Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

Director: Mike Nichols
Writer: Carrie Fisher (screenplay)
Cast: Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman,
Genre: Semi-Autobiograpy, Comedy-Drama

A pill popping, cocaine addicted actress (Merly Streep) wakes up in a drug rehab center after having her stomach pumped in the emergency room. She's then forced to move back in with her domineering mother by the movie's insurance company...they won't let her work on her next movie project without a guardian watching over her.

Postcards From the Edge is based on Carrie Fisher's 1987 semi-autobiographical novel. Carrie herself wrote the screenplay for this 1990 movie directed by veteran director Mike Nichols, who gave us such gems as: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The Graduate (1967) and Silkwood (1983).

While the movie is not meant to be fully autobiographical, it is based on Carrie Fisher's life and her experiences with her mother Debbie Reynolds. The movie is played for laughs and as long as you don't expect a hard hitting expose on a Hollywood actress' drug addition, then the film works, OK.


Meryl Streep, plays Suzanne the daughter of a famous 1950s-60s movie star Doris Mann. They have a difficult relationship with Suzanne feeling her mother is always pushing to be the center of attention, and attention is what Suzanne needs.

I usually like Meryl Streep, but I don't think she was right for the role based on Carrie Fisher. Meryl plays her part too foo-foo, too silly and more like an airhead. I didn't buy it.

Reportedly real life mother and daughter Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis wanted to do the role. I would have loved to see a more spit-fire, multi dynamic character and I think Jamie Lee Curtis could have pulled it off.

Shirley MacLaine, I liked her! IMO she was the star of the film and is the best reason to watch this. She did ibidem a Debbie Reynolds persona. I felt like I was watching the real thing when ever she was on the screen.

The rest of the cast has some choice actors too, especially good was Gene Hackman and Denis Quaid.





.

Attachments

     

Can't believe you're just seeing this for the first time...enjoyed your review, though I liked it more than you did.

I think I would have liked it more if I hadn't known so much about Carrie Fisher ( I mean that as a compliment to Carrie). But still a good film.

This is the kind of thing that I never want to hear - if it is really true - because it frustrates me that it never happened. I would've loved Jamie Lee Curtis in the role of the daughter. I think she would've portrayed the character more like she should've been (I agree that it wasn't the way it should've been presented), which means more like Carrie Fisher.

__________________
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe

It has been years since I have seen this. I thought it was a pretty decent movie.

Crazy thing is that I always get Kitty Foyle mixed up with Kitty (a completely different film to that one - it is the title that does it to me). Have you ever seen that one?

Anyway, when I read that Dennis Morgan was in it I immediately thought that had to be wrong because Ray Milland is in it. But, no, you are right. I realized that Ray Milland is actually in Kitty.

I know which woman stars in which film (Paulette Goddard is in Kitty), but I can never get the two men straight. It makes no sense at all that I do that either. The one is in "modern" dress and the other is in 18th century clothing. I can't even figure myself out for not being able to keep them straight for each film.

Is Kitty any good? I've never heard of it, but after watching your nom for the 13th I have a new appreciation for Paullete Goddard.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Leon Uris (novel), Samuel Taylor (screenplay)
Cast: Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, John Vernon
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Length: 2h 23mins

About: A French secret intelligence agent, who has dealings with both the Communist Russians and with the Western World, finds his talents being pressed into service at the height of the Cold War. After he discovers evidence that leads up to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, he must then risk his life going undercover to gather information on a Russian Spy ring that is embedded in the French government.

Review: Topaz is often regarded as one of Hitch's weaker films...it's anything but weak. Hitch in the mid 1960's decided to walk away from the film style that had made him a household name in the 1950's. In the 40's and 50's Hitch had become known for making high end entertainment movies that focused on specific thriller elements, while delivering much more than just entertainment. Hitch was at top of his game after completing the Birds in 1963.


Perhaps due to his relationship with French director François Truffaut, Hitch did a 180 turn with Topaz, a sophisticated film made in the style of European cinema. Gone were the eye candy special effects that Hitch's fans had grown to love. Gone too were the big name Hollywood stars, instead Hitch went with French actors who were unknown to mainstream American audiences.

Hitch was known to be very aware of what audiences thought of his movies and he aimed to have the biggest mass appeal, he aimed to please. Perhaps it was the criticisms of his past work as nothing more than pop entertainment that propped Hitch to make such a drastically different film in Topaz.


However, audiences of the day hated Topaz for the most part, most likely due to the fact it wasn't what Hitch usually made. Especially criticized was the original ending of the movie. So sensitive was Hitch that he re-shot an entirely different ending than the one he had planned.

I found Topaz to be more cerebral, but just as well crafted as Hitch's earlier films. The French actors were not as dynamic as Hollywood actors, but that's just a difference in acting style and actually works in favor of this smart, spy thriller with a complicated intelligent plot.

If you ever wondered what a real James Bond would have been like, circa 1964, check out Topaz.

Attachments

   

It's been many years since I saw Topaz, but I remember not liking it, so I never watched it again. Maybe I should give it another chance?

__________________
.
If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

Saw Topaz decades ago, can't really comment as I remember sod all about it (even the screenshots trigger absolutely nothing) .... that's very unusual for a Hitch film.

It is very forgettable.

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

This was a really well written review...I've never had any desire to see this film and I'm considering re-thinking that, but...2 hours and 23 minutes?

Jamie Lee definitely could have pulled the role off, but have a hard time picturing Janet Leigh in the role of the mother as it was written...the film is, in essence, a comedy, which has never really been Leigh's forte, IMO. Though the idea of a real life mother and daughter playing the roles I think would have brought an added richness to the film, like Will and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness.

1st...thanks G & C for the helpIt's not a fun movie per say, I doubt I'll ever watch it again. I watched it as I'm trying to watch all of Hitch's sound films. I don't think I'll attempt to watch all of the silents he directed.

Give me a few more months and I won't remember anything either...though that's not unusual for me

What Hitch films have you seen? If you let me know I might be able to recommend one that I really like that you haven't watched yet.

just watched it recently and i liked it too. will write a couple of paragraphs myself

__________________
You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.

Oh cool! thanks for telling me, I'll keep an eye on your review thread for it. I'd love to read your review.

Director: Eugene Levy
Cast: Richard Lewis, Sean Young, John Candy, Jim Belushi, Cybill Shepherd, George Hamilton
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery

Attachments

       

Never heard of this...interesting cast...enjoyed reading out it, may add it to my watchlist.

I was thinking of you when I wrote that review, I figured you either have seen it, or should see it. I think you would like it.

decent and underrated cold war drama. I like it too.

Thanks you! Finally someone who agrees with me Have you seen any of Hitch's other mid-late 60s movies, like Marnie, Torn Curtain, Frenzy or Family Plot?