Blonde reviews
Re: Blonde reviews
Intriguingly, my favourite thing from the book was indeed that relationship between the Jr.'s.
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Mister Tee
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Re: Blonde reviews
I watched this about two weeks back, and keep forgetting to write about it.
Andrew Dominik is very much a talented filmmaker; you can see that right from the film's start (the drive toward the LA fire). There are a multitude of visually memorable moments: Marilyn being hustled down hallways to meet JFK is a particularly strong (and brutal) one. On the level of sheer talent, this is impressive work.
And it's not a bad stab at a biopic, either. It follows the familiar facts of Monroe's life, in surprisingly linear fashion (given what I'd heard), and captures some of the flavor of both the studio setting and the (quite different) NY theatre environment. Ana de Armas does quite a credible job of capturing both the icon and the private Norma Jean; she manages to suggest the wildly familiar mannerisms without descending to slavish impersonation.
The problem (you knew there was going to be a problem) is the material is so over-familar, and, worse, as Sabin noted, everyone is so locked into their own opinion about that material, that it's almost impossible for the film to breathe fresh air. (I actually read a review a week or so back that said, because Dominik didn't share the reviewer's exact take on Monroe, everything he did in the film was wrong-headed and misogynist.) I can't say I was crazy about some of the movie's inventions -- the apparently apocryphal friendships with the Chaplin/Robinson offspring, the correspondence with the ostensible father -- and most of the rest (Dimaggio's fury over the Seven Year Itch scene, the descent into drug abuse) was just a story I've heard many times before.
I guess, bottom line, I'm never unhappy to see the work of a talented filmmaker, and I salute the lead performance, but the film just doesn't have enough new about it to truly grab me.
Andrew Dominik is very much a talented filmmaker; you can see that right from the film's start (the drive toward the LA fire). There are a multitude of visually memorable moments: Marilyn being hustled down hallways to meet JFK is a particularly strong (and brutal) one. On the level of sheer talent, this is impressive work.
And it's not a bad stab at a biopic, either. It follows the familiar facts of Monroe's life, in surprisingly linear fashion (given what I'd heard), and captures some of the flavor of both the studio setting and the (quite different) NY theatre environment. Ana de Armas does quite a credible job of capturing both the icon and the private Norma Jean; she manages to suggest the wildly familiar mannerisms without descending to slavish impersonation.
The problem (you knew there was going to be a problem) is the material is so over-familar, and, worse, as Sabin noted, everyone is so locked into their own opinion about that material, that it's almost impossible for the film to breathe fresh air. (I actually read a review a week or so back that said, because Dominik didn't share the reviewer's exact take on Monroe, everything he did in the film was wrong-headed and misogynist.) I can't say I was crazy about some of the movie's inventions -- the apparently apocryphal friendships with the Chaplin/Robinson offspring, the correspondence with the ostensible father -- and most of the rest (Dimaggio's fury over the Seven Year Itch scene, the descent into drug abuse) was just a story I've heard many times before.
I guess, bottom line, I'm never unhappy to see the work of a talented filmmaker, and I salute the lead performance, but the film just doesn't have enough new about it to truly grab me.
Re: Blonde reviews
I just finished the book. Other than an I'm Not There style rumination, I've got no idea how you could adapt it
Re: Blonde reviews
Isn’t Michelle Williams supporting in The Fabelmans?
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Re: Blonde reviews
I think she's in the race for sure. No idea if she ends up in the final five, but at this point I don't see a reason not to put her name down in pencil. Ana de Armas is a big rising star. She's playing a real person. I think the biggest thing working against her is that her film is divisive, sexually graphic, and kinda fringe. But Netflix handled a movie like that before with Vanessa Kirby and Pieces of a Woman. That's something else that I think would help. People are going to watch this film if it's on Netflix.
We know that the Best Actress lineup at this point probably consists of Cate Blanchett (Tar) and Olivia Colman (Empire of Light). There's going to be a push for Michelle Yeoh (EEAAO). We'll find out about Zoe Kazan or Carey Mulligan (She Said), Margot Robbie (Babylon), and Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) soon enough. I don't think Ana de Armas looks out of place in this crowd.
We know that the Best Actress lineup at this point probably consists of Cate Blanchett (Tar) and Olivia Colman (Empire of Light). There's going to be a push for Michelle Yeoh (EEAAO). We'll find out about Zoe Kazan or Carey Mulligan (She Said), Margot Robbie (Babylon), and Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) soon enough. I don't think Ana de Armas looks out of place in this crowd.
"How's the despair?"
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Mister Tee
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Blonde reviews
Seemingly another entry in Movies Audiences Will Hate That Look Fascinating.
deArmas is getting very good reviews, but distaste for the movie (these are relatively favorable reactions; some others LOATHE it) might limit her nomination potential.
Or not. I confess, I don't know what to make of this year's award-aspirant crop.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235214391/
https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/b ... 235362257/
deArmas is getting very good reviews, but distaste for the movie (these are relatively favorable reactions; some others LOATHE it) might limit her nomination potential.
Or not. I confess, I don't know what to make of this year's award-aspirant crop.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235214391/
https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/b ... 235362257/