Author: Emma
American desi near DC blogging re: movies, TV, & more.
Help! I Wanna Get Offline (DC & beyond)
What to say re: this (expanding) social group!? They have something for everybody… incl. monthly events where men also attend. I went (less than a month ago) and am already having a FAB time! City Girls DC (formerly City Girls Who Walk) just celebrated its 3rd anniversary. I went to the DC Indie Book Crawl w/ one of its (many) sub-groups- Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club; the ladies were welcoming, bubbly, and V smart. Later that same day, I went to a (free) Cardio Dance class at Equinox (Georgetown)- I survived (LOL)! This week, I’m going to see “Sister Act”- the ticket was V affordable. You can join their Discord server (IF I can figure it out, then anyone can) or sign up for the newsletter. There are sub-groups for ladies over 35, so y’all other mature gals need NOT worry!
Do you enjoy long/leisurely walks, BUT also want to meet new peeps? Outerly (founded by Kay- a young WOC) will match you up w/ 4-8 fellow walkers to explore an area of your city; it is available now in Baltimore & DC. I have gone on one of their walks (late in Fall 2024) which ended at Malcolm X (Meridian Hill) Park. FYI: There were MANY attendees in their 20s, but also some in 30s and above. This is a V affordable option to meet new ppl!
Are you called the “foodie” in your circle of (current) pals? Then, I suggest checking out Timeleft dinners (held each WED night at 7PM all over the world in major cities) where you can meet 5 strangers (or potential friends) in your age group w/ similar personalities. Everyone I met was nice; half of the attendees had been to these dinners before (in other cities)! I have gone 2X (Fall 2024), but plan to go again in the near future.
“A Streetcar Named Desire” (BAM) starring Paul Mescal, Patsy Ferran, & Anjana Vasan
On FRI, March 14th, I went (for the 1st time) to Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) to see Tennessee Williams’ iconic play- A Streetcar Named Desire. The area was buzzing (w/ a LOT of tourists and locals); the Harvey Theatre is a few blocks away from the Barclays Center. If you haven’t visited NYC recently, the Atlantic Avenue subway station is now called Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5, B, Q, D, N R, & W trains). The crowd was more diverse than I expected; there were (as expected) many young women in their 20s, incl. WOC. There were also quite a few older (perhaps regulars) aged 50+, as in my row. I booked long in advance, so I was able to get good seat.
This critically-acclaimed production (directed by Rebecca Frecknall) was transferred from across the pond- London’s West End. This director emphasized the growing power of patriarchy w/ the way she chose to stage this play, one critic said. Stanley Kowalski is played by Paul Mescal, a 29 y.o. a blue-eyed Irish actor and one of the rising stars in Hollywood. Mescal appeared in the TV drama/romance Normal People, indie movies (Aftersun; All of Us Strangers), and Ridley Scott’s big-budget sequel (Gladiator II). The staging was open and design was V simple; there are few furnishings in the Kowalski home. On one side of the stage, there are stairs which go up to the balcony. This production includes (brief) interludes w/ dance and music. Water comes down to shower the actors in two pivotal moments. I thought the way lighting design was quite effective.
I know what some of y’all are thinking… Is Mescal as cute and fit IRL? Yes, he looks V good (though not a fan of this modern mullet); he has (well-defined) arms and abs, long after Gladiator. Stanley (a model of toxic masculinity) isn’t TOO bothered w/ the concerns/needs of women around him. He cares about bowling and poker nights w/ his buddies. His wife, Stella, is played by a lovely/wide-eyed British Asian (South Asian- as in US) actress- Anjana Vasan (37 y.o.) Patsy Ferran (34 y.o.) is an unexpected choice for Blanche DuBois, at least when it comes to looks. She has already won Olivier and Drama Desk awards. These actresses look much younger than their ages!
I don’t want realism, I want magic! -Blanche DuBois
Wow, what a show- I was V impressed! Mescal and Vasan made a believable (yet problematic) couple in love. I’m sure many of you are aware of the dark (serious) themes/events of the play. There is tension growing w/ each scene bwtn Mescal and Ferran (slim/petite w/ dark hair and eyes), as Blanche (obviously) disapproves of Stanley. Ferran goes toe-to-toe w/ Mescal (who is transformed- in part to American accent/body language); she reveals emotional vulnerability in one moment, after charming us w/ her wit/intelligence. The audience was captivated more… and more… as the play went on. When Stanley slaps Stella (who is pregnant), it was a big shock (esp. for those who didn’t read the play/see the Brando movie). In the climax, when Blanche grabs a beer bottle to defend herself against Stanley, a woman in front of me whispered “it’s not real” to her mom. In the finale, Stanley crouches down and embraces Stella, who is cryng/distraught on the floor. One of Mescal’s pale/powerful arm wraps around Vasan’s upper body, showing that (in the world of this play) Stanley has truly won!
[1] Lines that I could recite alongside the actors resonated in ways that I never expected. The great majority of them are spoken by Ferran, who triumphs where such incandescent talents as Jessica Lange, Blanchett and Natasha Richardson could find only sporadic magic. […]
What sets Ferran apart is the way she balances the play’s poetry and realism, moving with lightning reflexes from crushing naturalism to bold expressionism. …Ferran, a Spanish British actress, is completely fluent in the playwright’s grand, streetwise lyricism. Accent and idiom are firmly in command as she transitions from Southern Gothic to surrealist horror, never losing sight of a character who’s as fragile as she is formidable.
-LA Times
[2] The playwright’s identification with Blanche, reflected in her care with words, is all but drowned out. We are not invited to inhabit her hopes and fears but rather her brother-in-law’s animal glee.
This is certainly a way to see “Streetcar”; the world is, if possible, even meaner than Williams imagined. Decay has swallowed lyricism. And Stanley, we now know, has won.
–NYT
“Sibyl” (2019) starring Virginie Efira, Adele Exarchopoulos, Gaspard Ulliel, & Sandra Huller
This French film (made for ONLY 5M euros) from Justine Triet (director/co-writer) and partner, Arthur Harari (co-writer/supporting actor), follows a 30-something psychotherapist, Sibyl (Virginie Efira). She is also wife to Etienne (Paul Hamy) and mom to 2 young kids. Sibyl decides to return to writing (her 1st career), yet still keeps a few patients. Harari plays Dr. Katz (Sibyl’s therapist), as is required in the mental health profession. One night, while dealing w/ writer’s block, Sibyl gets a (frantic) call from 20-ish/up-and-coming actress, Margot (Adèle Exarchopoulos). As Sibyl becomes more… and more wrapped up in Margot’s (turbulent) life, she starts to blur her past from the present… and reality from fiction!
I became curious re: this (genre-defying) film b/c it involved Triet, Harari, and Huller; it was made before they achieved international fame/critical acclaim w/ Anatomy of a Fall (2023). This is the last film released during his lifetime for Gaspard Ulliel (who plays Igor); he died in a ski accident in 2022 at just age 38. I hadn’t seen Efira’s acting before; she hails from Belgian. Efira and Niels Schneider (who plays Gabriel) are a couple IRL w/ one child. Exarchopoulos (then only 26 y.o.) has a French mother and Greek father; she co-starred in several well-known indies. The movie w/in the movie (starring Margot and Igor) was shot on the island of Stromboli (a part of Sicily, Italy).
From the trailer, I was expecting the tone of a dark/thriller; however, there are funny moments! This is free on streaming, so check it out (if in the mood for something unusual). Some viewers wondered: “Who is the patient and who is the therapist?” Gathering from reviews (IMDb; Letterboxd)- ppl are conflicted re: on this movie. Some called it a “hot mess” w/ “hot people”- LOL! Some expected more, yet did enjoy Huller’s performance as a perfectionist/Type A director. As in Anatomy of a Fall, Huller speaks more in English than in French. How cool is it that she can act in 3 languages!?
[1] You have to suspend your disbelief quite a lot and go with the flow. Having a love for making movies and understanding what can go on behind the scenes (it almost feels like someone is doing their own curing by doing the movie – the writer, the director, producers … all of the above and more?)
[2] I can’t recall seeing a film with so many good and great elements: cinematography, acting, a good deal of great dialogue, that was assembled into such a let down of total experience.
[3] The most enjoyable scenes for me were those with Sandra Huller, playing a film director, especially her reactions to the difficulties the actors are creating on her set. Her sensible response to the psychotherapist’s behaviour is long awaited and ultimately very satisfying.
-Excerpts from IMDb reviews
“To Live and Die in LA” (1985) starring William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, & John Pankow
A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode. -Tagline
A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner. -Synopsis
LA-based Secret Service agent, Richard Chance (William Petersen), becomes obsessed w/ finding counterfeiter, Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe), responsible for the killing of his former partner/friend, Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene). Chance loves the thrill of base jumping (similar to bunjee jumping); he is in a (complicated) relationship w/ a beautiful/blonde parolee, Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel). Chance gets a new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow- best known for comedy)- who comes from a family of cops. Masters, a painter-turned-criminal, knows that the Secret Service is after him. Chance takes more… and more risks while conducting the investigation. Masters is NOT hesitant to use violence- even kill!
[1] I consider myself just another member of the crew, the highest paid member of the crew.
[2] If you’re going to make a film or an album of music or a painting, you cannot afford to stop and think what other people will think of it. You’ve got to take into consideration what your editor thinks, if, say, you’re a writer. But I don’t have anyone to answer to. I make a film because I want to. Sometimes they’re successful, sometimes they’re not, but the way I think about my films is always very personal. [2018]
-William Friedkin, filmmaker
The screenplay was written by Gerald Petievich (who worked mainly on police TV shows/movies) and William Friedkin (who also directed). Known as a filmmaker who stays on-budget and on-time, yet goes his own way, Friedkin (who passed away in 2024) grew up in a working-poor family in Chicago. His mother was a nurse; his father worked many different jobs (yet never made enough to support the family). After watching Citizen Kane (1941), he fell in love w/ movies. Friedkin went to work for local (WGN) TV after graduating HS; he started making docs (one of which won the Golden Gate Award at the 1962 San Francisco Film Festival). In 1965, he moved to Hollywood and started directing TV, incl. an ep of the The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962). Hitchcock (famously) chastised him for NOT wearing a tie- LOL!
Richard Chance [to Ruth]: Guess what? Uncle Sam don’t give a shit about your expenses. You want bread, f***k a baker.
This neo noir is called “very 80s”; it was influenced by TV’s Miami Vice. The clothes, music, and production design reflect that time period well. There are several tense stunts/action scenes; one fan commented watching Ronin (where you’ll see how this movie influenced a car chase). The dark tone of To Live and Die in LA is NOT a big surprise when I recall an interview where Friedkin commented policemen in his neighborhood were never friendly. The baddies are just as interesting as the (NOT so heroic) cops!
Here we see (hot/young) Petersen in his 1st film role; he is locked-in to the role (incl. w/ physicality of running, jumping, fighting, and… more). Some viewers/critics wondered: “Was he an athlete?” Yes, Petersen played football growing up, then became interested in acting in college. As Chance interacts w/ Ruth, you see just how much of a cold bastard he can be! Masters seems to have a much better relationship w/ his love interest/avant garde performer, Bianca Torres (Debra Feuer). Fans of (veteran character actor) Dafoe, will get a kick out of seeing how young he looks here. Though he stands at just 5’7″- he dominates (larger) scene partners w/ his intensity/screen presence. You see John Turturro (young) and Dean Stockwell (who passed away in 2021) in small/memorable roles.
[1] “To Live and Die in L.A” is an excellent non-stop action movie, having an excellent pacing and being a politically incorrect police story.
[2] The film works on many levels. Yes, it is about counterfeiting and superficial (re: counterfeit) relationships. It is about greed, survival, justice and morality. It is also about human beings using and laying to waste other human beings.
[3] The good guys are flawed. This isn’t really new, since the mid 1960s there were plenty of flawed heroes in Westerns or police thrillers. The difference is that not only their characters are flawed, they are vulnerable, destructible, they make mistakes. And they pay for their mistakes. Similarly the villains: yes, they are formidable and glamorous… They make mistakes too. And they pay too.
-Excerpts from IMDb reviews
Knightleyemma 