Marilyn Monroe and Sigmund Freud
Short and Sweet Movie Reviews
A DANGEROUS METHOD
As a Mental Health Counselor, and one who loves all things having to do with psychology, I was very excited to see this film. As it turned out, it was a complete disappointment. It is a boring and tedious story that is not worth telling.
SEE IT if you find Michael Fassbender incredibly good looking and don’t care what he, as Dr. Carl Jung, is talking about with Sigmund Freud. DON’T SEE IT if watching Kiera Knightly’s jutting jaw come unhinged would scare you OR, if on second thought, you really don’t care how “psychoanalysis” was born. D-
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
My Weekend With Marilyn has a lot going for it. It has great performances by Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier, and newcomer, Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark. The story takes place in and around London during the summer of 1956. It’s beautifully shot and captures the mood and innocence of that time. (Great costumes, cars and general scenery.)
Michelle Williams plays Miss Monroe perfectly, exposing the star’s fragility. One moment she is playful and child-like, the next she is riddled with crippling self-doubt and anxiety. Her habit of self-medicating with prescription drugs and alcohol creates major headaches for the studio, director and her co-star, Sir Laurence Olivier. If not for the young and enchanting Colin Clark, who befriends Miss Monroe, the production of ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’ would have folded under the strain of Marilyn’s erratic behavior. This is one week in time, worth watching.
SEE IT if you love the 1950’s, Marilyn Monroe and Eddie Redmayne’s lips. DON’T SEE IT if, conversely, Kenneth Branagh’s complete lack of upper lip would disturb you. A
NO desire to see the first.
I love Michelle Williams–so, that’s a possibility (after it comes out in dvd, although….). Poor Marilyn, her candle really did blow out far too soon, didn’t it?
Nice tight reviews. If only my thighs were that lean and well put together. Alas.
Haha! Don’t even bring up the subject of thighs unless you want me to spiral into a depression I’ll never recover from.
I like my reviews short and sweet. Should I go or shouldn’t I? Sometimes I just want the popcorn so something as simple as Eddie Redmayne’s lips are enough of a reason to go.
You don’t think that popcorn has anything to do with the state of my thighs, do you?
I try to suck them in while I’m eating buttered hot popcorn sprinkled with M&M’s. Culinary delight.
Sorry the first was such a disappointment. With Freud and Jung as their subjects, they must have gone out of their way to screw it up.
I’m curious about the 2nd but will probably catch it on netflix eventually.
On a completely unrelated note, love the review style, and look forward to the next!
Thanks, El Guapo. I try not to get too serious. I figure if you want a regular old review you can read the news paper. I just like to cut to the chase, Should I go or shouldn’t I? It doesn’t take much to get me to a movie since I’m usually going for the popcorn! Haha! it’s usually gone before the movie even starts ; )
My Week With Marilyn is a good DVD choice. You really get an idea of how messed up she was.
Anne, that wicked child, takes my Bucket O’ButteredCorn and puts it under her seat. We are not allowed to even smell it until the film, not the trailer, but, the film, starts. Her and her strict rules!!
Hah! My girl starts eating it the second we sit down. Not even my impressive glare is enough to deter her. In fact, it just makes her giggle.
I find psychology stuff interesting but I don’t really see how an entertainment-esque film about it would be… entertaining.
The Monroe one would possibly annoy me. But then possibly not. Decisions, decisions.
I definitely hated A Dangerous Method. My Week With Marilyn is well done, a very contained, smallish story made more interesting because it’s true. Neither has any trolls or spaceships so maybe wait for the DVD? ; )
I laughed at the trailer for A Dangerous Method.
“Punish me!” – Kiera Knightly
I don’t know why but that really struck me as comedy gold.
Because it was.
Mooselicker,
This film is wrought with comedy gold! It’s so funny because it’s trying to be so important and serious. Watching Keira Knightly contort her face through an episode of “hysteria” is a hoot!
“Punish me!”. Oh, if I had a nickle for every time I’ve had someone say that to me–I’d have .04.
Why don’t we have a cents key anymore???
I thought A Dangerous Method was going to be good…but I trust your judgement. Kiera Knightly’s jaw is terrifying. There should be a movie of just her laughing–scariest movie ever.
I need to see My Week With Marilyn. I like Michelle Williams. She always seems so sad since Heath died.
I get that same feeling from her… I’d be sad too, I guess?
Yeah, stay away from A Dangerous Method. It was seriously one of the most boring movies I’ve ever seen. haha!
When you don’t expect much, you can get surprised… ‘From Paris With Love’ yesterday was better than I thought, for example. There aren’t many movies that I find mindblowing, because I’m so imposing. But your reviews might just help me out ;).
Glad you like them. I agree, it’s better to see a movie with low expectations, that way you won’t be disappointed. I usually go for the popcorn, anyway! haha
Do they sell popcorn in the theaters in Belgium?
In England the popcorn is sub-par.
Oh, they definitely do! But I mostly go for the chips… What’s better than watching a movie and eating automatically? I can’t think of anything!
Nothing is better!
I’m again mentioning HOT popcorn, layered with butter, with a bad of regular M&M’s sprinkled throughout.
Oh, and candy you sneak in–so much better that way. And, a diet Pepsi.
You’re speaking my language, my fat language. Exactly what you said. The only thing that would make it better would be a decent movie. haha!
Diet Pepsi is my life.
I can almost get though w/o the movie. Almost. Yes, Diet Pepsi is the drink of the people, even though logically, anything that has 0 Calories should be water, not carbonated water w/chemicals. Still it works.