BLUE JASMINE: Lady sings the blues

The Webbers saw Blue Jasmine earlier this month at the Angelika Film Center in Manhattan, thanks to a brilliant suggestion by my writer-friend and personal NYC travel advisor, M.S. After all, seeing a Woody Allen movie in Soho is pretty much the most New-Yorkish thing a body could do. The Angelika is a posh art-house theater, and they were showing Blue Jasmine every thirty minutes, which was perfect for us since we were traveling by subway and could never figure out how long it would take to get anywhere.

Unfortunately, Blue Jasmine is not the warm-and-fuzzy Woody Allen experience of, say, Midnight in Paris, which was full of wonder and charm. It was more along the lines of You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, which was full of reality and chaos. Unlike Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine is not the sort of movie you wish you could inhabit in real life. In fact, it makes you grateful that you don’t. The trailer captures it perfectly, including my favorite line of all: “There’s only so many traumas a person can withstand ‘til they take to the streets and start screaming.”

So, why should you go see what might turn out to be a bit of a Debbie Downer? Why should you spend your money on a film that made the youngest Webber turn to me afterwards and say, “What the heck was that?” Well there’s just one reason, really, and that’s Cate Blanchett. Wow. She so thoroughly possesses the character of Jasmine, you actually start to worry about her a little. Her transformation from high-flying socialite to hanging by her fingernails is nothing short of profound.

Entertainment Weekly gave the film a solid “A” (which is a rare thing indeed – they don’t grade on a curve). Blanchett earned her fair share of that A, ably assisted by Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins, Bobby Cannavale, and Peter Sarsgaard. EW described Jasmine as “powerful and enthralling,” which it was. It was also crisp, thought-provoking, and, I’ll admit it, enjoyable to watch. Just don’t place any bets as to who – if anyone – will come out on top.  

Watch the trailer

MUD: Just wow

I was at Target this afternoon and saw that Mud is now out on DVD. So I guess it’s high time I wrote my review of it! Strangely enough, it wasn’t that long ago that I saw it in the theater. In fact, it showed at our local Regal Arbor for months. But I had the pleasure of seeing it at an even cooler venue – the historic Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, courtesy of my bestie, K.N., who hosted me for a visit in Minnie last month.

How to describe the Riverview . . . It’s a single-screen neighborhood movie theater that’s been a going concern since the late ‘40s, but it’s far too big and fancy to be considered quaint. The show was $3.00 (cash only, please), and the place was packed wall to wall. There was a grumpy ticket-taker at the door and a three-piece jazz combo playing in the lobby. I felt like I’d just taken a trip back in time.

It was just a happy coincidence that the Riverview was screening Mud the weekend I was visiting. You’ve probably heard by now that it’s a powerful movie and that star Matthew McConaughey delivers one of his best performances. Well, I’m here to tell you that the rumors are all true! It was so affecting, it rattled around in my head for days afterward – so much so that I saw it again at the Arbor as soon as I got back home. I’ll be beyond disappointed if the Academy doesn’t appreciate it as much as I did.

I won’t spoil anything for you, because I fully expect you to put this title in your Netflix queue – or whatever it is the kids are watching these days. But I can tell you that McConaughey is not alone in his triumph. The two little boys, Ellis and Neckbone, are pubescent perfection, straight out of Huckleberry Finn. Every actor in this piece is a powerhouse. It’s got Sam Shepard, for heaven’s sake. And Joe Don Baker, who is still Walking Tall. Although this is only the fourth time out of the gate for director Jeff Nichols, he pulled it off with a lifetime’s worth of style. As Mud himself would say, it’s a hell of a thang.

See the trailer.