Movies: The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse was a perfectly dark and psychologically weird trip for a rainy November evening. At times I wondered if the two characters were meant to be read as individuals or halves of a broken, repetitive single entity.

Black and White throughout holds the starkness, while the screen limit increases the sense of visual depth, as though there is a bit more distance than the camera would ordinarily impart. I loved these choices. Dialogue light in general, the visuals are the story.  But there are moments when Defoe delivers a soliloquy worthy of any King Lear. Simply gorgeous to behold.

Twisty without any answers, the end feels like a perfect note of finality.

Side note: The glasses have made all the difference! I can see movies again, and it was great to be back in the Grandin Theatre. 

Movies: Bohemian Rhapsody

What better way to spend a rainy All Souls' Day afternoon than at the Grandin watching a loving and powerful telling of how a young man in the digs became the Queen of the World. Told with a subtlety of which Mercury himself would approve, we see Freddie create and claim the crown, wear it in glory, cast it away and come into himself at long last. The message of the power of belongingness unfolds with grace and power in equal measure, without force or guile. Rami Malek delivers a Mercury that is as mercurial and vulnerable as ever, as undeniable, proud and presumptuous as we all remember, and all the Freddy in between, all the way up to the beautiful anthemic resolution appearance at Live Aid, when the family's differences and hurts were washed away by the waves of love that Freddy always brought to the crowd, and that they showered back upon him with unconditional abundance. Performance was his religion and his altar, and he let us worship him

What a beautiful story of identity, belonging, friendship, loss and love. Mostly of love.

(If I stream Queens Greatest Hits after watching the movie, will I get all my original tapes back?)

Eighth Grade

Eighth Grade is tender and sweet and spot-on, with just the right blend of awkward and true. There are moments of uncanny contextual commentary on our digital, derivative, self-obsessed culture juxtaposed with the bravery of our real selves.

Elise Fisher is absolute perfection in her presentation of imperfection and all that we crave not to be, and the way she carries herself through the film continues this narrative in the most telling of ways. She pulls at her hair just so, slouches when she walks, frowns when she types smiley faces.

Josh Hamilton is the father we all are, the father we all want, the parent we wish we could not be even as we are, and in so doing, he shows parenting as a pervasive and powerful presence, however imperfect, important in its availability.

This was beautiful and tender and true. 

The Bookshop

Continuing with the foolishness of my world, this week's Sunday movie at the Grandin was The Bookshop, a perfectly charming film adaptation of the book by the same name.

The pacing is spot-on, and Mortimer is brilliant as a widow who decides to open a bookshop in a small eastern town, incurring strong emotions in residents, who respond in ways that surprise everyone, including themselves.

Set in the late 50s, it feels as relevant as ever. Nighy and Clarkson are as good as ever.

A perfect rainy Sunday film when you're feeling off-kilter and courageous. The power of books, of books as friends, and the power of friendship. Never underestimate the power of believing in yourself and others.

Throwback 2016

With Santa at the Grandin.

Lady Bird

Christine "Lady Bird" puts the cross in the crossroads journey of senior year at her private Catholic high school.

Her anger, angst and naivete combine to present a journey of self-in-flux, all while highlighting the truth of how her core relationships define her.

Absolutely wonderful rendition by Ronan, this could have veered horribly off course, but hits just the right notes of sincerity, sarcasm and surprise that make senior year so bittersweet.

Not to be missed.

Loving Vincent

Each of the hand painted frames of this movie is a loving tribute in its own right. The story is endearing, of course, but the visual opulence of this film is the reason it is absolutely not to be missed.

Seeing this movie on the big screen is truly a gift, one that will stay with me long beyond the final credits. The whole project is one which lovingly tells the tale of the father of modern art and helps color our understanding of birth of the style.

Still Alice

The Mind Matters series at the Grandin Theatre showed Still Alice this week. I confess that it was difficult to watch for a bit, and I had to confront how much of my identity is tied up in my intellect (a lot) while I watched it. I also confess that I just naturally don't care for Kristin Stewart, so her character had a big hurdle to overcome for me, but she did an amazing job and was my favorite character by the end. Julianne Moore delivers a brilliantly subtle performance, so nuanced you don't realize the spell she is casting until you are fully enthralled. Very nicely done, and worthy of the conversation it inspires.

Silver Linings Notebook

As part of the Mind Matters series, we went to see Silver Linings Notebook at the Grandin Theatre. It was a first viewing for Harvey and a second viewing for me, and I confess that I loved it even more the second time around. This is a feel good movie about living the life that works for you instead of trying to have a life that doesn't, and how crazy-making it can be when we decide to change ourselves to fit someone else's view of who we should be instead of simply being who we are.

I love the Mind Matters series and I look forward to it every year. I wish it would go on through the school year instead of just for October, but it's definitely a perk of an already favorite month for me.

Blade runner 2049

Just saw Blade runner.

Yes.

Update:
It's visually opulent, a nine-course feast for the eyes, and the music is brilliant, carrying me away on tides of sound to places I have only hoped for, from which I never want to return. Leto, Ford and Gosling are as good as I needed them to be, and at times even better. And yes, her eyes were green.

Only.
It's not dark enough.

Saturday in the park

Saturday movie at the Grandin Theatre in the Village and then a tour through the furniture store where we found a super cool tic tac toe set. We dropped by Linda's used bookstore and then went to a puzzle room put on by the library. 

A good time was had by all.

Let's See A Movie!

Join me for some fun:

The Third Man Sat 1/14 10 AM Location: Main Theatre Rated NR: Not rated. 1949   Runtime: 1:33   Genre: Mystery / Thriller Main Theatre Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime. FREE! Director: Carol Reed Writers: Graham Greene Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli

Television

	If we're going to talk about television, then I need to mention Poldark -- I admit it: I’m hooked. All three seasons are on our amazon account and Ross and Demelza continue to intrigue, delight, frustrate and bewitch me. Masterpiece Theatre has really stepped up its game, and they are putting out productions that rival the BBC. [Yes, I said that with a straight face. Pass the tea, please, milk in first if you don't mind. You're a dear.] Cumberbatch continues his work with the Masterpiece studios, moving to The Hollow Crown after dazzling me in Sherlock. I have added The Hollow Crown to the watch list, along with Mercy Street, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming release of Victoria.
Prime has added roughly a gazillion or so new movies and original series. The Man in the High Castle is a masterpiece, and ten new episodes drop on December 16, so get caught up this fortnight. I haven’t watched Red Oaks yet, but feel free to let me know what you think of it. I'm pretty certain that Man in the High Castle will bump anything on my holiday watching list and will be carrying me into the New Year. Season One left me beyond impressed at how well the amazon studio had adapted a work by one of my favorite darker-than-life authors. I confess that this is one of the few works of Philip K. Dick that I haven't read, so let me know if my love of the series is going to suffer when I foray into the written work.
Our amazon account has access to Showtime, because I’m a junkie for Homeland. I still need to finish season 4 before I can start in on season 5 -- I have almost no time available for television, and what is on these days is better than ever. I remember when I first started thinking that television was actually good, sometime around when Battlestar Galactica got a reboot and HBO launched Damages. Alas, alack, my life has seen more of reading and writing this past couple years, which is all to the good, but leaves my television watching list growing longer each week instead of shorter. This is not a complaint. I never had cable, but more than ever, I don't understand why people continue to subscribe. I suppose there is something to be said for immediate news (I usually listen to the radio if I'm not getting my news online), and the weather station has sky-high ratings for good reason. And, you know, I don't watch sports, unless going to a hockey match counts, so I suppose cable would be important if you needed to watch the football or baseball season. I think real time soccer still means being up at 4 in the morning or something ridiculous, so a streaming delay wouldn't really bug me. But for entertainment, you can't beat the new landscape of studio-developed content, from amazon and Netflix to BBC and PBS. And the network seasons are available through streaming options faster and cheaper and in better quality than ever before.
It really is The Platinum Age of Television. [Yes, I just referenced a book about television while lamenting that I have no time to watch television anymore because I spend so much time reading. Irony? Nope, we don't get that here.] Personally, I’m looking forward to curling up with Carol and The Imitation Game, two movies available on Showtime that I missed when they were at the Grandin this year, and I’m hoping The Affair, Ray Donovan (Liev!!) and Shameless live up to the binge-worthy hype.