Yesterday I saw Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton and Bryce Dallas Howard.
I can see why Elton John gave this film his blessing. The ride through his life that covers the time between childhood and sobriety is tender, thrilling and above all, honest. A fitting tribute to such an interesting icon.
Young Elton is played by Matthew Illesly who bears such a strong resemblance to him, I want to see what he looks like in 40 years. We see Reggie (his given name) as a young piano prodigy, who's talent is celebrated by his grandmother (Gemma Jones) and merely tolerated by his mother (Bryce Dallas Howard). He has an inherent enthusiasm for music and thankfully follows his instinct to pursue it despite his dysfunctional family life.
His instructors immediately recognize his gift, and as he grows older (and is then played by Kit Connor), it's clear this will be how his life plays out.
By the time we reach adult Elton (Taron Egerton), we know he's gay and that he's found a lifetime friend and creative partner in Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell). The road to success was paved with drama and pain and joy and hard work and as a result of all of it, an addiction has has taken over his spirit.
The film is shown in flashbacks from his point of view at a rehabilitation meeting and structured in a traditional musical sense: The characters break into song frequently in the middle of otherwise linear scenes and sometimes recreate classic performances or videos.
At first, I found the format jarring, but as the film went on and I grew to expect it, I liked it. What was especially fun was seeing photos from the real situations in comparison to the film reenactments at the end. It makes me sorry I only had the privilege of seeing Elton live twice in my lifetime.
All in all, it's a very satisfying, enjoyable look at the remarkable life of a musical genius.
~~~
Showing posts with label Bryce Dallas Howard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bryce Dallas Howard. Show all posts
Sunday, June 09, 2019
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Help
This morning I saw The Help, starring Viola Davis and Emma Stone.
I'll confess, I haven't read the book, but what I saw today certainly impressed me.
It's the early 60s and Skeeter (Stone), a recent Ole Miss grad, returns to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi to launch her career as a writer. Assigned to write responses for a cleaning column (something she knows nothing about) she turns to 'the help' for help. Her friend's maid Aibileen (Davis) graciously agrees to provide her with correct answers for the column, and once they begin talking, Skeeter realizes she could write a much more interesting story. Her idea is to interview Aibileen and other black maids in town to tell about their lives from their perspective.
After much persuasion, Aibileen begins sharing her history in secret meetings with Skeeter. The talks go well, but Skeeter's editor wants more material to make a complete book. Trouble is, the maids in town are so scared of losing their jobs—or worse, their lives—that they choose to remain silent.
A number of awful, racist things happen in Jackson. Town bitch Hilly, played marvelously by Bryce Dallas Howard, wants all the colored people to have their own toilets. Because she holds so much respect among the Junior League, the other white housewives blindly follow her lead and begin installing their own separate toilets.
Shortly thereafter, civil rights leader Medgar Evars is gunned down in his own front yard, and all of the maids band together to tell their stories. They've reached the end of their tether.
Octavia Spencer as Minny is especially entertaining, her stature and strength reminiscent of Mammy in Gone With the Wind, who is coincidentally referenced in the film. But all of the maids are convincing in their individual degrees of conviction, just as the white-people-who-don't-realize-their-racist also seem authentic.
The film is peppered with various notable supporting performances: Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney and Nelsan Ellis all seamlessly blend in to the landscape and add just enough spark to make us remember them. Also fabulous is Jessica Chastain as Jackson's token outcast, Celia.
Really, there are no bad performances in this film, and with the exception of the length (at least half an hour could've been shaved off), this is a very satisfying, if not somewhat sad, snapshot of life in the South not so long ago.
Oscar season, here we come.
I'll confess, I haven't read the book, but what I saw today certainly impressed me.
It's the early 60s and Skeeter (Stone), a recent Ole Miss grad, returns to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi to launch her career as a writer. Assigned to write responses for a cleaning column (something she knows nothing about) she turns to 'the help' for help. Her friend's maid Aibileen (Davis) graciously agrees to provide her with correct answers for the column, and once they begin talking, Skeeter realizes she could write a much more interesting story. Her idea is to interview Aibileen and other black maids in town to tell about their lives from their perspective.
After much persuasion, Aibileen begins sharing her history in secret meetings with Skeeter. The talks go well, but Skeeter's editor wants more material to make a complete book. Trouble is, the maids in town are so scared of losing their jobs—or worse, their lives—that they choose to remain silent.
A number of awful, racist things happen in Jackson. Town bitch Hilly, played marvelously by Bryce Dallas Howard, wants all the colored people to have their own toilets. Because she holds so much respect among the Junior League, the other white housewives blindly follow her lead and begin installing their own separate toilets.
Shortly thereafter, civil rights leader Medgar Evars is gunned down in his own front yard, and all of the maids band together to tell their stories. They've reached the end of their tether.
Octavia Spencer as Minny is especially entertaining, her stature and strength reminiscent of Mammy in Gone With the Wind, who is coincidentally referenced in the film. But all of the maids are convincing in their individual degrees of conviction, just as the white-people-who-don't-realize-their-racist also seem authentic.
The film is peppered with various notable supporting performances: Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney and Nelsan Ellis all seamlessly blend in to the landscape and add just enough spark to make us remember them. Also fabulous is Jessica Chastain as Jackson's token outcast, Celia.
Really, there are no bad performances in this film, and with the exception of the length (at least half an hour could've been shaved off), this is a very satisfying, if not somewhat sad, snapshot of life in the South not so long ago.
Oscar season, here we come.
~~~
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