8 reseñas
While I was watching 'Thelma', I kept thinking how awful it could have been in lesser hands. Luckily, though, it's in greater hands, with the perfect amount of, and approach to, being emotionally engaging; and humour that's very true to the situation of being around old people, and being old, but never cliched, and is also funny about many other things (shoutout to the bonkers 'Annie' musical scene). Why 'Thelma' wasn't showered with Oscars, I will never know - at the very least, June Squibb and Richard Roundtree should have been shoo-ins. On the other hand, giving a great performance is more important than a stupid Oscar, so that's some comfort. The rest of the cast were also great. Huge congratulations to all involved!
I feel like I only ever write IMDb reviews when I'm fired up about things being insufficiently appreciated, which is as good a reason as any, I guess. Anyway, I only just watched Hope Gap and found it much more complex and affecting than I had expected, to be honest. Annette Bening gives one of her best performances, as a truly complex, fascinating character. I'd assumed she would be a two-dimensional saintly abandoned woman but this was very far from the truth - she is borderline scary as a human but still someone you feel for, very much. Hope Gap is uplifting as much as it is sad, but never in a cliched way. And even though it's about a marriage breakup, it's colourful - not the usual cliche of dreary English surrounds in autumn/winter to match the topic. It looks beautiful.
I have been obsessed with. T. R. Baskin (which is the name I know this movie under) since I saw it as a midday movie when I was a kid. I know it wasn't well reviewed on its release, being one of the occasions when even the great Pauline Kael got it grievously wrong (see also The Accidental Tourist, to name but one other example). Anyway, Candice Bergen is fantastic, going from cool as a cucumber to vulnerable in a completely believable way, plus making a fine fist of the script's many, many zingers. James Caan is also excellent, and Peter Boyle is wonderful - funny and touching, in a memorable performance. This is yet another movie that has subtleties that seem to be beyond even a lot of intelligent people and, in my experience, once seen, it is never forgotten. I would give anything to know what happened to TR - my guess is she either became a valium-addicted housewife because she ended up, in desperation, marrying some idiot; or she became an acclaimed author, whose life got better with every passing decade.
I think this might be my favourite of Nicole Holofcener's films so far, along with Enough Said. First off, You Hurt My Feelings is really, really funny. To name only two examples from a movie that is a pleasure to watch from beginning to end, the scenes between the sublime Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jeannie Berlin are hilarious, as are those with David Cross and Amber Tamblyn playing nightmare couples-therapy patients. And, as is usual with Holofcener's films, it is also touching in a totally non-schmaltzy way. It's a classic example of a film that doesn't get the credit it's due because it's about something 'small', when, in fact, this small issue actually relates to matters that loom very large for everyone, whomever they are, wherever they live and whatever they do for a living.
I admit I had to steel myself to watch Safe Home, and initially did so mainly because I thought it was such a 'worthy' project. However, while saying Safe Home is 'enjoyable' sounds too flippant, this show is definitely not an 'eat your greens' viewing experience. Of course, it deals with a very confronting topic, but does so sensitively, and delivers its message(s) via well-constructed-thriller and engrossing-workplace-drama plots. In short, Safe Home is absolutely gripping, and really well acted and well written. All the cast are great, and Aisha Dee is superb in the lead. Congratulations to all involved!
Script, direction, acting - everything in Emily the Criminal is first rate. It is completely engrossing entertainment while getting its message across - and that is, obviously, the very best way to get a message across. It's one of a quite small amount of films I've seen in my life where I so much wanted a character to be all right that I was at a high level of stress throughout! So, it's involving to a degree it affects your heart rate, but also extremely entertaining - what a rare thing that is. I consider Emily the Criminal easily one of the best films of the century, and I am so hoping there will be more movies from the excellent creative team behind it.
I will just say that after six hours of this egomaniacal nonsense, it is incredibly refreshing to watch 'Pretend It's a City', and hear someone talking at length on Netflix who is intelligent, witty and self-deprecating. These are not words I can imagine using when discussing 'M' and 'H', as they will insist on calling themselves. The show contains many statements I personally find difficult to believe, but special commendation must go to when Meghan claims a humble British staffer on their 'freedom flight' to California knelt, took off his hat and thanked her for her service. Also, for the love of god, can no one ever speak again of the letter about dishwashing liquid she wrote when she was a kid.
Best Sellers has great direction and writing, and the cast are uniformly excellent - I don't think I've ever seen Michael Caine or Aubrey Plaza be better than they are here, and Ellen Wong was excellent (plus, there is an adorable ginger cat, which is a huge bonus!). Best Sellers is a peak example of a particular kind of intelligent, sensitive film that doesn't get the plaudits it deserves - when this happens to such films, I think it's because they are too readily dismissed as being a particular type of movie, when they are actually the furthest thing from being generic. I found Best Sellers extremely moving, and wanted to say a big thank you to everyone involved in its making for this beautiful piece of work, which appears to have been rather overlooked. Happily, though, that is a situation that can always be turned around.