gwendolyngrace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gwendolyngrace) wrote2008-09-13 10:06 pm
gwendolyngrace) wrote2008-09-13 10:06 pm
Movies, creepy crawlies, and more
Okay, so first, there's something small and *very* fast crawling around my living room floor. The first time we saw it it was running across the wood floor and went under the recliner. Then a little bit later I spotted it across the rug by a binder on the floor. At least, I hope it was the same one. I'd hate to think there are more than one. It looked blacker than a silverfish, maybe a roach or beetle of some kind? It moves really fast. Ycch.
Next up, The Women opened yesterday and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
etakyma and I went to a matinee today.
So can I just say, there's a reason I hardly ever go to films in the theatre anymore? MAN, THE COMMERCIALS. And OMG, $7.75 just for a matinee? I remember when $5.00 was FULL PRICE.
However, that said, they did a GREAT job with this film. They kept almost all the best parts of the original play, borrowed a few things from the '39 film version, and for the rest, they updated it beautifully. There was no need to code Alex, and Jada Pinkett Smith did a fabulous job with the character. Who knew she was so good at physical comedy? Not just slapstick, either.
They did a really nice job of casting. Carrie Fisher and Bette Midler both did an awesome job in their small but pivotal roles. Relocating the "Reno" section to a yoga retreat, and cutting out a lot of the silliness with the actress chick, was an inspired way to get around the complications of the play's second act, and the need for Mary to go to Reno to await divorce. The updated "Molly" instead of "little Mary" was sensitive and much more believable and relevant than the original text (which was probably relevant, but even a little cheesy back then). Candace Bergen and Cloris Leachman rocked, and Debra Messing was HIGH-larious.
The movie was also produced in cooperation with Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, and at the end of the credits each of the four central actors - Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, and Jada Pinkett Smith - talk about what they consider to be "real beauty." The whole screenplay is written with an awareness of the mixed messages that women receive in our society: strength vs. femininity, cosmetic beauty vs. internal happiness, sisterhood vs. career demands, and so on. And they did an awesome job of reflecting the catch-22 women find themselves in, as well as the value of knowing one's self and knowing how to get what you want, without betraying the people who will stand by you while you get there.
So, really good.
ETA: Silverfish. HUGE one. Dead now.
Next up, The Women opened yesterday and
etakyma and I went to a matinee today. So can I just say, there's a reason I hardly ever go to films in the theatre anymore? MAN, THE COMMERCIALS. And OMG, $7.75 just for a matinee? I remember when $5.00 was FULL PRICE.
However, that said, they did a GREAT job with this film. They kept almost all the best parts of the original play, borrowed a few things from the '39 film version, and for the rest, they updated it beautifully. There was no need to code Alex, and Jada Pinkett Smith did a fabulous job with the character. Who knew she was so good at physical comedy? Not just slapstick, either.
They did a really nice job of casting. Carrie Fisher and Bette Midler both did an awesome job in their small but pivotal roles. Relocating the "Reno" section to a yoga retreat, and cutting out a lot of the silliness with the actress chick, was an inspired way to get around the complications of the play's second act, and the need for Mary to go to Reno to await divorce. The updated "Molly" instead of "little Mary" was sensitive and much more believable and relevant than the original text (which was probably relevant, but even a little cheesy back then). Candace Bergen and Cloris Leachman rocked, and Debra Messing was HIGH-larious.
The movie was also produced in cooperation with Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, and at the end of the credits each of the four central actors - Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, and Jada Pinkett Smith - talk about what they consider to be "real beauty." The whole screenplay is written with an awareness of the mixed messages that women receive in our society: strength vs. femininity, cosmetic beauty vs. internal happiness, sisterhood vs. career demands, and so on. And they did an awesome job of reflecting the catch-22 women find themselves in, as well as the value of knowing one's self and knowing how to get what you want, without betraying the people who will stand by you while you get there.
So, really good.
ETA: Silverfish. HUGE one. Dead now.