I am appalled. I have not written a MOVIE WEEKEND since Feb. 26th when I reviewed Whiplash. We have us some catchin' up to do.
We begin with the movies I watched most recently. They focus on women.
The first is Cake (2014, Rated R, Available on DVD). I saw this movie on a DVD that arrived in my mailbox thanks to Netflix.
Cake generated some Oscar buzz because of Jennifer Aniston's performance as Claire, a woman who lives with chronic pain because of a terrible car accident.
This movie is not for children. I don't know if teens would want to watch it. Cake earns The Janie Junebug Seal of I Admit I Walked Out Of The Room To Pee Without Hitting The Pause Button. The movie simply roamed the screen. I won't tell you not to see Cake; I won't tell you to see Cake. Maybe you love Jennifer Aniston. Maybe you want to see her look sad. It's up to you.
Our second movie is excellent, and won a well-deserved Best Actress Academy Award for Julianne Moore, who is Still Alice (2015, PG-13, Available on DVD). I watched this movie on a DVD, again very kindly delivered to me by Netflix.
Alice Howland is a brilliant linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. The evening I watched this movie, Favorite Young Man came over to get a dog crate for his puppy. I couldn't think of the words "separation anxiety." In my own small way, I felt Alice's pain. I thought, OH MY GOD. I HAVE ALZHEIMER'S. I am a word person who often cannot think of a desired word. It drives me insane.
This movie is beautifully written. Alec Baldwin plays Alice's husband, John. He is a dickwad. I know he behaves exactly the same way my own ex-husband would have if I had received such a diagnosis: He puts work ahead of relishing time with Alice--the final days that Alice can remember, partially, and enjoy.
Still Alice is very dramatic. I read some reviews that say Julianne Moore is too dramatic. I thought about how I would feel if I learned I had Alzheimer's. How would I react? I'd probably be more dramatic than Moore. I also don't believe she won the Academy Award because people felt it was her turn.
Watch the movie. See what you think.
This movie is not for children. I don't know if it would interest teens, but they might want to see Kristen Stewart, who plays one of Alice's daughters.
Still Alice earns The Janie Junebug Seal of Sad Highest Approval.
Willy Dunne Wooters was not interested in these movies, so he didn't watch and provides no rating other than I'm the hostess with the mostest.
I can't say happy viewing today. I wish you thoughtful viewing instead.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
I read (& enjoyed!) the book, "Still Alice"--do you think I would still enjoy the movie?
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book, so I don't know. Do you like Julianne Moore? You might want to see what she does with the part.
DeleteI don't think I can do Still Alice right now, but one thing I will say...a lot of people who are going through Alzheimers or dementia are perfectly happy. My favorite doc says they forget what they forgot.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in the nursing home, it was wonderful when people could watch and laugh at TV shows that had been on a few years before. Everything was brand new.
DeleteI worked with the elderly for a long time, too! We're clones...only you're smart.
DeleteHey, JJ! I enjoyed your reviews. I haven't seen either movie, but "Still Alice" sounds intriguing. I admire Julianne Moore as an actress and it would be interesting to see Kristen Stewart playing a different role from Bella. I have, on the other hand, read the entire Twilight series and have seen all the movies. LOL! Have a good one!
ReplyDeleteNo Twilight for me, but I think The Hurricane liked it.
DeleteHi Janie - I haven't seen Cake and don't particularly want to ... Still Alice I thought was good, but if I didn't know anything about Alzheimers I'm not sure what I'd have thought, for that matter I'm not sure what I learnt ... it seemed too cut and dried - there was no reference to the fact ... that if we encounter Alzheimers it is likely to be very different in reality.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult - and I am pleased that it's out there for people to think about and relate to ... but Alzheimers is such a complicated disease ... still Julianne Moore did a wonderful job ...
Cheers Hilary
I have discovered that many people think that someone who has dementia has Alzheimer's. They don't understand that different types of dementia exist, and behavior is not the same from one person to the next.
DeleteI'll skip Cake, thanks, no Jennifer Aniston fan here, but Still Alice? I am determined to see it... not only is Julianne Moore an amazing actress, I can't imagine anyone more perfect to play this part.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Scot will watch it with me, holding a box of Kleenex for me. He's good that way.... in return, I watch action/adventures with him because turn and about is fair play. =)
The Wooters man and I have difficulty choosing movies because of his fussiness. I'd be glad to take turns with the choice, but he can't ever find anything he likes.
DeleteGood morning, dear Janie Junebug!
ReplyDeleteI am a dickwad. I come from a long line of dickwads. We are a proud people. Just sayin'.
Glamorous actresses who are willing to shed their makeup for a role earn my zeal of approval. I was very impressed with Jennifer Aniston's performance in The Good Girl (2002) in which she played a discount store clerk caught up in an affair with an oddball stock boy. Have you seen that one?
Mrs. Shady and I both enjoyed A Beautiful Mind. We both like Julianne Moore and the subject matter of Still Alice would be of interest to both of us. I will let her know about this movie.
Happy Thursday to you, dear Janie Junebug!
Congratulations on being part of the great men of dickwadery. Except you are not a dickwad. I thought The Good Girl was much better than Cake. I hate A Beautiful Mind (the movie, not the book). I didn't know if I'd like Still Alice, and I loved it.
DeleteJanie, I haven't seen either of them, but would like to see "Still Alice". I have a neighbor who has his wife in a Memory Care place because of Alzheimers, and he visits her faithfully every day. Sometimes she knows him, and sometimes not. Another person I know still has his wife at home, but he needs to stay joined at the hip, lest she set the place on fire or something. It's a disease that effects all who love them. Thanks for the reviews. I like Jennifer, but not always in her performances.
ReplyDeleteJennifer has never appealed to me. My sister-in-law has dementia. It's heart breaking. She is in what her son calls a "care home." I wish I could check on her, but she is too far away.
DeleteI would like to see Cake. I've heard good things...and yes, she always does look perfect. I don't believe that she could look like crap. Haha
ReplyDeleteWatch the movie and then tell me if you think she looks like crap or if she's merely missing her usual perfection.
DeleteI know I wrote a comment here...are you moderatin' me, Janie-poo? Not that I don't NEED it...I'm just asking. :-)
ReplyDeleteI always moderate, my love. That's why comments might not show up for many hours.
DeleteI have no desire to see "Cake", but I want to see "Still Alice".
ReplyDeleteAs for your OMG early on set Alzheimer.... I have that, or thought I did. Can't find the words or remember what I have said and exhaustion. Seems not enough oxygen is getting to my brain. I am 10 point lower that the lowest number they want you to have. Yes, I am killing off my brain cells !
Yea me !
Starting treatment on Friday.
Depriving oxygen to your brain does lead to dementia, Alzheimer blah blah blah...
I do want to see this movie. Thank Goodness for Netflix.
Thank you for a terrific review.
cheers, parsnip
Do you know what causes the oxygen deprivation? Do you have a pulse-ox at home to track your oxygen level? I told Favorite Young Man that when people see a list of the initial symptoms of Alzheimer's, everyone says, OH MY GOD I HAVE ALZHEIMER'S. They are simple, everyday things.
DeleteI have both of these films queued up. I've always liked Jennifer Aniston and look forward to seeing her without makeup. I'm bummed that you didn't give it a super high rating, but I will watch it anyway.
ReplyDeleteI read the book Still Alice, and I remember liking the character better when she had Alzheimer's than when she did not. I've always like Julianne Moore. Wasn't she in a movie with your boyfriend?
Crazy, Stupid, Love. My boyfriend doesn't spend much screen time with Julianne Moore. I love that movie. You might think Cake is great. I don't know everything.
DeleteThe Janie Junebug Seal of I Admit I Walked Out Of The Room To Pee Without Hitting The Pause Button... I like the sound of that plus I'm entitled to that seal too since people in my house keep walking out of the room while I'm explaining the universe to them. Do you know what I mean? (I hope not.)
ReplyDeleteYou hope I don't know what you mean, but you can explain the universe? Are you a blue Stephen Hawking?
DeleteI want to see both films because of personal experience and I heard good thing about them. I suffer with chronic pain and it prevents me from doing the simplest tasks so I will want to see how Ms. Aniston does with the role. My mom has dementia and it is worse on the people around her than with my mom. My mom, though, is from a different era where people didn't talk about all of this. My mom does not admit to any loss of memory, in fact she will argue that she is fine even though you have had the same conversation with her on rewind for the past hour. Younger people who now must deal with dementia may be more open to the fact that they have this dreadful disease and must deal with it. I saw a brilliant film with Judi Dench as a woman dealing with alzheimers and I will be comparing her to Moore.
ReplyDeleteBirgit, I don't know why, but I can't reply to your comment. I'll try in a different box.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Birgit, here I am. Is the Judi Dench movie "Iris"? I love Judi Dench. Some viewers say Aniston handles the chronic pain "movements" well. Maybe your mom won't admit that she forgot because she doesn't know she forgot. I had a patient once who said, I'm going to take the bus downtown. I said, A storm is coming. It's dark. The buses aren't running. Another wanted to go over the mountain and go home. I said, You can't go over the mountain. The bridge is out. I heard it on the radio.
ReplyDeleteI was very matter of fact with these patients and spoke to them the way I'd speak to anyone else, except I invented stories that made it clear they couldn't do as they wished. I answered them and that was that. I did not argue.
I'm sorry it's difficult with your mom, and very sorry about your chronic pain, dear Birgit.
Great reviews. I don't think I even heard of Cake. I'll wait until it comes on cable. Still Alice, though, is one of my favorite books. It is so heartfelt and reads like a memoir. I haven't seen the movie, yet. I'll be sure to add a box of Kleenex with my popcorn when I do.
ReplyDelete(Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving comments. I'll put yours in my feedly.)
You're welcome and thank you.
DeleteI watched both of these movies this week. I liked Cake better. I watched it twice. I liked how they didn't reveal too much as the movie went on.
ReplyDeleteI think Julianne deserved that Oscar. She was the best part of the movie. I could not stand that older daughter...Anna? Yuck. Snooty and arrogant. I didn't think the husband was that bad...in the book he was worse. In general, I thought the book was more upbeat. I'm glad you write these reviews, because I suck at them.
The End.
In Cake you get information slowly, and some information you don't get at all. Julianne is definitely the best part of Still Alice. I hate the husband, but it's probably because I know what would have happened if it were me and I was still married. I don't like the older daughter. She's too pretty and self-absorbed. I don't care much for Kristen Stewart in general, but I like the way her character steps up to take care of her mom. Bastard husband runs away. That's what they do.
DeleteIn Cake you get information slowly, and some information you don't get at all. Julianne is definitely the best part of Still Alice. I hate the husband, but it's probably because I know what would have happened if it were me and I was still married. I don't like the older daughter. She's too pretty and self-absorbed. I don't care much for Kristen Stewart in general, but I like the way her character steps up to take care of her mom. Bastard husband runs away. That's what they do.
DeleteYOU DON'T SUCK.
DeleteYOU DON'T SUCK.
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