Two more movies and their associated trailers
Day One of vacation and probably most importantly, I slept on my own schedule, which has left me with a feeling of physical euphoria that I’d forgotten I was capable of. (Probably has something to do with the fact that I don’t have any background worry about dad cooking under the surface, either. I thought about texting my brother a pills reminder and then decided that they are all adults over there, too.) Beyond that, I went to the bank, went to the farmer’s market and got some of the late season tomatoes and a watermelon (dad doesn’t care for either), had a very healthy steak and arugula sandwich for lunch (dad doesn’t care for the sort of restaurant that serves arugula), saw The Wife at the movies, and replaced my MacBook Pro power source (which had a literally ripping encounter with dad’s boots and which I’ve had taped with electric tape for the last two weeks or so). Now I am at home, watching a rerun of The Great British Baking Show and thinking about dinner (the end of this, which I made Thursday, warmed up with rice; dad doesn’t really eat curries), a beer (verboten while dad is around) and some writing. I’ve also vowed to declutter one room in our living area per day. So here’s a bit of a warm-up on the writing part.
The Wife
Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce) and his wife, Joan (Glenn Close) journey to Stockholm to accept his Nobel Prize for literature, revealing the at times shocking history of their relationship. This was one of the better films I’ve seen this year and definitely Oscar-worthy. Close is amazing; it’s astounding how much power her silence conveys and how she portrays ever facet of a very conflicted character. Pryce as her husband is also good, although he doesn’t hit Jewish tone of the twentieth-century Jewish novelist very consistently. (Literature mavens will find themselves thinking about Saul Bellow off and on.) Funny jab: Max Irons cast as the Castlemans’ son, a wannabe writer (Irons’ father is Jeremy Irons and like Castleman, Irons didn’t want his son to be a writer). Striking cameo by Elizabeth McGovern. Solid but subtle cinematography and a fantastic script. It’s good I didn’t know ahead of time that this was a book adaptation, as I’m not a fan of Meg Wolitzer. See this if you get a chance. It seems to have entirely missed the 2017 awards season. Unfortunate.
Farmer of the Year
An indie that unfortunately no one will see — I took dad to see this two weeks ago, because I thought he might relate (he thought it was fine, which is the most anyone will get out of him). An elderly farmer in Minnesota (Barry Corbin) passes his farm on to his children and sets out in a Winnebago with his granddaughter to attend his WWII veterans’ reunion in California. See this if you get a chance; it’s a moving reflection both on aging and being young, as well as on communication problems across the generations. It’s rare to see a movie about the Midwest that is this exactly observed with out spiraling into cliché and mocking.
On to the trailers.
The Old Man and the Gun
Robert Redford plays an aging bank robber. Sissy Spacek is in it too. I’d love to see this film except Casey Affleck is in it and I avoid supporting the career development of confessed sexual harassers / assaulters when I can.
A Star is Born
No the first time and no the second time and still no.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web
I’d be interested in seeing Claire Foy do something other than play an English queen, and I swallowed the original Stieg Larsson novels when I read them in German translation (I didn’t read this one, which was written by someone else). However, I haven’t seen any of the film adaptations of the original novels and I will be giving this one a miss as well — in my opinion, the material is too violent for film.
Mary Queen of Scots
Positives: I know John Guy, who wrote the award-winning biography at the basis of the film. Also the film has Brendan Coyle and Margot Robbie. However: Mary and Elizabeth never actually met, so you can more or less guess they threw historical accuracy to the winds, and the trailer makes it looks like it’s going to be all sexual politics in an anachronistic frame. Also: Saoirse Ronan, whom I tend to find uninspiring. This film looks awful, despite a really well-done trailer, but I may not be able to stop myself.
Boy Erased
Still a possible despite Kidman and Crowe, although early reviews are tepid.
Little Women
This is one of the most influential stories in my own life philosophy, how could I miss it? Although I haven’t liked any Little Women film adaptation I’ve ever seen, and the BBC adaptation I saw this year was especially disastrous. And supposedly there’s one coming up with Meryl Streep.
I’m disappointed. I was looking forward to Mary Queen of Scots based on the trailer. But, like so many other films, sounds like the trailer is the best thing about the whole film
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cindy said this on September 16, 2018 at 12:16 am |
I thought that trailer was fantastic tbh. Also I have a lot of respect for John Guy’s work although I haven’t read this particular book. So who knows — but they really never actually met, and that’s going to bug me for sure.
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Servetus said this on September 16, 2018 at 12:19 am |
I’m very glad you’re having a break, and doing what you want. You need to eat summer tomatoes and watermelon from the time they come in, until they pass. They are a great joy of summer. Your Dad not liking them shouldn’t keep you from enjoying them.
Everything I’ve seen about The Wife has sounded very good. It should do well with the Golden Globes, and Oscars.
Enjoy the rest of your alone time.
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janesteinmiller said this on September 16, 2018 at 4:39 am |
yeah — it’s just easiest to cook/make something he will eat, rather than two separate meals. He is losing weight still and has to be nagged to eat. But this week I’ll eat only what I like!
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Servetus said this on September 16, 2018 at 4:43 am |
Just consider having them to slice and eat when the feeling strikes you. 🍅🍉😋
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janesteinmiller said this on September 16, 2018 at 4:56 am |
Yeah. It’s not that easy as dad is very vigilant and wants to know why we are purchasing unnecessary things, i.e., things he doesn’t eat — especially now that he is “trapped” in the house. Given the number of battles I fight on a daily basis about stuff like doing therapy, not driving, not drinking, etc., etc., this is just something that it’s been easier to give on. “Choose your battles” is my maxim for etting through the day.
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Servetus said this on September 16, 2018 at 4:59 am |
You know what’s best. 💕
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janesteinmiller said this on September 16, 2018 at 5:02 am |
That actually may be a great maxim in life some battles are just not worth fighting for. Don’t sweat the small stuff in this case food the bigger battles like the driving and drinking need more energy and focus perhaps…
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Michele Marsh said this on September 16, 2018 at 10:39 am |
it was my mother’s #1 parenting advice.
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Servetus said this on September 17, 2018 at 1:30 am |
Well no doubt she was a very smart woman as are you!!! Keep your head up and stay positive
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Michele Marsh said this on September 17, 2018 at 1:33 am |
Just cold soups made from a variety of vegetables or mixed fruit mixes (smoothie). All with seasonal ingredients, fresh picked or purchased and produced locally. Miam, miam! Bon appétit!
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squirrel.0072 said this on September 16, 2018 at 2:55 pm |
Good for you and indulge yourself ! You’ve definitely earned it and more!!
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Michele Marsh said this on September 16, 2018 at 9:12 pm |
THanks for the clips, my husband liked the Robert Redford (watching over my shoulder lol)and I liked The Wife and Mary Queen of Scots, despite the historical error I can see the point the film’s trying to make.
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yve said this on September 16, 2018 at 9:10 am |
Sad! “The Old Man and the Gun” was on my watching movies’ bucket list too. Like many others, this film seems to be a tribute to his career and to cinema history in general. I should have to “Choose my battles”too. It bugs me that Robert Redford chose to make his last one movie with such a shocking secret past’s actor. But is CA sincere or is he trying to save his career by founding or by taking part playing in independent cinema? It seems like the worst place for me, if the media were having a real go over, go viral about CA. I’m disappointed, I was looking forward to enjoy my last encounter, it seems compromised.
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squirrel.0072 said this on September 16, 2018 at 12:27 pm |
To be honest I don’t think either A brother is all that talented. BA is a personal mess and CA has 2 kids too
Maybe they should both be a little less narcissistic and appreciate what movie roles they get offered and “act” in.
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Michele Marsh said this on September 16, 2018 at 1:12 pm |
🙂 Je subodore ce que tu sous-entends.
For movie lovers or movie phages, I recommend those forgotten films: “This Property is Condemned” 1966, “Daisy Clover” 1965, “Barefoot in the Park” 1967: three old movies which were hard to find. For binge-watching, I bought the DVD of the first one 🙂 🙂 🙂 . I’ll have to do the same thing for the further one, very good reviews but not yet watched: “Ordinary People” 1980,
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squirrel.0072 said this on September 16, 2018 at 2:29 pm |
Ordinary People was a great movie. We saw that in the cinema as a family when it came out. Still resonates w me today. MTM was the excellent as the mother. Great choice!
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Michele Marsh said this on September 16, 2018 at 3:47 pm |
Ordinary People was a stunning film.
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Servetus said this on September 17, 2018 at 1:33 am |
That’s a good way of putting it — watching a film with Casey Affleck makes one feel compromised.
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Servetus said this on September 17, 2018 at 1:32 am |
You are being kind there in my opinion….
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Michele Marsh said this on September 17, 2018 at 1:36 am |
Definitely Google traduction is not my friend (linguee or reverso could be…) I meant: that kind of affects my happiness to watch the movie.The only thing that is over is my chance to feeling genuine while watching it.
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squirrel.0072 said this on September 17, 2018 at 3:03 am |
to feel sorry too late!
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squirrel.0072 said this on September 17, 2018 at 3:07 am |
oh, definitely. It just makes me itchy to see historical films do that so blatantly.
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Servetus said this on September 17, 2018 at 1:31 am |
glad you’re starting to relax! The British Bake Off-is that the UK version? if so is it Mary Berry or Prue?
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Rachel said this on September 16, 2018 at 11:58 am |
Yes, the UK show. This is the series where John Whaite won (somewhat surprisingly). We get them very late in the US. Mary and Paul were the judges.
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Servetus said this on September 17, 2018 at 1:36 am |
Je vous souhaite du bon temps. Profitez en, vous le méritez!
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squirrel.0072 said this on September 16, 2018 at 12:32 pm |
The Wife and this modern take o n Li
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Esther said this on September 17, 2018 at 8:50 am |
Sorry, hit post too soon! The Wife & modern Little Women certainly have my attention…
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Esther said this on September 17, 2018 at 8:52 am |
I wonder if there’s a good way to remake it — the BBC adaptation from earlier this year was slavishly devoted to the text of the original, and so sort of missed a lot of the spirit of the first book; it didn’t translate well, and what usually works so well in BBC pieces (the very accurate interiors, etc.) came across as twee. I’ll be curious to see whether it can be updated as a 21st century story.
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Servetus said this on September 22, 2018 at 9:39 pm |
Me too!
The BBC version didn’t do much for me either. I know I’ve watched it but I struggle to even remember it.
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Esther said this on September 22, 2018 at 9:42 pm |
There’s this point where the BBC adaptation has Jo cursing the fate that made her be a girl. Now, of course, Jo’s struggles with the limitations of girlhood are a major theme of the novel — but to the modern spectator it comes across completely wrong.
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Servetus said this on September 22, 2018 at 9:45 pm |
Gosh, I’d need to re-watch it to even remember it…
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Esther said this on September 22, 2018 at 10:00 pm |
I’m a bit obsessive about “little Women,” lol.
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Servetus said this on September 22, 2018 at 11:02 pm |
I just saw the movie. It removed the two most important elements of the story for me. It’s not getting very good reviews, either, which means even a more conventional audience isn’t seeing it.
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Servetus said this on October 6, 2018 at 8:41 pm |
Hmm, sounds disappointing. 😕
What elements?
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Esther said this on October 7, 2018 at 8:25 pm |
The explicit legitimation and acceptance of Jo as not interested in romance — this is the reason I reread the book a jazillion times as a child
The minimization of the March family’s charitable activities in a way that very much distorts the plot IMO (I don’t want to give you a spoiler, but I am willing to be more exact if you like)
There are several other things that bug me but those were the two most important.
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Servetus said this on October 7, 2018 at 10:09 pm |
The Wife looks like one to go watch. Not sure about a modern Little Women, though. On the food thing, my older son is on a no carbs kick, so we’ve been trying to reduce rice and potatoes in favour of spiralized zucchini and more vegetables, again because it’s too hard to cook two meals. One day I included corn on the cob, but apparently that’s considered poison. I served and ate it anyway and he just didn’t have any of it.
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SueBC said this on September 18, 2018 at 8:47 pm |
There’s frozen riced cauliflower now for those people, LOL. Corn is definitely high carb. But oh so tasty.
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Servetus said this on September 22, 2018 at 9:40 pm |
I love corn on the cob, so once in a while we’ll have it for sure. I haven’t tried the riced cauliflower. Hmm.
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SueBC said this on September 26, 2018 at 7:27 am |
I like it on its own merits — to me it’s no substitute for potatoes, though.
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Servetus said this on October 7, 2018 at 5:27 am |
My dad was a real meat and potatoes guy. My husband’s family was rice. I’ve had to adapt a bit, but there’s nothing like a baked potato with all the fixings or mashed potatoes and gravy.
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SueBC said this on October 8, 2018 at 7:43 pm |
I agree — but we were a potato household and dad still kind of sneers at noodles.
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Servetus said this on October 13, 2018 at 5:16 am |