Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

  • About
    • Bio
    • FAQ
  • Publications
    • Books
      • Romantic Comedies
      • Caregiving
      • Baseball
      • TV Tie-In
    • Articles
  • Blogs
    • Mainly Jane
    • Confessions of a She-Fan
  • Media
    • Videos
    • Audio
    • Press
    • Press Materials/Three Blonde Mice
  • Speaking
  • Contact

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: "Arbitrage"

September 15, 2012

I was really looking forward to this one for a few reasons. First, there was the cast; how can you go wrong with Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling and Tim Roth? Then, there was the subject; no car chases, no vampires, no explosions but rather a morality play about a one-percenter whose manipulations are about to do him in. And finally, there was the producer, Laura Bickford, who has been my champion at Fox where “An Ex to Grind” is still in development; she loved the novel and has fought for it at the studio so it was only natural that I’d root for her newest project.

That said, I liked “Arbitrage” a lot. It’s not quite as riveting as “Wall Street,” maybe because we’re jaded by all the Bernie Madoff/Gordon Gekko-type swindlers at this point. But it’s a slick, sophisticated, grownup piece of entertainment that not only looks great but features a snappy script and wonderful performances, especially by Richard Gere.

http://youtu.be/9AUeXnFm_Xg

Gere manages to make us actually root for him, even though he’s a snake. He’s a snake who says “I’m sorry” to people. He shows remorse. But he’s motivated by money and power to the core, and those who love him have to play by his rules or else. He’s a handsome, silver-haired stud and you can’t look away whenever he’s in a scene, which is most of the time. He commands your attention the way true movie stars do. I don’t know if he’ll get an Oscar nod for Best Actor, because there are so many contenders this year, but he should certainly be in the mix.

 

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Movies Tagged With: An Ex to Grind, Arbitrage, Brit Marling, Laura Bickford, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth

Search

Archives

Food and recipes

  • Epicurious
  • Food Network
  • Seriously Simple

Hollywood

  • Company Town
  • Deadline Hollywood
  • The Bold and the Beautiful
  • The Envelope
  • The Film Geek Confidential
  • The Vulture Pages
  • The Wrap

My California Writing Buddies

  • Ciji Ware
  • Deborah Hutchison
  • Gayle Lynds
  • Jenna McCarthy
  • Laurie Burrows Grad
  • Margo Candela
  • Melodie Johnson Howe
  • Starshine Roshell

My New Connecticut Writing Buddies

  • Lauren Lipton
  • Marie Bostwick

News, politics, pop culture

  • The Daily Beast
  • The Huffington Post

Writing and publishing

  • eBookNewser
  • GalleyCat
  • Gawker
  • Publishers Lunch
  • Publishers Weekly

Follow Me!

  • Jane Heller on Goodreads
  • Jane Heller on Pinterest
  • Jane Heller on Facebook
  • Jane Heller on Twitter

Get in touch!

I’d love to hear from you! Contact me!

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.

Copyright © 2021 Jane Heller