Michael's Musings
God Help the Girl
by Michael B. Druxman on 04/18/15
April 20, 2015
Since the Best Bets on DVD website is down again until the first of next month, here's my review of GOD HELP THE GIRL, which I watched the other night.
Stuart Murdoch of “Belle and Sebastian” directed, wrote the screenplay and the songs for God Help the Girl, an often charming musical that, sadly, overstays its welcome.
Emily Browning plays a anorexic talented aspiring songwriter in a mental health clinic who runs away to Glasgow where she meets a singer-guitarist (Olly Alexander) and his music student (Hannah Murray), and together they decide to form a band and spend the summing writing and living their songs.
The cast of this film is certainly likable, as are many of the songs, though for some inexplicable reason, the title tune, which is the most memorable, is not performed in the picture. Indeed, it’s only presented as a music video in the “Extras” section of the DVD. Those extras also include deleted scenes and a “making of” featurette.
Part of the problem with God Help the Girl is that Murdoch doesn’t appear to have decided what kind of musical he wanted to make: one where the songs are presented realistically within the story’s context (e.g. Cabaret), or as a fantasy, in which characters burst into song anytime/anywhere (e.g. Singin’ in the Rain), or simply in a character’s imagination (e.g. Chicago). Unfortunately, he employs all three approaches and that makes the film, which runs a half-hour too long, a bit of a mishmash.
Nevertheless, there is still a lot to like here, so if you are a fan of musicals, you should enjoy God Help the Girl.
On DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Michael
Doing Research
by Michael B. Druxman on 04/11/15
April 13, 2015
This past week, I spent gathering research materials and starting to read some books about the subject of my next play in THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection. This will be #13 in the series, but this and the last two (i.e. B MOVIE and SEXY REXY) could be subtitled "The Hollywood Scandals". Like with B MOVIE, which deals with the Franchot Tone/Barbara Payton/Tom Neal affair, I remember very well when the climatic moment of this scandal occurred. Indeed, I was visiting Los Angeles from my home in Seattle when the incident happened.
There is a lot of fascinating material in this person's life. Part of the challenge is going to be deciding what not to use.
There's are reviews of both BIG EYES and HIT BY LIGHTNING on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page. So, please take a look.
My recent novel, MURDER IN BABYLON, which deals with the William Desmond Taylor murder, is getting some nice reviews on the Amazon site, so if you haven't ordered your copy, now is the time.
You have a creative weeks.
Michael
An Unusual Seder
by Michael B. Druxman on 04/04/15
April 6, 2015
Sandy and I went to a Passover seder on Friday night. It was at a Unitarian church, and it's probably the most unusual seder I've ever attended. Indeed, from the stuff that was printed in the Haggadah, you would have thought you were attending an ultra left-wing political meeting.
I was also seated next to a woman from Germany who immediately informed me how much she despised the men of her country because of the Holocaust...and she wouldn't shut up about it.
I've run into a bit of a writer's block on the (long) shirt story I've been working on, so I've decided to put it on the shelf for the time being and write another play in THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection. This will be a multi-character play about what is certainly Hollywood's most notorious scandal. I'll leave you to guess that it is.
There's a new review of ODD MAN OUT, the Carol Reed classic with James Mason and, in his first film role, Dan O'Herlihy, my late friend and publicity client, on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page. So, take a look.
You have a creative week.
Michael
