerizing in the part, although I had, for a long time, been a fan of her work, mostly through her appearance in character roles on television.
    The ensemble of actors in this movie is incredible. The story is an exceptionally thoughtful and thought provoking description of a particular period in the lives of privileged young women. The movie, itself, is so well done it is a miracle to watch. I've seen it twice since I bought it and it snatches me into it with every viewing. When it finishes, I'm ready to watch it again.
    I've been trying for some years to obtain a copy of it but, although all the places that sell movies have had it advertised, it's also been unavailable. Recently it came back on the market. I'd been keeping my eye on its availability for some years and as soon as it was re-released, I snatched up a copy.
    Watching it twice has made me hungry to read the book, again.
    As a curious side note, searching for reviews of this movie was oddly frustrating, considering my interest in it. It seems, the movie attracted more attention overseas than it did in the U.S. The one review I could find, had access to and attached to the mention of the movie in the first paragraph seems to sum up, in short shrift, the U.S. reaction to it.
    As a continuation to the above side note, TCM has a very interesting background review of the film, which I've linked to the title of this post. When the link comes up, click into the title of the review. For some reason, TCM won't let bloggers link directly into their articles.
    Rewatched: 3/5-6/22 - I've decided to reread the novel by Mary McCarthy upon which this movie is based. I've been meaning to reread the novel since I obtained a copy of the movie, but hadn't yet gotten around to it. Then, today, I read (a first reading) the story upon which another one of my [RW]s is based and the process so illuminated my understanding of the movie that I decided I should proceed apace with rereading the novel upon which this movie is based. It'll probably take me a few, or more, days. Luckily, I have a copy of that novel. I'll report back when the deed is done.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Candice Bergen	Elinor Eastlake	Joan Hackett	Dottie Renfrew Latham	Elizabeth Hartman	Priss Hartshorn Crockett	Shirley Knight	Polly Andrews Ridgeley
  Joanna Pettet	Kay Strong Peterson	Mary-Robin Redd	Mary Prothero Beauchamp	Jessica Walter	Libby MacAusland	Kathleen Widdoes	Helena Davison
  James Broderick	Dr. James Ridgeley	James Congdon	Sloan Crockett	Larry Hagman	Harald Peterson	Hal Holbrook	Gus Leroy
  Richard Mulligan	Dick Brown	Robert Emhardt	Henry Andrews	Carrie Nye	Norine Blake	Baruch Lumet	Mr. Schneider

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1966
    Directed by Sidney Lumet.

Labels: buddy, candice-bergen, coming-of-age1, drama3, historical1, joan-hackett, period1, popcorn-and-soda2, satire1, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 17:19    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I can't tell you when I first viewed this one. Obviously, sometime after 1994. I'm not sure if Mom ever saw it. I, however, fell in love with it on first viewing.
    I was already a fan of Australian cinema. That started with my viewing of Outback/Wake in Fright, many years previous. It was, however, the beginning of my admiration of Toni Collette. And, my appreciation of Australian comedy. I remember, after initially viewing this movie, scouring our library for other Australian comedy gems, which is what brought me to Strictly Ballroom. Australian comedy has a surprisingly sharp edge that catches you unawares and that U.S. comedy lacks, I find, except in extraordinary instances. Let's see, do I own any of those "extraordinary [U.S.] instances"? A few. Adaptation, for one. Network, for another. If I wanted to stretch a point, Natural Born Killers takes U.S. comedy edge well beyond any Australian comedy edge I've yet seen. Buster Keaton, though, is probably the best example of U.S. comedy edge competitive with Australian comedy edge. I'd include Charlie Chaplin but he was a Brit who shaped U.S. movies into what they would, and continue to, become.
    This movie, combined with Strictly Ballroom, brought to my awareness a slate of excellent Australian actors, one of whom, Bill Hunter is/was (sadly, he's dead) in four movies I own.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Toni Collette	Muriel Heslop	Bill Hunter	Bill Heslop	Rachel Griffiths	Rhonda Epinstall	Sophie Lee	Tania Degano
  Jeanie Drynan	Betty Heslop	Gennie Nevinson	Deidre Chambers	Daniel Lapaine	David Van Arkle	Matt Day	Brice Nobes

  
    Just in case, here's the link to the Wikipediea write-up.
    Release Date: 1994
    Directed by P. J. Hogan.

Labels: bill-hunter, comedy1, coming-of-age1, toni-collette, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 09:30    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I initiated a new category for this movie, "women's-movie", directly at the suggestion of one of the special features on the movie disk that talks about how this movie is one of a genre of women's movies that went through a heyday in the 40's. I'm sure I have other women's movies in my scroll to the left. I'll be searching them out and tagging them as soon as I publish this write-up.
    The friendship described in this movie between Kit Marlowe and Millie Preston is, in spirit, the exact duplicate of a friendship of which I'm a part: begun in childhood for reasons other than mutual attraction; carried on throughout the years partly through habit, partly because one of the members insists and the other does not refuse; one member painfully self-aware, the other dangerously clueless. I'll bet every woman has had (or still has) one such relationship. That, I think, is the attraction of this movie. Even if the superficial details diverge, the emotional details do not. This kind of relationship is superbly presented in this movie, including the ending in which the viewer, I think, is likely to feel sorry for Kit, even as her bravery in this relationship is understood and approved.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Bette Davis	Kit Marlowe	Miriam Hopkins	Millie Drake	Gig Young	Rudd Kendall	John Loder	Preston Drake
  Dolores Moran	Diedre Drake	Phillip Reed	Lucien Grant	Roscoe Karns	Charlie Archer	Anne Revere	Belle Carter
  Esther Dale	Harriet	Marjorie Hoshelle	Margaret Kemp/Fan Club Leader	Francine Rufo	Child Diedre	Ann Doran	Music Store Saleslady

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1943
    Directed by Vincent Sherman.

Labels: bette-davis, drama4, miriam-hopkins, popcorn-and-soda2, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 16:28    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I was so pleased when I heard a movie was being made featuring my favorite childhood heroine, Maleficent (see write-up for Sleeping Beauty). It took me a long time to get around to watching it. I finally remembered it and checked it out of the library this spring. Upon watching it I knew I had to add it to my collection. Angelina Jolie was made to play Maleficent. The story is interesting and innovative. I especially appreciate the ending. Yes, it is a bit weird that such a kind, sunny, powerful child was named, as an infant, Maleficent. The movie could have included a scene in which a prophetic fairy brooded over her birth and named her in anticipation of what was to come in her life. But, the movie was made for kids, so it probably didn't occur to the makers that a child might know what the name contains in the way of strict definition. Maybe the movie makers didn't know, either. Oh well. The life of the princess was also a bit ho-hum. But I don't care. What I care about is every scene that involved the definition of Maleficent and I was not disappointed. I also enjoy the combination of live-action and animation. Well done, I thought. So, anyway, I'm satisfied and I will watch this movie again and again, just to gaze upon the magnificence of Maleficent. Thank you, Disney.
    Roger Ebert's website also has an interesting meditation provoked by this movie and written by Libby Hill, on how Hollywood, and, thus, our culture, is reimagining women and their roles in society.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Angelina Jolie	Maleficent	Ella Purnell	Teen Maleficent	Elle Fanning	Aurora	Janet McTeer	Elderly Aurora/Narrator
  Sharlto Copley	Stefan	Sam Riley	Diaval	Imelda Staunton	Knotgrass	Juno Temple	Thistlewit
  Lesley Manville	Flittle	Brenton Thwaites	Prince Phillip	Kenneth Cranham	King Henry	Hannah New	Princess Leila

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2014
    Directed by Robert Stromberg.

Labels: adventure1, drama5, elle-fanning, fantasy2, imelda-staunton, me-favorite1, pseudo-cgi-animation, super-hero2, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 20:49    0 comments    email......this post

• 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

# posted by gail @ 12:41    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  G
• Mentions:  none
• 
  Commentary:  This is one of the few movies I've purchased since Mom died. It came out the Tuesday after she died. We'd talked about getting it so that we could compare it with the first version and looked forward to seeing it. I'd talked, the week before she died, about it's release coming up the next week. Thus, of course, I bought it.
    There are two critical schools of thought on this remake. The first is echoed in the link to the title of the movie above. The second is here, courtesy of The New York Times. The former expresses my sentiments, although not completely. Roger Ebert seems not to have watched either movie closely enough to realize that the remake actually follows the structure of the first one very closely. Some of the dialogue is even repeated. The resolution is completely different and the satire is toned down significantly so, yes, these are two "different" movies. And, I definitely missed the presence of the hats and the silly clothes that Sylvia wears in the first movie. I also missed the hilarious actress credit sequence from the first movie that wasn't even attempted in the second. I was curious to see what the producers of the remake would do with that. The second movie also explores the eternal mother character much better than the first, and I like the twist in the remake on the relationship between the mother and daughter. The first is much cattier, but the second portrays deeper friendships which would be trivialized by the catty fast talk of the first. Both movies, as well, have interesting fashion runway sequences. My preference is for the first. I prefer the context, love the fact that the movie switches to color for that sequence, and I love the clothes in the first movies' fashion sequence much better than the clothes in the second. I should have been born so that I could have been in my clothes-horse prime during the thirties through the early forties. For satiric dazzle I prefer the first movie. For emotional satisfaction I prefer the second. I'd love to know which my mother would have preferred. I will be keeping both movies.
    You'll notice that I categorized the first as a romance. It was. I can't categorize the second as such, because it isn't; unless you count romancing one's friends, and one's self, which is a clear slant of the second movie. Ah, what the hell; why not. It's a romance. Just not the usual kind.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Meg Ryan	Mary Haines	Annette Bening	Sylvia Fowler	Eva Mendes	Crystal Allen	Debra Messing	Edie Cohen
  Jada Pinkett Smith	Alex Fisher	Candice Bergen	Catherine Frazier	Cloris Leachman	Maggie	Debi Mazar	Tanya
  Bette Midler	Leah Miller	Carrie Fisher	Bailey Smith	India Ennenga	Molly Haines	Lynn Whitfield	Glenda Hill

  
    In case you have trouble accessing the NYT review of this movie, above [NYT is now a major butt about free access to their newspaper. They weren't when I originally wrote this post. When will these oligarchic publishers learn! Probably not until the people with pitchforks come for them.], there are two alternate links, one to the Wikipedia article and the refreshed link (my former link had gone bad) in the title to Roger Ebert's review.
    Release Date: 2008
    Directed by Diane English.

Labels: 21st-century-chick-flicks, annette-bening, candice-bergen, debi-mazar, dramedy1, female-director3, meg-ryan, popcorn-and-soda2, romance2, satire1, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 18:22    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  My reaction to this movie is complicated.
  • I'm sure you've heard the following: "If you love the series, you'll love the movie." Not so. I agree that in order to become involved in the movie one has to be familiar with the series, but I love the series and the movie was a disappointment. I can see how my mother liked the movie. Aside from her reaction noted above, it was so colorful and splashed so broadly on such a huge canvas that it was kind of like watching a cartoon. That having been said,
  
  
  • I was deeply affected, after my mother's death, by the scenes involving Carrie's mourning of what she assumed to be the definitive death of her relationship with Mr. Big. These scenes tugged mercilessly at my heart. At one point, the week after the first group of visitors left, I would watch the series of scenes, from her phone dropping at the wedding site when she hears that John has decided not to come to the wedding, straight through to her finally arising from an emotionally drugged three day sleeping binge in Mexico and joining the rest of her friends, endlessly. I would weep uncontrollably throughout...then continue my own mourning, which while it didn't include constant sleep, did include loss of appetite, drawing all drapes, extinguishing all sources of light and a strict isolation from everything that implies the continuation of life. That part of the movie continues to tug at my heart. On bad days, I make it a point to watch that series of scenes, yet again.
  • I was completely disappointed in something about the movie, but I couldn't place my finger on what until MCS and MCNC came to visit in early spring and we watched the movie (they hadn't seen it). When MCS pronounced it, after having watched about a half hour of it, "a bunch of privileged women buying things", I realized what bothered me about the movie: the hard-driven focus on fashion, which is so relentless that the story lines get lost in the shuffle. Although the series has a pronounced fashion thrust, it isn't relentless; nor does it obscure story lines and ideas. The movie, unfortunately, took the fashion/money thrust to the limit and, in doing so, limited the ability of the story lines to come through.
      In honor of my sister's thoughts, though, I am linking to an excellent article with which she would probably agree, if she watched more of the series. Or well, maybe she doesn't actually have to watch any of the series to agree. The writer of this article is not a fan and my sister will quickly pick up on that.
    
    I'll keep the movie, though, as a part of my SATC collection. I hope the company doesn't plan to do another. My hope is that they consider all loose ends tied up tight. Enough is, as this movie proves, more than enough.
  Update 8/2/21:  The proverbial "they" did come out with a second SATC movie. I watched it. I think I checked it out of the library. I was not impressed. It was, in fact, an effort to watch it to the end. I did not add it to my collection.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Sarah Jessica Parker	Carrie Bradshaw	Kim Catrall	Samantha Jones	Kristin Davis	Charlotte York Goldenblatt	Cynthia Nixon	Miranda Hobbes
  Chris Noth	John James Preston	Jennifer Hudson	Louise	David Eigenberg	Steve Brady	Jason Lewis	Smith Jerrod
  Evan Handler	Harry Goldenblatt	Willie Garson	Stanford Blatch	Mario Cantone	Anthony Marentino	Lynn Cohen	Magda
  Candice Bergen	Enid Frick	Gilles Marini	Dante	Julie Halston	Bitsy Von Muffling	Bridget Everett	Drunk Party Girl

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2008
    Directed by Michael Patrick King.

Labels: 21st-century-chick-flicks, buddy, candice-bergen, cynthia-nixon, dramedy1, romance2, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 15:39    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  I think this is the first Bette Davis movie I watched with attention, and it will remain my all time favorite of hers, edging out Now, Voyager only because I saw this one first. I love the presentation of the story; I love the way Davis plays the part; I love all the supporting characters, including Eve. Addison DeWitt strikes exactly the right tone, from beginning to end. It's funny, in the review to which I connect in the title, much mention is made of Marilyn Monroe's bit part, how her legendary luminosity is evident in this movie, how she steals all her scenes and how this appearance pre-figures her stardom. When she is in scene with Davis, though, I only have eyes for Davis. Monroe's luminosity may have drawing power, but it doesn't compare to Davis', which, I suppose, could be compared to that of a black hole, sucking viewers in beyond the power of a nascent star.
    Mom, of course, loves this movie because it features Bette Davis.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Bette Davis	Margo Channing	Anne Baxter	Eve Harrington	George Sanders	Addison DeWitt	Celeste Holm	Karen Richards
  Gary Merrill	Bill Sampson	Hugh Marlowe	Lloyd Richards	Thelma Ritter	Birdie Coonan	Gregory Ratoff	Max Fabian

  
    One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up for this film.
    Release Date: 1950
    Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Labels: bette-davis, drama9, me-favorite2, thelma-ritter, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 13:12    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1* *2*
• 
  Commentary:  This came as one of five in a Joan Crawford Collection (Click the part of the title that says "The Joan Crawford Collection" for a different summary and review). I've watched this movie three times, once, the first, on TCM. The link, by the way, will take you to TCM's "article links" page for their website, where you can access even more information on the movie.
    Mom and I continue to be transfixed by this movie, especially the clothes and the in-color fashion sequence. Joan Crawford is a riot as the seductress. The opening credits alone are worth seeing over and over.
  Update 9/23/21:  I just want to mention, I remain, since Mom's death, a staunch fan of Joan Crawford and this movie. You might notice that I also have the remake of this movie, The Women - (2008). Although I enjoy Annette Bening's performance in it, I love Bette Midler as The Countess, I'm glad they included a lesbian and I salute the attempt not to pay fealty to the catch phrase on the cover of this version, "It's all about men!", still, the comedy isn't quite as heightened in the 2008 version and the showing of Mary Haine's clothing designs is kind of a letdown. During that scene it's hard not to be distracted by the thought, "Couldn't they have gotten a better designer for this movie?!?"
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Norma Shearer	Mary Haines	Joan Crawford	Crystal Allen	Rosalind Russell	Sylvia Fowler	Mary Boland	The Countess De Lave
  Phyllis Povah	Edith Potter	Paulette Goddard	Miriam Aarons	Phyllis Povah	Edith Potter	Joan Fontaine	Peggy Day
  Virginia Weidler	Little Mary Haines	Lucile Watson	Mrs. Morehead	Marjorie Main	Lucy	Dennie Moore	Olga, the manicurist

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up on this movie.
    Release Date: 1939
    Directed by George Cukor.
  

Labels: 20th-century-chick-flicks1, joan-crawford, marjorie-main, me-favorite3, popcorn-and-soda5, romance3, satire2, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 02:34    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  This is a little symphony of a movie that I discovered some years ago on the Sundance channel, stayed up after my first viewing long enough to set up tape for a second run, and showed the tape to my mother the next day, knowing that despite the movie being in Dutch with English subtitles, she'd love the movie and especially Antonia, because there is much of Antonia's spirit in my mother, even though their lives are quite different. We watch this movie fairly often, now, whenever one or the other of us needs to revel and refresh ourselves in the strength of lineage and the march of time.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Willeke van Ammelrooy	Antonia	Els Dottermans	Danielle	Jan Decleir	Farmer Bas	Victor Löw	Harry
  Elsie de Brauw	Lara	Marina de Graaf	Deedee	Jan Steen	Lippen Willem	Veerle van Overloop	Thérèse
  Catherine ten Bruggencate	Malle Madonna	Dora van der Groen	Allegonde	Mil Seghers	Kromme Vinger	Thyrza Ravesteijn	Sarah

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of this movie.
    Release Date: 1995
    Directed by Marleen Gorris.

Labels: dramaB, female-director1, haunting2, period5, shared-favorite, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 15:14    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is one of those movies that has a magnetic affect on both my mother and me. Although it's not the best school movie I've ever seen (my vote on this score is for The Paper Chase, although I'd consider The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, as well, and, a few others, come to think of it, The Blackboard Jungle, Goodbye Mr. Chips), from the cords of the opening music it drafts both of us into college, again, from our own perspetives. When we view this movie we always review the featurettes.
    I have to admit, though, she and I are both suckers for school and education movies. Sometimes it's pathetic.
    Directed by Mike Newell.
  Update 6/13/2006:  Since I first wrote this short review we've watched this movie on the average of once a month, at my suggestion. During tonight's watching I was uncustomarily analytical about some of the aspects of this movie that I love.
  
  • All the performances are a delight to watch and utterly convincing, with the exception of Julia Roberts' performance. Tonight I finally figured out why, in this movie of incredibly performed roles (even the bartender at the wedding and "Mrs. Stone" the waitress are spot on) the star fell just short of matching her colleagues' level: She's, well, Julia Roberts and, as such, is no longer able to be a character. She is always Julia Roberts playing a character. This is unfortunate in movies such as this.
  • The romance between Roberts' character and West's character is inauthentic, unconvincing, distracting and boring. It's possible that Roberts' character needs some sort of quickie affair in this movie as a device to underline her single status and her attitudes toward sexual attachment, but the one written and acted didn't work.
  • The background music is both unobtrusive and evocative; so much so that the strains of the theme played behind the menu evoke pleasurable anticipation for the movie.
  • The subject matter, despite being heavily covered in many other movies and, at the time of this movie's release, seemingly dated, lurks in women's souls deeply and is still not well addressed by society, thus, continues to have a powerful effect. As well, the characters and the story are so well developed that the period piece effect actually contributes to the emotional effect of the layout of the issues.
  • The camera work is subtle and masterful. No camera effect is used for the sake of the effect alone.
    The more I watch this movie, the more I realize it is a gem of a movie. As I watched it tonight I realized, if asked, I would bet that this movie is going to be one of those It's a Wonderful Life movies...not appreciated in its time nearly as much as it will be appreciated, decades later than its time, as a classic.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Julia Roberts	Katherine Watson	Kirsten Dunst	Betty Warren	Julia Stiles	Joan Brandwyn	Maggie Gyllenhaal	Giselle Levy
  Ginnifer Goodwin	Connie Baker	Laura Allen	Susan Delacorte	Marcia Gay Harden	Nancy Abbey	Donna Mitchell	Mrs. Warren
  Marian Seldes	President Jocelyn Carr	Juliet Stevenson	Amanda Armstrong	Dominic West	Bill Dunbar	Topher Grace	Tommy Donegal
  Ebon Moss-Bachrach	Charlie Stewart	Jordan Bridges	Spencer Jones	John Slattery	Paul Moore	Tori Amos	Wedding Singer

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2003
    Directed by Mike Newell.

Labels: dramaB, julia-roberts, kirsten-dunst, maggie-gyllenhaal, marsha-gay-harden, period5, political4, shared-favorite, teaching, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 22:55    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None

• Commentary:  Here's another one I'm stunned I've never mentioned in this journal. We've been regular renters of this movie since one of my nieces introduced us to it when it first came out on video. Now we own it. We don't quote dialog from it, yet, but, there is that danger.
  Update 5/9/2022:  This movie can be a little sweet, at times, but it's also moving and genuinely dedicated to portraying female-female relationships as touchstones in the lives of women. It does this well. It is never saccharine, never unrealistic, although it definitely shoots its realism through a gauzed lens.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Whoopi Goldberg	Jane DeLuca	Mary-Louise Parker	Robin Nickerson	Drew Barrymore	Holly Pulchik	Matthew McConaughey	Abe Lincoln
  James Remar	Alex	Estelle Parsons	Louise	Amy Aquino	Anna	Anita Gillette	Elaine Nickerson

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1995
    Directed by Herbert Ross.

Labels: buddy, shared-favorite, whoopi-goldberg, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 10:33    0 comments    email......this post