Jule's
TAKING MYSELF TO THE MOVIES
Rainy, autumn days have arrived and I wake up every day, check the movie schedules at my local theaters and plan my work day around them. The options in this summer – and past summers of late - were depressing because as the plethora of by-the-book super hero movies, predictable sci-fi/action fantasies, sequels or prequels or midquels, and tedious remakes or re-imaginings of classic films took up all the screens, Taking Myself to the Movies became something to avoid. (Deadpool 2 (Wrs: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ryan Reynolds; Dir: David Leitch) and a few stunning documentaries being the exceptions.)
So, September begins the 9-month joy of planning my day around seeing a movie – on the big screen. Sitting in the darkened theater, huge water bottle in my arm rest. I’ve chosen my seat so that I won’t see any other movie-goer in front or to the side of me, and make sure no one is sitting in the row behind me. It’s clear why early shows and matinees and I are my soul-buddies.
This week the rom-com and women’s films caught my eye. Next week I’ll be biting into the action/drama genre.
Juliet, Naked (2018) Rose Brynne and Ethan Hawke
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018: Juliet, Naked (Wrs: Evgenia Peretz, Jim Taylor, Tamara Jenkins, based on a Nick Hornby novel; Dir: Jesse Peretz) Hornby, the novelist, has given us, previously, About a Boy, High Fidelity and Fever Pitch. He draws his flawed male characters with a fine edge, exploring their obsessions, their quirks, their neuroses with kindly glee and gives the viewers reasons why the women in their romantic lives might try like hell to make a relationship with them work. The adaptation is absolutely successful in bringing these characters to life. In Juliet, Naked, the men are hapless, demanding and selfish - and charming as hell. The women are sweet and long-suffering but, underneath their patience, they wonder why they can’t “do better”. Finally, there is the incident that snaps the doldrums and new opportunities (not perfect solutions) appear. The title of the film, Juliet, Naked refers to an album of music, a sequel to dropout musician/songwriter Tucker Crowe’s (Ethan Hawke) seminal album. Crowe has disappeared from life many years ago and Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) is the head of his fan club. Annie (Rose Byrne) is languishing in a relationship with man-child Duncan. As the warm and funny movie story draws these three characters into the same sphere, expectations of fidelity, love, desire for family, self-respect and guilt are examined. There are surprises and touching moments and laugh-out-loud moments. These people feel real – even in the comedic-exaggeration of their traits and foibles. No punches are pulled, the dark and the light of real romance is explored. A tale well told.
Crazy, Rich Asians Henry Golding and Constance Wu
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018: Crazy, Rich Asians (Wrs: Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, based on a Kevin Kwan novel); Dir: Jon M. Chu). Yes, I know, this came out in August, 2018 so it is technically a summer movie. But while the sun is shining in Maine and boating and hiking and swimming and picnicking in the parks a possibility – I put off experiencing the saccharine, predictable, wooden adaptation of Kwan’s enjoyable book. Ah! I hear the backlash! The Boos! The tongue-lashing of fans! Yes, I know many (especially Bachelor and Bachelorette fans?) find mindless escapism a tonic in today’s complicated romance landscape. And, it is good to remind that romantic comedies are often called “fairytales for adults”, and this Cinderella story falls into that tiresome oeuvre. So why the grousing? Well, I was hoping for some creativity. For something “new”. As a screenwriter in Hollywood for decades, I know how hard it is to get “new” before the cameras, but I still long for it. From the first scene, I knew my patience was going to be tested. Rachel (Constance Wu) is a professor of Game Theory and she outwits a pupil in class, telling him that “one must play to win, not play to ‘not lose’” – this telegraphed immediately what an important scene of courage and outwitting in the final moments of the film would turn on. Nick Young (Henry Golding), the incredibly handsome, bland “prince” arrives and whisks Rachel to Singapore to attend his best friend’s wedding and to meet his family. In high-society Singapore, his predictably unwelcoming, cold, reserved mother (Michelle Yeoh), steeped in wealth and privilege, rejects Rachel due to her poor background. Those around her fall into line – and work to make Rachel’s life miserable. The prince, as in many Disneyesque fairytales, has no purchase; he is merely an object of desire. Rachel’s best friend has the expected quirks, there are the requisite fashion-turns-the-maid into a beauty sequence and the city of Singapore looks like a walled-castle of neon, skyscrapers and privilege. The wealth is excessive, but not attractive. As expected, Rachel’s expertise in Game Theory gains her respect at the end and all finishes in a public display of affection – one the tropes of romantic comedies. As I left the theater, I wanted my two hours of wasted time to be refunded. (The budget is estimated at $30 million, the first month’s box office receipts show more than $170 million. Obviously, the movie appeals to many – and I do admit that Singapore is now on my list of must-see visits.)