"More isn't always better. Sometimes it's just more."

There's sometimes as much to be gained from watching a 'flop' as from studying a masterpiece, particularly if the hands behind it are skilled.

Sidney Pollack's 1995 unnecessary remake of "Sabrina" is a prime example.  There's no arguing with his talent.  At that time, Ford was trying what everyone in blockbusters does - not to get typecast. He seemed to enjoy trying his hand at comedy and though there's mixed results, he's rarely the problem.

But Kinnear is terribly miscast, despite his usual charms. they're never believable as brothers and I don't buy the chemistry with he & Julie Ormond at all. She is.....a bit stiff. Too old for the part, as is Ford, so her naiveté is a tough sell.  She fares better in the Paris bits and her dates with Ford's character.

I remember when it was released stating that the removal of the suicide attempt was what ruined it. And that's still a problem.  You remove the real jeopardy of her depression and Sabrina just comes off as a bit spoiled & just oblivious.  Despite it being overlong, they don't ever successfully establish Linus' care of her resulting from that moment.

But it's not an utter failure. These days, it's tough to find a romcom made in US with actual grownups involved. That supporting cast. It takes the likes of Nancy Marchand, Richard Crenna, Angie Dickinson, Dana Ivey and even extremely young Paul Giamatti to pull off dialog they didn't see the need to update. And the Paris cast including Fanny Ardant & Patrick Bruel.
The late great John Wood, as Sabrina's father, is on particularly fine form. His commitment to it being darker than a romcom is one of the saving graces.  It's always tough to sell a story if your cast don't believe in it. You never doubt his character's fears or love for her. It's really his film in a way.

At just over 2 hours, it's too long.  There are bits stretched out too long (the parties, Kinnear's poor wooing) and bits that are too sketchy. So much of Paris is just dialog free footage set to music. The 90s have a lot to answer for on that count - the need to insert basically a music video into a film.

I still think it's pointless. The original is charming. and if you're that averse to B&W film you don't deserve the likes of Humphrey Bogart. But I get why filmmakers chose to try.
It relies on you liking Ford quite a lot, as it's tough to get behind the other 2 leads but interesting to revisit.

Has it really been 21 years? I'm afraid so.

Girls on Film

I'm obviously too old to have been a child of the 90s but I remember being the cool girl in kindergarten. sort of. One of our neighbors was in the same class so I was 'allowed' to mind his turtles while the boys played. and I knew some of them from Sunday school so I was ok. I guess. 
honestly, I was more interested in books. and back then we didn't watch as much tv so those weren't our games. My cousin & I played "Little House" because we'd read the entire series cover to cover & adored them.
And I loved the original "Ghostbusters". I know my attachment isn't as....dedicated as some people. or obsessed or something. but I truly hate being treated like how much you love is a contest & has to have a winner.
I remember this feeling when you were 7 and were realizing boys and girls didn't get treated the same. and I remember the standard of 'not quite cool enough' as a grown up working video stores.
The boys were always considered smarter. by themselves & customers. more than once I answered a question & had someone look at my assistant to confirm.
I moaned for awhile about a remake or sequel. I was over all the arguing & when Harold passed, I was really not into it.
But. I love Paul Feig. and those actresses. and I look at my friends with kids and I want those girls to have heroes. and I want those boys to know we are heroes and deserve to be treated as them.
I was lucky. I had dolls but I wasn't really raised being told I couldn't do boy things.
I want to go to the movies and see the women I know in my life - who come in all colors & shapes & sizes & love all different kinds of things & are so much more than sitting by a phone waiting for man to change the world. And I want kids I know to see the pictures of the crew & all the women behind the scenes who made this happen. And the men working beside them as a team.
This is so very good. and Erin Ramsey says it far better than I could.
Well worth a read:
"Why? Should I go see it?"

#PortableHardDriveRoulette

Am just digging through some twitter archives, because my Sunday morning is that exciting, and stumbled across this from my early L.A. days.  When I was looking for films to watch, I'd pop in the hard drive & chose one at random from what's stored there.
So far I've come across one that turned into a Hugh Bonneville #homemadefilmfest (Blow Dry & Miss Austen Regrets) & a day where I wrote this:
"Kinky Boots". Chewitel Ejiofor in a dress. Linda Bassett. Robert Pugh for a bit. oh, & that Edgerton fella"

and this: oh - "#portableharddriveroulette brought up "Shakespeare in Love". Tough to resist Jim Carter in a dress. so I won't. #damejuditoo"


Fun. So I'm reviving it for here. Next time I'm really indecisive about what to watch, I'm jumping on that.
You've been warned.

And I'll be keeping up with #homemadefilmfest but as mentioned before maybe not for weeks on end.

#smoothietalk

Hack du jour.  Store had gorgeous yellow kiwi on sale this week. They're great because they're a bit less tart & fewer seeds. but they don't hold up long so I'm freezing them for smoothies.
The recommendation of parchment/baker's paper in between layers is great so you can remove just the amount you need.
What I had on hand was PaperChef cupcake papers, which are actually perfect. I wanted 1/2 kiwi portions. They'd hold a bit more but that was my serving choice as I'll mix them with other fruits in the smoothies.  And since I only had a couple kiwi I didn't have to waste a cookie sheet sized bit of paper.
Absolutely if you have space & quantity of fruit, the sheets would be worth it.
And yes, I've tagged that company on purpose.  I started using them when I moved to LA because the parchment sheets were regularly on sale at the local Gelsons & they work great. Read their sustainability policy for more information.  I use them for baking & also the sheets are great for roasting veg like brussell sprouts and cauliflower in the oven.
For sure will use for other fruit in the future. great way to control serving portions, calories, etc.