Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share three movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you're up to it one of each.For further details visit the series main page here.
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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Movies About Writing/Writers of Novels (not about real-life Writers)
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Third Person (2013)
Three interlocking stories set in three different cities where one of the characters is a writer trying to finish up his latest book in a hotel room. It sort of has an interesting way in connecting the stories, but the individual stories themselves were not that strong, so overall I didn't quite enjoy it. James Franco is in this and I have to say I don't think he can do drama; I found him pretty awful in this.
In the House (2012)
I've chosen this before for the Teachers theme but it's a good drama/thriller that's fitting here as it follows a French teacher, Germain, giving extra writing tutoring to one of his students, a budding writer. He soon becomes engrossed by his student's written account of a classmate's family life and doubt begins to arise what is real and what is fictionalised and sensationalised to keep Germain's interest.
Ruby Sparks (201)
Chose this before in a previous theme but once again it's such a fitting pick for today. A novelist suffering from writers block writes his dream girl into existence. A quirky dramedy that goes to quite a dark place as the main character increasingly manipulates aspects of his girlfriend's characteristics to mould her into his idea of the perfect girlfriend for the perfect relationship.
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Haven't heard of Third Person but looking at the cast aside from Franco I think I might give it a try and hope for the best. In the House also sounds intriguing but I detested Ruby Sparks.
ReplyDeleteI actually found this week easy, I like films about the writing process and came up with three favorites with no effort.
Swimming Pool (2003)-Writer Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) is blocked working on her new detective novel so her publisher suggests she get out of London to refresh herself and lends her his home in the French countryside. On arrival she luxuriates in the sunshine and solitude but that is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of the publisher’s wild child daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier). After a rocky beginning the two form a bond, one that is challenged by a serious turn of events. Strange, moody and captivating with a brilliant Charlotte Rampling performance.
Wonder Boys (2000)-Shaggy dog college professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) drifts through his days in a pot induced haze avoiding the various crisis that are swirling just below the surface of his life. He’s a noted author suffering from a strange sort of writer’s block-he can’t seem to end the follow up novel to his first hot book, his third wife has just left him, his mistress, the college chancellor (Frances McDormand), is married to the chair of Grady’s department and has just discovered she’s pregnant by Grady, his editor is in town hounding him for a completed manuscript and he has a new odd wonder boy writer James Leer (Tobey Maguire) in his class stirring memories of when Grady was the hot young kid on the block. Oh and the department chair’s dead dog, accidently shot by James Leer, is in the trunk of Grady’s car! Somewhat shambling film is kept centered by Michael Douglas in perhaps his best ever performance.
In a Lonely Place (1950)-Hot headed screenwriter Dixon Steele (Humphrey Bogart) is considering adapting a novel he knows is trash. Rather than reading it he invites a hat check girl at his favorite watering hole to his apartment to tell him the story. After she leaves she’s murdered and Dix is suspected, however his neighbor Laurel (Gloria Grahame) is able to provide him with an alibi. Only nodding acquaintances previously they strike up a friendship which rapidly turns serious and they plan to marry. Everything seems rosy until Dix’s violent outbursts start to create doubt in Laurel’s mind. Both Bogart and Grahame are just great. Brooding nihilistic Nicholas Ray directed film is an essential noir.
Saw like a tiny bit of Swimming Pool when it was aired on tv, looks very interesting, would love to watch it in full.
DeleteI've seen Wonder Boys before but that was soo long ago, can't remember anything.
I know Third Person got a lot of bad reviews, but I really enjoyed it and I'm glad you chose it. I also chose Ruby Sparks, which is a wonderful little film.
ReplyDeleteI heard that it had lots of bad reviews,but I didn't read their criticisms. For me it was the individual stories weren't that interesting and like I said Franco was bad. I was listening to a podcast recently and they were talking about Franco's performance in another drama and said he was such an insincere actor and I so agree. Everything comes through as very contrived.
DeleteI've not seen any of these, but I have been wanting to see Ruby Sparks for a while. Not at all familiar with the others, though.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these films but they all sound quite interesting especially Ruby Sparks
ReplyDeleteIn The House sounds good and really liked Ruby Sparks (Kazan and Dano make such a great pair).
ReplyDeleteHaha yeah - they are a real life couple.
DeleteI haven't seen nor heard of any of these, but they all sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteI remember liking Ruby Sparks, the only one I've seen of your picks. Dano is always good.
ReplyDelete