Lady J – Google

Spoilers 10 stars for Gabriel Byrne (great performance). I was looking forward to this film and I enjoyed it. I want to see it again. This film is a collection of sketches about Samuel Beckett's relationships. Beckett has a dialogue with his inner self, a main player. The dialogue is warm and funny. Byrne knows what he is doing, extremely satisfying to take him in as an artist. I wanted to keep watching Byrne, I hated when he aged, knowing he was going to die and the film would end. The scene where Beckett returns home to Suzanne after meeting Barbara for the first time was very well organized and performed by GB and the female players, also very good direction. I did not resonate with the Joycean sequence or the Mother performance. I dislike the HD however I understand high production costs may be the need for this type of filming.

Spectacular film. Spoiler In my opinion, the film silently demonstrates the destructiveness of alcohol on mental health. Sandra was high functioning but certainly a consistent user, her daily drinking and need for a drink was a feature. Samuel's usage, I believe helped tear him apart, he was fragile. There is quite a bit to analyze and define regarding the characters, their relationship and Samuel's downfall. Heartbreaking. Beautifully constructed and performed.

I would pass on this. Spoilers. I was excited to see it as it was written by Paul Schrader whom I have always respected as a great writer. Signourey Weaver is perfect and the ingenue star beautiful and overall did a good job but could not make the romance believable. Would have been far more interesting with a woman of color who was attractive perhaps even overweight or some physical imperfection. The neice character was too street cred and gorgeous to fall for the gardener. I did not engage with the gardener character, the hairstyle was horrible and the continuity of the film - keeping that haircut so perfect was absurd He looked like a Nazi, years after he received the tatoos. Not a great styling decision. Why was he always writing on the same page of the notebook? The actor portraying the gardener was flat and surly. Hard to wrap my head around the fact that he was a botanist and an expert on plants and growing. Very much written from a man's fantasy. Tiresome. 5 Stars for Signourey Weaver, 1 star for the film.

Spoilers: A vivid depiction of growing up in the SF Valley in the 1970's amidst the movie scene. Highly nuanced with the right setting, costumes, music and behavior. Entertaining. I could relate as grew up during this time: charged writing and directing. The cameos in Licorice Pizza are seasoned performers.The script and directing allowed these familiar faces to have some fun and the performances are a blast. I especially loved Tom Waites, Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn and the casting woman. Good performances by the two leads. The relationship that grows between the two made sense to me with its connection, dysfunction and cruelty (Alana). The truck in reverse scene was superb and accolades to the stunt driver.

Superb film. Meaningful, moving. Rich. Not for everyone. A layered dimensional experience about love, self control, loss, the creative process, acting, grief and more so. The car is an important character.I did not feel bored one minute, I cared about the characters, especially the main character and his happiness. Spoiler: the happy ending was uplifting and appreciated, there was no violence also grateful for that and the inclusion of the deaf actor.

This film will surprise you in ways you are not expecting. At first the narrative appears to be predictable yet something happens along the way which greatly changes the pacing and the energy of the film. The celebrations stop, the levity shifts and the film starts to slow down. Julie and the actress who plays her are riveting to behold; a highly effective performance. I was especially captivated with the ancestral pieces he did. Lots of playfulness and as mentioned, surprises. A heroine's journey.