Showing posts with label Judy Garland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judy Garland. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

TIFF: Judy (2019)

Image courtesy of TIFF

Directed by Rupert Goold, Judy avoids the cradle-to-grave story and focuses on two of the most difficult periods in the life of Judy Garland. The story flashes back to 1939 when a teenage Judy Garland (Darci Shaw) is on the MGM lot making The Wizard of Oz (1939). It's there that she faces long working hours, an overbearing mother and a temperamental Louis B. Mayer. To maintain her weight she's restricted from eating the foods a teenager would typically indulge in and is put on a regimen of pills to reduce her appetite and to help her sleep. It's clear that Judy loves the spotlight but seeks the happiness that comes with living a normal life. As the years pass her two desires seems to be mutually exclusive.

Present day is the last months of Judy Garland's (Renee Zellweger) life. It's 1969 and Garland is struggling to make ends meet. She's forced to come to the decision to leave her children Lorna (Bella Ramsey) and Joey with their father Sidney Luft (Rufus Sewell) and take a job in London. It's there that she finds a welcoming audience of devoted fans. But she's struggling with anxiety, sleepless nights, anorexia and a dependency on pills and alcohol. Her new assistant, the strait laced Rosalyn (Jessie Buckley) is her rock, helping her get on to that stage when no one else seems to be able to. Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock), a young man she met at her daughter Liza's (Gemma-Leah Devereux) party comes to London to sweep her off her feet. Their whirlwind romance is over as soon as it started. As Garland starts to decline, she must leave London but not without making one last splash, with the help of some good friends.


Image courtesy of TIFF

Judy was adapted by Tom Edge and Peter Quilter from the stage play End of the Rainbow. Zellweger really gives her all to play the part of Judy Garland. She hones the voice, the mannerisms and the presence which is no small task. Zellweger sings in the film and while she's no Judy Garland in the voice department it does add a layer of authenticity to her performance. This depiction of Judy gave me a real appreciation for the legend and why we love her and continue to love her as we do. She was just so genuine. She had an amazing talent, one that superseded anything us mere mortals could ever dream of. But at heart she was just a woman who wanted happiness and love. The story includes her time with her children and we see the pain she feels being away from them. They also added a plot line where she befriends two fans, a gay couple, to drive home the point that she was not only a gay icon but felt deeply for others.

By the end of the film I was really emotional. I found myself swept into this world and deeply moved by the legend of Judy Garland. I did feel the story was overly simplistic especially in how it depicted old Hollywood. Everything was presented as good or bad with very little in between. Mickey Rooney shows up in those early scenes as Judy's first crush and her MGM co-star but we don't see much about their lifelong friendship.

Does a Hollywood biopic have to be factually accurate to capture the true essence of a movie star? With so many biopics coming out we have to wonder if telling the truth is even the point. Or is it necessary to have a blend of fiction and reality to make magic on screen? I'm no Judy Garland expert so I can't speak to the inaccuracies but I do think die-hard Garland fans will take issues with the fictional parts and the focus on Garland's darkest days. I hope they see beyond that and give the film a shot.

This film did remind me of Stan & Ollie, the Laurel and Hardy biopic which also travels to the other side of the Atlantic and tells the story of the legends' last hurrah. I reviewed that film here and also discussed the film and the inherent problems with biopics in my discussion with Carl Sweeney over on The Movie Palace Podcast.

Judy explores the darkest days of Judy Garland's life while also capturing what made her such a beloved legend. Zellweger shines despite the film's flaws.



Judy had its Canadian premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

Monday, October 1, 2018

A Star is Born Book Review and Giveaway


A Star is Born
Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away
by Lorna Luft and Jeffrey Vance
Running Press
Hardcover ISBN: 9780762464814
248 pages
September 2018
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowells

I'm doing things a little different this time with a video book review! Thank you to TCM and Running Press for sending me copies of their newest book about A Star is Born movies, most notably the 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason. With the 2018 version coming out later this week, it's a great time to look at how these films fit into the context of Hollywood history and how the 1954 version failed to be Judy Garland's great comeback. Watch the video to find out what I had to say about this new book!





Because I received two review copies of the book I decided to host a giveaway for the additional copy.




GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!
****************

To enter:

1) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
2) In the comment section down below, tell me what is your favorite A Star is Born film (What Price Hollywood? counts) and why.
3) Include your e-mail address in the comment so I can contact you if you win. 
Addresses will be removed after the contest is over.

* Open internationally. 
* Must be age 18 or over.
* Must complete all three prompts to be eligible. 
* Contest ends October 4th at 11:59 PM EST.
* One winner will be selected, contacted via e-mail, and announced here.



Congrats to the winner Despina!


Sunday, October 19, 2014

New & Upcoming Classic Film Books (1)

 "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." - Groucho Marx

I've been on a reading frenzy lately and with so many good biographies and film books coming out I don't think I'll ever stop. It's so important for classic film enthusiasts to read and learn. It enriches the experience, develops the palate and informs the mind.

I've put together a list of new and upcoming classic film books. The publication dates range from September 2014 to March 2015 (specific on sale dates are subject to change). All title links lead you to the book's page on Goodreads. I've chosen a variety of books from big publishing houses to scholarly presses to small, indie and vanity publishers. This list contains biographies, reference guides, textbooks and more. Take a look through and maybe you'll find your next read.


edited by Randy Schmidt
Chicago Review Press
480 pages - September 2014


by Lesley L. Coffin
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 
246 pages - September 2014 



by Gene D Phillips
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
204 pages - September 2014


John Wayne's Way: Life Lessons from the Duke
by Douglas Brode
Globe Pequot Press
128 pages - October 2014


A Companion to Fritz Lang
edited by Joseph McElhaney
Wiley-Blackwell
500 pages - October 2014


Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood
by William J. Mann
Harper
384 pages - October 2014


The 100 Greatest Silent Film Comedians
by James Roots
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
464 pages - October 2014


by Michael Slowick
Columbia University Press
400 pages - October 21st, 2014




by Peter Ackroyd
Nan A. Talese (Penguin Random House)
304 pages - On Sale October 28th, 2014




by John Kisch and Tony Nourmand
Reel Art Press
288 pages - On Sale October 30th, 2014




by William H. Mooney
Rutgers University Press
224 pages - On Sale November 3rd, 2014


by Marc Eliot
Dey Street Books
416 pages - On Sale November 4th, 2014


Hope: Entertainer of the Century
by Richard Zoglin
Simon and Schuster 
576 pages - On Sale November 4th, 2014


by Arthur Laurents
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
192 pages - On Sale November 4th, 2014



by Ruth Barton
University Press of Kentucky
362 pages - On Sale November 5th, 2014


Early Poverty Row Studios
Images of America Series
by  E. J. Stephens and Marc Wanamaker
Arcadia Publishing
128 pages - On Sale November 10th, 2014


Anxiety Muted: American Film Music in a Suburban Age
by Stanley C. Pelkey and Anthony Bushard
Oxford University Press
320 pages - On Sale November 12th, 2014


 Grace: A Biography
by Thilo Wydra
Skyhorse Publishing
340 pages - On Sale November 18th, 2014


Saul Bass: Anatomy of Film Design
by Jan Christopher Horak
University of Kentuck Press
492 pages - On Sale November 18th, 2014 


edited by Anthony Slide
Columbia University Press
448 pages - On Sale November 25th, 2014


by Tim Snelson 
Rutgers University Press
224 pages - On Sale November 26th, 2014


Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962
by Gene Blottner
McFarland & Co
277 pages - On Sale November 30th, 2014



by James L Neibaur
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
228 pages - On Sale December 1st 2014



by Brent Phillips
University Press of Kentucky
368 pages - On Sale December 2nd, 2014



Cecil B. DeMille: The Art of the Hollywood Epic
by Cecilia DeMille Presley and Mark A. Vieira
Foreword by Brett Ratner
Introduction by Martin Scorsese
416 pages - On Sale December 9th, 2014


Color and Empathy: Essays on Two Aspects of Film
by Christine Brinckmann
Amsterdam University Press
282 pages - On Sale December 15th, 2014



edited by Tom Hertweck
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
250 pages - On Sale December 16th, 2014



by Lea Jacobs
University of California Press

280 page - On Sale December 19th, 2014


Buster Keaton's Crew: The Team Behind His Silent Films
by Lisle Foote
McFarland & Co 
300 pages - On Sale December 31st, 2014


The Five Sedgwicks: Pioneer Entertainers of Vaudeville, Film and Television
by Michael Zmuda
McFarland & Co 
277 pages - On Sale December 31st, 2014



by Kristen Hatch
Rutgers University Press
208 pages - On Sale January 2015


Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical
by Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo
University Press of Kentucky
640 pages - On Sale January 13th, 2015

 Art Direction and Production Design
edited by Lucy Fischer
Rutgers University Press
272 pages - On Sale January 19th, 2015


Cinema Civil Rights: Regulation, Repression and Race in the Classic Hollywood Era
by Ellen C. Scott
Rutgers University Press
288 pages - On Sale January 28th, 2015


A Filmgoer's Guid to In-Jokes, Obscure References and Sly Details
by Matthew Coniam
McFarland & Co
On Sale January 31st, 2015


by Michaelangelo Capua
McFarland & Co
On Sale January 31st, 2015




By Peggy Caravantes
Chicago Review Press 
208 pages (juvenile) - On Sale February 1st, 2015


Follies of God: Tennessee Williams and the Women of the Fog
by  James Grissom
Knopf (Penguin Random House)
416 pages - On Sale March 3rd, 2015


Hitchcock Lost and Found: The Forgotten Films 
by Alain Kerzoncuf and Charles Barr
University Press of Kentucky
248  pages - On Sale March 6th, 2015



by William Wellman Jr.
Pantheon
608 pages - On Sale March 10th, 2015


Lois Weber in Early Hollywood
by Shelley Stamp
University of California Press
401 pages - On Sale March 13th, 2015


Hitchcock a la Carte
by Jan Olsson
Duke University Press
288 pages - On Sale March 20th, 2015


Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much
by Michael Wood
New Harvest
144 pages - On Sale March 24th, 2015

Monday, September 28, 2009

My Judy Garland Life by Susie Boyt

My Judy Garland Life
A Memoir
by Susie Boyt
ISBN: 978-1-59691-666-1
$25.00
May 2009
Bloomsbury

A memoir that takes readers through the mind of the ultimate Judy Garland fan. In it's chaotic and sometimes unapproachable form it gives us an honest look at a true fan.

What does it mean to be obsessed about a classic film star? You may have your top, all-time favorite actor or actress whose films you devour as though they were the most delicious desserts on the planet. But are you really obsessed with them? Has that person become an intricate part of your life? Do you worry about that person even though they are no longer around? Does every artifact of their legacy become interwoven with memorable moments of your life?

Author Susie Boyt is obsessed with Judy Garland. There is no doubt about that. Her memoir My Judy Garland Life is just that, a memoir about her Judy Garland life. Reading this book is like taking a look into the chaotic thoughts of an obsessed fan. Not to say that Boyt is a lunatic fan, sacrificing her well-being and the well-being of others for her obsession. Rather Judy Garland has such a profound influnce on Boyt and Boyt feels such a strong connection that their lives sort of intertwine. And what's interesting is that Boyt never met Garland, nor even lived during Garland's lifetime. Yet Garland becomes an important figure in Boyt's life. What I think is admirable about Boyt, is that she unabashedly delves right into her obsession with Judy Garland. Reading it, I didn't feel that anything was missing; as though she was being brutally honest and revealing everything she could about how she worshipped Garland. I thought that kind of honesty and frankness was very admirable.

While the topic was interesting, I didn't much care for the book. It was very disorganized and difficult to read. However, that same disorganization that I criticize I also think lends to the element of the book of exploring the author's brain. Whoever said thoughts had to be organized? My biggest problem is that I'm not all that interested in Judy Garland. This lack of interest may have been my downfall. I had hoped to enjoy the memoir given my interest in the personal experience as it relates to classic fim. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Even though I didn't enjoy the book, doesn't mean I don't think others won't. In fact, I would recommend this book to many folks. First are the Judy Garland fans; I think they would appreciate reading about another Garland fan's experiences and how they were affected by the star. If you are intrigued by fandom and obsession, I would also recommend this seeing as it's a peak into the brain of a fan. If you are a fan of Dirk Bogarde, you might enjoy the plethora of instances in which he is mentioned. If you generally gravitate towards memoirs and want something unique and different to try out, this books really stands out amongst the other memoirs out there.
--------------------

Out of the entire book, there was one section that really quite struck me. It was when the author discusses the differences between good and bad Judy Garland fans. Boyt says:

Good fans consider that bad fans seek to denigrate Judy Garland's achievements by dwelling first and foresmost on her personal suffering... Bad fans prize embarassment and feelings of excruciation above all other sensations because these are the kinds of strong feelings they prefer.

Just some food for thought...

Special thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book for review!

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