Tag: Books

“Gunshy” (1998) starring William Petersen, Michael Wincott, & Diane Lane

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Jake Bridges: [narrating] I always wanted to be close to dangerous guys. Even wanted to be a dangerous guy. Truth is, didn’t know what I wanted.

After losing his job at a NYC magazine and finding his gf in bed w/ a younger man, a depressed writer named Jake Bridges (William Petersen) goes on a drinking spree in Atlantic City, NJ. At a seedy-looking bar, Jake gets argumentative w/ a tough/beefy patron (played by singer Meat Loaf). The fight turns violent fast and continues out on the street. Suddenly, a stranger comes to Jake’s rescue! This man is an enforcer named Frankie (Michael Wincott); he takes Jake to his house. Luckily for Jake, Frankie’s gf Melissa (Diane Lane) is a nurse. Frankie wants to become book-smart; in return, he’ll teach Jake how to be street-smart. Jake even gets a bit of a makeover (w/ a tailored suit). Soon, Jake feels himself drawn into Frankie’s (criminal) world and falls in love w/ Melissa. Jake also gets inspo to write- again!

Frankie: A man once told me that the only thing you really own is a piece of ground the size of your shoes.

Perhaps you are fans of the 3 leads, who were NOT then big stars at that time. Petersen (best known as the lead on the CBS drama CSI) had appeared in 2 big films- To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) and Manhunter (1986). Those of you (near my age) may know him from Young Guns II or as Reese Witherspoon’s dad in the teen drama/thriller Fear (1996). Lane was having a lull in her career (which I don’t understand); I think she does a good job w/ what she is given here. She’d soon receive critical acclaim for roles in A Walk on the Moon (1999) and Unfaithful (2002). A character actor (playing tough guys/villains), Wincott had a key supporting role in Jordan Peele’s latest movie- Nope (2022). Wincott plays a cinematographer obsessed w/ getting the perfect shot.

Melissa: What can I tell you about men? They want you to be their daughter, their mother, their addiction. They want you to want them, and then they don’t want you anymore.

This is for those of y’all who want to dive deep into the film noir genre. You can see this low-budget indie for free (Crackle or Plex). The video was pausing for me on those apps, so I rented it (Amazon). There are tropes found in noirs of the ’40s and ’50s, BUT w/ ’90s attitudes and modern language. The locations/sets are (usually) bleak and darkly lit. Some of the dialogue is predictable, BUT some of it still comes off as fresh. From what I read/heard, viewers esp. liked the scenes btwn. Petersen and Wincott (where they read/discuss the classic book- Moby Dick). We see that Frankie possesses some good qualities that Jake lacks. The movie blurs the distinction btwn hero and villain. There is also a plot twist after the hour mark.

[1] Well acted and with solid dialogue, the film has a few cliched moments, but they are ultimately forgivable in the end.

[2] The plot, too seems somewhat contrived in bringing together Petersen and Wincott as friends, but somehow the whole is better than the sum of it’s parts. Once Wincott enters, it is an engaging though flawed piece with good action sequences. With more care in the scripting, this could have been a really good film but as it is, well worth a watch.

[3] The film may seem dated at the beginning, but follow the story and you’ll be surprised, and pleased. The editing is clearly 1998; if it were shot and edited today, it would probably be smoother, and a bit more coherent. There are pieces of the soundtrack that are very pleasing, but mostly too 90’s in style. The movie probably would be a terrific re-make…

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Wings of the Dove” (1997) starring Helena Bonham-Carter, Linus Roache, & Alison Elliott

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A young woman, Kate Croy (Helena Bonham Carter), is offered the opportunity to return to a life of wealth in London society her mother gave up. Her aunt, Maude (Charlotte Rampling), has some conditions; Kate MUST sever ties w/ her father (Michael Gambon) and the journalist she has been seeing, Merton Densher (Linus Roache). Kate reluctantly agrees; she then becomes friendly w/ Milly Theale (Alison Elliott), a young/single American heiress making the Grand Tour. Merton crashes a party that Kate and Milly are attending, and Milly becomes interested in him. When Kate learns that Milly is seriously ill, she comes up w/ a plan to have her cake and eat it too, BUT things don’t go as planned! The original Milly was a tribute to Henry James’ niece, Minny, who died of tuberculosis (TB).

Kate: She liked you.

Merton: That’s because she doesn’t know me.

Kate: You’re not nearly as bad as you’d like to be.

This film (which I re-watched after many yrs.) is based on a novel by James; he and his circle of writer friends were more concerned w/ character development than plot. Though James was born and raised in a wealthy family in America, he found himself in his travels, then settled in England to be a writer. This is a period/costume drama where the main characters aren’t cliched; they think/act NOT unlike modern people. Kate wants to be charge of her social/romantic life; she resents having to spend time w/ Lord Mark (Alex Jennings, recently seen in The Crown). Bonham-Carter played Princess Margaret in The Crown (Netflix); I haven’t yet gotten to her season. Merton is outspoken and reveals the ills of society in his articles; I wanted to know more re: his work. Roache (whose parents were actors) was part of the ensemble cast of Law & Order (NBC). Elizabeth McGovern (best known for Downton Abbey) plays Susan, Milly’s kindly companion; the American actress settled in England after marriage. One of the young journos in the pub scene is Ben Miles (also seen in The Crown).

Merton: I don’t believe in any of the things I write about. I fake passion. I fake conviction.

Milly: I think everything’s going to happen for you, Merton, sooner than you think.

The British director, Iain Softley, was rather young; he brings a fresh perspective. The cinematographer, Eduardo Serra, hails from Portugal; he went on to work on Girl with a Peal Earring, Unbreakable, and Blood Diamond. The music was composed by Edward Shearmur (a Brit); this is a crucial component and never goes over-the-top. The screenplay is terrific; it was written by Hossein Amini (a Brit of Iranian heritage). There is an intense chemistry btwn Bonham-Carter and Roache; you see their (often sad/troubled) reactions in their eyes. Elliott (a former model) does a good job for a relative newcomer; she brings in lightness/innocence to the trio.

Merton: My heart is sore pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove for then I would fly away and be at rest.”

The story was moved up from 1902 to 1910, in part at the suggestion of the costume designer, Sandy Powell. Fashion evolved much btwn those 8 yrs; Powell felt that the 1910 silhouette would help set this movie apart from those made by Merchant-Ivory Productions. Bonham-Carter’s 1st feature film was A Room with a View (1985) by Merchant-Ivory. Powell earned her an Oscar nom for Best Costume Design, but lost to Titanic. You can watch this movie on Pluto TV (free)!

We went into that with our eyes open. We had no qualms. We felt it was essential in indicating the sort of scene it was, and making it relevant and familiar in the most stark way possible. -Iain Softley, on the added love scene (NOT in the novel) at end of film

[1] Hossein Amini received an Oscar nomination for the film’s script, and it is not hard to see why. It is a literate, deliciously dark and beautifully nuanced script that is never devoid of emotion, and adapts very difficult source material remarkably cleverly and with utmost coherence.

[2] Helena Bonham-Carter, in the pinnacle of her career, embodies the fierce intelligence and ruthless determination of Kate Croy, a woman born in a wrong era, whose effort to hold on to both love and wealth tragically backfires. Linus Roache, playing Kate’s secret love, brings tortured Merton Densher (where does James come up with these names?) vividly to life. He has the sort of intense good looks and physical presence required for this role in spades; and his dramatic ability shines though, especially in his last scene with Millie…

[3] One character says of Kate, “There’s something going on behind those beautiful lashes,” and that can usually be said of the characters Bonham-Carter plays… Here, she’s completely engaged, and she pulls off the difficult trick of never losing our sympathies even when her character does something despicable.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

Spoiler-Free Review: “Normal People” (2020) starring Daisy Edgar-Jones & Paul Mescal

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The series follows Marianne and Connell, from different backgrounds, but the same small town in Ireland, as they weave in and out of each other’s romantic lives. -Synopsis

Marianne (British actress Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Irish actor Paul Mescal) are classmates at a secondary school (high school) in County Sligo on Ireland’s Southern coast. Among her peers at HS, Marianne is regarded as an oddball/loner; she has an abrasive personality and says she cares nothing for social standing. Despite her academic achievements, her family life is unhappy b/c of her dismissive/solicitor (lawyer) mother, Denise, and resentful/older bro, Alan. Marianne’s father is deceased. Connell is a high-achiever also, but popular w/ athletic skills/laid-back attitude. (FYI: The sport they play at school is Gaelic football, a combo of rugby and soccer.) He lives in a humble (yet happy) home w/ his single mother, Lorraine, who works for Denise as a cleaner of their (fancy/spacious) house. There is no father in the picture; it’s obvious that Lorraine had Connell when she was a teen. The focus is Marianne and Connell’s romantic relationship over their last year of HS through college (undergraduate) years.

Normal People is based on the bestselling book by a millennial/Irish author, Sally Rooney, who co-wrote the first 6 eps (out of 12 total eps at less than 30 mins each). The show became hugely popular worldwide (esp. w/ young adults) when it was released in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch it now on Hulu. I saw it a few weeks ago, after some of my Twitter gal pals praised it; I’ve been skeptical of shows re: teens/college kids in the past. Wow, was I (pleasantly) surprised; the writing and acting are terrific! Silence is also used effectively at key moments. As I’ve written before, there is nothing like a love story, BUT only when it is done well (NOT cliched or simplistic). I kept thinking- why can’t we (Americans) have smart/sensitive entertainment like this w/ teens/young ppl!?

I hadn’t seen the lead actors before; they had great chemistry together. Mescal (now garnering acclaim for the indie movie Aftersun) will play the lead in the sequel to Gladiator; director Ridley Scott will be filming it after he wraps up Napolean. Connell is (traditionally) masculine, yet also has a sensitive/vulnerable side. Edgar-Jones was the lead in Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), based on a bestselling novel by Delia Owens. Marianne can be tough, mysterious (as in hard to know), yet also quite vulnerable. Check this show out ASAP- you won’t regret it!

[1] Brilliant, heartbreaking viewing experience. Give yourself over to this wonderful story and be ready for a genuine rollercoaster. 

[2] What I liked is that I felt both Marianne and Connell were well-rounded characters that didn’t fall into stereotypes. […]
That it pierced the heart of this wretched old soul speaks volumes to the quality of the series.

[3] These young new faces are truly engaging and they are beautiful to boot. As characters, there are emotions beneath that are really worthwhile to explore. They become more and more fully formed people and that’s the brilliance of this limited series. These are great characters performed by compelling new faces.

[4] It felt almost like reading a book where you envision the characters so vividly, you can almost touch them. The chemistry the two leads have, their acting, the cinematography, are all so well blended together, so seamless, it’s palpable. A melancholy trip worth taking, if only to remind the ones past teenage years how vulnerable and all-engulfing a young love is.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Lady Macbeth” (2016) starring Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Paul Hilton, & Naomi Ackie

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Rural England, 1865. Katherine is stifled by her loveless marriage to a bitter man twice her age, whose family are cold and unforgiving. When she embarks on a passionate affair with a young worker on her husband’s estate, a force is unleashed inside her, so powerful that she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. -Synopsis

In the north of England, a young woman named Katherine (Florence Pugh) is sold into marriage (along w/ some land) to a middle-aged man, Alexander Lester (Paul Hilton- a character/theater actor). Sadly, there is no love or even common kindness involved here; this marriage was arranged by Boris Lester (Christopher Fairbank), Alexander’s domineering father. Katherine is prevented from leaving the house. Boris scolds her for not giving Alexander a son, but her husband doesn’t even touch her! One day, both men have to leave the estate for separate business matters, leaving Katherine alone with the housemaid, Anna (Naomi Ackie- also in an early role). Finally, Katherine is free to explore the area to alleviate her boredom!

This indie film (streaming on MUBI) is based on the Russian book Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov. I learned that iFeatures is a collab btwn the BBC and the BFI; every year, they produce 3 feature films for £350,000 as a stepping stone for 1st time directors. Lady Macbeth (directed by William Oldroyd) was chosen out of over 300 applicants- wow! It was filmed over 24 days on location at Lambton Castle, County Durham and Northumberland, UK. Shaheen Baig was the casting director on Florence Pugh’s 1st film, The Falling (2014); when the script came her way, she suggested Pugh (then just 19 y.o) to Oldroyd.

I loved the fact she was naked all the time. At that point in my life, I had been made to feel sh*t about what I looked like and that film was perfect. There was no room for me to feel insecure. -Florence Pugh, in an interview (ES Magazine)

This is a V dark tale; the first 35 mins. are quite slow and NOT much happens (w/ little dialogue); the next 45 mins. is an unbridled (and often) violent trip! There is almost no music to be heard. The setting is oppressive, the tone is foreboding, and there are bursts of violence (which will be quite jarring esp. to sensitive viewers). Unlike most period dramas you may be familiar w/, this film uses colorblind casting. Ackie is a Black woman from the UK w/ Caribbean roots, Cosmo Jarvis (Sebastian- the horse groomer) is of British/Armenian heritage from the US, and Golda Rosheuvel (most recently Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton) is a British biracial woman. The acting is quite effective, esp. from Pugh (mature beyond her years); I wanted to see more of Ackie’s character (as she does a fine job also). Ackie (only early 30s) went on to work on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. She plays the lead in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

[1] The film seems to be a pre-feminism manifesto for women’s rights. […]

The interesting thing is how Katherine evolves from victim to culprit. She seems to have learned from her husband how to use and misuse power. The lack of social conscience of which she at first is a victim, becomes a driving force for her own behaviour.

[2] Lady Macbeth features a mesmerising and beguiling performance from Florence Pugh. It is far away from these slushy chocolate box romantic period dramas. Katherine is steel edged and deadly.

[3] Several archetypal themes arise in this somber, artfully-photographed drama. For instance, one that emphasizes the wages of sin is prominent; another about the subjugated rising against the oppressor; and another about the danger of socially imprisoning smart women in a paternalistic society. A leitmotif also surfaces about the dangers of debilitating class distinctions, which are never a good thing in the long haul.

Ari Wegner’s cinematography is portrait-like if considering only the recurring shot of Katherine sitting on her Victorian couch in a consuming dress that seems to deteriorate with each similar shot. Underneath the dress is the corset, so long a symbol of the era’s tight hold on women.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Persuasion” (2022) starring Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, & Henry Golding

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Anne Elliot [lamenting her status w/ Frederick]: Now we’re worse than strangers, we’re exes.

To put it succinctly: this movie (streaming on Netflix) is a hot mess! Y’all MUST have seen/heard some of the horrible to “meh” reviews, as it has been out since July 15. I’m NOT going to recount the plot here, as I’m sure MOST of my regular readers know it. To start, this movie (which often breaks the 4th wall) is confused; it doesn’t know which audience it wants to aim at- Gen Z or Millennials (particularly “wine moms”). It’s certainly NOT geared toward mature/long-time Jane Austen fans (AKA Austenites)! One young woman in a JA Facebook group asked: “Was Anne Elliot supposed to be an alcoholic in the book?” LOL! It would be funny, IF it wasn’t so sad (or disappointing).

Mrs. Clay [commenting re: beauty standards]: They say if you’re a 5 in London, you’re a 10 in Bath.

Even before the movie was out, MANY viewers/critics were appalled by the trailer. I decided to be chill and give it a chance- ugh, curse my (slightly) optimistic personality! While watching, I don’t think I found it funny, emotional, or even slightly interesting. OK, the scenery was nice- that’s about it! There more telling instead of showing, which is a no-no (as reviewers involved in filmmaking commented). There are zero funny moments (IMO), unless you find cringe-y lines humorous. Anyways, this tale is NOT supposed to be light-hearted.

The filmmakers here have characterized Anne all wrong; she’s a mix of Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice) and Emma Woodhouse (Emma). No longer is Anne introverted, observant, and self-sacrificing, she blabs her opinions, jokes around (incl. w/ men who are strangers), and drinks (red wine) often! This is the main problem book fans had, I’ve noticed. Dakota Johnson is probably NOT a bad actress (I haven’t yet seen much of her work), BUT she is wrong for this role. As some astute viewers commented: “She has a face that has definitely seen a cell phone.” Even some of the costumes are confusing; one glaring example a costume designer pointed out was Anne wearing black/fishnet gloves in the concert scene.

Sir Walter Elliot: What use is a title if you have to earn it? What use is anything if you have to earn it?

What about the supporting cast? They don’t fare much better than Johnson, sad to say. There is TOO much talking going on btwn Anne and Capt. Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis); notice all the chatting on the beach at Lyme. Jarvis (haven’t seen his work either) looks uneasy in his costumes and his face often has the same (pained) expression. His line delivery sounds awkward, BUT then so was much of his dialogue. As Anne’s father, Sir Walter Elliot (Richard E. Grant- a veteran character actor), provides a BIT of humor. Anne’s scheming cousin, Mr. Elliot (Henry Golding), is also a ray of light- though he doesn’t have much to do. The Crofts get V little to do also; that’s disappointing since they are such a LT/compatible couple. The MOST cringe-y moment (IMO) involves Anne and her older/widowed neighbor, Lady Russell (Nikki-Amuka Bird), as they have a picnic outdoors. Anne asks Lady Russell: “But do you ever miss company?” (meaning the company of men- or sex)! Oy vey…

Unlike most JA adaptations you MAY have seen in the past, this movie has “color conscious casting.” “Color-blind casting” is the practice of casting actors w/o considering factors such as ethnicity, skin color, body shape, sex, or gender. However, color-conscious casting is the practice of casting actors where these features are considered. Anne’s younger sis, Mary Musgrove (Mia McKenna-Bruce), has a husband (Charles) who is played by a Black actor; their (adorable) young sons are thus biracial. Charles’ younger sisters are played by 2 biracial actresses: Nia Towle (Louisa) and Izuka Hoyle (Henrietta). Though Louisa was trying to get Anne and Wentworth together for a time (all wrong from the book), I thought Towle was a fine actress (as did many other viewers). You can see this version and judge for yourself, BUT I recommend the 1995 movie (starring Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root) or the 2007 miniseries (starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones) instead!