Movie Review · 200 words
December 1897, Paris. Edmond Rostand is not yet thirty but already two children and a lot of anxieties. He has not written anything for two years. In desperation, he offers the great Constant Coquelin a new play, a heroic comedy, in verse, for the holidays. Only concern: it is not written yet. Ignoring the whims of actresses, the demands of his Corsican producers, the jealousy of his wife, the…
Continue reading →Movie Review · 200 words
A young autistic woman runs away from her caregiver in an attempt to submit her 500-page manuscript to a "Star Trek" writing competition in Hollywood. How do we navigate confusing and unfamiliar spaces? What is it like to know that you're out of place and cannot understand the world around you? These thoughts haunt me. In my nightmares, I am confused because I can't make sense of what's going…
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I first saw cats when I was... 7? 8? Young enough for it to leave an impression on me. I couldn't have told you what was going on, but I was utterly mesmerised. Humans! Pretending to be cats! My parents used it to instil in me a love of West End musicals which persists to this day. A decade-or-so later, I saw one of the last performances on Broadway. By that time, the set was crumbling, the…
Continue reading →Movie Review · 200 words
A modern take on Charles Dickens's classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles. Written and directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the 1850 novel by Charles Dickens. It stars Dev Patel as the title character. This is such a joyous movie. It is a fast, funny, and beautifully shot piece. I've no idea how faithful it is to the original. Frankly, I don't care. A…
Continue reading →Movie Review · 1 comment · 200 words
How to Build a Girl is a 2019 coming-of-age comedy film directed by Coky Giedroyc, from a screenplay by Caitlin Moran and John Niven, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Moran. The film tells the story of Johanna Morrigan, teenager living with her working-class family on a council estate in Wolverhampton, England, who grows up to become a popular but conflicted music journalist. Beanie …
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"A woman is boxed out by the male sports agents in her profession, but gains an unexpected edge over them when she develops the ability to hear men's thoughts. I remember taking a date to see "What Women Want" back in 2000. It was a lousy movie, but I ended up marrying the date - so it wasn't a totally wasted evening. What Men Want is a fairly lazy updating of the "classic" story. What if a…
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