d.anders

There's a rumor going around that a pardon is imminent. I will not be surprised if it becomes truth.

I haven't yet watched the screening talks on YouTube. I will eventually get there. I thought there were some good lines, like the one you mentioned. There weren't enough of them. I thought the premise of the movie was worth exploring. IMO, Luca deserved a better script. Many of the negative reviews focus on the script. I disliked the first 30 minutes. I enjoyed the mystery and tension of the clock ticking, but I disliked the phony, pretentious half-dialogue. And those bursts of musical brass didn't seem to work for me. I absolutely hated the ending.

I finally saw this film recently on Netflix. Holy shit. I guess there is something to be said for a film that grabs you by the balls and sort of forces you to watch. It's clever in the way it holds and manipulates you, keeping you curious for what could possibly come next. And then they eventually hit you with that ending, slap, slap, slapping you in the face with colored silly putty. At a certain point I questioned whether I was on LSD. "Hollywood machine" mentioned earlier seems apt to me. This movie seems very Hollywood to me, from naked head to toe. Demi Moore is very brave. At my age, I'm very careful who sees my ass. I'm OK with the front, but the back is nothing like it used to be. Her nipples are quite remarkable, made for porn movies. I don't think this part deserved any acting awards, so all the "acting" attention that she got for making this film seems kind of silly now that time has passed. I suspect the attention had more to do with her full-on nudity than it did for her lying comatose on a floor throughout most of the film. Then, there is that ending. It does deserve something. I did enjoy Margaret Qualley's performance. I thought the casting was spot-on. Would I ever watch it again? I'm reluctant to say maybe, but I doubt it.

Except it's not a review. It's an Op-Ed essay. Given the subject matter, this movie lends itself to discussion.

I have to disagree. There is purposeful tension and anxiety built into the script by the fact that these characters speak in riddles, carefully revealing nothing. And this is when they are not pretending to be Yale academics. Those philosophy words are mostly overwrought and incomprehensible, especially given the edits. They barely finish a sentence, or a complete thought. IMO, when I see description words like "psychological thriller," I've come to expect overwrought. It's professional. I just found it very unsatisfying. I think I hated the script.

Wasn't it Joan Collins who said all the published income numbers are fake? Those numbers are created for the tabloid public and media consumption. Unless you're someone like Cher who can tour, actors usually fall into the trap of wealth perception. It wasn't long ago where I saw Gary Oldman and Colin Farrell talking about serious financial lows in their lives. The public usually doesn't know the whole truth, because actors are typically very private about this stuff.

She's not alone. Thank you for the link. I thought Goldberg's Opinion piece was a fascinating and intelligent read, more intelligent than this movie. Reading Goldberg's piece helped further explain why the movie wasn't working for me. "Overwrought and self-satisfied," seems spot-on to me. Now that I found out about Brian Grazer, I dislike him and the movie even more.

I just watched it. I did not enjoy it.

With a $35 million budget, and only $1.7 million at the box office, Kiss of the Spider Woman may go down as one of the biggest flops ever. This guy wraps up the 2025 fails fairly succinctly. The amount of money in the hole is staggering.

If you can believe this report, it looks like he's run out of money.

I haven't seen or read any outside commentary from the actors. It wouldn't surprise me if Close is openly expressing her negative opinion. I watched 2.5 episodes at a friend's house, who happens to enjoy hate watching. He was curious to see what I thought. I have no plans to re-join Hulu, and I certainly have no desire to tune into this show ever again. It's Hollywood production at its worst.

A phone and underwear in a sauna? Two red flags for me.

I cannot believe how bad this show is. Another high-drama attempt by Ryan Murphy. It stars a lot of known names, but the material is so bad, they all look and sound silly. It's a show about female lawyers written by a RuPaul Drag Race contestant. Kim Kardashian is particularly awful. Can't act her way out of a paper bag. Hard to believe that Glenn Close, Naomi Watts, and Sarah Paulson signed up for this schlock. Niecy Nash-Betts went from a nail salon to this, same character. Has anyone seen this? Is anyone enjoying it? It has 4% on Rotten Tomatoes. That sounds about right to me.

There is a ton of fascinating movie production analysis to be found on YouTube. Many reporters are claiming that this year is among the worst in movie history for failures. I have heard that for Kiss, the studio decided to kill the promo budget. I think they are hoping J-Lo will get nominated for awards, and the free publicity will carry it through streaming. The question ultimately comes down to was this film a good idea? It's always a gamble in show business, but this was a serious costly mistake, for sure. While it may not be Cats, it's still not good for anyone associated with it.

I've been seeing some YouTube videos with Paul Mascal and Josh O'Connor in conversation. My goodness what chemistry they have together. Apparently, a great friendship blossomed from their working on this film. Maybe it's just me and my fantasies, but the sexual energy they share is really striking. On top of that, they really seem to enjoy making each other laugh, and they laugh endlessly. It is so much fun to have a friend who makes you laugh. IMO, laughter can be such a sex thrill. Incredibly seductive. I'm looking forward to seeing this movie.

It is shocking how poorly this movie has performed. Maybe it's J-Lo fatigue. Maybe it's the quirky story. Has to be depressing for all the creatives involved. Everyone works so hard at their craft, and nobody goes to buy a ticket to see it. The burden does fall on J-Lo, since she was cast as the star draw.

The movie makes some sense as a stand-alone, but it's a movie made for the fans of the series. If you haven't seen the series, the flashbacks won't make any sense. Like others, I have watched the series many times. It's a wonderful thing to binge on during a cold night and with a mug of hot chocolate at the ready.

I just found out it got cancelled. So sorry to hear that. It would have been an uphill climb to try a different direction without Linda Lavin.

I'm glad Adolescence won so much. That was not easy to make, and it was very good. There has been a lot of buzz around The Pitt. I have too many medical issues to be interested in watching more on TV. I was curious about The Studio. I'm just not much of a Seth Rogen fan. The Emmy show itself was pretty lame. Had no idea who the host was, and didn't find him funny at all.

The cost of seeing a dentist is insane now, for both sex workers and customers.

I enjoyed it. I'm glad I saw it. I would watch it again. Some funny lines, but the story is not particularly exciting. After what Henry 8th did with his 6 wives, the fuss over divorce in 1930's seems incredibly silly. Oh those foolish Brits. The gay subtext was enjoyable. Mary's hair was a disaster, but Lady Edith looked quite lovely. Many of the actors are looking old and bloated. Pretty incredible this ensemble has stuck together for so long. Just goes to show how bad business is these days. The review in the New York Time is well written and more humorous than the movie.

It was a blessing because the show was sold out.

Wow. Much like Boop, this show surprised me. I'm very glad I saw it. I could easily see it again. I thought the staging was superb. Very creative and immersive. The use of audience members is fun and quite charming. The design of the theater for this event is near perfect. Very few bad seats in this house. Jonathan Groff blew me away. I don't know how he does this 8 times a week. I suspect he's living a disciplined life, since his name is the only one above the title. He has an understudy, but it seems most people are there to see Jonathan, and he does not disappoint. He really gives them everything he has, including a fun moment in nothing but his underwear. The audience went wild. He pokes fun at his wetness, and apologizes for the shower the audience and his fellow actors are about to receive. He is a major sweater and spitter. One can only imagine what sex must be like with him (cue the swimming pool). I have to say, I'm not a fan of the music. I was never a Bobby Darin fan or a Connie Francis fan. I remember Sandra Dee from Gidget, and I remember liking her, thinking she had a cute and perky look. But none of that matters. The story is fascinating, interesting, and told in a very unique and entertaining way. The ancillary performers are all well cast. The music sells itself by default. The band on stage is terrific, and the arrangements are so much fun. You can't help but want to dance or fall in love. Even though Act 2 is slightly more dull and depressing (the guy does die at age 37), the cast ends the show with quite a wallop. In the end, I am so glad I got to see one of my favorite performers from Glee. I loved Jonathan and Lea Michele in Glee. So glad I got to see them on Broadway being outstanding performers. On the night I saw the show, the audience was old. The seating area is not fun to navigate for older folk, and the staff are always yelling, "Be careful where you step." I wonder how many young people would be interested in this show? Bobby Darin hit his peak in the 1950's. It was nice to discover the audience didn't sound old. These people were loud and excited. I had a fabulous aisle seat, thanks to a generous board member, but there was a 350 pound woman seated next to me. Her left arm fully covered my right arm rest, and her left hip took 30% of my seat away. The seats in this theater are terrible, and because of this women, I was very scared of possible leg cramps, given how I had to sit. Luckily, the aisle seat across from me remained empty, so I switched at intermission.

Oh dear. I can barely deal with the bits and pieces that appear here.

To me, nothing sexier than a sweet, flirtatious smile.