Posted by No pun intended because those were good days. They broke movies through to the mainstream.
I started out with I Feel Pretty. She wasn’t pretty, as if that made all the difference. It is hard to be a leading woman. She does not have it.
Kathleen Robertson in Splendor (1999) does have it. Goin’ Down the Road (1970) is another that… Down the Road Again (2011) also has it. The Girl in the Cafe’ (2005) stands out. Kelly Macdonald is all over it.
Psycho Beach Party (2000) has some merit and is worth another watch. I still don’t know who done it.
Now I am back to Starting Out in the Evening (2007). I think I have seen it before.
But I am stocked-up. Gosford Park (2001) is downloaded and ready to go. Same with Intermission (2003).
And the winner is Starting Out in the Evening.
The Girl in the Cafe’ is the one I remember most though. I am certain I have looked it up before but without Pirate Bay I could not find it. Turks & Caicos (2014) is really good and Bill Nighy is a treat. When I saw Nighy and a young love, I jumped. I had never heard of Ms. Macdonald.
She appeared cute and he was boring, but given his accomplishments, endearing. With neither saying a word, it was a pathetic comedy. So I skipped to near the end. There were a few great scenes and they went their separate ways, until they were no longer separated.
It was two dull people who deserved each other and now it is over. Good. Still, it was visually and audibly (mostly because of the soundtrack) fulfilling. I even considered the theme worthwhile: women are nothing but trouble. I had witnessed one outburst then the exit.
Of course I had to go back and watch the 20 or 30 minutes I had missed.
There was another one, and more, and I had no idea. Trainspotting (1996) may not be a good look for a woman. The movie became very political–not that Turks & Caicos is apolitical, but at least it has the beach as a backdrop–but also extremely well done. I am very glad I watched it in its entirety.
“You gave an old man some excitement,” the excellent Frank Langella said. Then he shared his wisdom of the world and bad novels: The characters didn’t do anything interesting. At the very end there was the blank page. Writers write.
Still, I kept asking What happened to the little slut!
Watch Psycho Beach Party.
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But still. It helps to watch the first one, Goin’ Down the Road. It is history. Don Shebib is definitely a name to remember and there are more films of his from the ’70’s to see.
Doug McGrath, aka Peter McGraw, is a treasure. His career includes credits as “motel deskman,” “busdriver,” and “salesman.” As Pete he shines.