Friday, January 25, 2008
Nancy Drew
I watched the Maggie Lawson Nancy Drew movie the other night. Written by Amy Mann, daughter of Michael Mann of smart and fabulously popular tv fame ("Miami Vice"), it was not even remotely as bad as some reviews led me to expect. Lawson's Nancy has vigor and charm in spades, and the mystery itself was certainly passably interesting, and that's really what she's all about. I loved the camera showing us her desk top piles of favorite books and photos - they were wonderful (Sherlock Holmes, Dorothy Sayers, her parents, and others), identifying the person those of us who love her know well. Now that I think of it, perhaps for a dyed-in-the-wool Drew fan, any telling of one of her stories is just fine. Which brings to mind that t2cgitw still have The Secret in the Old Clock ahead of them . . . lucky girls!!!

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 1:37 AM

Sunday, December 9, 2007
"I'll Be There"
Watched a terrific little movie thanks to Netflix's suggestions. I'll Be There is an offbeat Scottish comedy (is that an oxymoron or a tautology, I wonder?) starting, written and directed by Craig Ferguson of the Late Late Show. He turns out to be a powerhouse combination of actor-writer-director-producer-creator-comedian-musician-author. Who knew?! He was the lead vocalist in a rock 'n' roll band and does a nice job in this film, I must say. By far the more surprising, though, is Joss Ackland who was in his mid-seventies when he made this movie - wait til you see him in black shirt and leather pants fronting his own rock band. He's such a revered and terrific part of the stage and dramatic world (his Shadowlands was phenomenal). The rest of the superb ensemble comprises Jemma Redgrave, Ismelda Staunton, Anthony Head, Ralph Brown and Phillipa Law, among others. Charlotte Church's dramatic debut isn't all one might have hoped for but her voice is crystal clear and absolutely gorgeous - even if the character and her appearance are a bit too much of a teenager. Of course, since that's part of the point of her character, maybe ot just proves she's doing a great job! Anyway, this film is hardly great art but it does have absolute truckloads of irony, sarcasm, wit, sweetness and charm all rolled up in a nice turn on an oft-told theme.

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:05 AM

Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Some good tv news
Damages has been renewed for not just one but two seasons. I'm ecstatic. It was one of the best-written, well-characterized and attention-holding shows ever, so that's very happy news indeed. Yeah, okay, it was maybe too violent now and then but so telegraphed that it was easy to hide. The machinations of the wily characters were simply amazing, and every single one of the actors was perfect. Well, with one exception: the husband of the lead woman looked so much like her brother that I kept expecting to learn that they really weren't different characters or that they'd been mistaken for each other in a violent or important way. All that as it may be, any quibbles I had are extremely minor. It's a fantastic show and I can't wait for the second season.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:19 AM

Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Ho : no!
Apologies, but I am borrowing the NY Post's front page headline today about Don Imus and his maybe, rumored, dreaded (by some of us) come-back now that the suit has been settled. But I also have to say that if ABC really does hire him, I will never watch or listen to another thing on ABC again. Partly because it will thereby seem as if the whole thing was such a ridiculously loud exercise in self-promotion. But even more because if he displaces the awesome Curtis & Kuby, it would be unfair, despicable, mean, nasty, disgusting, and any other negative word you want to use. One report says "talks are underway" but another says that ABC has "no interest at all" so who knows. Better not happen, that's all I can say. C&K are the best - they're challenging without being crude, witty without being snotty intellectuals, funny without being nutty. To replace them with the idiotic, smug, nasty and (worst of all) unfunny Imus would really be a crime.

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Permalink | 2 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:11 AM