In case anybody was wondering, I have not abandoned this thread. I simply have been in a very bad movie watching slump and, until today, had not watched any movies (at least not all the way through) since my last write up.
After announcing the nominations for the 17th HOF, I decided to jump right in and watch the first of the 15 nominees:
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The Dressmaker (Jocelyn Moorhouse, 2015)
Imdb
Date Watched: 09/15/18
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 17th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by Citizen Rules
Rewatch: No.
I must say that when I saw that this film had been nominated, I was not at all excited about it. Just the title was a bit of a turnoff for me and the trailer made it seem as though it would provide little more than some light entertainment.
And for the first part of the film, I thought those initial impressions were going to be proved true. I didn't care much at all for Hugo Weaving's character (and still didn't really by the end of the film) - who felt perhaps a little more caricature than character to me and that was true of many of the other supporting characters. Also I thought Liam Hemsworth's Teddy did little more than to serve as a bit of eye candy (and he isn't even the best looking Hemsworth brother, that one's in a different 17th HOF nom) with little about him to make him feel real.
Thankfully, the lead role is in the far more capable hands of Kate Winslet who infuses her performance with a strong sense of glamour, strength, and vulnerability. I really felt for her struggles to understand her past, cried tears over her losses, and smirked along with her as she exacted her revenge. And it's really this performance that made the film for me. Sure, I laughed at some of the antics of the other characters and liked the bright colors and overall look of the film (though I don't give a flying crap about fashion and haven't worn a dress since my brother's wedding several years ago), but there wasn't a whole lot else here. Still, I had a good time with it and it was a good way to break my two month streak of not being able to finish a movie.