Judy

In March 2020, I watched Judy at Movix Kameari. I was touched. A good movie. 

The story of a ruined singer who used to be a world-class diva and struggled to sing on a stage in London around half a year before she passed away at the age of 47. 

The lady seemed hopeless from the beginning. I had expected that the film would move me to tears for the first time in several months, yet I already felt disappointed in the middle. Although she was a singer, she drank and smoked too much. She was also unstable. I kind of liked her because I like persons who are so human. Only if they stay away from me, though. She spent tough days in her middle teens to become a movie star and she succeeded in her late teens, so I thought that she was happy on the whole in her life. She leaped into the spotlight, won applause, and have ruptures as a superstar. She must have enjoyed her glory days. Watching her, I was also thinking about the following things. People tend to want everything and are never satisfied. Everyone has had a rough time. 

However, I was really moved toward the ending when a dramatic moment occurred between the legend singer and the audience. I cried. Someone will give a hand to a person who lives desperately. That is the way it goes. 

The movie features Renee Zellweger who won the 2020 Oscar for Best Actress. She acted naturally as Judy Garland. A Japanese actor, Tatsuya Fuji, had said on TV that harmony matters in the movie because it will be ruined if an actor plays too dramatically in it. Her performance reminded me his remarks and it harmonized with the film. She completely became the diva and she herself seemed to vanish. I liked her acting. Furthermore, I felt that the filmmakers produced it because they yearned for, cared for and loved late Judy Garland rather than desired to make big money using her. What a soulful movie! 

I had not known about Ms. Garland and have not watched her most famous film, The Wizard of Oz, yet because it is a very old movie. Now, I want to watch it to see the diva someday. 

ジュディ 虹の彼方に

2020年３月、『ジュディ 虹の彼方に』をMovix亀有にて観覧。感動した。割と良い映画。

昔大スターだった歌姫の成れの果てが、47歳で死去する前にロンドンでもう一頑張りした物語。 

観始めで、どうしようもないオバさんだなと思った。数カ月ぶりの感涙を期待しての観覧だったが、当てが外れたぞ、と早々に興醒め。歌手のくせにお酒、煙草、お定まりのヒステリー。人間臭くて好感は持てるが、周りにいたら迷惑なオバさん。若い頃凄く苦労したようだが、成功後は、スポットライトを浴び、観客からは喝采を受け、スターの恍惚感を十二分に味わったはず。プラマイゼロじゃん、欲張り過ぎなんだよ、誰にだって辛い時期はある。そんな感想が渦巻いた。

だが、最後の、観客との間に生まれたドラマに思わず涙が溢れた。必死に生きてりゃ誰かが助けてくれるもの。

主演のレネー・ゼルウィガーは、本作品でアカデミー賞主演女優賞を受賞。力まずに自然体でジュディ・ガーランド役を演じていた。以前、日本の俳優、藤竜也さんが、役者が熱演すると調和が崩れてしまい作品がダメになる、とあるTV番組で言っていたが、彼女の演技は、まさに作品と調和していた。実在した人物に忠実になりきって、我を前面に出さない感じが素晴らしかった。その上、お金を儲けようという邪心よりも、故人への思い、愛情、敬意をより強く感じる素敵な作品だった。 

観覧前、ジュディ・ガーランドのことは知らなかった。彼女の代表作、『オズの魔法使い』も、とても古い作品であることもあって、まだ観ていないが、今は、いつか、その伝説の歌姫を観てみたいと思っている。

The Irishman

I have watched the movie The Irishman three times at Kinema Junpo Theater. 

In November 2019, I watched the Netflix movie for the first time. It looked like a reunion for actors with similar auras. I thought of the three main characters' performances as art. 

In December 2019, I watched it again and I felt it to be richer and more profound. It also seemed to become one of my lifetime movies. 

In February 2020, I did for the third time but I felt that the main characters were so old that they did not entertain me. Since the summer of 2018, I have watched movies at theaters nearly every week, so in November 2019, for the first time I saw the legend actors on the big screen. That moved and thrilled me, which occurred for the second time. At the third time, however, I thought that they were less shining than the actors like Joaquin Phoenix, Evan McGregor and Christian Bale who I watched in other movies for the same period. Although I believed that the old actors were all wonderful as performers, yet I felt that they were not movie super stars any more. 

I feel sorry about it because I had never got tired of watching them in their heyday even if they were on TV screens. Now, it seems to be about time to face reality. If I keep on watching familiar old actors, I will miss actors in their peak now. The aged actors exposed their present selves maybe because they wanted to say that they had stuck to it enough and that younger stars should be more highlighted. 

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino pasted their prime but they both gave a perfect performance as always. They seemed to know when to leave, which really impressed me. 

Joe Pesci had looked funny in his heyday but he did not look that way any more. I missed what he used to do. Moreover, I could not stop smiling while watching the diminutive actor playing a composed guy who always grasps the big picture in it, for he used to be good at playing a hot-tempered guy. Personally, I love Mean Street, so I wanted to see Harvey Keitel acting the role performed by Pesci.

アイリッシュマン

キネマ旬報シアターにて『アイリッシュマン』を３回観覧した。 

初観覧は2019年11月。同じ匂いがする役者達の為に開かれた同窓会のように感じた。そして、名優達の演技はアートに思えた。 

次の2019年12月の観覧時には、前回よりも味わい深く感じ、生涯の映画になりそうな予感がした。 

その後、2020年２月、３回目の観覧。さらに味わい深く感じるかと思いきや、名優達の老いが気になってしまった。劇場観覧をするようになったのはここ数年。前回、前々回は、そのベテラン俳優達をスクリーンで観るのが初めてだったので、鳥肌が立ったりして感動しっ放しだった。だが、その前後で観たホアキン・フェニックス、ユアン・マクレガー、そして、クリスチャン・ベールのオーラと比べると、明らかに輝きが鈍い。映画俳優としては素晴らしいが、スターではなくなっていると感じた。 

小さい画面ではあるが、彼等の絶頂期の作品を何度も飽きずに観続けた身としては寂しい限りだが、現実を直視すべき時が来たようだ。昔馴染みの俳優だけを追い続けていたら、今旬な俳優達を観逃がしてしまう。あの老俳優達が今現在の自分をさらけ出したのも、何らかの意思表示だったのかもしれない。もう俺達は十分にやり切った、今後は若い奴らを観てやってほしい、と。 

ロバート・デ・ニーロとアル・パチーノ。絶頂期ほどの輝きは無いが、相変わらず名優。演技は完璧。引き際を心得たかのような生き様がカッコいい。 ジョー・ペシ。演技は素晴らしかったが、若かりし頃のファニーな感じが無くなっていて、寂しい。今回は、キレる役が多かった昔と違い、常に冷静に大局を見ている役柄が何だが可笑しかった。個人的には、『ミーン・ストリート』が好きなので、ハーヴェイ・カイテルと役を代わって欲しかったが。

Generation Gaps #2

In fall 2019, a young colleague told me that she loved the movie Love, Rosie starring Lily Collins, so I watched the romance movie about a good looking-guy and a pretty woman on DVD. Honestly, it was not fun so much maybe because I tend to scornfully regard a romance as unrealistic between a quite beautiful young couple. I had happened to know Lily Collins is Phil Collins's daughter, so watching it, I remembered my favorite his songs, "Easy Lover," "One More Night" and "Sussudio." 

A couple of days later, I told her that I watched it. She asked me if I bitterly cried. I replied that men do not when they watch romance movies. I also said that I was happy about remembering Phil Collins thanks to the heroin. However, she did not even know about him. It couldn't be helped. She was born after the vocalist's heyday ended. 

Love, Rosie is a story about the main characters keep missing opportunities to be united each other. Although the movie Serendipity is a romance one, I like the film which was released in 2001 and whose story is similar in terms of not being easily united. I told her about it at that time. She of course did not know it. I then did not feel like recommending it to her. She would definitely feel it old-fashioned if she watched it. 

In February 2020, I watched Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Lily Collins who was not only a pretty lady but also a wonderful actor. Her performance fascinated me through, yet I have hesitated to tell the young co-worker about it.

ジェネレーション・ギャップ #2

職場の若い同僚が大好きだと言っていた、リリー・コリンズ主演の『あと１センチの恋』。美男美女の恋愛物。先日DVDで観たが、元々若い美男美女の非現実的な恋愛物語に冷ややかな目を向けてしまう質なので、あまり楽しめなかった。でも、リリー・コリンズがあのフィル・コリンズの娘であることは知っていたので、好きだった彼の名曲、「イージー・ラバー」、「ワン・モア・ナイト」、「ススーディオ」等が観賞中に頭の中で鳴っていた。 

数日後、彼女に観たことを伝えると、号泣しなかったか聞かれた。男は恋愛映画では泣かないと答えて、リリー・コリンズのおかげで彼女の父フィル・コリンズを思い出せてよかった、とも伝えた。その同僚はフィル・コリンズを知らなかった。無理もない。彼女が生まれたのは、彼の全盛期が過ぎた頃。 

『あと１センチの恋』は、主人公の男女が擦れ違う話。擦れ違いと言えば、恋愛映画だけど『セレンディピティ』は好きだった。2001年公開。彼女にその話をすると、勿論、知らなかった。勧める気も起きなかった。古臭いと言われるに決まっている。 

2020年２月に観た『テッド・バンディ』のリリー・コリンズは、ただ綺麗なだけではなかった。その演技に魅せられた。でも、この事はまだその同僚には話せないでいる。 

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

In February 2020, I watched Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile at Kinema Junpo Theater. 

The movie was made from the point of the girlfriend of a man pegged for a serial killer. A good movie to provoke thought. 

Lily Collins gave a wonderful performance as Liz who the main character, Ted Bundy, had probably loved the most in his life. I got drawn into her realistic acting, from which I felt her soul, especially when she angrily pressed Ted to honestly talk to her. I was moved by how she took out her anger on the man who persistently insisted his innocence. 

Contrary to Liz, Carole wearing big ugly glasses wanted to believe in Ted's words too strongly to realize that he was just using her. She might have vaguely known it but at the same time, she might have thought that it did not matter because her happiness is to serve him. I believed, though, that she was not blinded by love but she loved herself too much, so I could not commiserate with her at all. 

Although other several women were also absorbed in the handsome and sharp guy, yet I could empathize only Liz in all the women. 

About Ted Bundy, I do not want to write about him because I do not like to regard a psychopath as a human, though I will if he should be innocent as he insisted. Zac Efron played a super handsome guy. I believed that he looked good but I felt that he was not too handsome to make women passing by him turn around right away and gaze admiringly at him on the streets. Women might not agree with me. 

テッド・バンディ

2020年２月、キネマ旬報シアターにて『テッド・バンディ』を観覧。

連続殺人犯と目されている男バンディを、その恋人の視点で描いた作品。色々考えさせられた良い映画。

バンディが生涯で恐らく一番愛した女リズを演じたリリー・コリンズの、迫真の演技に魅せられた。無実だと主張続けるテッドに、正直に話すよう迫る様は鬼気迫っていたし、その演技には魂を感じた。

そんなリズとは対照的だった、バンディの言うことを信じたい気持ちが強過ぎて、利用されている事に気付けない眼鏡女キャロル。薄々感づいていたかもしれないが、彼に尽くすことが彼女の幸せであるなら、彼女には彼に利用されようがどうでもいいことだったのかもしれない。ただ、彼女の場合は、愛は盲目、ではなく、自己愛だと思う。同情なんか出来っこない。

ハンサムで頭が切れるバンディに夢中になる女は他にも大勢いたが、この映画で同情出来た女性はリズだけだった。

バンディに関しては、サイコパスを人間として認めたくないので何も語りたくない。もっとも、彼の主張通り、彼が冤罪だったとしたら話は別だが。演じたザック・エフロンは超ハンサムな男の設定。個人的には、ハンサムだとは思うが、道で擦違う女性が思わず振り返って見惚れるほどではないと感じた。女性には見え方が違うのかな。

Bombshell #1

In February 2020, I watched Bombshell at Movix Kameari for the first time. 

I was most impressed when a young female employee at Fox News blamed Megyn Kelly, the network's popular newscaster. The young woman, Kayla, was sexually harassed by the CEO, Roger Ailes. After that, she suffered from a sense of humiliation and knew that Megyn had also been harassed by Ailes years ago. I was really moved when Kayla threw anger at Megyn and blamed her for having done nothing against the big shot. I simultaneously felt sorry for Megyn who tried to explain about it but could not at all then. Nobody to blame except for the lecher. 

Most things change not rapidly but gradually, which irritates the persons concerned. If they feel a sense of humiliation and emptiness in the process, they must keep it in mind and have to be patient until time has come. This is important. Then, they must rise up and wrestle when the moment is right. That is their mission. 

The film was wonderful and really enjoyable. It was friendly with various aspects and was not too long. 

Movies based on true stories like that are useful for me because I know little of problems in the world. I, however, was amazed how it showed criticism against the present President, Donald Trump. That also reminded me of the movie Fahrenheit 11/9 directed by Michael Moore. I watched the documentary film in November 2018. The United States is a free country far more than Japan. 

I saw Charlize Theron for the first time in a long time. She was cool and pretty as ever. Then I had believed that Nicole Kidman was a bimbo actress but I was kind of surprised that she gave a charming performance as a cool newscaster. Actors who have survived for a long time must be great persons.

スキャンダル #1

2020年２月、Movix亀有にて『スキャンダル』を初観賞した。 

最も印象に残っているのは、フォックスニュースの会長ロジャー・エイリズからセクハラを受けて屈辱を味わった新人のカイラが、以前同じ目に遭ったのに、それに立ち向かわず何もしなかった大先輩メーガン・ケリーに対して、その時何故戦わなかったのか、と詰った場面。上手く説明出来なかったメーガンが切なかった。セクハラをしたエイリズ以外は誰も責められない。 

大抵の物事は、急激にではなく、徐々に変わるもの。でも、当事者には、それがもどかしい。だが、大局的に耐えねばならない時もある。大事なのは、その時の屈辱や虚無感を忘れない事。そして、時が来たら立ち上がる事。

ノリは軽いが、無駄に長くなく、色々な要素が入り混じった良い映画。かなり面白かった。また、社会問題に疎いので、こういう実話が基の作品は本当に有難い。それにしても、現大統領のドナルド・トランプをあんなに大っぴらに批判するとは。2018年11月に観たマイケルー・ムーア監督作の『華氏119』でも感じたが、日本とは違い、アメリカは本当に自由の国だ。

久々に見たシャーリーズ・セロンは相変わらず綺麗でクールだったが、綺麗なだけの女優だと思っていたニコール・キッドマンが良い感じの美婦人になっていたのに少し驚いた。息の長い役者さんは、人間的に素晴らしいのだろうな。