Monday Moments

Happy Monday

Thought this meme was very funny.  Indeed, now I wonder if I've reached the point where this writer has "jumped the shark" ?   Cliff hanger.    To Be Continued

 Treated myself to a Friday movie night and streamed on demand - Promising Young Woman.  It's up for various Oscars, so I was curious.  Whoa - not light and fluffy entertainment, which I did know from reading some reviews.  Carey Mulligan (whom I've always liked) is flawless in her role as Cassie. 

We first see her very drunk in a bar and some guys are talking trash about her. One guy acts concerned and offers her a ride home. Well, he does not have the best intentions, but oops, he picked the wrong gal.  Turns out, Cassie is seeking revenge for her friend Nina, after an incident occurred in Medical School.  Think frat party gone bad.  Now in her thirties, Cassie works in a coffee shop, still lives at home, and deliberately looks for trouble to teach men a lesson. 

Anger, revenge, blackmail, and comeuppance. An underbelly of issues. 

Through it all, Mulligan is so good. She's pretty and her soulful eyes can speak paragraphs. A spectrum of emotions cross her face in this film. Promising Young Woman is worthy of its nominations and I'm glad I saw it. 

Movie Review Madness: Far From the Madding Crowd

It was enjoyable to go to the movies and not have anything blow up. Well, maybe a heart or two, but it was done quietly in Dorset England, 1870. Far From the Madding Crowd is a rich period movie based on a Thomas Hardy novel. Unlike many of his books, this one actually has a happy ending. Carey Mulligan plays the  very independent Bathsheba Everdene. She’s a young woman who inherits a farm and intends to prove that she can manage it without  a husband. She’s extraordinarily modern in a very modest time full of manners and social mores. 

Miss Everdene says, “It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.”  The movie revolves around her independence and interactions with three possible suitors. I will not divulge the winner. Gabriel Oak (a very stoic (hot) Matthias Schoenaerts) is a sheep herder/farm hand with plenty of wisdom from observing the world. Mr. Boldwood  (a shy Michael Sheen) is her wealthy neighbor. It would be quite convenient for them to marry. Or there’s the dashing soldier (charming Tom Sturridge) who’s quite the lady’s man.  

The dialogue is expressive and often what is not said is what counts. There is plenty of soulful eye gazing. The scenery is gorgeous and well filmed. Carey Mulligan is an excellent young actress (only 29) and can say so much with her eyes. She’s smart, energetic, and fully developed as a character.  Far From the Madding Crowd is an artsy flick and far from the summer blockbuster blow ‘em ups. But sometimes it is nice to get away from the crowds, travel to old England in your chair, and watch a love story evolve.

Bummer Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is not so great. As a matter of fact, I give it a C+. Read the book by F.Scott Fitzgerald instead - trust me - same use of 2-1/2 hours. I can't explain the problem with the movie except to say it was a lot of flash without substance, and it was trying to be bigger, to have "meaning", and it just didn't get there.

Baz Lurhmann is an interesting director and I liked his Moulin Rouge. The Great Gatsby had the same rich cinematography, eye popping colors, huge cast, dazzling costumes, and decent acting. But, I just was not entranced. As a matter of fact, the theater I was in had a power surge and the movie stopped in the middle for about twenty minutes. I probably could have left without serious remorse. That's not a good sign.

Tobey Maquire narrated as Nick and he did a good job as the wide-eyed observer, protector of his cousin Daisy Buchanan (played by a dewy Carey Mulligan) and in awe of Jay Gatsby (played by Leonardo DeCaprio). Leo has the look, the intensity, and the panache, and yet...a little something was missing in the connection between him and Daisy. They said all the right lines, but I didn't feel scorching heat or intensity of love. Joel Edgerton, as Tom Buchanan, was suitable as the old money brute, carouser, womanizer, and foe to Gatsby.

There just wasn't a natural flow to the movie. We had scenes that were busy and pretty, and yet the tension didn't build at the pace it should have. It was choppy and disconcerting. With the kick-off of summer movie season, there are plenty of other movie competitors for your dollar. If you must see it, wait for The Great Gatsby to hit Netflix. Go see Ironman 3, or new Star Trek:Into Darkness (that's what I plan to see next) in the theater. And play some serious Jazz Age music, not rapper stuff for 1922. That's just wrong.