I’m the kind of person who sets rules for herself & then constantly questions them. For example, when I became a film critic, I set several rules for myself including never give away an ending without a “Spoiler Alert” (”Memo to Self: Jan, please do your best to avoid all mention of the specific contents of the second half of a film just in case you’re tempted!”), and never consult source material (especially novels) until after I’ve seen a film at least once. Rules like these sometimes give me headaches, but I think they help me avoid some of the things I hate most in the reviews of some of my colleagues. Then, every once in a while, I have an experience that convinces me my rules are the right ones for both me & my readers.
And so, when I heard Ang Lee was about to release a new film about Woodstock, I did the minimal amount of research required to confirm my gut feel that Elliot Tiber (author of the memoir which is Lee’s source book) was Jewish (making TAKING WOODSTOCK suitable for one of my monthly columns), & then I stopped… completely. Since I was a Jewish girl from New Jersey who graduated from high school in June of 1969 and started college in September of 1969, Woodstock was a treasured event buried deep in my memory bank. Therefore, I took particular care not to update my thoughts on the subject before seeing the film.
So when I tell you that I walked out of the critics’ screening saying: “Who is Jonathan Groff?!?!?” it’s because the film totally convinced me he was the star of the show, & not because I went in with any specific memories, visual or otherwise, of the real Michael Lang. So Saturday night I came home from a dinner party & saw that the History Channel was showing a doc about Woodstock from 11 PM to 1 AM. My husband groaned & went to bed, but I decided to “watch a little bit” before joining him. I ending up watching the whole thing! I was riveted! Here was a Woodstock story I could really believe in… even in the middle of the night… even with lots of commercials… And then, at the end, when the credits came up, there it was: “directed by Barbara Kopple.”
Unfortunately this made-for-TV film is not yet available on DVD. As soon as I know all of you can get it, I’ll write a full review. Meanwhile, let me just say this: I believe in the ‘60s with my whole heart & soul, & I truly believe the world is a better place since the ‘60s. I have met many men over the years who question this, but most women I know agree with me.
There are very few women in TAKING WOODSTOCK. Mamie Gummer plays a “Hippie Chick” attached to Michael Lang in some way never specified in the screenplay, and Imelda Staunton is badly miscast and ill-used as Elliot Tiber’s mother, but otherwise there are no essential female speaking parts. For whatever reason, Ang Lee decided to focus his “Woodstock film” on how one historical event affected the life of one gay man struggling to come out of the closet, that is, he decided to base his film on Elliot Tiber’s book (as opposed to, say, Michael Lang’s book). That was his choice, & I won’t criticize him for it. But I’m awfully glad Barbara Kopple’s doc is also available to complete the picture! You Go, Girl!!!
31.Aug.09 
Raving/Ranting about Male Filmmakers 
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Does any right-minded person still doubt what Julia herself would say about Nora Ephron’s new film JULIE & JULIA?!?
Here’s an article from the New York Times about the huge spike in book sales since the film appeared.
So OK, when Julia first found out about Julie’s Blog, maybe she wasn’t so pleased. Let’s be fair: she was a pretty old lady at that point, Blogs were totally new, & cursing wasn’t her style. But I defy anyone to tell me Julia isn’t looking down on her prize student right now & beaming with pride!!! And for anyone who has described Julie as “whiney,” read this line several times: “the art of French cooking is indeed hard to master,” & beg forgiveness. You know who you are: shame on you!!!
Click HERE to read my WomenArts review of JULIE & JULIA.
Click HERE for more thoughts on why MY review is the right one!
27.Aug.09 Raving/Ranting about Critics/Journalists Read more Comments (0)
Kudos to Lisa Belkin for her great article “The Power of the Purse” (published in Tuesday’s NYT).
Behind all this giving lies the theory that helping women and children is the way to change the planet. “Seventy percent of people living in poverty around the world are women and children,” says Christine Grumm, president and C.E.O. of the Women’s Funding Network. “If women have a roof over their heads and a home free of violence, and good and affordable health care, then so do children. In the larger picture, it’s not just about women, but entire communities. Women are the conduits through which change is made.”
Here! Here!
Now please surf over to Lisa’s Blog & let her know that WITASWAN’s tag line is… The Power of the Purse!!!
20.Aug.09 Events: WITASWAN & SWAN Day, Raving/Ranting about Critics/Journalists Read more Comment (1)
Rich & I have started dressing in our PrObama shirts every weekend again. It seems “the campaign” is not over, but has merely entered an incredibly ugly new phase. Here’s a clip one of my FB buddies posted of a blonde woman screaming “Heil Hitler!” at an Israeli man trying to explain the importance of national healthcare (as he knows it from personal experience) at a town hall meeting in Las Vegas. Watch for her incredibly rude gesture at the end. Have these Republican zealots no shame?!? Rich won’t watch Fox News & I admit it’s pretty painful, but if you don’t watch, then you don’t know, because Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert only have time to show the tip of the iceberg. Shout out to Americans of good will everywhere: A House Divided Cannot Stand!!
19.Aug.09 Raving/Ranting about Critics/Journalists Read more Comments (0)
Participating in a very interesting conversation about JULIE & JULIA on Melissa Silverstein’s Blog. But here’s the thing: if you do NOT see it my way, then you either have to believe Nora Ephron believes Julia Child really was perfect (had a perfect marriage, etc, etc), &/or you really have to believe Nora Ephron is so stupid that she didn’t realize “the real Julie” would be the loser in an actual cinematic face-off with “the real Julia.”
I find both of these options tremendously condescending. Perhaps people wish Nora Ephron had made a different movie (e.g., a Julia Child biopic) but she didn’t, so I suggest we all try to assess the one she actually made. To Melissa: Thanks for your continued commitment to fighting the good fight!
14.Aug.09 Raving/Ranting about Critics/Journalists Read more Comment (1)
Click HERE to download my WomanArts review as a pdf file.
Blogger Julie Powell had a lot of hard days and long weeks in 2001. In her book Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, she tells us she worked in a cubicle in an office overlooking Ground Zero, and the 9/11 tragedy was an omnipresent fact of her life. But instead of wallowing, she decided to sit herself down at the feet of a master and study her way up from horror to happiness. Her text was Mastering the Art of French Cooking by the incomparable Julia Child. Nora Ephron’s adaptation Julie & Julia keeps its focus on Julie Powell (played by a physically subdued but emotionally vibrant Amy Adams), and Meryl Streep contributes a fabulous supporting performance, not as “the real” Julia Child, but as the Julia Child who lives in Julie Powell’s head. Ephron has created a loving tribute to teachers (and students) everywhere, and a terrific film for everyone—women and men alike.
Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
Click HERE to read my WomenArts review online.
13.Aug.09 Reviews: H-J Read more Comments (0)
