Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

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Movie Night: "Selma"

January 13, 2015

selma-movie-poster

We braved the rain the other night (yes, it actually rained in Santa Barbara – for two days, in fact – and hopefully the percip helped the drought conditions) and went to the Arlington Theater to see “Selma.” The night before on his MSNBC show, Lawrence O’Donnell had gone into such a state of rhapsody over the movie that, in addition to many other glowing reviews as well as the timeliness of the subject and my own interest in the civil rights movement, I was eager to see “Selma” – particularly on the eve of the Golden Globes awards.

The good news: David Oyelowo, yet another Brit playing an American icon (lots of them these days), gets Martin Luther King Jr.’s vocal cadences amazingly well. The bad news: I wish there’d been more fiery speeches to show off his talent. “Selma” is a more ruminative movie than one that gets you up on your feet shouting “Amen.” It shows King in quiet, contemplative moments – too many of them for me. We see him strategizing with his close group of advisers. We see him trying to make his point with LBJ (Tim Wilkinson, another Brit playing a legendary American). We see him navigating strained marital waters with his wife Coretta. And all of these contemplative moments move at a very slow pace, many in darkly lit spaces.

It’s when “Selma” opened up and showed us the people of Selma and the consequences of their fight for their right to vote that the movie came alive for me. Their courage, their persistence even in the face of formidable opposition, even in the face of unyielding Alabama Governor George Wallace (another Brit, Tim Roth), was inspirational and riveting. But as for King himself? Let’s put it this way. As I was coming out of the ladies’ room after the movie, I heard several women echo my own thought, which was: “How can a story about such a magnetic man make him seem so un-magnetic?” The film was emotionally flat in places where it needed to soar. I was disappointed.

 

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Movies, News stories, Politics Tagged With: Arlington Theater, David Oyelowo, Martin Luther King, Oprah Winfrey, Santa Barbara, Selma, Tim Roth, Tom Wilkinson

Movie Night: "The Butler"

August 19, 2013

poster-lee-daniels-the-butler_event_main_1042

Oh. I forgot. The correct title of the movie is “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” In any case, I saw it tonight and, although the reviews have been very mixed, I went to the theater with eagerness. The subject of a black White House butler through several presidential administrations juxtaposed with his son’s activities during the Civil Rights movement sounded meaty and involving. My opinion? Meaty, yes. Involving, not so much.

The cast is star studded. Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker plays the butler with grace and dignity. Oprah has some fine moments as the butler’s wife. Terrence Howard as their no-count friend is excellent (I just wish he’d hung around longer). Mariah Carey and Vanessa Redgrave stand out in their brief cameos. And then there’s the cavalcade of “real life” characters: Robin Williams as Eisenhower, James Marsden as JFK, Liev Shrieber as LBJ, John Cusack as Nixon and Alan Rickman as Reagan (and Jane Fonda as Nancy); some are more successful at mimicry than others.

My problem with the movie, in addition to its length and slow pace, was that in its effort to be an “important film,” it forgot to tell a good story. Events are telegraphed way before they happen. Archival footage is often more gripping than the fictional scenes. There are no surprises here, and when you clock in at two-and-a-half hours that’s a lot of sitting without feeling anything.

Friends who’d seen it said I should bring Kleenex. Normally, I’m such a sap I cry at greeting card commercials, but I left the theater dry-eyed. I did get choked up at the end when Obama’s victory in 2008 is broadcast on CNN and Forest Whitaker watches in amazement, but that was it.

I wanted to like it. It means well, it really does. Maybe I should give it an “A” for effort and leave it at that.

 

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Movies Tagged With: civil rights movement, Forest Whitaker, Jane Fonda, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Oprah Winfrey

Kim Kardashian Got Married And I Missed It

August 22, 2011

Photo: Pascalle Le Segretain/Getty Images

I left town and the Kardashians took over Montecito. Or so I read. Since I don’t follow the K Girls, I didn’t exactly expect to be invited to the wedding. But I cracked up when I heard Kim got married in my ‘hood. Even funnier was the fact that the “cranky neighbors” made them shut down the music at midnight. As per Us Magazine:

The biggest wedding of the summer got shut down early!

After Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries became man and wife Saturday at an estate in Montecito, Calif., it was time to party and dance to tunes spun by DJ Cassidy — but the super-lavish bash wound up earlier than expected, thanks to some cranky neighbors.

“They had to shut down the music early,” a source tells Us Weekly, explaining that some locals had complained about the noise. Even Kim’s brassy sister Khloe couldn’t fix the situation. “She was talking to security guards — her friend’s family knows the mayor of Montecito and they tried even to get in touch with him. Everyone in the neighborhood knew this wedding was happening. Just let them have their fun!”

Never mind that I would have been one of the cranky neighbors, since I hate loud music that intrudes on my beauty sleep. Someone needs to tell Khloe Kardashian that there IS no mayor of Montecito. It’s an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County. No mayor. No dog catcher. Just Oprah. Maybe Khloe should have called her.

 

 

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, News stories, Popular culture Tagged With: Kim Kardashian, Montecito, Oprah Winfrey

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.

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