Post by klep on Apr 10, 2017 6:47:37 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/10: Moonstruck
ROM COM WEEK
Love is a beautiful and terrible thing. It makes us feel warm, and valued; it brings us to such heights of happiness as we never know. But it also destroys us, leaves us quivering masses of worry, self-doubt, and despair. It causes our greatest joys and also our greatest pains, and it can do both of these things simultaneously. It's a huge mess, but it's one we wouldn't and arguably couldn't live without.
Moonstruck is a film that understands this complexity and the way it tortures people. Loretta (Cher) starts the film as a widow for 7 years, and she agrees to Johnny's (Danny Aiello) proposal not because she loves him, but because she likes him and she's lonely. But when she meets his brother Ronny (Nicholas Cage), they fall near-instantly in love and it's a terrible torture for the both of them. Loretta tries multiple times to stop things from going further, but it's clear she really doesn't want to; it's only the engagement getting in the way.
This central relationship of the film is powerful. Cage and Cher both manage to convey the pain that they feel and the desperation and love pushing them together. There's an urgency to their passion that demands the audience's investment, whether in Cage's haunted eyes or the guilty anger that flashes across Cher's face. All of the performances in this film are excellent, really, particularly Olympia Dukakis as Loretta's mother, a woman in love with her husband and struggling to understand why he would cheat on her. Moonstruck would be nominated for 3 of the acting categories, with only Cage's lead performance (unjustly) snubbed.
The film also won an Oscar for John Patrick Shanley's writing. The script is densely packed with reflections on love and desire, with little romantic dramas playing out everywhere and Loretta's mother openly searching for the reasons for it all. It's frequently broad, but it's a broadness that comes from the larger-than-life emotions that come with a stereotypical Italian family. It's no accident that Moonstruck's big emotional climax is set at an opera, for operas are big and grand, and love is the biggest and grandest emotion of all.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/17: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK
Next week we dive into the world of 70's martial arts flicks with this kung fu classic. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is widely considered among the best of its kind, and its influence extends beyond the film world - giving the Wu Tang Clan much of their aesthetic. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is available on Netflix Instant and for rent on Amazon Video, where it is free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/6: Life
The current edition of the Next Picture Show podcast concludes by looking at the new film Life and how it compares to Ridley Scott's masterpiece. We'll have a thread on Wednesday to discuss it and if it measures up. Life is still in theaters.
ROM COM WEEK
Love is a beautiful and terrible thing. It makes us feel warm, and valued; it brings us to such heights of happiness as we never know. But it also destroys us, leaves us quivering masses of worry, self-doubt, and despair. It causes our greatest joys and also our greatest pains, and it can do both of these things simultaneously. It's a huge mess, but it's one we wouldn't and arguably couldn't live without.
Moonstruck is a film that understands this complexity and the way it tortures people. Loretta (Cher) starts the film as a widow for 7 years, and she agrees to Johnny's (Danny Aiello) proposal not because she loves him, but because she likes him and she's lonely. But when she meets his brother Ronny (Nicholas Cage), they fall near-instantly in love and it's a terrible torture for the both of them. Loretta tries multiple times to stop things from going further, but it's clear she really doesn't want to; it's only the engagement getting in the way.
This central relationship of the film is powerful. Cage and Cher both manage to convey the pain that they feel and the desperation and love pushing them together. There's an urgency to their passion that demands the audience's investment, whether in Cage's haunted eyes or the guilty anger that flashes across Cher's face. All of the performances in this film are excellent, really, particularly Olympia Dukakis as Loretta's mother, a woman in love with her husband and struggling to understand why he would cheat on her. Moonstruck would be nominated for 3 of the acting categories, with only Cage's lead performance (unjustly) snubbed.
The film also won an Oscar for John Patrick Shanley's writing. The script is densely packed with reflections on love and desire, with little romantic dramas playing out everywhere and Loretta's mother openly searching for the reasons for it all. It's frequently broad, but it's a broadness that comes from the larger-than-life emotions that come with a stereotypical Italian family. It's no accident that Moonstruck's big emotional climax is set at an opera, for operas are big and grand, and love is the biggest and grandest emotion of all.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/17: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK
Next week we dive into the world of 70's martial arts flicks with this kung fu classic. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is widely considered among the best of its kind, and its influence extends beyond the film world - giving the Wu Tang Clan much of their aesthetic. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is available on Netflix Instant and for rent on Amazon Video, where it is free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/6: Life
The current edition of the Next Picture Show podcast concludes by looking at the new film Life and how it compares to Ridley Scott's masterpiece. We'll have a thread on Wednesday to discuss it and if it measures up. Life is still in theaters.