I so strongly agree on the majority percentage of your takes on everything (those that I've seen anyhow) that I'm mildly bummed, but not judgmental, that Poor Things didn't resonate with you. I may have been kinder and more open to its quirks because I'm a genre guy at heart, but I thought it was every bit as much a pop feminist child-woman-comes-into-her-own journey as Barbie, just on a slightly darker, less audience-friendly field of play. Frankenstein itself being so deserving of a feminist reevaluation (how Mary Shelley goes so largely uncredited as the years-ahead-of-her-time creator of science fiction is beyond me), I think there's a bit of reclamation here (though of course both author and director are male). I thought Emma Stone was every bit as committed and in her own way luminous as Margot Robbie (Robbie deserved a nomination, as did Greta, even more than the film as a whole). It's a bold film with some wild tonal swings, but very literate and full of real heart and an unexpected sweetness in the end. A story about identity and chosen family as much as anything. Maybe you'll be up for a revisit some day?
Hey Stephen, thanks for your thoughts. Well-considered and well-said as usual. A big hurdle for me was that the movie didn’t convince me Bella was actually competent to consent to Wedderburn, so their sexual escapades, especially at first, felt like exploitation of the developmentally disabled. I’m sure that wasn’t the filmmakers’ intent, and there is some rather pointed dialog saying she’s developing rapidly, yet she walks and talks more like a toddler, which undermines that explanation. I’ve since discovered online that many others saw it that way as well, including some self-identifying feminists. I also found many others who saw it as you did, and similarly loved the film. (I searched “poor things exploitative”, and found a healthy debate.) I had other quibbles with the film, but I won’t go on and on. I guess it just didn’t work for me. Like you said, maybe a revisit some day.
Agee totally on Nyad, loved it. And thanks for this, I was contemplating watching Poor Things but you saved me! I turned off Maestro, too depressing but Cooper could win for Best Actor I think. Cheers!!
I so strongly agree on the majority percentage of your takes on everything (those that I've seen anyhow) that I'm mildly bummed, but not judgmental, that Poor Things didn't resonate with you. I may have been kinder and more open to its quirks because I'm a genre guy at heart, but I thought it was every bit as much a pop feminist child-woman-comes-into-her-own journey as Barbie, just on a slightly darker, less audience-friendly field of play. Frankenstein itself being so deserving of a feminist reevaluation (how Mary Shelley goes so largely uncredited as the years-ahead-of-her-time creator of science fiction is beyond me), I think there's a bit of reclamation here (though of course both author and director are male). I thought Emma Stone was every bit as committed and in her own way luminous as Margot Robbie (Robbie deserved a nomination, as did Greta, even more than the film as a whole). It's a bold film with some wild tonal swings, but very literate and full of real heart and an unexpected sweetness in the end. A story about identity and chosen family as much as anything. Maybe you'll be up for a revisit some day?
Hey Stephen, thanks for your thoughts. Well-considered and well-said as usual. A big hurdle for me was that the movie didn’t convince me Bella was actually competent to consent to Wedderburn, so their sexual escapades, especially at first, felt like exploitation of the developmentally disabled. I’m sure that wasn’t the filmmakers’ intent, and there is some rather pointed dialog saying she’s developing rapidly, yet she walks and talks more like a toddler, which undermines that explanation. I’ve since discovered online that many others saw it that way as well, including some self-identifying feminists. I also found many others who saw it as you did, and similarly loved the film. (I searched “poor things exploitative”, and found a healthy debate.) I had other quibbles with the film, but I won’t go on and on. I guess it just didn’t work for me. Like you said, maybe a revisit some day.
Agee totally on Nyad, loved it. And thanks for this, I was contemplating watching Poor Things but you saved me! I turned off Maestro, too depressing but Cooper could win for Best Actor I think. Cheers!!