Categories
Film/TV Movie Reviews

Movie Review: Ewan McGregor in Perfect Sense

Warning: Spoilers Abound

4 out of 5 stars

Yet another movie that I wouldn’t know existed if it weren’t for the amazing, VideoETA.com. You see VideoETA is a great resource for finding out both theatrical and home release dates of movies. Often while checking to find the date of a film I know about I discover hidden gems. These are often films that had a limited or direct to DVD release.

That was the case with Perfect Sense, also known as The Last Word. It is a perfect case of this, as the film was released in only 1 theater for 1 week. It was directed by David Mackenzie and written by Kim Fupz Aakeson. It was shot and set in Glasgow.

If you only saw the film’s cover you may just go in thinking that it’s a standard romantic drama but it’s so much more. This 2011 drama is the most disturbing movie that I’ve seen this year.

Ewan McGregor in Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle
Eva Green in Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle

The movie is about a horrifying disease that individually steals humans’ senses. As the film progresses, we gradually see and feel the characters lose their senses of smell, taste, sound, and finally sight. It’s implied that they will eventually lose touch as well.

Although the movie shows how this would affect large populations of people in various countries (most likely using stock footage of actual riots, etc, which is also incredibly disturbing) it mainly focuses on how this would affect us as individuals.

The movie focuses on Michael (Ewan McGregor), a chef with intimacy issues, and Susan (Eva Green), a scientist who is sick of men mistreating her.

Eva Green in Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle

Despite her annoyance at the interruption of a phone call, Susan first meets Michael when he bums a cigarette from her. Their meet-cute takes place easily since he is a chef at a restaurant right across the alley from her apartment.

Ewan McGregor and Eva Green in Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle

Despite her initial reticence at getting involved with a player, Susan decides to dine one night after hours with Michael. This is during the beginning of their loss of senses. This causes a very close connection between them as they simultaneously lose their sense of smell.

Perfect Sense, screencaps by Mary Miracle

As they lose more and more senses they rely on and fall for each other. This is incredibly romantic and seductive. They let down their defenses and tell each other things they’ve never told another soul because they can feel everything ending and need something honest.

Ewan McGregor and Eva Green in Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle

Want to go dancing?”
“Sure”
“Get drunk?”
“Sure”
“smoke cigarettes?”
“Always”

Despite the interspersed footage of riots and the horror of the situation, including the fact that as someone who has been studying this epidemic from the beginning, Susan admits that no one really knows what will happen next, for a while things are going better than normal for the characters. Why? LOVE, of course.

Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle
Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle

Unfortunately, before the loss of each sense, humans experience a heightened sense or emotion. So before the loss of hearing they become very angry and violent. This is when Michael scares and drives away Susan after yelling terrible things at her and then wrecking his own home.

This causes them to be apart during the horror of losing their hearing. However, they both try their best to enjoy life as they can. Michael eventually goes back to work and Susan learns to love her sister’s family (instead of just being jealous of them).

Ewan McGregor and Eva Green in Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle

“…and if there had been anybody left to see them, then they would look like normal lovers, caressing each others’ faces, bodies close together, eyes closed, oblivious to the world around them…”

With the impending loss of sight, our lovers realize how important love and being with those you love is. So they reunite as the darkness closes in.

Ewen Bremner (Spud in Trainspotting!) and Ewan McGregor in Perfect Sense, screencap by Mary Miracle

In addition to love overcoming the worst, we are also repeatedly presented with the idea that life goes on and humans learn to adapt. This is often shown to great effect at the restaurant where Michael works. For instance, when people lose their sense of smell, which is tied to taste, the chefs decide that they must increase the spiciness of the dishes to really give the customers flavor. Later as taste goes dining out is more about texture and feeling special as you spend time with a loved one and are waited on.

Perfect Sense is most definitely not an easy film to watch. In fact, you may cry. However, it’s incredibly touching, interesting, and innovative. It is a must-watch!

Note: I think this is an amazing movie. I just reserve 5 stars for movies with rewatchability. That rarely includes dramas, especially ones this heavy. I can’t see me watching this over and over.

Categories
Conventions Film/TV

2012 Wizard World Philly Comic Con: My Favorite Costumes

So we’ve established that yes, the 2012 Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con was awesome. One of my favorite parts of any convention that I’ve ever attended are checking out all of the great costumes or cosplayers, if you will. Since we were press so we had a lot to do I didn’t get as many shots as I otherwise would have. However the pics I did get I am definitely jazzed about.

Excellent Loki Cosplayer with Mary Miracle, photo by Donna Allis

The Loki was attractive and menacing, a perfect combination!

Donna Allis with Harley Quinn Cosplayer by Mary Miracle
Mario and Luigi, Donna Allis (left), Mary Miracle (right), photos by Mary Miracle and Donna Allis

Mario and Luigi were both in attendance? We both had to get in on that.

Cosplayers by Mary Miracle

When I saw these four lovely ladies I jumped in on a photo someone else was taking but they said it was okay.

Poison Ivy and Mary Miracle, by Donna Allis

The next day I asked Poison Ivy for another photo because her costume rocks!

Captain America Cosplayer with Mary Miracle by Donna Allis

This Captain America in the in the original costume before Captain America becomes famous was excellent!

1980’s Joker Cosplayer with Mary Miracle by Donna Allis

This dude was doing Nicholson’s 1989 Joker. Even better was he was in character!

Star Wars Cosplayers and Mary Miracle by Donna Allis

When I find a group of young men with light sabers I can’t help myself.

Donna Allis in the Tardis

For someone who doesn’t watch Doctor Who, Donna was unnaturally attracted to the TARDIS.

Press passes to the convention were provided to both Donna Allis & myself gratis from the awesome PR team at Wizard World.

Categories
Interviews Music

missemmamm’s Exclusive Interview with Pittsburgh Slim: A Life Philosophy of Sex, Drugs & Alcohol

The first time I heard Pittsburgh Slim was back in 07 when his huge single Girls Kiss Girls dropped. It was amazing. Not only was the song fun and danceable but relatable as well. A radio DJ did mention that he was from Pittsburgh but I didn’t pay much heed. I was in super party mode back then. On a random visit to a Target I saw his album Tastemaker. I was so jazzed. I bought that sucker in a minute. I proceeded to turn everyone I knew into a Slim fan whether they were aware of it or not (I was fond of making mix CDs/playlists for parties and I always would shove a couple of his tracks in). You don’t even know how much I love that album.

Since then time Pittsburgh Slim has additionally went by the moniker Slimmie Hendrix. He’s put out various mixtapes/LPs, Downtown Wednesday Night, Nolita Nights and Steezington Ave. (yes, go find and download them!). His 2009 single My Bitch is Crazy is also fantastic.

Now he is back in the Burgh and has a new mixtape, Pittsburgh Slim’s Excellent Adventure. So I nerdily contacted him and wound up with this kick ass interview with the legendary Pittsburgh Slim.

When did you first start singing?
I wrote my first rap in 8th grade

Who inspires your music?
oh man. Everyone from Nirvana to Robert Johnson to Biggie to Gessaffelstein

What songs of yours are you most proud of?
The Skinny Bitches Have More Fun, Lifestyles of the Broke and Fabulous, and Hide the Liquor are my favorites

What artists will you be collaborating with on your forth coming mixtape, Pittsburgh Slim’s Excellent Adventure, that will be released this May?
DVNNY SETH, Beedie, and Ron Noodles

Do you have a life philosophy?
Yes, sex drugs and alcohol. 

You’ve recently partnered with Clique Vodka, what is your favorite cocktail?
Clique and pineapple,

What are your go to guilty pleasure songs?
lol. ummmmmm I’m Too Sexy, Holiday, and Electric Avenue

Where would you love to perform?
Consol Energy Center

What artists would you love to collaborate with in the future?
A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Jack White, La Roux, Kanye West

What are your favorite bars and restaurants to hang out at in Pittsburgh?
Mad Mex, Soba, Spice Island, S Bar, Shadow Lounge, and Jack’s

What artists are you currently listening to?
Jack White, Mickey Avalon, Mac Miller, A$AP Rocky, and Schoolboy Q

What are some of your all time favorite albums?
Nevermind, Uptown Saturday Night, and Thriller

Are you collaborating with Chris Mintz-Plasse on something? (missemmamm’s note: That’s McLovin’, in case you’re unaware)
no, he’s just my boy haha. We like to get wasted here and there

When fans meet you do they ever kiss their girlfriends to try to impress you?
Yes, and it does

How fun is it to make music with Dirt Nasty? (missemmamm’s note: aka Simon Rex)
So much fun. He’s one of the funniest people I know. All we do is laugh.

If you could have been born in any other time period when would you choose?
Definitely the late 60’s

What were you arrested for in Atlantic City?
drunken nonsense with my girlfriend

Do you have any good revenge stories about difficult customers from when you were working as a waiter?
hahahah. the worst lady evvvvvvvvvvvver got her ravioli smooshed before it went into her to-go box. No boogers or spit or anything.

What was it like to open for 50 Cent?
It was fun. The good old days lol. Very surreal.

What celebrity are you most attracted to?
Amanda Seyfried

Are you kinky?
What do you think? (missemmamm’s note: I sure as hell hope/assume so, lmao)

I read on twitter that you’re a fan of the game Clue, what is your favorite weapon in the game? Do you have any other board game favorites?
Clue is GREAT! I love the movie. I’m down with the revolver and the candlestick

Do you have any future plans to tour this year?
yes definitely!! need to make money and meet my supporters face to face!!! 

(His answers are in bold. This interview was conducted via email. I have not edited his answers.)

Go download his new mixtape for free right here. My favorite tracks on his new album are Lifestyles of the Broke and Fabulous, Walk of Shame, Jackpot, Sex Tape & Hide the Liquor.

Categories
Books

Book Review: American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee

3.5 out of 5

American Rose
A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee
by Karen Abbot
published by Random House
released on December 28, 2010 (hardcover) and March 13, 2012 (paperback)
provided by NetGalley

“America was flying high in the Roaring Twenties. Then, almost overnight, the Great Depression brought it crashing down. When the dust settled, people were primed for a star who could distract them from reality. Enter Gypsy Rose Lee, a strutting, bawdy, erudite stripper who possessed a gift for delivering exactly what America needed. 

With her superb narrative skills and eye for detail, Karen Abbott brings to life an era of ambition, glamour, struggle, and survival. Using exclusive interviews and never-before-published material, she vividly delves into Gypsy’s world, including her intense triangle relationship with her sister, actress June Havoc, and their formidable mother, Rose, a petite but ferocious woman who literally killed to get her daughters on the stage. 

Weaving in the compelling saga of the Minskys—four scrappy brothers from New York City who would pave the way for Gypsy Rose Lee’s brand of burlesque and transform the entertainment landscape—Karen Abbott creates a rich account of a legend whose sensational tale of tragedy and triumph embodies the American Dream.”

from Penguin Random House
Gypsy Rose Lee from Isabel Santos Pilot

When I first started reading this book I hopped right on Goodreads and exclaimed how awesome it is. I had never heard of Gypsy Rose Lee before reading this book. I chose it based on the cover and a sentence about the plot. I was immediately intrigued by her life.

Gypsy Rose Lee was a famous burlesque dancer. Not only did she live an interesting life but the history of her family is also fascinating. Once I dug into the book a couple of things bugged me about it. 

The book also includes a huge amount of info on the history of burlesque including a ton of info on the Minsky Brothers of NYC. While this was cool to learn about it detracts from Gypsy’s story. During the first 100 or so pages it seems like you’ll never really get into Gypsy’s story because the author is providing the backstory on everyone else. This reminds me of the quote from the movie Wonder Boys, “even though you’re book is really beautiful…it’s very detailed. You know, with the genealogies of everyone’s horses, and the dental records…”. I would guess that the author was having difficulty editing herself but I bet that she was simply so enamored with all of the details that she felt compelled to include them. 

My other issue with the book is that it jumps around back and forth between different time periods constantly. This combined with all of the extra info makes it a confusing read, especially when you are first starting the book. I once read a review of a film that used nonlinear storytelling and it said that if your story is interesting enough (and the format isn’t a part of the plot) then it’s unnecessary to format media in this way. I tend to agree.

I wanted to mention these issues in case you also went into the book a blank slate. Plus I wanted you to know why I took away 1.5 stars. Other than those issues I found the book fantastic. I particularly enjoyed how the author included slang from that time. The author also reconstructs scenes and tried to make you feel like you were there as events were happening. I think that she did this through a combo of investigation and assumption. This doesn’t bother me but some sticklers may take issue with it.

Gypsy Rose Lee at Key West International Airport. Photo from Jeff Broadhead Collection.

Gypsy herself, is amazing. Like my favorite movie heroine Nomi Malone, Gypsy is described as being untalented. Yet she was able to find a way into the spotlight. To give you a small amount of back story on her, her mother Rose was considered the ultimate stage mother who took Gypsy (then Rose Louise Hovick) and her younger sister June Hovick (then Baby June) on the road doing vaudeville as children. June was considered extremely talented, she was a natural dancer who also put a ton of effort into becoming even better. Meanwhile, Rose Louise was considered to just be there, basically, so she just did whatever was needed in an act. Their mother, Rose, often had an unpaid bevy of young men or young women who toured with them. 

Eventually, June went off on her own. Rose and Rose Louise continued to tour during the ebbing of vaudeville and found themselves smack in the middle of burlesque. Since there was money in it they created a burlesque celebrity out of Rose Louise, aka Gypsy Rose Lee, despite her mother’s initial objections to what she considered a tawdry profession. The book deals with all of this and the complex familial relationships between Gypsy, her mother, and her sister both before and after Gypsy’s rise to fame. 

Some describe this book as racy. It definitely goes there. You learn all about the behind-the-scenes workings of burlesque. I particularly enjoyed the nuggets on how the stripteasers and vaudeville acts pulled off some of their tricks. There are also several suspicious deaths. Plus you find out about the decency crackdown in NYC that affected burlesque and a few nuggets here and there about prohibition.

The story of Gypsy’s mom, Rose is crazy, as is her family history. The changing of her daughters’ names and personal histories is also disconcerting (example-cannibalism). 

I was so intrigued by this book that I had to watch both film adaptations of the musical Gypsy that was somewhat based on her life (the next remake will star Barbra Streisand!). I also intend to read Gypsy’s autobiography in the future. 

If you are interested in burlesque, vaudeville, and Gypsy Rose Lee (and her family) you should read this book.

Note: I was able to read a galley of this book for free via NetGalley and Random House. This doesn’t affect my opinion on it.

Categories
Film/TV Movie Reviews

Movie Review: ZPG Zero Population Growth

Who needs the radio when you can go outside and listen to this floating speaker in the smog with a gas mask on? (screencap by Mary Miracle)

When I was a child the Sci-Fi Channel played lesser known, older films. “ZPG” stands out in my mind as one of the most intriguing. I remember seeing it and thinking that it was disturbing, campy, and interesting. I finally managed to rewatch it recently and it’s still all of those things.

“ZPG” was filmed in 1971 and released in 1972 so it’s a very 1970’s, jumpsuits and all, version of the future. I recall the now defunct Disney’s Horizons when I visited there in the mid-1990s as totally reminding me of this movie, as that was the early 1980’s vision of the future.

ZPG’s main plot line concerns the title, zero population growth, which is how a country limits the population when it becomes too great to sustain. Though the film is billed as a British science fiction film it was shot in Denmark. There is a very aristocratic British feel to the film but most of the characters do not speak with a British accent.

The exact date of the future depicted in “ZPG” is unclear. The beginning mentions a 30-year ban on having children but they don’t say what year it is and then the film picks up about 8 years after that. You get the feeling that the film is supposed to be set far ahead from the 1970s, but because they were in the 1970s that is what is constantly referenced.

Some parts of the film are most likely because the UK had recently passed the Abortion Act of 1967 and approved contraceptive birth control in 1961..

“ZPG” head tattoo, screencap by Mary Miracle

Babies are marked with this blacklight head tattoo when they are born so there isn’t a way to get away with just having a kid and saying that he or she is a certain age. So what happens if they find out that is exactly what you did? I’m glad you asked because they fucking gas your entire family in this thing.

The film focuses on Russ McNeil and his wife Carol McNeil who work in a museum that displays all of the things that no longer exist in the current smog-filled, baby-scarce present. They are part of the swinging 1970s dinner date display.

“ZPG” museum, screencap by Mary Miracle
screencap by Mary Miracle

Check out this little rebel, that flower is federal property!

Well, what if you still want to bone your husband? Easy, just abort that fetus with the abortion machine that is conveniently located in your bathroom.

“ZPG” abortion machine, screencap by Mary Miracle

If you are feeling a little blue about this state of affairs you can call your psychiatrist on your home video phone. He gives out superb advice that includes watching porn, which reminded me of THX 1138 and buying creepy fake children to satisfy that mothering urge.

Things aren’t all bad though. I mean at least you get an allotted amount of food calories, which come in tubes, and you can visit your parents in the senior museum.

“ZPG” food tubes, screencap by Mary Miracle
ZPG’s Senior City, screencap by Mary Miracle

Plus, they have a personalized Home Shopping Network.

home shopping in “ZPG”, screencap by Mary Miracle

“I thought you wanted a tree, not a tree salesman.” He’s dry but it’s kinda working for him.

As you can imagine, his wife is not satisfied and decides that she will keep her baby. So she hides in the basement for 9 months and they say that she left him. It makes it very hard for him to fight off her friend since they had been swingers before. When he needs to learn how to deliver a baby he just goes to this modern library with video machines that you can learn things on. Of course, learning about childbirth is illegal but he has a great cover and gets to act like this.

video learning in “ZPG”, screencaps by Mary Miracle

Well, when their friends find out about that baby they decide that they should all just share it. I mean they were all sharing each other before that anyway. So, why not?

couple friends in “ZPG”, screencaps by Mary Miracle

How does it end? Well, I don’t want to give that away. I recommend viewing it for yourself.

ZPG’s facsimile baby, screencap by Mary Miracle