scottwhitehead-33767

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie, and I'm glad I didn't know too much going in. Covers A LOT of ground and tonal shifts. Elizabeth Taylor is excellent and probably should have been in the movie even more, although she gets plenty of screen time. Rock Hudson seemed oddly flat but engages with the story more effectively in the latter part. It was also a strange role for James Dean, and he certainly was not playing to type. The film could have been 30 minutes shorter, so settle in for a substantial time unless you build in an intermission or two! Overall, the characters are memorable and the message is a strong one. Worth watching!

Martha Stewart, the person and brand, elicits a wide range of reactions. This excellent documentary should only elicit a tasteful standing ovation. It's thoughtful, funny, seemingly honest, and moves along briskly. At 83 years young, it only seems fair that Martha has a fair amount of influence on her life's story. And it is an impressive one. She was and still remains a staggering figure of confidence, vision, taste, strength, and humor. Hearing her answers to tough questions adds heft to this documentary, even if some responses are self serving or hypocritical. The visual style here is also clever and tells the story of Martha's rise, fall, and 2nd act in a compelling manner. Overall, Martha is a very good thing!

So, I saw this movie in the an actual theater in 1977. I was all of 11 years old and highly influential. At the time, I found it to be a total head trip, some of which made me mad, some of which was amazing, and most of it unlike anything I had ever seen before. It is an existential very nihilistic cartoon which leans very heavily (too heavily) on the art of Ralph Bakshi. I'm not saying a lot of his art is not cool. It is. It's trippy and powerful, but it does not always lend itself to a coherent movie. So, why do I give it 8 of 9 stars? Because movies are not this wildly undisciplined any more. This movie has a crazy aggressive point of view that is sorely lacking in most movies these days. Go with it. It's weird and nuts. It's also fun and thoughtful in its own way.