Movie review - "The Materialists" (2025) *****

 Magnificent. Witty, clever, deeply felt. Chris Evans's character is as much a unicorn as Pedro Pascal - i.e. an actor who listens and doesn't talk about himself all the time. Says important things.

Book review - "Hope for Film" by Ted Hope

 This book was always out at the LA library and I wondered why as it was a few years old until I realised that Hope was an exec at Amazon and presumably people wanted to suck up when they pitched projects to him.

This book goes up to just pre Amazon. Hope was at an odd stage of his career, having seen the indie film business be knocked out by the GFC and having a not-really-fun stint as head of the San Francisco Film Society.

The book is a combination of memoir, how-to, explaining financial models that aren't really there, and history.

There's terrific insights into the making of early films from Hal Hartley, Ang Lee, Ed Burns, Todd Solodonz. He worked with John Waters, Greg Molotta, Todd Field... lots of people. He doesn't hold back on criticism of people like Field and his one time girlfriend Tamara Jenkins and others.

I felt the book could have done with an edit to make it tighter but it was consistently interesting.

Movie review - “Motherhood” (2009) *

This received some publicity for being the least successful film released in British cinemas ever or something – at first I thought it was a harsh verdict but not after seeing it. This is a dreadful movie, shockingly made in all departments. 

 

Chief blame must lie with the writer director, who was foolish enough to think her life had the material to make a feature film. Sure, it’s not easy to raise kids but they’re not babies, she has a partner, she doesn’t do paid work – there’s lots of people who have it plenty tougher than she does. And mothers do say how hard it is to raise a child – they say it all the time, and write umpteenth books about it, if only you care to pay attention.

 

This is a film made by, for and about whiners. The mother (Uma Thurman) whines about having to get up, get kids ready, do her stupid blog, not having as much money as the neighbours, her husband writing tough feedback on her dumb blog; the husband (Anthony Edwards) whines about marking papers for students who go to places they can’t afford to go to. (He’s an academic, which makes this a very truthful scene – no one whines or has a greater sense of entitlement than an arts academic – but doesn’t make for great drama); the kids whine about wanting to have a great party. No one whines about Uma Thurman talking on the phone while driving, which is downright dangerous.

 

The actors don’t help. Actually that’s not entirely fair – Edwards is fine, despite his dumb character, but Thurman mugs madly. She’s hysterical from the first scene, not giving her anywhere to go. 

 

Why did Killer Films attach their moniker to this? Was it the fact Thurman was attached? Did the script have resonance for mum Christine Vacchon? It’s hard to think of a worse film they’ve been involved with.

Book review – “A Killer Life” by Christine Vacchon

Wonderful book full of great stories and insights. Less of a how-to that her previous book, this is more of a what-happened-to-me; in particular, it’s how to stay in the business after the initial indie boom, which Vachon has done. The tone is a little wearier, a little more tired – Oscars and money are more important, the constant question is how much to compromise. It’s a more grown up book, if that makes sense. But it’s also inspirational, in that if you keep trying to do good work with good people you’ll have a real career.

Fantastic stories – Kimberly Pierce and Hilary Swank clashing on Boys Don’t Cry (for genuine artistic reasons); censorship on the same films (getting past censors by cutting a bit where Swank brushes her mouth post-sex with Chloe Sevigny); the agony of making Infamous which came out just after Capote (did everyone really think the Infamous script was amazing); her trick of asking people if they’ve ever had a long term romantic relationship before deciding to work with them (if they say “no”, she doesn’t – it’s as good a test as any!); fighting with directors and dealing with studios. Really worth reading for all filmmakers and fans of indie film.

Movie review – “Infamous” (2006) **1/2

The poor bastard of the year award would have to go to Douglas McGrath and the makers of this movie, which was pipped at the post by “the other Capote film”, Capote. Not only did it deal with the famous writer, it too concentrated on the one specific incident of his career – the writing of In Cold Blood. This one has a cult for being better but it isn’t really – it has extra glimpses of New York high life, but does that really matter since we don’t get to see much of it? (If it had been a film about the Black and White Ball, that might have been different.) The other Capote also feels more authentic – this one has clunky scenes like Capote turning up to the police station where there’s a press conference and making sweeping statements; and it’s not particularly well directed either (eg all those Woody Allen-type long shots and talking to camera). Toby Young’s Capote is fine; Sandra Bullock is excellent as Harper Lee but the actor who plays Paley is dreadful and actor-ish.