Assorted Recs, 3/19/08

[retsuko]

"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" was a champagne cocktail of a movie: sparkly, bubbly, sweet, and with no hint of any kind of real substance. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Although Frances McDormand is a wonderful actress and the title character of this story, it's Amy Adams who really steals the spotlight. It's as if she channeling Marilyn Monroe in "The Seven-Year Itch" as she breathily exclaims, "Oh, the feeling of fur against your bare skin! It's delicious, isn't it?" But she's not just channeling another actress--she's a wonderful actress in her own right, and she sweeps through this story in gorgeous costumes, lending just a hint of gravity to an otherwise too shallow story. It's a pleasure to watch her, both as a ditzy socialite and as a woman realizing that she's backed herself into a corner, relationship-wise.

Equally pleasant to watch is the simply amazing production and costume design. London of 1942 is alive and well, and the fashions are truly gorgeous, even as the specter of impending war lurks in the background. A wonderfully telling exchange occurs between Miss Pettigrew and Adams' character, Delysia, as they peruse the mannequins in a store window outfitted with gas masks:

Delysia: Oh, it's dreadful, isn't it?
Miss Pettigrew: Yes, it is very frightening. I expect we're headed for war soon.
Delysia: The cap sleeves!

The horrors of bad fashion clearly outweigh the horrors of war, surely. Of course, when war actually does manifest itself (in the form of an air raid), the story takes a turn for the more serious and forces both of its main characters to make choices about what they really want. Deus ex machina, perhaps, but a fairly authentic one, given the circumstances.

The villainess of this film appears in the form of Edythe Dubarry, a fashion designer, played by Shirley Henderson, who also appeared in HP & GoF as Moaning Myrtle. (You never forget that voice, not by a long shot.) I think she was enjoying the part, but it was disconcerting to hear such a small voice come out of such a grown-up woman, and a sort of femme fatale at that. Having checked IMDB, I have found that the actress is 40 years old--not that that is a particularly old age, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that she played a 15/16 year old character.

Anyway: go see this movie with your Mom or Aunt or Sister or Girlfriend and you'll be glad you did. Because you need an effervescent cocktail every now and then. :)


Also recommended:
Hellboy: Wake the Devil: Mignola's coloring is amazing; the shadows of the story are alive, even though they're just swathes of black here and there on the page. The story's not too bad, either, and highly reminiscent of old pulp comics, with its supernatural forces, Nazi bad guys, and a staunchly pragmatic hero.

Comments

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the Doctor Who episode that Amy Adams was in? She was _totally adorable_. Also, the episode made heavy use of "Mr Blue Sky," which was very very funny (even though it made me sad cuz it's one of my ex's favorite songs.)

[cerusee.livejournal.com]

Do you mean the episode Henderson was in? Yeah, she was adorable (I didn't recognize her, but I knew I'd heard her voice somewhere before, and had to look it up on IMDB), and I was shocked to realize how old she is. Not that it's a bad thing, but man, she still looks about twenty years younger than she is, in addition to the memorable tiny voice.

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the episode with Henderson in it very much! I loved that the monster/alien thingie was created by a 7-year-old boy as part of a contest. :D

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, that is very much what I mean!