August 12, 2015

Movie Review: Ricki and the Flash **

I know it's sacrilege to say anything negative about Meryl Streep. But I'm going to, anyway.
I couldn't wait to see her new film, Ricki and the Flash, because I saw the trailer and thought it had to be so much fun. But if you've seen the trailer you've seen the best of this film, and you haven't had to sit through at least an hour of Meryl Streep singing.
I love that Streep sings, even though she's not that good. I love that she learned to play the guitar for this film (what can't she do?). I love that she and her daughter Mamie get to play mother and daughter.
That's all good.
What's not good is that everything else is too much in this film, beginning with a big, distracting rat's nest on the back of Mamie's head, just in case the sallow makeup didn't make it clear to us that she'd been so depressed that she hadn't showered or washed her hair. Too much. Wouldn't her mother comb that out before they left the house? And because we probably still didn't get the depth of her depression, she goes out to dinner in her pajamas and slippers.
See? Too much.
And then there's the singing, which is waaaaaay too much; this fictional band does at least six numbers. That'd be great if it were Paul McCartney or Taylor Swift (or even if we could hear more of Rick Springfield), but it's Meryl Streep. And while she's fine in this singing role (maybe 'passable' is a better word), she's not a great singer so one or two numbers would have gotten the point across, and would have been plenty. Instead of wasting so much time on mediocre singing, tell the damn story. Get into the characters so we can feel invested in them. Give us some history. Flesh them out. Give them some dimension. Don't put me to sleep.
And then there's Streep's performance, which is too much, which means the directing is too much. The usually subtle Meryl plays this role too big. It's so unlike her.
Oh, and those braids are too much.
On the plus side, Rick Springfield is great fun to look at, as is Kevin Kline, and both their performances are really good.

Two stars out of five for Ricki and the Flash.

August 3, 2015

What I Learned at the Writers Digest Annual Conference

Writer's Digest Annual Conference July 31-Aug. 2, 2015

Writer Unboxed panel

I've been to a gazillion writers conferences - all very different - and I love them. Even the bad ones are good (I've never really been to a bad one).
I love being in the company of so many writers all in one place; it's energizing and motivating, and writers are mostly really nice people.
Not every presentation I went to was worthwhile but I can usually get at least one thing out of each one (but sometimes not).
Here are some things I learned at the Writer's Digest Annual Conference:

All presentations are not created equal, and content is second to the personality of the presenter
You may have written 31 books and won every award known to man (except a Pulitzer), and still, half of the people in the audience will not have ever heard of you. ~Jacqueline Woodson "Just keeping it real," she said.
Sometimes you can hear things you've heard a million times before but this time you hear it in a new way and it turns into an "Ah-hah!" moment.
Nothing sells your last book like your next book - keep writing!
Every author bio contains the phrase "best-selling, award-winning" (except mine)
The word "pantser" is inelegant and annoying, and someone needs to come up with a better term. Come on, people, we're writers...
Tim Johnston, closing keynote speaker, seemed to be winging his presentation, but he was fun and clever (a fine example of presentation trumping content), and he is, in fact, a New York Times bestselling author.
Carpet should not be used as baseboard (The Roosevelt Hotel, NYC)

July 26, 2015

Movie Review: Irrational Man **

No, that image at left is not from Irrational Man, it's how I felt while watching it.
Oh my god. THE most boring movie.

It's an unconvincing story of a depressed college professor who finds his zest for life in planning the perfect murder. Joaquin Phoenix's character is the anchor of the story, but he isn't invested in his character or his lines; he seems barely able to remember them. Emma Stone and Parker Posey are the reasons I didn't walk out - they make the film come alive when they're on screen. But that's not nearly enough.
Two out of five stars for Irrational Man. And that's generous.

July 22, 2015

As You Get Older...

Older singles lose millions in online dating scams

screams the headline on CBS This Morning.

The story is about a 76-yr-old lady who is looking for love. She meets a guy online (on the very first day she goes on the site!) who "said sweet things and was very charming." She never meets him in person but they communicate by email and phone for four months. Then, all of a sudden he's stuck somewhere in Africa

and becomes very ill

and has to have a kidney transplant

that's costing $4000/month

and the next thing you know the sweet little old lady is out $300K.
Yes, I said

THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
The lady is trying to get her money back from Match.com (good luck with that). She thinks they're responsible.
I might have some sympathy for her if she'd sent him $1,000 or $2,000, or even $10,000 before she realized it was a scam. But $300,000?

Barbara Hannah Grufferman

The news report's expert is Barbara Hannah Grufferman, who they say is "with" AARP. I can't find any indication that she does anything other than write for AARP. She's a journalist and wrote a book called The Best of Everything Over 50, but as far as I can tell she is not an expert on aging. On this report she makes this ridiculous and insulting statement:
"As we get older our ability to decipher deceit declines."
I'm not an expert on aging either (unless you count my firsthand experience) but my bullshit meter is working just fine. And, taking Alzheimer's or any other type of dementia out of the equation (because that's a whole other issue), my 'expert' opinion is: If you are this gullible when you're old, you were this gullible when you were young. Age has nothing to do with this kind of stupidity.

July 20, 2015

Movie Review: Trainwreck ***1/2

If I were rating Amy Schumer she'd get five stars; she's so charming and funny and her face tells stories even when not saying a word. She's a surprisingly terrific actor and a very appealing on-screen presence.
But I'm rating the film, so it's a star and a half less than that.
What I really like about Trainwreck is its humor and sweetness and relate-ability, and how heartwarming it is. And LeBron James. Who knew he could act? I found myself waiting for him to come back on screen.

What I don't like about Trainwreck are the sophomoric bits that feel like a stand-up comedy routine and go on too long - like the tampon bit, for one. They aren't needed, they slow down the action and they distract from the heart of the film.
If they'd cut this film the way it should have been cut, by at least 20 minutes, I'd have given it four and a half stars. As it is, there's much to enjoy about Trainwreck but I can only give it three and a half stars out of five.

July 17, 2015

Book Review: Old Souls at Night by Kent Haruf *****

When I began reading Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf, one of my favorite authors, I felt sad on a number of levels, not least of which is that this is his final novel, as he died last December at 71. I hadn't known he was sick and his death broke my heart.

I felt sad because the characters in Our Souls at Night are sweet and familiar, even though I hadn't read about these people yet, but Haruf had a way of creating characters I could see clearly in my mind, even though he
doesn't describe them to any great degree.
Is this his best work? No. But it's a sweet story of old love with characters that feel real, like people you'd want to be friends with.
I was sad because the story is sad, I was sad because I didn't want the book to end. I'm sad because I already miss the work Kent Haruf will never write.
Kent Haruf is one of America's finest authors. If you haven't read his work start with Plainsong and then read everything else he's ever written. And finally, end with Our Souls at Night, a sweet goodbye.
Five out of five stars for Our Souls at Night.