10/22 Movie Trip

Paul McGuire Grimes, creator of Paul’s Trip to the Movies, sits down with the stars of Mr. Harringan’s Phone. It’s the newest adaptation of Stephen King’s work but is it worth checking out? Paul gives us his take on this and two other shows now screening.

 

CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY (Prime Video)

Lena Dunham may best be known for creating the HBO series Girls, but she’s now telling an old-fashioned period rom-com with a YA bent to it with Catherine Called Birdy. It stars Bella Ramsey in the title role. She’s precocious, always getting into trouble, and full of energy. It’s the year 1290 in the medieval town of Stonebridge, England. She’s going through puberty and detests the notion of having to learn how to be lady-like. Her dad, Lord Rollo, is flamboyant, persnickety, and oblivious to what’s going on with his daughter. He doesn’t even know how old she is. He’s in a financial jam and decides the only remedy is to marry off Birdy to a wealthy suitor. Unfortunately, she has a child-like crush on her Uncle George who waltzes into town from fighting the Crusades in the Middle East. He ends up courting Ethelfritha leaving Birdy to squash any matchmaking schemes her father has in mind.

-Starring: Bella Ramsey, Andrew Scott, Joe Alwyn, Sophie Okonedo, Dean-Charles Chapman, Billie Piper

-Written and directed by Lena Dunham who based it off the novel by Karen Cushman

-Shatters the idea you may have of a stuffy medieval-set movie as Birdy’s point of view and narration provides that comedic and cantankerous voice to it. She gives blunt commentary on growing up, facing puberty, and the expectations said of her.

-It reminded me of Enola Holmes by taking a familiar setting/story and putting a fresh, young perspective on it.

-We see Birdy’s thoughts and diary notes on screen with bullet points laying out her inner thoughts. It’s a creative choice that’s used sparingly but could have been used more to lean into its target audience. The same goes for the soundtrack of that consists of new covers of contemporary songs despite this taking place in 1290. We could have used more music throughout.

-Bella Ramsey is a young star in the making. You may remember her from Game of Thrones, and you instantly understand who her character is from early on. She’s not afraid to throw anything at the screen for a laugh or reaction.

-There’s a level of trust with Lena Dunham and her actors. It’s quite clear they were able to make these characters as ridiculous and heightened as they want. There’s a level of play here hoping to amp up the absurdity while still honing in on the feminist perspective of then and now.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

HARRIGAN’S PHONE (Netflix)

Not every Stephen King story sets out to scare you with a clown, telekinetic teen girl, or daunting hotel visit. His dramatic character studies are just as engaging. The latest page to screen adaptation is Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. Like most King stories, it’s set in Maine with our protagonist Craig (setting the scene of what and who lives in the town of Harlow. He reflects on the “What If?” and “Why Me?” of why he was chosen by the elderly Mr. Harrigan. He’s the richest guy in Maine and hires Craig to read to him in the final years of his life. Reading books like “Heart of Darkness” to “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They” bring about the life lessons he needs to hear from his elderly mentor. It’s a stark contrast from the bullies at school who are quick to tease and harass Craig. Craig gifts Mr. Harrigan his first iPhone, but soon after Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig keeps getting texts on from Mr. Harrigan’s phone as if he’s communicating from beyond the grave.

-Starring: Jaeden Martell, Donald Sutherland, Joe Tippett

-Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is written and directed by John Lee Hancock who adapted it from the 80-page novella found in “If It Bleeds” While this has elements of a supernatural angle, don’t come looking for jump scares as it’s not that kind of King story.

-Hancock sets out to expand on King’s novella and reminds us that while King may take on an inexplainable aura, he still finds the heart and character study within that.

– Jaeden Martell, who also starred in the recent adaptations of Stephen King’s IT easily finds Craig’s loneliness. Martell has an innocence about him while he brings so much heart and soul to carry this movie. There’s an endearing quality in the relationship that forms between Craig and Mr. Harrigan like a grandfather and grandson.

-It’s 45 minutes in before Mr. Harrigan dies. That’s not really a spoiler, but Hancock takes this time to build up this unlikely friendship. The second half almost feel like a different movie as Craig starts to feel this sense of paranoia take over. He wrestles with the messages he thinks he’s getting from Mr. Harrigan but can’t make sense of them. Is Craig making this all up in his head, is it coincidence or is it even real?

-Hancock seems to keep it vague for the audience wanting us to navigate it for ourselves instead of explaining the supernatural or unexplained phenomenon of what happens in the second half. He and King are more concerned with its themes of grief, the actions we take in response to death, and that eternal longing for one more conversation or one more piece of advice.

-Mr. Harrigan’s Phone isn’t as strong in the second half, but Jaeden Martell’s performance and the banter between him and the great Donald Sutherland is still one worthy of a watch.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

 

BLONDE (Netflix)

Blonde has been adapted from Joyce Carol Oates’ controversial novel of the same name. Oates writes “Blonde is a radically distilled “life” in the form of fiction.” Writer/director Andrew Dominik has chosen to make a fictional telling of Monroe’s life instead of telling a real chapter of her life with a new lens or insight. Marilyn Monroe was just a stage name for Norma Jeane Mortenson. Dominik starts his film with her as a young girl in 1933 living with her abusive, dysfunctional mother. It’s a brutal beginning to possibly explain why she was doomed from the start. When the film jumps ahead, we find her as an adult starting her career in show biz. She’s now played by Ana de Armas. She poses for pinup magazines, and we see her assaulted by Mr. Z. We’re to presume this is studio head Darryl Zanuck. The film proceeds to follow Monroe’s entire life from her career in movies like Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch to her relationships with Ex-Athlete (Joe DiMaggio) and The Playwright (Arthur Miller).

-Starring: Ana de Armas, Adrian Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Julianne Nicholson

-Andrew Dominik’s film is one of deplorable filmmaking choices, not only on a technical level, but also one with misogynistic views exploiting both Marilyn Monroe and star Ana de Armas. The film is sexually graphic and violent to a gratuitous level.

-Ana de Armas (Knives Out, No Time to Die) makes the most of what she can finding Monroe’s fractured mental state all while teetering on the precipice of a complete breakdown. We frequently find her naked, crying, and repeatedly taken advantage. de Armas lives in that state for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

-At one point Monroe states, “That thing on screen isn’t me.” I don’t think Dominik even cares what version of the character he is portraying outside of sexpot. Rarely do we find joy or happiness in how the film portrays her. It’s not one of being a great actress or a smart and strong woman.

– Andrew Dominik feels out to showcase himself as an edgy filmmaker as that’s where his efforts lay. He utilizes three or four different aspect ratios while going back and forth between color and black and white photography. Those choices don’t seem to logically make sense as they’re not used to differentiate flashbacks or present day or when she’s Norma Jeane or “on” as Marilyn.

-Blonde is told through short quick scenes and little vignettes like scattered memories. This isn’t saying anything new about Marilyn Monroe when choosing a fictional path to go down and then taking the most jarring and vulgar way through.

-Strong performances from Ana de Armas and Adrian Brody can’t save this abomination.

RATING: 1 out of 5 TICKET STUBS