Movie Review - "Ammonite"

"Ammonite" is a British movie written and directed by Francis Lee.  It made the the Film Festival circuits in late 2019, and was to be released in early 2020, but got lost in the COVID Pandemic shuffle.  It was finally released theatrically in the United States in November of 2020, but if it played anywhere in the Pittsburgh area, I missed it.  It is now available for rental on Prime, and that is where I watched it today.   To be perfectly honest, in and of itself, this is not a movie that I would be inclined to see, but I wanted to see it because of its two leading actresses, Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.    I have said it before, if they filmed Saoirse Ronan reading the phone book, I would no doubt pay to see it.  Kate Winslet was an added bonus.

The story takes place in an English Channel seacoast town in the 1840's.  Winslet plays Mary Anning, a paleontologist whose discoveries were, and probably still are, on display in the British Museum.  Her discoveries were important and widely acclaimed, but due to the societal mores of Victorian England, she herself was not.  She spends her days combing the  rocky Channel beaches looking for fossils and gathering shells for she and her aging and ailing mother to sell to tourists in their small shop.  It is a lonely, forlorn, and mostly a silent existence.  See what I meant by this not being one that I would normally be inclined to see.

Into her life comes another paleontologist  Roderick Murchison and his wife Charlotte, played by Ronan.  Roderick seeks to learn from Mary before he departs on an expedition of is own, and Charlotte is there, suffering from "melancholia" according to Roddy, and needs the sea air to soothe her and help her recover.  He convinces Mary to allow Charlotte to stay with her while he's gone to assist in her recovery.  Mary has no desire to do so, but Murchison will pay, and she and her Mum could use the money.

Much like Mary, Charlotte too suffers from the repressions towards women in the era.  Mary begrudgingly takes care of her and takes her along on her beach hunts, and soon the two of them find something in each other that is missing in each of their lives

The relationship soon takes on physical aspect and Mary and Charlotte engage in a sexual affair.  The lovemaking scenes between them are quite powerful and erotic.  I wouldn't call them pornographic, but at the same time, I have to say that they might not be to everyone's taste.  You've been warned.

I mentioned that the reason I wanted to see this film was to see Winslet and Ronan together on screen and they did not disappoint.  As always, Saoirse Ronan was terrific, but this movie really belongs to Kate Winslet.  There are long stretches of this movie where the dialog is limited and is often drowned out by background noise (use the subtitles when you stream this one), so the actors need to rely on facial expressions and physical reactions, and, boy, do they pull it off.  Pay attention to Winslet's face in one scene as she sits in a gathering in an upper class parlor when a musical recital is being given.  And watch both of them as Charlotte boards a carriage to leave the little beach town and return to her husband in London.  Both are real WOW moments.

Like I said, this movie normally be my cup of tea and would probably only get Two Grandstander Stars, but the presence of Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan earns this one Three Stars.

By the way, Mary Anning is a real historical figure.  Charlotte Murchison is not.   There is no historical evidence that Mary was gay, nor is there any such evidence that she was not.

"Little Women"

I'll cut right to the chase here:

"Little Women" is one of the best movies, maybe even THE best,  that I have seen in 2019.

No, I had never read the Louisa May Alcott classic upon which the movie is based, and I wasn't even at all familiar with the story itself.  This admission comes much to the chagrin of Mrs. Grandstander, who counts "Little Women" as one of her all time favorite books.

Be that as it may, I was looking forward to seeing this movie for several reasons.  Foremost among them was the chance to see Saoirse Ronan on screen once again.  Also, the screenwriter and director of this one is Greta Gerwig, who last year gave us the wonderful "Lady Bird" (which also starred Miss Ronan).  Finally, the reviews for this movie have been universal in their praise.  Sometimes such a build up can lead to a letdown, but not so in the case of "Little Women".  It is a marvelous movie, and great story, gorgeously filmed, and smartly written and wonderfully directed by Gerwig, who at the age of 36 is quickly becoming one of the current days' great filmmakers.  Any movie that she now makes becomes one that I want to see.

Ronan and Gerwig

She makes the interesting choice of telling the story of the March Sisters during two different points in time, set seven years apart in the story.  It seems a bit disorienting at first, but you catch on pretty quickly and it turns out to have been a great way to present the story.

Scanlon, Ronan, Watson, and Pugh

The March Sisters, the "little women" of the title are played by Emma Watson (Meg), Saoirse Ronan (Jo), Florence Pugh (Amy), and Eliza Scanlon (Beth).  All are great, but the first among equals is Ronan.  Ever since seeing her in the great movie "Brooklyn" a few years back, she has become one of my favorite actresses. She alone makes any movie that she is in worth seeing (if they filmed her reading the telephone book, I think that I'd pay to see it), and she is absolutely mesmerizing as Jo March in this one.  You really just can't take your eyes off of her as you watch her perform on screen.  I have said previously on this Blog and will restate it once more, she is becoming the next great actress of her generation, and she will be, I believe, the "next Meryl Streep."

Also appearing in this movie are Timothee Chalamet (another veteran from "Lady Bird"), Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Bob Odenkirk, and the aforementioned Meryl Streep.  How great to have both Streep and Ronan appear in the same movie, although they have few scenes together.  Most of Streep's interactions in the movie are with Miss Pugh's Amy.  

I simply cannot recommend this movie highly enough.  Some terrifically staged scenes, particularly of sequences where there is dancing involved.  Sounds crazy since this is NOT a musical, but when you see the scenes, you'll know what I mean. Also, terrific dialog, particularly from Streep's character Aunt March when talking about the sisters, the necessity of marriage in the nineteenth century, and her feelings towards Jo, who may be more like her than she realizes or cares to admit. 

Simply put, don't miss "Little Women".  I can't wait to see it again.

Four Stars from The Grandstander.

Oh, and one more thing.  We saw this yesterday in a theater that was close to being filled to capacity, and I was one of three or four men in the audience.  So my message to all you guys out there, don't pass this one up because you think this one is strictly for women, or more specifically, young girls.  To do so will cause you to miss out on a terrific movie.  Trust me on that.

"Mary Queen of Scots"

For the second time in a week, I delved into a cinematic look at female British Monarchs ("l'll take female British Monarchs for a thousand, Alex") from long, long ago last night.  Last week it was "The Favourite", which told about Queen Anne in 1706.  Last night it was "Mary Queen of Scots", the story of the titular Queen and her, not sure what you would call it - her battles, rivalry, intramural tussles? - with Elizabeth I.  It starred Saoirse Ronan as Mary and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth.  This one took place back in the 1580's or thereabouts.

I'll be brief with my takeaways on this movie:

1. It starred Saoirse Ronan, rapidly becoming one of my very favorite (as opposed to "favourite") actresses.  She alone makes a movie worth seeing, and she is the sole reason I watched this one. 
2. The filmmakers managed to do the impossible:  They made Margot Robbie look unattractive.
3. It was better than "The Favourite", but, that, admittedly, is setting a very low bar in this particular grandstand.

One and one-half stars from The Grandstander.

"On Chesil Beach"

In 1962 England, a young couple find their idyllic romance colliding with issues of sexual freedom and societal pressure, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night.

So that is how this movie is summarized on it's IMDB page.  it is a pure weepy, soap opera of a movie, one that I  would normally have no interest in watching, and when I watched it today, it lived up to those expectations.  However, when I first heard of this movie, I knew it was one I wanted to see for one reason only.

It starred Saoirse Ronan:

I have been enamored of Miss Ronan, now all of 24 years of age, ever since seeing her in "Brooklyn" two years ago, and again last year in "Lady Bird". I truly believe that she will be the next Great Actress, the next generation's Meryl Streep.  She alone is a reason to see any movie that she makes, and "On Chesil Beach" is no exception.

The movie:  On a young English couple's wedding night in 1962, we see in flashbacks the courtship between the two as they prepare to consummate their marriage.  Things don't go exactly as planned or as either of them would have hoped.  How this affects both Florence (Ronan) and Edward (Billy Howle) is then played out in two flash forwards to 1975 and 2007.

I watched it today via Amazon Prime streaming.  I'm not sure if it ever actually played in movie theaters in Pittsburgh.  It's worth seeing just to watch Saoirse Ronan perform.  Kind of like the home team in football gets three points from the bookies when the betting lines are set, Saoirse Ronan is worth at least one star to any movie that she is in.

The Grandstander rates this one at Two and one-half stars.  

"Lady Bird" (The Movie, Not the Former First lady)

One of the more critically acclaimed movies of this year end rush of serious, awards-worthy movies is "Lady Bird", written and directed by actress Greta Gerwig. The movie can be described as a "coming-of-age" flick about a young teen-aged girl, Christine McPherson, who has for some unexplained reason rechristened herself as Lady Bird.  She is a high school senior living on the "wrong side of the tracks" (her description) in Sacramento, CA.  She longs to leave her dumpy Sacramento existence and go to college somewhere in the east, preferably New York City.  Problem is, she is, at best, an underachieving student, and her family is facing some serious economic hardships.

The movie highlights the challenges and conflict arising between Lady Bird and her mother.  It also shines the light on all of the normal angst that faces teenagers and teen-aged girls in particular.   Never having had children of my own, much less a teen-aged girl, I may not be the best person to judge just how close this movie hits the mark, but it appears to be pretty much on target.

What makes this movie worth seeing, in my opinion, is the performance of  Saoirse Ronan in the title role.  Miss Ronan,  23, you may recall, is the young Irish actress who was wonderful in the terrific movie from 2015, "Brooklyn".  That 

girl, you may say, is now going to play an American teenager?  Are you kidding me, you may say? Let me tell you, she is simply terrific in that role.  You buy it completely that this really is a seventeen year old American high school girl, with everything that that entails, that you are seeing on the screen.  "Astonishing" is not too strong a word to use to describe her in this one.

Another great performance comes from Laurie Metcalfe as Lady Bird's mother.  There is strong buzz that she will soon be landing an Oscar nomination, at least, to go along with the Emmy and Tony Awards already on her mantelpiece at home.

Another element of this movie that I personally liked was the depiction of Lady Bird's high school, a Catholic all-girl's school, which exists hand-in-hand, almost, with a neighboring Catholic all-boys school.   Its as an element to which I could pretty much relate, based upon my own high school years.

When you think of "teenage movies" the 1980's films of John Hughes  - "Sixteen Candles", "Breakfast Club", and "Pretty in Pink" - come to mind, and "Lady Bird" may mine some of the same territory, but in a more dramatic and serious way.  This one does have its comedic moments, though (wait until you see the priest who had been the jayvee football coach and now has to direct the school play).  I liked the movie, didn't love it, although I suspect that I may like it more with repeated viewings.

I was initially going to give this one only Two and One-half stars, but upon reflection, I am bumping it to Three Stars based mainly on the terrific performance of Saoirse Ronan.