Erica becomes an unmarried woman, temporarily, after her successful, wealthy husband of 16 years leaves her for a girl he met while buying a shirt in Bloomingdale’s. This movie shows Erica coming to terms with the break-up while revising her opinions of herself, redefining that self in its own right rather than as an extension of somebody else’s personality, and finally going out with another man. Erica refuses to drop everything for Saul, an abstract expressionist painter, simply out of love for him, because he expects this of her. Loneliness is not her problem; but problems are brought to her new sense of independence by men that start flitting around this newly “available” woman like moths round a flame.

Jill was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for this role. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Most people remember Jill as a good person, a humble, charitable, approachable woman. As a performer, she got the jokes, handled the drama, and was able to win the empathy of the audience.

Videos

Johnny’s notes:

Not much nudity in the first update for 2013 but there’s some good scenes in 52 Tuesdays, Around the Block, Blinder, Adoration and An Accidental Soldier.

A taxi driver, torn between the mundane reality of his life and his literary aspirations, spirals into an erotic obsession following the tragic suicide of a client.

I saw this sample 4K capture of Ellen Barkin:

I then decided that it would not be worth my time or yours. (Even though I like the movie.)

After moving to Palm Springs, a young married couple puts their love to the test when they discover their neighbors are swingers.

She was about 50 here and looked good. Too bad she never did a good nude scene when she was young. (She used a body double in Californication, when she was about 40.)

Video

French film (Le syndrome de l’été sans fin) that IMDb describes as a “comedy, drama.” The premise doesn’t seem like a barrel of laughs:

The mother of two adopted children’s sense of duty takes a macabre turn when she learns that her husband may be having an affair with one of their kids.

When Sweetpea travels to Japan to break up with her rock star boyfriend, she discovers he has gone missing in a mysterious forest.

Pam was in her late 40s when she made this film. Her body looked twenty years younger, but her face looked twenty years older. It’s kind of a weird moment when she turns around and we see the mismatch.

Video

Drama, lesbian romance. A joint production from several countries.

With a strange illness, a mother and her daughter embark on a journey to the Spanish coast to find a cure, and along the way the daughter discovers another reality far from her controlling mother.

The source novel by Deborah Levy was reviewed positively, but the film scored with only 38% of the critics. (Despite being seen by few people, it was seen by many critics on the festival circuit.)

It was a box office flop. In the USA it grossed only $79,000, despite being released in 375 theaters. 375 theaters showing it three times per day for a week would be 7875 screenings – so it took almost exactly $10 per screening – an average audience of one person. It didn’t do much better overseas, amassing a total gross of only $390,000, with more than 2/3 of that coming from the UK. Fortunately, nobody took much of a bath on it because the entire film was produced for $5 million.

Trivia:

* For financial reasons, Greece plays the part of Spain. (Greece came up with the tax incentives.)

* Jessie Buckley was originally cast in the lead role but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Emma Mackey replaced her.

Videos

Drama from Spain in Castilian and Catalan. Original title: La Consagración de la Primavera.

Laura has just arrived in Madrid to settle in a college and study Chemistry. Alone and almost penniless, she tries to adapt to her university life while dealing with her insecurities. One night, by chance, she meets a boy with cerebral palsy who lives with his mother. Laura begins a relationship of mutual trust that helps her overcome her complexes and enter a new stage of maturity.

Valèria Sorolla, Ruth Bosser – La consagración de la primavera (2022)Video –

AKA Κρέας, AKA Kreas. Greek drama.

Roots of an ancient Greek tragedy blossom when a patriarch confronts a fateful decision involving his son and the boy he raised after a long-standing feud escalates to murder

Film clip