Love the new stars! Much easier to see, well done.
Appreciate the insight on Andrew Dominik - his opinion of his subject is something I'd like to keep in mind when considering his future work. Maybe you can slip in a little reminder if you review something of his later, like "Dominik, the man behind that Marilyn Monroe movie 'Blonde'..." I'm usually a believer in separating the artist from his art, but in this case they sound like one and the same.
Ty, Thanks for the heads up! “Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall”.
We subscribe to Netflix for the winter months, and this will be high on my list. John Forgerty is a great American song writer, rock, folk, country artist and rock-a-billy supreme. And Creedance Clearwater’s swamp music and iconic 🎶sound of the late 60s.
That Sight & Sound article is really something. I’ve only read bits of it so far, but already I not only don’t watch Blonde, I am suddenly uninterested in anything else Domink has made (or might make). I don’t think great directors necessarily need to be sympathetic or invested in their human subjects, but he doesn’t even seem curious. And to me that seems a fatal flaw.
You and my two other favorite reviewers don't like "Blonde," so I suspect I won't either. But I wonder if the fault is entirely Dominik's. He used Joyce Carol Oates's novel as his source material, and she said in an interview in the Independent, “I think Andrew’s vision is parallel with my own, or identical to my own. But he also made a movie that’s unique.” A number of Oate's novels are marred by a lack of nuance, and I wonder if the original sin lies in the source material.
Thanks for the further info on Andrew Dominik's "idea" of Marilyn Monroe, if it can even be called that. I was really appalled by the film. I haven't read Oates's novel, but his handling of the material just feels like another violation of Monroe and her legacy. She deserves a more sensitive handling, both in terms of the script and the direction. I mean, what is the point of those vaginal shots during the abortions/miscarriages? The whole movie just felt dirty and ugly, with brief moments of human pleasure. It's the ultimate "male gaze" film, perhaps intentionally so. But even if intentional, that doesn't mean she deserves a degrading film about her tragic life. I could go on, too, about how Dominik seems to treat de Armas as a piece of meat as well, with so many bits of unnecessary nudity.
Thank you so much for your appreciation of Creedence: “ . . . the boys just get up there and play the hits, with maximum electricity and little to no frills.” Perfect. I bought their first album when it came out and was blown away - O that Susie Q. Saw them perform at Fillmore East way back when. And thanks for sharing Ellen Willis’s wonderful take on Fogerty’s “solid, sustaining” presence, though Jagger and the Stones will still always get my 75 year old bones moving.
I love the new improved stars! Thank you.
Love the new stars! Much easier to see, well done.
Appreciate the insight on Andrew Dominik - his opinion of his subject is something I'd like to keep in mind when considering his future work. Maybe you can slip in a little reminder if you review something of his later, like "Dominik, the man behind that Marilyn Monroe movie 'Blonde'..." I'm usually a believer in separating the artist from his art, but in this case they sound like one and the same.
Ty, Thanks for the heads up! “Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall”.
We subscribe to Netflix for the winter months, and this will be high on my list. John Forgerty is a great American song writer, rock, folk, country artist and rock-a-billy supreme. And Creedance Clearwater’s swamp music and iconic 🎶sound of the late 60s.
That Sight & Sound article is really something. I’ve only read bits of it so far, but already I not only don’t watch Blonde, I am suddenly uninterested in anything else Domink has made (or might make). I don’t think great directors necessarily need to be sympathetic or invested in their human subjects, but he doesn’t even seem curious. And to me that seems a fatal flaw.
You and my two other favorite reviewers don't like "Blonde," so I suspect I won't either. But I wonder if the fault is entirely Dominik's. He used Joyce Carol Oates's novel as his source material, and she said in an interview in the Independent, “I think Andrew’s vision is parallel with my own, or identical to my own. But he also made a movie that’s unique.” A number of Oate's novels are marred by a lack of nuance, and I wonder if the original sin lies in the source material.
Thanks for the further info on Andrew Dominik's "idea" of Marilyn Monroe, if it can even be called that. I was really appalled by the film. I haven't read Oates's novel, but his handling of the material just feels like another violation of Monroe and her legacy. She deserves a more sensitive handling, both in terms of the script and the direction. I mean, what is the point of those vaginal shots during the abortions/miscarriages? The whole movie just felt dirty and ugly, with brief moments of human pleasure. It's the ultimate "male gaze" film, perhaps intentionally so. But even if intentional, that doesn't mean she deserves a degrading film about her tragic life. I could go on, too, about how Dominik seems to treat de Armas as a piece of meat as well, with so many bits of unnecessary nudity.
I stayed out of the Stars fray but apparently you arrived at a happy conclusion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
I believed for a while that Billy Eichner has some not quite definable star quality as well - so I cannot wait to see Bros. Cheers Ty.
Thank you so much for your appreciation of Creedence: “ . . . the boys just get up there and play the hits, with maximum electricity and little to no frills.” Perfect. I bought their first album when it came out and was blown away - O that Susie Q. Saw them perform at Fillmore East way back when. And thanks for sharing Ellen Willis’s wonderful take on Fogerty’s “solid, sustaining” presence, though Jagger and the Stones will still always get my 75 year old bones moving.
We loved Catherine Called Birdy. Thank you
I like it better without the "Nut Graf" - it's just the phrase, everything about it!