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August
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What's with all these little "guy" movies? Childhood issues?
ReplyDeleteFun Fact: The studio (Warner Bros.) wanted this to be a Henry Winkler vehicle (for the role of Mac).
Well, I don't know, Darrell. I haven't seen it yet. But I am sure it will be good fun!
ReplyDeleteIt was an interesting attempt to get at the question of what makes for a good life. The upwardly mobile young man falls in love with ... Scotland, and the simpler life it seems to hold. Half the appeal is the idea of Stella, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteIt would seem that much of it falls under the general catagory of "The grass is always greener..." I enjoyed the music and scenary, and a little gaelic thrown in always has an odd appeal to me. The curious characters were kind of fun, and I appreciated the odd take of Ben Knox. Was he the local hero the picture was named for? I did feel Peter Riegert did not have the capacity to carry the film.
Was Stella's name borrowed from A Street Car Named Desire? Now there is a movie I am curious to see.
I really enjoyed Burt Lancaster in this -- his eccentric is contained enough to be believable, but out there enough to be fun. (I still have no clue what the goal with his "therapist" was supposed to be!)
ReplyDeleteI actually liked Peter Riegert, also. His Mac is so detached at the beginning, and keeps telling everyone that he could have taken care of the business "by Telex" (he wouldn't even have to talk to the folks in Scotland) -- his preferred method of negotiating. And then he has to find his way among the, as you said, curious, locals, and has to start talking to people instead of at them.
And i really liked the change in him as he became more and more aware of the wonders of the place, especially the night he calls Happer because he's so blown away by the Northern Lights. I think it may be the first time we see him excited about anything. He doesn't want to go home to the life that suited him before, but at least he knows what he does want. (He's certainly sweet on Stella, but it's pictures of the landscape he pins up at the end.)
And I loved Danny, still a kid in some ways, trying to be a grown-up businessman -- right up until his mermaid reappears. (Or do I mean selkie?) How lovely that she took his infatuation seriously, and that she met him to go to the dance.
Hey -- how many movies about Scotland do you suppose feature significant phone booths?!
I'l admit, the movie is even "quieter" than I remembered, but I suspect it was the quiet of it that appealed to me. And I like the way it ends, with Mac understanding what he wants, knowing he can make the changes he wishes.
I've never seen Streetcar, either -- I'd be up for that anytime.
I've always assumed Mac is the local hero (even getting asked for his autograph when he's leaving for Aberdeen), as he was the Man From America who brought good fortune to the village.
ReplyDeleteAnd, OMG -- Henry Winkler?!
A Happy Days-era (the show ran 'til 1984) Henry Winkler on top of it. Talk about jumping the shark in casting! HHHeeyyyy!
ReplyDeleteOK, Nick -- you MUST feel better about Riegert now! ;)
ReplyDeleteHey, 'The Fonz' has some serious chops. Did you catch him in The Waterboy? Now that was a good comedy!
ReplyDelete: )
I like Henry Winkler just fine in some things -- Arrested Development comes to mind right off -- but not so much in others -- like his story arc on Numb3rs. I just can't see him as Mac.
ReplyDeleteI shall be delighted to see him in The Waterboy, though. There are a couple of Adam Sandler movies I quite like -- both The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates with Drew Barrymore, and Happy Gilmore. Have you seen Click or Spanglish? Or Punch Drunk Love? I've been wondering about those... (And then there are those that fall into the Just Too Tacky category...)
[As a side note -- my spell-check doesn't think there is any such word as "waterboy," but has no problem with "Spanglish."]
But I'm not clear on whether, given the interest in football and unusual tackling techniques, you wanted to make The Waterboy your pick for the next movie?
The waterboy's tackling technique was textbook - driving through his man, getting low and under the other guy's pad height and into his body, head across the other guy's chest, wrapping up and driving him off his feet and into the ground. The tackling was one of the best parts of the movie ... that and taking Colonel Sanders to task on what makes alligators mean (and here's a hint, if you happen to see the waterboy standing nearby, the answer ain't the medulla oblongata).
ReplyDeleteSpanglish was great, and I loved The Wedding Singer, but I was thinking of something else for the next show. I loved Eddie Arnold in You Gotta Stay Happy, but that is not easily found. Hmm. I will have to come up with something for you all.
Henry Winkler has ripened with age. Everytime he is on the screen in "Royal Pains," my stomach seizes up.
ReplyDeleteHow about Imagine Me and You as your next feature? It stars Piper Perabo and Lena Headey, so it breaks your "boys club" mold. You'll also see Anthony Head in a different light from his Persuasion role. It will give us lots to comment about as to contemporary London attitudes
and life. It's a little film but a very charming one--in lots of ways.
Didn't we already see that one, with Lou Diamond Phillips and Julie Cypher as the young domestic couple, and Melissa Etheridge playing the part of marriage wrecker. By report Cypher was directing a music video for Etheridge (remember when those were a big deal), and Etheridge just felt so irresistibly attracted to Cypher that she just had to ask her to lunch, and then dinner. One thing lead to another, and next thing you know Phillips is being cuckolded by Etheridge. Look, if you or I were pulling this shit with somebody's wife, would we get any accolades for it? Well, after the damage was done, Cypher and Etheridge moved on to ten years of avante garde domestic tranquility, and two children later (fathered by David Crosby, but not the way you or I would want to go about it) the domestic partnership disintegrated into confusion, with Cypher coming to the realization that she just isn't a lesbian. Go figure. Both moved on to new partners, Etheridge to the younger, more attractive Tammy Lynn Michaels, and Cypher to Matthew Hale, to whom she is now happily married. Micheals and Etheridge then also had a child 'together', but was it David Crosby's sperm that reported for duty? Who knows. Both Michaels and Etheridge have since moved onward and upward in their lives. If this domestic journey seems rather convoluted, confused and fraught with wrenching disruption, I would be inclined to agree.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, not real keen on this show. Homophobia I suppose.
If its women we need (certainly), and a woman's story, how about Julie and Julia? I've never seen it so I can't say it is valuable or important to me in any way, but it might be good. If not, and you really want to stretch me, I'll go for Imagine Me and You (and to Hell With Your Husband).
: )
You review a movie by bringing up a real life story--one that movie is not based on? I brought it up because I have access to it already (so I can join in given the depressed economy) and because so many of the cast have been in other projects here and at April's. And it also, unintentionally, highlights some fundamental problems with the PC/neo-socialist culture in the UK/Europe. I thought those would be worth noting/having a bit of fun with.
ReplyDeleteJulie and Julia? Putting money into the pockets of the people making the Margaret Thatcher sure-to-be-hatchet-job? No thanks. Bet they didn't even get in Julia's OSS background and (private) conservative views--she was known for not suffering fools gladly when drawn into political issues or agendas.
You best skip "Imagine" now, though. The waters are too murky and the "fun" is already gone for good.
Come, come, let's not be testy. I'll just say that I am not into signing on to the cultural given that gay/lesbian couples are morally superior to heterosexual couples, and the notion that any open minded person would see that it is best for a person to go with the urge that draws them hither and yonder. But this is certainly judging a movie by its cover jacket. Now I see I've also got to watch Julia and Julie, just to see if my read would agree with yours. Experience says that it likely will. Damn. Well, there's always fast forward.
ReplyDelete"I thought those would be worth noting/having a bit of fun with."
Well, why didn't you say that in the first place. Very good. Couple of days.
Besides, Cathy is sure to smack me upside the head if you bail. So it's agreed then. You're committed as 'in'. Couple of days.
Not "testy," Nicholas. We are watching the films in your rec room afterall.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that heterosexual wives don't "go Lesbo" as the kids say. Lou should realize that it was all for the best--as hard as that can be to take. And as always, sooner is better than later. And regardless of sexual orientation, we are always better off when a person that gives up on us leaves. It shows they were never clear on the vows in the first place. It's always for the best. And it always the most painful thing ever--especially if we were clear about our vows. But enough about that.
Julia and Julie may be completely unobjectionable. My doubts are centered around whether it has anything to do with reality. That was my objection--if I had one--to Lawrence of Arabia as well. The "Professional Left" never lets anything out the door that doesn't conform to the positions they are selling. We all know that Pat Nixon was a drunk, right? She had to be to live with Dick. Except the people who were attached to her hip said she wasn't much of a drinker, going the "politician's wife" route--a real drink for her first followed with freshening up with mixers for the rest of the evening. But why should we believe them? They only got her the drinks.
I"m "in" if you and Cathy really want to do it.
[Hint: wait for her to chime in.] I never pass up a chance to see Piper and Lena together. Or seperately.
If you two think I'm gonna fall this socio-politco blatherfest, so I'll go along with your quest for girl-on-girl action -- meh, OK.
ReplyDelete;)
All right. It's all settled then.
ReplyDelete: )
Julie and Julia does not get into Child's OSS work. It's about two quite different women growing up in their marriages, with the commonality of their both trying to master demanding cooking. Streep was really, truly, delightful, and Amy Adams was quite engaging as the one with significantly more growing up to do. I'd watch it again.
ReplyDeleteWow. A big row right before we walk into the Cineplex...and everyone screaming "fine!" before they buy their ticket and stomp to their seats. What could go wrong? I'm there!
ReplyDeleteAnd the movie you described, Cathy, seems to have little to do with the real Julia Child. Sounds like taking any script and attaching a famous name to one of the characters. It does open up an entire world for screenwriters and character actors, though. Did Meryl get to say "A Dingo ate my Bouillabaisse!" even?
No, we're up for your show. It's kind of fun. If I can rent it tonight it will be up tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI knew that comment would go a little sideways, but we are all pretty good friends by now. I'm not too worried about it. It is kinda fun. Jerry, Elaine and George-ish. Now watch, Cath. We're heading for a showing of "Rochelle, Rochelle"
Hey, did you give our tickets to Kramer?!
ReplyDeleteOK. You can have popcorn AND Jujubes!
ReplyDelete(You knew I was teasing before, right?)
Julie and Julia started as a blog by a gal who decided she was going to work her way through Julia Child's cookbook in one year. The blog was so popular she rewrote the journal as a novel (I don't know whether the blog had included the Child bio bits or not). The film goes back and forth between to two women's stories, and Julia Child comes out looking pretty dern good. Her work in the OSS is brought up once; she responds, of course, that she was just a file clerk.
So, what's the scoop on what she really did in the OSS?
She was more than a file clerk, especially in her time in Ceylon and China. She was awarded the Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service as head of the Registry of the OSS Secretariat. But I suppose you could say that James Bond was an officer worker of sorts that occasionally made outside service calls.
ReplyDeleteI could get a glimmer of what the real Julia Child thought about the blog and the book that came of it--Child's editor, Judith Jones, said in an interview: "Flinging around four-letter words when cooking isn’t attractive, to me or Julia. She didn’t want to endorse it. What came through on the blog was somebody who was doing it almost for the sake of a stunt. She would never really describe the end results, how delicious it was, and what she learned. Julia didn’t like what she called ‘the flimsies.’ She didn’t suffer fools, if you know what I mean.
What came through on the blog was somebody who was doing it almost for the sake of a stunt.
ReplyDeleteWell, what a shame. Must have been quite disappointing for all parties!
Not for the unknown blogger that dragged Julia Child into the stunt and made a bundle out of it. And even wound up with top billing when a movie was made of it! Hmmmm. "Darrell and Barack." Wonder how I can make that work? I'm sure everyone will embrace it with open arms.
ReplyDeleteThat is excellent Darrell. As always, Darrell is a well of unseen associations and background details. Reading Jones' response, you can see that she is right on the money in her criticism and assessment. The movie's depiction of the blogging is far more endearing, and there is only one allusion to her foul mouthed expressions of frustrations in a heartfelt discussion with her husband, and so Julie comes off as a young women growing up through her appreciation of Mrs. Child's obvious strengths. The reality apparently is not quite as appealing as the poetic take in the movie, which is all for the best in terms of saying something of value to the audience. Great show. Good tip, Cathy.
ReplyDeleteI bet the real life Julie had a "great appreciation" for Julia Child and her accomplishments. And I'll go double-or-nothing that she also does a devastatingly snarky impresssion of her, complete with a dowager's hump, mumbled speech, and arthritic fingers making a mess in the kitchen. Left-leaning bloggers always seem so reverential, from my experience.
ReplyDelete