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Post by queenzod on Mar 8, 2020 23:44:09 GMT
Last night I binged Alias Grace on Netflix (2017). It was fascinating, based on a real life double murder in 1843, which was translated into a book by Margaret Atwood (who produced or co-produced), and then into this mini series of 6 episodes.
About a young Protestant Irish girl who came over with her family around 1840 to Toronto and ended up working as a maid in a couple different households before landing in a dodgy situation with an older, single master who was sleeping with the housekeeper, played by Anna Pacquin. The deaths of her family members and friends over the years influenced her greatly, and it all comes together (horribly) at this one farm where she’s working.
After the murders in real life, Grace was arrested and spent 30 years either in the penitentiary or the mental institute until being released in 1873. In the series, she speaks with a young early psychologist type man, who’s trying to figure out if she’s insane or if her sentence might be commuted. No one knows what happened to her after she was released, but the mini series makes up a possible ending.
The themes are very Jane Campion, about lies and perception, the systemized abuse of women, secrets, quilting & needles, class differences, privilege, etc. It was very beautiful in a filmic way, and while it dragged a bit in spots, I was fairly riveted. Some of the accents were a bit difficult to get through and I missed some of the dialogue b/c of that, but it was still fine. I recommend it! It’s still sort of haunting me today, which is always a good thing for a film, imo.
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Post by sgev1977 on Mar 9, 2020 1:19:47 GMT
I watched it when it was released. I think it was very good but slightly conventional. It was directed by two very talented female filmmakers, Sarah Polley (Away for Her) and Mary Harron (American Psycho). I think they two really complemented each other with their respective interests and themes. TBH I didn't think in Jane Campion when I watched it. It could be but there wasn't enough sex or desire! 😉 There were a few very cruel scenes, tho.!
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Post by queenzod on Mar 9, 2020 1:23:54 GMT
Not enough sex & desire lol. True, but plenty of abuse to make up for that. 😬
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Post by mllemass on Mar 9, 2020 1:27:53 GMT
I thought we had talked about Alias Grace before, but I don’t know where that was!
I saw it when it first aired on tv here, and it turned out to be a big disappointment. I was confused by the last episode. I thought it was a terrible way to end the series - even if it was a true story. I hated feeling like I had wasted my time watching it!
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Post by queenzod on Mar 9, 2020 2:58:17 GMT
Aw, I’m sorry you didn’t like it. I thought the last episode made sense, but there were a lot of people confused by it, so you’re in good company, lol. It wasn’t exactly uplifting, that’s for sure!
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Post by sgev1977 on Mar 9, 2020 13:11:21 GMT
Not enough sex & desire lol. True, but plenty of abuse to make up for that. 😬 I was talking about Campion! I link her with erotic stories about women feeling dangerously attracted to bad guys. And when thinking on Polley, I imagine something delicate and poetic meanwhile Haron make me think in violence and cruelty. I think they did a good combination of those two styles.
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Post by queenzod on Jan 23, 2021 18:53:24 GMT
I watched Radium Girls last night on Netflix, which was not a good movie, unfortunately, but the subject matter has always fascinated me. The movie, while based on facts, suffered from poor writing, poor acting, anachronisms, and a disturbing tendency to go for the “woke” approach to corporate greed & malfeasance which jarred, given the time period. They also tied in a communist/socialism “awakening” story line which didn’t quite mesh, but... Terrible stuff that company did. Absolutely appalling. The book is much better.
I’m not sure they know how many of those young women died from radiation poisoning, but I’ve heard it was at least 25 or so, all the while being told they had syphillis, just to damage their reputations b/c the company knew what they were doing was wrong. I had one of those Big Ben clocks growing up, and I always wondered if it was from the Radium Dial factory. It glowed really well. 😬
I also watched a series (6 or 8 short, 30 minute segments) about Fran Lebowitz, by Scorsese which was really fun. She’s quite a character! Very entertaining if you like acerbic NYC opinions/humor.
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Post by sgev1977 on Jan 23, 2021 19:58:01 GMT
I saw the trailer of that Radium Girls movie years ago! I never watched it, tho.!
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Post by roverpup on Feb 3, 2021 13:42:27 GMT
In the past few days Dan and I have seen 3 very entertaining films. All very different films.
The Dig, Emma and Ford vs. Ferrari.
Emma was the one we saw last night. The opening sentence of the NYT review starts out saying it is a film that you feel inclined to "lick" because of its deliciousness in it visuals. And it's true! This is delicious looking in a very Wes Anderson-ish way. The location shooting, costumes and sets are absolutely gorgeous! Kind of makes sense when you consider the director is Autumn de Wilde (making her directorial debut) and she certainly does bring a photographer's flare to the film! But the cast is wonderful as well! And not just the principals (who are perfectly cast). Also those in supporting roles. Bill Nighy is fabulous! Miranda Hart - ditto! You have to have patience for the witty repartee to take hold and Emma's humanity to shine through her arrogance but when it does - wow!
Then in a complete turn onto Ford vs. Ferrari! Not Jane Austen for sure! But still entertaining! Once again I resisted watching this movie because of my built in hatred of car racing. I abhor it thoroughly! But this isn't really about car racing. It's a story of struggling against impossible odds, fighting against a monolithic organization that on the surface is supporting you but in reality is undermining you at every step. It's about 2 mavericks actually had to fight the Ford Motor Company to give them (Ford) what they most desired - a win at the Le Mans race against the cars of Ferrari. Really interesting story and very good character study. And one that has surprisingly a lot of complexity!
And finally we come to The Dig. A "small feel" movie with Ralph Fiennes and Carrie Mulligan (among others) that moves at a glacial pace but exciting in its own way. It's about an important archeological dig on a dying widow's farm in England just before WWII. It ties many themes together and does it subtly without forcing them. It's all muted colours and English rain and mud but it makes you feel like you are out in the fields digging along with the doggedly determined excavators and living with the quiet and sad Mrs. Pretty in her large, dark country house with her cheerful young son. Just a beautiful and deep film about people lives and what fulfills them. Shout out to Lily James who is the polar opposite of her character on Downton Abbey! And of course RF and CM were perfect!
All three films were worth the viewing!
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Post by roverpup on Apr 15, 2021 4:07:46 GMT
We saw The Father tonight. I signed up for TIFF digital movies in preparation for viewing The Courier on Friday and thought I'd give it a test run tonight.
Worked out great and both of us really enjoyed The Father. Well, "enjoyed" isn't quite the correct word for it because it was soooo tense and emotional. "Enjoyed" indicates a sense of joy was the key emotion in the viewing and I couldn't say I got a sense of joy from this movie (although some small parts of it were pretty funny). BUT I did relate TOTALLY to the subject matter, having experienced my own mother's struggles with her dementia. Our whole family lived with the nightmare of her dementia, after our father died suddenly a heart attack, because he kept her true health concerns hidden from view of everyone.
This was a remarkable movie because it took you inside the deterioration of someone's mind who has dementia. At the same time it filtered this story through the perspective of the daughter, who has a very complicated relationship with her Dad, and finds herself trying to find a balance in her own life while doing the "right" thing for her father.
Coleman and Hopkins were powerhouses in the leads. Mark Gatiss had a small but showy role.
Very difficult movie, in some ways, to follow, but when you finally get what's going on everything just clicks in and it is well worth it!
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