Weapon X
02-24-2005, 07:52 PM
I just watched Philip Kaufman's "Henry & June" this week in my Writing About Film & TV course at school. It's famous for being the first film to get an NC-17 rating.
It is, I'm quite sure, the FIRST TIME EVER I've wanted to walk out of a movie...except I couldn't because I'd have been marked absent.
It's based on the diaries of Anäis Nin (which sadly I'm required to read in addition to watching the movie), and it centers around Nin (Maria de Medeiros...y'know, Bruce Willis' wife in "Pulp Fiction") who gets bored with her banker hubbie Hugo (Richard E. Grant, who's easily the worst actor of the bunch who's actually trying to be serious) and engages in a heated affair with writer Henry Miller (Fred Ward wearing an obvious bald cap) and his wife June (Uma Thurman forcing out one of the WORST Brooklyn accents I've ever heard). Oh, and she schtups her cousin too. And her husband remains clueless to the entire chain of events. Kevin Spacey shows up a few times too, and he's the only enjoyable aspect of the movie. There's this bit where he's watching a pair of nude contortionist prostitutes...you picture the rest.
I've seen overacted and melodramatic movies. I own a few. Henry & June is overacted and melodramatic to the point of inflicting nausea.
If you're ever in a position where you're required to see this movie as part of your academic studies, here's my recommendation: FAKE AN ILLNESS.
But that's just me. Any concurrent or differing viewpoints?
It is, I'm quite sure, the FIRST TIME EVER I've wanted to walk out of a movie...except I couldn't because I'd have been marked absent.
It's based on the diaries of Anäis Nin (which sadly I'm required to read in addition to watching the movie), and it centers around Nin (Maria de Medeiros...y'know, Bruce Willis' wife in "Pulp Fiction") who gets bored with her banker hubbie Hugo (Richard E. Grant, who's easily the worst actor of the bunch who's actually trying to be serious) and engages in a heated affair with writer Henry Miller (Fred Ward wearing an obvious bald cap) and his wife June (Uma Thurman forcing out one of the WORST Brooklyn accents I've ever heard). Oh, and she schtups her cousin too. And her husband remains clueless to the entire chain of events. Kevin Spacey shows up a few times too, and he's the only enjoyable aspect of the movie. There's this bit where he's watching a pair of nude contortionist prostitutes...you picture the rest.
I've seen overacted and melodramatic movies. I own a few. Henry & June is overacted and melodramatic to the point of inflicting nausea.
If you're ever in a position where you're required to see this movie as part of your academic studies, here's my recommendation: FAKE AN ILLNESS.
But that's just me. Any concurrent or differing viewpoints?