Okay, don't lash out at me...

but I just watched Georgia Rule...

and it wasn't that bad.

I mean, something was definitely very off about it, but I can't figure out what it was. The writing was pretty good... so maybe it was the acting. Or it could've just been the timing, which might mean it was directing.

I guess the reason I'm writing this is because I'm learning something about myself. As soon as someone becomes the underdog and has the cards stacked against them, I go soft and begin to root for them. With regards to this movie, I'm talking about Lindsay Lohan. She was pretty much blamed for this flop, but two other actresses were standing right beside her (Academy Award-winning, nonetheless) and they should be held just as responsible. (And let's not forget a director with a great track record.)

I'm not saying Lindsay Lohan's performance was amazing by any means. If you imagine a young Julia Roberts spewing out her lines, with all of her red-headed attitude and genuine vulnerability, you can envision how great it could've been. But I also didn't buy any of Jane Fonda's "Georgia rule-Jesus" crap. It just wasn't believable, not coming from her. As for Felicity Huffman, she had one or two good scenes, but the rest were forgettable. In fact, the cheesiest scene in this movie (in my opinion) was one at the end with her and her husband, a scene in which neither Lindsay Lohan or Jane Fonda appeared.

I don't know... maybe the story is the reason it flopped. It's kinda screwed up. It has to do with incest but it's also kind of a comedy, which is weird.

All I'm saying is that, in all fairness, it's wrong to blame this failure alone on LiLo alone. I mean, you always hear about this movie, and the one thing people seem to say about it is that she's the one who fucked it up. To repeat what I mentioned above, maybe the reason I'm going soft on her is because people are ripping on her now and saying her career is over, but I can see see glimpses of greatness in this movie that were never fully actualized on screen and I don't think it's entirely her fault.

If you've seen this movie, I'm interested to hear your thoughts. If you haven't, spend the $4 to rent it and let me know what you think.

PS - Two favorite lines...

"For a smart girl, you're good at dumb."

"I'm gonna go buy booze, busy budy."

Ahhh! "Before Sunset" with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy was just on Cinemax.

I LOVE this movie—it contains one of my favorite scenes EVER. If you haven't seen it, stop reading this post now, because I'm going to talk about it, so SPOILER ALERT!

 

I LOVE the final scene, when Jesse and Celine go back to her apartment. I LOVE when she plays the guitar and sings to him, "Let me sing you a waltz..."

I LOVE when she imitates Nina Simone and dances.

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the last two lines of dialogue before the movie ends. The magic is really in the their delivery, but for what it's worth...

 

Ahhh!

 

Makes me melt.

My friend Mark came to town last month and we saw "Grey Gardens" on Broadway. It was amazing and I started to write a post about it but never finished. Well, low and behold it was just nominated for ten Tony's, including...

Best Musical, Leading Actress in a Musical - Christine Ebersole (She will win! She will win!), Featured Actress in a Musical - Mary Louise Wilson, Book of a Musical, Original Score, Director, Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, and Orchestrations.

If any of you are planning a trip to New York, "Grey Gardens" is a MUST for your to-do list. It's based on the cult documentary about Jackie Kennedy Onassis' aunt and first cousin, Edith Bouvier Beale and "Little" Edie. Before you see it, you should do a little research so you know what it's about - it will enrich your experience! Here is a great article about it.

Christine Ebersole played Big Edie in the first half and Little Edie in the second. I was blown away by her performance and cried *real* hard at the end. Little Edie was essentially a schizophrenic (well, it's now rumored she was—at the time she was never diagnosed) and Christine Ebersole perfectly captured how funny, tragic, and vulnerable she was. Both she and her mother were outcasts of society who had delusions of grandeur, which is why I was so moved. When Christine Ebersole bowed at the end, it was as if Little Edie was up there on stage, bowing as well. She finally got her moment on Broadway... and it was so damn sweet.

Anyway, a feature film is in the works, and Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange are attached to play Little and Big Edie. The writer/director (Michael Sucsy) is a good friend of Mark's, so I've been hearing about Grey Gardens for years.

Like I said, the musical is based on a documentary. To see great excepts from it (as well as funny remixes and spoofs), visit YouTube and do a search for "Grey Gardens." (Don't watch excepts from the musical—you'll ruin it!—just the documentary!) Here's a great clip re-edited to Madonna music:

Fun Fact: Little Edie and her "revolutionary costumes" have served as inspiration for many fashion designers, including Marc Jacobs:

I also love this one... it's haunting. (It also contains clips from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf"—one of my favorite films ever!)

It's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present, you know what I mean?" — Little Edie

Good movie quote:

"Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers.

It's real, though... the fury... even when it isn't. It can change you, turn you, mold you, and shape you into something you're not.

The only upside to anger, then, is the person you become - hopefully, someone that wakes up one day and realizes they're not afraid to take the journey; someone that knows that the truth is, at best, a partially told story; that anger, like growth, comes in spurts and fits, and in its wake, leaves a new chance at acceptance, and the promise of calm."