Ghost Light Monday--Julie & Julia at the Multiplex

How could I not talk about the uber-blog and the movie which it spawned? I did encounter Julie Powell's blog before the book was published, but after she had completed her 365 journey. Safe to say that Ms. Powell is the woman who launched a thousand blogs--including this one.

Well, the film incarnation of Julie & Julia is delightful. Some have criticized the inclusion of Ms. Powell's story in this film. They believe that Julia Child is worthy of her own film, and while I agree with that comment, I think the Powell parts of the story help put Mrs. Child's accomplishments into perspective, which we wouldn't get just from the 50s portion of the tale. We also get some information about the Childs that it would be ackward to reveal in their section of the film.

Meryl Streep captures all the joie de vivre and determination that is Julia Child, along with her vocal and physical mannerisms. We only see a bit of the saucy (pun intended) Julia, apparently she was not adverse to four-letter words and strong sexual innuendo, as I learned when I read both My Life in France and another biography called Appetite for Life.

Ghost light Monday--Doubt film at the multiplex

Keeping with the nun theme from my last entry...

Woe to me that I did not see the touring production of Doubt when it came to Chicago a couple of years ago with Cherry Jones in the lead. The power of this script and the charisma of Ms. Jones apparently made for a compelling combination. And now having seen the film version of it, I can understand why. Watching the film I kept trying to imagine the stage performances. Bad on me for not focusing on the stellar performances at hand.

Does anyone else feel that Meryl Streep's performances have become all about the accent? I don't begrudge any actor for using some aspect to get into the character they are charged with playing, but I would like to see a powerful performance by Ms. Streep that doesn't involve some kind of drawl, or twang, or yap or other. I think this prevented me from completely enjoying her performance. I kept waiting for the crack in the armour of Sister Aloysius. I had to wait until the final moment of the film. If Sister Aloysius is supposed to mirror the tension built over the course of the story, then it didn't build that strongly for me. Although the release at the end did bring tears to my eyes.

The other two primary performances in the film are good, but perhaps not as nuanced as I might have expected. Philip Seymour Hoffman is very relaxed and "natural" as Father Flynn which sits well in this part. Flynn represents a new "kinder" clergy in the Catholic Church, as opposed to Streep's Aloysius who is straight out of Vatican I. Amy Adams is appropriately mealy in the role "caught in the middle". The locations of church, school, rectory, and nunnery (that's not the right word, help me here....) are all lovely and slightly tarnished if not actually dilapidated.


Doubt
by John Patrick Shanley
opened on Broadway in 2005
Film directed by Shanley opened in 2008
Cast: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis

Mamma Mia! first-run film at the multiplex

It's the mother of all juke-box musicals, and while I hadn't seen Mamma Mia! on stage I was looking forward to the film for what I thought would be an infectious, silly time accompanied by ABBA music.

I was more than a bit disappointed.

The women in the cast hold up there end of the bargain much better than the men. Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried are good as mother and daughter. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters give exactly what's needed as the goofy friends of the bride's mother.

Colin Firth holds his own as befuddled potential father number 1. Stellan Skarsgard is alright as number 2. Pierce Bronsan looks great as number 3, but really should never have opened his mouth--especially to sing.

My main disappointment is in the music. I love ABBA music, but it doesn't work as something character-driven, or plot-moving, or with chorus. Perhaps my disappointment was augmented by seeing Hairspray so close to Mama Mia--Hairspray is much better and even manages to provide some character growth and address some societal issues.

Mama Mia!
Music by Benny Andersson and ABBA
Lyrics by the same
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper