Television Roundup....
Jun. 16th, 2024 04:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Brats - the Brat Pack Documentary on Hulu, about the five or six twenty-somethings that starred together in a group of B teen/twenty-something flicks in the 1980s - that was written, produced and directed by Andrew McCarthy, and features Andrew wandering about and interviewing various members, authors, journalists, directors, and producers of films etc that composed of the Brat Pack in the 1980s. The Brat Pack for those who weren't around in the 1980s, were a group of twenty-something actors who were chosen to be in various films together, mainly films by John Hughes. David Blum - a journalist for New York Magazine coined the term as a bit of a twist on the Rat Pack. Bret Easton Ellis is allegedly in there, but I didn't recognize him. McCarthy does interview Blum, along with Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Easton Elllis (I didn't recognize him or remember seeing him but according to the credits he's there), Malcolm Gladwell, Timothy Hutton (not a member of Brat Pack), Lea Thompson (also not a member), and Jon Cryer (not a member) and some media critics/academics who've written books on the topic.
It's mainly McCarthy wandering about hunting people to talk to about the situation. And coming to terms with it himself. It did detrimentally affect his career, along with Ringwald, Estevez and Nelson's. Not so much Lowe, Moore, or Sheedy (who didn't mind it at all). Most appear to have moved past it.
At one point, Lowe and others point out: Without it - probably wouldn't have ended up with Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and Glee which were all cultural out crops of it. The Brat Pack kind of kicked the old Hollywood Studio system in the teeth.
My main takeaway - was one of the academic's views that our culture is far too fractured or fragmented for anything like that to happen now. No one is united on anything culturally speaking. Also the race issue - no POCs in the Brat Pack, and there really were no POC in any of their movies, and if there were they were stereo-typically and often offensively portrayed. There are movies in the 80s that are cringe-inducing now.
2. Bridgerton S3 - I enjoyed it. It was nice to have a voluptuous heroine in a historical romance for a change, particularly if you consider in the 18th and early 19th century, voluptuous was considered attractive and appealing. Also I like Penn. And she had beautiful gowns this season. Whomever is the lead couple each season - gets the best wardrobe. I actually liked Penn's gowns better than the previous season leads.
Wardrobe clearly hates Eloise Bridgerton. Not sure why but they do. Or her mother is punishing her. She wears these ghastly numbers with huge bows.
The series slyly comments on the romance genre. Also promotes a world that the writers wish existed - demonstrating that we've kind of won the culture wars in the 21st century. There's two twists in the end of S3 Part II regarding Francesca and Benedict, making me wonder which S4 will lead with, one or both, and whether we'll get a lead f/f or m/m romance in the next season.
I felt sorry for the antagonist/villain, who was rather complex. Rhimes doesn't do black and white villains - hers have layers, which I appreciate.
Cress - is placed in a cage by her father and provided with few if any opportunities for escape. She attempts to get Eloise to help her, but alas Eloise is far too self-absorbed to hear her cries. And as a result is left with little to no recourse than to attempt to connive and blackmail her way out - neither work. And she's sent off to live with her cruel and domineering aunt in Wales. (Having spent time in Wales in the 1980s, it's kind of hard for me to see this as a fate worse than death, Wales is lovely - far prettier than London. But it was admittedly in the early 19th Century...so.)
I'd like to see her romance, but it's unlikely. I found the character interesting.
3. Madame Webb - this is a badly written, directed and produced film. But, weirdly, entertaining. The script is on the wooden side? I thought during it - okay, I can see why this bombed at the box office. And Dakota Johnson tries but is one-note in the lead role.
I'd say it's a mildly entertaining C movie? Has some decent special effects. And the story has potential but isn't gripping. I'm afraid of spiders and it didn't bother me that much - the red spiders don't look real.
It is kind of hokey in places? And there's more than a few eye-rolling moments. But, I liked the women bonding together, and figuring out how to stop the bad guy - even if it didn't make a whole lot of sense.
This won't have a sequel - shame, it could have been an interesting series. I think it would have worked better if they had done it as a television series? Because the film felt a lot like a television pilot or premiere episode. It wasn't rounded off well enough for a film.
It's mainly McCarthy wandering about hunting people to talk to about the situation. And coming to terms with it himself. It did detrimentally affect his career, along with Ringwald, Estevez and Nelson's. Not so much Lowe, Moore, or Sheedy (who didn't mind it at all). Most appear to have moved past it.
At one point, Lowe and others point out: Without it - probably wouldn't have ended up with Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and Glee which were all cultural out crops of it. The Brat Pack kind of kicked the old Hollywood Studio system in the teeth.
My main takeaway - was one of the academic's views that our culture is far too fractured or fragmented for anything like that to happen now. No one is united on anything culturally speaking. Also the race issue - no POCs in the Brat Pack, and there really were no POC in any of their movies, and if there were they were stereo-typically and often offensively portrayed. There are movies in the 80s that are cringe-inducing now.
2. Bridgerton S3 - I enjoyed it. It was nice to have a voluptuous heroine in a historical romance for a change, particularly if you consider in the 18th and early 19th century, voluptuous was considered attractive and appealing. Also I like Penn. And she had beautiful gowns this season. Whomever is the lead couple each season - gets the best wardrobe. I actually liked Penn's gowns better than the previous season leads.
Wardrobe clearly hates Eloise Bridgerton. Not sure why but they do. Or her mother is punishing her. She wears these ghastly numbers with huge bows.
The series slyly comments on the romance genre. Also promotes a world that the writers wish existed - demonstrating that we've kind of won the culture wars in the 21st century. There's two twists in the end of S3 Part II regarding Francesca and Benedict, making me wonder which S4 will lead with, one or both, and whether we'll get a lead f/f or m/m romance in the next season.
I felt sorry for the antagonist/villain, who was rather complex. Rhimes doesn't do black and white villains - hers have layers, which I appreciate.
Cress - is placed in a cage by her father and provided with few if any opportunities for escape. She attempts to get Eloise to help her, but alas Eloise is far too self-absorbed to hear her cries. And as a result is left with little to no recourse than to attempt to connive and blackmail her way out - neither work. And she's sent off to live with her cruel and domineering aunt in Wales. (Having spent time in Wales in the 1980s, it's kind of hard for me to see this as a fate worse than death, Wales is lovely - far prettier than London. But it was admittedly in the early 19th Century...so.)
I'd like to see her romance, but it's unlikely. I found the character interesting.
3. Madame Webb - this is a badly written, directed and produced film. But, weirdly, entertaining. The script is on the wooden side? I thought during it - okay, I can see why this bombed at the box office. And Dakota Johnson tries but is one-note in the lead role.
I'd say it's a mildly entertaining C movie? Has some decent special effects. And the story has potential but isn't gripping. I'm afraid of spiders and it didn't bother me that much - the red spiders don't look real.
It is kind of hokey in places? And there's more than a few eye-rolling moments. But, I liked the women bonding together, and figuring out how to stop the bad guy - even if it didn't make a whole lot of sense.
This won't have a sequel - shame, it could have been an interesting series. I think it would have worked better if they had done it as a television series? Because the film felt a lot like a television pilot or premiere episode. It wasn't rounded off well enough for a film.
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Date: 2024-06-16 11:16 pm (UTC)