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Monkeys, perspective, and period fun
Nov. 7th, 2010 11:00 pmWhat Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn started out as a really fascinating story about a ten-year-old girl trying to be a private detective, ably assisted by her toy monkey, Mickey. What made it fascinating was that it was very definitely from a ten-year-old's point of view but it was just as definitely not a children's story. Finding the right pitch to make the child believable and yet still make the story resonate for adults is very impressive. Then, it took a radical shift into very different territory and ended up being very sad and very depressing. Awful things happened that needn't have done because people were either cowardly or selfish, and Mickey's fate made me cry.
Later, I enjoyed a rare trip into the world of 20th century period drama.
First, An Education. I spent the first half thinking, "I would never have been so stupid and impressionable when I was seventeen." Then, I gradually started to remember some of the things I actually did when I was seventeen (not to mention eighteen, nineteen and twenty) and had to leave my moral superiority firmly behind and be grateful I was as lucky as the protagonist in terms of how things worked out in the end. Due to conversations that took place over the weekend, the film also made me ask myself some tough questions, and I endured a rather silly half hour of intense introspection and chronic navel-gazing.
However, Me And Orson Welles cured me of all that with its light and fluffy look at Broadway theatre in the late 1930s. Zac Efron made for a very appealing lead, and his introduction to professional acting in a radical version of Caesar directed by Orson Welles made for a highly entertaining story.
Later, I enjoyed a rare trip into the world of 20th century period drama.
First, An Education. I spent the first half thinking, "I would never have been so stupid and impressionable when I was seventeen." Then, I gradually started to remember some of the things I actually did when I was seventeen (not to mention eighteen, nineteen and twenty) and had to leave my moral superiority firmly behind and be grateful I was as lucky as the protagonist in terms of how things worked out in the end. Due to conversations that took place over the weekend, the film also made me ask myself some tough questions, and I endured a rather silly half hour of intense introspection and chronic navel-gazing.
However, Me And Orson Welles cured me of all that with its light and fluffy look at Broadway theatre in the late 1930s. Zac Efron made for a very appealing lead, and his introduction to professional acting in a radical version of Caesar directed by Orson Welles made for a highly entertaining story.
