Stephen Layland

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Bonnie is off of her leash. Whether it's Adam or any of the girls in her circle, no one has the haul-her-up short hand Christy had. Much as I respect Allison Janney, I do NOT like Bonnie -- that being half the point of the show. Where were they, all this time? For months, that slot all but went begging. And I went elsewhere. That nearly became a habit. Very soon, now, this show must spur a character to hold Bonnie adamantly to a standard beyond dissemblement, beyond temporization, beyond any other form of excuse. Also, it needs a face as appealing as Jill's, but as accessible as Christy's. Or I'll need a change of habit.

Mom

1 like

I've never read it, but I was there at the time. Judy Blume divided the world into two camps. The one camp decreed that you didn't write out there in front of God and everybody about girls and puberty. They were both outraged and puzzled. Their mildest censure of Ms. Bloom was that she was irresponsible. Behind closed doors, she was accused of promoting perversion by exposing young girls in print. Teachers were forbidden to assign the book for study, much less to discuss it in mixed classes. The other camp based their opinions on empathy and principle. They defied the mechanism in the psyche which automatically feels shame at that which is simply personal. They defied the estrangement between men and women, the high hurdle between the genders which adulterates vital relationships and tragically bars so many. They defied the concept of purdah. For a writer, Ms. Blume's work is a benchmark in the evolution of character. She re-affirms that the portrayal of a child in fiction can be as frank as that of an adult, and all to the good.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

15 likes

I gave this movie forty minutes to show me something Meredith Willson missed out of The Music Man. It showed me, instead, just how resourceful Mike White was in picking up on the tropes of a past masterpiece. It also showed me how the earlier work would have played out with Buddy Hackett in the lead role. I apologize. Hackett would have entertained. Black merely annoys. There is much wisdom in the rule that says that you can re-make anything if you'll wait fifty years. As long as you don't admit to it, it seems that you can cut the margin by a few years (nine, in this case). Mike White was born none too early. Robert Preston died in 1987

School of Rock

18 likes

With neither a nod nor a wink to William Gibson, this may be the best movie to date rooted in the techno-dystopia pioneered in his Sprawl stories. Many of his best tropes -- including the decayed urban setting, the oddly assorted tech hardware and the ensemble of high-rolling low-life characters -- give the story its good bones. These elements are also well-realized within the confines of cinematic form. You cannot do in a movie what you must do in a novel, and vice-versa. The story is a little thin in spots. Jodie Foster's character is better played than written. Dave Bautista's character yields a nice series of successive reveals, and climax of his arc is the most satisfying in the movie. The plot is fairly conventional, executed with competence and resolved in character. The movie lost money but Pearce's next project as director should be worth a look.

Hotel Artemis

51 likes